Safe Foods/ Free Foods

SUGAR COOKIE W/ DECORATIVE ICING

2010-01-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

It was Christmas time and I needed to come up with a sugar cookie recipe with decorative icing, and fast! After much research and tweaking, I came up with what I believe is the best tasting sugar cookie recipe ever. It is very easy to make and useful in all occasions. Even better, it was safe for my children!

SUGAR COOKIES

1-1/4 cup Sugar 3 cups all-purpose Flour
1 cup Lard 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
3 tsp Ener-G Egg replacer 4 Tbsp hot tap water
1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 tsp Salt 1 Tbsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix Sugar and Lard. Set aside. In a small bowl mix together the Ener-g Egg replacer and hot tap water until replacer is disolved. Add the egg replacer, Corn syrup and Vanilla to the Sugar/Lard mix. In a seperate bowl combine the Flour, Baking powder, Baking soda and salt. Then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Shape into a large ball. Cut into 4 pieces and wrap each piece in saran wrap. Put into fridge for at least 2 hours.

When ready, pull the dough out of the fridge one section at a time. Leave the rest in the fridge to keep cold. If you desire soft cookies, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out the shapes you want and put them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. If you like yours a little crunchy, roll out to a 1/4 inch thick.

If you are not going to ice the cookies you can sprinkle sugar (white or colored) on prior to baking. Otherwise bake for 8-10 minutes, just until lightly browned.
Let cool. Then ice.

DECORATIVE ICING

1 cup Confectioner's Sugar (powdered sugar)
3 tsp water
3 tsp Light Corn Syrup
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract or Almond extract
food coloring if desired
Blend the ingredients together until smooth. Feel free to add extra water and/or Corn Syrup to get the desired consistency you want.

Where Has the Time Gone?

2010-01-12T01:01:00.000-06:00

It has been a rather extensive time since I last posted a blog on this site. I can truly say that it wasn't due to laziness. Funny how life can really throw some curve balls, and if we aren't alert then we end up getting smacked upside the head with one. Ouch! Boy does that hurt.

Since I last posted, I have discovered that one of my children is now allergic to 7 foods, as opposed to the original 2. In order for me to remember all of his allergies (especially during grocery shopping)I had to come up with a slogan that included all of his allergies. It went something like this: My son is allergic to the POPE'S CINNAMON CARROTS. What that is telling me is that he is now allergic to Peanuts, Oats, Peas, Soy, Cinnamon, Carrots.

Add my daughter's dairy allergy to the mix and I have now found myself in the kitchen baking more often than not. And when I am not baking I am online and in cookbooks finding recipes that I can tweak and still taste good. It's like looking for treasure.

My desire is to update this blog with SAFE foods that will send your tastebuds running for more. With a huge amount of time, effort, and experimenting, I have come up with some recipes I think you will enjoy. Just because we have to omit some ingredients does NOT mean we have to omit great taste.

Until next time, I hope you enjoy life to the fullest inspite of your food limitations. God bless!

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Sticks

2009-02-26T18:31:00.003-06:00

1 bag of Braided Twist Pretzels

1/2 - 14 ounce bag of Enjoy Life chocolate chips

1 Tablespoon Lard

Pretzels

Melt the Chocolate chunks and shortening in a double boiler or microwave. Be careful not to over-heat.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the pretzels in and cover completely. Lay each pretzel on wax paper and let sit until dry. Enjoy!

PeaButter Cups (no dairy, peanuts, eggs)

2009-02-26T17:41:00.006-06:00

Thanks to Peanutfreeplanet.com I discovered a great tasting soynut butter. It smells and tastes like peanutbutter. I also discovered Nonuttin Chocolate Chunks to use.

In this awesome find I made the equivelant of Reese Cups, better than my other recipe. So here it is:

PEABUTTER CUPS

Muffin Cups

1 - 14 ounce package of NoNuttin Chocolate Chunks

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup PeaButter

1/2 teaspoon salt (add a little more if you like yours saltier)

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or microwave, being careful not to over-heat.

Using a basting brush, brush the bottom and sides of the muffin cups with chocolate until you can't see the paper. Set the cups in a muffin pan to hold the shape.

Put the cups into the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

While waiting for the chocolate to dry mix the rest of the ingredients (powdered sugar, PeaButter and salt) in a bowl until well blended.

Take the muffin cups out of the refrigerator and put a spoonful of PeaButter mix in each cup.

Melt the rest of the chocolate and cover each cup until the PeaButter is not visible. Put back in the fridge for 20 minutes until chocolate is fully dry. Then enjoy. Makes 12-15 cups.

New Discovery!

2009-02-23T14:08:00.002-06:00

I have been experimenting with some recipes, and thanks to Peanutfreeplanet.com I have discovered a new soynut butter. It is tastier, has a creamy texture even without adding honey, and works great in recipes. It is called NoNuts Peabutter. This is even great as a sandwich! Therefore, I will be adding new recipes and tweaking some real soon. Keep watch!

Reese Cups- Peanut Free! (no dairy, egg)

2008-12-29T14:05:00.000-06:00

From the time I found out about my son's anaphylaxis to peanuts I had to stop eating Reese Cups. Oh my! It wasn't as devastating to me as it was my husband. It was the peanut butter sandwhiches that I missed. With much research and taste testing I found a Soy-Nut Butter that works just fine. I have made Reese Cups and peanut-butter cookies with it. And my son loves soy-nut butter and jelly sandwhiches.

Not every Soy-Nut Butters are appealing or tasty. I did find one that is creamy and tasty. It is l.M. Healthy- Honey Creamy SoyNut Butter. Check out their website at soynutbutter.com.

You can order this product on their website or check your local Whole Foods store. I have even found it at Kroger in the healthy section.

Now on to the recipe:

Peanut-Free Reese Cups

Mini-muffin cups (may also be called candy mold cups)

1- 12oz package chocolate chips (you can purchase safe chips at peanutfreeplanet.com)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Soynut Butter (with honey makes it softer to work with)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt them in the microwave on high at 30 second intervals. Meaning, every 30 seconds stop the microwave and stir then put back in. Do not overcook. Just cook until slightly melted then stir until all pieces are melted.

Using a basting brush, dip the brush into the melted chocolate and coat the inside of the muffin cup. Set aside and let harden.

While the cups are drying mix together the rest of the ingredients with a mixer until well blended. Then fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way with the soynut butter mix.

Take the rest of the melted chocolate and spoon over the top of each cup. Fill it to the top of the muffin liner. Let dry completely. Then enjoy~

Sugar Candy Molds- no egg, no dairy, no peanut

2008-12-29T13:35:00.003-06:00

This is an easy recipe that you can get creative with for any occasion. Just purchase your favorite candy molds at the store and fill them with this mixture.

4 cups sugar

4 teaspoons water

food coloring

your favorite flavoring such as vanilla, pepperment, cherry, etc.

In a bowl mix together water, food coloring (just a few drops), and flavoring (to taste). Then add sugar and mix well.

Press the mix into your molds and let set until hardened. If you find that the mix is sticking to your molds then lightly spray the molds with cooking spray. Enjoy~

Holiday Poke Cake- no dairy, no egg, no peanut

2008-12-29T13:18:00.005-06:00

1 package White Cake Mix (make sure it has no egg, dairy, peanut)

2 cups boiling water

1 small box red jello

1 small box lime jello

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cake as directed on the box using 2 nine inch pans. If it calls for eggs use EnerG Egg Replacer and if it calls for milk use Soymilk.

Let it cool 5 minutes. Using a skewer poke the cake all over about 2 inches apart from each poke. Make the jello's according to package directions. Then carefully pour them over the cake, alternating colors. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Then frost with your favorite flavor. Enjoy~

Soynut Butter Cookies- no dairy, egg, or peanuts

2008-12-29T13:03:00.004-06:00

Just like Peanutbutter cookies!

1 cup Soynut Butter (pick one mixed with honey; it softens the soynut butter)

1/2 cup non-dairy butter (Fleishman's unsalted is best)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer mixed with 2 Tablespoons warm water

3 Tablespoons Soy Milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt (I prefer sea salt)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix together the soynut butter, butter, both sugars, soy milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the Egg-Replacer and water together just until the powder is blended in well. Add it to the mix. Then add in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until it is all mixed well.

Drop teaspoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press lightly with a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool and enjoy!

Box Cake- no egg, dairy, peanut

2008-11-30T13:45:00.005-06:00

If your food allergies limit you as much as my children's do then you know that it can be difficult to plan a party around them. For a couple of years we celebrated birthdays without a birthday cake and my children did not like it. That was until I came across a wonderful company that makes box cake and cookie mixes. Actually they also make brownie, pancake and icing mixes too. Not only are they safe but they taste awesome! The name? CHERRYBROOK KITCHEN!

You can find Cherrybrook Kitchen products at many organic/health food stores such as Whole Foods and Kroger has access to their warehouse now. You may need to ask them to order it for you. Even better is being able to order it online and having it shipped to your door; www.cherrybrookkitchen.com.

To the Chocolate cake mix you only need to add water and vegetable oil. The yellow cake mix and chocolate chip cookie mix call for margarine and water. You can substitute the margarine for a non-dairy butter such as Fleishman's Unsalted stick butter. The sugar cookie mix calls for margarine and milk. Again substitute with non-dairy butter and use either soy or rice milk. The fudge brownies call for water, oil and margarine (use non-dairy). For more information visit their website.

Box Cornbread-- no egg, dairy, peanuts

2008-11-28T00:01:00.003-06:00

1 Box of your favorite cornbread

EnerG Egg Replacer with warm water-- for every egg that your box calls for replace it with 1 1/2 Teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 Tablespoons warm water

Soy Milk (plain)-- replace cow's milk with Soy milk in equal amounts

Bake according to the directions on the Cornbread box. Enjoy!

(I have found that the cooking time is reduced by at least 5 minutes when using EnerG Egg Replacer and Soy milk so keep watch)

Cake Doughnuts-- no egg, dairy, peanuts

2008-11-27T23:43:00.003-06:00

Vegetable oil

3 1/3 Cups all-purpose flour

1 Cup sugar

3/4 Cups Soy milk (plain)

2 Tablespoons shortening

3 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 Teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer

4 Tablespoons warm water

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees. Mix EnerG Egg Replacer and warm water in small bowl just until smooth. Add it to 1 1/2 cups flour and the rest of the ingredients. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir int the remaining flour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and with a floured rolling pin roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Then use a doughnut cutter (or anything resembling that size) to cut out doughnuts.

Carefully put the doughnuts into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 1-1 1/2 minutes on each side. Carefully removed from the oil and allow it to drain on papertowels.

You can serve it plain, shake them in a bag of powdered sugar, or put non-dairy icing on them. Then enjoy!

Homemade Biscuits--no egg, dairy, peanut

2008-11-27T23:31:00.003-06:00

2 Cups all-purpose flour

3 Teaspoons baking powder

1 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup shortening

3/4 Cup Soy milk 9plain)

Heat over to 450 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients. Cut shortening into the dry ingredients until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the Soy milk. Stir until dough is slightly sticky.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for one minute. Separate dough into even sized balls--6 to 12 depending on the size you want. Put onto ungreased cookie sheet lightly touching sides.

Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

(If using self-rising flour omit the salt and baking powder)

Chicken and Noodles- no egg, dairy, peanut

2008-11-27T23:07:00.003-06:00

noodles
3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour (do not use self-rising)

1 Teaspoon salt

7 1/2 Teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer

10 Tablespoons warm water

chicken and broth

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

4 Cups water (less or more--depends on your desire for soupy or hearty chicken noodles)

2 chicken buillon cubes

2 teaspoons onion powder

4 Teaspoons Fleishman's no salt butter (has no dairy in it)

Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. In a separate bowl mix the EnerG Egg Replacer and water just until blended. Slowly add it to the flour/salt mix--into the well. As you add the Egg Replacer begin stirring the flour into the well until all is blended.

If the mix is too dry add one teaspoon of water at a time until it is the consistency of bread dough. Knead it until well mixed, about 3 minutes. Wrap it in a dry towel for 5 minutes. Make sure no air gets to it.

If you have a noodle cutter then cut off about an inch thick of dough and wrap up the rest. Follow the directions of the noodle cutter and after it is cut lay each noodle onto wax paper, not touching, and let dry about 8 hours. Continue the steps of cutting off an inch thick of dough, cutting and setting out to dry until done.

If you do not have a noodle cutter then cut off an inch thick of dough and wrap up the rest. With a rolling pin roll out dough flat to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the noodles lengthwise into thin width strips. Then cut the strips to the length you want. Lay each noodle onto wax paper and let dry for about 8 hours.

Boil chicken breasts in 4+- cups water until fully cooked. Set aside on a plate to cool. While cooling add the buillon cubes, onion, and butter and cook until cubes are disolved. You may add salt/pepper to taste.

Tear chicken breasts into shredds. Bring broth to a boil and add noodles. After 10 minutes put the shredded chicken on top of the noodles. Stir in about 5 minutes later. Cook until noodles are done, about 15-20 minutes more.

(EnerG Egg Replace can be found at most Kroger stores and health food stores)

(Not every non-dairy butter melts well. Fleishman's no salt works well)

Pancakes- no dairy, egg, peanut

2008-11-27T22:49:00.005-06:00

*Once I tried this recipe I didn't like pancakes any other way*

1 1/2 Teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer

2 Tablespoons warm water

1 Cup all-purpose flour

3/4 Cup Soy milk (plain or vanilla for extra flavor)

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons melted shortening or vegetable oil

3 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon salt

Mix together all the ingredients except the EnerG Egg Replacer and water.

In a separate bowl mix the EnerG Egg Replacer and water for one minute. Add to the rest of the ingredients. Beat until smooth.

Spray griddle with cooking spray. Pour a ladle of batter onto hot griddle. Cook the pancakes until sides are golden then flip over and cook until all batter is fluffy and brown.

(EnerG Egg Replacer will begin to break down once it is exposed to the air. That is why it is best to add it last. Make sure you close up the EnerG Egg Replacer bag immediately after taking out what you need.)

(If using self-rising flour omit the baking powder and salt)