The Allergy-Friendly Icing On The Birthday Cupcake

Ha, ha, ha! Sorry, but I couldn't resist that silly title. It just got stuck in my head!

I found the perfect recipe for icing for Cody's birthday cupcakes. It tastes right, has the right texture, and it's allergy friendly and vegan.

Here is the link to the recipe for "Best White Icing Ever".

I used organic vegetable shortening made from palm oil and added some puréed cherries and blueberries for color and flavor.

In a previous post I posted the recipe for tasty allergy-friendly and vegan chocolate cake.

Cody really did not like the chocolate cupcakes, so I also made some vanilla cupcakes. I just substituted the cocoa with more oat flour and added another 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Voila! I had birthday cupcakes after some trial and error. One important note: do not overfill the cups otherwise you will have a gooey, fun mess at the bottom of your oven. I'm sure experienced bakers know this, but I learned that one the hard way!

What did Cody think of the cupcakes? Well my little Mr. Picky was not a fan. Too sweet and sticky for him I think. Oh well, more for me!

The cupcakes are wheat free, dairy free, egg free, peanut/treenut free, corn free and vegan.

Yummy Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Cake

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm trying out birthday cake and frosting recipes for Cody's upcoming birthday.

I found many recipes for vegan chocolate cake and they were all pretty much the same. I usually try to give credit when I use someone else's recipe, but slight variations of this one seem to be so widely used that I don't know where credit should go.

This cake came out really good and I was very happy with the way it looked and tasted.

My little food critic; however, wasn't impressed. This was his first taste of something chocolate. After a couple of tiny nibbles and licks he finally took a big bite. He made his "pfffft" noise, shook his head and spit it out.

So I'll try a few more times, but I guess I'll try another flavor.

and see if he likes it better.

The frosting proved to be more difficult. My plan was to make a cherry frosting. I tried sunflower oil based recipe and it tasted funny. I tried coconut oil and that was much better, but the coconut flavor overwhelmed the cherries and my husband doesn't like coconut. Also, the oil based frostings seeped into the cake after a while.

I did some research and I think the answer is vegetable shortening. I bought an organic, palm oil shortening, but I haven't tried it out yet. If you need frosting before I can try mine out, there are many recipes for shortening frosting out there. Let me know if you try it.

Below is the recipe for chocolate cake. It's wheat, dairy, egg, soy, corn, peanut and tree nut free and vegan.

Enjoy!

Moms and Dads, what allergy friendly cakes have you made for your kids?

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Chocolate cake

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup sugar

1 cup oat or rice milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cake pan or muffin pan.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl combine the milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well.

Spoon the batter into the cake or muffin pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cranberry or blueberry apple muffins.

It took me a few tries to get these mini muffins just right, but I finally have the right texture and taste.

I usually make these with dried cranberries, but since we have a ton of blueberries, I used those this time around.

I can't seem to keep these around very long because we all love them. Well, Cody usually loves to eat them except when he decides they are a great "throw" (his word for ball) and wants to test his arm. I can tell you that it's pretty good!

These are wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free and vegan.

Enjoy!

Mini apple and dried Cranberry muffins

Makes about 20 muffins

1 1/2 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oat or rice milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped, dried cranberries or blueberries

1 small, finely diced apple

Brown sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 and grease mini muffin pans.

In a large bowl combine the maple syrup, applesauce, milk, oil, cranberries/blueberries and apples.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture
Spoon the batter into the muffin pan. 

Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Pestolata Pasta. It's not quite pesto, not quite gremolata.

I call this pestolata because it's a little like pesto and a little like gremolata. Either way, it's delicious! 

The problem with pesto is that is has nuts and parmesan cheese. Here's my recipe for nut-free, dairy-free, allergy friendly, vegan pestolata pasta. I often add veggies like asparagus or peas, Cody's favorite. Seriously, this kid just can't get enough peas. He eats them by the handful every day, all day and I buy an astonishing number of bags of peas every week. But I digress.

Enjoy!

1 cup basil
1 cup spinach
1 small garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb. rice pasta

Salt and black pepper

Combine the basil, spinach, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and oil in a food processor. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Blend until smooth.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Place the hot pasta in a serving bowl and immediately stir in the pesto. Add pasta water to reach desired consistency. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

 

Allergy Friendly Potato Salad

We love grilling out! I used to always make potato salad, but with the mayo and egg in it I thought our days of creamy potato salad were over. That is until I discovered soy free Veganiase!

This is another of my Grandmother's  recipes adapted to make it allergy friendly.

Happy grilling and enjoy!

This recipe is egg free, peanut/tree nut free, dairy free, soy free, corn free, wheat free and vegan.

Potato Salad

8 Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup soy free Veganaise
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish*
1 tablespoon yellow mustard*
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives or dill
1 teaspoon celery seed**
Salt and pepper

*I make sure I get dye free mustard and pickle relish since most contain yellow dye.
**Feel free to use some celery instead. I use celery seed because I like the celery flavor, but not the texture.

Peel the potatoes and cut them in half.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add the potatoes and boil for about 15 minutes until tender, but not mushy. If the potatoes get too mushy you end up with mashed potato salad!
In the meantime combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.
Drain the potatoes and let cool completely.
Cut the potatoes into cubes, season with salt and pepper and mix with the dressing.
Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Chill in the refrigerator overnight, or until ready to use.

Awesome Allergy Friendly Chickpea Omelettes

I really can't believe how tasty these are and they're egg free and soy free!

My mother-in-law recently sent me the link to a recipe for chickpea flour omelettes. I decided to try it last weekend and we all really liked them including Cody. He finally gave it a try after making his "this is going to be yucky" pfffft noise and sliding it back and forth around his tray. He ended up eating the whole piece I gave him.

Here's the link to the recipe I used from the blog Vegan Richa:

http://www.veganricha.com/2012/08/chickpea-flour-omelette-with-spinach.html

I used zucchini, spinach and only some salt and pepper for seasoning.

Seriously, you have to try these. I know I will be making them a lot!

It's apricot season!

I get so excited when I start seeing apricots in the stores. I love them and they always remind me of my childhood.

My grandparents had apricot trees and I remember the fun of picking buckets of apricots and then watching my grandma make yummy apricot everything!

One of the things that stands out in my mind is the apricot ice cream we used to make every year. It was my favorite. I am going to try to figure out an allergy friendly version soon.

For now I made an allergy friendly version of her apricot crisp. Our grocery store recently had a huge blueberry sale and we bought a LOT of blueberries, so I added blueberries to the crisp.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Apricot blueberry crisp

Fruit filling:

8 apricots pitted and chopped

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon oat flour

Crumble:

1/4 cup oat flour

3/4 cup oats

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In large mixing bowl combine the fruit, maple syrup and flour.

In a food processor combine the flour, oats, maple syrup, oil and salt. Pulse to form a course crumble.

Pour fruit into a greased baking dish. Top with the crumble.

Bake until the fruit is bubbly and the crumble is golden brown about 20 - 25 minutes.

Sesame-free hummus

We don't yet know if Cody has any problem with sesame, but I do know that sesame is a fairly common allergy, so we haven't tried it yet.

I decided to make him a sesame-free version of hummus. I have not been able to get him to eat beans, so I thought I'd try a different approach. I just used cannellini beans, olive oil,  a little bit of garlic and lemon juice.

I tried it and I think it's yummy. I use it on sandwiches and I add some to buffalo burgers for moisture and extra flavor.

Cody is still not quite sure about it. He takes a couple nibbles of it on a piece of bread, but that's about it. Actually, for him, that's a good sign!

This is really easy to make. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Sesame-Free Hummus

1 can low sodium cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute until soft and fragrant.
Let cool and add to a food processor with the remaining ingredients.
Blend until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Allergy-Friendly Blueberry Waffles

I made these for all of us last weekend and they turned out really good! I have a mini waffle maker that does perfect Cody size waffles.

You can freeze extras and put them in the toaster for a quick and easy breakfast.

Enjoy!

Blueberry waffles

1  1/2 cups rice or oat milk

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup blueberries

2 cups oat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl combine the oat/rice milk, applesauce, oil, maple syrup, vanilla and blueberries.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the blueberry mixture to make a batter.

Follow the directions on your waffle maker. 

Serve with maple syrup or fruit topping.

This recipe is egg free, dairy free, peanut/tree nut free, wheat free, soy free and vegan

Cody's Favorite Foods: Easy Oven Baked Fries

Cody loves these, we love them and they're so easy to make!

Easy Oven Baked Fries

1 sweet potato

1 yukon gold potato
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut potatoes in half and then cut into 1/4 inch strips.
Toss the potatoes with the olive oil in a large bowl.
Place sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
Bake for about 25 - 30 min minutes until tender and golden brown.

Feel free to play with seasonings. Try adding garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, or any seasoning you like.

Grandma's Allergy-Friendly Tortillas

I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I have so many childhood memories of my grandmother making beans, chile and especially her homemade tortillas. I decided to try to modify her recipe to make oat flour tortillas for Cody. 

The first one was a disaster, but I kept making changes until I finally managed to make a tortilla that really looked and felt like a tortilla. My husband and I used them to make chicken tacos and they actually stayed in one piece! Oh, and Cody loves them.  He calls them toto cookies!

I'm so happy with these I can hardly contain myself and I think Grandma would have been proud.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Grandma's Tortillas

2 cups oat flour                                
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 - 2 1/4 cups water
2 tsp. baking powder                    

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder.
Stir in the oil and water to make a batter.
Heat a griddle or pan over high heat. Pour or ladle about ¼ cup of the batter for each tortilla. Cook for 2 minutes, you should see bubbles forming. Turn and cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Continue to turn frequently and press occasionally with a spatula to brown evenly.     

Cody's favorite foods: allergy-friendly smoothie

A few weeks ago I decided to try to make a smoothie for Cody. I wasn't terribly optimistic since he has never been much of a fan of fruit. I used a frozen banana as the base, added some other fruit, applesauce, juice and rice milk. I gave it to him in a cup with a straw and he took a sip and said, "mmmm!" Wow! I couldn't believe it. Now he helps me make a smoothie every day and we share it.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Fruit smoothie

1 ripe, peeled banana frozen overnight
1/2 cup applesauce
1 /2 cup fresh or frozen berries, peaches, or other fruit of choice
1/4 cup apple or white grape juice
1/4 cup oat or rice milk

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Allergy-Friendly Sweet Potato Bread Recipe

This is Cody's favorite bread. I like using maple syrup instead of sugar, but feel free to use sugar if you like.

Enjoy!

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Sweet Potato Bread

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons oat or rice milk

1 ¼ cups oat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the sweet potatoes, oil, maple syrup and milk.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture.

Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool completely then slice.