Give up ingredients, but don't give up awesomeness
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Next month it will be officially five years since my son was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (also known as EOE, previously known as EE). We’ve tried lots of things and settled into our rare disease life. Because of the publicity of this blog, I often receive lots of questions about how we’ve handled it, and so I thought it’d be helpful to share what we’ve done and learned along the way, in one easy-to-find article.
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Taco soup has been a staple my entire life. My mom made it growing up. Unfortunately, she’d use a taco seasoning packet that had wheat in it, so for a long time, we went without.
I was so glad when I discovered an easy, but DELICIOUS homemade taco seasoning mix that really gives this taco soup a pop. It’s more spice than I’ve ever had in the typical taco soup (take that pre-made packets!), so now I don’t know that I could eat anyone else’s–they might seem too bland. But, don’t worry it’s not too powerful, as I’m quite a baby.
Another trick that sets this allergy-friendly taco soup apart is that it uses brown sugar–which matches the spices and gives it a perfect sweet heat combo.
And lastly, since my son is allergic to beef, we do not use red meat. With all of the recalls on hamburger, I am often glad we don’t eat it anymore. So, we use ground chicken instead for a leaner cut of meat. It still has that same ground texture, and with all of the seasoning you’d never know it wasn’t hamburger. It’s a pretty magical substitute.
OK, I lied–there is one more trick up my sleeve to make this the best taco soup yet. I use an entire Tablespoon of minced garlic. I know this might seem like overkill, but it really isn’t and matches the potency of the spices to give it a well-rounded flavor.
Before I take all the credit, I have to say I got these tweaks from my best friend, Alicia. She is such a wonderful cook. And, that’s saying something since growing up her mom made maybe three recipes over and over. She is self taught and makes so many wonderful recipes for her family. I love it since it goes to show you don’t have to have this great background and that you can teach yourself how to cook.
Another reason I love her so much and am basically writing a love letter to her with this recipe is because we eat together a lot…and she has ALWAYS made things safe for my son. She doesn’t wait for me to think of ideas, but she is proactive and reads labels, checks things with me and always adapts things so that he is included. Her house is one of the few I go to without any reservations and I’m not nervous at all because I trust her completely. She is so thoughtful and loves my son like he’s her own. I am so fortunate to have her. Every allergy mom needs an Alicia in their life.
Taco soup is such a great and easy dinner that takes less than 30 minutes to make and is so filling and leaves lots for leftovers. If you’re looking for a great side dish to have with it try my The Best Top 8 Free Cornbread.
If you’ve had taco soup before, give this new one a try and it’ll bring back a childhood classic for you like it did me, with some extra enhancements and twists! Enjoy my Allergy-friendly Taco Soup and be sure to share it with your other allergy moms!
DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT! ALSO, CHECK OUT MY OTHER ALLERGY-FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS.
If you’re looking for other allergy-friendly, taco-inspired dishes, check these out:
Chicken Enchilada Pasta (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
Slow Cooker Green Chile Enchilada Pasta (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free)
