Peanut Allergy-Safe Recipe: Completely Nut-Free and Delicious Pumpkin Bread

With fall upon us, I thought it was time for a heart-warming recipe for a good old-fashioned baked treat that will fill your house with the autumnal scents of pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin-pie spice. Hungry yet? The recipe you see pictured is for a bake sale at school--I'm slicing it up into individual slices and asking top dollar! (Hey, it is a fundraiser.) If you make it, you'll know why I am upping the sale price. It's crazy good and so versatile--it works for breakfast, brunch, snacks, with a cup of tea in the afternoon, you name it!

I customized this recipe from a similiar one I found in the Gourmet Magazine cookbook. One thing I changed was the streusel topping. Unlike many streusel toppings out there, the one I've devised manages to be crunchy and nut-free at the same time. Enjoy!

Nut-Free Pumpkin Spice Bread with Streusel Topping

Topping:
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons dark brown or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, slightly softened

Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 15 oz can of solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Make the topping first:
Blend together flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a small bowl with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

For the bread:
Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray Pam with flour on two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour mixture to large bowl and stir gently until well combined.

Divide batter between loaf pans. Sprkinkle half of topping over each. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean 50-60 minutes.

Cool loaves in pan on wire rack for 45 minutes, then turn out of pan and let cool completely on rack, about one hour.

Wrap well in plastic wrap and foil to keep refrigerated for about a week. Can also be frozen up to one month.

Teacher New to Peanut Allergy? Here's What To Do

I've been hearing from many readers about school-related issues lately and one of the most frequent issues that pops up is dealing with a teacher who has never dealt with nut allergies. This is becoming less frequent of an occurence, but it still happens.

In fact, it happened to our family. My daughter's first grade teacher had been teaching for 20+ years and was a lovely person. However, she had never had a peanut-allergic student. Terror raced through my body when I first spoke to her and got this news. With my daughter being so young, I was especially concerned.

Despite my initial worries, this teacher turned out to be a great supporter of our daughter and the time spent in the class went really well. In fact, the teacher decided to speak of our daughter's allergy to the entire class (with our go-ahead, of course) and she even shared her own medical issues (asthma) with the class. She showed them her inhaler and then discussed Alexandra's Epi Pen. It was only one example of how well she handled the whole thing.

However, I know that teachers new to nut allergies are sometimes completely freaked out by the situation. I've had other adults I've had to help learn about nut allergies and here is what has worked for me.

Discuss symptoms. Many people are afraid they won't recognize an allergic reaction when they see one. Give a list of explicit symptoms to look out for and what steps to take. Food Allergy Emergency Action Plans are a great tool for this. You can find them at the FAAN website.

Emphasize that you are the teacher's partner. Explaining how you will help throughout the school year, either by providing safe treats, volunteering at field trips or pitching in at a party shows you are involved. If you have a busy work schedule and can't always volunteer, checking in before major events for a review is really helpful.

Educate the educator. Some teachers have no idea of the basics of a food allergy so don't leave them in the dark. Refer them to the FAAN website, provide them with brochures from your allergist or feel free to send them to this blog so they can understand what they are dealing with. Every adult I've shared info with has really appreciated getting the knowledge.

Keep the lines of communication open all year. Teachers are human; with all the other kids they have to care for, sometimes they will forget the allergy protocol. Don't assume the worst. If a slip-up occurs, schedule time to discuss the situation in a non-accusatory manner. The teacher wants the school year to go smoothly as much as you do and reminders are something you should anticipate. I've never had only one conversation about food allergies with any of my child's teachers. It's an ongoing discussion.

Now it's your turn. What has (or hasn't) worked for you? Let us know!

Peanut Allergy News: Nut-Free Granola/Snack Bars from Vermont Nut-Free

Recently I was contacted by Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate, one of my all-time favorite nut allergy-friendly companies, about their new granola snack--the Tanabar! This delicious granola bar is 100% peanut- and tree nut-free and when it comes to a granola snack, nut-free is hard to find. I received samples of all three flavors and my kids devoured them! In fact, I had to hide the bar you see in the photo above so that I would have time to get a picture of it for my blog--believe me, it would have been eaten.

The Tanabar comes in three flavors: Wild Berry, Sweet Raisin and Chocolate Chip. The Wild Berry and Sweet Raisin flavors won't melt in the heat so you don't have to order a cold pack to keep them fresh. My kids really loved all three flavors with my oldest leaning towards the chocolate chip (she's a chocoholic). For those of us dealing with allergies besides nuts, please be aware that the Tanabar may contain wheat and soy.

As a parent dealing with nut allergies, it's hard to find snack bars that are safe to send to school for a healthy snack, as a great take-along snack to activities or an after school snack. The Tanabar is the perfect treat for all of these situations. I used to enjoy regular granola bars but haven't bought them for years because of the presence of nuts and peanut flour. I am thrilled to find a snack that is safe for my allergic daughter but that I will also enjoy.

I love Vermont Nut-Free--in fact, my kids are already placing their Halloween orders from VNF! In the meantime, I'm very happy to discover this delicious treat. To help counter the cost, if you "like" the Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate Facebook fan page you can get special discounts. Also, signing up for their e-mail alerts will provide you with consistent discount offers as well. When you place your orders with VNF, be sure to sign up for these alerts. You can get great savings!

Let me know how you enjoy the Tanabar--I wish my samples weren't gone. I could use one right about now!

FTC Note: I was provided with food samples but received no other compensation for this review.

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-Safe School Lunches: My Guest Blog on Sunbutter

As many of you know, I am a recent and devoted Sunbutter fan and had the honor of writing their current Guest Blog. Click the link to read the entire post. In my post, I talk about how Sunbutter makes a Nut-Free Mom's life easier. Does it ever.

Thanks to Sunbutter for letting me share my thoughts with their fans!