Low-Histamine Foods

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Herbal Portrait: Orange Peel

Do you throw these in the garbage? Most people do. You might want to reconsider especially if you buy organic oranges.

Why should you save your orange peel?

Because they are the best herbal remedy for heavy, wet congestion. Need to dry up that drippy nose, drainage, wet sinuses, croupy cough? Try a tea or infused oil add with orange peel.

How do I preserve and store my orange peel?

I must lay mine out on plate covered with a paper towel to keep the dust off. Mix around once a day to prevent mold. Throw out any moldy pieces. In a week or so they should be dry and you can store them in a baggie or glass jar. Just keep them in a dry place with low humidity.

Best tea for seasonal allergy attacks:

Here’s my recipe for making a tea to combat seasonal allergies and allergic reactions.

In a quart size jar combine the following:

3 tsp black tea

4 tsp nettle leaf

2-3 large pieces of organic orange peel

Cover with just boiled water. Put the lid on the jar and let it sit until cold. Strain out the herbs into a clean jar and store in the fridge. Drink as needed.

Just after adding the hot water.
See how dark the tea is once it has steeped and cooled.

Another good companion to this remedy is tea or an infused oil made with Wild Cherry Bark which is a histamine regulator (Matthew Wood) and can help calm down allergic reactions. Follow my steps for making your own infused oil here.

100 Herb Monographs:

Expand your herbal research with Farmhouse Teas Herbal Monographs. Their set of nearly 100 monographs is just excellent! You get free access to them in their Herbal Studio. They are beautiful and very thorough.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

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Gluten-Free Graham Cracker and Graham Cracker Crust

I admit that I typically do without when it comes to some gluten-free items. I often assume that they just won’t be as good and I’ll just skip it. I may need to change my attitude on that though. I was skeptical at going to the trouble of trying this GF graham cracker crust, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is flavorful, the correct texture, good leftover even after sitting with filling in it for two days, and it held together. And honestly, my non-gluten-free family preferred this pie to the one I made for the rest of them with regular graham crackers.

Here’s the recipe. Try it out. It was certainly a treat for me to have dessert that I could eat and even feel good afterwards.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust Recipe:

Begin by combining the following in a small bowl…

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup sweet rice flour

1 cup teff flour (or millet if you prefer a lighter color)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp cane sugar

Note: This dough will be dark in color because of the teff. If you prefer a lighter color cracker or crust substitute millet for the teff flour.

In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients.

2 egg yolks

1 tsp molasses

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp milk

Combine the wet and dry together. It should be thick and soft dough. Err on the side of it being sticky rather than dry.

Roll or press on to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Try to get it thin – like 1/2” or thinner, but don’t worry to much about it being even. They still turn out to be tasty even if they are different thicknesses. And if you plan to turn these into a crust then it really doesn’t matter anyway.

Cut through the dough to make cracker sections using a knife or pizza cutter. Then bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Check and if they haven’t browned, turn the heat up to 350 or 400 for 5 minutes.

Remove and let them cool before breaking into crackers. If making a graham cracker crust follow the instructions below.

Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust Recipe:

Place your most of your crackers in a food processor and grind into a crumbs and add the following…

1 tsp sugar

3-4 tbsp butter

Blend adding more butter until the crumb mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers.

Press the mixture into a pie plate using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove and cool before adding your filling.

I made an eggnog custard for this pie and it turned out delicious! Enjoy!

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5-Minute Biscuit Bread, Low Histamine Recipe

My youngest is struggling with a restricted diet at the moment due to high histamine levels which means she can’t have yeast or sourdough bread. So, I’ve been scrolling back through my recipes to try to think of what to make for her. This one is just the ticket. I refreshed this old recipe and just pulled a loaf out of the oven for her this morning. My house smells delicious and now my only problem is how to keep the other kids from eating it all before she gets some.

5 Minute Biscuit Bread Recipe for Low Histamine Diets:

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the following:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat or spelt (best if freshly milled)

1 tsp salt

2.5 tsp baking powder

Give it a quick stir and then add…

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp molasses

1/4 cup oil

2 cups water

Stir until all the ingredients are just moistened. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat and bake for 50 minutes or until it tests done in the center with a toothpick.

This recipe mixes up super quick and is a great alternative when you can’t have yeast or sourdough but want a yummy slice of bread.

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Gluten-Free Popovers or Dutch Baby Pancakes

These are sweet little treats that are light with a slight nutty flavor. They are the perfect treat on their own or with some butter and jam or honey.

Gluten-Free Popover or Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe:

This recipe is quick to mix and bake. Combine the following in a small mixing bowl:

1 cup of heavy cream or half and half

3 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp sugar

Whisk until combined. The egg yolks add softness and some binding properties. The cream adds the liquid and fat. Next add…

1/4 cup millet

1/4 cup tapioca

1/4 cup white rice flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix with a rubber spatula until there are no more lumps. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes and then check the texture. It should be the texture of a smooth, soft icing.

Spoon into a greased mini muffin pan or I used these mini stainless steel ramekins to bake mine. They are the perfect little mini bite size.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove and cool.

Enjoy these little bites for an afternoon treat, quick breakfast, or dessert. If you want to bake as regular sized muffins, spoon into the greased pan and bake for 25 minutes.

This recipe makes about 9 mini popovers or 4-5 large ones.

Enjoy!