My son (12) wanted to make some allergy safe cookies on the weekend and with all his allergies (dairy, gluten, egg, fish and nuts) this can be a tricky endeavor to say the least.  Luckily I had recently purchased the Enjoy Life’s Cookies for Everyone! cookbook (on sale right now on Amazon for $8.00!) and my son picked out the People’s Choice Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to try.  I honestly wasn’t sure how these would taste considering they are made with oil but my son really thought they were delicious!  Although you might want to keep in mind that he’s never eaten a regular cookie to compare them with :)  I was pretty impressed when I tried them myself though.  I love the Enjoy Life products for my son and am so excited they have two cookbooks out now….this one and a cupcake one as well.

People’s Choice Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup vegetable oil (we used Canola oil)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  With a mixer, or by hand, stir together oil, brown sugar, vanilla and salt.  Add the flours (we substituted our own flour blend for both the flours) and baking powder and mix on low speed.  While mixing, slowly pour in the water until the dough is smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoon onto a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are golden around the edges and soft in the center.  For softer cookies, remove from oven before they get too golden, about 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for less than 1 minute.  Remove with a flat spatula and place on cookie racks to cool completely.

Yield: About 2 dozen.

Enjoy!

* see my other allergy friendly recipes here.

Gluten, Dairy, Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

In the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten so many emails from lovely readers who are just starting out on their food allergy journey.  I read their overwhelmed emails with tears in my eyes.  I know exactly how it feels to get that diagnoses for your child and wonder how in the world you’ll ever be able to feed them again.   How you’ll ever be able to feed them without holding your breath each time wondering if this one bite is going to send them straight to the hospital.  You see I have been living with food allergies with my son for 12 years and to this day my eyes still well up whenever my cell phone rings during school hours as I instantly image the worst.  I can’t help it.   My 12 year old son has severe food allergies and in addition to dairy, eggs, fish and nuts, he is also allergic to gluten. He can and has gone into an anaphylactic reaction just from the smell of regular pasta cooking. It’s scary.

To say I panicked in the beginning is an understatement and we literally fumbled our way through the first couple of years.  I made a lot of mistakes.  I felt very alone.  It’s not an easy thing for those not dealing with food allergies to understand.  It can be hard on friendships and it can be hard on a marriage.

Thankfully though I did get the help and support I desperately needed from some amazing resources. I’m still as hyper vigilant as always but I can definitely say my anxiety has lessened over the years.  My son is old enough now to take on some of the responsibility himself for his food allergies and that helps.  He often cooks his own meals and has even started doing more of his own treat baking as well.  In fact this past weekend I was going to leave him overnight with friends for the very first time when my hubby and I went to Banff to see Live with Kelly (up to this point it’s only been my mom that I have felt comfortable leaving him with but she lives all the way in Ontario).  However in the end we decided to take all the kids with us and it wasn’t necessary but it was still a huge step for me just to even consider it.

If you would like to read more about our story please read here.

So today I’d like to share with you my top three favorite food allergy resources in hopes that it will provide some relief to someone else.  Hang in there, it does get easier I promise.

Favorite Food Allergy Cookbook:

I highly recommend the purchase of the book, Special Foods for Special kids: Practical Solutions and Great Recipes for children by Todd Adelman and Jodi Behrend.

Of all the allergy cookbooks I have purchased and read over the years this one alone made all the difference in my ability to provide kid friendly, easy to make, safe alternatives for my son. You can find a few of the recipes from this book on my blog under Recipes – Allergy Free.  It is an older book but still very relevant and helpful.  This cookbook includes over 100 kid-tested great tasting recipes for practical, meal-time solutions for allergies to dairy, gluten and egg.

Favorite Online Food Allergy Support Group:

This amazing resource called Kids with Food Allergies was an absolute lifesaver for me back when we were first starting out.  I learned so much from the fantastic community of parents over there.  It is still run by the same lady today as it was way back when.  The members are so supportive, the recipes shared are abundant and the resources supplied are out of this world. If you’ve never had the opportunity to check it out for food allergy help, I highly recommend you do.  If you have a question about anything no matter how big or small, there is always someone around to answer it for you.

Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend:

Now I know this might sound strange to include this in my list of resources but honestly finding this blend made cooking and baking for my son so much easier.  This flour blend made such a difference for us that I couldn’t not include it here and it is by far the best substitute that I have found for regular flour (and I’ve tried many!).  I’m able to sub it into recipes cup for cup. I routinely make up a big batch and keep it in the fridge ready to pull out whenever we need it.

Gluten Free Flour Blend:

1 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp xanthan gum

Easy to do and you almost can’t taste the difference!!

Food Allergy Blogs:

I actually don’t have a favorite blog that focuses primarily on food allergies.  My son’s list of allergies are so extensive that it’s hard to find one that can accommodate all of them.  Most cater to gluten-free which is super helpful to many but doesn’t really help us out much considering all his other allergies.  Since I’ve been doing this for so long though it’s really not a problem for me to simply adapt whatever recipe I’m using for the whole family to make it safe for my son to eat.  However that being said you can find a list of gluten free/allergy free sites listed on my Menu Planning Resources page.

Now it’s your turn.  If you have a favorite food allergy resource or simply some encouragement you could offer for those just starting out would you be so kind to leave it in the comments of this post.  Thanks everyone!!

My Three Favorite Food Allergy Resources is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Hey, who took a bite out of my cake?

Gluten, Dairy & Egg-Free Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from MixingBowl.com

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten-free flour blend (see below…you can also use regular flour if you can have it)
2 cups sugar
2 cups cold water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until well combined.  Pour into a greased 9x13x2 inch baking pan.  Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serve with frosting if desired or dust with confectioners’ sugar.  Makes 12 servings.

Chocolate Frosting:

Adapted from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook

3/4 cup Earth Balance butter
Pinch of salt
2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons rice milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Foods brand)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and salt on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Add the confectioners’ sugar in three batches, beating after each addition.  Add the rice milk and vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for a couple of minutes stirring frequently.  Add melted chocolate to frosting and beat for another minute.  Spread the frosting on cake.

If you’d like add gluten-free sprinkles (I used Let’s Do Sprinkelz) for decoration.

All Purpose GF Flour Mix

I mix this blend up in big batches and keep it in the fridge ready for when I need it.  It subs beautifully cup for cup whenever a recipe calls for regular flour.

1 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp xantham gum

Gluten, Dairy & Egg-Free Chocolate Cake + Frosting Recipe is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

My 10 year old food allergic son loves these pancakes.  I usually triple the recipe and then freeze them in a container between sheets of wax paper.  My son will take them out of the freezer for breakfast or lunch and simply microwave them as needed.

Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Pancakes

2 cups gluten free flour blend*
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups rice or soy milk
2 tablespooons water
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat a griddle (to about 350) or pan on the stove top.  The griddle is ready for pancakes when water dropped on the hot griddle rolls and sizzles.  Mix all the dry ingredients.  Add the milk, water, oil and vanilla.  Mix well, but don’t over stir; a few lumps are okay.  Drop 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.  Flip the pancake when bubbles form and begin to pop.  Keep the heat medium to medium low; they burn fast.  Enjoy!

Yield:  12 pancakes

*This is the gluten free flour blend that I use regularly and have experienced the best results with. I use it to replace regular flour cup for cup in any recipe. I make up a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge to have on hand when I need it.

All Purpose GF Flour Mix

1 cup brown rice flour

1 1/4 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca starch

3/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 tsp xantham gum

Recipe modified from Recipezaar.com

See also:

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Waffles

Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Pancakes is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Pizza Crust:

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degress F)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water.  Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix.  Dump onto a floured surface.  Knead into a smooth dough (five minutes or so).  Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan.  Add some pizza sauce and your toppings.  Bake at 450 degress F for around 12-15 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned.  Dough can also be frozen as well.

Note:  I also make this gluten free as well substituting the flour with equal portions of the gluten free flour mix below.

All Purpose GF Flour Mix

1 cup brown rice flour

1 1/4 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca starch

3/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 tsp xantham gum

Enjoy!

Related post:

Pizza Dough for the Breach Machine

Quick and easy homemade pizza crust recipe is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Citrus Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend*

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Foods brand)
1 1/2 tsp icing sugar

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Combine the OJ, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Coat muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray; fill half full with batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan to wire rack to cool completely. Just before serving, sprinkle with icing sugar. Yield: 1 dozen.

*This is the gluten free flour mix that I use regularly and have experienced the best results with. I use it to replace regular flour cup for cup in any recipe. I make up a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge to have on hand when I need it.

All Purpose GF Flour Mix

1 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp xantham gum

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Citrus Chocolate Cupcakes is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

As a parent of a food allergic child I know how rewarding it is to be able to offer something similar to what the other kids are eating. If sharing this recipe helps even just one person, I’m a happy girl. Enjoy!

Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice Cream

2 cups dairy alternative, divided (I use Rice Milk)

2 cups safe marshmallows (I use Jet Puff)

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp oil (I use Canola)

1 tsp safe vanilla extract

1 package gelatin (I use Knox)

In a medium saucepan combine marshmallows, sugar and one cup of dairy alternative. Stirring constantly bring marshmallow mixture to a slow boil until sugar and marshmallows have dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile combine gelatin, one cup of dairy alternative and oil, allow to stand for five minutes. Using a stand or hand mixer (I use a whisk) beat gelatin, oil and dairy alternative mixture until foamy. Add vanilla. Combine all ingredients together and transfer to the frozen canister of an ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer’s instructions (mine takes approx. 20 minutes).

Vanilla Dairy-Free Ice Cream is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Waffles

1 cup gluten free flour mix*

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 cup milk (can sub 1/2 cup apple juice & 1/2 cup water for milk)

1 egg (can omit by increasing baking powder to 2 tsp & decreasing milk to 3/4 cup)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp club soda

Heat waffle iron. Mix flour, baking powder and sugar in bowl. Add milk gradually and stir to mix. Add egg, oil and vanilla. Beat or whisk until smooth. Add club soda. Whisk for one minute. Pour 1/2 cup batter into waffle iron. Cook according to manufacturers directions. Serve immediately with syrup, preserves, etc.

Source: Special Foods for Special Kids

*This is the gluten free flour mix that I use regularly and have experienced the best results with. I use it to replace regular flour cup for cup in any recipe. I make up a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge to have on hand when I need it.

All Purpose GF Flour Mix

1 cup brown rice flour

1 1/4 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca starch

3/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 tsp xantham gum

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Waffle Recipe is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

MPM – Oct 8th plus Gluten Free White Cake is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie