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. 

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

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.

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 :)

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 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!!

Egg and Nut Free Baked Blueberry Doughnut Holes

I have 2 distinct memories when I hear the word "doughnut". The first one is my grandpa because he used to buy us Dunkin' Donut Munchkins whenever he came to visit. The second one is ice skating lessons because I used to stop by Dunkin' Donuts on my way to skating every Saturday morning.  I used to get 2 doughnuts and a powerade....breakfast of champions!

Doughnuts are definitely on the very long list of "no no's" for egg and nut allergies. Although this recipe doesn't taste or look exactly like what you'd get from Dunkin' Donuts, it comes sort of close and is pretty delicious. You can fry these if you want to, but I didn't because there's nothing safe about a hot pan of oil when you have a toddler running around! I chose to make doughnut holes because I don't have a doughnut pan and I (unsuccessfully) tried to shape these into doughnuts. They expand....a lot. Plus, the doughnut holes are the perfect size for a toddler munchie!

Egg and Nut Free Baked Blueberry Doughnut Holes
2 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
7/8-1 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp.baking soda
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the milk, syrup, butter and vanilla and stir until combined. (Start with 7/8 cup milk, and add extra milk if needed to mix). Mix vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl and fold into batter. Fold in blueberries. Combine sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl.  Form batter into small balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can make these as big or small as you want. I recommend starting small because they do expand while baking. You should be able to get about 24 small doughnut holes. Bake 15 minutes and enjoy!

Mommy's Secret Smoothie

All parents go through the frustration of having to navigate through picky eating habits to get their kids to eat as healthy as possible.  If you throw allergies into the mix, it's even harder because there's already so much they can't have.  Here's a great smoothie recipe that is nutritious enough to fill in the gaps, but tasty enough that they'll think it's a treat.

Let me assure you won't even taste our little green friend who slipped his way into this smoothie

If you have a hard time getting your kids to eat their veggies, this is a great recipe for them.

Mommy's Secret Smoothie
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup organic whole milk plain yogurt
handful of organic baby spinach leaves
splash of either orange juice, milk or water

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Treats for the Trip

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for a small road trip to visit family in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We have taken our toddler out there 3 times already, but he was either only breastfeeding or eating baby food purees so we didn't have to think too hard about his allergies. Here's what I've learned today -- planning a trip with a child with food allergies takes packing and preparing to a whole new level! I know it will be fine keeping his allergies under control once we're there because we'll just be eating at my family's houses and I can either check packages, labels, etc or make him something separate. What I was most worried about was the car trip since I don't trust most fast food restaurants to be completely allergy free and I also didn't want to have so many restrictions on where everyone else could eat.  I have two great recipes here that I made for Caleb to eat in the car that are filling and healthy enough for lunch. I will use the banana bread to make a cream cheese sandwich and I am also bringing applesauce, plenty of allergy friendly cookies, cheerios,  "happy tot" fruit and veggie mix pouch and fruit leather.  I think we'll be good to go :)

Egg and Nut Free Banana Bread
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 t. vanilla
2 T. water

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, honey, oil and vanilla. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture and mix until blended. Add the water to moisten and be careful not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Sweet Potato Muffins
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 cup sweet potato puree *
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 t. vanilla

* For the sweet potato puree, cook about 3 medium sized potatoes on 350 for about 1 1/2 hrs. Let cool and then slice and scoop out the sweet potato. It should be soft enough to mix into a puree. Measure to 1 cup before using.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a muffin tin. Place 1st 6 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined, but do not over mix. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Breakfast with The C-Man

Recently C has been refusing to eat his oatmeal for breakfast.  It ends up on his tray, on the floor, on my lap, in his hair, but not in his mouth.  This leaves me with very few options for what to feed him for breakfast because he can't have eggs or store-bought waffles, breakfast bars, etc. Since oatmeal is rather sticky and I don't like wearing it on my clothes, I started to work on a few breakfast options for him. Here's one that's similar to a chocolate chip oatmeal bar. You can substitute the chocolate chips for raisins or add nuts if you can eat them. To make your own oat flour, just grind 1 cup oats in a food processor.

Happy C-Man, happy Mommy!

Banana-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars

1 cup oat flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/3 cup milk

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 ripe banana, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup semisweet allergy-friendly chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the first 6 ingredients (through sugar) in a bowl. 

Whisk together oil, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in banana and chocolate chips.

Grease an 8x8 inch glass baking dish and spread batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Bringing Back the Granola

Granola is quite possibly one of the best energy boosters when you're chasing a toddler around all day. I was totally bummed when I couldn't have granola or granola bars anymore because they're always made with dairy, nuts and seeds. That is, until I discovered how easy it is to make my own! I found this recipe on 100daysrealfood.com and then tweaked it to fit our needs. Of course it won't be as busy and exciting without all the nuts and seeds, but it's still good for you and if you close your eyes you might not even know they're missing :) I'm still working to make this recipe better, but the first batch didn't turn out too bad.

Homemade Allergy-Free Granola
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
(feel free to add any other dried fruit you have on hand!)
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
6 T. dairy-free margarine (I use Fleischmann's unsalted)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place the oats, fruit and spices in a large bowl and toss to combine. Heat the margarine and honey in a small saucepan until the margarine melts. Stir in the salt and vanilla and remove from heat. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Turn the granola onto the prepared pan and press firmly until even. Bake until the granola is lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 1 hr and 15 minutes. Cool completely and then break into chunks.