Food allergies aren’t new, and working around the needs of children who have them has long been a reality.
But as food allergies are brought up more and more as concerns, it gets tricky to find recipes that satisfy those needs, as well as needs connected to nutrition and simple taste. Luckily, there are good alternatives if you know where to find them. Here are a handful of recipes that avoid common allergies and taste great to boot.
Photo courtesy of SunButter
Peanut Allergy
Alternative: Sunflower butter
Recipe: Sunflower Buckeyes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sunflower butter (smooth or chunky)
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp. shortening
Directions
Line baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix sunflower butter, regular butter, vanilla and sugar with hands to form a smooth, stiff dough. Shape into balls using 2 tsp. of dough for each ball. Place on prepared baking sheet and refrigerate.
Place shortening and chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on medium in 30-second increments, stirring in between until chocolate is smooth.
Remove balls from refrigerator. Insert a wooden toothpick into each ball and dip into melted chocolate. Return to baking sheet, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining balls.
Refrigerate 30 minutes to set and serve.
Courtesy SunButter.com
Egg Allergy
Alternative: Applesauce
Recipe: Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free, all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup (or sugar or honey)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup milk
Directions
Grease a griddle and preheat over medium heat. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, vanilla, applesauce and milk. Slowly mix half the liquid into the dry ingredients, stirring continuously, and the rest ¼ cup at a time to avoid a runny batter. Mix until batter is lump-free.
On the griddle, begin to cook the pancakes, using about ¼ cup of batter for each. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until they start to bubble around the edges, and flip. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from the griddle, and serve.
Courtesy Momables.com
Milk Allergy
Alternative: Rice milk
Recipe: Milk-Free “SpaghettiOs”
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz. can plain tomato sauce
- 15 oz. rice milk
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 7-oz. package ring-shaped pasta
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
- Water as needed
Directions
Stir all ingredients except pasta and water together in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the pasta.
Turn heat down and cook the pasta as it simmers, stirring often to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until pasta is tender.
Add a splash of water, as necessary, to keep the sauce from becoming too dry. Adjust seasoning to taste, including a bit of sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce.
The nutritional yeast is not strictly necessary, but it helps replace the flavor of cheese and is a nutritional powerhouse to boot. You can find it at most health food stores or online.
Courtesy MilkFreeMom.com
Wheat Allergy
Alternative: Gluten-free flour
Recipe: Gluten-Free Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 4-5 very ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½-1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture and chocolate chips into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let bread cool in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack. Slice and serve warm.
Courtesy GimmeDelicious.com
Soy Allergy
Alternative: Coconut aminos
Recipe: Barbecue Glazed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 Tbsp. gluten-free ketchup
- 4 Tbsp. brown sugar (or 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 Tbsp. molasses)
- 2 Tbsp. gluten-free, reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 to 2½ pounds boneless chicken or pork
Directions
Put all ingredients into a large zip-close freezer bag and seal. Squish ingredients around in the bag until the sauce is mixed and the meat is coated. Open a small section of the zip-closer and remove as much air as possible. Then reseal bag, label and freeze.
When ready to cook, thaw meat. When thawed, grill over medium-low heat until meat is cooked through, or bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour – flipping partway through cooking time – until meat is cooked and juices run clear.
Add sauce and serve.
Courtesy AngelasKitchen.com
Zoe Zeid is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Snacks to Pack
What do New Albany parents bring for their kids at practices and games?
Jimmy Henry: “My kids usually like things like Cheez-its or crackers, (but) they’re huge fans of strawberries, apples and grapes.”
Jen Martin: “We usually try to do organic and healthy stuff. We’ll do applesauce and popcorn, or organic fruit chews.”
Nazreen Kahn: “Bananas, for sure.”
John and Jessica Fox: “The goldfish packages, the baked kind. Pretzels are good, too.”
