Dealing with food allergies

Two years ago, I found out that my son had multiple food allergies . He was 1 1/2 years old and I was feeding him some fish and rice for dinner. All of a sudden, he started scratching his tongue with his fingers and I noticed red rashes around his mouth. I called the nurse triage hotline and they told me he was having an allergic reaction.  I gave him some children's antihistamine and slowly the rashes faded away and he was back to normal.  I was so relieved but I was also rattled by what had happened. I took him to the pediatrician the next day and she recommended that I take him to an allergist to get tested for food allergies. Because he was still a baby and would not tolerate a skin allergy test, we opted for the RAST blood test.

When the test results came back, I was in complete shock: he was allergic to peanuts, seafood, eggs, soy, wheat and dairy. The allergist told us that, depending on the severity of each allergy, his reaction could range from a mild skin rash to a life-threatening anaphylaxis. My son did suffer from eczema since birth and we tried everything to relieve his outbreaks. Little did we know it was caused by food allergies. Eventually, most children will outgrow their food allergies, but there are some who never will. She advised us to avoid ALL of these foods or anything that contains even a minute amount of them. She prescribed him an Epi-pen and told us to carry it ALWAYS in case we have to use it. When you're hit with the news the your child could die if he eats the wrong food is incredibly devastating, but to have to avoid a broad range of foods is extremely overwhelming. All I could think of when we left the doctor's office was, "What in the world am I gonna feed him?"

I found a wonderful website that helped a lot. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network website is a great wealth of information. Anything and everything you need to know about food allergies is there. It wasn't easy at first but in time it became second nature to me. Reading food labels, making virtually all meals from scratch, packing allergen-free food wherever we went and carrying an allergy emergency kit at all times was and still is an everyday routine. Last December, he outgrew his wheat and dairy allergy and it made a HUGE difference in his food options. Watching him eat a grilled cheese sandwich and drink regular milk was the best Christmas gift ever.

And since I love to make desserts, I'm constantly trying out recipes and altering them so he could enjoy them. He's a chocoholic like me so I always try to make something with a little bit of chocolate in it.

I'll be posting more recipes when I can, but here are just a few to try...



Banana Cake
I modified my mom's banana cake recipe so my son could have a birthday cake that he could actually eat. I topped them with vanilla frosting (recipe below).

2 1/2 cups oat flour*
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (found in healthfood stores)
1 Tbs. Ener-G Egg Replacer (found in healthfood stores)
2/3 cup rice milk
2/3 cup canola oil
3 medium bananas, mashed with 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. molasses
1/2 cup shredded carrots (optional)

*if you can't find oat flour, you can take rolled oats and pulse them in the food processor to make oat flour

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8-inch pans or line two muffin pans with paper muffin cups.
-Combine oat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum and Egg Replacer in a medium bowl. Set aside.
-In a large mixing bowl, mix together rice milk, oil, bananas, vanilla extract and molasses. Add
oat flour mixture to batter and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared pans or fill the muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
-Let cool completely before serving.

Vanilla Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup Spectrum vegetable shortening (found in healthfood stores)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp. rice milk
1/8 tsp. salt

- Using a whisk attachment, beat together the powdered sugar and vegetable shortening till light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and rice milk.

For Chocolate Frosting, add 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder. If it becomes to dry, add a little more rice milk. (UPDATE: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of rice milk)



Applesauce Muffins 
Makes about 12 muffins
Allergy Note: contains wheat

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Spectrum vegetable shortening (found in healthfood stores)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped apples (optional)

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with paper muffin cups.
- Using a whisk attachment, mix together shortening and sugar till blended.
- Combine applesauce and baking soda. Add to the shortening and sugar mixture.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until smooth.
- Fill in the muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.





Mini No-bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Allergy Note: contains dairy and wheat
crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

filling:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
16 ounces (2 bars) cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

-Line two muffin pans with paper muffin cups.
-Mix crumbs, butter and melted chocolate together; press a tablespoon of the mixture on the bottom of each muffin cup.
-Soften gelatin in water. microwave for 30 seconds. set aside.
-Beat together cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract at medium speed until well blended. Gradually add the gelatin.
-Fold in the whipped cream; spoon mixture into muffin cups. Refrigerate until firm.
-Garnish with chocolate chips, leftover graham cracker crumbs and chocolate syrup, if desired.






Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post.  I just love them and wanted to share them with you :-)