Food Allergy Cooking

Feeding My Food Allergy Family

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Dairy Free Egg Free Chicken & Dumplings

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One of my very favorite comfort foods is Chicken & Dumplings! My great grandmother used to make them, and I remember it being one of her specialties. It was always such a treat to enjoy a bowl of them.  I decided to try to make some for my kiddos so that they could enjoy them too.

I have not been able to come up with a good dairy free egg free homemade dumplings recipe so I do cheat a little with canned biscuits, but they make it SO easy and So Yummy!

This recipe makes a big ‘ol pot that will feed my family of 8 plus a little leftover so you might want to half it if your family is smaller or double it if larger:)

Here’s the recipe:

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Dairy Free Egg Free Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Cooked Chicken
  • 4 Cups Chicken Broth (2 cans or 1 carton)
  • 2 Cups Milk Alternative(I used Soy Milk)
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 4 Cans Biscuits(10 count) - Read the label to make sure they are dairy/egg free.
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

  1. Shred Chicken into Pieces.
  2. Pour Chicken Broth, Milk Alternative, and Water into Pot.
  3. Add Chicken and Stir.
  4. Bring to Medium Heat (Do Not Boil).
  5. Cut Biscuits into Fourths and drop into pot one at a time. (This step needs to be done fairly quickly so that the dumplings are cooked evenly.)
  6. Let cook on medium heat until dumplings are done. (Stir frequently so they don't stick, but not so frequently that they turn to mush.)
  7. Salt and Pepper to Taste.
http://www.foodallergycooking.net/dairy-free-egg-free-chicken-dumplings/

10 Food Allergy Friendly After School Snacks

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Whether you homeschool or send your kiddos to school there’s always a need for a yummy afternoon treat to get them through until dinner, right?

We are always looking for new things to try, and so I thought I’d post a little roundup of some great recipes that I’d love to try.  All of the recipes are Dairy Free and Egg free.  I also added a couple of gluten free ones in the mix for those of you who can’t have gluten.

Don’t they look delicious?

#1 Perfect Cinnamon Buns

 

#2 Dairy Free, Egg Free Brownies

#3 Chocolate Granola Bar Treats

Note:  Use Enjoy Life Granola or another allergy-safe granola for a nut free version.

 

#4 Dairy Free, Egg Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

#5 Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Note:  Use a dairy free margarine and dairy free ice cream for those with milk allergies.

 

#6 Healthy Strawberry Oat Squares

#7 Dairy Free Smoothies

 

#8 Gluten Free Oatmeal Muffins

Note: Substitute regular flour and oats if you can have gluten.

 

#9 Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Granola Bars

 

#10 Apple Pie Dip & Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips

Note:  You could use corn tortillas to make these gluten free, I think:)

Bulk Bins and Food Allergies

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If you know me then you know that I love to save money.  Who doesn’t?!? One of the best ways to save money on grocery items is to buy in bulk.  ESPECIALLY if you have to cook from scratch much of the time due to food allergies.

A couple of weeks ago Earth Fare was having a sale on their Bulk Items.  You could get 20% off on Bulk Items.  On a whim I decided to grab a bag of brown rice (see the picture below).  I’m not really sure what I was thinking because while I saved 20%, I actually wasted the entire price because I CAN NOT bring myself to use it.

I have so many thoughts running through my head about it. Such as…..

What if someone used the same scoop to get nuts?

What if this container previously stored nuts??

What if a kid who just got done with a PB&J stuck their hand in there?  (Could happen, right?)

What type of controls do the stores have to eliminate cross-contamination?

among other things….

I just don’t feel that it’s safe enough for my food allergy kiddos to eat it so I’ll be blessing someone else with this nice brown rice.  That way it won’t be a total waste.

What about you?  Are you comfortable buying from the bulk bins?

A Cure for Egg Allergies?

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WARNING: What I am about to discuss is NOT something you should try at home if you are dealing with Food Allergies.  It is something you might want to discuss with your doctor.

I came across this article on New Treatment for Kids with Egg Allergy this morning while browsing on Facebook.  I find this type of treatment very interesting, but also very scary.

What is it? Basically, the allergic child is fed a very tiny amount of the allergen daily for several weeks which may reduce or eliminate the allergy.  Please don’t try this at home.

I would so love it if my little one were not allergic to eggs, but at age 6 he is still very allergic.  He can’t even be in the room when we are scrambling eggs as he gets an instant reaction.  The older they get with no signs of the allergy diminishing the more likely they are to keep the allergy into adolescence and adulthood (or so I’ve read).

They have said that they’re trying the same types of treatments for peanut allergies.  Very interesting!

What do you think? If your child was offered this treatment would you try it?

Photo Credit

Why Free Chicken at Chick Fil-A Day Makes Me Sad

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I wanted to bring this up here because I know that many of you can identify with my sadness. Many of you probably have heard that today is “Dress Like a Cow Day” at Chick Fil-A”.  It seems to be all over Facebook and twitter with folks sharing their cute cow costumes.  If you dress up like a cow you can eat for free at Chick Fil-A.

Free food(especially yummy food like Chick Fil-A) is usually very well received in my family and we’d typically be the first in line.

Not Today…

The Reason? Peanut Oil

Yes, Chick Fil-A fries their chicken in Peanut Oil, and given that 2 of my kid’s can’t even smell the stuff we have to stay away from one of the most awesome fast food restaurants ever.  It’s a major bummer!  I do love Chick Fil-A, however, I love my food allergy kiddos more so I think we’ve made the right decision to stay away.

Please understand, I am so happy for the people who are blessed to be able to enjoyone of the best chicken sandwiches/nuggets/strips ever.  I also do not fault them for using Peanut Oil.  It apparently makes for some delicious chicken, and they probably shouldn’t change a thing.

Please just humor me as I mourn the loss of one of my favorite restaurants which we haven’t eaten at in over 8 years.  That is all.

Crockpot Barbecue with Vinegar Slaw

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A couple of our stores have had Boston Butt on sale at a great price recently.  When they go on sale I always grab a couple for the freezer to use in one of our favorite recipes.  For years I was afraid to try slaw on my barbecue.  I thought it just didn’t really sound good.  That changed last year when I was at a blogging conference and tried a barbecue burrito.  It had delicious pulled pork with slaw and pickles – so good!  I left that day determined to recreate that taste.

Barbecue is something that we often enjoy as a food allergy family because most sauces are ok for my kiddos to have.  I tried once(unsuccessfully) to make my own, but the store bought kind do the job without the trouble.  The main thing is to read the labels to make sure they are allergy safe.

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Crockpot Barbecue with Vinegar Slaw

Ingredients

  • For Meat:
  • 1 TBSP Chili Powder
  • 1 TSP Cumin
  • 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt
  • 1 Boston Butt Pork Roast
  • Bottle Barbecue Sauce
  • For Slaw:
  • Bagged Slaw
  • 1 Cup Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Sugar

Instructions

  1. Mix first 4 ingredients in separate bowl
  2. Place Roast into Crock Pot
  3. Pour Spice Mixture over Roast and Rub on
  4. Cook in Crockpot on high for 4-6 hours
  5. Once done cooking remove from crockpot and shred
  6. Pour BBQ sauce over and stir
  7. Serve on buns or potatoes topped with slaw
  8. Slaw Recipe:
  9. Mix Vinegar and Sugar in Separate Bowl
  10. Dump bagged slaw into bowl
  11. Pour Vinegar mixture over slaw
  12. Refrigerate for 2 hrs before serving
http://www.foodallergycooking.net/crockpot-barbecue-with-vinegar-slaw/

Food Allergy Freezer Waffles

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We all have those mornings when we are in a rush.  There are times when we just don’t have the time to fix a big breakfast.

Those are the days when many folks turn to freezer waffles – Unless you are dealing with food allergies.

All mainstream store brand and name brand freezer waffles contain products like eggs and/or milk so they are out for us.  There are some specialty waffles like Van’s that are very good and allergy safe.  BUT….They are so expensive at nearly $5 for 1 box!

One of the things I like to do is make up a big batch of freezer waffles using our favorite allergy friendly recipe.  We enjoy them for breakfast & then I put the rest into freezer bags to enjoy later.  My kiddos love this, and it’s so easy to grab one & go when you’re in a hurry.

What You Need for Allergy Friendly Freezer Waffles

  • Waffle Iron – This is very important to have a good one here.  One of the single kind that you flip over will work fine, but it will take a while since you can only make one at a time.  This Cuisinart  4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker is very similar to mine & works great.
  • Freezer Baggies – Make sure you get the kind that has FREEZER on the label or else they will get freezer burn.

How to Make your Allergy Friendly Freezer Waffles

  • Mix up your batter
  • Cook Waffles in Waffle maker as directed
  • Once they’re done let them cool then put them spread out on a cookie sheet.  Place the sheet in the freezer for a few minutes.  They don’t have to be frozen solid at this point.
  • After about 15-20 minutes take them off the cookie sheet and put them in the freezer bag.
  • Store in the freezer until use.

How to thaw/cook your Allergy Friendly Freezer Waffles

  • Remove desired amount from baggie.
  • Cook in microwave for 1 minute or in toaster oven.
  • Enjoy!

Earth Balance Coconut Spread Coupon

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I made a trip to Whole Foods last week & saw this new product.  I grabbed a pack to try out, but I sure wish I had see this coupon first.

We use Coconut Oil for baking in alot of recipes, but I can’t wait to try this product out!  It is dairy free and much healthier than our usual Dairy Free Margarine that I use(Parkay Squeeze).

Get a coupon here for $1/1 Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread.