Tag Archives: Gluten Free

Cupcakes – gluten free, dairy free, egg free

Dessert, Snack July 26, 2013 1 Comment
Cupcakes - wheat free, gluten free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free

Cupcakes – wheat free, gluten-free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free

Every child deserves to have delicious cupcakes. Even children like my daughter who have life threatening food allergies to wheat, diary and eggs. As a mom who loves to bake, I felt that it was my duty to seek out the best possible cupcake recipe for her! Living with food allergies is hard enough, I didn’t want her to feel left out being the only kid at a birthday party with out a yummy cupcake.

After lots of trial and error experimenting with gluten-free cake mix and egg alternatives I found an amazing recipe. Thanks to Emily Hendrix and her Sophie-Safe Cooking cookbook, my daughter and my whole family can safely enjoy delicious cupcakes. These cupcakes are so good that people don’t realize they are eating a wheat, egg, and dairy free food. I made one change to the recipe by adding an 1/8 tsp of xantham gum to the dry ingredients. Adding xantham gum helps to keep the cupcakes from crumbling.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Sophie-Safe Cooking by Emily Hendrix

2 cups        oat flour
1 cup         sugar
1/4 cup      cocoa powder
1 tsp.         baking soda
1/2 tsp.      salt
1/8 tsp.      xantham gum
1/3 cup      oil
1 tsp.         apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp.      vanilla
1 cup         cold water

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix oat flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and xantham gum. In a measuring cup measure the oil. I like to save having to wash a second bowl by adding the vinegar and vanilla to the oil in the measuring cup. Add the oil mixture to your dry ingredients, then add the cold water and mix well.

Line your muffin tins and fill each one about 1/2 way. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes.

I highly recommend the Sophie-Safe Cooking book. This is a very uncomplicated cookbook for any family dealing with multiple food allergies. The recipes are very simple and very family friendly. So far every recipe I have tried has been a hit with my daughters and my husband. Buy it as a gift for a food allergy family you know and they just might thank you with a batch of these yummy cupcakes! 

That’s my plate of view. Enjoy!

Oats your way

Breakfast March 2, 2013 Leave a comment

This hearty breakfast is free of wheat, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Whether you can eat anything under the sun or if you have to avoid 6 of the 8 most common ingredients that trigger food allergies, your body deserves a good start to the day. Here is a recipe for raisin and cinnamon oatmeal that I make for my family almost daily.

Oatmeal - A hearty breakfast free of the top 8 allergens.

Oatmeal – A hearty breakfast free of the 8 most common food allergens.

Raisin and cinnamon oatmeal

  • 4 cups of water
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1/4 cup of agave nectar
  • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
  • raisins (1/2 cup or as many as you like!)

In a medium pot bring 4 cups of water and a few dashes of salt to a boil. Add 2 cups of oats and let simmer until they are soft and have absorbed all the water. Remove from heat. Stir in a ¼ cup of agave nectar and a few dashes of cinnamon to taste, add more salt to taste if desired. Mix in ½ cup of raisins. Enjoy your warm hearty breakfast!

Note about agave nectar: I like to sweeten my oats with agave nectar because it is a natural sweetener that has a low glycemic index. The body absorbs it slowly which means it will not cause a spike in blood sugar levels the way table sugar will. You can find it at most grocery stores next to the honey or in the baking section near to the sugar.

Variations: Some other sweeteners to experiment with are honey, maple syrup and brown sugar. A friend of mine adds apple sauce to his morning oats, brilliant! My husband adds shelled hemp hearts which are high in protein, Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. We buy hemp hearts in bulk online and you can find them at some grocery stores.

Try experimenting with these toppings:

  • Fresh berries
  • Dried fruit
  • Flax meal
  • Craisins
  • Dried currants
  • Hemp hearts
  • Bananas

Serving size: This recipe serves hearty bowls for my husband and I with plenty left for our two daughters.

Side note: To add calories to my daughter Evelyn’s diet I melt about a teaspoon of non-dairy “buttery” spread to her oats.

Well, that’s my plate of view! How do you like your oats?

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

Breakfast, Snack February 23, 2013 Comments: 3

Blueberry muffins that are both delicious and free of the 8 most common food allergens. Wheat free, egg free, dairy free, soy free, peanut and tree nut free.

A friend of mine asked me for a blueberry muffin recipe after finding out that her 5 month old daughter has severe allergies to dairy, egg, and peanuts. My friend is nursing her baby and has to eliminate these foods from her diet as well. I ‘m sure this recipe will satisfy your craving Chrissy!

This allergy friendly recipe comes from a recipe that my mom taught me how to make when I was a kid.  Through trial and error I’ve altered it so that it is free of the top 8 allergens.

Blueberry muffins - delicious and free of the top 8 allergens.

Blueberry muffins – delicious and free of the 8 most common food allergens.

  • ½ cup Earth Balance® Buttery Spread
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbls applesauce
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 ¼ cups Gluten Free Oat Flour
  • 2 tsp Gluten Free baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp xantham gum
  • ½ cup rice milk
  • 2 1/3 cup blueberries
  • 2 tsp sugar for topping

On low-speed cream first 5 ingredients. In a second bowl mix oat flour, baking powder, salt and xantham gum. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternating with rice milk. Mash ½ cup blueberries, stir into mixture by hand, add the rest of the berries whole. Grease muffin tins or use paper liners, pile mixture high in each muffin cup and sprinkle sugar over tops.

*Bakers Note: If you are using flour that DOES contain gluten you will omit the xantham gum.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.