Today's Recipe - Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes you just need to stick with the classics......

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Contains soy and wheat
(milk-free, egg-free, peanut-free, nut-free)

3/4 cup milk-free margarine
1 cup unrefined Sugar
1 banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa (can be a little more if you like)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Chocolate chips (you can use carob/soy etc, however there are some dark chocolate chip varieties that contain no milk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream margarine and sugar until light in colour and fluffy. Add banana and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, soda, and baking powder.
4. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until everything is well blended.
5. Stir in the chips.
6. Form balls and pat down a little bit on a baking sheet.
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes.

Not up to baking this weekend? Check out these yummy allergy-friendly treats, all the work is done for you! http://www.homefreetreats.com/

Make your own granola bites

These are a perfect on-the-go snack for all of you busy adventures this summer.

Granola Bites
(milk-free, egg-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, nut free)

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup milk free margarine
2 cups quick oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 diced dried apricots (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease an 8-inch pan; set aside.
3. In medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, combine brown sugar and margarine, stirring until margarine is melted. Remove from heat and stir in oats, baking powder, and apricots.
4. Stir until well mixed.
5. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan, pressing down with back of spoon.
6. Bake 18 minutes, or until golden. The center will be soft.
7. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Cut into bite-size squares and enjoy or store in individual plastic bags for easy snacking.

Food allergies may be more common than expected...

8 percent of kids under the age of 18 are allergic to at least 1 food according to a recent study, which is the largest of its kind to track food allergies in US kids.

Here are the top 9 most common food allergens found in the study, respectively:
1. Peanut
2. Milk
3. Shellfish
4. Tree nuts
5. Egg
6. Fin Fish
7. Strawberry
8. Wheat
9. Soy

Check out the article!  http://children.webmd.com/news/20110620/food-allergies-in-kids-more-common-than-thought

Today's Recipe - Golden Honey Rolls

This recipe is much for suitable for the weekend, however with most families out of school, any weekday can start off with something warm and yummy.

Golden Honey Rolls
(milk-free, egg-free, peanut-free, nut-free)

These are not wheat friendly, not sure if rice flour can be substituted...it may be worth a try!

You will need:
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 Tbsp. honey, divided
3 1/4 cups flour, divided
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. water, 3 Tbsp. oil, 2 tsp. baking powder, mixed together
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. milk-free margarine, melted

1.Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly grease two 8-inch round pans. Set aside.
3. In small saucepan, combine water, oil, and 2 Tbsp. honey.
4. Heat until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Set aside.

5. In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour; yeast; salt; water, oil, and baking powder mixture; and honey mixture. 6. Beat 3 minutes with electric mixer at medium speed.
7. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups flour and beat 2 minutes. Dough will be soft and sticky.
8. Cover bowl and let dough rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 1 hour.

9. Stir down dough, beating for 1 minute.
10. Mold dough into large balls, placing in single layer in each prepared pan, making approximately 10 rolls per pan. Set aside.
11. In small bowl, combine sugar, margarine, and remaining honey. Drizzle half of this mixture over rolls.
12. Cover rolls and let rise again in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
13. Drizzle remaining topping over rolls.
14. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pans. Makes approximately 20 rolls

Product of the Week

Arzu is a product by World Wise Grains. If you haven't tried it, it is a gluten free whole grain product. The ARZU cereal is a blend of buckwheat, quinoa, and legumes. It containt 8 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber! Check it out!

http://www.worldwisegrains.com/

Make your own oatmeal packets

This is such a great idea sent to me by my friend and co-worker Darcy. Check out this website for other good ideas!  http://afewshortcuts.com/

Homemade instant oatmeal packets
(wheat-free, egg-free, milk-free, soy-free, peanut-free, nut-free)

3 cups quick-cooking oats (look for certified gluten-free oats)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

 

1. In a food processor pulse 1 cup of oats until coarse powder.

2. Mix powder oats with whole oats and brown sugar in large bowl.

3. Mix in raisins or dried cranberries if desired.

4. Place 1/3 Cup Oatmeal Mix in each ziploc bag or single serve container.

5. To serve: Empty packet into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes.

6. For thicker oatmeal, use less liquid – for thinner oatmeal, use more liquid.

Summer Party Punch

Try this refreshing punch at your next outdoor party!

1 (10 oz.) package frozen strawberries that have been thawed
3 (6-oz.) cans frozen lemonade concentrate
4 cups ginger ale (try diet for less sugar!)

1. In a blender, blend strawberries until smooth and set aside.

2. Prepare lemonade according to directions on can. Pour into a punch bowl or beverage dispenser.

3. Stir blended strawberries into lemonade.

4. Add the ginger ale just before serving to maintain the fizz.

Today's Recipe: Black Bean Brownies

Two friends of mine who are also followers of this blog left this recipe for me this weekend, what a great idea! I can't wait to try them at home.

Black Bean Brownies
(gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, peanut-free, nut-free)

1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3-egg equivalent using Ener-G Egg Replacer or regular eggs if no allergy
3 Tbsp.  vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.

2. Combine the black beans, eggs or egg-replacer, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. If you don't have a milk allergy--> sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.

3. Bake in the pre-heated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

Recipe and nutrition information can be found at http://recipes.bushbeans.com

Today's Recipe Sweet Potato Crackers

Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A and fiber.  I can never get them crispy enough when I make sweet potato fries, so these crackers are a good alternative.  These are not free of all top 8 allergens, but still a good recipe.

Sweet Potato Crackers
(milk-free, egg-free, peanut-free, nut-free)

1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp plus 3/4 tsp salt, divided
3 Tbsp milk-free margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups canned sweet potatoes, drained and coarsely mashed
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp apple juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

3. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.

4. In an electric mixer, place sweet potatoes and apple juice and puree until smooth.

5. Beat sweet potato mixture into flour mixture and knead well on lightly floured surface.
6. Divide dough into 4 sections.

7. Roll each section out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into squares.

8. Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. salt.

9. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.

10. Turn over and bake 3 minutes more. Cool on wire rack

Summer Travel Tips

Whether you are hitting the pavement for a family road trip or jet setting off for vacation, always remember to prepare yourself and your family for smooth traveling.

1. Make sure all prescriptions are up to date and filled. If possible, it may be a good idea to pack additional epinephrine auto-injectors.

2. Always keep meal times in Mind. If you are driving, try to pack enough food to get you through until you reach your destination.

3. If you do dine out, seek out a place ahead of time that you know you will be comfortable stopping at.

4. Be sure to check out what medical facilities are near your surrounding area once you reach your destination

5. If you are flying, call the airline ahead of time and notify them of your allergy.

6. Prior to booking your flight, it may be a good idea to look for the airline's allergy policy.  See below for any example of Delta airlines accommodations.

"When you notify us that you have a peanut allergy, we'll create a buffer zone of three rows in front of and three rows behind your seat. We'll also advise cabin service to board additional non-peanut snacks, which will allow our flight attendants to serve these snack items to everyone within this area.

Gate agents will be notified in case you'd like to pre-board and cleanse the immediate seating area. We'll do everything we can, but unfortunately we still can't guarantee that the flight will be completely peanut-free."

7. Inspect your seating area, planes are not always cleaned after every flight.

8. Notify the other passengers in the area.  Most people will likely have common courtesy and avoid the offending food, however the airline likely does not have to announce it to everyone on the plane.

9. Be prepared and always have your epinephrine with you, not in you checked luggage!

Mmmmm......Chocolate pudding

Its hot. Not awful, not too humid, but still hot. Im not complaining. Nothing like some cool chocolate pudding on a warm, breezy night.

Chocolate Pudding
(milk-free, egg-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, soy-free, nut-free)

4 cups rice milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

1. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Whisk well until blended.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and bring to boil.

3. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir well.

4. Pour into dessert dishes or small bowls. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Today's Recipe - Easy Broccoli Slaw

I tend to like creamy coleslaw better than an oil and vinegar based slaw. However, when dealing with food allergies, vinaigrette's are much safer. I find that this super simple slaw is tasty and love the extra flavor the broccoli mix adds compared to conventional coleslaw, not to mention the great nutrients!

Easy Broccoli Slaw

1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. oil
1 package (12 oz)  broccoli slaw mix (I like green giant)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In large bowl, combine vinegar and sugar and then stir in oil.
2. Add broccoli slaw mix and toss to coat.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand 20 minutes. Toss again and serve

Fun for teens - make your own sushi

I know what you're thinking.....homemade sushi sounds hard, and it won't taste good. Trust me it is easy and truly delicious. Not to mention easy to make allergy-friendly. The hardest part is making sure you have all the ingredients and tools.

What you will need:

1 Sushi mat - very cheap (either at meijer or an asian food store)

2 Nori sheets (seaweed)
check the label, but should just be dried seaweed

1 Cup sushi rice (can find at most grocery stores, or asian market)

1 Tbsp white vinegar or rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 lemon

1/2 avocado, cut into thin strips (squeeze lemon over avocado to prevent browning)

1 half hot house cucumber, cut into thin strips

1 cup carrots, cut into thin strips (can buy packaged)
1/2 red pepper cut into thin strips

1. Cook sushi rice per package instructions.

2. While rice is cooking, mix the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved.

3. While rice is still warm, sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice.

4. Place nori sheet on sushi mat.

5. Spread your rice evenly all over the nori sheet, ~ 1/4 inch thick.

6. Place strips of avocado, cucumber pepper and carrots onto the rice.

7. Using the bamboo mat, roll sushi tightly.

8. Cut into 1 inch pieces and enjoy!

check out Rachael Ray's version or look at how-to photos at http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/appetizer-starter-recipes/party-sushi-rolls