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! 

Veggetti Review

I have been eyeing this product for a while now.  I'll be honest, my initial reasons had nothing to do with food allergies, I just was looking for a way to cut down on carbs...my clothes are feeling a little tight. In a family of nine, pasta is an inexpensive weekly meal, but I was looking for something lighter for myself.  However, this is a way to have gluten free "spaghetti," and to get lots of good nutrition in any "free from" diet. This week, I took the plunge and tested out this kitchen gadget! Today's review: The Veggetti!

I used the recommended veggies: yellow squash, zucchini, and carrots, to make a veggie pasta.  I sauteed some garlic, leeks, peppers, tomatoes, and steamed baby broccoli in extra virgin olive oil, and added those to my veggie pasta. I also heated up some homemade spaghetti sauce to entice the reluctant veggie eaters. Here are my pros and cons:

Pros:  Easy to use, clear instructions.  My nine year old daughter, and 7 year old son both really wanted to try it, and they were able to manage it just fine.  Anything that helps to get allergy kids cooking deserves points in my book! The yellow squash and the zucchini ended up in colorful ribbons of veggie pasta.  Very appealing to the eye! The cooking time was short, I simply sauteed the veggie pasta in a skillet with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. 

The end result was tasty, and surprisingly filling!  I loved it, as did my husband.  

The Veggetti is small, and easily stored in my cabinet. 

Cons: Although the yellow squash and zucchini worked beautifully, the carrots did not.  We couldn't get a nice strip of carrot noodle, it ended up looking like shredded carrots, but was more frustrating.  (My daughter thinks our carrots were too skinny, and we should try thicker ones next time. Duly noted.) The kids' opinions ranged from "Just ok" to "Don't serve this again." 

One last con - more of a caution, really, is that although the kids had no trouble using it, there are exposed blades, so close parental supervision is a must. 

So, here's my bottom line:  The end result, the Veggetti pasta, was a hit for the adults, and so-so for most of the kids.  Instead of trying to serve it as a meal to the family, next time, I will use the Veggetti to create a side dish for the kids (main meal for me, I still need my clothes to fit better!) I'm happy with my purchase, and I'll be using it again.  

To purchase a Veggetti for your family, click HERE!

*Please read all labels when purchasing products for your food allergic family and friends, to ensure that the product meets your allergy needs.  

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

For the Love of Cranberries - Cranberry Sauce

I've already made my Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving.  Yep, I'm that far ahead of the game, and you can be too!  I make my Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce at the beginning of the month, and I preserve it.  You certainly don't have to go through the process of preserving, this recipe is fantastic made the day of, or up to a week before, simply keep it in the fridge.  I make 4x this recipe and I use it for Cranberry Muffins, and for Cranberry Spread. (4x the recipe yields approximately 5 quarts of Cranberry Sauce.) 

This cranberry sauce recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-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 for children who understand stove top safety!  

Click HERE for more information! 

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

 Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup water

Zest of 2 oranges

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

24 ounces fresh cranberries

I wish you could smell this! 

Directions:
1. *Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. *Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 15 minutes until           thickened.
3. Ladle into warm glass jars and process for 10 minutes in a               boiling water canner. OR Store in airtight containers in the               fridge for up to 1 week.

Everything in the pot and ready to simmer! 

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

Photo Credits: Aidan Van Horn

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"!

Wegmans Pizza Crust - Review

It's "Product Review Friday," so it's time to share another product that we've tested in our kitchen!  Today, I'm reviewing "Wegmans White Flat Bread Pizza Crust."

Make your own pizza night is a favorite event in our home.  I love it too, and I love to make homemade dough, but this school year is kicking my butt with evening music lessons, gymnastics, Little Flowers, Blue Knights, social events...as the kids get older, I seem to be more of a chauffeur!  I recently came upon these ready made pizza crusts as I was cutting through an aisle I don't usually go down.  I noticed the "V" symbol, which - on Wegmans products - means Vegan.  That always catches my attention, because although we are an omnivorous family, Vegan means no dairy, no eggs!  After carefully reading the label, and finding no offending allergens, we gave these convenient crusts a try.  You can imagine what a hero I was upon arriving home, and announcing that we would have "make your own pizza night," commencing immediately! Just hand me my superhero cape. 

We topped ours with homemade sauce, which had been frozen earlier in the month, Follow Your Heart Vegan Mozzarella, and Hormel Turkey Pepperoni.  

Pros: The crusts come in two sizes, 12 inch, and 16 inch, so we can make several smaller ones with different toppings, or a couple large ones to get eating quickly.  The texture is great, they are pre-baked and soft, but after 12-15 minutes in the oven, the crust is crispy and golden.  The crust didn't get soggy with the copious amount of sauce my kids like to load on!  Also, it's a Wegmans "Food you feel good about," so there are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.  Easy convenience for an allergy family who consumes very few convenience foods on a regular basis! 

Cons: I'm not controlling all the individual ingredients as I would with homemade, and it isn't an organic, non-GMO product.

Bottom Line:  Although I'm still a huge fan of homemade, for a quick dinner, this got thumbs up all around! I'll be buying them again and again this year as we negotiate our busy evenings!  These crusts allowed us to have dinner together on a night that we normally wouldn't have time to bond over a meal! 

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

Cauliflower Potato Soup

This soup is great on it's own or as a base for other dishes!  I serve it as a meal with some freshly baked bread, oyster crackers, or a salad. It's creamy and mild, which also makes it a great base for my "chicken-pot-pieless", casseroles, or any other "cream-based" soups that you might want to make dairy-free! 

*This soup recipe 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! I've also included a vegan option! 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!

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"!

My first cookbook!

I am SO very pleased to announce that my first cookbook is now available for purchase!  I know I've been away from the blog for a while, but for good reason.  I have been working on developing and perfecting dessert and baked good recipes that are free from all dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts.  These recipes are now all available to you in "Love Letters from My Kitchen" !!!

Serious Comfort Food Series - Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup This is a wonderful, hearty, healthy soup for a cold day.  My kids actually request leftovers the next day!  There isn't any dairy in this recipe, and yet blending the soup with an immersion blender yields a creamy potato texture.  Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock for a vegan soup. This Potato Leek Soup recipe freezes and defrosts beautifully, so make a pot and save some for later!

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