I was skeptical… vegan rice cheese? Surely it won’t melt, and will probably taste weird too. But the prospect of my dairy-free soy-free daughter getting to have “cheese” — on tortillas, in a sandwich, on pizza! — was too exciting to pass up, so I bought a pack of sliced cheddar flavor.

I thought I would try a quesadilla first. “Quesadilla?” she asked, her nose in a quizzical wrinkle. “Yes, do you want a quesadilla?” I responded. “You mean… with cheese??” she asked incredulously. “Yes, with a special kind of cheese that you can have.” “A special kind of cheese that I can have?” she parroted. Boy, I thought, this better be good after all this!

I put a little oil in a pan, threw in a corn tortilla and let it heat up and soften a bit, then turned it over and laid down a slice of cheddar flavor rice cheese. I doubled the tortilla over and waited… please melt, please melt. I peeked inside the tortilla — it melted! I gave it to her and watched her reaction. “Mmmmmm! I love this quesadilla! I love this cheese!” she emoted as she ate it all… and asked for another. It not only passed the test, but exceeded my expectations. And the best part is that she can have CHEESE.

So where does one find this cheese? It is made by Galaxy Nutritional Foods and can be found in various locations, including Whole Foods (you can look up your area here). Be careful though — there are 2 different rice cheeses and one has casein milk protein in it. I don’t understand why they would put casein in a rice cheese — isn’t anyone buying rice cheese doing so because they don’t eat dairy? Anyway, make sure you buy the one that says “Vegan” and “Casein and Lactose Free” on it.

Update 7/20/08: My friend said her daughter didn’t like it. Quesadillas are definitely the best use of the cheese and my daughter still likes them.

Filed under: Products, Dairy Allergy, Soy Allergy | No 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 »

Rating:

Product description:

Coconut Bliss:

• Non-dairy frozen dessert (ice cream) made from organic coconut milk and agave syrup
• Gluten-free
• Vegan (which means no milk and no eggs)
• Soy-free
• Low glycemic index

Review:

Move over Ben & Jerry and make way for Luna & Larry! I have just discovered Coconut Bliss ice cream and I am in love! I have tried many dairy-free ice creams, including soy-based ones and rice-based ones (and some that are made with both rice and soy like Rice Divine). This one is made with coconut milk as its base, and adds no soy or gluten. The result is a rich and creamy ice cream that rivals or even tops dairy ice creams in taste and texture. This is definitely a dessert I would serve to all my guests, not just to my dairy-free kids (in fact, I haven’t decided if I’m even going to share it with them at all!)

I love that the ingredients are pure and agave syrup is used for the sweetener instead of sugar. While the fat content isn’t lower that other ice creams, there is no cholesterol. And if you’d like to learn about the health benefits of coconut, Luna & Larry recommend the website Coconut Research Center.

I can’t wait to get through dinner tonight, so I can delve into dessert!

What I like:

• It is so creamy, just like “real” ice cream
• The flavor makes you say “yummmmm”
• It comes in many flavors: Naked Coconut, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Island, Mint Galactica, Cappuccino, Cherry Amaretto, Pina Colada, Cinnamon Chocolate Flake, Strawberry Lemon Love, Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge

What I don’t like:

• That 2 flavors have nuts (my daughter is allergic so I need to think about the possibility of cross-contamination)
• I haven’t tried all the flavors yet (and can’t wait!)… I’ll let you know if there are any I don’t like

Where to buy:

As of June 2008, Coconut Bliss is only sold in the western United States. I found it in Whole Foods.

Filed under: Products, Dairy Allergy, Soy Allergy | 3 Comments »

Dairy-free, soy-free margarine does not exist to my knowledge. Most baking recipes call for butter or margarine, and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Shortening Sticks work great if you can tolerate soy. (Buttery Sticks contain soybean oil and soy protein, Shortening Sticks contain soybean oil.) But what is a dairy and soy-intolerant person to do?

I have been using Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening which is non-hydrogenated palm oil. It has worked for me in baking recipes that call for butter or margarine. I follow the Joy of Cooking (my favorite cookbook for learning the basics) substitution recommendation for shortening in place of butter:

for 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) replace with 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of shortening

So far, my cookies (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free and soy-free) have turned out with a light and fluffy texture and taste really good! (You don’t really taste the shortening at all.) I was so happy to discover this product when I cut soy out of my daughter’s diet in addition to gluten, dairy and eggs! Yippee!

Look for Spectrum shortening at a natural foods or health foods store, or you can buy it on Amazon.

Filed under: Products, Dairy Allergy, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Soy Allergy | 15 Comments »

Here’s a quick anecdote to peek into how my 4 1/2 year old son understands his dairy-free diet.

Tonight, Ollie had a glass of rice milk with dinner. He proudly pointed out how much of it he had drunk and told me that it was good that he had gotten his protein (pronouned pwoh-teen).

Then he asked in his very high voice, “But mom, how do the cows get the rice in?”

To Ollie, his milk is just a different flavor of cow.

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Food Allergies, Dairy Allergy | No Comments »

Today I went shopping at Andy’s Market in Sebastopol, CA because they have an amazing selection of gluten free products, including gluten free oats and oat flour. As I was browsing the dairy aisle, I discovered a yogurt called Ricera, which is made from whole grain rice and rice protein, contains the usual active cultures found in other yogurt, but has no dairy or soy. It is processed on shared equipment that is used for soy and dairy products, but it is thoroughly cleaned in between to reduce risk of cross-contamination. It came in four flavors: vanilla, blueberry, peach, and strawberry. I bought the vanilla and blueberry flavors to try. Here’s the review.

Both flavors were good! The overall texture was creamy and yogurty, although the vanilla was just slightly gritty. The color of the vanilla wasn’t appealing because it was light brown (it’s made from brown rice), but the blueberry looked like any blueberry yogurt. I detected a hint of a bitter aftertaste in both, but it wasn’t too strong. Mostly, it had the sweet/sour taste of regular yogurt.

I know that my children would enjoy it like they do any yogurt, with some cereal poured on the top to stir in. For someone who hasn’t ever been able to have yogurt because of a dairy or soy allergy, rice yogurt may be a small dream come true.

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Products, Food Allergies, Dairy Allergy, Soy Allergy | 3 Comments »

My girls turned 1 and 3 this month, their birthdays falling 10 days apart, so we had a double birthday party for both kids and adults.

Because of my family’s multiple food sensitivities, we made all the food. While it was an exhausting endeavor, I am proud of how it all turned out. We made way too much - the party could have been twice the size, but that’s ok - lots of leftovers!

So here was our gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free menu. Almost everything could be made a day ahead.

SNACKS:

• Tortilla chips & salsa
• Potato chips
• Tings (like Cheetos without the cheese)
• Grapes and strawberries

LUNCH for the kids:

• Sandwiches with bread made with Pamela’s Wheat-Free Bread Mix (egg-free recipe) - some with turkey and Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese and some with jelly (the jelly ones were the favorite)

LUNCH for the adults:

• Quinoa salad
• Pasta salad made with Tinkyada rice pasta shells
• Grilled Aidell’s sausages (not all flavors are gluten-free, so be sure to check)
• Focaccia made with Pamela’s Wheat-Free Bread Mix (reheat in the oven before serving)

DESSERT:

• 2 butterfly-shaped birthday cakes made with Pamela’s Chocolate Cake mix (egg-free version) - double layered
• Frosting made with a frosting mix and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, and colored with India Tree Natural Decorating Colors
• Cake decorated with Let’s Do Organic Sprinkelz, and decorating sugars and sprinkles from India Tree

OTHER GOODIES (these were NOT egg-free):

• Blondies by Namaste
• Brownies by Gluten-Free Pantry
• Pan Bars by 1-2-3 Gluten Free
• Mini Lemon Poppyseed Muffins by ‘Cause You’re Special
  NOTE: these extra goodies were totally unnecessary, since the adults liked the butterfly cake as much as the kids!

Think we went overboard?? Yep. Not sure I will ever do that again, but everyone loved the food and like I said… leftovers!

P.S. Thank you to both sets of grandparents and my sister for helping me pull this off. My mom (an artist, unlike myself) decorated the cake.

Filed under: Food Ideas, Dairy Allergy, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Gluten Intolerance, Egg Allergy, Holidays/Special Events | 5 Comments »

I find the possible connection between autism and diet fascinating. Because of my own experience with celiac disease, I know what food can do to one’s (my) brain. Many parents, researchers and doctors report that children with autism have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech and/or behavior after gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley & rye) and casein (a protein found in milk) were removed from their diets.

Autistic behaviors can include:

• Poorly developed or delayed language skills, or speech pattern abnormalities
• Failure to follow directions or respond to own name
• Lack of need for socialization, prefers to play alone, seems to be in own world
• Inability to make friends, not interested in other children
• Repetitive or odd body movement patterns (hand-flapping, rocking)
• Ritualistic behavior; child gets “stuck” doing the same thing over and over
• Lack of, or poor, eye contact

According to studies, autistic children appear to have more gastrointestinal symptoms than children without autism, and that these problems improved on the diet. Researchers found that these children have permeable intestinal tracts (often referred to as ‘leaky gut’), and cannot properly digest gluten and casein proteins. The proteins enter the bloodstream before they are fully broken down and act like morphine in the body. These drug-like substances alter the person’s behavior, perceptions, and responses to his environment, thus causing behaviors which have been classified as autism.

The medical community is still researching the effectiveness of the gluten-free, casein-free diet in the treatment of autism, but there are many stories from parents who see the changes occur in their children. While this dietary treatment may not be effective for all autistic children, it certainly seems like a good idea to try the gfcf diet. Whether you have a personal experience with autism or not, you won’t believe these incredible diet success stories written by parents of autistic children.

For more information on autism and diet, visit these website pages:

• Autism Research Institute - ‘Leaky Gut’ and the Gluten- /Casein-Free Diet
• Autism Network for Dietary Intervention - Dietary FAQ
• AutismInfo.com -Diet and Autism
• AutismWeb - The Truth About the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet for Autism and PDD
• TACA - Gluten Free / Casein Free (GF CF) Dietery Intervention

There are lots of other websites and blogs dedicated to the topic of autism, as it is a growing problem. Feel free to add a comment with other sites you recommend.

Related reading: Gluten Affects Learning and Behavior

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Dairy Allergy, Gluten Intolerance, Symptoms, Autism | 2 Comments »

I have heard of many kids with recurrent ear infections who are repeatedly given antibiotics to cure them. Again, a case of giving medicine to fix the symptom, but not finding the cause of the problem. Don’t get me wrong - I am not against medicine! Drugs are a wonderful thing when needed to ease pain or to prevent greater health problems from occurring. But, in conjunction with fixing the what, shouldn’t we as a society (doctors, you, me) investigate the why??

So, back to ear infections. According to pediatrician Dr. Greene, “Of the kids who are prone to ear infections (about 1/3 of kids), allergies are the underlying cause about 1/3 of the time. Cow’s milk is the most likely non-airborne culprit. Presumably, it causes inflammation of the Eustachian tubes — the tubes that normally keep the ears clean and drained. It can also change the nature of the secretions.”

Also, a study done in Finland concluded that children with cow’s milk allergy in infancy, even when properly treated, had experienced significantly more recurrent ear infections.

So, if a child has a lot of ear infections, investigate milk as the cause. This could mean doing allergy testing and/or eliminating milk from the diet (consult your doctor).

Read more about Milk Allergy and the Milk-Free Diet.

Filed under: Dairy Allergy, Symptoms | No Comments »

Would you believe a bread with a delicious taste and wheat-like texture could be made without gluten, corn, dairy, soy, rice or eggs? Believe it, because I made some yesterday!

I have been a fan of Breads from Anna bread mixes since I first tried them in 2004. They make a great loaf that rivals a wheat bread. I had been using the “Gluten, Soy and Rice Free Bread Mix”, but stopped making it when I stopped eating corn, and when my daughter was diagnosed with egg and dairy allergies.

Anna makes another bread mix called “Gluten, Corn, Dairy, Soy and Rice Free Bread Mix”, which solves most of our problems, except the eggs. Yesterday I decided to try an experiment. I used Ener-G Egg Replacer for the eggs called for in the bread mix. The mix calls for 2 eggs + 1 egg white to equal 2/3 to 3/4 cup liquid. I mixed the equivalent of 4 eggs with the egg replacer to equal 2/3 cup liquid. And voilá! A perfect egg-free (and everything-else-free) loaf!

On the lunch menu today: turkey sandwiches - almost makes me forget about all the stuff we can’t eat.

If you are not feeling confident in your bread-making abilities, read How to Make Gluten-Free Bread. A gluten-free loaf is better than none!

Filed under: Food Ideas, Products, Corn Allergy, Dairy Allergy, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Gluten Intolerance, Egg Allergy | No Comments »