The 4th of July is near. This makes me think of freedom… which makes me think of being allergy-free! Believe it or not, thinking of freedom from food allergies makes me joyous. Even though at times I feel a loss of freedom when I have to avoid gluten, or when my daughter can’t partake in the dessert being offered at a party, I prefer to think of the freedom from all the health problems we experienced before being allergy-free:

for me, it means freedom from stomach pain, fatigue, leg cramps, asthma (and lots more)

for my husband, it means freedom from migraines (dating back to junior high), burning stomach, and acid reflux

for my daughter, it means freedom from hives, rashes, a bad tummy and sudden tantrums

Now go celebrate your freedom with a good ol’ allergy-free barbecue! Here are some tips to make your summer BBQ a hit:

Barbecue sauces
If you like your meat saucy, just be sure to read labels for allergens — manufacturers are required to list the top 8 allergens in plain English on their labels (and Kraft brand will also list if there is barley, rye or oats for gluten-free people). My personal favorite barbecue sauces are

• Daddy Sam’s (gluten-free and free of all top allergens) — spicy and delicious
• Bone Suckin’ Sauce (gluten-free and free of all top allergens) — it’s got a sweetness along with a spiciness that is so good. Go ahead and buy some!

Gluten-free hamburger and hot dog buns
I can’t say I have found any pre-made buns that I think are very good (please enlighten me if you have). My favorite buns I have made out of Pamela’s Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix. If you have English Muffin rings, you can use those for hamburger buns. If you don’t, just use tin foil to make a ring to fill with the bread dough.

I made hot dog bun molds out of aluminum foil and they turned out great. My advice is to make them skinny — mine turned out a little too big. I followed the bread directions, filled my molds and let them rise. I sprinkled sesame seeds on before baking and baked until they were done (normally this bread takes 60 minutes, so I think I baked them for 30 or 40, but it depends on the size of the buns). The result was a soft, not crumbly, bread-y bun.

Side dishes
For a refreshing and unique side dish try making a quinoa salad – it’s easy, delicious, and nutritious! Check out a quinoa salad recipe.

Roasted potatoes are a satisfying gluten-free side dish that everyone loves.

Gluten-free cornbread or biscuits also make a great accompaniment to the meal. Here are some I recommend:

• 1-2-3 Gluten Free Biscuit Mix
• gluten-free biscuits recipe using Bob’s Red Mill flour
• “Bisquick-type drop biscuits” from Pamela’s recipe pages
• The Really Great Food Company’s Cornbread Muffin Mix
• Gluten-Free Pantry Yankee Cornbread and Muffin Mix

Dessert
Don’t forget the gluten-free apple pie!

Have a happy 4th!

Filed under: Food Ideas, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Gluten Intolerance, Symptoms, Holidays/Special Events, Emotions | 7 Comments »

Now that my daughter is in preschool, we are on the birthday party circuit. Telling her she can’t have a piece of cake or cupcake because of her food allergies would be upsetting (for both me and her), which is why I make sure that I always have cupcakes on hand. Here’s how you can do the same and be a superstar mom or dad!

Do this now:

1. Make a batch of chocolate cupcakes, and freeze what you don’t need to use that time, or even double the recipe to make sure you have extras. The easiest thing to do is make a mix, like Pamela’s chocolate cake mix or CherryBrook Kitchen (both good for egg-free). I also like Gluten-Free Pantry and Namaste. Any cake mix can become cupcakes, just cook for less time!
2. Make a batch of vanilla cupcakes too. Vanilla cake is harder to make egg-free, but Pamela has a vanilla cake mix that I have made with egg replacer and they turned out okay (see picture at right) even though the directions say it will not work! Or, if you’d like, make a cupcake from scratch using a gluten-free recipe. And, by the way, muffins magically turn into cupcakes when topped with frosting and sprinkles, so that’s another option!
3. Make chocolate frosting and vanilla frosting and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Tip: Start by making vanilla frosting, take out half and then add the cocoa to make chocolate — that way, you really are only making one batch of frosting. You can use frosting mixes, like Pamela’s (I substitute softened palm shortening for the butter to make it dairy and soy-free), or you can use good old C&H powdered sugar and follow their easy recipes, some of which are below.

Do this later:

1. Before the day of the party, talk to the host of the birthday party to find out what food they are serving (in case you also need to bring your own snacks or lunch) and what kind of cake or cupcakes they are having. It is usually always some combination of white or chocolate cake and white or chocolate frosting. Try to match what they are having.
2. The night before or the morning of the party, take some cupcakes out to thaw. I bring 2 for my daughter just in case, but she usually only has one. Also, I like to have one on hand in case someone else needs an allergen-free cupcake (hasn’t happened yet, but when it does, I will make someone’s day!) If it is really last-minute, you can thaw the cupcake in the microwave.
3. Take out your frosting to thaw also. Or, you can microwave it just as you would to soften butter (don’t melt it).
4. Frost and decorate the cupcakes. If you want to get fancy, you can use decorating tools. It is actually really easy and you get to feel like a pastry chef for a minute! For sprinkles, I like India Tree brand or Let’s Do Organic Sprinkelz, which are gluten-free (most sprinkles contain wheat). As long as you’ve got yummy frosting and sprinkles, the cupcake part doesn’t even really matter that much!

Now SMILE and pat yourself on the back because your child has not been deprived of that age-old birthday treat - the CUPCAKE!

A few allergy-free frosting recipes adapted from C&H website:

Basic Decorating Icing (good for piping)
Ingredients:

• 4 cups powdered sugar (a one-pound box of C&H)
• 1/2 cup butter or shortening (palm if you want to make it soy-free)
• 1/4 cup water or milk (rice milk works well)
• 1 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring
• food color (optional)
• add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder if you want to make chocolate

Instructions: Beat all ingredients until smooth. Keep icing covered to prevent drying. Store in refrigerator. Thicken with powdered sugar or thin with a few drops of water or milk, if needed. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Vanilla Glaze — a traditional glaze for coffee cakes and sweet rolls, but good on cupcakes too!
Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. milk (you can use non-dairy milk — rice milk works great)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions: Beat all ingredients until smooth. Makes 1/2 cup.

Chocolate Glaze — A smooth, rich glaze for cookies, cakes, cupcakes and more!
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chocolate pieces, semisweet
• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine (or shortening)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. milk (or rice milk)

Instructions: In small saucepan, melt chocolate with butter (or shortening). Remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar adding milk gradually until mixture is a pourable consistency. Makes enough glaze for a layer cake.

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Food Ideas, Products, Food Allergies, Dairy Allergy, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Gluten Intolerance, Egg Allergy, Soy Allergy, Holidays/Special Events | 6 Comments »

Maybe I’m jumping the gun a little bit on summer, but we just had a record-breaking heat wave here in northern California (it was 97 degrees in San Francisco one day!), which prompted me to start stocking and making summer treats. When you are a kid with food allergies, running out to the ice cream truck and picking out anything you want from the pictures on the side isn’t an option. So, what’s a mom to do?

Luckily, there are a still a lot of refreshing treats that are okay for kids with food allergies. Here is some helpful information and summer treat ideas for when summer officially begins!

1. Popsicles & frozen fruit bars

Most commercial frozen pops are free of the top 8 allergens. They are mainly sugar and/or corn syrup and food coloring, which I usually try to avoid, but sometimes it’s nice that my kids can have what the other kids are having for once! Here is the list of Popsicle brand treats that are probably okay (check the ingredients for your individual needs). You can find a healthier kind of frozen pop made of fruit juices at the grocery store. I like Breyer’s Pure Fruit bars. I also like to make my own pops using fruit juice - check out all these fun pop molds!

The company that makes Good Humor, Klondike, Breyers and Popsicle has the following allergen statement on their website:

Unilever Ice Cream is a member of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis’s Network and the Food Allergy Resource and Research Program. Upon the advice of these consumer and industry groups we do not provide a list of flavors that do not contain gluten. There is always a concern with any product list that it would be replicated and the end recipients would not receive updates that would be required with a formulation change. The safe approach recommended by these organizations is to read the label each time a purchase is made.

Recognizing that reading food labels can be time-consuming and tedious, we wish to encourage you in your daily effort to read all food labels, as it is the best way for us to ensure that you receive the information you need to make an informed and confident choice.

We do want to reassure you that we work closely with all of our ingredient suppliers, including packaging, to verify all ingredient components. This includes those ingredients in natural flavors, colors and spices that would be a concern to persons with sensitivity to gluten. We ensure that this information is then included on our product’s ingredient label as “flour” or “wheat flour etc.” If a source of gluten were used in a product, it would be clearly listed. Some of our flavorings may contain ethyl alcohol, however, because the alcohol is distilled, they would not pose a threat to anyone who is gluten intolerant.

2. Snowcones & slushes

Most snowcones that you find at fairs and amusement parks are free of the top allergens. Usually they are made with crushed ice and a flavoring syrup (corn syrup). Even some packaged snow-cones are okay. Want to make your own at home? Here are some snow cone supplies. Otherwise, you can just make a slush in your blender by blending ice with juice. Serve it in a fun cup with a straw or spoon, or in the real snow cone cups with straws.

3. Ice cream treats

Most ice cream treats, including Fudgesicles, are off-limits for kids with dairy allergies, but there are some dairy-free options. Soy Dream and Rice Dream both have ice cream bars (but none are both gluten-free and dairy-free). Rice Divine makes ice cream bars and sundae cups that are both gluten-free and dairy-free (contain soy). Turtle Mountain makes soy-based dairy-free ice cream bars and ice-cream sandwiches (not gluten-free), and a dairy-free and soy-free fudge bar.

If you can’t find any of those, make your own ice cream sandwiches: take 2 homemade baked (gluten-free) cookies or packaged cookies and put ice cream (or dairy-free ice cream) between. Make a bunch ahead of time, wrap with with plastic wrap and put in the freezer.

Make ice cream cones at home with gluten-free cones! You could even bring your own cone to your local ice cream shop and have them scoop into it. Boy would your kid be excited! Here are the 3 different kinds of gluten-free cones (all are dairy-free also):

• Barkat ice cream cones - can be found at Glutenfree.com or Gluten Free Mall
• Barkat waffle cones (contain soy flour, may contain traces of peanuts and tree nuts) - can be found at Glutenfree.com or Gluten Free Mall
• Cerrone waffle cones - can be found at Glutenfree.com
• All three varieties can also be found at Allergy Grocer

4. Smoothies

Smoothies are always a yummy, healthy option that is refreshing for summer. Here are some allergen-free smoothie ingredient ideas — using a blender, combine them as you like! If you use some amount of frozen fruit, you don’t need to add ice.

• fresh and/or frozen fruit: bananas, strawberries, mango, peaches, blueberries, raspberries (some kids don’t like the little seeds in their drink)
• juice or milk (cow, soy, rice, almond, hazelnut, coconut)
• rice protein powder or vitamin powder

There you go! Now all you have to do is stock up on sunscreen and you are ready for summer!

Any other ideas? Feel free to add a comment below!

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Food Ideas, Products, Recipes and Cooking Tips | 3 Comments »

I love my appliances. I’m not one of those people that has wacky appliances like a Salad Shooter or a snow-cone maker (although summer is coming…). The ones I do have are essentials in the kitchen and make cooking allergy-free foods so much easier. Here are my 3 favorites:

1. KitchenAid stand mixer

I really don’t know how anyone can bake without a KitchenAid stand mixer. I’m not trying to be a snob — I know they are not cheap, but I have used other stand mixers and hand-held mixers, and it’s not fun. It’s frustrating. And if you have to bake a lot because you and your family have food allergies, then it is really worth the investment. I have the Artisan Series which I prefer over the Professional Series because it has a tilt-head. If you’re not in a hurry to buy one, keep checking for special sales at Amazon or other stores!

2. Rice Cooker

Last year I got a rice cooker in a family gift exchange. My old one that I carted around with me from apartment to apartment was permanently crusted and stained and every time I made rice I had to scrape it off the bottom of the pan and then let the pan soak for a day to get all the rice out of it. When I received the Cuisinart rice cooker, I embarked on a whole new way to use a rice cooker. It is smaller in size than my old one (this is a good thing) and has a non-stick surface. I make rice in it of course, but also other gluten-free grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and oatmeal! I love that I don’t have to worry about watching something on the stove — the rice cooker automatically shifts from Cook to Warm when done so I can make it ahead of time.

3. Toaster Oven

I don’t even have a regular toaster. Have you ever tried to put gluten-free bread in a toaster? Chances are you had to fish it out with a fork because gluten-free bread slices are usually smaller than “regular” bread. With a toaster oven, you don’t have to worry about that. Also, if you share appliances with non-allergy-free people, at least with a toaster oven you can lay down aluminum foil or use a separate oven tray.

I not only like the toaster oven for its ability to toast things of all shapes and sizes, but also for its bake setting. Need to bake just a couple Trader Joe’s gluten-free peanut butter cookies, a few Brazilian cheese breads, or some Ian’s allergy-free chicken nuggets? No need to turn on your big oven and wait a long time for it to get hot enough — a toaster oven heats up much faster and is perfect for baking small-sized things (I once made the mistake of trying to bake a loaf of gluten-free bread in the toaster oven and misjudged how high the bread would rise — oops! The loaf of bread was pretty much stuck in there and I had to decapitate it to get it out!)

What are your favorite appliances?

Filed under: Products, Recipes and Cooking Tips | 6 Comments »

This easy recipe was sent in by Georgia Grisolia, author of the cookbook A Wonderful World of Gluten Free Health, Easy and Tasty, Too.

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Granola

Here is a recipe I make all the time for breakfast or snacks and my husband likes it too. It makes a bunch and in our house we only need to make it every couple weeks and saves money as well. It travels well and is also healthy eating. We vary the fruits and nuts for interest sake and we usually put about half in the freezer after making a new batch. With this recipe you can forget for a while about gluten!

Mix:

3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sliced almonds or other nuts
3 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened if possible
6 cups quick, uncooked oatmeal (or gluten-free rolled oats)
1 cup dried fruit, raisins, cherries, blueberries, etc.

Bake in a 13 x 9″ pan @ 225 for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Cool, place in containers and refrigerate for later use.

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Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family. Read more about Recipe Share.

Filed under: Recipes and Cooking Tips | 1 Comment »

This banana bread recipe was sent in by Leslie who has one son who must be gluten-free and one son who must be dairy-free.

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The Ultimate Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 cup teff flour (if unavailable, try buckwheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 – 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (2 or 3 bananas)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 1/4 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan or line a 12 count muffin pan with paper baking cups. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum in medium bowl. In small bowl, mix mashed bananas, applesauce, milk and vanilla. Using electric mixer, beat butter, margarine, or shortening in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat banana mixture and flour mixture alternately into shortening mixture in 2 additions each. Stir in nuts. Transfer to loaf pan, or divide evenly between muffin cups.

Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a bread loaf, and about 25 minutes for muffins. Cool 5 minutes. Turn loaf out or place muffins on rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf, or 12 large muffins

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Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family. Read more about Recipe Share.

Filed under: Recipes and Cooking Tips | 1 Comment »

Do you have a Crockpot? (I don’t). Do you want to get one? (I do!)

Why do I want a Crockpot? Because I have found a hilarious blogger called the Crockpot Lady. On her blog she has vowed to use her Crockpot EVERY DAY for a year. And bonus — almost all the recipes are gluten-free!

She has made everything from pasta, to fish, to bread, to bananas foster, to rice krispy treats in this throw-back appliance! I have got to get one soon. (Birthday coming up in May, if anyone is curious…)

Really, whether you are gluten-free or not, visit A Year of CrockPotting — you will enjoy the recipes that make your life easier, and you will laugh as you read them!

Filed under: Food Ideas, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Gluten Intolerance | 3 Comments »

These Easter ideas were sent in by Gina Clowes of the Allergy Moms website and newsletter. Thank you Gina!

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Bird Nests

• 8 NoNuttin Bars*
• 1/2 bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• Candy decorations

Crumble bars in bowl.Melt chips in microwave and combine with bars. Spoon onto waxed paper and form into 8 nests. Fill with candy decorations. We used gum balls for birdies with safe taffy cut outs for beaks.

* You can substitute Rice Krispie Treat mix for the NoNuttin bars.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

• Your favorite cupcakes
• Safe frosting
• Coconut or pearl sugar colored as desired
• Pipe cleaners
• Marshmallow or chocolate bunnies
• Jelly beans

Frost safe cupcakes and dip them in colored coconut or pearl sugar. Add jelly beans or bunnies. Top with a pipe cleaner for the basket handle.

We used orange Mike and Ikes topped with green coconut for carrots and Marshmallow peep bunnies!

Chocolate Dipped Eggs!

• Rice Krispie Treats
• Egg Molds*
• Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Prepare your favorite Rice Krispie Treat mix. Allow to cool for a few minutes; then spoon mix into egg molds of any size and place in freezer to set.

Melt one bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips with one Tablespoon of vegetable oil. Release the “eggs” from their molds. Some will prefer the Rice Krispie eggs just like this. For the chocolate lovers, dip the “eggs” into the melted chocolate mix. Place on wire rack to set.

When completely cooled, wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon! (See photo at the top of the newsletter.)

* You can use fancy Wilton molds but we used regular plastic eggs of all sizes for our molds!

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Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family.Read more about Recipe Share.

Filed under: Recipes and Cooking Tips, Holidays/Special Events | No Comments »

Just in time for Easter! Sent in by Melisa K. Priem, author of the cookbook 8 Degrees of Ingredients in which all recipes are free of the top 8 allergens and are also gluten-free.

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, fish-free (unless fish-derived gelatin is used) and no corn syrup!

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Marshmallow Eggs

These are an easy and fun way to personalize marshmallows or add a unique touch to any holiday.

Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1 tablespoon gelatin, plus 2 teaspoons
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup colored sprinkling sugar (or choice of store-bought sprinkles)

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle powdered sugar over pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add 2/3 cup cold water. Lightly sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Allow the gelatin to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 cup water with 2 cups of sugar over medium heat. Continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Allow the sugar mixture to boil and reach a temperature of 238 degrees F. Remove from heat and add to the gelatin. Using the mixer’s whisk attachment, whip the mixture on a medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 10 minutes.
5. Immediately transfer whipped marshmallow into a piping bag or prepared large plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Gently squeeze the bag and pipe out an oval egg (or other desired shape) onto the prepared pan. Immediately sprinkle with colored sanding sugar before piping the next egg. Allow the eggs to set before moving, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Recipe Notes

• Marshmallows: Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by lining with parchment paper. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Instead of piping, pour entire batch of whipped marshmallow into the dish and spread. Sprinkle additional powdered sugar on top and allow marshmallow to set. Cut into squares.
• Pipe the whipped marshmallow directly onto a cupcake in lieu of frosting. Sprinkle with colored sugar or stick under the broiler of your oven for 2 minutes for a toasty marshmallow treat.
• Pipe the whipped marshmallow directly onto a birthday cake to spell out recipient’s name or best wishes!

Serves: 12. Preparation Time is 10 minutes. Inactive Preparation Time is 30 minutes. Cooking Time is 10 minutes.

Melisa’s daughter

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Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family.

Filed under: Recipes and Cooking Tips, Holidays/Special Events | 1 Comment »

Best Gluten-Free Pound Cake
Gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free (depending on flour mix used).
Sent in by Karen in San Francisco, CA. Adapted from the pound cake recipe in Thoughts For Food, dated 1946.

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
4 stiffly beaten egg whites
3 cups gluten free flour mix (I like Sylvan Border Farms)
1 cup milk
1½ tsp xanthan gum
2½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Cream butter and sugar, add yolks, and beat. Sift flour and xanthan gum. Add gradually two and one-half cups flour alternately with milk. Add remaining flour with baking powder and stir only until smooth. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Bake in buttered loaf pan at 350 degrees until done, approximately 1.5 hours.

Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family.

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