Dessert Hobo Pies

Ok, ok...wipe the drool off your face, and start gathering up the firewood for this camp classic!

At least once a summer, we break out the pie irons, and make pizza hobo pies.  We use homemade sauce, Earth Balance to grease the irons, safe bread, turkey pepperoni or sliced Al Fresco chicken sausage, and Follow your Heart Vegan Cheese Alternative.  Delish!

This year, we really wanted to make dessert pies too, and here's what we came up with:

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free,  fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

"Not S'mores"  (we couldn't come up with a better name, it was late...)

Ingredients: (makes 2 dessert pies)

4 slices white sandwich bread
Earth balance bars
graham crackers
enjoy life chocolate chips
Sunbutter - creamy
Dairy-free mini-marshmallows
Cinnamon Sugar
Cast iron pie iron (ours is a double, so that's how I'm writing this recipe)

Directions:

1. Make a campfire!  Let it burn down a little.  You won't need a big flame, but you will need hot coals. Also, make sure you have a safe place to put the iron down when it comes out of the fire, and also a potholder or "Ove' Glove". 
2. Heat the pie iron in the fire.
3. Pull the iron out and open it.  Grease the inside of both sides of the iron with Earth Balance.
4. Place two pieces of bread in the cavity of one side of the iron.  
5. Place a graham cracker on each piece of bread.  Top generously with mini-marshmallows chocolate morsels.  
6. Spread a layer of Sunbutter on the remaining two slices of bread and top off the sandwiches in the iron. 
7. Carefully close the pie iron and place among the hot coals of the campfire.  Do not put the iron in the direct flames, it will burn the bread. 
8. After a few minutes, flip the pie iron.  
9. Cooking time will vary depending on how hot your coals are! Check after 5 minutes.  The pie is done when both sides are golden brown.
10. Remove pie irons to your heat safe surface.  Open the irons and slather just the top side of the pie with Earth Balance.  Then, sprinkle on a generous amount of cinnamon sugar!
11. Serve and enjoy!!!

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Our Visit to Chipotle - Review

Go eat here!

We had an amazing experience the other day.  I took my four oldest children to Chipotle.  My son, 10 years old, is allergic to eggs and peanuts, and he carries an Epi-pen, and my 7 year old has behavior issues when he eats dairy.  I knew that some food-allergy friends of ours has successfully eaten at Chipotle, and I didn't have dinner planned, so we decided to try it out. 

I looked up the online menu for Chipotle, and it was pretty impressive how allergy-aware they are. They even have a tab on their website for special diet information. The chart of ingredients was very clear.  When we got to the head of the line, I did ask the server if there were any eggs, peanuts, or  dairy other than the sour cream and cheese.  She made sure to double check with manager, and she changed her gloves before working on our order.

My 10 year old was SO excited that he could order ANYTHING off the menu without fear. For food allergy families, this is truly amazing.  I had to hold back tears as my son kept repeating "I really can eat anything off the menu?!  I love this place!"

As an added bonus, the food was fantastic!  Everything was flavorful and fresh, and the chips and salsa were the best I've had in a long time at a restaurant!  We ate without incident, and we had a wonderful experience!  I highly recommend eating a meal at Chipotle! 

Roast Chicken - It's what's for dinner, and lunch, and dinner....

Go to youtube and check out my latest show, in three parts - Roast Chicken!

Learning how to make roast chicken can help give you plenty of raw material for many meals: chicken dinner, chicken salad, chicken stock, chicken gravy, chicken soup, chicken tacos...and the list goes on!

For all of the families just starting out in the "allergy world", this is probably the first roasting endeavor you should master, assuming that your family is not allergic to chicken.  (That isn't a joke, there are those who are allergic to the oils present in the chicken skin.)  But if chicken CAN be on the menu at your house, head on over to youtube and learn how to open up a world of safe meals for you and your family without having to break the bank with expensive "allergy friendly" products! 

"Allergy Safe Kitchen" presents:  Roast Chicken, part 1

Broccolini Basil Spaghetti

Head on over to my youtube channel to see the latest installment of our "in home" cooking show, "Allergy Safe Kitchen"!  We're making Broccolini Basil Spaghetti. 

"Broccolini" is the trademark name, and the actual vegetable is sometimes labeled as "baby broccoli" or "broccoletti".  Is is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale.  If you cannot find it in your grocery store, feel free to substitute regular broccoli in this recipe! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRxnM8A8GQ8&context=C388e208ADOEgsToPDskL5cBzuVqvj3Xc4xBD_tqfY

Before and After - a cook in the making...

When my husband and I first married, I knew how to cook very few dishes from scratch.  I was always calling my mom to find out how to do this or that, and I depended on a fair amount of box/frozen meals to round out our dinners for the week.  I made spaghetti sauce from the jar, defrosted meatballs from a bag, and popped frozen texas toast in the oven,  and I really thought I was COOKING, baby.  And truly, for a newlywed, it wasn't bad! 

I went from defining "baking" as boxed mixes and canned frosting to from-scratch dairy free, egg free, peanut/nut free cake, frosting, and fondant. If I can evolve like that, so can you!  This cake was made at a beach cottage for my sister-in-law's baby shower!