FoodAllergyMama.com

I don’t know what it is about the combination of banana and chocolate. It is hands down one of my favorite flavor combinations. I remember last summer when I was going through wicked morning sickness, and couldn’t keep any food down, the only thing I wanted was frozen chocolate covered bananas. It hit the spot every time. I also loved to make my banana chocolate chip muffins often too, and had them often for breakfast.

Of course, I’ve posted several variations of banana recipes; muffins, breads and snack cakes. But this one is pure decadence and one my whole family loves. It is moist and not too heavy. It doesn’t contain a ton of sugar or fat but has the perfect balance of chocolate and banana flavor. I’ve purposely rough mashed the bananas in this recipe because I love to see the specks of mashed banana in the bread; feel free to mash finer if you so please. I also love to add a rather generous amount of dairy free chocolate chips to the batter because it gives a delightful added taste of rich chocolate in every bite.

This is one of those easy recipes that can be mixed in one bowl by hand with a rubber spatula. It is perfect to make with your kids; have the younger ones mash the bananas, and have the older ones learn how to mix and measure the ingredients into the bowl. With school  spring breaks right around the corner, it is the perfect activity to do with everyone when you are all tapped out of projects.

Happy baking everyone!

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Banana Bread

1/2 c. dairy free margarine, melted

1 3/4 c. ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 large)

2 T. water

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 c. cocoa powder (I use Hersey’s)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. dairy free chocolate chips (I use Divvies or Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 inch loaf pan generously with dairy free baking spray. Set aside.

In small bowl combine the melted margarine, bananas, water and vanilla with spoon. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add margarine mixture to the flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Years ago, I tried to make my first Pudding Cake for my husband on Valentine’s Day. Even though my baking skills were still coming around in the early years of our marriage, the cake was an immediate hit. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make, yet the flavor was amazing. Who doesn’t love a gooey, chocolaty cake served warm right out of the oven?

What I especially love about this cake is the fact that it takes only a few minutes to prepare, and is a wonderful dessert to serve to company because it happily bakes away in the oven unattended while dinner is served at the table. Once dinner is over, the warm cake with a pudding bottom is ready to be served with a dollop of soy ice cream on the side. I also love to drizzle a little melted dairy free chocolate on top. A pureed raspberry sauce would also be delicious and colorful.

This recipe is of course dairy, egg and nut free, and it is shockingly fabulous. My kids love it, and I’ve made it often for them because it is so simple to make. The last time I made this pudding cake was right before I had baby Michael, but am planning to make it again this weekend for a special treat.

Happy Baking and hope you all enjoy!!

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Pudding Cake

1/2 c. soy or rice milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. dairy free chocolate chips ( I use Divvies or Enjoy Life)

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/3 c. sugar DIVIDED

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder DIVIDED ( I use Hershey’s)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8 inch glass square baking dish with dairy free baking spray. In a medium bowl coming soy milk, vegetable oil and vanilla with a wire whisk. In a seperate medium bowl combine flour, 2/3 c. granulated sugar,  1/4 c. cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add soy milk mixture to flour mixture and combine with a rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed. Stir in dairy free chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared cake pan. In a small bowl combine remaining 2/3 c. granulated sugar and 1/4 c. cocoa powder. Sprinkle evenly over top of batter and pour 1 c. boiling water over the top. Do not stir.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until cake is just set in the center. A tooth pick inserted in the middle should come out with just a few crumbs. Remove from oven and serve warm. The cake can be scooped out with a large spoon or let it sit until it is room temperature and cut into slices.

Many of you probably already know that as of last Thursday, Feb. 11th at 4:04 pm I became a mama again for the 5th time. Woo hoo!! I have to say I am very very very excited NOT to be pregnant anymore, as it has NEVER agreed with me. I get severe morning sickness that lasts forever, gain a ton of weight, heartburn, bloated ankles and face and lots of preterm labor issues. I am not one of the mommies who glows and smiles ear to ear while pregnant that is for sure. But the end result, is so worth it. My baby, Michael James, is just the sweetest little thing ever and I am so blessed to be surrounded by all these amazing and lovable children. I truly thank my lucky stars for this family when I am up in the middle of the night for feedings.

My children are adjusting as well as they can but it’s been CRAZY around here! Having four other children under 9 years old means that life goes on with carpools, homework and illnesses. There is zero downtime but good coffee keeps me going. Interestingly Michael has had great difficulty nursing and has cried and been in a bundle of pain, very similar to my FA John when he was a newborn. I remember thinking back in 2002, what is wrong with my baby? Why is he so overly fussy? Fast forward to this week, and I found myself thinking again, what is wrong with Michael? Does he have colic like my firstborn? I decided to try Nutramigen again, the formula that worked for all my other children. He’s an entirely different baby, just like John was when we made the switch. I don’t know if this means Michael has food allergies or not, but my mother’s instinct says it is likely. We’ll have to wait and see I guess.

In the meantime, I am enjoying every minute with this little guy. They really do grow up fast, and it seems like it was just yesterday that my 9-year-old daughter was a newborn. Now, back to my coffee to wake up!

Thumbprints are the perfect cookies to make for Valentine’s Day. They are sweet, colorful and easy to make with your kids. The dough is very similar to my Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies, and similarily don’t contain nuts. Many recipes for thumbprints involve rolling the dough balls in finely chopped nuts, which of course, we can’t do. But even if we didn’t have a nut allergy I would still prefer my thumbprints to be nut free. The pure shortbread flavor really comes out with the tiny bit of sweetness from the jam. Since my kids help me make these cookies, we also like to sprinkle a tiny bit of chocolate chips right in the middle indented part. Of course, I’ve gone through the trouble of melting dairy free chocolate to put in the middle as well, but this process is so much simpler and my kids really enjoy doing the sprinkling.

I also love to have my kids do the indentations in the cookies, either with their thumbs or index fingers. It’s another fabulous tactile activity, and lets me step back and watch them do the work…especially since I’m nine months pregnant and need the break! Also feel free to vary the fruit filling to whatever you and your kids like. I think this would also be a the perfect little treat to send in for your kids’ Valentine’s Day’s parties.

Enjoy and happy baking!

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar

2 sticks dairy free margarine

2 1/4 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. fruit preserves such as strawberry, raspberry, apricot (for filling)

1/2 c. dairy free chocolate chips (preferably miniature in size for filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the confectioners’ sugar with dairy free margarine until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix for about a minute until cookie dough comes together into a ball. Scape down sides as needed.

Use a mini cookie scooper to measure out leveled balls of dough, and roll in between your hands to form a round ball. Place on cookie sheet about an inch apart and use your finger or thumb to make an indentation in the middle of the ball, pressing down slightly. Fill the indentation with 1/4 tsp. of fruit preserves or sprinkle with the dairy free chocolate chips. Bake 15-18 minutes or until just barely golden. Let cool completely on cookie sheet.

Whoopie Pies are the next hottest food trend for 2010, according to the National Restaurant Association. And with good reason; their pillowy soft and cakey texture aligns perfectly with a sweet and fluffy filling. How can you go wrong? These little retro treats are popping up all over the place now, and in some cases becoming more popular than cupcakes. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Whoopie Pies takes over the whole cupcake craze altogether.

These fantastic cakes are said to come from Amish farmers wives, who packed them away in their husband’s lunchboxes. I guess the term “Whoopie” came from what these lucky guys said once they opened them…but who knows? One thing I know for sure is, my kids love saying “Whoopie Pie” as much as they love eating them. And they LOVE eating these Whoopie Pies. They are highly addictive and hold up surprisingly well for a few days when stored in an airtight container. Ours are usually gone within a day or two though.

I’m sure many of you have your own versions of the Perfect Whoopie Pie, as there’s many out there. Some are made with chocolate cakes, some with pumpkin or even carrot cake. The filling is generally a soft and creamy frosting, but I have seen recipes that use Marshmallow Fluff or even just a large vegan marshmallow sandwiched between the two cookie cakes. I prefer a simple vanilla scented frosting because I think it adds just the right amount of sweetness to the two cookies.

Whoopie Pies are also traditionally fairly large in size, but I like mine smaller. I use a mini cookie scooper, but you could certainly use a larger sized one to suit your tastes. You may need to add a couple of minutes to the cooking time. One more tip – if you want your frosting a little firmer, put it into the fridge for several minutes to chill before spreading on the cooled cookies. I personally don’t see the need and like my frosting a bit creamier, but it’s all a matter of personal preference.

I think these would be the perfect treat to bring to our kids’ Valentine’s Parties at school, along with some of my Classic Sugar Cutout cookies (in pretty hearts of course!) for the non chocolate lovers. It makes a nice large batch, especially if you use the smaller cookie scooper. Enjoy and Happy Baking!

DAIRY, EGG AND NUT FREE WHOOPIE PIES

1 c. dairy free margarine (2 sticks)

2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)

1 c. dairy free sour cream (I use Tofutti)

1 c. hot water

Filling

1 1/2 sticks dairy free margarine

2 3/4 c. confectioners’ sugar

4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. soy or rice milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line three baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the dairy free margarine until smooth. Add the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add applesauce and vanilla and mix thoroughly. In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder with a wire whisk. Add the flour mixture in thirds with the margarine mixture, alternating with the dairy free sour cream and hot water.

Use a cookie scooper to drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, or when the cookie bounces back slightly when touched in the center. Lightly flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand if you like a slightly less puffed cookie. Cool completely on baking sheets. Meanwhile, prepare filling.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the dairy free margarine until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and soy milk and mix on medium high for a couple of minutes or until it resembles a creamy frosting. If you’d like your frosting a little firmer, put in fridge for a few minutes.

After cookies have cooled, use a small butter knife to spread a thin layer of frosting on the bottom of one cookie, and top with another cookie to make the Whoopie Pie. Continue with the remainder of the cookies. Store in an airtight container for a few days.

It was wonderful to learn this week that my book received a starred review from the Library Journal, one of the most respected trade publications for librarians. It’s also one of the oldest, in its 133rd year of publication. Here’s what they had to say about FAM:

*Rudnicki, Kelly. The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book: Great Dairy, Egg, and Nut-Free Treats for the Whole Family. Surrey. 2009. 112p. ISBN 978-1-57284-102-4. pap. $19.95.

This hot-off-the-presses gem is a baking basic for moms raising kids with food allergies. The whole family will enjoy the recipes, though there’s a focus on dealing with birthday parties and allergy-free treats for school.

I’m so glad that this book is available in many local libraries, and hope that other food allergy mama’s will enjoy the recipes as much as I have. I ‘m also thankful for you, all the amazing moms and dads, who often write me, sharing your family’s experiences with my recipes. I probably won’t be able to post as many recipes in the next several weeks as it looks like I’ll be having baby #5 in a week or two, but I promise I will do my best. After all, I can’t go very long without baking something.

Happy Baking everyone and thank you again for all your amazing support!!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and that usually means a day filled with chocolate treats. These giant Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Double Chocolate Chip Muffins are the perfect treat to serve for breakfast, perhaps with a glass of ice cold soy or rice milk and a big bowl of fresh strawberries. I promise your kids will think they hit the breakfast jackpot! Perhaps you could make a basket of these yummy muffins for your child to deliver to their teacher as a special Valentine’s treat.

Some of the things I love about this recipe; it is VERY fast to make, bakes in only 15 minutes and can be enjoyed as a breakfast or after school treat. I can’t tell you how excited my kids got when they saw these come out of the oven. EVERYONE devoured them.

Happy Baking!

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 c. soy or rice milk

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 T. water

1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

2/3 c. cocoa powder

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. dairy free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life or Divvies)

TOPPING

1/4 c. dairy free chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12 cup muffin tin generously with dairy free baking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine soy milk, vegetable oil, water and vanilla. In a seperate large bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add soy milk mixture to flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide muffin batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. If using, sprinkle dairy free chocolate chips on top of muffins. Bake 15-18 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

I’m counting down to the final weeks of my fifth pregnancy, and it never ceases to amaze me how awful I feel in the last month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited and grateful for this healthy pregnancy, and the fact that I get to welcome my fourth son into the family very soon. But honestly, if there was a way to get past the “I feel like I have the stomach flu” every day, I would. So because I have little appetite I am only eating what sounds fantastic to me. That translates to lots of cereal, chocolate chip ice cream and sweet treats. Yes, even though I am feeling rough I can’t pull myself away from the kitchen to bake. I think I’ve proven to my husband and kids I have quite an obsession with baking. The desire to bake something sweet never quite leaves me!

So the past few weeks I’ve been craving something sweet but substantial. I wanted a cookie, but a big one loaded with stuff. Only one type of cookie could fit this bill, and that is the beloved Cowboy Cookie, dairy, egg and nut free of course. Traditional Cowboy Cookies are loaded with raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, oats, dried fruit and God forbid…nuts. My family isn’t a fan of overly packed cookies with a bunch of “stuff” so I like to make my Cowboy Cookies with just some oats and chocolate chips. However, this recipe is meant to be adapted to whatever you like, so feel free to add or delete any of the ingredients.

Enjoy making your own version of this famous cookie! Happy Baking!

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Cowboy Cookies

1 c. dairy free margarine

1 c. light brown sugar

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. old fashioned oats

1 c. dairy free chocolate chips (I use Divvies or Enjoy Life)

Optional mix ins:

1/2 c. raisins, cranberries, or cherries

1/4 c. unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine dairy free margarine, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add applesauce and vanilla, and mix well.

In a seperate medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt with a wire whisk. Add to dairy free margarine mixture and combine until thoroughly mixed. Stir in oats, dairy free chocolate chips (and optional mix-ins if desired) with a rubber spatula.

Use a cookie scooper to place batter on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 15-17 minutes or just until light brown around the edges. Cool completely on cookie sheet and store in an airtight container for up until 5 days.

This week I was happy to attend the bimonthly MOCHA meeting (Mothers of Children Having Allergies). I am always amazed at how much I learn every time I go to these meetings. I love learning about the latest research and trends in food allergies, but most importantly I love mingling and talking with other food allergic parents (yes, dads attend too!). Everyone has a story to share, questions to ask and advice to give. I am grateful for the support and hard work of our leaders, Denise Bunning and Anne Thompson, true pioneers in food allergy advocacy.

Some highlights of the meeting:

• Update on HB281: The Illinois School Code was amended to require that the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Health will develop guidelines for the management of children with Food Allergies. These guidelines will be provided to each school board no later than July 1, 2010, and they will be required to implement a policy based on those guidelines by January 1, 2011. This is a huge step forward in protecting our children at school.
• Food Allergy Study: The Children’s Memorial Food Allergy Study needs 400 more families to participate in the next year. They already have 600, but need the extra push of families ASAP. The study recently received an important grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct genetic analysis of families living with food allergies. This information is critical in someday finding a cure. The study is looking for families from all over the United States, not just the Chicago area. Families eligible to participate should have at least one allergic family member under 21-years-old and have both biological parents’ participation. What’s involved? A one-time visit to Children’s Memorial Hospital, with OPTIONAL follow-up visits every one to two years. What are the perks? Other than Target gift cards, validated parking, goody bags for the kids and a super cool food allergy key chain, you can feel good about the fact that your participation may someday change all our lives for the better. Please consider it, and tell your food allergy friends too. Contact Deanna Caruso at 312-573-7755 or visit www.childrensmrc.org/allergy/study.

Finally, I wanted to update you on the recent changes in our lunchroom. The pilot program for the newly introduced soy milk has been a success! Kids are buying it, and there have been several reorders. This is great news, especially since the soy milk is more expensive than the cow’s milk. Also, our head chef lady recently shared a great story. Every time I visit the cafeteria to tell her John is buying lunch that day, I remind her to put aside the veggies for John so they can be served butter-free. She decided a couple of days ago NOT to butter any of the vegetables. Much to her surprise, the kids didn’t even notice and ate them up anyway. At a time when we are dealing with high levels of childhood obesity in our schools, this is a great testament to the fact that if our children are just given the chance…they usually will embrace the change.

Enjoy the week everyone!

A reader last week requested a recipe for Corn Muffins, and a couple of other readers shared their yummy recipes (thank you!). I promised I’d share my Corn Muffin recipe from my book too. I make these muffins every time I serve chili for dinner because I can’t imagine a more perfect match. They are simply mixed in one bowl and make yummy regular sized muffins or mini muffins. In fact, I make the mini’s more often because my kids love to grab 2-3 of them at dinner. With Super Bowl Sunday right around the corner, these are perfect to make for parties as well.

I particularly love the combination of corn muffins with raspberries. If there are any muffins left over from dinner I love to have them the next morning spread with red raspberry preserves and dairy free margarine. These muffins also freeze well. Enjoy the cold weather weather and happy baking!

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Corn Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

1/4 cup dairy-free shortening (I use Crisco), melted

1 1/2 cups dairy-free buttermilk (1 1/2 c. soy or rice milk mixed with 1 1/2 T. white vinegar, let sit 5-10 minutes)

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450ºF, and spray a 12-cup muffin pan (or alternatively spray a mini muffin pan) with dairy-free baking spray.

 In a medium bowl  thoroughly combine all ingredients with a rubber spatula. Fill prepared muffin cups with batter, and bake 18 to 20 minutes (10 minutes for mini muffins), or until cake tester comes out clean.