Baking and Cooking With Food Allergies

Coping In The Kitchen With Wheat, Milk And Egg Allergies, With Substitutes And Recipes!

(WebMD)  Baker's Notes:

The biggest difference using these substitutes will be flavor, as the natural flavor of butter, sour cream and cheese are difficult to reproduce. The vegan cheeses will melt differently than dairy cheese.

Egg Allergy Tips:

If you are allergic to eggs, you have to avoid all egg-based foods and dishes in addition to less obvious products and foods that surprisingly contain them. People may be allergic to the egg white, yolk, or both.

Foods/Products To Avoid:

• Baked goods like cakes, muffins, and cookies (unless homemade with egg-free recipes using commercially available egg replacements or ingredient substitutions.)
  
• Cake and brownie mixes
  
• Pancake and waffle complete mixes
  
• Mayonnaise
  
• Custards, puddings, Bavarian creams, cream puffs
  
• Ice cream, filling for cream pies, and lemon and pumpkin pies
  
• Eggnog and egg creams
  
• Quiche, souffles, French toast, fritters, omelets, and other egg dishes
  
• Pancakes and waffles
  
• Breads that typically contain egg (such as muffins, rolls, bagels, doughnuts)
  
• Meat & vegetable dishes that use egg as a coating or as part of a mixture (like meat loaf)
  
• Some ethnic side dishes and entrees that feature pieces of egg, such as fried rice, chiles relleno, and egg rolls
  
• Meringues and meringue power
  
• Some frostings
  
• Pretzels
  
• Anything made with egg substitutes (which are generally made with egg whites)
  
• Sauces and dressings that contain eggs (hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad dressing, mayonnaise-based dressing)
  
• Chocolates, marshmallows and fondants
  
• Soups containing egg noodles or any other soup or dish made with egg noodles

Ingredients On Label To Watch For:

• Egg (dried, powdered, egg solids, egg white, egg yolk, and whole egg)
  
• Albumin, apovitellin, and silici albuminate
  
• Lecithin, lysozyme and livetin
  
• Egg wash
  
• Globulin
  
• Mayonnaise
  
• Meringue, meringue powder
  
• Ovalbumin, ovoglobulin, and ovomucin
  
• Ovomucoid, ovotransferrin, ovovitelia, ovovitellin, vitellin, simplesse, and silici albuminate
  
• Simplesse, a commercially produced fat substitute derived from protein.
  
• The following ingredient terms may indicate that egg protein is present: artificial and natural flavoring, lecithin, macaroni, marzipan, marshmallows, nougat, and pasta.

Substitute For Eggs In Recipes:

In baking recipes and sauces, the yolk is the emulsifier that helps blend different ingredients together while the egg white provides structure due to the high protein content and its ability to be whipped.

• Commercial egg replacers are available that are made from potato starch and tapioca, such as Energ-G Foods Egg Replacer. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions for whichever egg replacer you try.
  
• Applesauce works well as a substitute for egg yolk since it also has natural emulsifying abilities. 1/4 cup of applesauce can replace one egg in most recipes.

Other substitutes for 1 egg:

• 2 tablespoons water or milk + potato starch or tapioca starch + 1 teaspoon canola oil + 3/4 teaspoon baking powder + 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water, then stir in 2 tablespoons boiling water and beat until the mixture is foamy
  
• 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, canned pumpkin or squash, or tomato sauce
  
• 1/4 cup pureed prunes or mashed bananas
  
• 2 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon oil + 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed simmered in 3 tablespoons water for 1 minute, then let sit 5 minutes to gel
  
• 1/4 cup soft or silken tofu (pureed in a food processor or electric mixer)
  
• 1 egg white = 1 tablespoon plain agar powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, whipped, chilled, and whipped again

Baker's Notes:

Very few foods can whip up and incorporate air as well as egg whites, so using some of these egg substitutes may not produce foods that are as light and fluffy in texture.

See your doctor if you think you have a food allergy and haven't been tested. Without specific allergy tests, you won't know what level of exposure can trigger a serious allergic reaction.


3 Allergen-Free Recipes To Get You Started:

Cocoa Coconut Cookies (Wheat-Free, Egg-Free)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup less-fat margarine (a vegan margarine like Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread can be used)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup low-fat milk (soy milk or rice milk can be substituted)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups barley flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup pecan pieces (optional)
1/3 cup coconut, shredded or flaked

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat cookie sheet with canola cooking spray or parchment paper.
   
2. In large mixing bowl, cream together margarine and brown sugar. Slowly pour in the milk and vanilla and beat until blended.
   
3. In medium bowl, combine barley flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda with whisk. Beat into margarine mixture on low speed, blending just until combined. Stir in pecans (if desired) and coconut.
   
4. Using a cookie scoop, place balls of dough on prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes.

Yield: Makes 18 cookies.

Nutrition Information: Per serving: 120 calories, 2 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 3.7 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0.5 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 92 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 28%.

Rice Flour & Whatever Muffins (Wheat-Free and Potentially Milk-Free and Egg-Free)

Ingredients:

1 large egg (or use an egg replacement such as 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed simmered in 3 tablespoons water for 1 minute, then let sit 5 minutes to gel)
1/2 cup liquid of choice (fruit juice, low-fat milk, soy milk, coffee, etc.)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup brown rice flour (white rice flour can be substituted)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries or raspberries, finely chopped apples or peaches, etc.)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line six muffin cups with foil or paper liners, or coat the cups with canola cooking spray.
   
2. In large mixing bowl, combine egg or egg replacement, liquid of choice, sugar, and canola oil, beating on low until smooth.
   
3. In medium bowl, combine brown rice flour, baking powder, and salt. Add all at once to egg mixture and beat on low just until combined. Stir in nuts (if desired) and fruit of choice.
   
4. Divide batter among the prepared muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick or fork inserted in the center of largest muffin comes out reasonably clean.

Yield: Makes 6 muffins

Nutrition Information: Per serving (using a large egg and 3/4 cup blueberries): 187 calories, 4 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 6.5 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 37 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 304 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 31%.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Milk-Free)

I love plain homemade mashed potatoes, but I think I love this variation even more. The roasted garlic flavor is subtle throughout, with roasted garlic cloves sprinkled in. You can do steps 2 and 3 simultaneously to save time. You can also make this a day ahead of when you need it; keep it chilled in the refrigerator, and it can be kept warm in a slow cooker during a holiday meal or warmed up in the microwave.

Ingredients:

2 large heads garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup soy milk (check the label to be sure it doesn't contain milk-based ingredients), rice milk, oat milk, almond milk, or vegetable or chicken broth
4 pounds potatoes, peeled or unpeeled (as desired) and quartered
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice about 1/4-inch off the top of the garlic heads, throw the tops away, and place heads on a piece of foil. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the garlic heads and wrap them well in the foil. Bake until tender and golden, (about 35-45 minutes). Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the skin away from the garlic cloves.
   
2. Add the garlic cloves to a small nonstick saucepan along with the soy milk or broth. Start simmering the mixture over medium heat until soy milk or broth is hot. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pan, and continue to simmer or a few more minutes. Turn the heat off and lift out the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon, place in custard cup, and set aside. Leave the saucepan with soy milk or broth on the stove until needed.
   
3. Place quartered potatoes in a large stockpot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potato pieces in a colander.
   
4. Add hot, steaming, and drained potato pieces directly to a large mixing bowl and beat on low while you slowly pour in the soy milk or broth. Season with salt and pepper if desired and gently stir in the roasted garlic cloves.

Yield: Makes 10 servings

Nutritional Information: Per serving: 202 Calories, 5 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 1.3 g fat, 0.2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 29 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 6%.

[ejdavis06]

Where praytell are the tips for nut and peanut allergy sufferers in this list?