S'mores Cookie Cups

Longing for a way to enjoy S'mores without the campfire?  I've got the answer for you! S'mores Cookie Cups!  The original recipe came to my attention on Facebook, click HERE to go to it! Needless to say, it wasn't allergy friendly for our household, so we did some tweaking in the kitchen, and came up with a delicious dessert, best served warm and gooey!

Knife Skills for Children - Slicing

Today, I'm sharing some tips and tools to help you teach your children to become comfortable using a knife for slicing veggies in the kitchen. 

Photo Credit: Aidan Van Horn

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower is a kid favorite in our house. It's soft, with crunchy browned bits, great texture.  It's both mild and flavorful. It can be elegant or a finger food for children. And, I serve it often because it's SO easy! This versatile side dish is perfect both for weeknight cooking and for entertaining. 

*By ingredients, this roasted cauliflower is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. Top 8 Allergen 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!

Supreme Peeled Tiger Nuts - Review

Tiger Nuts.  That's right, I said "Tiger. Nuts." Before this review gets started, let's just all agree that the inner middle-schooler in all of us, thinks that this might be the most hilarious and awesome name for a health food.  Go ahead and giggle, I won't tell, you can maintain your sophisticated facade and no one will ever know that you laughed at "Tiger Nuts." Okay, ready? Now, on to the review!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday! - Stainless Steel Kitchen Odor Eater

I looooooove garlic.  Really. Love. It.  I cook with it nearly every day.  Luckily, my family loves garlic too.  I have found, however, that I do not love the smell of garlic on my fingers, hours after scrubbing them.  Enter: Stainless Steel Soap! 

Simple Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash, nature's answer to low calorie (and gluten free) pasta.  I have long wanted to try Spaghetti Squash, but because I'm not a huge fan of acorn squash or butternut squash, I keep hesitating to make this allergy (and figure) friendly pasta replacement.  To be honest, I purchased a lovely looking Spaghetti Squash and procrastinated so long it went rotten!  After several requests for more GF recipes, and a deep desire to reclaim a healthy body after bearing 7 children, I bought another Spaghetti Squash and gave it a try.  I really should have done it sooner!

Ian's Sriracha Fire Sticks and Fish Sticks - Product Review

I became aware of Ian's Natural Foods when I attended The Food Allergy Bloggers Conference. What impressed me most about this brand was the variety of MEAL offerings.  There are a lot of food allergy focused companies specializing in snacks, desserts, safe baking items, etc.  But, few focus on providing a kid friendly, busy-mom-friendly, simple meal. Our family received a box of products from Ian's for review.

This review will focus on Ian's Fish Sticks and Sriracha Fire Sticks! 

Spicy Ball Squash - Tomato Sauce

This fresh tasting, flavorful pasta sauce was a hit at our dinner table, and was really quick to pull together. Pasta (wheat or GF) is such a perfect go-to meal during the week.  It's warm, it satisfies, it fills the children up before they do their evening lessons and activities, but I'm always looking for ways to just change it up a little, so that none of us get bored with "Pasta Night."

12 Cookies of Christmas

I'm thrilled to present the 12 Cookies of Christmas!  This collection of 12 dairy free, egg free, and peanut/tree nut free cookie recipes is available as a PDF download for $1.99.

Salad Dressings and Harvest Salad - Thanksgiving Series

Loads of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing...all can add up to a heavy feeling.  Balance your table with this colorful Harvest Salad, and two choices of homemade salad dressing. Chop all the ingredients the day before, store them in zip top bags, and simple combine them on Thanksgiving!  The salad dressings can be made up to a week in advance.  

Time for PIE! - Thanksgiving Series

It's Monday of Thanksgiving week!  What can you do today to prepare for Thanksgiving Day?  Make your pies!  Actually, you'll assemble them, wrap them, and freeze them until Wednesday night or Thursday morning.  Today, I'm sharing my recipe for Apple pie! (Filling AND crust!) 

Guest Blogger: Kathy Thornburg from Food Allergy Jams!

I have always enjoyed cooking, which you realize is a tremendous blessing when food allergies enter your family! I remember spending time in the kitchen with my mom as a child and learning by watching her and helping her prepare meals. She was always fearless with a frying pan! She wasn’t afraid of tackling a new recipe, which I have always admired.

Now that I have children of my own, it’s important to me to share my love for cooking and baking with them. I enjoy making memories with my son Milo (age 3) as we prepare dinner or a special snack together. He knows just what to do when I start to drag our long heavy bench up to the kitchen counter. Without missing a beat, he runs to his room, opens his dresser drawer, and grabs his oven mitts, apron, and chef hat.

As we cook together, we talk about the ingredients we are using, we read labels together, and we don’t worry too much if we make a little bit of a mess as we mix the ingredients together. 

My son loves to cook, but that’s not the only thing he enjoys. He LOVES music! When I was struggling to find an age appropriate way to teach Milo about his allergies, (peanuts, eggs, and dogs) I decided to try writing him a song. He loved our song, “No No Peanuts” and quickly memorized it and started singing it on his own. I continued to write, we continued to sing, and he continued to learn! Now, we are nearing the end of our journey on Kickstarter to fund a professional recording of our CD, Food Allergy Jams, with Kurt Heinecke (creator of VeggieTales music).

We have until Wednesday, November 19^th at noon to reach our $35,000 goal to make our CD a reality! If you would like to learn more about our project and make a pledge to help us reach our goal, I encourage you to check out the link provided below. With your pledge, you not only get to choose from some great rewards, but you also get to go with us on this adventure of making our music CD come to life!

A big thanks to Beth and The Allergy Safe Kitchen for allowing me to write on her blog and for supporting Food Allergy Jams with a pledge on Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/508784083/food-allergy-jams-music-cd-for-kids

Sunbutter Review

Today, I am reviewing SunButter sunflower seed butter.  I received some in my swag from the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference, but we also purchase SunButter frequently on our own. 

First I'm going to start with a little story.  My husband and I both loved peanut butter.  One of my specialties used to be a wickedly decadent peanut-butter cream pie, with a chocolate and rice krispie crust...I'll just pause for a moment while you salivate.  

When we went cold turkey after my son was diagnosed with peanut allergies, it took a loooooong time for us to find something to fill that void.  We tried quite a few "butters" that really didn't taste very good.  After tasting one of them, (which shall remain nameless), my husband looked at me and said, "Please don't buy any more of these.  Give up.  Please."   So, I did.  Until I heard about one called "SunButter."  I'm going to be honest, I don't remember who recommended it to me all those years ago, but if it was you - THANK YOU!  

I brought some home, opened the jar and inhaled the roasted scent, startled that it smelled so good. My husband and I actually ate it with spoons, right out of the jar, standing in the kitchen, moaning. True story. 

So now that I've got you on the edge of your seat, wondering what kind of review I'll give SunButter...

Pros:  Peanut free, tree nut free, gluten free, dairy free, and egg free.  Here's a direct quote from their website: 
"Processed in a strictly nut-free facility (Our employees aren't even allowed to bring in peanut butter sandwiches for lunch!)"It's a direct substitute for peanut butter - in baking, and in daily life. Sandwiches, on crackers, on a spoon, using an Enjoy Life chocolate bar to scoop it out of the jar...(NOT that I would EVER do something like that...especially during pregnancy...ahem, back to the review). 

Cons: Just one - Cost.  This stuff is pricey. As a family of nine, we go through a lot of SunButter, but it does impact the food budget. You can order it online, in regular jars, and in a 5 pound size.  You can save a little bit by purchasing it that way.  

Bottom line: Our family loves SunButter so much, that several of the recipes in my first cookbook feature SunButter as a key ingredient. It is a staple in our pantry, and I still sometimes eat it from a spoon straight out the jar, in the middle of the kitchen.  (And so do my kids!) If you're craving a nutty tasting peanut butter replacement, go get some SunButter!  It comes in several varieties; we typically use Natural, and Crunch. 

Chocolate Layer Cake with SunButter frosting! Recipes
for both components of this cake are in my first cookbook
"Love Letters from My Kitchen"

Chocolate SunButter Krispie No Bakes....This recipe is in my 
mini-cookbook: 12 Cookies of Christmas (Vegan edition also available!)

For information on the full line of SunButter products, click HERE to visit their website!

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

Hosting Thanksgiving: Homemade and Allergy Safe

My family, my inspiration for all my recipes.  For them, I give thanks. 

We gather around the table.  We give thanks.  Family and friends bond over the breaking of bread and the sharing of bounty. May we have another year of plenty. Amen.

Every person should be able to share in a delicious meal with their family and friends without fear or anxiety over food allergies and restrictions. 

I have found that I, as a food allergy mom, have less anxiety and more enjoyment of the holidays when I host the meal.  I know it seems like hosting can be a lot of work, and it is, but it allows control over the ingredients, and the kitchen in which the dishes are prepared.  And that, to me, is worth any effort - to know that my children are safe and can relax around the the table. No worries over Aunt Gertrude planting a big kiss on my dairy allergic pre-schooler after eating cheese laden potatoes, or over someone mixing up the serving spoons between safe and unsafe side dishes.  No relatives concerned that they have done something "wrong" or dangerous." No cross-contamination to be concerned over, no constant watching over my shoulder to keep an eye on the faces and mouths of my children...looking to spot the first signs of redness or swelling.  When I take the menu, preparation, and venue into my own hands, the result is more relaxing for everyone.  

I have found great joy and peace in hosting the holidays in our home.  The kitchen is filled with delectable smells for days, the children help with the preparation of the food, the decorating of the table, and the creation of crafts to adorn the dining room.  It can be a beautiful time for the whole family.  It can also be overwhelming and a LOT of work! And let's be honest, not everyone in the family has the same idea of "tidy" when it comes to preparing the living room for company!  But even considering all of that, the joy of hosting a safe meal is greater. 

Stick with me over the next couple weeks, as I lead you through making dishes ahead of time, so your actual Thanksgiving eve, and day, can be enjoyable and safe!  

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and by e-mail to keep up to date with all the Thanksgiving preparations that are happening in The Allergy Safe Kitchen.  (Go to the top of the blog, the link buttons are all there! Don't forget to follow by email for grocery lists ahead of time, and additional tips and tricks!)  

Here are the links to the dishes and recipes I've shared already: 

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Apple Bread

Turkey Stock

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

Apple Bread

My family loves to pick apples in the Fall.  It's a much anticipated family outing, and every year we get more apples than the year before!  The children REALLY love apple muffins, but if I'm being totally honest with you, I detest greasing and then cleaning the muffin tins.  I was looking for an alternative, so I turned to my trusty "Joy of Cooking" cookbook.  Of course, the apple bread recipe had eggs, buttermilk, and nuts in the ingredient list, so I got to work doing what I love to do - taking a classic recipe, making it allergy friendly, and tweaking it until it's just right and no one suspects that it's dairy, egg, and peanut/tree nut free! 

Chicken Pot Pie-less

It's Meal Monday!  Today's meal is "Chicken Pot Pie-less!" This is exactly what is sounds like, except that it's allergy friendly for our family, and hopefully yours!  I particularly like this recipe, because it's easy to adapt.  The veggies that I list in the ingredients are not the only ones that make a delicious pot pie-less, use whatever you have!  Think of this recipe as a flexible guideline, not a "set in stone" scientific procedure. 

Biscuits - Dairy free, Egg free, and Delicious!

I know you can't tell in this picture, but they're still warm here.  Are you drooling yet?

I love a good biscuit.  I just do.  There's something really satisfying and nostalgic about watching butter melt between the layers of a biscuit still warm from the oven.  *Sigh*  It took me a while to settle into a biscuit recipe that could meet that nostalgia and become a staple at our dinner table.  I'm pleased to share this one with you, and I hope that you find it as comforting as we do on a chilly day! Pair it with my "Chicken Pot Pie-less" or with your favorite stew, or chili....or soup...really with anything! (In our kitchen, the butter has been replaced with Soy-Free Earth Balance Spread!)

This biscuit 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!

Steps marked with an asterisk (*) are child friendly!  

Click HERE for more information! 

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
4 Tablespoons cold butter flavor vegetable shortening (I rarely                        recommend the butter flavor shortening, but, in my opinion,  it makes difference in this recipe.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (organic if possible)
1/2 cup flax milk*
1/4 cup Seltzer water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. *In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. 
3. *Cut shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, or your fingertips.  Be careful not to make the mixture too warm with your hands. 
4. *Slowly add the flax milk and seltzer water, stirring just until a soft dough is formed.  
5. *Turn dough mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead together BRIEFLY, just until the dough comes together enough to roll out.  Too much kneading will make the biscuit tough, you don't want to develop the gluten. 
6. *Roll the dough gently to 1/2 inch thick, and cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. 
7. Bake on a baking sheet for 12 - 15 minutes. 
8. Serve while still warm!

You may substitute any other non-dairy milk of your choice here, although, I have not had great results with rice milk in this particular recipe. 

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

Halloween and Food Allergies- What's a goblin to do?

Halloween time rolls around, and I get a lot of questions (and assumptions) about how we handle Halloween with food allergies. Most people just assume that we opt out of the whole shebang, but that couldn't be further from the truth! We have awesome Halloween traditions!  I want to share them with you, along with some practical tips, especially with you families that are facing their first Halloween with a food allergic child. 

For sure, Halloween can be a scary, and if we're being honest, a truly terrifying day!  The idea of someone putting a deadly substance in your child's trick or treat bag, or of the sticky candy -coated fingers of the neighbor kid next door coming just too close to your food allergic kiddo....these are enough to make any food allergy parent scream and run.  But you don't have to! Halloween can be fun, safe, and memorable for all the right reasons, with some advance planning and attention to detail. Here's how we do Halloween in our family! 

We usually start the day with a Halloween party with our home school group. Games, a costume parade, and non-food treats to share. After the party, we head home and take a rest in order to get ready for the evening's activities.  We have a nice dinner, get the costumes back on and head out for trick-or-treating.  Yep, we go trick-or-treating.  Because some of our children are still quite young, we only go to 10 houses or so.  Here are some tips I have about making it as safe as possible:

• Incorporate gloves into the costumes, reduce the possibility of exposure.  I use dollar tree knit gloves, and I just toss them at the end of the night.  
• Use a single use trick-or-treating bag, NOT a pillowcase, or an expensive cute bag that your child will want to play with again.
• Go up to the door with your child, and if you see a Payday candy bar headed into the bag, politely say "He's allergic to peanuts, do you have a different kind?"  (No one ever just gives out one type of candy, everyone has always responded positively to this...) 

Now, here's my big secret: the candy never enters our house! When we get home, the kids gather on the front porch, and they trade in their bags of candy to me for a clue.  Our tradition is to have a wild SCAVENGER HUNT once we arrive home! 

Here's this year's first clue.  Where do YOU think they should look for Clue #2? Tell me your answer in the comments section to be entered to win a copy of my PDF download: 12 Cookies of Christmas! (Giveaway concluded)

As my kids have gotten older, the clues have gotten more numerous and difficult, and the whole thing gets a little more wild and raucous, but they ALWAYS find the treasure!  What's the treasure? A cute Halloween bag of safe treats and non-food goodies!  This event is much anticipated every year, and honestly, it's the best part of our Halloween!  This year the goody bags will include:

• art supplies like crayons and colored pencils
• safe homemade cookies
• New earbuds for MP3 players for the older ones, coloring books for the little ones, and mini bags of Legos for the middle ones!

So, what happens to all the candy?  Well, my husband, who has a huge sweet tooth (don't tell his dentist), takes the bags straight into his basement workshop.  (The peanut candy gets thrown away, the other candy goes to my husband.) 

I hope that you have a wonderful and safe Halloween this year!  If you need ideas for safe baked goods to make for your children, get a copy of my ebook!  "Love Letters from My Kitchen," there are tons of delicious treats that everyone in your family will love, food allergies, or not!  Also available in paperback! 

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

Photo Credit: Pumpkins - Aidan Van Horn

Kale Chips

So simple.  So healthy.  So yummy!  The joy of kale chips!  We got a LOT of kale in our CSA box this week, so we made some kale chips instead of popcorn for our family movie night! Get your kids in the kitchen to help rip some kale!

This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. Top 8 Allergen 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!

Steps marked with an asterisk (*) are child friendly!  

Click HERE for more information! 

Ingredients:

Kale
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. *Remove kale leaves from their tough stems, and roughly chop into large bite sized pieces. 
3. *Toss with olive oil, sprinkle moderately with kosher salt. 
4. *Spread onto baking sheets in a single layer.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. 

It really couldn't be easier to make this healthy snack!  My 10 year son is getting braces, and popcorn will no longer be on the movie night menu for him.  I felt so proud when he exclaimed (with genuine excitement): "At least I can still have kale chips on movie night!"

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

Kicked Up Sloppy Joes

Who doesn't love Sloppy Joes?  This is an often requested dinner in our house.  Here's my original recipe for Kicked Up Sloppy Joes.  I replace the "pre-made" Manwich sauce with tomato sauce and spices for a relatively additive-free meal!  I also use organic ground beef for a more tender texture and frankly, better flavor.  (Ground turkey works well too.) Organic meats can be expensive, but buying organic ground meat is a budget conscious way to get a higher quality meat into the menu rotation, even for a big family like ours!

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-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!


Ingredients:
2 pounds organic ground beef
1 15oz.can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp. Tomato paste
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
chopped parsley
kosher salt

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Remove from skillet,
    and set the beef aside.
2. Sauté peppers and onions until slightly softened.
3. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
4. Add beef back into the skillet.
5. Add 2 cans tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, and a
    hefty pinch of kosher salt.
6. Heat through, finish with parsley and serve! (Serve on top of      
    your family's favorite buns!)

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