Great Allergy Friendly Website!

I wanted to post about a great site I just ran into!  We love the brand Enjoy Life because they are pretty much allergen free (as far as Silas is concerned).  I wondered if they had a website so I googled it.  They have some amazing recipies on there & I wanted to share!  Here is there link. 

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/recipes/

I can't wait to get busy making stuff!  :o)  Haven't been this excited in a while! 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)

These truly are chewy & they stay together nicely.  They don't crumble into millions of pieces like many gluten free cookies.  Enjoy!!!


Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:

3 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour (aka starch)
2 1/4 tp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup butter or butter substitute (we use soy free Earth Balance butter)
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs or egg substitute (we use flaxseed & water)
4 tsp gluten free vanilla
2 12-oz packages chocolate chips (we use Guittard is dairy free)


Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & xanthan gum in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.  Add eggs (egg substitute) and vanilla.  Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Reduce speed to low.  Beat, gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets (I push the cookies down a bit with my fingers, otherwise they stay the exact same shape as when you dropped them).  Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown (if using flaxseed instead of eggs, they won't brown quite as much.)  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Let stand 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheets. 




I adapted this recipe from this Land O'Lakes recipe:  http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1470/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-free-recipe

Caramel - Yummmmmmmmmmm!

I made the most amazing "Turtles" for my family this Valentines Day.  I really wanted to make a special treat and Silas has been DYING for caramel.  It just didn't seem fair that he couldn't eat it, so I thought I would investigate and see if I could figure out a way to make it allergy friendly.  It still contains sugar, but no corn syrup, no dairy, no gluten, etc.  It turned out beautifully, as did the turtles!






Allergy Friendly Method:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy free earth balance butter (I used nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil for part of my butter)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut cream 

Cook over medium heat in a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan, stirring constantly until around 240 - 245 degrees or when you get the texture of caramel you want with the drop test (drop some of the mixture in ice cold water & see if it hardens to your liking). When you take the mixture off the stove, add a tsp or so of gluten free vanilla & stir it in. The texture of this caramel will be a little sugary when it dries, but my goal was to NOT use corn syrup. If you use corn syrup you won't have this issue.


If you want to make caramel with corn syrup & dairy, here is the non-allergy friendly method.  LOL!

Ingredients:
2 cups Sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup light corn syrup

Use the same instructions as above, except use a 3 quart saucepan.

Allergy Free Foods We Use Regularly

Here are some of the products we regularly buy that are gluten free, dairy free, etc.  I will try to keep the list updated as I think of more things.  I hope this helps even just one person!  When we were first starting out, I had a few people come along side of me (thanks Alicia & Tom Moore & Mary Lou Hom!!!) who were able to point me to certain products that were helpful in starting our overwhelming journey of changing the entire way we eat.  Yes, at first it is overwhelming, especially if you have never shopped at, say, Whole Foods, but after a while things get easier, you know where things are in the stores and you find yourself experimenting with all sorts of crazy ingredients you may never have even heard of until recently!  We have been on this food journey less than two years as of now, and I am still learning new stuff almost every day.  But, I hope what I have learned can help those of you who might be just starting out.  I remember those first months and how helpless I felt.  Anyhow, the Lord has really taken me by the hand and led me and given me much peace.  I still struggle at times (esp lately when we seemed to have regressed in our progress or to have developed some NEW allergies) but I am confident that the Lord will see us through it.  Take the Lord by the hand and let him lead you in this journey.  He will carry you and comfort you and he will show you that you are NOT alone in this.  HE is always with you and will give you the strength you need moment by moment!  I have learned to lean on him much more than I ever have had to before in our journey with food, and I thank him that he has used this for his glory.   

Products We Use That Are:

Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Peanut, Egg, Almond, Garlic, Amaranth, Lentil, Shellfish FREE

-         OrganicVille Organic Ketchup

-         Daiya Cheddar and Mozzarella style shreds

-     Daiya Cheddar Style Wedge (you can slice the cheese for sandwiches!)

-         Earth Balance Butter (we use the soy free in the red container)

-         Once again Organic Sunflower Seed Butter (it is contaminated, so Silas can't have it...I make his myself)

-     Cashew Butter (I can't find an uncontaminated brand for Silas to have, but I make my own)

-     Kettle Brand Hazelnut Butter (can't have this anymore, as Si is allergic)

-         Glutino Gluten Free Pretzels (YUM!)

-         Enjoy Life soft baked cookies (they have all sorts of flavors!)

-         Enjoy Life Chewy on the go Bars

-     Lara Bars (If you can have nuts)

-         EnerG breads (make sure to toast them before you eat it!)  We like the tapioca loafs & brown rice loaf the best

-         Edward & Sons Baked Organic Brown Rice Snaps

-    Quaker Rice Cakes (plain & salted) are a new gluten free addition to the list!

-         Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (use it to bake, fry, use it as butter, etc!)

-         Bob’s Gluten Free Red Mill Oats

-         Chex cereals (rice, cinnamon, and corn, & now chocolate which are newly dairy free)

-         Envirokids Organic cereals (Panda Puffs, Koala Crisp, Amazon Frosted Flakes, and Gorilla Munch)

-     Enjoy Life Cereals:  Very Berry Crunch Granola & Cinnamon Raisin Crunch Granola

-         Kix

-         Real Foods Corn Thinks (organic, original)

-         So Delicious Coconut yogurt

-         So Delicious Coconut Milk (I like unsweetened best)

-         So Delicious Coconut Ice Cream  (We usually buy plain Vanilla, chocolate, or Mint Chip)

-Luna & Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss

-         Organic Rice Milk  (I like unsweetened best)

-         Premium Gold Organic Golden Omega Flaxseed (for use instead of eggs in baking & I buy the preground stuff at costco)

-         Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening (palm oil) (for use instead of Crisco soybean shortening)

-         Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos Soy Free Seasoning Sauce (as a substitute for soy sauce)

-     Guittard Chocolate Chips (regular chocolate chip or dark chocolate chip, although these DO CONTAIN SOY LECITHIN and were manufactured on equipment that once had dairy on it.)

-     Bob's Red Mill flours for baking - Tapioca Starch, Rice Flours (white, sweet white, brown), Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour

-    Bob's Red Mill GF pancake mix

-    Bob's Red Mill GF brownie mix


-    Bob's Red Mill GF pizza crust mix


-    Bob's Red Mill GF cornbread mix

-    Edward & Sons:  Let's Do Gluten Free Sugar Cones or Ice Cream Cones

-   Oscar Mayer Selects hot dogs

-   Garden Veggie Crisps

-    Kettle & Lays plain potato chips (not made with soybean oil)

-    Brown, Batsami, & Jasmine rice, quinoa, buckwheat groats, millet

Meals I make regularly

I thought it might be helpful to write down some of the meals I make regularly.  Some of these meals do not work well on the rotation diet that Silas is on (because they contain too many ingredients), but when we don't have to worry about sticking to the bare basics, this is a list I pull my ideas from.  I hope it can be helpful to at least one person out there.  If anyone wants a recipe, please ask!  I will try to get the recipes up for each of these meals that require a recipe, but in the meantime, I can get one to you sooner if you ask. 

Gluten & Dairy Free Dinners that I regularly make

1. Roast with potatoes, carrots, beans, tomato sauce
2. Stew with leftover roast
3. Spicy walnut chicken & batsami rice (use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce)
4. Turkey tacos with homemade corn tortillas
5. Hot dogs & hamburgers (Silas is bun free) & potato chips
6. Split pea soup with ham, carrots, & celery
7. Chicken & rice soup with potatoes, carrots, celery, onions
8. BBQ steak with baked or mashed potatoes & veggies
9. Apple Pork chops with curry baked potato wedges & veggies
10. BBQ chicken with baked potatoes, fresh veggies with homemade hummus & ranch dip
11. Pizza (gluten, dairy, egg, garlic, soy free for Silas)
12. Carne Asadas with corn tortillas (use coconut aminos instead of soy for sauce)
13. Spaghetti with corn or brown rice pasta
14. Bacon Avocado Pasta
15. Chili & cornbread (gluten/dairy/soy/egg free for Silas)
16. Baked ham, sweet potatoes, veggies
17. BBQ fish, baked potatoes, veggies
18. Sweet Potato black bean enchiladas
19. Coconut Curry Chicken with jasmine rice
20. Pork Roast with applesauce/apple chunks, veggies,
21. Squash, potato, or veggie soup (use rice or coconut milk)
22. Teriyaki Rice King Chicken, Veggies, & rice (homemade teriyaki sauce with coconut amino instead of soy)
23. Boneless Pork Spare Ribs with BBQ sauce (homemade sauce)
24. Veggie Soup
25. Black Bean Soup
26. Chicken with curry mustard sauce, rice, veggies
27. Fajitas (with gluten free tortillas for Silas - corn or brown rice tortillas) with veggies sauteed in coconut & olive oil
28. Baked potatoes with all the fixings (we use Daiya Cheese, Earth Balance Butter, salsa, broccoli, onions, bacon, etc.)

Gluten free sugar cookies

45 min.prep time 2:25total time

3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened  (I used soy free Earth Balance Butter since we are dairy and soy free)

2 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Egg yolks  (I used ground flaxseed - 2 tbsp plus 6 tbsp of water)

1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla

2 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)*

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour blend and salt. Beat until well mixed. Cover; refrigerate until firm (1 hour).

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on surface sprinkled lightly with gluten-free flour, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. I actually roll my dough out in between saran wrap.  I do this with pretty much all my gluten free recipies (that require being rolled out) and it works every time.  I spray the saran wrap with canola oil or I use flour, depending on the recipe.  For this one, I believe I used white rice flour.) 

Cut with 2 1/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

*  Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using.

for the flour, I used:

• 1 cup rice flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ cup sorghum flour
• ¼ cup potato flour
• 1 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

The only reason I used the mixture that I used was because I ran out of rice flour and I do not own potato starch as of yet (still need to buy some).  So, I did my own little experiment & it turned out beautifully!  I want to encourage you to try your own mixture, esp if you don't have what the recipe calls for!  I almost always modify and do my own thing and I have never once had a flop yet (knowing a thing or two about what each gluten free flour does is important, though)!  Success every time (ok, I am sure the flop will happen one of these times, but for now I can boast of my success!)

Here is my link from Landolakes where I got my recipe:

http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1527/star-cut-out-cookies-gluten-free-recipe/print#

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!

Today is my baby girl's first birthday!  In honor of her, I am going to post my cake and frosting recipes that I used.  I decided to go with a gluten, dairy, soy free chocolate cake so we could all eat it.  I used duck egg in the recipe, so it isn't egg free but it is chicken egg free (which Silas can't have). 

Delicious Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil (palm shortening, or softened earth balance butter or a mixture of all three)
16oz powdered sugar
2-4 T coconut milk (rice, soy, almond milk)
1-2 tsp gluten free vanilla
*1/4 cup cocoa powder (plus add a little more liquid or mixture will be too dry)
Add more milk (or water) or powdered sugar if your mixture is too dry or wet.  My whole family LOVES this frosting & it is creamy enough that the vanilla version can be used on carrot cake.

*leave cocoa powder out for vanilla frosting (or you can add another flavor to spice it up)


Chocolate Cake

I adapted my recipe for cake from food.com.  It is called "One Bowl Gluten Free Chocolate Cake."

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 c gluten free flour (I have used 1/2 c sorghum flour, 1/2 c white rice flour, 1/2 cup tapioca starch AND 2/3 cup white rice flour, 1/3 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup tapioca starch - I liked the second mix best)
1/2 c cocoa
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (I used xanthan gum)
5 T cooking oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
1 egg (or 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed & 3 tbsp hot water combined)
1 c water

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
Add all liquid ingredients and mix well (I mixed for about 2 minutes on medium speed.)
Bake in a greased and floured (I used organic extra virgin coconut oil and dusted it with white rice powder) 9" square pan (or lined with waxed paper), at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.


I can't wait to watch my baby girl dig in!  :o)  The cake smells wonderful, it is springy and it looks like a winner!  Happy birthday, Micaiah!!!!