Adventures in my Allergic Family Kitchen

*Free Baking (i.e., allergen free)

All recipes Milk/Dairy Free, Tree Nut Free, Fish Free, Crustacean Shellfish Free, Peanut Free, Soy Free, and Sesame Free

Many recipes are ALSO Egg Free

Many recipes are ALSO Gluten Free

Some recipes ALL FREE – (i.e., milk/dairy free, tree nut free, fish free, crustacean shellfish free, peanut free, soy free, sesame free, egg free AND gluten free)

ALL RECIPES include allergy designations, to help you bake safely for your family.

*** Why? ***

Living with food allergies, and other chronic health related dietary limitations, can make life challenging. Things most people don’t think about – trips to the zoo, afternoons at the city pool, a summer visit to an amusement park – create stress and require lots of planning when you can’t just eat without thinking. I’ve got one kid with a dairy allergy and (due to irritable bowel) limited consumption of gluten and soy. I’ve got one with a tree nut allergy and lactose intolerance (and lactase pills only support a limited consumption of dairy). My mom is diabetic, dairy-free, and gluten-free. I am allergic to sesame seeds, tree nuts, and (also due to irritable bowel) limited on gluten, soy, and dairy. Which means: I always pack snacks. I always read labels. I always hover around my kids at events that include food. And, of course, I have epi-pens and Benadryl in every first aid kit and vehicle. I’ve found my favorite restaurants that can support us eating safely when we have to eat out, and I’ve found my favorite grocery store brands. But every kid deserves fresh cake on their birthday. And most store-bought gluten free breads either are refined flour (not good for my diabetic mom) or taste like cardboard. Most allergy-friendly baking online doesn’t work for my family (because you can’t swap almond flour for regular flour or coconut oil for butter when you are tree nut allergic. Sigh.)

These are my adventures in allergy-free baking. A lot of my adventures end in failure and disappointment. This kind of baking is not for the faint of heart. When I achieve successes, I’ll share them here, to hopefully make life (and baking) a little easier for those of you who share this multi-allergy life. Keep me posted. If you have recipes that you’d like to share with me, or if you have recipes that you’d like my help figuring out, reach out!

Sep
22

Fall and Back-to-School Food Allergy Reminders

Dear ones: I’m starting to see all the fall-school activity, Halloween and fall-outing theme memes and posts, so I wanted to share my allergy-life and allergy-mom-life advice (and PLEASE PLEASE share with others): As you plan for fall events in your classroom, community, and shared spaces, remember that 8% of children have food allergies. Per […]

Aug
29

Multi-Grain Gluten Free AND Vegan Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Multi-Grain Gluten Free AND Vegan Bread (makes 2 loaves) 8/29/2023 I am so, so excited. This may be my greatest baking accomplishment ever. A gluten-free, allergy-free, vegan bread that has a nice texture, tastes good, and actually slices well. I am so grateful to all the internet folks who taught me the secret of “the […]

Aug
21

Vegan, Gluten-Free Vanilla Frosting

Vegan, Gluten-Free Vanilla Frosting Want frosting on your cake? This one is allergy-friendly for almost everyone! August 20, 2023 In a stainless-steel bowl: 1 ½ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons unsweetened rice milk Whisk until smooth. Keep refrigerated.   ALLERGY STATEMENT: Gluten-Free, Milk/Dairy Free, Egg-free (VEGAN), Tree Nut Free, Fish Free, […]

Aug
21

My Kids’ Favorite Swirl Cake (with vegan option)

My Kids’ Favorite Swirl Cake (with vegan option) Chocolate cake? Vanilla cake? Why choose! Make it a swirl! This was my grandma’s specialty and has become my kids’ favorite cake. This is a dairy free version. I provide vegan option below (there is very little taste difference in the vegan option, it’s just a little […]

Aug
17

Gluten Free Pizza Crust (makes 4 pizzas)

Gluten Free Pizza Crust (makes 4 pizzas) August 17, 2023 This is the same dough as Gluten-Free Multi-Grain bread, just worked differently to make pizza crusts. Place dry ingredients in a stainless-steel mixing bowl: ½ cup psyllium husk powder 2 tablespoons instant yeast 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 […]

Aug
17

Gluten Free Multi Grain Bread (Makes 2 loaves)

Gluten Free Multi Grain Bread (Makes 2 loaves) August 17, 2023 Gluten-free bread is HARD! I began baking bread with my grandmother in childhood. I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free bread for almost 5 years. Most gluten-free cookbooks and recipe bloggers use dairy (butter, cream) or nut-based products (almond flour, coconut oil) to get the bread […]

Aug
14

Gluten Free Rich Chocolate Cake

Gluten Free Rich Chocolate Cake August 11, 2023 Preheat oven to 350 degrees (convection preferred if possible). Place dry ingredients in a stainless-steel mixing bowl: 1 ¼ cup turbinado sugar ¾ cup oat flour ¾ cup brown rice flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoons xanthan gum Mix. Add wet ingredients […]