Valentine's Day and Food Allergies: A Love Story and Book Giveaway!

Since it's Valentine's Day, it got me thinking about the things we do for love as food allergy parents. Sometimes the things we do are easy, like baking cookies for the class. (OK, sometimes not so easy, I'll grant you.) Or tagging along on our young child's play date, just to be sure they don't have an allergic reaction.

Other things aren't so easy. Anyone who's faced opposition about our child's allergies from the school, resistance from other parents or even family members can attest to that. It's very hard to single out your child and also single out yourself for what many people perceive as requests for "special treatment." It can also be difficult to explain our child's serious medical condition to other people without either coming across as "Debbie Downer" or as too glib. I find myself walking that tight rope constantly--I don't like to dwell on the negatives, but I have to do everything I can to make the people who care for my daughter understand how to help her stay healthy.

It's not easy to watch your child have a severe reaction, undergo uncomfortable medical tests or even be denied a sweet treat that "all the other kids are eating."

Sometimes we get angry when we're not taken seriously. Other times we doubt ourselves--are we doing too much, or not enough?

Not to get all sappy on you here, but if you are a parent who loves your child, you already have everything you need to get through the hard times of caring for a child with a severe food allergy. Love for our child is what keeps us going. A parent's love is the extra ingredient in everything we bake and do. Nothing can surpass it, so remember that the next time you're struggling, as we all do, with food allergy issues.

And speaking of love, here's some love for my wonderful blog readers, a book giveaway! Sloane Miller of the blog "Please Don't Pass the Nuts" will give away one copy of her upcoming book "Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies" to one lucky Nut-Free Mom blog reader. As an adult living with food allergies, Sloane has been a big inspiration to me as I raise my daughter. She is awesome and this book will be, too!

All you have to do to get a chance to win your copy is to post your own food allergy love story in my comments box. It can be about something you've done for your child, something someone else has done, something loving you wish for the allergic person in your life, etc. As long as it's about love and food allergies, it counts! Keep posting your stories on The Nut-Free Mom blog all week for your chance to win. Good luck!

In the meantime, give the food-allergic person in your life an extra a hug and Happy Valentine's Day!

Food Allergy News: Shea Nut and Tree Nut Allergy

I get a lot of questions about shea nut and shea nut butter. This is actually not a "true" tree nut but it does raise a lot of questions for people with tree nut allergies, much like coconut does.

Shea (nut) butter turns up in some candies and other foods. Shea is listed as a possible oil in Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, for example and it used to be an ingredient in Candy Corn Kisses from Hershey. My daughter has not had a problem with shea and has eaten the above candies without incident, but since this is a fairly new ingredient to foods, we are being cautious with it.

I thought I would share this article from Allergic Living magazine that references recent studies finding that shea nut appears to be safe for nut allergies.

Of course, before serving any questionable food to a tree nut-allergic person, always check with your allergist.

Shea nut butter turns up with increasing frequency as an ingredient in lotions, shampoos and body washes. I've had a lot of concern from blog readers about this. Since lotions contain many other chemicals besides shea, if you suspect shea allergy, don't self-diagnose. Check with an allergist--it could be shea or some other ingredient causing the problem.

Click here for Allergic Living's full story on shea nuts.

Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free Holiday Candy...at the Supermarket!!

While doing my errands, Christmas shopping and what have you at SuperTarget and Jewel, I've been researching supermarket-available holiday candy that is safe for people with peanut and tree nut allergies. Besides reading labels, I've called some of these companies for more info. If you have any questions about the following list, I suggest you do the same.

Still, with all the things we have to do, it's nice to know that we can pop out to the supermarket and buy candy that's safe for our nut-allergic kids or for a kid-centric holiday party. I also hope that I've provided a great list to pass on to friends and relatives.

A couple of things before I get to the list: because nut allergies are what I deal with, that is what I focused on here. The best sources for multiple food allergies are generally things available over the Internet such as Divvies. However, a few candy brands found at the supermarket offer holiday treats free of many allergens.

Beware of chocolate. Lots of chocolate is not safe for nut allergies. Regarding Hershey's brand, read the labels. They will list if any allergens are present on production lines and will list allergy warnings if there is any cross-contact risk for particular items. If you need more info from them, please visit their web site.

Please always consider your child's specific needs before giving them any food and ask your doctor what is safe for them. If you have any product questions, call the companies for more info.

Let your comfort level be your guide. If you prefer candies made in allergen-free facilities, then please go with those. There is no sense in worrying about the candy you give your child; candy is supposed to be FUN. However, I hope the following list gives you a few tasty options.

OK, disclaimers are out of the way. Let's get to the candy:

"Bob's" brand peppermint candies including Candy Canes and "Sweet Stripes": made in a facility free of the Top 8 allergens, according to Bob's customer service rep I spoke with today. The customer service rep told me that Bob's brand candies will list allergen info, including possible cross-contact info. If you don't see allergen info, it's because that particular Bob's brand of candy was made in an allergen-free facility.

Exceptions: Bob's Starlight and sugar-free Starlight mints are NOT safe for peanut and tree nut allergies. The rep said they are made in a different plant than the other "Bob's" mints. Their labels will reflect an allergy warning for nuts, among other foods.

Sweet Tarts Holiday Gummies: This brand will list allergen info, including cross-contact info, if any.

Mike & Ike brand Holiday Medley Jelly Beans: Red and green jelly beans, perfect for decorating holiday cakes and for parties.

Life Saver Big Ring Gummies--These are SO cute--they are packaged individually to look like little Christmas wreaths. Allergy note: Check the label if you are shopping for multiple allergies; some Life Saver gummies may contain milk.

Tootsie Roll Candies: All Tootsie Roll candies are made in a tree nut-free, peanut-free facility, right here in the Chicago area, as a matter of fact. They have some great new holiday candies including Candy Cane Pops (pictured above), Frosty Vanilla Midges and Starlight Pops with a Tootsie Roll center. Each holiday candy features festive individual packaging, perfect for parties or gift-giving.

York Peppermint Patty: Always nut-free, but may contain milk.

Junior Mints: Made by the Tootsie Roll company so nut-free; may contain milk or egg.

Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses: Hershey is careful about manufacturing and labeling; past conversations with them confirm that their packaging reflects detailed allergen info, including cross-contact risk due to product lines. Candy Cane kisses do not have a nut allergy warning and according to Hershey reps, are safe for nut allergies.

Starburst and Life Savers Sweet Game Books: I found these at Target. They have fun holiday activity books for young kids along with candies. These are safe for nut allergies; however, both candies have milk allergy warnings.

For all food allergies, Dum Dum suckers and Smarties are free of the Top 8 food allergens. They are always a good standby.

I hope this list gets you started. Readers, what are some of your favorite nut-free or allergy-free holiday candies? Let us know if you can find them at the supermarket!

Peanut Allergy News: Changing Food Labels and a Cupcake Recipe

Do you check the labels of foods, each and every time? Most of us probably do, but when you're used to using a "safe" food, sometimes we don't. Recently, I checked the label of Hostess Cupcakes for my daughter and was surprised to find new tree nut allergy warnings. Of course I wondered if the risk had been there all along and that may be the case. It's difficult to get a straight answer from companies on that one. Another possibility is that they changed their manufacturing practices and are using new production lines or different facilities. This happens more often than you think.

It isn't just Hostess. Whole Foods Brand Organic Ketchup now carries a nut allergy warning. One of my Facebook friends just alerted me that some types of Ragu brand spaghetti sauce now have a nut allergy warning on the label. I checked some Ragu flavors at my local supermarket and didn't see any nut allergy warnings, but you might depending on where you live.

The bottom line is to always read a label! And when providing a "safe foods" list to friends or teachers, be sure you keep a copy for yourself so you can periodically re-check the labels throughout the year. You never know when they will change!

Getting back to cupcakes. I don't usually buy Hostess cupcakes for my daughter since I am pretty much a from-scratch baker due to nut allergy risks of baked goods. Still, kids like to eat what their friends are eating. And though the taste isn't so great, the appearance of Hostess cupcakes and the cream center are a big hit with kids.

Here is a recipe for a cream-filled cupcake that I found in a cookbook years ago and tweaked for my nut-free purposes. This recipe is not something you would make every day but for birthdays or special occasions it is a delicious treat! Please note: The following recipe is nut-free only.

Nut-Free, Cream-Filled Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cream filling:
2 3oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup marshmallow cream (I use Marshmallow Fluff brand)
1 large egg
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Cupcake batter:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process if possible (I use Vermont Nut-Free or Hershey's Dutch Process)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs water
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp white distilled or cider vinegar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Make the filling: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, egg, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Place mixture in freezer while you prepare cupcake batter (or refrigerate for one hour)

Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt, stirring with a whisk to break up any lumps. In another bowl, combine water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Gradually add liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, whisking until completely blended.

Place a tablespoon of batter on each lined muffin cup. Then place a dollop of chilled cream filling (about 1 tablespoon) into each cup. (You may have some filling left over.) Fill cups about 3/4 full with remaining cupcake batter--do not overfill. Bake 25 minutes or until cupcakes look set around the edges. Cool in tins about 15 minutes and then gently lift out of pan and place on wire rack to cool completely. When cool, finish with Fudge Icing.

Fudge Icing:
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Vermont Nut-Free or Hershey's brand) or 4 oz chopped semisweet chocolate (Vermont Nut-Free or Baker's brand)

Place chocolate in bowl. In a saucepan, bring cream to a low boil and then pour over chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts completely and icing is smooth. Cool until slightly thickened and room temperature.

When cupcakes are cool, frost each one with an offset spatula. Let cupcakes stand until frosting firms up.

Is Hershey's Chocolate Nut-Free?

With school in session again, I'm getting a lot of questions about candy and snacks. I thought it was time to revisit my nut-free Hershey chocolate info. A lo fo people want to know "Is Hershey's Chocolate nut free?" Here is a blog that I wrote in the past year:

Like me, a lot of you have probably called Hershey in the past. They have pretty thorough information on their labels, according to the reps I've spoken to and appear to take appropriate safety protocols. For those of you who want a nut-free facility for your chocolates, of course I will plug Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates once again! They have a huge selection of nut-free chocolates including baking chocolate, themed chocolate candies and some delicious new nut-free snacks. They are always my first choice.

Now, on to Hershey: I have used most of the following Hershey's products and they've worked out fine for my severely nut-allergic daughter. However, depending on your situation, they may not work for you. Always check with your doctor if you've got additional questions.

OK, with the disclaimer out of the way, here is the list of Hershey's candies that are currently "safe" for people allergic to tree nuts and peanuts:

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar - regular size 1.5 oz (KING Size or any other size of this bar does have cross contamination)--- this bar is made on a dedicated line 24 hours per day (does contain milk)

Jolly Ranchers - hard candy

Twizzlers - Strawberry (does contain wheat and soy)

York Peppermint Patty (does contain milk)

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses (does contain milk)

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Hershey's Cocoa Powder (for baking)

Check out this link from the FAQS page at Hershey. It confirms what I have been told--if there is any concern about crossover contact, they will have an allergy warning such as "may contains" or "processed on equipment with." If you don't see this type of allergy warning you can then deem the product "safe."

For example, that would mean plain Hershey's milk chocolate kisses are safe for nut allergies. For other varieties--and there are so many--please read the labels carefully. Also, Hershey's semi-sweet baking chips are OK. This is good to know since Nestle, many people's old standyby, are off limits.

Of course, companies can make mistakes so we never have guarantees when purchasing prepared foods from a facility that is not dedicated nut-free. However, kudos to Hershey (located in my husband's hometown!) for taking food allergies seriously. If you have questions about specific allergy needs, you can call Hershey at 1-800-468-1714. Hours are Monday-Friday between 9 and 4 ET.



Peanut Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Cake Mix for Easy Bake Ovens!

As summer winds down (and forced indoors by stifling heat and other bad weather), we've been running out of activities around here. Then, recently, my daughters dug up their Easy Bake Oven and are having a blast making treats.

The baking mixes that come with Easy Bake and other kid ovens normally carry peanut and tree nut allergy warnings, so we have been unable to use those. Luckily, we found a self-published book online that featured "homemade" recipes for "little oven" treats. Besides being nut allergy-friendly, making your own recipes offers your kid without all the chemicals and they're much more affordable, too.

Here is one of my kids favorite recipes--we tweaked it a little from the original and it works great. Store the mix in a cool, dry place and note the yellow cake variation.

Nut-Free Easy Bake Oven Cake Mix
1 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's or Vermont Nut-Free www.vermontnutfree.com)
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight bag or container

To make a cake: Mix 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake mix with 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine and 1/2 a beaten egg (you can also use egg subsitute like Egg Beaters)

Pour into Easy Bake baking pan that's been greased and floured

Bake in mini oven for about 15 minutes.

Use this same basic recipe to make yellow cake mix as well--just leave out the cocoa. I'd add a little vanilla with the wet ingredients for better flavor.

Last Minute Nut-Free Easter Basket Ideas for Food Allergies!

With only days to go until the Easter Bunny is due to arrive, parents of kids with food allergies find themselves unable to just grab a big bag of candy off the shelf and go. We've got to get creative when it comes to Easter Baskets since so much candy and food in general is off-limits at this time of year. There are a few candies for nut allergies out there. For example, this year I discovered Hershey mini eggs are safe. Also, Starburst jelly beans and some Sweet Tarts candies. For candy info, always check the labels. If you have questions about specific items, call the company. You'd be surprised how much this helps get labeling more clear. Keep those calls coming, folks!

But what if you don't want to sugar your kids up for the holiday? Besides the question of food allergies, many families aren't interested in over-feeding their kids tons of sugar. Of course, some candy and sweets at Easter are traditional and fun, but they don't have to be the whole show.

I think it's nice to offer food-allergic kids a balance of safe sweets and non-edible items that celebrate the season of spring.

Here are a few nut-free and allergy-friendly suggestions for last-minute Easter basket filling. Note: most are inedible treats.

- Chocolate dipped fruit (like strawberries). Break out the Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate Chips or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, melt them down and dip some strawberries in the melted goodness. If you stick a lollipop stick in the end, you have chocolate fruit pops. If you don't have Vermont Nut-Free or Enjoy Life chocolate chips in the house, Baker's Brand baking chocolate and some Hershey's baking chocolate is safe for nut allergies (check the labels for other food allergy warnings.) You can buy lollipop sticks at craft stores such as Michael's--look in the Wilton cake baking aisle.

- Kid-sized garden tools. Encourage your kids to help the garden grow with mini shovels, packets of seeds, gardening gloves, even small decorative garden stakes--Target has gnome and frog garden stakes for $3.99. (Of course, for young kids, be careful with the garden stakes). This is a great way to put the focus on spring and growing your own flowers, herbs and vegetables. One note: some gardening mixes may contain peanut or tree nut materials. Check the labels.

- Small books. Mini books about Easter, baby animals or Spring make a great addition to the Easter basket while encouraging reading. We always have included these in our kids' baskets and they are a hit.

- Windup toys. World Market has a great selection of small, inexpensive windup toys for Easter baskets. Kids go crazy for these!

- Easter or Spring-themed pencils and notepads. Target has some wonderful packs of these in their $1.00 section.

Readers, any other favorites? Let us know.

Easy Bake Ovens and Nut Allergies--A Safe Recipe!

I hope everyone had a safe, nut-free holiday season so far. New Year's is next so please keep on being cautious if you're attending parties and gatherings with nut-allergic family members.

I recently received a great question from a blog reader and since many of you may be in the same boat, I wanted to share it. This reader wanted to know what to do about an Easy Bake Oven that her daughter had received for a gift. Many of you may already know that these ready-made mixes have several food allergy warnings including peanuts and tree nuts.

I was in the same situation a few years ago. In fact, my daughter's first Easy Bake Oven and nut allergy diagnosis occurred within months of each other. Back in 2004 when we were new to nut allergies, the Easy Bake mixes did NOT contain any food allergy warnings so we used them. It wasn't too long before the allergy advisory warnings showed up and that definitely put a damper on our mini oven baking!

Luckily, I discovered several cookbooks on Amazon.com (all self-published, I think) that dealt with Easy Bake Ovens and I ordered one--the Baking with Mommy Cookbook by Kristen Joyal. The book is geared towards any kid-sized oven. Even though some of the recipes contained nuts or peanut butter, there were many that didn't or could be altered by leaving out nuts as an ingredient.

Take a spin on Amazon.com--there could be even more of these books by now. In the meantime, here is one of our favorite recipes for homemade Easy Bake chocolate cake mix. The best part is that you make it in large quantities and then store it in a sealable plastic bag. You'll have baking mix whenever you want it and you'll save $$.

I tweaked this from the original recipe and it works great.

Nut-Free Chocolate Cake Mix for Easy Bake Ovens
1 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's or Vermont Nut-Free www.vermontnutfree.com)
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight bag or container

To make a cake: Mix 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake mix with 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine and 1/2 a beaten egg (you can also use egg subsitute like Egg Beaters)

Pour into Easy Bake baking pan that's been greased and floured

Bake in mini oven for about 15 minutes.

Use this same basic recipe to make yellow cake mix as well--just leave out the cocoa. I'd add a little vanilla with the wet ingredients for better flavor.

Now, enjoy those Easy Bake Ovens!

Nut-Free, (Mostly) Allergy-Free Halloween Treat Ideas

Wow, if Target is any indicator, Halloween is like, tomorrow, and Christmas is next weekend! I realized that it's high time I share some nut-free, (mostly) allergy-free Halloween treat ideas that are easy to find anywhere. Of course, there are a few online vendors that I love, but I will get to them in a minute. It's great to have some options to throw in your supermarket cart with the knowledge that it's safe for food-allergic kids.

I found several candy choices that are free of the top 8 allergens and definitely free of peanuts and tree nuts. A lot of the following candies are even available in Halloween-themed snack-sized bags.

While perusing the SuperTarget Halloween candy aisle today I found these "safe" choices: (Important: Please keep in mind that no candy is safe for everyone. Always consider your specific needs and/or call the candy companies if you have additional questions.)


Twizzlers

Skittles

Mike & Ike Jelly Beans

Junior Mints (not safe for all allergies, but safe for nut allergies)

Pez

Tootsie Pops

Carmel Apple Pops (made from the Tootsie Roll company, a completely nut-free facility!)

Life Savers

Starburst

Smarties

Sweet Tarts

Dum Dum Suckers

Dots (including "Candy Corn" Dots and "Bat" Dots)

Ring Pops


I even found "Candy Corn Hershey Kisses" that meet nut-free criteria. My kids LOVE these but these candies are soooo sweet. Hershey labels their candies very well and uses good manufacturing practices, so if there is any cross-contact chance, they will list it. These do not contain any nut allergen warnings at all. They are not dairy-free, however.


While all of the choices above are nut-free, they are certainly not sugar-free and not so great for the kids' teeth. If you'd like to skip edible treats altogether, here are some non-edible Halloween treats to try. Don't forget to tell the class Room Moms and teachers about some of these. I found many of the following items in the Oriental Trading Company catalog--the prices are not bad, either, when you consider how much you spend on candy. Buy in bulk and you'll save $$...just keep leftovers for next year.

Some of my favorites are:


Spider rings (classic!)

Halloween stickers (buy rolls of these and cut them off in segments to pass out at the door)

Halloween pencils

Pumpkin-shaped Ring Pops

Small, Halloween-themed toys


Another thing that I've heard some moms are doing is placing a little stack (5-10) pennies in a little baggie with orange and black ribbon ties. Little kids love to get money so this is a great non-edible idea. Unfortunately older kids won't go for this as much--they'll probably expect an iPod in the little baggie, so use your judgement.


If your allergies are nut only, as always, I recommend Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates. A great variety of Halloween-themed chocolates and jelly beans are available here.

I hope this gets everybody off to a good start and please share your ideas, too!

Hershey's Candy Follow-Up

I got a lot of questions and response from my previous Hershey post regarding the safety of their candies. I understand why--we'd love to have a few more choices at the supermarket for our allergic family members.



Good news, kids. Hershey, at least, has several products that the nut-allergic can use. For all other allergies, check the labels, please. Those of you with milk or dairy allergies should probably stick to Enjoy Life or other dairy-free chocolate brands.



Check out this link from the FAQS page at Hershey. It confirms what I have been told--if there is any concern about crossover contact, they will have an allergy warning such as "may contains" or "processed on equipment with." If you don't see this type of allergy warning you can then deem the product "safe."



So that would mean plain Hershey's milk chocolate kisses are safe for nut allergies--for other varieties--and there are so many--please read the labels carefully. Also, Hershey's semi-sweet baking chips are OK--good to know since Nestle are off limits.



Of course, companies can make mistakes so we never have guarantees when purchasing prepared foods. However, kudos to Hershey (located in my husband's hometown!) for taking food allergies seriously. If you have questions about specific allergy needs, you can call Hershey at 1-800-468-1714. Hours are Monday-Friday between 9 and 4 ET.



I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion!

Allergy-Free Frozen Treat Follow-Up

Whew, it's hot outside and it got me thinking about the feedback I received on a post I did about food allergies and frozen treats.

Many of us must avoid commercial frozen ice creams and treats due to cross-contact concerns or simply because the ingredients--dairy or eggs--may not be compatible with our allergy needs.

Before I offer another dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free frozen treat recipe to try, I just want to say that I loved what author Linda Coss told her dairy-allergic son about the ice cream truck. For those who didn't see her comment, she told her young son that the ice cream truck was "the music truck" and they enjoyed the music together. So clever and creative! If you want to try that line, give Linda all the credit.

For those of us who are nut-free and dairy-free, I discovered a couple of allergy-free dairy replacements that should help boost up the creaminess factor. One is Marshmallow Fluff (this may not be OK for egg allergies, so check the label.) The other is cream of coconut. Coconut is a fruit, so some people may be allergic to it (I'm quickly learning that you can be allergic to just about anything) but having a nut allergy does not usually include coconut. You can find coconut cream in the Asian or Latino aisle of the supermarket. You can cover up some of the coconut taste with cocoa powder or other flavors if your kids don't like it (my picky eaters do like it--go figure). Both of these ingredients can be substituted for soy milk in a recipe, so experiment and of course, post your results! Note: If you have ANY question about ingredients that are safe for you or family members, ask the allergist. In fact coconut was one of the first things I asked my doctor about since I bake with it fairly often.

A word about ice cream makers: buy one. I got a Cuisinart ice cream/sorbet machine for about $50 and it's worth it's weight in gold. Plus, wait until you see how impressed friends and family are when you inform them you made the ice cream yourself. :)

Now, onto the recipe. You do need an ice cream maker for this recipe but if you get one, you'll wonder how you lived without it, especially this time of year.

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Chocolate Ice Cream
Serves 6

Ingredients:
5 cups soy milk
2 cups soy milk powder
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's but Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate also makes a delicious version)
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla (McCormick's brand is safe for nut allergies last time I checked)

To prepare:

1. Combine soy milk, soy milk powder and vinegar in a blender and blend on high until well mixed.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the soy milk mixture with the cocoa powder and sugars and cook until the consistency is thick, like a chocolate pudding. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

3. Chill this mixture in the refrigerator until cold, about one hour. (You can quick-chill by pouring this into a bowl and setting it inside of a larger bowl filled with ice water).

4. Once chilled, pour mixture into an ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions.

5. For best consistency, place the ice cream in a container and chill in the freezer for about 2 hours. Add toppings and enjoy!

Note: for an even creamier texture, substitute some of the soy milk for Marshmallow Fluff or coconut cream, according to your dietary needs.

Anyone else have some good nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free frozen treat recipes? Or how about soy-free as well? I bet Kelly at Food Allergy Mama at least one! How about the rest of you? I'll share some more of my own and my reader's best recipes as the summer continues.

Recipe of the Month: Nut-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake!

I neglected to offer a recipe of the month for February and the month is almost over. So here it is, an egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free chocolate cake. I've tried this before and it is delicious, esp. served warm.

This cake recipe comes from one of my daughter's "American Girl" books about Molly, the WWII-era American Girl.

Due to butter and egg rations during the war, the book offers this recipe for what they call "Wacky Cake." It's named this way because of the unusual way that it's mixed, not because of the ingredients.

This would be fun to make with a child, (as I plan to do later today). If you wanted to make the recipe gluten-free, you could substitute non-wheat flours. Any gluten-free readers want to chime in on your preferred wheat-free, nut-free flours?

Here's the recipe: Nut-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake (Wacky Cake)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour (substitute wheat-free flour if you like)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Measure your dry ingredients into the pan and use a whisk to blend them together.

Use a spoon to make 1 large crater and 2 small craters in the dry mix.

Pour vegetable oil into the large crater. Pour vinegar into one of the small craters. Pour vanilla extract into the other small crater. Pour water into the pan.

Using a wooden spoon, gently mix everything together until you can see only a few streaks of flour.

Bake cake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. (Tip: always under bake and check it for doneness--this is a lot better if it's not too "dried out.")

Cool the cake completely and dust with confectioner's sugar. If you like, serve it with ice cream, whipped cream, dairy-free whipped topping or other dairy-free extras.