Valentine’s Day and Anaphylaxis plus Allergy Free Linzer Hearts Recipe
Last week, I attended a very special event in New York City, hosted by Mylan, makers of the EpiPen, which has just marked its 25 year anniversary. Over the past 25 years, food allergies have become epidemic, now effecting 1 out of 13 children in the United States. Two of those kids are mine. So, I have a vested interest in learning all there is to know about advances in research, and new recommendations in the management and care of food allergies. (more…)
Last minute Allergy Free Dessert for Thanksgiving: Cranberry Apple Crisp
Maybe you still haven’t gotten together a pie for Thanksgiving (like me!), or perhaps you already have leftover cranberry sauce. Here is an easy-peasy seasonal dessert. Cranberries and apples pair perfectly in this delicious, old-fashioned recipe. Homey, fruity and simple to make, it’s the ideal dessert for Turkey Day or the days thereafter.
CRANBERRY APPLE CRISP
SERVES 6-8
6 firm, tart apples (like Granny Smith)
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1 cup brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups whole berry cranberry sauce
1¼ cups Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend, or my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix, or gluten-free All-Purpose Flour Blend of choice
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8th teaspoon salt
1 cup gluten-free old-fashioned oats
½-¾ cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 7×11-inch pan or an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Peel, core and slice apples into ¼ inch-thick slices. Toss with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup brown sugar and cornstarch. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
3. Spread cranberry sauce evenly over top of apples.
4. Measure flour by spooning it into a dry measuring cup, leveling it with a straightedge or back of a knife and then pouring it into a mixing bowl. Add xanthan gum, salt, oats, the remaining ¾ cup brown sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Mix to combine.
5. Melt shortening (30-60 seconds in the microwave usually does it). Drizzle it into the flour mixture, a little at a time, tossing until you have a large crumb. Spread crumb evenly over top of fruit. Use your fingers to clump it together as necessary.
6. Place in preheated oven and bake 40 minutes until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling up around edges. Let rest about 30 minutes before serving.
*TIP For a slightly drier crumb topping (and for those watching calories), use ½ cup shortening. For a “buttery” crumb topping, use ¾ cup shortening.
Cranberry Apple Crisp © 2010 by Cybele Pascal
Please note that all my recipes are completely free of all top allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, and gluten), so as many people as possible can enjoy them. Additionally, all the ingredients are available at Whole Foods, and online at Amazon.com. If you have trouble finding something, let me know and I’ll help you find it.
SAFETY NOTE: Because each person’s food sensitivity and reaction is unique, ranging from mild intolerance to life-threatening and severe food allergies, it is up to the consumer to monitor ingredients and manufacturing conditions. If manufacturing conditions, potential cross contact between foods, and ingredient derivatives pose a risk for you, please re-read all food labels and call the manufacturer to confirm potential allergen concerns before consumption. Ingredients and manufacturing practices can change overnight and without warning.
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chunk Blondies
I was so excited when Enjoy Life came out with their Semi Sweet Mega Chunks and newish line of chocolate bars, I literally jumped for joy. I was already a huge fan of their chocolate chips, and now they’ve given me a whole new genre of chocolate to bake with. These chocolate chunk cookie bars are an old-fashioned picnic or school function favorite. So easy and yet sooooo good!
Chocolate Chunk Blondie Bars
makes 16 bars
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend or my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
11/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons rice milk
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon rice milk
6 ounces Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks or Enjoy Life Rice Milk bars or Dark Chocolate Boom Choco Boom bars (about 4 bars), chopped into centimeter-size chunks
♥♥♥
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 9-inch pan.
2. Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla and egg replacer and mix for 20 seconds.
5. Add the flour mix in three batches, mixing on low speed, alternating with the rice milk, and beginning and ending with the flour mix.
6. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
7. Spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the baking pan.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until lightly golden, rotating the pan halfway through.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Cut into 16 squares. Let cool.
Reprinted with permission from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook: How to Bake Without Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, and Sesame. Copyright © 2009 by Cybele Pascal, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.