DF NF SF Hot Chocolate... Kid Approved!

So, my first attempt at hot chocolate was not approved by my food-allergy kiddo (even though I liked it very much!). This time I changed the "milk" and combined two together.  I really like vanilla hemp milk; it has a nutty taste and is fairly thick.  Witt likes rice milk even though it's kinda bland and thin. So I combined the two.

Here's what I came up with and it was approved by ALL THREE of my boys!!! WOOO HOO!

1 cup rice milk, original
1 cup hemp milk, vanilla
4 tsp cocao powder
2 Tbsp sucanat
dash sea salt
1 tsp GF vanilla extract

Warm the milks over medium heat. Stir in cocao powder, sucanat, and salt until well combined.  Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir. Pour. Add marshmallows and enjoy!

Hot Cacao (DF SF NF GF)

Normally, I would make hot cocoa with almond milk, but until we evaluate almonds in Witt's diet again, they are out.  And I always try to avoid soy.  He's tried chocolate rice milk and doesn't like it. So that leads me to coconut milk.

This recipe is thick, rich and delicious... a real treat! Unfortunately only one of my three boys agreed, and it wasn't the food-allergy kid. :(

However, I really enjoyed it so I'm keeping the recipe for me. :)

*A few notes first:

• I would not recommend substituting 1:1 on the sugar. To me, sucanat has a completely different flavor and isn't as "sweet" as regular white sugar. If you are going to use plain, white sugar, add slowly and taste as you go. 
• Cacao powder and cocoa powder taste different to me as well.  Cacao has more of a dark chocolate taste. I don't know if a regular cocoa powder (like Hershey's) would substitute exactly.

Ingredients

1 can unsweetened coconut milk (I use Thai organic)
1 can water
3 Tbsp cacao powder (I use Navitas organic)
4 Tbsp sucanat
1/8 tsp sea salt (I use pink Himalayan)
1 tsp vanilla extract, gluten free


Directions

Combine entire can of coconut milk and can of water in a pot. Warm over medium heat.

Whisk in cacao powder, sucanat, and sea salt. (Remember to taste as you go with the sugar!)

Once well combined and warm, remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

Serve warm.  Makes approximately 3 1/3 cups.



Recipe linked on Allergy-Free Wednesday

Chocolate Chip Cookie (GF DF SF)

Cookies

This recipe is altered from a previous one (DF, EF) now that Witt cannot have wheat, but can have eggs.  The following recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.  I made about 24 cookies, 24 mini-muffins, and one 9" cookie cake to see how the recipe handled different forms.

These may not be the most perfect looking desserts, but everyone loved them! Even the non-allergy folks.  YUM!

Mini-Muffins

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c GF flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Mix)
1/4 tsp Xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 c coconut oil
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp GF vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 - 2 cups Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

To get your eggs to room temperature more quickly, cover them with warm water.

In a bowl, combine flour and xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer, cream the coconut oil and sugars together.  Then add vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.

Slowly add flour blend to the oil blend. Stir until just combined. (Small chunks of coconut oil are fine.)

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Cookie Cake

For cookies:  

Drop SMALL amounts of dough onto cookie sheet. These spread and flatten. Bake 9 - 11 minutes.  Allow to cool on sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Yield: approximately 60 cookies

(Note to self: Try refrigerating dough before cooking to see if it helps lesson spreading.)


For mini-muffins: 

Fill muffin tin with cup holders. Do not grease. Fill cup 3/4 full.  Bake 9 - 11 minutes.  These sunk in the middle which made a perfect place for frosting! Turned out great! Yield: approximately 60 mini-muffins


For cookie cake:

Use a non-greased 9" round pan. Use 1/4 - 1/5 of the dough per 9" round pan. Bake 10-13 minutes. Yield: 4-5 9" cookie cakes.  Allow to cool in pan.  Recommend serving from the round pan; do not transfer.

(Note to self: I was very pleased with the cookie cake. The sides of the pan helped contain the spreading.  Will try with a pizza pan to see if the recipe can handle a larger size.)

Strawberry Frosting DFSFGF

Looking for some kind of cupcake container for my son to bring to school, led me to the Push-Pop Dessert Maker. Cute, huh? :)

Ingredients

2 large strawberries
1 tsp sucanat (or plain sugar)
1/2 cup earth balance natural buttery spread (soy free), room temp
1/2 cup Spectrum organic vegetable shortening, room temp
1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract
2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar


Directions

Cut each strawberries in to 8 pieces and place in a small bowl. Sprinkle sucanat over the strawberries. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. When most of the sugar has been dissolved, mash or puree the strawberries until there are few to no chunks (unless you like the chunks... then you can leave them) :)

In a large mixing bowl (I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer), combine the buttery spread, the shortening, and the vanilla. I mix it on high until well combined.

Add the mashed strawberries and combine again.  You may need to scrape down the sides of your bowl to help the strawberries combine.

Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mixing completely before adding the next cup.  (I liked the sweetness of 2 cups, but I wanted it a little stiffer so I added an extra 1/2 cup.)

If you need a thinner frosting, add a tsp of water or milk-alternative.

Refrigeration is recommended to maintain best consistency.

Rice Treats

This is an oldie from back in 2008, but I've updated the ingredients a bit to fit our new needs. These  treats were individually wrapped and labeled for my boys' Fall Festival at school. Now the allergy kids can have a treat, too! :)

 

I made a batch with Earth Balance and another with coconut oil. I, personally, like the coconut oil batch better. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients
10.5 oz GF miniature marshmallows (eg. Kraft)
1/4 cup coconut oil (preferred) or DF/SF margarine (eg. Earth Balance buttery spread)
5-6 cups GF crispy rice cereal (eg. GF Rice Krispies)

Directions
Line a 13x9 pan with wax paper and grease with coconut oil.

Melt coconut oil in a large bowl in the microwave (If you have time, you really should do this over low heat on the stove top to preserve the benefits of coconut oil. But... I was in a hurry and this is what I did.)

Add marshmallows to melted oil and mix to coat.

Microwave marshmallows and coconut oil until melted, stirring after each 1 minute. (Or if using the stove, just stir continuously until everything is melted and well combined.)

Add cereal to melted marshmallows slowly, stirring to combine well. Pour mixture into pan and press down with greased fingers.

Cool in the refrigerator. Cut into squares.

***************
Side note: I didn't realize until after I had stuck my labels on that I forgot to add soy-free. And to make these Top 8-Free, these are of course fish and shellfish-free, too. ;)

GF DF SF Baked Oatmeal

I tweaked this recipe from Urban Nester who tweaked it from someone else. :) After reading the many, many comments on Urban Nester's post, I realized this is a great adaptable recipe because so many people have made it to fit their own dietary needs and it worked! So, I tweaked it a bit for us and this is what 2 out of 3 of my boys ate and ate and ate. And then asked that I make again next week. (One boy doesn't like oatmeal...period. Even with chocolate.)


Ingredients

Dry:
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup sucanat
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup walnut (or pecan, flax, etc), ground (optional)

Wet:
1 cup strawberries (any berries work)
2 cups rice milk, original (or other DF milk alternative)
1 large egg (or egg replacement. We can do eggs now.)
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled

 Fold in:
1/3 - 1/2 cup EnjoyLife chocolate chips

Side Note: If you have time, let the milk, egg, and fruit come to room temperature first so that the coconut oil doesn't clump too much when you mix them all together.

Another Side Note: My kids don't like crunchy stuff in their oatmeal, so I ground the walnuts first, but you can leave them in pieces if you prefer... or leave them out all together.  Easy peasy. :)

****************
DIRECTIONS


Lightly grease 11x7 pan with coconut oil.

In a bowl combine oats, sucanat, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and walnuts (if using).

In a food processor, combine strawberries, rice milk, egg, coconut oil, vanilla, and banana until well combined. The coconut oil may clump back up into solid form a little, but that should be ok.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and pour into greased pan.


To bake immediately:
Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.

To bake later (Preferred method for a thicker oatmeal):
Cover the dish and place in the refrigerator overnight.

(Mine was in a glass baking dish, so I removed it from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking. I placed it on the counter to allow it to come closer to room temperature first.)

Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.


Store covered in the refrigerator. Reheated nicely in the microwave. Serves at least 6.


****************


Notes to self for next time:

• Reduce to 1/3 chocolate chips (we preferred it this way)
• Compare reheat in microwave vs. toaster oven.

Homemade Mint Chocolate/Carob Chips

Haven't tried this yet, but yummmm.... looks so good!

Homemade Mint Chocolate/Carob Chips

• soy-free
• dairy-free
• refined sugar-free option
• caffeine-free carob option

HOMEMADE Coconut Milk Yogurt

Funky Food writes that she has successfully made homemade coconut milk yogurt at home!  I LOVE coconut milk yogurt, but WOWSERS (!), it is expensive!

So Delicious

Check out her starting recipe (originally made with milk, but shows an update at the end of the post) and be sure to read the comments for further suggestions regarding thickening of the yogurt.  Then you should check out her updated recipe specific to the coconut milk.

Have you successfully made dairy free yogurt at home?  Add your link to the comments, please! Thanks!

Ask the Readers: Chocolate Fountain

I received this email from a reader and I don't have any experience with this, so I thought I'd throw the question out there to my readers. Please offer any suggestions in the comment section. Thanks so much!

****************

Have you ever come across an allergy-friendly recipe for a chocolate fountain or chocolate fondue? I have a 'turning-fifteen" year old daughter who is allergic to dairy, egg, and peanuts who really wants a chocolate something for her birthday party. If you have any ideas, I would really like to hear them.

****************

Dairy- Free Egg-Free Yellow Squash Muffins (repost)

I thought I'd repost this recipe as we've got a plethora of yellow squash about to come in and I figure you probably do to! :)
**************************************

This recipe is featured on Allergy Sense and


I found the original hand-written recipe on a piece of notebook paper in a cookbook that I purchased at a yard sale. Because Witt is allergic to eggs, I substituted 1/4 c applesauce for each egg and they turned out great! (and without apple flavor)

(For a healthier version of these muffins, click here.)



2 lb Yellow Squash (about 8)
1/2 c Applesauce
1 c melted DF Margarine
1 c White Sugar
3 c AP Flour
1 Tbs + 2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Boil squash until tender. Drain. Return to pot and mash.

Measure 2 cups of squash into another bowl. Add applesauce and margarine. Mix. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Fill ungreased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 350 until lightly golden brown; about 15 - 20 minutes.

Chocolate Cake Brownies

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Peanut-Free

This recipe was adapted from the March edition of Guideposts Magazine.  You could substitute regular flour for the rice and amaranth flour if gluten is not a concern. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cup milk substitute
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 t sea salt
2 t baking powder
1 cup organic walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate baking chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease the inside of a 9x13 pan with coconut oil.  Combine oil, honey, milk substitute, flaxseed and vanilla in order, then mix 1 minute on medium.  Gradually add flours and cocoa powder - mix one minute on medium.  Add baking soda, salt and baking powder in order, then mix 1 minute on high.  Add walnuts and chocolate chips - mix well.  Pour into pan and bake 17-20 minutes.  Store in fridge. 

Makes 12 brownies.

Kale Chips

I started making these at the end of last summer. In fact, I think it was the first time I had ever tried kale. I HAD BEEN MISSING OUT!!! Oh wow... kale ranks high on my favorite greens list. :)

I started out with this recipe at We Like It Raw and also enjoyed this vlog at Making Love in the Kitchen. There are also recipes that add other flavors, like these "cheesy" ones I still want to try. :)


Ingredients

kale
olive oil
lemon
sea salt (I use Celtic)
honey


Wash and dry the kale. I don't like the stems in mine (they are really hard to chew and take away from the crispiness of the leaf in my opinion), so I tear the leaves into large pieces and compost the stem. However, another option is to leave the stem and just eat around them. Leaving the stem in seems to help the leaf not stick so badly to the tray. That honey can be a pain sometimes! LOL!


I massage in each ingredient one at a time to make sure each leaf is covered. After massaging in the ingredients, you should be able to notice that the kale has reduced in size. If not, you need to massage some more. :)

Now, take a bite of it. If you enjoy the kale now, you'll really like it with the crispiness. Add more of whatever twang you want: sweet, sour, or lemon. You get them all in this recipe! :)

I've made these in the dehydrator and the oven. I don't really have a preference as to which does a better job, so I'll just tell you how I've done it and let you choose.

Option 1: Dehydrate. My dehydrator doesn't have a temperature control. I opened the vent all the way and turn it on. If memory served me correctly, they were done in 6 - 8 hours.

Option 2: Oven. The lowest temp on my oven is 170. I generally preheat my oven to this and stick the kale in for about 30 min - 1 hour. Then I turn off the heat and turn my oven light on. Let them sit over night. By morning there should be a gentle crispiness to them. Turn them over and let them sit longer for more crisp or eat for breakfast. :)

Option 2: Oven. You can also toast them for a quick treat, but you're gonna have to watch them. Heat to 350 for 10 - 15 minutes. (This would not be a raw version, btw.)


Enjoy!! I don't know how long these last as I usually end up eating the whole batch in a day. The kids don't really care for them, but I LOVE THEM!!! So they are MINE... ALL MINE!!!! :)

Tortilla Soup -- Dairy Free

Finding good soups or a taco soup that is dairy free is a big challenge.  So many have cheese or cream cheese.  Here's a tortilla soup that my daughter really likes.  It also is not very spicy which really appeals to a toddler.

Tortilla Soup (or Taco Soup as my daughter calls it)

(I found this in Everyday Food by Martha Stewart)

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp chili powder

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans black beans

1 can chicken broth (boullion would work, too)

10 oz package frozen corn

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crushed tortilla chips (I used some leftover taco shells)

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice.

1. In large saucepan, heat oil medium.  Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant about 1 minute.

2. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, broth, corn and 1 cup water.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bring soup to boil, reduce to simmer.  Add tortilla chips and cook until softened about 2 minutes.  

4. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.  Serve with extra tortilla chips.

**This soup freezes really well. The tortilla chips get a little soft, but you could always freeze a portion before adding the tortilla chip. And then add tortilla chips after unthawing.**

Green Bean Casserole

I created this recipe because I was tired of not having any "popular" potluck items to bring to family functions.  Everyone loves green bean casserole, however, it is hard to find a recipe that doesn't call for some type of creamy soup.  I brought this to a family get-together a few years ago and everyone loved it.  In fact, they asked me to bring it back the next year.  No more cream of mushroom casseroles!!

Ingredients:

• 2 c. wild rice
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 t. rosemary
• 1 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1 lb. steamed green beans
• Wheat germ

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cook rice in broth until done.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Top with a layer of wheat germ.  Place in a casserole dish and bake until the wheat germ is toasty (approximately 30 minutes).

To make into a main dish add 2 cups of diced chicken to the casserole before baking.

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free French Toast

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free French Toast

1/2 cup vanilla soymilk (I used Very Vanilla by Silk)

1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbps flour

dash cinnamon

several slices of bread (I have used homemade French Bread and regular store-bought bread)

1. Mix ingredients together.

2. Dip bread in mixture.  I found that letting it soak in on a wire rack for a minute or two helps.  Than I took a knife and scrapped off the excess.

3. Bake each side 5 minutes or until golden brown.  I set my skillet at 350 degrees or on the stove on medium to medium-low.

**Stick extras in freezer for an easy breakfast.**

Dairy Free Chocolate (Avocado) Pudding

Ok, this is going to sound strange, but here are your ingredients:

avocados
cocoa powder
vanilla extract
maple syrup


(not so scientific) Directions

Place desired number of avocados in food processor. (Three regular sized ones give a nice sized portion for four people.)

Start processing. Add cocoa powder by the tablespoon until the green turns brown like chocolate. You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides. Add a dash of vanilla. Then begin adding the maple syrup while processing and do several taste tests until it is sweet enough.

Enjoy!

PS. My kids have been known to make a mess while eating this! :)

~I found this recipe at Green & Crunchy

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Chicken Pasta Salad

This is one of those recipes that requires "special" ingredients. I made it today because I had some leftovers of everything listed that also needed to be used up. Listed at the end of this recipe are some links to more recipes for these "special" ingredients.

I adapted this from my dairy-based, egg-based recipe. I've been pretty successful tweaking my own recipes to make them dairy-free. My goal is to make food that everyone can eat and not know it's missing dairy and egg.

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Chicken Pasta Salad

(This is a small serving size of 2 to 4 small servings. You can easily double this recipe.)

1/2 cup pasta, (I use small shells)

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup chicken, pre-cooked

1/2 cup Vegeniase

1/2 Tbsp Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, plain

1/2 Tbsp Tofutti Better than Sour Cream, plain

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dill weed

1. Boil water and make pasta. Drain.

2. While pasta is boiling, chop veggies and mix in a bowl with chicken.

3. In separate bowl mix cream cheese and sour cream with garlic powder and dill weed. Mix in Veganaise.

4. Mix all together. Let sit in fridge for an hour before serving.

**Recently I made dairy-free, egg-free dill dip with Better than Sour Cream and Better than Cream Cheese. Also, here's a great dairy-free cream cheese frosting. Vegenaise can be used in place of mayo in any recipe or for sandwiches. Tofutti has recipe ideas here under fun stuff!**

Buckwheat Pancakes

Pancakes are a weekend favorite in our house - the only problem is that most of the packaged mixes contain at least one of the foods my son is allergic to. And if the mixes don't contain them, the recipe calls for eggs or milk.

I started making my own mixes not too long ago and not only are they allergy-free and easy to make, but they save a TON of money!!

Buckwheat Pancakes

Blend the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. water
• 3 T oil (we prefer coconut oil)
• 1 c. buckwheat flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. vanilla

You could add 1/2 c. sugar to the mix to sweeten it. We prefer to drizzle our pancakes with maple syrup instead.

This recipe should make 6 large pancakes (8-10 small).

Enjoy!

No Bake Cookie Bars

adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures


Ingredients

1/2 c honey
1/2 c coconut oil
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c Sunbutter
1 1/2 c oats (I used "old fashioned")
1/2 c dairy free chocolate chips


Directions

Melt honey, coconut oil, and cocoa powder on low stirring well to combine. Whisk at least 1 minute once melted as the honey really likes to settle on the bottom. Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla and Sunbutter. Add oats and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.

Transfer to a brownie pan and refrigerate until hardened (approximately 1 hour or more).

Homemade Dairy-Free, Nut-Free Chocolate Candy

With Valentine's Day coming up, I struggle with chocolate candy for my dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free daughter. You can buy expensive allergy-free chocolate or you can make your own. Here's what I came up with to make some fun chocolate candies.

Use a mold or silicon ice cube tray. I bought mine at the dollar store, but I've also seen them at the dollar spot at Target. Simply melt dairy-free chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life chocolate chips, and pour into the mold. Chill and pop out.

Here's another recipe to change it up a little. Yummy!

Chocolate Sunbutter Hearts

1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
1/4 cup Sunbutter (or Soybutter)
2 Tbsp daiy-free butter (I use Earth's Balance)

1. Melt in microwave for 30 seconds.

2. Pour in mold

3. Chill in freezer for an hour or longer.

4. Once chilled, pop out and eat!

**Use more or less of the ingredients depending on how many you want to make. You really can't do it wrong.*

(This recipe is featured on Mallergies.)