And the Winner is....

Aneesa (aneesa824@yahoo.com)! 

Thanks to all who entered!  If you didn't win but still want to purchase some coconut oil, you can do so here:


Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label - 1 quart










Right now it is only sale for $29.50 (down from $40.00).

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Giveaway: Tropical Traditions 32 oz. Virgin Coconut Oil

I've been using coconut oil for over the past year now and I absolutely love it. It smells delicious, it tastes delicious and it's incredibly healthy for you. I use it for my chocolate covered strawberry cake, salmon bites and chocolate cranberry granola.  I also use coconut oil as an eye makeup remover, diaper rash cream, face moisturizer and lip gloss. It's really quite amazing. The coconut oil from Tropical Traditions is the best you can get and right now they are giving away a 32 oz. jar to one of my readers!

Their coconut oil is actually on sale right now, so if you want to get it now you can purchase it here:

Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label - 1 quart










There are a few things you can do to enter. Please leave a separate comment below indicating each entry you complete. Please also leave your email address when you comment so I know how to contact you if you win. The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada only. Winner will be chosen using random.org on Thursday Dec. 20.

1. Mandatory entry: Subscribe to Tropical Traditions Newsletter or tell me if you already do.
2. Subscribe to this blog, Cooking Allergy Free, or tell me if you already do.
3. "Like" Tropical Traditions on Facebook or tell me if you already do.
4. "Like" Cooking Allergy Free on Facebook or me if you already do.
5. Follow me on pinterest or tell me if you already do.
6. Share this giveaway via email, Facebook or twitter! Let me know if you do.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. If you order the coconut oil by clicking the link above and have never ordered from them before, you will receive a free book on coconut oil and I will receive a coupon from them. 
 

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Gingerbread Squares with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Egg and Nut Free)

Over the weekend, we made and decorated a gingerbread house with our little guy.  I had to make it from scratch since all the kits I could find had traces of eggs or nuts in them (of course).  However, I'm glad I did because it really wasn't that hard and it was soooo delicious! To say C liked it would be an understatement. I think he ate half the house and each time I would try to get a piece, he would grab it out of my hand and eat it himself.  (Followed by his version of "thank you, Mommy!")

Since he liked it so much, I decided to take the same recipe and make it into little squares with a cream cheese frosting. Still the same delicious gingerbread, but even better with the cream cheese frosting instead of the over-sugary "glue" frosting we used for the house. This recipe should make you about 12-16 squares depending on how big you make them or how much dough you eat in the process ;)  I only got 12...told you it was good!



Gingerbread Squares
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup*
1/4 cup light molasses
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp. water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, maple syrup, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Add in the flour and beat until crumbly, then add the water 1 Tbsp. at a time. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out your dough onto a flat surface and cut into small squares. If the dough was left in the fridge longer than 30 minutes and is hard to roll, just let it sit for a while to soften or just keep working with it until it rolls well for you. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

* Whenever I have maple syrup in a recipe, I always use organic Grade B maple syrup (a natural sweetener). I don't know if it will taste the same using a regular maple syrup. If you don't want to use this kind of maple syrup, then I would substitute brown sugar. Double the amount for sugar and add some more liquid (water or even milk) if you think you need it. For the frosting below, regular maple syrup should be fine to add the flavor but taste test as you add it to see if you like the flavor.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg. regular cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and blend.

Frost and enjoy!

This post is linked up on Allergy Free Wednesdays http://www.realfoodallergyfree.com/2012/12/chocolate-peppermint-bark-chocolate-covered-pretzels-salted-toffee-chocolates-carmelita-bars-and-gingerbread-donuts/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:

Egg and Nut Free Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

Although I've never made homemade french toast before, I had such an urge to make an egg free version since french toast is almost always made by dipping the bread in egg.  As I searched the internet for ways to make french toast without eggs, I came up with the basic solution of using milk and some sort of thickener. We always use whole milk, which I recommend for this recipe, and I used flour as my thickener. I used cinnamon raisin bread because I had some left over from the day before, but you can also use plain bread and just add some cinnamon and honey in the milk mixture to add flavor.  I used a cinnamon raisin bread recipe that I adapted from The Food Allergy Mama, which I've posted below, but you could use any flavor of bread you want.

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast (serves 4)
8 thick slices cinnamon raisin bread
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1-2 Tbsp. butter
Maple syrup

Combine milk and flour in a bowl and stir with a wire whisk until there are no more lumps of flour left.   Melt 1-2 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Dip both sides of each slice of bread into the milk mixture and remove, letting the excess milk drip off the bread. Place bread in skillet and cook 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm with maple syrup and enjoy!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2 cups buttermilk (2 cups whole milk mixed with 2 Tbsp. white vinegar; let sit for 5-10 minutes)

1/4 cup honey

3 cups white whole wheat flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 3/4 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and coat a loaf pan with butter or coconut oil. 

In a glass measuring cup, combine buttermilk and honey and stir. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with a whisk. Fold in the buttermilk mixture, the melted butter and the raisins and stir. 

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until top is brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

My First Product Review! Organic Palm Shortening

You won't make it very far in the baking world without stumbling across a recipe that is impossible to make without using shortening.  Pie crust is one recipe that comes to mind, along with some cookie recipes that are just better with shortening. Most people automatically think of Crisco when they think about shortening, but I am here to tell you that there is a better option!

A little over a year go, we decided to switch completely to real fats that come from real sources such as: real butter, whole milk, real full fat cheese, grass-fed beef, chicken fat, coconut oil and palm shortening and we haven't looked back. Food tastes SO much better and we feel SO much better to be using real fat as opposed to low-fat man made foods.  I won't go into too much detail about why I believe real fat is healthier than fake fat, but I will say this. People led very healthy lives for thousands of years eating real fat from real food sources that God made.  A few decades ago, Americans switched to fats made in a chemical processing plant and our health has suffered ever since. We also aren't as active as they were, and we eat way too much sugar, but the chemicals also have something to do with it because our bodies weren't designed to handle the processed food.  The key is to use fats from real food in moderation.  I'm not giving you permission to load up on sticks of butter...moderation folks :) But when you do use fat in cooking, use fat from a real food source. Most fake fats are also loaded with soy which is the #1 GMO "food" in our country. To learn more about the dangers of GMOs, watch this video: http://geneticroulettemovie.com/

Anyways, instead of using crisco in my baked goods I now use organic palm shortening that I purchased from Tropical Traditions. This is also the perfect substitution for those who are allergic to soy. Yes, it is a bit pricier (it's on sale right now), but a gallon of shortening will last you quite a while and the savings in better health is well worth it if you really enjoy baking.  I am still using the first gallon I bought and it is continuing to make us delicious pies and cookies! I use it for pie crusts and Tooter's chocolate chip cookie balls. You can also use it as a healthier substitute to deep fry doughnuts, mozzarella sticks, french fries, corn dogs, etc.  Organic palm shortening is derived from palm oil, which is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. It's not hydrogenated, contains no trans fats and contains no GMOs. I know the "saturated" part might scare you, but again it's important to get your fats from real sources, not from a laboratory. 

You can purchase the palm shortening here:

1 Gallon Organic Palm Shortening - 112 oz.

If you order by clicking on this link and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions before, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil. Also, I will receive a discount coupon for referring you. But, no pressure or anything :) 

Happy Thanksgiving - Egg and Nut Free Apple Cranberry Pie!

I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie. It's pretty hard to make an egg-free version and I just don't like the texture. So this year I'm bringing an egg and nut free apple cranberry pie so C has something for dessert while we're at our Thanksgiving gathering. I love the combination of apples and cranberries and this easy pie dough recipe I got from foodallergymama.com is great. The only substitution I made to the dough recipe was to use palm shortening instead of regular shortening. Even dessert can use a little health modification here and there ;)

More important than pie though is that I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with their family and friends. We are overwhelmed with thankfulness for our son, another blessing on the way and for everything the Lord has given to us.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100:4-5. Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple Cranberry Pie

For the dough:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup palm shortening
5-7 Tbsp. ice water

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse a few times until you have small crumbs. Add the ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, pulsing until the dough comes together. Split the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

For the pie:
2/3 cup organic sugar (or sucanat/rapadura)
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
4 apples, peeled and sliced into wedges
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 Tbsp. butter
Sugar for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, spices and salt with a wire whisk. Add the apples and cranberries and mix well.

Preheat oven to 400. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, letting it come up over the edges. Fill with the apple mixture and top with pieces of the butter. Roll out the other half of the dough and use Thanksgiving-shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes. Top the pie with your dough shapes and sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the apples are bubbling and crust is browned.

Cool completely before serving.

This post is linked up on Allergy Free Wednesdays!

http://www.realfoodallergyfree.com/2012/11/allergy-free-brown-bread-dinner-rolls-chocolate-mint-cookies-pumpkin-wafers-and-more/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RealFoodAllergyFree+%28Real+Food%2C+Allergy+Free%29

Pumpkin Doughnut Holes

It's been crazy windy/rainy here so C and I have not gone out since Monday morning. C has been entertaining himself sorting buttons by color and watching Thomas the Tank Engine. I finally was able to set some time aside to bake since I haven't really been able to update my allergy friendly recipes in a while. As these little treats were cooling on the counter, C spotted them and grabbed one off the counter. He looked at me and said "Oh, wow!" as if I had no idea they were there! I love being able to make my own allergy friendly treats so I don't have to worry about whether or not what we have is safe for him. These delicious little doughnuts would be perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast!

Pumpkin Doughnut Holes
 1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup natural maple syrup (such as organic grade B)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk. Combine wet ingredients in a glass measuring cup (make sure to melt the coconut oil first and let it cool before combining it with a cold liquid or else it will solidify). Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just mixed (don't over mix). Pour batter into a greased mini muffin pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 24 small doughnut holes.

This post will be linked up on the Allergy Free Wednesdays blog hop. http://wholenewmom.com/traditional-tuesday/vegan-pumpkin-cheesecake-chocolate-mousse-cake-grain-fee-chicken-pot-pie-more/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wholenewmomfeed+%28Whole+New+Mom%29

Allergy Update and Pizza!

We had C's allergy blood tests repeated and we're about the same, if not a little bit worse right now. He stayed pretty much in the 3 and 4 category, but some of the IgE numbers went up especially for peanuts, eggs, sunflower seeds and cashews. I guess I was expecting them to go down a little bit now that he's a year older, but that just means he hasn't hit the "peak point" yet so we're not on our way to outgrowing them anytime soon. Which is a big bummer.

C has never consumed a food that he's allergic to because we found out about his allergies before he was eating table food, so he's never had a real reaction.  The doctor said that based on his numbers, a reaction could be vomiting, bad hives or swelling of the face/throat. So clearly we will continue to maintain a strict diet without any nuts, eggs, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.

At home, cooking without eggs and nuts has become a way of life for me, so I've learned my way around the kitchen without them and have become pretty used to finding substitutes. The hardest part about these allergies is that I can never leave home without some kind of plan for C's meals and snacks which can get kind of overwhelming at times especially when you're busy and don't have time to prepare food in advance. There are not many quick "go to" foods we can rely on on a busy day.  Whenever we go out of town or overnight somewhere, I plan ahead for every meal and usually bring food along for those meals or check menus at restaurants nearby to see if there's something safe for him. Besides all that though, the hardest thing is that C is a toddler and he's picky. He doesn't always like what we're having for dinner and there are very few quick back up plans he can have. That's why I love this pizza recipe that I found: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/pizza-night. I made a substitution so it will be gluten free (b/c of course C just couldn't stop at eggs, nuts and seeds!) and although I prefer the wheat version, this isn't too bad. It's easy, quick pizza without all the ingredients that are bad for you. and he absolutely loves it so I don't have to worry about him not eating it. Also, I can add whatever topping I have on hand and even sneak in some veggies (like tonight's version with broccoli!) This recipe works great when I know he's not going to like what we're having for dinner, or for nights like tonight when he decided to get pink eye and I didn't get home from the doctor with him until 6 :P

Gluten Free Pizza
3 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
3 1/2 tsp. xantham gum
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 tsp. salt

Stir together flour, salt and xantham gum in a mixing bowl. Add yogurt and melted butter. Mix well.

Pizza toppings:
1 jar pizza sauce (or make your own)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
favorite toppings: pepperoni, sausage, peppers, broccoli, you name it!

I also usually sprinkle some garlic powder and oregano over the crust to flavor it.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough (this recipe will make 2 separate crusts or 6 mini crusts). Spread pizza sauce on dough, top with shredded cheese and preferred toppings. Cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. 

If you have leftover dough and don't want to make another pizza, you can make pop tarts! Just roll out the dough, cut into squares, spoon jelly in the center of half of the squares and top it with the other half and then press down on the edges with a fork. Bake these at 350 for 25 minutes. 

Salmon Bites

Looking for an easy way to get your toddler (or husband) to enjoy some salmon? This is a wonderful spin on a childhood favorite which uses two incredibly healthy foods...salmon and coconut oil. I think we all know by now that salmon is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for your little tot's growing brain. Salmon is also a good source of protein and calcium, two other ingredients that are wonderful for you and your children. And don't even get me started on coconut oil! Along with being a great fat source, coconut oil has anti-fungal properties making it good for your digestion and also good for weight maintenance.  I use coconut oil for everything...in the kitchen, for Caleb's diaper rashes (from a separate bottle of course), to take off my eye makeup, face lotion, etc. Also, if you buy the unrefined coconut oil, the taste is just incredible!

The original recipe comes from weelicious (http://weelicious.com/2010/03/23/salmon-bites/), but I made a few adjustments to make it egg and wheat free. The coconut oil substitutes for the egg and the oat flour for the breadcrumbs. I added the lime zest to make the flavor match the coconut. My husband won't go near a traditional fish stick, but these salmon bites he ate with no problem at all! The avocado dipping sauce is also her recipe and goes a long way if you're still having trouble getting your kids to eat them. What's more fun than a bright green sauce!?

Salmon Bites
16 ounces salmon steak, skinless
1/3 cup oat flour (run 1/3 cup oats through a food processor a couple of times to grind it into flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. lime zest
1/2 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 450. Place oat flour in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, and lime zest. Place coconut oil in a separate bowl. Cut up salmon, dip in oil and then coat with the oat flour. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

Avocado Yogurt Dip
1 ripe avocado, pitted
1/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt

Place in the ingredients in a food processor and puree. Serve right away.

Buckwheat Banana Pancake Muffins

We're continuing to stay away from wheat with C because we're pretty sure that was causing his itchy skin and bad diaper rashes. But he's really craving some treats and doesn't understand why he can't have them anymore :( I tried to look into some gluten free recipes, but it seems like each recipe needs 5 different flours and it's very overwhelming especially when you have other food restrictions as well! So, I just chose to start with buckwheat flour which, despite it's name, isn't even considered a grain. I originally was going to make these into pancakes, but I am reallllly bad at flipping pancakes, so I just put the batter into a muffin tin. They turned out great and were a lot easier! They're a great breakfast treat drizzled with maple syrup and served with some bacon or sausage or a good mid-morning treat. They are a little gummy due to using applesauce instead of egg, but a gummy treat for C is better than no treat at all :)  Enjoy!

Banana Buckwheat Pancake Muffins
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 banana, sliced

Combine dry ingredients and mix with a wire whisk. Combine wet ingredients in a measuring cup and stir into dry ingredients being careful not to over mix. Add sliced banana. Pour into a muffin pan with muffin liners and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Lemon Basil Turkey Burgers

Today is kind of a crazy day, but I wanted to post this recipe before I forget. My husband and I are going to Cincinnati this weekend for a wedding and it will be the first time we leave C overnight to go out of town! He's stayed at his grandparents before, but we were just 10 minutes away at home, so this time will be the first time we'll both be going away without him with us :) Of course this means that I have to have his meals planned out for him and I came up with this turkey burger recipe the other day to bring along to my parent's house for him. He likes it best with a mashed up avocado and I enjoyed it drizzled with yogurt and lime juice. Either way, it's really good! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture (we were too busy taste testing), so you'll have to trust me on this one :)

Lemon Basil Turkey Burger
1 lb. ground turkey
handful of chopped fresh basil
2 bunches green onion, chopped
1 tsp. granted lemon zest
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Form into either 4 large patties or 6 smaller ones. This will taste the best and juiciest if you either grill them or cook them in a pan with coconut oil for a few minutes on each side until done. Since hot oil in a pan and crazy toddlers don't mix, I just chose to bake them in the oven on 350 for about 25 minutes. That way I got it out of the way and didn't have to tend to it while it was cooking. It turned out a little dry that way, so unless you have a toddler who loves your attention, I'd go with grilling or pan frying it :) If you are going grain-free, these are delicious wrapped in some romaine lettuce with either avocado or yogurt!

Summer Garden Veggies

My husband has been hard at work this summer preparing our garden and we are finally starting to be able to enjoy the fruits of his hard work! Last week, we harvested 3 huge heads of romaine lettuce and this week we were able to pull up some beets and a ton of radishes. So tonight with our dinner, I made a beet and radish side dish that was absolutely delicious! There's something different about homegrown beets...not quite as "beety?" Needless to say, C gobbled them up -- he is crazy about his beets!

Beet & Radish Saute
2 cups beets, peeled and sliced (about 6 small beets)
4-5 radishes, sliced
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add beets and radishes and sauté until soft about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. Serve warm.

Food Allergy Travel Tips

It's one thing to travel with a toddler....it's a whole new ball game to travel with a child with food allergies!  As a general rule we don't take C out to eat unless it's for a special event, such as a family celebration or a lunch after church. It's just too risky, and plus we like eating at home better :) However, when you're on the road you really have no choice. There's only so many homemade muffins a kid can eat until they need a real meal! A few weeks ago we took a short trip to Kelly's Island and had a hard time finding food for C to eat. Thankfully I brought enough sweet potatoes, avocados and snacks and we weren't gone that long. He was really only able to order plain hot dogs at the restaurant -- even the pizza had egg in it! We're not taking any big trips this summer, but this weekend we are going a couple hours away for a graduation party and will be staying overnight in a hotel. I wanted to share my strategy for eating away from home because when you have a child with food allergies, you can never leave home without a plan!

First, there are a few food items I always bring with us when we travel. Sweet potatoes (if you will have access to a microwave), avocado (C will eat a whole avocado for one meal), packets of oatmeal to make in the hotel (you can't bring a child with an egg allergy into a breakfast restaurant!), dry cereal, homemade muffins/quick breads, cookies, healthy popcorn and bananas. That will typically cover breakfast and lunch for him so we don't have to worry about that. However, dinner is another story. C has always refused to eat those Gerber toddler meals, so (although I probably wouldn't give it to him anyways) that's not an option for us. After doing some research, I was able to find a list of allergy-friendly restaurants. These are restaurants that have special allergy menus, however you will still want to inform the chef of your allergies so they don't cross-contaminate with your meal.

Here's the list of restaurants (these are just the ones with specific allergy menus. There are some other restaurants that give basic allergy info and ones that have specific gluten-free info):
- Arbys
- Boston Market
- Chili's
- Cracker Barrel
- Chipotle (a family fav)
- Qdoba
- Macaroni Grill
- Ruby Tuesday

Most of these restaurants don't have the allergy menus available for you at the restaurant, you will need to look at the menus online ahead of time and make your selection before leaving home. As you can probably tell, the list is very limited and small. If these restaurants aren't available to you, then I suggest just choosing a restaurant ahead of time and calling to ask about ingredients in some of the meals. It's best to call in the middle of the day when they aren't busy so they're more likely to answer your questions.

Also, here's a couple egg and nut free recipes you can whip up to take along with you on the road. These were all adapted from the Food Allergy Mama's baking book to include dairy and make them slightly healthier. Happy traveling!

Apple Muffins

4 Tbsp. butter, melted (allow to cool a little)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup milk
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups diced, peeled apples, divided

Preheat oven to 375 and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combined the melted butter, applesauce and milk. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the applesauce mixture and stir by hand with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the 1 cup chopped apple. Do not over mix.

Using a cookie scooper or spoon, fill the muffin cups with batter and top each with the remaining 1/2 cup diced apple. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Blueberry Bread



1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
2/3 cup orange juice
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup maple syrup (organic Grade B)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted butter, water, milk, maple syrup, orange zest, and orange juice until combined. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda with a wire whisk. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and stir with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

Cinnamon Sour Cream Cookies



1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine butter, sugar, applesauce and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until mixed. Slowly beat in sour cream until incorporated. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon with a wire whisk. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture. Chill dough in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a spoon, roll small balls of dough in your hands, flatten and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, but don't over bake.

Egg and Nut Free Strawberry Snack Cake

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! We had a weekend full of family meals and fun. To top it all off we enjoyed this delicious strawberry cake with chocolate cream icing. This is a quick and simple little cake that anyone can whip up for their hard-working Mother :)

Egg and Nut Free Strawberry Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sucanat, rapadura or sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch glass pie dish and set aside (I just use coconut oil). In the bowl of a mixer, combine the butter and sucanat until light and fluffy. Add the water and vanilla and beat until combined. In a medium separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and salt with a wire whisk. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk and combine but do not over mix. Pour batter into the glass dish and arrange strawberries on top. Bake 25-30 minutes or unit a toothpick comes out clean.

I know this sounds bad, but whenever I make icing I just sort of guess at how much for each ingredient and taste as I go. (Maybe that's just because I like eating the icing or maybe it's because I'm too lazy to ever figure out the ratio of ingredients. I'll let you decide). Here's my best guess at what I did for this recipe, but I suggest you just start with how much cream you'd like, add a little sweetener, vanilla and cocoa powder and then adjust if you don't like how it tastes.

Chocolate Cream Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Pour cream into a mixer bowl and beat until whipped. This will take a few minutes, but you'll get there! Add maple syrup, vanilla and cocoa powder and mix until incorporated. Taste and then adjust as needed.

Happy Mother's Day and enjoy this delicious fairly healthy snack! :)

Fudgy Egg-Free Brownies!!

At some point between a super clingy toddler, major laundry duty, and the aftermath of Caleb gorging himself with beets last night, I decided I needed some chocolate today. Since we're having dinner with my parents tomorrow night, I thought I'd give my failed egg-free brownie recipe one more try.  For the past few months, I've been trying different egg-free brownie recipes but they were either too crumbly or just plain gross : / The missing ingredient? Melted butter.  Ahhh, proof that everything IS better with butter!

Since I like to try to keep even brownies on the "healthy" side, I used white whole wheat flour, sucanat (which is dehydrated cane juice), and real (no margarine here folks) organic butter. Using wheat flour and sucanat tastes EXACTLY the same as using the refined white stuff, but if you don't want to get sucanat, plain white sugar should be fine. (However, I will say that we haven't used white sugar in about 8 months and we're surviving quite well!)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy these brownies! A major plus compared to other recipes I've seen: they actually taste like brownies and there's no tofu!

Fudgy Egg-Free Brownies
Adapted from heavenlyhomemakers.com 

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup sucanat (or sugar)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup allergy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in sucanant and cocoa powder. Mix in applesauce and vanilla and stir. Stir in flour and then gently fold in chocolate chips. Grease an 8x8 baking dish (I just rub some coconut oil on it), pour batter in pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Egg and Nut Free Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars

Today, while C was napping, I made some cookies to send to my younger brother to munch on while he studies for his finals. I set them on the counter, hoping to keep C from seeing them and begging for one once he woke up. Well somehow, even though he's only 2 1/2 feet tall, he spotted them on the counter as soon as he walked into the kitchen. He got super excited saying "cookie! cookie! coooooookie!" I knew I would have to make something separate so all the cookies for my brother wouldn't disappear, but I didn't have enough chocolate chips for another batch. So, I checked around to see what I did have and found some frozen raspberries and cream cheese. Perfect! Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars.

This is the perfect snack since we've been trying to focus on eating "real" food lately. No refined sugar, white flour, fake fats, chemical additives etc. Basically if we can't pronounce an ingredient, we don't eat it.  That actually includes a lot of "low fat" packaged foods you will find in the stores! This recipe uses white whole wheat flour (which is 100% soft whole wheat -- I've found it to be better for baking), coconut oil which has significant health benefits, and organic grade b maple syrup which is a healthier substitute for sugar. Cutting out processed and refined foods from our diets has been the only thing to help with my husband's headaches and minor stomach issues I've had in the past. And if it tastes this good, we're completely fine with it! 

Egg and Nut Free Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 oz. cream cheese, plain

1 Tbsp. whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup frozen raspberries

In a medium mixing bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk. In a separate mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the coconut oil, maple syrup, applesauce, cream cheese, milk and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Fold in the frozen raspberries.

Pour into a greased 8 x 11 glass baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Egg Free Corn dog Muffins

Whether or not we'd like to admit it, we all have enjoyed a hot dog on a stick covered with fried dough. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty good! There's been an increasing popularity of real food "corn dog muffins" lately so I decided to give an egg free version a try.  I've been keeping a (short) list of meals C will actually eat, and this one is now #2 on my slowly growing list :P Not the healthiest thing to eat, but definitely more healthy than your normal corn dog!

Egg Free Corn Dog Muffins
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp. sucanat or rapadura (or regular sugar )
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (I make my own by combining 1 cup whole milk and 1 Tbsp. vinegar, let stand for 5-10 minutes)
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 hot dogs, cut into thirds (I use Applegate brand)

Preheat oven to 425 and grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sucanat, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until a batter is formed. Drop batter into muffin pan by spoonfuls. Insert a hot dog piece into the center of each muffin (lay it on it's side for best results). Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Soaked Grains

I've been learning a lot about soaking grains recently and I have to say not only is it a lot healthier for you, it is delicious and easy as well! We've soaked oatmeal, rice, muffins and now yummy bread. Apparently this is the way people used to prepare grains (waaaay back) and it makes it a lot easier for us to digest the grain and increases nutrient absorption as well. Now, I'm no nutritionist but this is what I've found from my research. Basically, grains have protective measures (phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, and proteins) to keep them stable until the time of germination. These protective measures get in the way of nutrition and digestion. By soaking the grains in acidulated warm liquid, it mimics germination and unlocks the enzymes thus making it easier for us to digest and absorb the nutrients available (info from GNOWFGLINS).

Usually I will start a recipe to soak after my son is in bed and I will leave it soaking until the next day when I'm ready to finish the recipe. Grains need to soak about 12 hours, but can soak up to 24 or more hours in some cases. This actually makes it a lot easier for me because I can start the recipe in the evening and then finish it up when my son is napping the next day (and most of the work is already done!)

This soaked oatmeal recipe might be the tastiest oatmeal I've ever had:

Basic Soaked Oatmeal (Adapted from GNOWFGLINS @ http://gnowfglins.com/)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Raisins (optional)

The night before, combine the oats, buttermilk and water in a pot. Cover and set aside. The next morning, add the milk, salt, cinnamon and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until thick (about 10 minutes). Serve with raisins or other desired toppings.

This is seriously delicious!

Basic Soaked Whole Wheat Bread (Adapted from Kitchen Stewardship @ http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/)
1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. room temp water
2 Tbsp. yogurt whey (I just used plain yogurt)
1/4 cup coconut oil or melted butter
2 Tbsp. honey
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt

Put water, oil, honey, yogurt whey and flour in a bowl and let soak overnight or at least 12 hours*.  After it has soaked, add the yeast and salt and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. If it’s too sticky, add some more flour. Transfer to a buttered or oiled bowl and cover to let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes or longer?) Punch down. Shape into a loaf or rolls, placed in a greased pan and let rise a little longer. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 *Do not add the yeast and salt while soaking - the yeast and salt will get in the way of the soaking process. 

This is seriously good bread. C had 2 pieces with his lunch today and I had to hide it and distract him from begging for more.

All this soaking seemed kind of intimidating at first, but now that I've started doing it, I've found it to be really easy because it helps me plan ahead and most of the work is done while C is sleeping. That's always a plus in my book :)

Kid-Friendly Meals: Fish Sticks!

We started a new family tradition where every Monday night will be "kids night" for dinner where we'll have a (healthier) version of kid-friendly meals. This week I decided to kick it off with a meal that is near and dear to my heart and quite far from my husband's...fish sticks. Growing up I really wouldn't eat anything except macaroni and cheese, but occasionally I would eat a fish stick.  However, my husband's experience with fish sticks ruined his taste for fish (I believe he used the phrase "I gagged" and "it tasted like Lake Erie").  So, this week it was my mission to redeem the fish stick in my husband's eyes and show him that fish really is quite good!

I am pleased to report that both C and my husband ate the fish sticks, and although he wouldn't admit it, I think my husband enjoyed them. I wanted to serve these with macaroni and cheese, but C does not like macaroni and cheese! So I served them with baked fries instead, but either would work well.

Fish Sticks
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 tsp. salt-free seasoning (I used Trader Joe's 21 salute seasoning)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lbs white fish (like tilapia, halibut or cod), cut into strips

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the flour, oil and panko crumbs in separate bowls. Mix the seasonings in with the panko crumbs.  Coat each fish stick in flour, dip into the oil and then coat with the panko/seasoning blend. Add more flour, oil and panko crumbs if needed. Place the fish sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

These will also freeze really well if you want to make them ahead of time and then save them for busy nights :)

Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Cranberry Granola

My toddler is definitely a grazer. He goes from snack to snack and (sometimes) will eat a full meal here and there. He knows where the snacks are and likes to put his hands on the cupboard and scream until I come get him something to eat. Usually his snack is just fruit, yogurt, or one of these tasty treats from the blog :) This recipe is a spin on the granola recipe I posted a couple months ago. C and my husband are my taste testers for the recipes I post, and while C was eating the granola today he kept nodding his head up and down saying "mmmmmm! mmmmm!" So, I knew I should definitely post it...here you are! 

Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Cranberry Granola 

4 cups oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter), melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325. Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix together until fully coated. Place granola mixture in a greased 13x9 inch glass baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 minutes and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into bars*. Store in a tupperware container. 

*This version of the recipe didn't hold together as well, possibly because of the cocoa powder. I ended up crumbling most of it and it still tastes great by the handful or on top of yogurt :) 

Egg and Nut Free Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

These were originally supposed to be cookies. Then I decided to just make them into bars. And since they're made with wheat flour and no sugar, we decided to have them for breakfast! This is now on my "healthy breakfast" list for C since he prefers to pick things up with his hands instead of being spoon fed. They're also a great "on the go" snack. They won't be as sweet as most breakfast bars you'll buy at the store, but these are much healthier for you and really simple to make! If you don't have palm shortening, you can substitute butter.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
1/2 cup organic palm shortening
1/2 cup honey or real maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
6 Tbsp. warm water
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups oats
1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix the flax seed and warm water together and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Combine the shortening, honey and molasses in a mixer bowl and beat until smooth. In another bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture and beat well. Fold in the flax mixture.

Spray a 7 x 11 inch glass baking dish with baking spray. Stir oats and raisins into dough with a rubber spatula. Spread dough into baking dish (the dough will be thick so do your best to spread it evenly).  Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned. Allow to cool and then cut into bars.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a picture until they were almost half gone. I guess that shows how good they are!

Egg and Nut Free Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

Another random food that my toddler just loves is cream cheese. He loves it on toast, banana bread, or straight off the spoon. I never used to like cream cheese or cheesecake, until I met my husband and we went to Cheesecake Factory one too many times (and I ordered the peanut butter cookie dough cheesecake one too many times) :P Now I love cream cheese and I've replaced my beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a cream cheese and jelly sandwich or a cream cheese and banana sandwich. You might think that's weird, but until you've tried a cream cheese sandwich with cinnamon raisin bread you don't know what you're missing!

I thought this would be a fun little cookie that's not only egg and nut free, but kind of different too. They're not too sweet and extremely soft and chewy. You'll notice that there's no sugar in these. Instead I've used real maple syrup - a great healthy alternative to sugar in baked goods! You can play around with the recipe and use strawberries, cherries, dried fruit or even chocolate chips. You could use frozen fruit that has been thawed, but just know that it will probably turn your cookie a blue-purple color. Enjoy!

Egg and Nut Free Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies
 2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup applesauce
3 oz. cream cheese (regular)
1 Tbsp.whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl with a wire whisk.  In a mixer, blend the butter, maple syrup, applesauce, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the dry mixture until full mixed. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 24 cookies depending on size.

Creamy Avocado Mexican Pasta

C has been a seriously picky eater the past couple of weeks.

All he has wanted to eat has been bread, bananas and beets. Yes, I said beets. I cut him off after 3 small beets today and he was not happy. He started crying and reaching for the refrigerator as I put them away. I know beets are good for you, but post-beet diaper duty is not fun so I had to set a limit. Most parents have to limit the amount of cookies and candy their child eats....we have to limit the amount of beets C eats. Not your average toddler!

Finally tonight I found a meal that he would actually eat! A few weeks ago I found a recipe for Creamy Avocado Pasta on pinterest, but it didn't quite seem like a full meal since it was just noodles and avocado sauce. So since we love avocados so much over here, I decided to kick it up a notch and make our own version.  This is a fun and tasty combination of mexican and pasta -- absolutely delicious!

Creamy Avocado Mexican Pasta
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 16 oz. jar chunky salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 can of black beans
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 avocado,
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lime juice
1 cup mexican cheese
4 ounces cooked pasta

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and peppers and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add the salsa, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop out the avocado and place into a food processor along with the lime juice and salt. Pulse until avocado is smooth and creamy (you can add a little bit of water if you need to).

Add the avocado cream and cheese to the skillet. Continue to cook on low until cheese is melted and bubbly. Mix with pasta and serve.

Egg and Nut Free Cinnamon Crunch Muffins

Whenever C and I attend play groups, or if he's going to be in the nursery at church, I always try to bring a separate "safe" snack for him. I don't want to leave anything to chance or have someone accidentally give him something that's unsafe for him.  And I also don't expect others to go out of their way to make sure their snacks are egg and nut free.

 I made these muffins the other day and he LOVED them! Even though they are pretty good for you, he was calling them "cookies" because they taste more like a dessert than a healthy muffin. If you are looking for a safe snack to bring along for your child, this is a great choice. They actually remind me of the cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera. I figure if he's not able to have the snacks that the other kids have, I at least need to make mine taste the best! Maybe everyone will enjoy them so much they won't mind going allergy safe :)

Egg and Nut Free Cinnamon Crunch Muffins (Adapted from Food Allergy Mama's Cinnamon Bread Foodallergymama.com)

1/4 cup palm shortening*
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. water
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk

Topping:
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp. melted butter

*You can use any shortening, but I use palm shortening because it is allergy safe and much healthier for you than regular shortening. I bought a gallon from tropicaltraditions.com, and although it's expensive, it will last you a long time. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the shortening and honey until combined. Add water as it mixes and beat until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a whisk.  Add to the shortening mixture alternatively with the milk beginning and ending with the flour.

In a bowl, mix the 2 tsp. cinnamon, sugar and melted butter. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Mmmm...enjoy!!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Poor little Toots has had a rough couple of weeks. It all started 2 Sundays ago when he spiked the highest fever he's ever had (104.2) and was just really tired and lethargic all afternoon. We took him to the peds ER because of the high fever and they determined that it was probably just a passing virus. Later that week he started to get a cold and the next Sunday he woke up right at midnight with horrible croup cough that kept him awake on and off all night. The next day the doctor gave him a med to help him breathe easier, but the cough/cold has stayed this whole week. So, needless to say he's been pretty miserable! He gave the cough/cold to my husband, but somehow (although I was awake almost the whole night on Sunday with him coughing in my face) I have not gotten sick....yet. I'm still waiting for it.

Of course, everyone who is sick needs some chicken soup! I can't do soup that is mostly broth with a few noodles and chunks of chicken floating around. I need soup that is full and hearty, which is why I love this chicken rice soup. It has a great homemade taste and is loaded with meat, rice and veggies. If you find yourself under the weather this winter season, this soup is for you!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 leeks, chopped and washed

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried basil

8 cups chicken broth

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup cooked wild rice

splash of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Place a large pot over medium heat and add oil. Add the leeks and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, garlic and spices and cook for 1 more minute. Add the chicken and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until chicken is done, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken, cut up the meat and return back to the pot. Stir in the wild rice, balsamic vinegar and parsley and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Mmmmm....we're feeling better already!

Egg and Nut Free Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Frosting

The next person up on our birthday list was my dad. I knew that pumpkin was one of his favorite flavors, so even though it is February, I still decided to go with a pumpkin cake. I made a pumpkin cake for my husband's birthday, but I improved the recipe a bit so I didn't have to use cake flour because I wasn't able to find an egg free cake flour. I think the last time I made the pumpkin cake, I combined flour and cornstarch to make my own "cake" flour, but I figured adding that much cornstarch to a recipe couldn't possibly be a good thing. So, here it is...a new (and improved) pumpkin cake!

Egg and Nut Free Pumpkin Cake
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup organic unrefined sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp.cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk (make your own by combining 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar and let sit for 5-10 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add applesauce and mix well. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternatively beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour into the two separate pans and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cinnamon Cream Frosting
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3-4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Beat cream and sugar until the cream is whipped.  Add cinnamon and nutmeg and beat until spices are mixed in. Chill until ready to frost the cake.

Egg-Free Lasagna Skillet

I need to apologize. I totally forgot to take a picture of this meal I am about to share with you. It slipped my mind, but I still wanted to post the recipe because it is a great quick and easy meal that is safe for egg allergies. Typically lasagna is in the danger zone for those with egg allergies, but there is no need for egg in this skillet recipe. The other thing to watch out for is often times lasagna noodles will either be made with egg or have that fun little label (that I am starting to despise) "made on shared equipment with egg".  With this recipe you can choose any noodle you want, usually whole wheat noodles are safe with no egg. My husband's been out of town for part of the week, so this meal has kept me and the little one going for a couple days with no need to cook a new meal. We've missed him, but not having to cook too much has been nice :)

Egg Free Lasagna Skillet
1 lb. ground beef
28 oz jar spaghetti sauce (a garlic-basil marina tastes great)
5 cups cooked noodles
1 cup cottage cheese (we use the regular, not low fat)
8-oz pkg of shredded mozzarella cheese (or cut up chunks of mozz cheese)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. dry minced onion
Italian seasonings to taste

Brown beef and drain. Stir in sauce, garlic powder, dry minced onion and desired seasonings and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and noodles and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Yes, it is that simple!

A Birthday Treat: Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake!

C and I decided to start something new. For each family member's birthday, we are going to make them an egg and nut free cake (or dessert of their choosing). First up was his aunt Melanie. She said that strawberry was one of her favorite dessert flavors, so after some thought, we decided to try out a chocolate covered strawberry cake. It's a vanilla cake with strawberries folded in, covered in a "real" chocolate whipped cream frosting and chocolate covered strawberries on top. I used frozen strawberries that had been left out to thaw for the cake and fresh strawberries for the topping and decorations.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Cake:
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup organic raw cane sugar (unrefined)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vinegar
4 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
2 cups cold water

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour. Set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Set aside. Combine the vinegar, vanilla, oil and water in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the strawberries. Pour batter into the two cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before frosting.

Frosting:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3-4 Tbsp. organic raw cane sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine heavy whipping cream and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until cream is whipped (until it looks like whipped cream....this will take a few minutes). Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat a minute longer until mixed.

When you are ready to frost, flip one cake over onto a serving dish (if it doesn't come out at first, slide a knife around the edges). Leave flat side up.

 Frost the top of this cake generously.

Flip the second cake on top of the first cake (with the flat side down) and then finish frosting the whole cake.

Top with chocolate covered strawberries and place strawberry halves around the edge.

Ta Da!

Yes, it was as good as it looks. 

Happy Birthday Aunt Mel!

Dad, you're next!