Vegan Soy-free "Cream Cheese" Frosting for Food Allergy Awareness Week

Dairy-free, Soy-free Cream Cheese Frosting!

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May 13-19 is Food Allergy Awareness Week this year.

What?  You mean there's an actual week that focuses on food-allergy awareness?

As the mom of a food-allergic child, at first this strikes me as a little funny.  

Food-allergy awareness comes into our lives on a daily basis.  

• Lunch in the cafeteria 
• Snacks after baseball games
• Pizza and cake at birthday parties
• Playdate treats

Oh right ... thinking about food allergies isn't the norm for families not living with it on a daily basis.  Food Allergy Awareness week can help get the word out about allergies to folks who might not be thinking about it at this very moment.  In fact, there are some helpful resources on the FAAN website about how to inform others about the needs and challenges of people living with food allergies.  

That calls for a celebration.  (Ok, ok, in my mind almost anything is cupcake-celebration-worthy, but this really is a big deal.)

So, I will give you the recipe for the yogurt-based frosting that I made to go with my Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins/Cupcakes that I made last week.   The tang of the yogurt provides just that little bit of sourness that you get in a yummy cream cheese frosting, but without the dairy and the soy.  Since these cupcakes and frosting are free of the top 8 allergens (like everything here at Welcoming Kitchen), you can serve them up to pretty much anyone who needs a little celebration.

But first, I'll let you in on what we're eating this Meatless Monday.  (Because it's Monday.)

• Leftover muffins from our Mother's Day extravaganza with dairy-free yogurt for breakfast.
• Leftover macaroni and cheese with garbanzo beans and fruit salad for lunch.
• Popcorn for snack.
• I think pot pie will be dinner, but I'm not sure yet.  

 I shared this recipe with Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Allergy Free Wednesdays.

Dairy and Soy-free Cream Cheese Frosting (Yogurt Frosting)
(Makes more than enough to frost 9 cupcakes or a one-layer cake)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread
1/4 cup vanilla-flavored coconut milk yogurt (I used So Delicious brand.)
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar 

Preparation:
In a food processor, blend together Earth Balance and yogurt.
Add in powdered sugar, and process together until smooth.
Refrigerate frosting to allow it to firm up before spreading.  (If you know that you want a pretty firm frosting, you can add more powdered sugar in that step as this is a softer frosting.)

I am sharing this post as part of TasteSpotting's focus on Food Allergy Awareness Day on May 18.  They have requested that we add this disclaimer:

** Disclaimer ** for any and all recipes associated with Food Allergy Awareness Day on TasteSpotting: “Please note that this recipe has not been reviewed by FAI or medical experts. Avoidance is the only accepted course of treatment for food allergy. Always verify ingredients or food products by checking with the manufacturer and/or your physician to ensure that any foods are safe for your unique allergy issues.”

Happy Cooking!
Kim

Find more tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.


 

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Eczema and Coconut Oil

Both of my boys have eczema in the fall and winter.  Although Casey's is associated with his food allergies, he also just plain-old has eczema.  His is really itchy, and his legs in the colder months are frequently covered in scabs and bloody patches.  Evan doesn't have food allergies, but he also has had eczema in the fall and winter.  Not only are his legs covered in rough patches, but there are also a few patches on his back and arms.  They're not itchy, luckily, though.

If this is the same story that you have at your house, I don't have to tell you the vast number of creams, lotions and concoctions that we have tried over the years.  Sometimes in a misguided attempt to be "natural" we've even made matters worse (as a baby we used shea butter and almond oil on our undiagnosed nut-allergic son!).  Everyone has something to suggest -- friends, neighbors, doctors -- to make things better.

Add me to the list!  We recently turned to an old buddy, coconut oil, as suggested by my good friend, Julie. She is a lover of all things coconut oil, and she has turned me into a convert. 

We have been rubbing generous amounts of coconut oil into my sons' skin, and we have seen a vast improvement!  Their skin is softer and less scabby.  Because it's kind of greasy, we apply it at night before bed.  They go to sleep smelling slightly tropical, but all fragrance is gone in the morning. 

I don't know if this will help you if you're struggling with eczema, but it might be worth a try.  (Obviously, this is not an option if you have a coconut allergy.)  At least for us, spring is coming, and that will also bring some relief!


Happy Cooking!
Kim



My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

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Granola Chocolate Chip (or Dried Fruit) Cookies

I must confess.  The weather here has been awfully snowy and pretty darn cold, and it has made me want to munch and munch on all sorts of treats.  Shovelling is good exercise, right?

Today's sweet snack is a crunchy delight of a cookie.  It starts with granola -- that's good for you, right?--and then has a cookie built around it.  The result is a nutty cookie without the nuts.  Perfect for a Welcoming Kitchen!

I used the granola from the upcoming Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.  (Sorry for the shameless plug!)  You can use whatever granola works for your family.  Since I'm sharing these with a family where the mom is gluten-free and the son has egg and nut allergies, this Welcoming Kitchen cookie is a fantastic choice.

In keeping with my snow-influenced, decadent mood, I used chocolate chips in my cookies.  If you prefer, though, I'm sure you could use dried fruit, like raisins or dried cherries, and they would be great, too.

We shared this recipe as part of Amy Green's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Cybele Pascal's Allergy-friendly Fridays  and Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.  We also shared this with Allergy Free Wednesdays.

Granola Cookies
Makes 36

Ingredients:
1 cup oat-flour (gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granola (nut-free, gluten-free, vegan)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light is ok)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, baking soda and salt. 
Mix in granola.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine applesauce and baking powder.
Mix in brown sugar and coconut oil.
Stir granola mixture into wet ingredients, one-half at a time.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Drop tablespoon-size dollops of batter onto cookie sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Let the cookies firm up for a minute or two before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.


Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available for pre-order now. Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

 

  

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Is Coconut a Tree-Nut??

Photograper: Suat Eman


For such a simple question...it sure is complicated to find the answer!

In our welcoming kitchen, we are big fans of all things coconut!
We love the versatility that coconut products give us when developing recipes for multiple food restrictions! And we certainly try to accomodate a lot of restrictions here ;)

To those with a tree nut allergy, deciding if a coconut is safe can certainly be confusing! Prior to 2006, coconuts were not included on lists of foods to avoid for those with tree-nut allergies. However, under the new labeling laws, the FDA now classifies coconut as a tree nut. The law further requires that food labels of coconut-containing foods must warn consumers that the product contains tree-nuts.

How can a coconut become a tree-nut?

Is it an identity crisis?

What is a coconut lover to do??

Even the food allergy groups have a difficult time with recommendations regarding the safety of coconut:

According to FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network)

"Coconut, the seed of a drupaceous fruit, has typically not been restricted in the diets of people with tree nut allergy. However, in October of 2006, the FDA began identifying coconut as a tree nut. The available medical literature contains documentation of a small number of allergic reactions to coconut; most occurred in people who were not allergic to other tree nuts. Ask your doctor if you need to avoid coconut."

The Food Allergy Initiative states the following about coconut as a tree-nut:

"The following are uncommon, additional tree nuts that require disclosure by U.S. law. However, the risk of an allergic reaction to these nuts is unknown: beechnut; ginkgo; shea nut; butternut; hickory; chinquapin; lychee nut; coconut; pili nut."

So the bottom line is...coconut is classified as a tree-nut; however, after talking with your physician, you might be able to safely consume it, even if you have a tree-nut allergy! (Disclaimer: it is possible, to be allergic to only coconut so always check with your doctor about what foods are safe and unsafe for your individual situation!)

Here in our welcoming kitchen, we do choose to use coconut containing products despite our tree-nut allergies.

Now, I may have to go have a coconut-containing drink after writing this post ;)

Happy Cooking...with Coconut!

Kim & Megan

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