Allergy-Free Pasta Salad Recipe Round-Up

By Kelley Lindberg

Last week, we looked at potato salad recipes that are free from the Top 8 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish). This week, I stalked the web for the best-looking pasta salads I could find. To make my list, recipes have to eliminate the most common allergens, but definitely keep the flavor! As always, I look for recipes that taste great, look wonderful, and won’t have a single person at your barbecue or potluck party even noticing milk and egg aren’t part of your creation!

Note: If you must avoid wheat or gluten, you’ll want to use gluten-free pasta for these recipes, of course.

Let’s get started.

First, I have to share a Ranch Dressing tip or two. Ranch dressing mix is a tasty addition to pasta salads, but finding a milk-free version is tricky. My local Smith’s grocery store (which is part of the Kroger brand of grocery stores) carries an envelope of mix called “Kroger Party Dip – Ranch,” which is milk-free. I have used it to make ranch dip by mixing it with Tofutti “BetterThan Sour Cream” soy-based non-dairy sour cream—a huge hit at parties. I also mixed it with Vegenaise (egg-free mayonnaise substitute) to make a sauce for a pasta salad the other day. My son declared it was “the best pasta salad you’ve ever made, Mom!” So if you live near a Kroger store (such as Smith’s, King Soopers, or Fred Meyer), check to see if they carry the “Kroger Party Dip-Ranch” mix. (Don’t confuse it with the Kroger Salad Magic Ranch Dressing mix, which contains milk. Sheesh. Don’t these people know they’re just making our lives complicated with all these different versions?)

If you can’t find the Kroger mix in your local store, you’re still in luck. I found a recipe online to make your own Homemade Ranch Seasoning & Dressing Mix, and it’s super easy! (I’m serious. Throw some spices in a blender or spice grinder. Voila! You’re done!) We have Megan, over at her “These Things I Love” blog, to thank for this recipe.

Now, on to some great-looking pasta salad recipes that will perk up that potluck table like nobody’s business:

Italian Pasta Salad: In its simplest form, a good pasta salad consists of 3 things: cooked pasta, some veggies, and a dressing. This recipe from About.com gives you the step-by-steps. It uses a cup of your favorite safe bottled Italian salad dressing, or you can substitute a favorite safe vinaigrette (like balsamic! Yum!).

Easy Vegan Artichoke Pasta Salad: This recipe from About.com is even easier, because you use the oil from a jar of marinated artichoke hearts instead of the salad dressing! Plus I think artichoke hearts always add a little extra class to anything they’re in, don’t you?

Vegan Pasta Salad with Pickles,Vinegar, and Olive Oil: Love that hint of pickle/vinegar flavor? Then you’ll love cooling off with this pasta salad from PopSugar.com that uses a dressing of vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard (and some diced dill pickles for a little extra kick).

Southwestern Pasta Salad
Photo credit: CookinBug at AllRecipes.com

Southwestern Pasta Salad: I’m a fan of all things Southwestern flavored, so this recipe from Allrecipes.com is right up my alley. Its dressing consists of vegetable oil, fresh lime juice, and spices, and it will definitely spice up your picnic! You could also turn this into a main dish by adding some diced grilled chicken or taco chicken (shredded chicken cooked with taco seasoning).

Greek Goddess Pasta Salad: This recipe from AllRecipes.com calls for a bottle of pre-made Greek vinaigrette, and it includes sun-dried tomatoes, avocados, Kalamata olives, a jar of roasted peppers, and other tasty tidbits.  If you can’t find a safe Greek vinaigrette dressing, try this recipe to whip up your own: Absolutely Fabulous Greek/House Dressing. 

Kelley’s Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad: Okay, since my son loved this one so much, I figured I’d better post it.

Kelley's Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 box of pasta, any shape (I used 2 different shapes, to mix things up)
• 2 c. total veggies, such as halved cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes (drained), or lightly steamed veggies such as broccoli, spinach, kale, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, snowpeas, cauliflower, red and yellow peppers, or edamame
• 6 strips bacon
• Ranch dip/dressing mix (1 envelope’s worth, or about 3 T)
• 1 c. safe mayo, such as Vegenaise (there is a soy-free version, if that’s one of your allergens)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 c. rice or soy milk (or other safe milk)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions. If using veggies that you prefer to be lightly steamed, go ahead and steam them. Dice bacon into small pieces and fry. When the bacon is almost done, add the steamed veggies to the bacon so that the veggies take on that bacon flavor, and continue to cook until bacon is crispy enough for your taste. In a small bowl, mix the Ranch dressing mix, safe mayo or Vegenaise, garlic powder, and rice milk. When the pasta is done, drain it and run some cold water over it to stop it from continuing to cook. Then put the pasta in a large serving bowl with the veggies and bacon. Gently stir in the ranch dressing. Serve and enjoy!

My son, who is now an always-on-the-go 16-year-old with a hollow leg, is primarily a carnivore. He thinks vegetables are a conspiracy by mothers world-wide to punish their children for trumped-up grievances. Oh well. There are only a handful of veggies he will willingly eat: artichoke leaves (not the hearts), fried okra (he had to learn to like fried okra or he wasn’t allowed to continue living under my roof), and edamame. I don’t know why edamame made the list, because he refuses to touch any other legume, but I don’t question small victories. So when I made this salad, the only veggie I added was shelled, steamed edamame. That and the bacon made a great combination, and he was happy. So were the other party-goers, so I call that a win.

It’s Not New Year’s Without Black-Eyed Peas (Allergy-Free!)

By Kelley Lindberg

My grandmother always said, “Be careful what you do on New Year’s Day, because that’s what you’ll be doing all year long.”

I don’t know if she was right or not, but I always try to do things on New Year’s Day that I wouldn’t be ashamed/annoyed/mad/tired of doing all year. So I generally avoid cleaning house, and I try to avoid arguing with my son. On the positive side, I always try to do some writing (even if it’s just a sentence or two), and have a nice day with my family.

The other thing I have to do every New Year’s Day is eat black-eyed peas. My family is all originally from Texas, so eating black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year’s Day is mandatory. No questions. No resistance. You WILL eat black-eyed peas. You WILL have good luck whether you want it or not. Fortunately, I happen to love black-eyed peas!

I know other parts of the South also like collard greens (for money), but in my house, it was always about the black-eyed peas. Sometimes called Hoppin’ John when they’re served with rice, black-eyed peas are easy to make, and they’re delicious topped with chopped onions and jalapenos, and served over rice or cornbread. (The non-sweet kind – here’s my favorite recipe for Albers® Corn Bread. Just use soy or rice milk and your favorite egg substitute like Ener-G, and leave out the sugar). Black-eyed peas go great with ham, a beef brisket, chicken, seafood, or just about any main dish, really. And if you like the idea of greens representing money, saute some collard greens, Swiss chard, spinach, or kale in a little olive oil and safe margarine, along with some chopped garlic and salt and a bit of water to steam them.

So if you’re in the mood to have a really lucky year, be sure you put some black-eyed peas on the table. Just please don’t used the mushy, flavorless canned ones. Yuck. They’re so easy to make from scratch, so try my grandmother’s recipe instead (below)! (Of course, they’re even better if you use fresh peas, but frozen works fine this time of year.)

My son hates peas and beans of all types, but he learned early on that he wasn’t allowed to leave the table on New Year’s Day until he’d eaten at least one—count ‘em, one—black-eyed pea. That’s all I ask. Now he eats it without complaining (mostly), so I know he’s going to be okay for another year. Somewhere up there, my grandmother is looking down on him and smiling.

Have a Happy and Lucky New Year!

Black-Eyed Peas

3 slices bacon, diced (or you can use diced smoked pork or ham)

1 bag frozen black-eyed peas

Water

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Chopped onion and/or jalapenos (optional)

Fry bacon in pan. Pour off grease. Add black-eyed peas and enough water to cover about 1 inch above peas. Add salt. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over rice or cornbread, and top with chopped onion and/or jalapenos.

Allergy-Free Olive Tapenade

By Kelley Lindberg


I’m always looking for something safe, different, and delicious to take to parties. Something everyone will eat. Something tantalizing. Something fun. And it’s a bonus if it’s something that’s allergy-free to begin with, and I don’t even have to make substitutions. That way, when someone asks for the recipe, I know it will be safe even if THEY make it. And they don’t turn up their nose at it, saying, “Oh, well, if it’s allergy-free, it probably tastes lousy.”

So when I wanted to find something French to make for an international food tasting event at my son’s school during the last week of school, I hit on the idea of making an olive tapenade.

Olive tapenade (olive spread) is a very common food in France, Spain, Greece, and Italy. It’s a spread, so you can serve it on toasted slices of safe French or Italian bread, or on safe crackers.

I tried a few versions before I hit on the combinations of olives that work best. I tried using all black olives (too muddy-tasting) and all green olives (too sharp-tasting). Finally, I came up with this combination. It’s super easy – throw it all in a food processor or blender, and Voila!

So the next time you have to take something to a party, take this classy snack. Americans might look at it a little funny at first, but since most people love olives, it won’t take them long to fall in love with it! I’ve taken it to 2 events already, and it’s been popular. Bon appétit!

Kelley’s Olive Tapenade

3 c. pitted Kalamata olives, drained

1/2 c. pitted black olives, drained

1/2 c. pitted green manzanilla olives, drained

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp capers, drained

1/4 c. olive oil

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 T fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried basil or Italian seasonings)

Put all ingredients in food processor or blender, pulse about 10 times, using spatula to push down off sides if necessary. Let rest 1 hour at room temperature to let flavors “blossom.” Will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve on safe French bread that’s been sliced, brushed with oil, and toasted. Or serve on safe crackers.

 

 

Egg-free, Milk-free, Nut-free Crepes

By Kelley Lindberg

I got brave this morning and decided to try making egg-free, milk-free, and nut-free crepes for breakfast. So I found several egg-free recipes online that were all identical (that’s always a good sign that the recipe will work), made my substitutions to eliminate dairy products, threw out the first couple of crepes which were too oily and became sacrificial train-wrecks, and finally—Voila! I hit on the right formula.

I used all-purpose flour, so if gluten is your enemy, you can try using your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour instead. I also used a small non-stick skillet, so I did NOT need to add oil to the skillet (when I did, trust me, it was ugly). So if you use a non-stick skillet, do not add oil to the skillet. If your skillet is NOT non-stick, you’ll have to use a little oil.

Also, the original recipe I used said to refrigerate the batter for 2 hours. Yeah, right, like I ever plan ahead enough to do that. So I didn’t. They worked just fine.

Here is my recipe. Bon appétit!

Allergy-Friendly Crepes

Crepes:

1/2 c. rice or soy milk

2/3 c. water

1/4 c. safe margarine, melted

2 T. safe vanilla extract

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. white sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 T. vegetable oil

Strawberry filling:

1 – 2 c. sliced strawberries

1 – 2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. white sugar

Garnish:

Additional white sugar or powdered sugar to taste

Safe chocolate or other syrup (optional)

1. Heat oven to 150 degrees, then turn off. You will store the crepes in the oven on a heat-proof plate until you’ve made enough to serve everyone.

2. In a small bowl, toss sliced strawberries with lemon juice and 1 tsp. white sugar. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together rice/soy milk, water, melted margarine, and vanilla.

4. In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt.

5. Whisk flour mixture into liquid mixture until smooth. (You don’t need to use a mixer. A hand whisk is easy. It only takes a minute.)

6. Warm a small skillet over medium heat. If skillet is NOT non-stick, coat bottom of skillet with a small amount of oil.

7. Pour about 3 T of crepe batter into the skillet, and swirl it around until it spreads out thinly. You’ll have to experiment with the amount, depending on the size of skillet you use.

8. Cook until the edges are crispy and golden (about 1 minute and 15 seconds). Slide spatula around the edge to gently loosen. Then lift the edge slightly to look at it – the bottom should be turning golden. Then flip the crepe to cook the other side until lightly browned (about 1 minute more). If you try to flip them too soon, you’ll have a rubbery mess. Wait until the bottom is definitely golden/toasted-looking.

9. Slide onto the heat-proof plate and keep in warm oven while you make more.

10. Repeat with remaining batter, adding each cooked crepe to the warm plate in the oven.

11. When ready to serve, place crepe on an individual plate, spoon a few slices of strawberry onto the crepe, roll up, then sprinkle with powdered or white sugar. You can also drizzle chocolate syrup over the rolled crepe (optional).

This recipe made 10 6-inch crepes, but I had to throw away 2, so I only got 8 out of this recipe. Alter quantities to suit your family! (The original recipe I started with said it made 16 6-inch crepes. It lied.)

Allergy-Free Gingerbread Houses and Cookies

By Kelley Lindberg

My niece's creation from a Christmas past.

It’s that time of year when gingerbread houses and gingerbread men (and their assorted wives, children, neighbors, dogs, and lawn furnishings) make their appearance. Traditional gingerbread recipes are full of common allergens, so I updated my list from last year of allergy-safe recipes for those days when you have entirely way too much creative energy and time on your hands. (Yeah, right. We can all hope.)

 

If you’re in the mood to bake up some festive architecture or the ginger-folk that live there, here are a few places to jumpstart your allergy-free baking frenzy:

• Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies from Kids with Food Allergies (free from the Big 8)
• Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies from Eating with Food Allergies (free from the Big 8)
• Gluten-free Gingerbread House Frosting from Kids with Food Allergies (free from the Big 8)
• You can order a baking mix for Jules Gluten-Free Graham Cracker-Gingersnap baking mix (free from the Big 8). You can also order a Gingerbread House Making Kit from Jules, which includes the baking mix, cookie cutters, and cardboard base, and instructions.
• Don’t need to be gluten-free? Here’s a recipe for StorybookGingerbread Men using regular flour, but free from the other Big 7, from allrecipes.com. 

If you don’t have time for baking, but still feel compelled to glue candy to a house (and who doesn’t?), here are a couple of fantastic no-bake options:

• The Candy Cottage snap-together plastic gingerbread house lets you add your favorite icing and candy without the time-consuming baking. Nice! You can even wash off the decorations and use it again next year. Many thanks to Michelle Fogg (UFAN’s fearless president) for finding this one last year.
• Sensitive Sweets' Allergy-free Gingerbread House Kit uses pre-baked gingerbread pieces, and you can order it with or without allergy-free candy from Surf Sweets. The kit is free from nuts, gluten, soy, egg, and dairy. Cool, hunh? 

Looking for safe candy to use for decorations? Depending on your allergens (check all labels for ingredients), try Necco wafers, Chex cereal or Frosted mini-wheats for roofing, Smarties (I like to stack them, wrappers and all, to look like firewood or logs on a gingerbread train car), Dum-Dums, Spangler’s candy canes, Bob’s Sweet Stripes Soft Mint Candies (red & white peppermints), Bakers & Chefs Starlight Mints, Skittles, Starburst, your favorite safe fruit snacks and fruit roll-ups, Haribo gummy bears, Jolly Ranchers, Hot Tamales, Mike & Ikes, Dots, Life Savers, rock candy, candy sticks (those swirly candy sticks that they used to sell in general stores – maybe the ones at Cracker Barrel are safe?), or sticks of safe chewing gum.

Enjoy your new Home Sweet Gingerbread Home!

Allergy-Free Thanksgiving Recipes 2013

By Kelley Lindberg


The food-oriented holidays just keep coming, don’t they? Thanksgiving, more than any other, is ALL about the food. There’s simply no way around it. The crazy thing is, the food is also wrapped up in traditions. Some folks get downright militant about those food traditions. Even if they don’t particularly like sweet potato casserole, for example, they’ll serve that dish or die trying, because it’s tradition, darn it!

Yeah, I don’t really get it, either. But most of us do it anyway.

So if you’re aiming for traditional this year, but you’re dealing with food allergies, I’ve put together another round-up of traditional Thanksgiving recipes that can be made allergy-safe. To see last year’s Thanksgiving recipes, see “Allergy-Free Thanksgiving Recipes 2012.” This year, I tried to go for different recipes to give you more choices. So check out last year’s post, too, to double your options!

• The turkey: Turkeys, especially the self-basing kinds, are injected with solutions that make them tender. However, those solutions can harbor allergens like milk, wheat, soy, or corn. So check labels before you buy. Read the very helpful article at about.com called “Before You Buy a Thanksgiving Turkey” for some great advice.
• Stuffing: The type of stuffing you like probably depends on where you’re from. Southerners might go for cornbread stuffing, while East Coasters might indulge in oyster stuffing, for example. So here are some variations. (Be sure you substitute safe ingredients, such as your family’s favorite safe bread, for whatever the recipe calls for):
• Traditional-Style (bread, celery, onion, spices): Try these: Traditional-Style Vegan Stuffing, Traditional-Style Vegetarian Stuffing (YouTube video), or this nifty recipe for making your own Instant Stuffing Mix that you can store in the pantry and cook up any time.
• Herbed Oyster Stuffing: Try this recipe, but use a safe cornbread recipe for the cornbread (see below), use safe margarine instead of the butter, and make sure to use a turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock that is safe for your allergies.
• Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing: Again, be sure you check the labels on your bread and stock, and substitute safe margarine for the butter. 
• Quinoa stuffing: Skip the bread completely and try this gluten-free quinoa stuffing with zucchini, butternut squash, dried apricots, and cranberries. Yum! 
• Wild Rice Stuffing: Skip the pecans in this recipe and make sure your chicken broth is safe for your family. 
• Cornbread Stuffing: This recipe from The Pioneer Woman is very similar to my grandmothers (except my grandmother’s recipe calls for biscuits instead of French bread). So use whichever white bread is safe for you, use safe chicken stock or broth, and safe butter. Lots of photos!
• Cornbread: If you need a good cornbread recipe to use in your cornbread stuffing, try this one for Albers® Corn Bread, which I’ve been using for years. However, skip the sugar (unless you like sweet stuffing – but I prefer savory, and I’m originally from Texas, so you’ll never find me putting sugar in my cornbread!). Also, you have to make two substitutions: replace the egg with Ener-G egg replacer or other egg substitute, and replace the milk with soy milk or rice milk. I use rice milk, and it works great.
• Mashed Potatoes: To make mashed potatoes allergy-safe, use any basic mashed potato recipe and replace the butter with a safe margarine and replace the milk or cream with rice milk or soy milk. Or, ditch the whole butter-and-cream idea completely and use chicken broth instead to flavor them. Here is the super-simple recipe from Campbell’s Kitchen for Skinny Mashed Potatoes. Or for something a little fancier, try this dairy-free recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. 
• Gravy: This is the same recipe I wrote about last year, but it’s a great, simple Allergy Free Turkey Gravy from EatingWithFoodAllergies.com that explains the steps well. You can use either regular wheat or wheat-free all-purpose flour in this yummy Thanksgiving staple. YouTube has lots of videos showing how to make turkey gravy if you’re not sure of the process.
• Cranberry Relish: How about a no-cook Cranberry-Raspberry Relish? Throw everything in a food processor, and voila! Or this Cranberry-Raspberry Relish is even easier, using only 2 ingredients (a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and raspberry Jell-O).
• Sweet Potatoes: Tired of the traditional mashed sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows? Try Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Apples (just use safe margarine or olive oil). And here’s a delicious version of Candied Yams that uses orange juice and brown sugar. Heaven! Just use safe margarine instead of the butter. 
• Green Bean Casserole: Whoever does the marketing for those French-fried onion rings is a genius, because they’ve managed to convince us all that green bean casserole is a traditional food. I’m so over that. Personally, I’d much rather indulge in this traditional Greek recipe for Fasolakia, which is green beans, tomatoes, and onions all sautéed together with a little garlic and olive oil. Super easy, healthy, and delish! And personally, I replace the water with a can of safe chicken broth. This recipe calls for fresh green beans and tomatoes. Here’s a secret: this works equally well with 2 drained cans of green beans (look for Whole Green Beans instead of cut) and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Shhh…don’t tell. You can always sprinkle some safe breadcrumbs or crushed Chex cereal on top after it's done cooking if you want it to look more "casserole-ish."
• Pumpkin Pie: This recipe is a repeat from last year, but really… allergy-free pumpkin pies are hard, and this recipe works: “Mom’s Pumpkin Pie” from the Kids with Food Allergies website.  This recipe is in the “free recipe” section of the website, so you don’t have to be a member to access it!

 

Egg-Free, Milk-Free, Nut-Free Root Beer Cupcakes

By Kelley Lindberg


I’ve posted this super-easy allergy-friendly recipe for cupcakes before, but since I just made them in a different flavor for my son’s birthday, I thought I’d post it again. The cupcakes have only 2 ingredients: a box of safe cake mix, and a can of soda. I promise, it works, and it is ridiculously easy! Forget the instructions on the box, which call for oil, water, and eggs. Just use a can of club soda (my usual recipe) or regular soda. In this case, since I was making Root Beer cupcakes, I used a can of root beer. For the frosting, use your own recipe (or Pillsbury Creamy Supreme vanilla frosting, which contains soy), and add in some root beer concentrate.

(OK, I lied. If you live at high altitude, you'll want to add 2 Tbsp of flour to the cake mix. So there are 3 ingredients for high-altitude cooks.)

Duncan Hines makes several flavors of cake mix that are free from eggs, milk, and nuts. For my Root Beer cupcakes, I used the Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix, which contains soy and wheat.

I haven’t tried it with a gluten-free cake mix yet, so if you try it, let me know if it works!

Root Beer Cupcakes

• 1 box safe cake mix (such as Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix)
• high altitude only: 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 can root beer
• 2 tubs Pillsbury Creamy Supreme vanilla frosting (or other safe frosting)
• 1 - 2 Tbsp root beer concentrate (sold in the baking aisle, next to the vanilla extract)

Put the dry cake mix in a mixing bowl. (If you’re at high altitude, add 2 Tbsp flour to the cake mix.) Pour in the can of root beer. Beat on low for 30 seconds until mixed, then beat at a higher speed for 2 minutes. Pour into cupcake papers in a muffin tin. Bake according to the directions for cupcakes on the box (usually 350 degrees for 18 – 21 minutes). Cool on a rack.

When ready to frost, dump both tubs of frosting into a bowl, then add 1 Tbsp of the root beer concentrate and mix well. Add more root beer concentrate if you want a stronger flavor.

Frost. Serve. Enjoy. Smile gracefully at the compliments. Hand out seconds.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Allergy-Free Soup Recipes

By Kelley Lindberg


Snowflakes were falling this morning outside my window. There’s a fresh layer of snow on the mountains, making the few remaining yellow and orange leaves look especially lovely. Fall is giving way to winter everywhere I look.

It’s turning into soup weather.

So let’s try some new allergy-free soup and stew recipes together, shall we?  

• Minestrone. Those Italians are wizards with veggies, and a good minestrone is a thing of veggie beauty. Try this recipe from the Food Network magazine. Just skip the parmesan cheese, which is just a garnish, and make sure your chicken broth and pasta are safe for your allergies.
• Creamy Vegan Baked Potato Soup. For me, potato soup is the ultimate comfort soup. This recipe from Marni Fogelson-Teel on www.inhabitots.com is dairy-free but still has a creamy texture, and it is as straightforward as it gets, plus it has step-by-step photos! For toppings, you can try dairy-free cheese, like Daiya brand, crumbled bacon, diced green onions, sautéed kale or spinach, or anything else you like on a baked potato (even salsa or chili!).
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. Steph Davis, at www.highinfatuation.com, serves up this great-looking bisque-type squash soup. She describes the recipe as “ridiculously easy,” because “it requires almost no actual cooking, uses 5 ingredients, and tastes like it’s from a gourmet restaurant.” Works for me!
• Southwestern Corn Chowder. This recipe by Knorr, on the Yummly website, only takes a half-hour to make. Just use a safe margarine and safe chicken stock (or another type of broth/stock if you’re avoiding chicken). Believe it or not, a can of “cream style corn” doesn’t contain any cream, so it’s safe (at least the Del Monte can I checked was dairy-free – be sure you read the ingredients before you buy it!).
• Beef Stew. If you're looking for something filling and warm, this recipe from Martha Stewart couldn’t be simpler, and you can cook it in either a crockpot (my favorite cooking buddy!) or in the oven. Yep, that’s right. The oven. My carnivorous husband will love this one! (It calls for 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour, mainly for thickening, so if you can’t have regular flour, try it with gluten-free flour, or skip the flour altogether. It will probably work out just fine without it – just perhaps not quite as thick.) Also, note that the crock-pot variation neglects to mention that you should add water, so be sure you add water or beef broth/stock (like the oven version says).
• Chili. Craving some chili? I posted a Chili Recipe Round-Up last January, so check it out for ideas.

Got a favorite soup or stew recipe? Post the recipe or a link to it in the Comments. In the meantime, get out those fuzzy slippers and toasty throws and stay warm!

Allergy-Free Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

By Kelley Lindberg


This week, I’m guest blogging over at Living Without magazine’s blog. Click on over, and you’ll find my recipe for Allergy-Free Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. They are a tasty, healthy snack, and they’re free from the Big 8 allergens. Enjoy!

 

Egg-Free, Milk-Free, Nut-Free Jell-O Cookies

By Kelley Lindberg


Looking for something new to put into your kid’s lunchbox? I tried making Jell-O cookies to take to a multi-family camping trip this weekend, and they seemed to be a big hit with the kids! (And the adults.)

The original recipe can be found on KraftRecipes.com here: Jello-O Pastel Cookies. However, I had to replace the egg with an egg substitute (I used Ener-G egg replacemer), and the butter with safe margarine. The official Kraft recipe calls for mixing a 3-ounce box of Jell-O into the batter, then sprinkling another 3-ounce box of Jell-O powder on top of the cookies before baking. But the recipe I was following (from a friend) said to add an entire 6-ounce box of Jell-O to the flour mixture, and it said nothing about sprinkling any on top. Adding the whole box to the batter instead of sprinkling half on top made the cookies a much brighter color (and it was less fussy). So do it either way!

I’m assuming that you could use your favorite gluten-free flour mix instead of the wheat flour. If you try it that way, let us know how it works.

Jell-O Cookies (Egg-Free, Milk-Free, Nut-Free)

(Original recipe from Kraft Foods. Allergy-friendly version by Kelley J. P. Lindberg)

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups softened safe margarine
1 cup sugar
1 6-oz box of Jell-O gelatin, any flavor
1 egg or equivalent egg substitute*
1 tsp safe vanilla

*To replace one egg, I used 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 2 Tbs warm water. Or you can use 1 tsp baking powder mixed with 1 Tbs water and 1 Tbs white vinegar. Or you could try using 1/4 cup applesauce.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. (The original recipe says 400 degrees, but mine worked great at 350.) Mix flour and baking powder. Beat butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar and Jell-O. Beat until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in egg substitute and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. (I like to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper so that the cookies slide right off.) You can flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass if you want, or leave them as balls and they will retain a slightly rounded shape.

Bake 8-10 minutes (slightly longer in high altitudes), until edges are just barely beginning to turn light brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen.

Chili Recipe Round-Up

by Kelley Lindberg


It’s perfect chili weather. At least it is here in Utah, where it’s cold and crisp, and the snow sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight. If you’re somewhere tropical right now, I don’t want to hear from you.

Anyway, if, like me, you’re in the mood for some chili this week, maybe you can try some of these recipes I’ve found.

"Easy Chicken Chili with White Beans," from Campbell’s Kitchen. This one whips up fast with mostly canned ingredients you might even have hiding in your panty already. Perfect for weeknights.

"Thick & Hearty Two-Bean Chili." Another super-fast recipe from Campbell’s Kitchen, this one uses ground beef, Pace Picante sauce (but any salsa will do), and canned beans and tomatoes.

"Authentic Texas Crockpot Chili." This recipe claims to be authentic Texan, but it has pinto beans in it. As an authentic Texan myself, I know that only non-Texans put beans in their chili. Whatever. It still looks yummy, either way.

"A Fantastic No Bean Chili Recipe." Now this looks more like an authentic Texas chili recipe – beef chuck, spices, and tomatoes. Plain ol’ goodness.

"Super Easy Vegetarian Chili." And if you like your chili without any meat at all, try this recipe for vegetarian chili that features black or pinto beans, kidney beans, and diced tomatoes, in addition to all the spices that make chili…well, chili!

Remember, even though cheese and sour cream are common toppings for chili, you don’t need ‘em. Try crushed tortilla chips, chopped olives, or sliced green onions for a pop of color. Serve your chili with safe cornbread, rolls, or tortillas, or you can spoon it over a bed of hot rice or plain grits. (And if you miss grated cheese and sour cream, you can always use Daiya’s dairy-free shredded cheese and Tofutti’s soy-based sour cream.)

So cozy up with a bowl of chili tonight, and stay warm!

Allergy-Free Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings’ Cake)

by Kelley Lindberg


Once again, I found myself up to my elbows in bread dough and candied fruit yesterday. My son’s Spanish teacher, who is from Spain, wanted to serve the class Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings’ Cake) today, January 6, as she teaches them about the huge Epiphany cultural celebration in Spain. The Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the arrival of the three Wise Men (the Biblical Magi) after Jesus’ birth. In some cultures, such as in Spain, the Epiphany can be as big (or even bigger) holiday than Christmas Day. There is a parade in Madrid that rivals our Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, but instead of Santa, the Madrid version brings the three Wise Men on floats. Children get presents on January 6 in many cultures, too.

While some local Mexican bakeries probably offer Rosca de Reyes, I volunteered to make them because there are a few kids in the teacher’s classes with food allergies (my son included), and I don’t want them to miss out on this cultural experience. I did some research to find out how to make a safe Three Kings’ Cake for my son’s teacher, and discovered that the Rosca de Reyes that is served in Spain on the Epiphany is basically the same thing as the Three King’s Cake served in New Orleans on Mardi Gras. It’s a simple bread shaped into a ring (to represent a crown), lightly glazed and decorated with candied fruit and sugar. There are as many recipes as there are chefs, naturally, but last year I practiced making several different cakes for a couple of weeks until I developed a recipe that was simple and free from egg, milk, and nuts.

Another fun tradition with the Rosca de Reyes is that the baker always tucks a small plastic baby Jesus, or a coin, into the baked (and cooled) cake. Depending on the region’s traditions, whoever finds the coin or doll will either: 1) have good luck, or 2) have to bring the cake to the next celebration.

The simplest recipe I finally created uses frozen bread dough. Kroger’s frozen white bread dough (available locally at Smith’s) is free from milk, eggs, and nuts, so that is what I used. Rhodes dough had a milk warning, so I didn’t use that one. If you need a gluten-free recipe, just substitute your favorite gluten-free bread dough. All Rosca de Reyes (or Three Kings’ Cake) recipes call for candied fruit – the best is home-made candied fruit (like orange rinds), but I don’t have the patience to make my own, so I used the candied cherries you find at Christmas-time that people use to make fruit cake. But not everyone likes that kind of candied fruit. So a better option might be to use maraschino cherries – everyone loves those! And they’re easier to find any time of year. You can also use raisins or dried cranberries.

Start a new tradition in your family this year, and serve a Rosca de Reyes for the Epiphany this week, or make a Three Kings’ Cake for Mardi Gras (which will be Feb. 12 this year). It is surprisingly easy, the kids can have fun decorating the “crown,” and you’ll find a new way to connect with cultures near and far who celebrate these fun holidays.

(I ended up making cakes for all 5 of the teacher’s Spanish classes. Because each cake had to serve about 25 kids, I used two loaves to form each cake, so the photos show larger cakes than a single loaf will make.)

Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings’ Cake)
1 loaf frozen bread dough (or make your own dough for regular white bread)
1/4 c. candied fruit, raisins, dried cranberries, or maraschino cherries cut in half (or a mix of your favorites)
2 T corn syrup (like Karo syrup)
1 – 2 tsp hot water
1/4 c. granulated sugar
Food coloring (optional)
Small plastic baby or coin

Heat your oven to 175 degrees, then turn it off. Place the frozen bread dough in a greased loaf pan, and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray. Put the pan in the oven and let it rise for several hours, until it has risen about an inch higher than the top of the bread pan.

Grease a large cookie sheet, or put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (Parchment paper is the best!)

Dump out the dough onto the parchment paper or greased cookie sheet, and gently stretch out the loaf until it is 12 – 15 inches long. You don’t want to handle it too much, but you need a long-ish rope. Then form the dough into a circle. Pinch the ends together well so that it doesn’t come apart while baking.

To make a glaze, put the corn syrup in a small bowl or cup, then add a small amount (1 tsp or so) of hot water and stir it. It just needs to be thinned a little so that it will be easier to brush onto the top of the cake. Then use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the dough.

Place the candied fruit, raisins, or cherries along the top of the crown. Press them down into the dough a little so that they stick to it, but are still showing – otherwise they might fall off during the baking. This is where the kids can get creative – the candied fruit are the jewels in the crown!

Finally, you can use either white sugar or colored sugar to finish decorating the crown. Mardi Gras cakes usually have green, purple, and yellow sugar. The Spanish version served on the Epiphany uses white sugar. If you’d like colored sugar, use a small glass jar to shake the sugar with food coloring, or purchase colored sugar at the store. When you put the sugar on the cake, don’t be shy – it isn’t really sprinkled on, it’s dumped on, usually in bands around the cake! Google some images of Rosca de Reyes or Kings Cake and you’ll find hundreds.

As soon as you’ve finished decorating the cake, bake it for 20 -25 minutes at 375 degrees. (If you’re at sea level, you might start checking it after 15 minutes. I’m at 4500 feet, so things always take longer to bake up here.) It should be just turning golden, like bread, but don’t let the bottom burn. When done, place it on a wire rack to cool.

After the cake cools, carefully lift up one edge of the cake and slip the plastic baby or coin (I like to wrap the coin in aluminum foil) under the edge so that it is hidden. Warn your guests/family about the prize in the cake so that you don’t have to make any unplanned trips to the dentist.

Super-Easy Allergy-Free Cupcake Recipe

by Kelley Lindberg


Six dozen cupcakes. 72. Way more than sane people make.

That’s what I made this weekend. My son’s soccer coach invited the whole team and their families to a barbeque to celebrate the end of the season. He provided the meat (a wonderful smoked brisket) and everyone else was supposed to bring a potluck dish to share.

My rule for parties is to always volunteer to bring the dessert. That is where nuts are most likely to appear (why are nuts an obligatory part of everyone’s favorite dessert recipe?), so I figure if I bring the dessert, I can control a lot of the nut contamination at the event. My son and his best friend are both on the team, so this time I knew we were dealing with not just my son’s peanut and nut allergy, but also his friend’s nut, milk, and egg allergy. So that made me even more determined to bring dessert – that way our boys would get the dessert, even if they couldn’t eat anything else. (The friend always brings his own bag of safe food to parties like this, because the risk of cross-contamination is just too high.)

So there I was, making six dozen cupcakes.

And you know what? It wasn’t that bad! In fact, it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, because the allergic friend’s mom (Kim, my dear friend and partner-in-crime for the last 13 years of playdates, parties, school, and other events) gave me her new secret recipe for making super-easy safe cupcakes (milk-, egg-, and nut-free). Okay, it isn't really secret, and it was shared a while ago on the UFAN email list, but it was new to me, and it worked out really well, so...

Now I’m going to give you the recipe. Are you ready? Here it is:

    Super-Easy Allergy-Free Cupcake Recipe

• 1 box Duncan Hines cake mix
• 1 12-oz. can of club soda

    Mix, bake, frost, eat.

Seriously? Seriously. That’s all there is to it.

Duncan Hines makes several flavors (yellow, spice, chocolate, red velvet, lemon, etc.) that contain only wheat – no eggs, milk, or soy. Check ingredient labels carefully, because not all of their flavors are milk-free. You may have other cake mixes you like that are safe, and this should work just fine with those, too. It might even work with your favorite gluten-free cake mix, but I haven’t tried that yet. (Betty Crocker makes gluten-free yellow and devils-food chocolate cake mixes that are free from milk, eggs, and nuts, but they do contain soy or a soy warning.)

So grab a box of safe cake mix, pour in a can of club soda, mix it up, and bake according to the time on the box. Forget the oil and eggs that the box calls for. You don’t need ‘em.

I’ve heard you can also use a can of Sprite instead of the club soda. But that adds more sugar, so I like using club soda. (Cake mixes already have plenty of sugar – no need to add more.)

For frosting, I use Pillsbury Creamy Supreme, which contains soy, but is free from milk, eggs, and nuts. Then I sprinkle them with colored sugar or Enjoy Life Foods’ mini chocolate chips (or both). Voila! Instant cupcakes.

Here’s the best part. They seemed to be a big hit at the party. The team devoured them (most had multiple cupcakes), and I got lots of compliments from the parents, too.

And I didn’t have to tell a soul that they were milk-, egg-, and nut-free. No one could tell. If I had told people they were allergy-friendly, I wonder how many people would have declined them, thinking they would taste “off.” But I didn’t, no one knew any different, and everyone was happy. Especially the teenage soccer players, who all had seconds, thirds, and in at least one case, fourths.

Funny how hungry teen boys can make six dozen cupcakes disappear in a heartbeat! And it made me happy knowing that the treat was a safe way for our allergic boys to not feel left out of this sweet part of the party.

Allergy-Safe Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

by Kelley Lindberg


Over the weekend, we went to a Halloween party – kids and grownups alike dressed up and spent a fun evening eating and having a great time.

Here’s something crazy: Four of the six families there had kids with food allergies. We didn’t plan it that way. We didn’t go out and hunt for folks with allergies. Food allergies are just becoming that common.

So anyway, in addition to our usual prohibition of milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, fish, and shellfish (which we’ve been eliminating from our parties for years), at this party we also got to eliminate gluten and citrus fruits.

And it still worked out great, with plenty of food to spare! We had tacos with all the fixings (including Daiya cheese and Tofutti sour cream), salsa, corn chips, pinto beans, Spanish rice, Jell-O Jigglers, cornbread, and pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes. Those cupcakes were so good! I asked Cathy if I could post her recipe here, and she graciously said yes. They’re easy to make using an allergy-safe yellow cake mix! So here is her super-yummy recipe, just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving get-togethers.

Cathy’s Allergy-Safe Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• 1 box safe yellow cake mix (Cathy used Cherrybrook Kitchen’s Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix)
• 1 15-oz can of pumpkin (make sure it’s canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/4 ground cloves)
• 1/4 c. rice milk
• 1/2 c. dairy-free, nut-free chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand)
• Frosting
• Safe decorations, like colored sugar, safe sprinkles, or plastic spider rings

Mix the cake mix according to the directions on the box, then add in the pumpkin, spice, rice milk, and chocolate chips. Pour into paper cupcake liners, and bake according to the instructions on the box. (Cathy baked hers at 350 degrees for 18 – 20 minutes.) Cool, frost, and decorate!

For frosting, try Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Cream Cheese Frosting (warning: contains soy), or use your own safe recipe. Cathy used this recipe, which tasted amazing:

Cathy’s Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting (contains soy)

• 1/4 c Tofutti dairy-free cream cheese
• 1/4 c safe margarine (such as Earth Balance or Nucoa)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 c powdered sugar

Beat until smooth, then frost.

 

Thank you so much, Cathy!

Swiss Chard and Other Fresh Finds

by Kelley Lindberg


Finding fresh vegetables and fruits at the store, farmers’ markets, and roadside stands is definitely one of the highlights of summer.

Last week, my son and I got to go on a tour with some friends of a local farm, East Farms, which grows more than 50 types of vegetables and supplies grocery stores and restaurants all across Utah. It was fascinating to learn first-hand how farmers buy and share water to irrigate their fields, to learn how many varieties of vegetables can grow in this climate, and to see how much work it takes to bring fresh veggies to our table every day.

My son even got to practice putting a rubber band around a bunch of spinach. Sounds easy, but he ended up shredding many of the leaves and took far too many seconds – professional pickers can cut and band around 95 bunches of spinach an hour, we heard. We have a whole new appreciation for something that looks simple and that we take for granted in the grocery store.

We also learned that our whole growing season here in Utah is about a month behind normal – so it’s not just my own garden that had a hard time getting started this year!

Even though it’s early, there are still some delicious finds in the produce aisle and farmers’ stands these days. My latest discovery is Swiss Chard. I planted some this year only because I couldn’t find any spinach to plant, and the nursery recommended Swiss Chard as an alternative. I took a chance and planted it. So far, it’s the only thing in my garden that’s growing like gangbusters, so I’m glad I did. If nothing else, it makes my garden look good. But fortunately, it also tastes good!

I hit the internet to figure out what to do with it, and found that it’s easy to prepare. Swiss Chard is similar to cooked spinach, but with a little more flavor (but milder than kale). Consumer Reports even mentioned it this month, describing it as an “overlooked” vegetable worth trying, having “a wealth of nutrients” including iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, E, and K, which are all “key for growth and immune system support.” (See Consumer Reports’ “Five Overlooked Vegetables that Deserve a Second Chance.”) 

The easiest way I found to cook it is to just cut or tear it into big pieces (2 inches or so), then sauté it with a little garlic in olive oil and safe margarine (about one tablespoon of each), until it wilts like cooked spinach. It’s good plain like that, or if you want, you can add a dash of your favorite flavoring to the sauté: lemon juice, white wine, or balsamic vinegar. (Sprinkling the sautéed Swiss Chard with parmesan cheese is also tasty, if you’re not allergic to dairy.) My family really liked this – even my picky son.

Another day, I sautéed diced tomatoes with the Swiss Chard using the same recipe, then put it over pasta with some sautéed shrimp. Replace the shrimp with crumbled bacon, grilled sliced chicken, or whatever your family likes for a fast and fresh summer dinner.

As the farmers’ markets are getting started, I hope to find some more fun veggies or fruits to try. If you run across an interesting new or “overlooked” veggie or a great summer recipe for an old standby, please share it! We can all use a little fresh summertime inspiration.

Allergy-Free Soup Recipe Contest Continuing

by Kelley Lindberg


There’s about an inch of snow outside this morning, which is making my son really happy. Just yesterday he was asking if I thought we’d have a white Christmas this year. Today’s snow may not last until Christmas, but it does make the world lovely, soft, and more beautiful – at least for a while.

So, while I’m looking at the frosty world outside, I’m still hankering for some new soup recipes. Many thanks to Julie for posting her delicious-looking recipe for White Chili – if you haven’t seen it yet, go to the Comments from last week’s post.

Now, for the rest of you… come on! Let’s see those yummy soup recipes that are free from peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat, seafood, and shellfish. There are plenty out there – and if you post a recipe, you’ll be entered in my random drawing for a free food-allergy cookbook!

Let’s get soupy!

Allergy-Free Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes!

by Kelley Lindberg


My son, the human whirlwind, just celebrated his birthday again. How he keeps getting so big while I stay so young is beyond me (although watching 17 kids race around Classic Fun Center skating, going wild on the bouncies, and shooting each other with laser tag aged me a few decades, I think). Anyway, he had a blast with all his best buddies.

Because my son and his best friend have food allergies, we’ve always had to make their birthday cakes and cupcakes. No adorable store-bought cakes for us, unfortunately. So over the years, some other moms and I have found some safe cake recipes, and I’ve often used Cherrybrook Kitchen’s yummy safe cake mixes. So out of necessity, I’ve learned how to make birthday cakes shaped like a skateboard, a jet plane, a space shuttle, a swimming pool, Pikachu, a Power Ranger, and Lego bricks. (Thank goodness for the internet and creative people – I can usually find simple instructions for making fun cakes online!) This year, he wanted cupcakes decorated to look like Pokéballs. (For those of you without pre-teen boys, those are balls that contain Pokémon critters when they aren’t battling each other or having adventures.)

A couple of months ago, a friend discovered that Duncan Hines now makes a few cake mixes without milk or eggs in them – just wheat. So I decided to give them a try. My son wanted the lemon cake and the red velvet cake flavors, so that’s what we bought.

Each mix calls for 3 eggs, so instead of the eggs, I substituted Ener-G egg replacer, and I had to add 1/4 cup flour to each because of the high altitude here, but they turned out great! The red velvet cake was a bit crumbly, but both cakes mixes turned out well, and I was able to frost them with Pillsbury Creamy Supreme frosting (contains soy) without any trouble. I used colored sprinkles for the colored half of the Pokéballs, Wilton’s Black Decorator Icing for the black lines (contains soy and wheat), and Smarties for the buttons. Voila! Mucho “cool mom” points.

So if you’re looking for an easy way to make your next birthday cake or cupcake, you might give those Duncan Hines cake mixes a try. These are the Duncan Hines cake flavors {http://www.duncanhines.com/products/cakes} that their web site says contain only wheat (but check labels carefully – ingredients can change at any time):

• Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix
• Classic Yellow Cake Mix
• Spice Premium Cake Mix
• Butter Recipe Fudge Cake Mix
• Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• Devil’s Food Cake Mix
• German Chocolate Cake Mix
• Red Velvet Cake Mix
• Swiss Chocolate Cake Mix
• Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
• Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix (contains soy and wheat)

Happy baking!

 

Replacing Peanuts and Tree Nuts in Recipes

by Kelley Lindberg


Last week, we discussed some ideas for replacing eggs in favorite recipes. This week, we’re talking about peanuts and nuts.

Replacing peanuts and tree nuts in recipes is often pretty easy. In most cases, nuts are used as a garnish or as additional texture, so you can usually just eliminate nuts from a recipe, and it will hold up just fine (such as in fudge, banana bread, or a casserole.). But here are some additional ideas:

Instead of a using slivered almonds or another nut topping on a casserole, try using safe bread crumbs (dry your own if you need to), crushed potato chips, crushed pretzels, or crushed tortilla chips. You never know – the new variation you’ve created may turn out to be even more popular than the original recipe!

Instead of a nut topping on a dessert, try a streusel topping. Mix together 1/3 c. flour, 1/4 c. safe softened margarine, 1/2 c. sugar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon and sprinkle it on top.

Another yummy dessert topping might be an oatmeal crumble topping. Mix together 3/4 c. uncooked oats, 3/4 c. flour, 1/3 c. brown sugar. 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and 1/3 c. melted safe margarine.

Instead of using nuts in a cookie recipe for texture, use safe chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, or oatmeal.

Instead of using peanut butter in a Thai recipe or in a dessert, use Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds). Sunbutter makes wonderful Muddy Buddies, for example! You can try this delicious Peanut-free Muddy Buddy recipe that I posted before. Sunbutter is very similar to peanut butter in taste and texture, and it seems to work well in most recipes, so give it a try. It’s a much closer replacement than soy butter, in my opinion. Just make sure you explain to people that it’s not real peanut butter, so they don’t think you made something with peanut butter, so it’s okay for them to do it, too!

Do you have any additional suggestions for replacing nuts or peanuts in a recipe? If so, leave a comment and share it with us all!

Next week, I’ll talk about some ideas for replacing milk and other dairy products in recipes.

Replacing Eggs in Recipes

by Kelley Lindberg


Last week, I talked about how sometimes making a favorite family recipe safe for a food-allergic person can be as simple as replacing one or two ingredients with a safe substitute. This week, I’ll offer a few ideas for replacing eggs in recipes.

If someone in your family is allergic to eggs, it can seem like a real challenge to eliminate eggs from your favorite recipes. Fortunately, there are several ways to replace eggs that really work, and in most cases no one will be able to tell you’re using a safe substitute. This is true for recipes that aren’t loaded down with eggs – for example, you wouldn’t want to try to make a quiche with one of these recipes, and brownies and angel food cake don’t work well, either.

But for recipes calling for three eggs or less, here are some of the egg replacements I’ve used. (The following quantities replace one egg. If you need to replace 2 eggs, double the substitute, etc.):

1 tsp baking powder, mixed with 1 Tbsp water or apple juice and 1 Tbsp white vinegar – This mixture works beautifully in most baked goods – cakes, breads, cookies, etc. Breads rise nicely, and you can’t taste the vinegar. This is my favorite home-made substitute to use in baking. It’s great even if you aren’t allergic to eggs and you just run out in the middle of a recipe! It will foam up (think science fair volcano!), so it’s fun for kids to help with.

Ener-G Egg Replacer – This is a great commercially available egg replacer mix made from potato starch and tapioca flour. It comes in a box, usually in the baking aisle. It works great in most baked goods, just like the vinegar mix above. You just mix a spoonful with some warm water, and you’re good to go. The box has lots of great recipes on it, too.

1/2 of a ripe banana, mashed – This works great in pancake mixes and other recipes where you want a banana flavor.

1/4 c. applesauce – Baked goods won’t bake rise as much if you just use applesauce; they might be a little more dense. Try using this in cookie recipes, pancake recipes, etc.

1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp of warm water – This works well, but some nut-allergic people are also allergic to flax, so use this with caution.

If you’re making a casserole that calls for eggs, you can try using a soy yogurt or soy sour cream instead. (Tofutti makes soy sour cream.) Or try using the Ener-G egg replacer.

Some recipes, such as breads, call for brushing eggs on top of the item as a glaze. Try brushing melted safe margarine or brushing rice milk on the bread instead.

I’ve heard Xanthum gum can be used as a binder, but I’ve never tried it.

If you have any egg-replacement ideas to share, please leave a comment with your great suggestions!

Over the coming weeks, I’ll talk about peanut and tree nut replacements, milk substitutions, and wheat replacements.

Dip Into It! Food Allergy Dips

by Kelley Lindberg


Can you believe the New Year started only one month ago? It seems like two or three months have gone by. That’s January for you. And of course, the only month longer than January is February – I don’t care what the calendar says.

I was thinking about New Year’s, and I realized I should share a fun discovery I made for the New Year’s party I went to. At a health food store in Layton, I found Tofutti brand sour cream substitute – it’s made of soy, and it’s dairy-free and egg-free.

While it doesn’t take exactly like sour cream, I decided that if I mixed it with an envelope of dip seasoning, it might be acceptable. So I found two brands of dip mixes that are milk- and egg-free: McCormick and Western Family (both contain wheat and soy, however). I tried mixing the Western Family French Onion dip mix into the Tofutti sour cream substitute and it was GREAT! I also used the McCormick Ranch dip mix in another tub of the Tofutti, and it was pretty good. Not quite the same taste as regular ranch, but still good with fresh veggies. But the French Onion dip, I have to say, was really tasty.

McCormick also has milk- and egg-free Spinach Dip and Vegetable Dip flavors, so I’m going to try those, too, mixing them with the Tofutti and some chopped frozen spinach (thawed) and some chopped artichoke hearts.

I love making a new discovery like this – one more option for party fare is always a good thing, right?