Help!! I have been told I can not have garlic or leeks. I can have onions and shallots. Is there anything I can use to replace the zing of g

My neighbor can't eat garlic and her husband-cook always replaces it with shallots, which I always heartily endorse. But I'm thinking the minced greens of scallions (green onions) might also help? You could also try increasing the heat of the dish--crushed red pepper, hot sauce, jalapeño, etc.-- in some ways as garlic does add that element.

In some Indian regions they don't use garlic and they replace it with asafoetida. Maybe you can give that a try.