Baking With Your Hands Tied Behind Your Back : Food Allergies. What Can Be Done?

[Baker Man]

Hello friends, I am in serious need of a place to discuss recipes which cater to those of us that cannot eat some of the more basic ingredients of baked goods due to allergies. I hope this is the place.

I am currently dealing with a limited budget making tasty treats for people with various allergies, myself included.

I'm allergic to most fruits and nuts. My wife is allergic to mango and pineapple. My in-laws are lactose intolerant and suffer from wheat and gluten allergies.

I love to bake and I love these people and I am dirt poor right now. I'm hoping you fine folks might be able to share some recipes that either don't incorporate these food types, or provides alternatives to those ingredients.

If I had the money, I'd bake each of us our own thing, but I just can't afford it and I don't want to leave anyone out.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[monkeyboots]

Hi,
Well, I hope you like challenges! I would get the Babycakes Bakery cookbook http://www.amazon.com/BabyCakes-Gluten-Free-Sugar-Free-Recipes-Talked-About/dp/0307408833 (at the library!) and also this one about allergy free baking http://www.amazon.com/Allergen-Free...d_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Y3J6WRXX28RCJJQYWQR
You will probable have to do a little tweaking and fruit-elimination, but it's a good place to start.
I will also research some good blogs and put the links here,too.
Happy restrictive baking!

 

[monkeyboots]

Well, here is a list of 25 blogs that focus on food allergies.
http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/top-food-allergy-blogs-2011
Yes, they are 'mom' blogs.

 

[Becky]

How about coconut? This is one of my favourite recipes, and I have substituted the butter for coconut oil to make it vegan in the past and it has worked fine:
Coconut cream cake

Can you eat pecans and dates? If so you've got to try this brownie recipe!
Raw vegan brownies

 

[H.C. Heartland]

My husband and I have been doing more with rice - rice milk, rice flour, and just plain rice. There are so many awesome Indian recipe's out there. My husband was not a believer but once you fill your kitchen with the aroma of ground garlic, cloves, cumin, and other spices, you can't help yourself to salivate. We have a made a lot of different dishes included baked things. Here is a site that might help if you find yourself wanting to experiment with this type of cuisine: http://simpleindianrecipes.com/ricevarieties.aspx Most of these are very cost effective and I cannot emphasis how DELICIOUS! They are...I'm hungry now. Great.

 

[Baker Man]

Hi,
Well, I hope you like challenges! I would get the Babycakes Bakery cookbook http://www.amazon.com/BabyCakes-Gluten-Free-Sugar-Free-Recipes-Talked-About/dp/0307408833 (at the library!) and also this one about allergy free baking http://www.amazon.com/Allergen-Free...d_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Y3J6WRXX28RCJJQYWQR
You will probable have to do a little tweaking and fruit-elimination, but it's a good place to start.
I will also research some good blogs and put the links here,too.
Happy restrictive baking!

Thanks so much, monkeyboots. I'm always up for a challenge. Thanks a lot for putting me on the path.

Well, here is a list of 25 blogs that focus on food allergies.
http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/top-food-allergy-blogs-2011
Yes, they are 'mom' blogs.

Nothing wrong with "mom" blogs. I've picked up more than a few tips and tricks from the moms I've known in my life.

Thanks for the links!

 

[Baker Man]

How about coconut? This is one of my favourite recipes, and I have substituted the butter for coconut oil to make it vegan in the past and it has worked fine:
Coconut cream cake

Can you eat pecans and dates? If so you've got to try this brownie recipe!
Raw vegan brownies

I can't eat regular coconut, but I'm pretty sure I can drink the oil, milk and water from coconuts. Thanks for the recipe! I can't have it but I think it's something my wife and her mom might like.

We have a new supermarket in our area with the most amazing produce department I've ever seen. This recipe will give me the excuse to go there again to grab some coconut. The last time I went, I was in the market for an hour and half.

Polenta in a coconut cream cake? Now I've seen everything!

I can't have pecans and I don't know about dates. I've never tried them. I'll still give that recipe a whirl though. Again, my aforementioned wife and mother-in-law will probably love it. Mostly because my wife will finally get to say I told you so for all the times I've asked, "Why do we have agave again?"

Thanks so much, Becky!

 

[Baker Man]

My husband and I have been doing more with rice - rice milk, rice flour, and just plain rice. There are so many awesome Indian recipe's out there. My husband was not a believer but once you fill your kitchen with the aroma of ground garlic, cloves, cumin, and other spices, you can't help yourself to salivate. We have a made a lot of different dishes included baked things. Here is a site that might help if you find yourself wanting to experiment with this type of cuisine: http://simpleindianrecipes.com/ricevarieties.aspx Most of these are very cost effective and I cannot emphasis how DELICIOUS! They are...I'm hungry now. Great.

Oh wow, site favorited. My wife has been longing for an Indian restaurant we used to go to on the west coast. Perhaps it's time I try my hand at some menu replication.

At the very least, I'll be able to broaden my cooking horizons I bit. So far, I've only prepared American, Irish, and Italian foods.

Thank you very much, H.C. Heartland. If I don't screw up one of these recipes too badly, I'll let you know how it went.

 

[Kitty Reeves]

My mother has an insane amount of allergies, and the one cook book that I loved to use was "My Kids Are Allergic To Everything!". I've forgotten the authors name, but I remember cooking a good amounts of things using the recipes from that book, that my mother could safely eat. At lot of times, making as recipe safe for all is as simple as either leaving out or switching ingredients. For instance, my mother was allergic to peanut butter and chocolate, but loved peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins. So, I changed the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and and the chocolate chips for carob chips. Was it identical to the original? Heck no. Was it still delicious in it's own way? Heck YES!

 

[Baker Man]

My mother has an insane amount of allergies, and the one cook book that I loved to use was "My Kids Are Allergic To Everything!". I've forgotten the authors name, but I remember cooking a good amounts of things using the recipes from that book, that my mother could safely eat. At lot of times, making as recipe safe for all is as simple as either leaving out or switching ingredients. For instance, my mother was allergic to peanut butter and chocolate, but loved peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins. So, I changed the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and and the chocolate chips for carob chips. Was it identical to the original? Heck no. Was it still delicious in it's own way? Heck YES!

Is that the book by Mary Harris? I'll have to see if I can find it out here because from I've seen of her website, this book could really help us. The gluten free orange cookie recipe Mary shows on her site seems interesting and maybe worth giving a try.

Thankfully, we don't have anyone with a chocolate allergy. I don't know what I'd do if I had to worry about that. I love chocolate and I'm afraid that I'd have to tell that person, "You're on your own."

Thank you so much for you help Kitty!