Gluten Free Healthy Food

Gluten-free Flax seed, Beet puree, and Agave sweetened brownies, from left to right.

This 4th of July I had one goal. I hadn’t had a good brownie since I went dairy, soy and egg-free after Baby Yum was born, and I was determined to make a vegan brownie that would pass a glutenoid taste test and satisfy pesky chocolate cravings. It is easy enough to make a good brownie with butter and eggs and lots of melty, milky chocolate, but how about without those things? How could you compensate for their absence? As I researched, I found that the real sticking point was the absence of egg. Luckily, vegan bakers are extraordinarily creative, and have come up with all kinds of substitutes, including flax seed, applesauce, and even beet puree. Another sticking point was the chocolate of course. I wanted these brownies to be safe for me and my highly soy-sensitive friend (who avoids even soy lecithin), so I had to find safe chocolate for us. I found baking chocolate (melt in the microwave and add agave or other sweetener to taste), Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, and cocoa powder (Penzey’s) to be my salvation. I knew a vegan brownie that would pass the glutenoid taste test would be a challenge. And when it comes to that, I’m not a huge brownie girl, either, so it would be tough to find one I liked myself. I like fudgey brownies, not cake-like or bread-like brownies. To find the perfect recipe, I decided to make three recipes, adapted from those above. I called the first recipe “F” for flax seed, the second “B” for beet puree, and the third “A” for agave. Note that except for the applesauce recipe, the recipes linked above are not gluten-free, but of course my versions were. Anyway. Then I lined up my testers. You all (may) know my friend JM, who has inspired many allergen-sensitive recipes here on the Book of Yum. She is free of gluten, potato, soy, avocado, and dairy. Her partner in crime, M, is an adventurous glutenoid who has patiently tried many gluten-free experiments over the years at gluten-free potlucks and the like. Then there was me, gluten, soy, corn, potato, etc. free. And finally, there was my glutenoid DH who loves chocolate and has also been the guinea pig for many recipe experiments over the years.

First: the flax seed recipe. I am a recent convert to this egg substitute, so I had high hopes for this recipe. However, I’m afraid I was disappointed. It had a heavy, vegan brownie feel and the DH condemned it as “Tasting gluten-free.” Darn it. Unexpectedly, our tester M chose it as his favorite, perhaps because he likes that type of texture in his brownie and felt it was closer to a traditional brownie. JM and I gave it a resolute thumbs down.

Second: the beet puree recipe. I had a sneaking fondness for this recipe because I liked the novel idea of adding beets to chocolate, AND it had coffee, which just makes me happy. JM said it had an “earthy” aftertaste and M said it was his least favorite. The DH shrugged and said “well, it’s chocolate” and ate it. I might make this recipe again, actually, perhaps with some modifications. The lack of sweet chips (its chocolate was provided by agave sweetened baker’s chocolate and cocoa powder) may have made this less popular than it would have been otherwise. -I liked its deep dark chocolate flavor and earthiness, personally, but it isn’t for milk-chocolate lovers.

Third: the agave sweetened brownie recipe. This was the only recipe that started out gluten-free, but I had to radically change the flours to accommodate our various intolerances. JM, I and the DH all chose this recipe as our favorite, making it a clear winner. It was the only recipe that wasn’t lowfat as it actually contained oil, which might have helped its cause. The texture was also nice, having an appealing fluffy lightness not often found in gluten-free, vegan recipes. It might not have screamed brownie, but that made me like it a little more, and it was sweet (without being too sweet) and nice and chocolate-rich thanks to the generous amount of chocolate chips it called for.

And so, our gluten-free vegan brownie taste off ended with success and an empty box of brownies. Even the brownies that we supposedly didn’t like vanished from our picnic basket. After all, they were all chocolate, and were all pretty tasty, judging aside. Here’s our favorite recipe to share with you, and a few more gluten-free recipes I found online that I would love to try when my diet includes things like nuts and eggs again. Have any favorite gluten-free brownie recipes? Share the link in the comments and I’ll add them to my list!

If you can have nuts and eggs, try Elana’s Almond Butter Brownies
No eggs, and prefer the raw foods approach? Try Elana’s Chocolate Espresso Power Bar Recipe
Eggs are Ok and you want dairy-free dark chocolate? Karina’s Rich Dark Chocolate Brownie Recipe may be the ticket!

Just for fun, here is a pictures of Baby Yum taken on her first 4th of July. We had a lovely family picnic with friends and were all set for her to see the fireworks- but literally minutes before the show began she decided to nurse and didn’t so much as peek at the show as she fell fast asleep mid-snack. Better luck next year. I can’t believe my baby is almost one!

Gluten Free Sorghum Vegan Brownie Recipes Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening or mini cupcake liners 1/2 cup your favorite oil (I bet coconut oil would be really yummy, but I used canola) 3/4 cup plus 4 tablespoons sorghum flour 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Penzeys Dutch) 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons agave nectar 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 tablespoons vanilla 1/2 cup brewed coffee or espresso (I use decaf) 2 cups dairy-free and soy-free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life) Directions Special equipment: 2 Mini muffin tins or mini donut molds, although they are a bit delicate for the latter. Preheat oven to 325. Either line mini muffin tins with mini cupcake liners or baste with shortening. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl, mix, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill each mini muffin cup (or mini donut mold etc) with 1 tbsp. batter. Put in oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Place muffin tin on a cooling rack and let cool. Don’t put warm muffins on a plate or moisture may make the bottom soggy. Gently remove mini muffins or mini donuts (the latter is more challenging) and serve. Yummy! Notes A light and delicate chocolate feast, winner of our vegan brownie taste-off!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Inspired by Babycakes Brownies but with entirely different flour combination. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1505 Added:  July 5, 2010 Last Modified:  July 5, 2010

Rolls, even gluten-free rolls, can be delightfully easy if you have one simple tool. A muffin tin. This humble tin, when paired with your favorite yeast dough instead of a quick rising batter, will yield gorgeous rolls with gorgeous crusts if you overlook its muffin-y appearance. I had eaten one too many jowar roti, or sorghum tortillas, when I decided to experiment more with flax seed as an egg substitute and make myself some tasty yeast onion rolls. I was initially not impressed with flax gel in early experiments, but my recent love affair with Isa Moskowitz’s recipe for vegan and gluten-free buckwheat pancakes convinced me that I needed to give flax seed a second chance. After all, Ener-g Egg Replacer works reasonably well in many recipes, but it can produce gummy products if you’re not careful. I was disappointed with using flax seeds as an egg substitute in Chebe tapioca bread mix, but I think that is because the low-protein tapioca starch requires a high protein ingredient to work as a bread. Flax seed is interesting, healthy stuff, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and high in fiber. Those of you on a gluten-free diet who don’t eat oatmeal will be happy to know that two tablespoons of flax seed meal contains four grams of fiber. This is the same amount of fiber as 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal, and similarly to oatmeal, it is reported to help decrease harmful LDL cholesterol drop without lowering good HDL cholesterol. Why haven’t I been eating more of this stuff already? Maybe because until this recipe, I hadn’t found a good way to use it!

These rolls rose beautifully and became quite gorgeous when they baked. You can eat them fresh out of the oven, tearing them open with a fork tin and slathering them with (non-dairy, soy-free) margarine or drizzling them with high quality olive oil, but their texture is best after they cool. They are also wonderful the next day after a quick stint in the microwave. My DH who mourns the current absence of rice in our diet (and my old white rice flour-tapioca starch french bread) gobbled these rolls up and looked for more. I didn’t tell him how healthy these whole grain, high fiber rolls were! I made my version with arrowroot starch, but you could easily make them with tapioca starch and they would undoubtedly be great. The flax seed gel really enhanced the texture of these rolls and made them very strong but with a soft, rippable center. I don’t think I would use flax seed in a delicate or sweet flavored recipe (unless it was nutty or well-spiced), but in this savory onion bread, it worked perfectly. I can’t wait to make this recipe again!

Gluten Free Vegan Sorghum Onion Rolls Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 2 cup sorghum flour 1 cup tapioca flour (or, for a more delicate bread, arrowroot starch) 1 tbsp. xanthan gum 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. egg replacer (optional) 2 tbsp. sugar 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water 2 tbsp. yeast 2 tbsp. olive oil 3 tbsp ground flax seed + 3/4 cup water 1 tsp. vinegar (i use cider) 1 or 2 tbsp. melted Soy-free dairy-free earth balance margarine minced dried onion kosher salt Directions Grease muffin tin with your favorite shortening. I use spectrum naturals palm oil shortening. Or, if making free-form rolls, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flours, xanthan gum, salt and egg replacer (if using) in the bowl of a standing mixer. Place sugar in a small bowl and add your lukewarm water, whisking to combine. Add your yeast and stir in gently. Let sit for a few minutes while yeast activates and forms brownish clumps. Combine flax seed and water in a food processor or blender and blend until you have a thick and creamy consistency. Add your oil and vinegar to the proofed yeast water and add to the flours, along with the flax liquid. Beat using the paddle for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, melt margarine in microwave or on stovetop and add a generous amount of minced dried onion to the melted margarine. (1/2 tsp or so). Let it sit. For muffins, fill half-full with batter. For free-form rolls, take a large spoonful of dough and shape it into a soft round with WET hands. Run your hands under the water in-between rolls as needed. Place on the parchment paper, leaving plenty of room between them. To season, baste the top of the rolls with onion margarine, making sure you get actual bits of onion on the roll, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rise for 50 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake for 30 minutes or until rolls are browned and sound hollow when you tap them. Notes Texture is best after they cool. The next day, a brief reheating in the microwave oven makes for a perfect, fresh tasting and hot roll!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Adaption of my vegan french bread recipe, with seasoning, preparation, and flax seed modifications. Recipe ID:  1504 Added:  June 30, 2010 Last Modified:  July 1, 2010

Dear Readers,
I know it has been quite a while since I posted, and that just isn’t like me. Life intruded on my blogging- and with all that was going on, I just couldn’t concentrate on the Book of Yum. I had to spend some time only focusing on my PhD work, and the time that was left over went to Baby Yum. I’ve also been trying to decide some things about the future of the Book of Yum, like advertising. I’ve been pouring my soul into this little blog for two- or is it three- years now, and in that time I decided to have some small amount of advertising, mostly to assuage my guilt over spending so much time on something that doesn’t pay the rent (or dissertation fees). Well, the market has changed and now I have to make some tough decisions that make me question if it is fair to everybody in my family for me to try to keep this blog going while also being a dedicated Mommy and PhD student. When it comes down to it, though, I love this little blog too much to quit, and I would feel sad to abandon my dedicated vegetarian or allergy-sensitive readers whose lives are complicated by being gluten-free. So… here I am, again, posting. And- never fear, although I am taking this month off of the Adopt-a-gluten-free Blogger event, I intend to host it next month, unless anyone else volunteers.

This recipe has been begging to be posted since I first made it. Soy-based vegan chocolate mousse recipes are a dime a dozen (although possibly quite yummy) but finding one free of most major allergens is quite a challenge. Sorry to those of you who can’t have avocado- I’m afraid it is indispensable to this recipe. However, I hope those of you who are nut, dairy, soy, and gluten free will enjoy it. The ingredients are simple, but magical in this combination. I’d like to try it with a little bit of steamed or canned peach or mango blended in- but I thought I’d better post quickly while Baby Yum is still asleep! It is suitable for a Raw Foods Diet, if you do processed Agave. I’ve tried other oils and other sweeteners but wasn’t happy with them… so in the end, it had to be coconut oil and agave. A yummy nut oil or maple syrup might be interesting, too… And if you are chocolate sensitive and don’t worry about shared equipment, you could use Chatwick carob powder for a carob version, although I haven’t tried it myself. This chocolate mousse is a perfect chocolate “fix” and even better for busy mommies (or students, or daddies, etc) in its frozen bon-bon form. Enjoy! I’ve missed you guys!

Gluten-free No-Soy Dairy-free Chocolate Mousse Recipe Dessert  American

Ingredients 1 avocado 1 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/4 cup agave nectar Directions Combine ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Serve! If you have leftovers, put in ice cube tray for raw frozen chocolate “bon-bons” or put in a Popsicle tray and freeze. Once frozen, the bon-bons can be put into a freezer safe container and stored for weeks or possibly months, although mine never last that long!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by Mothering magazine recipe, but with several fun twists to make it my own. Please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1503 Added:  June 24, 2010 Last Modified:  June 24, 2010

It has been quite a while since we featured desserts on the Book of Yum, and truth be told quite a while since I had any that were especially yummy. I take it back- I have made some excellent vegan chocolate chip sorghum cookies since becoming an allergen-free, Gluten-free Mama. But, the other night my sweet tooth kicked in and I was overcome by waves of a sugar craving. I love chocolate, but it tends to keep baby Yum up all night and a PhD-pursuing Mama needs her sleep. So, I started thinking of caffeine-free treats. I’ve never been crazy about cake, but somehow vanilla cake was speaking to me. I poked around online and found an intriguing recipe in a book I actually own but have misplaced- Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule. This recipe was for what they called “Golden Vanilla Cupcakes,” and I thought that something like that would just hit the spot. I played around with flours to make a gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and corn-free (except for the xanthan gum) vegan vanilla cupcake of my own. When I mixed it up the batter was so thin I had serious doubts, but I had faith (and xanthan gum). After I added the last minute xanthan gum, I poured the batter in and crossed my fingers. The heavenly scent of vanilla filled the house, and when I looked in the oven, it seemed like they had magically transformed into real, live cupcakes. I took them out of the oven and knew I had a winning recipe. After they cooled I frosted them with some impromptu frosting and bit into a real live piece of sugary, vanilla heaven, and my sweet tooth has never been so happy. If cake was this tasty- I might have to call myself a cake girl after all! What I love about this recipe is that it doesn’t have any allergens in it, is completely vegan without specialty egg replacer and yet tastes like “real” dessert. In my opinion, this is a perfect special occasion recipe that I wouldn’t hesitate to serve to guests. In fact, I might just have to make this again for Baby Yum and my joint birthday party in July!

Gluten free vegan vanilla cupcake Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1 cup hemp milk or other alternative milk 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup sorghum flour 1/2 cup millet flour 1/4 cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch 1 tsp. xanthan gum 2 Tbsp. arrowroot starch 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 cup canola oil 3/4 cup sugar 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Directions Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pans with cupcake liners. Whisk in your apple cider vinegar into your hemp milk and let sit for a few minutes. It won’t curdle much, if at all, but that is ok. If you use another milk like soy it will curdle more and you can use less vinegar. Beat together your vinegar milk mixture with oil, sugar and extract. Sift in your flours, xanthan gum, arrowroot starch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and gently stir them in together. Pour your batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 22 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack and frost right away! They will be more delicate the next day. Refrigerate or freeze if desired. Notes I frosted this with a combination of Earth Balance Soy-free margarine and sunflower-palm oil shortening whipped with vanilla and confectioner’s sugar.

Rating:  10 Original Source:  Inspired by but radically transformed to be gluten-free and my personal creation. Recipe ID:  1502 Added:  May 19, 2010 Last Modified:  May 27, 2010

Before I had a child, I never would have believed someone if they told me that I would give up eating all of my favorite things in order to breastfeed my child. But, lo and behold, once Baby Yum joined us, I found out that there was no choice about the matter at all. My heart told me that restricting my diet even more than a typical gluten-free diet was the right thing to do, if it meant that I could nurture my child. Strangely enough, it wasn’t the dairy or the eggs I found myself missing the most- but the most basic staple of my pre-baby life- rice. Going rice-free has been the hardest thing I ever did. And no, an elimination diet this extreme isn’t necessary for most allergy-baby moms, but it seemed to help us, and I’m happy to say that I feel every day this bond with Baby Yum was worth the sacrifice. As you can see from a very recent picture the DH took of me with Baby Yum, I’m loving being a (relatively) new Mommy. And, on the food front, I’m also happy to say that I’ve found quinoa to be a wonderful substitute for rice, whether I’ve used it for satisfying wild sushi cravings or, most recently, in a wonderfully simple and tasty Chinese-style fried rice. This is a recipe the DH and I enjoyed recently, and I hope all you gluten-free Moms (and daughters, and sons!) enjoy it as well on this holiday.

All my best,
Sea
(Sorry I’ve been so busy lately, but those pesky PhD qualifying exams have kept me offline and with my nose pressed in a book… And when I’m not studying, my baby needs snuggles! I know you’ll understand, and you can count on more regular posts again after this hurdle is (hopefully) passed.)

Quinoa Fried Rice Main Course  Alternative Grains  Chinese

Ingredients 3 cups Cooked Quinoa, chilled 2-3 tbsp. neutral oil (canola or peanut if you can have it) 1/4 onion, diced 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1/2 cup green peas Small bundle of broccoli florets, cut into small bite sized pieces 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled. Grate 1/4 of it and slice the rest thinly, dicing 1/2 of those slices White part of one scallion, halved Sauce: 2 tbsp. Coconut Aminos or other soy-free sauce 2 tbsp. vegetable broth 1 to 2 tbsp. dry sherry 1 tbsp. agave nectar 1/4 knob of ginger, grated (from above) 2 scallions- mince the white part and discard the leftover 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chili garlic sauce pinch szechuan salt (if you have it) pinch white pepper pinch black pepper Directions Whisk together sauce ingredients and prep your veggies. Heat wok on high. Add 2 tbsp of oil and heat until you see white smoke. Add slices of ginger and halved scallion. Let them turn brown and then remove from pan since they’ve flavored the oil. Toss in diced ginger (reserving a little) and quickly add your onion, carrots, and peas and stir fry until they soften slightly. Then add your broccoli. Toss a few times until broccoli has lost its bite… then pour on most of the sauce, reserving a little. Let sauce and veggies simmer for a minute or so and then remove from heat. Put veggies in a dish and reserve. Heat wok again and add a little oil. If you like you can do half of the quinoa at a time… you’ll have better flavor. Add your little bit of reserved diced ginger and then toss half of your quinoa into the wok. Spread it around the wok and let it brown, and then stir it up. Brown a little more and then add half of your sauteed veggies and sauce, mixing in. Add a little leftover sauce and heat thoroughly. Remove to a pretty serving dish and repeat. Enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, Please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1501 Added:  May 5, 2010 Last Modified:  May 8, 2010

It is ironic that although amaranth is my least favorite of the gluten-free grains or pseudo-grains that I’m eating, I’ve managed to come up with a fair number of recipes using the flour that I actually like. Maybe it is all part of that necessity being the mother of invention thing… however that saying goes. This particular recipe for an allergen-free soda bread is based on one I found floating around the internet without a clear author, but which I’ve modified to suit my tastes. It is crunchy and has a earthy flavor that I find pairs beautifully with a hearty, vegan soup or a creamy, dairy-free dip like my latest riff on baba ghanoush. Unlike most dips, this dip is bean-free, dairy-free, soy-free and even sesame or tahini-free. The fresh cilantro gives it a light, herb note while roasted eggplant gives it body and soul… and homemade sunflower butter stands in for sesame paste. I enjoyed this bread and dip with some luscious kalamata olives and considered myself a pretty lucky gluten-free, allergen-free breastfeeding mama.

Gluten-free Allergen-free Amaranth Soda Bread Recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 2 tablespoons boiling water 3/4 teaspoon unbuffered vitamin C crystals 4 tablespoons coconut oil or other oil 3/4 cup warm hemp milk (or other dairy-free milk) 2 1/4 cup cups amaranth flour 1/4 cup additional amaranth flour 3/4 cup arrowroot starch 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon caraway seed 2 teaspoons baking soda kosher salt flakes herbal blend like Penzey’s Provencal herb mix Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Cut a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of a round cake tin. Put your vitamin c in the boiling water. If it doesn’t dissolve, whisk it in. Combine 2 1/4 cup amaranth flour, arrowroot starch, salt, baking soda and caraway seed in a large bowl. Add your water with vitamin C, hemp or other dairy-free milk and oil, and stir with a big wooden spoon. Sprinkle with the additional 1/4 cup of additional amaranth flour and fold it all together. You can mistreat this dough a bit. Beat it up, fold it up until it seems thoroughly mixed and your arm feels tired. Plop the dough onto your cake pan and shape it into a circle about 1 inch high. You can dampen your hands to shape it or use a cake frosting knife to smooth out the edges. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a nice herbal blend and cut an X in the top, just because it is fun and makes it seem more authentic. Pop in the oven. Lower oven temperature to 325 and bake for 55 minutes or until the center is done to your taste. (I like it pretty done and not doughy in the middle so I put it back in sometimes.) Cut into triangles and enjoy with some soy free margarine, super yummy lemon olive oil, or baba ganoush. Notes Surprisingly addictive.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Adapted from online sources, original source unknown. Please do not replicate without my permission. THanks! Recipe ID:  1499 Added:  April 13, 2010 Last Modified:  April 22, 2010

Garlic-free Vegan Baba Ghanoush Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Middle Eastern

Ingredients 1 American style eggplant drizzle olive oil 2 scallion bulbs 2 tbsp sunbutter (I ground roasted unsalted sunflower seeds with a drizzle of lemon olive oil) 1/4 tsp of salt (or more to taste, especially if using homemade unsalted sunbutter) handful of fresh cilantro 1 fresh lime 1 tsp agave nectar (optional) fresh ground black pepper Directions Cut eggplant in half horizontally and place in baking dish with freshly cut side up. Roast on 425 for 20-30 minutes or until flesh is golden brown. Turn over and bake ten more minutes. Then remove from oven and cool. If making your own sunbutter, grind your seeds and olive oil first in a small food processor or blender. (I have a small powerful food processor that I love for this.) Then scoop out the flesh of your roasted eggplant and add it to the food processor. Add the green onion bulbs to the processor with only a little of the green top if desired. Blend until you have a creamy sauce. Then add salt, cilantro, lime, agave and pepper and blend, blend, blend. Notes Sunflower seed is no tahini, but did you know sesame is a rising allergen, especially in countries where it is part of the national cuisine? This is also garlic-free.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1500 Added:  April 22, 2010 Last Modified:  April 22, 2010

As many of you may know, in order to breastfeed my darling Baby Yum I had to go on a rather extreme allergen-free diet, cutting out the obvious (dairy, soy, nuts, eggs) and even the less obvious, like rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.* In the course of trying to figure out how to help my allergic baby, I reached out for advice from communities like la leche league, attending meetings and reading their allergy boards avidly. The latter was especially helpful as I met other Moms who had battled allergies with their own infants and found solutions that worked for them. Thanks to suggestions on this board, I tried digestive enzymes (didn’t work for us), diet modifications, and finally probiotics for her which markedly improved her symptoms and my sanity. While there are many probiotics on the market, we found success with a Klaire infant probiotic free of just about everything from dairy to rice. (Annoyingly, you can only get it through a holistic medical professional, so we went to Whole Child Wellness for this “prescription” as well as some thinking-outside-of-the-box advice.) These resources were all very helpful, but one thing I’ve struggled with is getting the fuel to keep me going that conformed with an everything-free diet. Allergen-free blogs have been helpful, and I’ve enjoyed researching international options like one-flour-ingredient Indian flatbreads (see my sorghum flatbread or millet flatbread recipe), but the same allergy-expert ladies on the La Leche League forums also had some recipes that I have found very useful. Happily, I found one of the best gluten-free, dairy and egg free muffins I’ve ever had thanks to “Shannon75″ on the boards. I had to modify them a little to suit our restrictions, but this recipe is nothing short of a chemical miracle that results in amazing, fluffy, sturdy muffins that taste pretty awesome with a swipe of dairy-free soy-free margarine from Earth Balance and a little local honey. You can even use them as a sandwich base or eat them plain. I’ve made them in regular muffin tins and in mini-muffin tins- they are great either way. These babies don’t need eggs at all- and they beat most egg-free gluten-free muffin recipes hands down. Got any favorite winning gluten-free, egg-free muffin recipes or links? Share them in the comments! Me, baby yum, and my fellow allergen-free readers will thank you!

*Note: I am not a doctor, so this is not medical advice- just the path we chose that worked for us personally.

Quinoa Apple Allergen-free Muffins Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients Dry: 1 Cup quinoa flour 1/2 + 1/3 cup arrowroot starch (may replace one portion with an alternate starch such as tapioca, corn, or potato) 2 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp xanthan gum 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder Wet: 1 1/2 Cup liquid- (I use 3/4 cup apple juice concentrate with 3/4 cup apple juice to mellow out the strong flavor of the quinoa flour, but you can substitute other juice or water) 1/4 c oil 2 tsp egg replacer Directions Grease muffin tin with palm oil shortening or other oil. Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together dry ingredients, and then make a well in the center for the liquid ingredients. Mix all together with a large spoon. Pour batter into muffin tin and bake for 12 minutes. Cool and enjoy! Notes Thanks to Shannon of the La Leche League forums for providing the template for this recipe, which I modified for our allergies.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Based on recipe adapted by Shannon and posted on the La Leche Leage forums WITH permission. Please do not replicate anywhere without both of our permission. Recipe ID:  1497 Added:  April 3, 2010 Last Modified:  April 6, 2010

Being gluten, dairy, nut, and soy free makes coming up with a good cheese substitute difficult. When I was simply dairy free, nut or soy recipes allowed me to enjoy “cheesy” dishes like lasagna or pizza. Once I had to cut out nuts and soy, I was a bit stumped. I still had great pizza- olives were tasty and generally safe, and sunflower seed pesto was my friend. But the cheesy element was just not quite there. Luckily I can still have nutritional yeast, and recently I was inspiredby several recipes online to come up with this everything free, yet still tasty smoky cheesy sauce. Since the only non-dairy milks i can have right now are hemp and coconut and hemp milk makes a weirdly rubbery-tasting sauce, this recipe is alternative milk free, with a base in nutritional yeast and quinoa flour. It’s half gravy-inspired, half uncheese-recipe-inspired… and is so good that I couldn’t stop myself from dipping into it all by itself. It really sings as a “cheesy” topping for veggies. And just last night I used it to make something I hadn’t had in a very, very long time- a luscious and super addicting spinach pie, perfect for a green Saint Patty’s day. This recipe is best suited to a vegan palate- or at least, someone willing to accept a less than traditional “cheese.” DH and my dairy-free mother both enjoyed it, and DH commented that in pie, the cheese smelled like nachos. Mmmm, nachos. Let’s see, if i deep fry some homemade millet or sorghum tortillas in chips… top with sunflower seed refried ‘beans’… add some Smoky un-cheddar… we just might have another use for this recipe! Got any more ideas? Share in the comments!

Gluten-free dairy-free soy-free Smoked un-cheddar sauce Sauces & Condiments  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 of a large onion, minced 3/4 cup nutritional yeast 1/4 cup quinoa flour 1 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp Earth Balance soy-free margarine 3 tbsp. tomato paste 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Directions Heat olive oil on medium in nonstick pan and saute your onion until it turns translucent. Then add your nutritional yeast and quinoa flour, toasting lightly. Lower the heat to medium-low, and whisk in one cup of water that you slowly add to the pan. When you have a nice smooth sauce, add your soy free margarine and tomato paste, mixing thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Let sauce thicken until it gets to your preferred “cheesy sauce” texture. Add water as needed if the sauce gets too thick. Take off burner and enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by various recipes online but my original creation. Please do not replicate without my written permission. Recipe ID:  1494 Added:  March 13, 2010 Last Modified:  March 14, 2010

Gluten-free Vegan Smoky Uncheesy Spinach Pie Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients Dough: 3/4 cup quinoa flour 1/4 cup arrowroot starch or tapioca starch 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup Organic Palm Oil shortening such as spectrum 2 tbsp dairy free milk of choice (plain hemp, rice, or almond) Filling: 2 or 3 bunches spinach (3 bunches for just spinach, 2 bunches if you add 1 bunch of beet greens), blanched, drained and diced 3/4 recipe of my smoked un-cheddar sauce Directions Combine flours, salt, and shortening in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Process until all ingredients are combined and it starts looking mealy. Add your dairy-free milk and process again. It should start to form a ball. Using a spatula, scoop out your dough ball and shape into a nice ball in your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. (You can rush this step but dough will be more persnickety.) Meanwhile, prepare your spinach and make the smoked un-cheddar sauce. Mix the two together in a bowl and reserve. Preheat oven to 375. Place your chilled ball of dough in a gallon sized, freezer-safe ziploc bag. Roll thinly to cover the whole interior of the bag. Cut out the sides of the bag and peel back the top. Place with remaining bag side DOWN over an inverted pie pan (a). Place another inverted pie pan (b) on top of the naked dough and flip your tins so that they are right side up. Remove pie pan (a). Carefully peel back the remaining ziploc bag sheet to reveal a pretty pie crust. Pre-bake pie crust for 5-10 minutes. Don’t worry if it cracks on the bottom- it will taste just as good as a gorgeous, uncracked crust and no one sees anything but the top part of the crust. Fill with your blanched and drained spinach in your smoky un-cheddar sauce. Bake for 20 minutes or until top looks set and lightly browned. Serve and enjoy! Tastes great cold the next day!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. thanks! Recipe ID:  1495 Added:  March 13, 2010 Last Modified:  March 14, 2010