Allergy Free Easter Cupcakes

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Hard to believe these colorful beauties are gluten-free, allergy-free, and vegan, as well as free of any artificial color. Don’t they look like they must be bad for you? Nope, 100% natural, GF, and free of all top food allergens. I was inspired to make them after finding that India Tree has a line of all-natural food coloring. This was an exciting find, indeed, since I’ve never been very happy with the line of natural colors from Seelect, and I really don’t like feeding my children artificial dye. Particularly my multi-food-allergic son, Lennon, who seems overly reactive these days. Just last week he broke out in total body hives after I gave him liquid Ibuprofen, and frankly, I don’t know if it was a medication allergy, or if he was having an allergic reaction to the red dye in the Children’s Advil. Better safe than sorry, so I think we’ll avoid both for now.

These India Tree Natural Decorating Sugars make very pretty pastels, or jewel tones. Add the coloring a drop at a time, until desired shade has been reached. The Jelly Beans I used to accessorize are also all-natural and allergy-friendly from Surf Sweets. And the cute little chicks and bunnies are from Williams Sonoma.

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Allergy Free Roasted Asparagus Soup

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Today’s recipe for Allergy-Free Roasted Asparagus Soup marks the beginning of a series of recipes I’ll be posting over the next several weeks, to help make it easier to celebrate an allergy-free Easter and Passover.

Springtime to me means merging the best of my varying culinary background. With a mother of Roman Catholic and Protestant decent and a Jewish father, I grew up celebrating both Christian and Jewish holidays. To complicate matters further, my father is half Ashkenazi (Jews of Central, Northwestern and/or Eastern European descent) and half Sephardic (Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent). This hybridized childhood strongly influences my cooking today. You will find that the following series of recipes are suitable for either Easter or Passover dinner. Plus, they take advantage of seasonal farm-fresh ingredients to guarantee a healthy, wholesome allergy-free spin on your favorite old-fashioned standards.

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Gluten Free Vegan Cherry Oat Scones

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It’s been awhile since I’ve shared this video, but it’s one of my favorites, so I’m sharing it again for all my new subscribers (hi!) who didn’t get a chance to see it when I first posted it over a year ago! This simple gluten-free vegan scone recipe is easy to whip up, but will really impress your friends and family, and wow your taste buds. It’s a perfect breakfast or tea time treat for these cold winter days. Enjoy, and let me know what type of breakfast you like best, so I can start brainstorming recipes for you! And coming next post…. a review and giveaway of Jules E. Dowler Shepard’s new book “Free For All Cooking“! Stay tuned….

Gluten Free Hemp Seed Wedding Cookies

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GLUTEN-FREE HEMP SEED WEDDING COOKIES

(Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan, Allergy-Friendly)

 

Just in time for Christmas! And, surprise surprise, they’re good for you too! One of the greatest challenges of living with food restrictions is getting proper nutrition. So I am always looking for ways to sneak nutrient dense ingredients into my allergen-free recipes.

Hemp seeds (also called “Hemp Hearts”) are a fantastically nutritious source of protein, and Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids, which are often hard to get enough of when you can’t eat nuts or fish. These little seeds are not only nutritional powerhouses, they are also seriously tasty, and great in baked goods in place of tree nuts and peanuts. Contrary to popular belief, they are mild and “nutty”. They are great in cookies, tossed in a salad, or sprinkled over your oatmeal. In fact, I’m beginning to think, their possibilities are endless.

These cookies are not only fabulous for holiday parties, they’re good enough for any wedding, allergen-free or not.

What nutrients do you find it hard to get enough of on an allergen-free and/or gluten-free diet? Leave me a comment below.

 

Gluten-Free Hemp Seed Wedding Cookies

Makes about 40 1 1/2 -inch cookies

 

These little gems are normally made with walnuts, pistachios, pecans or almonds. This tree nut-free version is made with hemp seeds, is equally delicious, and highly nutritious. A perfect little sweet, full of  ”Hemp Heart”, to share with lots of love!

Ingredients:

1. In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, shortening and vanilla extract. Blend well.

2. In a separate bowl, measure out flour mix by spooning flour into a dry measuring cup, then leveling it off with a straightedge, or the back of a knife. (Do not scoop the flour directly with the measuring cup or you’ll wind up with too much flour for the recipe). Combine flour mix, xanthan gum and salt. Stir flour mixture and hemp seeds into sugar mixture, stirring until dough holds together. Cover the bowl and chill about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, pressing together like you would with Play Dough.

4. Place balls 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake cookies on center rack in oven for 18-20 minutes until set but not brown.

5. Cool for 10 minutes on cookie sheets. Gently remove cookies with a thin spatula (be careful, cookies are delicate) and roll them in confectioner’s sugar. Cool completely and re-roll in confectioner’s sugar.

TIP If cookies aren’t eaten within a day, store them in the freezer. Layer them in single layers between parchment paper. Enjoy them at room temperature.

GLUTEN-FREE HEMP SEED WEDDING COOKIES
© 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.

Allergy Free Old Fashioned Gingersnaps

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Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free Old-Fashioned Gingersnaps

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan)

Makes 24 1.5-inch Cookies

It’s cookie season (my favorite)! And if your house is anything like my house, then you’re thinking about what you can bake up that’s safe for everyone, regardless of his or her dietary restrictions. This recipe harkens back to your grandmother’s cookies. These old-fashioned treats are richly flavored with molasses, spices, and bitter orange marmalade. In fact, they were inspired by my own Grandmother Catherene’s love of all things ginger.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for rolling cookies
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 tablespoons bitter orange marmalade
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix (see recipe below), or Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend
  • 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/8th teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, mixing on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, molasses, orange marmalade and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly for about 2 minutes.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  4. Add flour mixture to shortening mixture and beat on low speed to combine, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
  5. Using your hands, roll teaspoon-size pieces of dough into balls.
  6. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar into a shallow bowl or plate. Roll the balls in the sugar and place on the parchment paper.
  7. Bake cookies in the center of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed into perfect little domes and just starting to crack.
  8. Let cool about 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Each cookie contains 66 calories, 2g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 47mg sodium, 12g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 0g protein.

Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Old-Fashioned Gingersnaps © 2009 by Cybele Pascal

This recipe was first published in the December/January 2009 issue of Living Without magazine.

Cybele’s Basic Gluten-Free Flour MIx
MAKES 6 CUPS

4 cups superfine brown rice flour**
1 1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour)
2/3 cup tapioca flour/starch

Measure out flour by spooning into a dry measuring cup, then leveling off with a straightedge. Combine all ingredients. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

**Tip: Superfine brown rice flour is available from Authentic Foods (authenticfoods.com). To make your own, process brown rice flour in a clean coffee grinder.

Allergy Friendly Pancakes

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Allergy-Friendly Pancakes

 

(Gluten-free, Vegan, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Soy-free, Nut-free!)

Have you been searching in vain for a gluten-free, egg-free pancake recipe? Well look no further. Not only is this recipe Gluten-Free and Vegan, it’s also free of all top 8 food allergens. Allergy-Friendly, Allergen-Free, Allergy-Free (one of these days we’ll all decide on using just one of these terms, and stick with it!)

 

  • ¾ cup rice milk (plus more, for thinning batter, as necessary)
  • 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup or granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer* mixed with 2 tbsp. rice milk
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp. King Arthur gluten-free multi-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornmeal*
  • ½ tsp. xanthan gum or guar gum
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder**
  • ¼ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • maple syrup
  • Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

 

1. Combine ¾ cup of rice milk with lemon juice, and let rest about 10 minutes to sour into “buttermilk”. Add canola oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract, whisking well.

2. Combine egg replacer with rice milk, whisking till frothy.

3. Combine flour mix, corn meal*, xanthan gum, baking powder**, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well.

4. Using a wooden spoon, make a well in the center of the bowl. Pour in rice milk mixture and egg replacer. Stir well, smoothing out any lumps. If the batter seems too thick, thin by adding more rice milk, 1 Tablespoon at a time until proper consistency is achieved. You want it thin enough to spoon out onto the griddle, but not too thin.

5. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Grease griddle LIGHTLY.

6. Scoop out about ¼ cup of batter, per pancake. Cook, about 2 ½ minutes, until bubbles have appeared around edges of pancakes and popped, and edges are setting. Reduce temperature if pancakes are cooking too quickly. Flip and cook about 2 ½ minutes more. Transfer to warm plate. Serve warm with maple syrup, and sprinkling of Enjoy Life chips.

*For a corn-free version, omit cornmeal, use guar gum instead of xanthan gum (or use Authentic Foods corn-free xanthan gum), and increase King Arthur gluten-free multi-purpose flour to 1 ¼ cups. In place of the 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 Tablespoons rice milk, substitute 1 tablespoon flax seed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water for a “flax egg”. Be prepared to add additional rice milk to the batter, to thin it as necessary, and increase cooking time by about 2 minutes. They will be thicker.

**For corn-free baking powder, look for Hain Baking Powder

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