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 :)