Gluten, egg, dairy free families out there?

[oceanfamily]

Hi there,

looking for other families out there that can't have gluten, dairy and eggs in their diet. What's your favorite simple recipes that you make? Especially with breakfast and lunch!

[Tussiemussies]

Hi ocean, right now I am in the . Midst of going vegan. There are a lot of egg and dairy free recipes out there. I joined a vegan group on FB and they post recipes...Just a thought...

[lessisbest]

Check your local library for cookbooks on the subject. Some of my favorites:
--The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry – by Elana Amsterdam (recipes also at her web site: www.elanaspantry.com)
--Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet – by Erica Kerwien
--Gluten, Wheat & Dairy Free – a “Love Food” Parragon book

You can usually use an egg substitute (chia seed gel or flaxseed “goop”) as a substitute in most recipes that call for 1-2 eggs. Nut milk, coconut milk, rice milk or oat milk as a substitute for dairy milk. I make my own milk substitutes to save money and to eliminate unnecessary ingredients – as well as to control the amount of the milk substitute. For convenience I also keep powdered coconut milk from Wilderness Family Naturals in my pantry (just add water – and it is less expensive than canned coconut milk). I use reconstituted coconut milk to make coconut kefir (which is similar to yogurt), as well as coconut yogurt. You can also make coconut milk with unsweetened coconut and water in a blender, and then strain it in a nut milk bag and use the remaining pulp for gluten-free coconut flour. I also use the pulp from making almond milk for almond flour (and you can do the same with any nut). With raw coconut pulp or nut pulp, after making milk, I make gluten-free cookies, crackers, “cereal”, etc. in the dehydrator. Some unusual places to find recipes would include: Paleo, Low-Carb, and Raw Foods. Vegans often use coconut oil as a bread spread substitute for butter. I mix coconut oil with peanut butter, or with honey.

-Gluten-Free Granola is a useful pantry staple that is easy to make and you will find any number or recipes on-line. We use it as a topping on fruit (instead of making a gluten-free pastry), on homemade coconut milk kefir (really yummy stuff!!!) or you can use commercial coconut milk yogurt, and as a breakfast cereal. For dessert last night I heated a “dab” of butter (coconut oil would also work), frozen pineapple chunks (canned or fresh will also work), and cinnamon for a few minutes - until heated through - and served it topped with granola.

I use this recipe for my apple pie-loving hubby and serve top it with granola:
ORANGE SAUCED APPLES
3 T. brown sugar (I use coconut palm sugar)
1 T. cornstarch
¼ t. nutmeg (or Apple Pie Spice)
¾ c. orange juice (I’ve also used orange/pineapple, apple juice or cider)
3-4 cooking apples, thinly sliced (with or without peel – your choice)
Optional: Add a handful of raisins or currants.
In a small pan, combine sugar, cornstarch, spice and juice; blend well. Stir in apple slices (and raisins, if using). Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes until apple slices are tender and the sauce is thickened.

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA
(This is a recipe I made for our kids when they were little.)
Melt together: 2 T. coconut oil (or vegetable oil), 1/3 c. peanut butter, 1/3 c. honey (agave nectar or coconut nectar will also work for a low-glycemic option)
Add: ½ t. vanilla and ¼ t. salt
Add the syrup mixture to 3 c. oatmeal
Mix together and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 10-minutes, or until lightly browned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NUTOLA
(This is my original recipe for anyone who loves nuts.)
1/8 c. sesame seeds (OR buckwheat groats or kasha.)
½ c. walnuts
½ c. cashews
½ c. pecans
½ c. almonds
½ c. sunflower seeds (raw, sprouted, or dry roasted)
½ c. unsweetened coconut flakes (I like the wide ribbons of coconut for this recipe)
2 c. old-fashioned oatmeal (quick oats will also work)
Mix together in a large container or bowl.

In a glass 1-cup measuring cup or small bowl mix together:
3 T. coconut oil (melted)
¼ c. agave nectar (or honey or coconut nectar)
2 T. maple syrup


Add liquid ingredients to the nut/oatmeal mixture and stir to coat mixture evenly. Place ingredients on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 300°F preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon every 10-minutes. Cool and keep refrigerated in an airtight container.


Another family favorite: I often make this recipe to add to Christmas Food Baskets.
CLUMPY GRANOLA - http://www.cookiemadness.net/2006/11/clumpy-granola/

The next two recipes are great for a portable breakfast:
BLUEBERRY COCONUT PECAN BREAKFAST COOKIES - http://www.cookiemadness.net/2006/11/clumpy-granola/

GOJI BERRY ENERGY BARS - http://citronlimette.com/recipe_arch...energy-bars-2/
[note: I use ¼ c. palm syrup instead of ½ c. agave nectar]

I just found this recipe yesterday and plan to make it next week:
BREAKFAST BLUEBERRY-OATMEAL CAKES - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/br...eal_cakes.html
Just use a milk substitute.

A friend gave me this recipe and I’ve modified it to use 1 banana and make it almost every week:
SUPER SIMPLE BANANA COOKIES
(Makes 12 small cookies.)

1 ripe banana
1 c. quick oats
¼ -½ c. dried fruit (We like chopped dates, chopped apricots – snip them into ¼-inch cubes with kitchen scissors, dried blueberries, cherries or cranberries…. I also will add 2 T. mini-chocolate chips and 2 T. chopped nuts or cacao nibs.)
2 T. melted coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
½ t. vanilla
pinch of salt
Break the ripe banana into 5-6 pieces and add it to the bowl. With a hand-held electric mixer, beat the banana until there are no longer any chunks (or mash the banana with a fork). Add the coconut oil, salt and vanilla. Mix well. By hand, add remaining ingredients and stir well to blend. Allow mixture to set to thicken a little while the oven preheats. I use a #50 portion scoop, or about 2 tablespoons of the mixture per cookie. With your fingers, press the dough into a round that is about ¼-inch thick. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 25-minutes, or until lightly browned. You can bake them 23-minutes for chewy cookies or 27-minutes for a more crispy cookie.

QUINOA PANCAKES - http://thecoconutmama.com/2010/07/quinoa-pancakes-2/
(Use an egg substitute, like chia seed gel or flaxseed “goop”. Note: I added ½ T. of coconut flour to the recipe. Works best if you make small pancakes – up to 3-inches – and cook slowly over low to medium heat. In fact, that works best for most gluten-free pancakes.

Lunch is usually leftovers or things found in the freezer like tuna or salmon patties, black bean burgers, soup/stew/chili. Lettuce wraps instead of sandwiches using bread. I make a mini-pizza on a corn tortilla in a pan on the stove-top in 4-7 minutes, and you could use a cheese substitute or leave the cheese off entirely and be just fine. Black Bean Taco Salad or Taco Salad made with seasoned ground turkey or homemade chili. Fried Rice (and you can use any kind of meat and I always leave the egg out). Top ½ a baked potato with homemade chili. LOTS of salads – BLT Salad instead of a BLT sandwich, tuna/salmon salad, potato salad…. I use gluten-free pasta occasionally, but not in the quantity most people use it. If I make a pasta salad I will use 1/3 cup of dry pasta (cooked) and loads of vegetables. Tabouli made with quinoa instead of wheat. Hummus and gluten-free chips or crackers. My favorite lunch is a handful of almonds, stalk (or two) of celery, and an apple. By the time you finish chewing that, you’re full.

[oceanfamily]

Wow! So blown away by your post! Such lovely info! We were told about 4 years ago that our children have these food allergies and I have a couple of them. I really am curious as to how many others on this forum have similar allergies. Maybe we could have a little support group of our own here.

[Kestra]

There are several of us who are gluten intolerant, myself included. I'm also almost vegetarian but luckily can eat dairy and eggs. I started eating more eggs when I found out I couldn't eat gluten so that I'd have more options for nutrition, especially when travelling. And I've been eating a bit of fish recently, for nutritional reasons. So no longer completely vegetarian.
But it sounds like your family eats meat so that makes it a bit easier.

[lessisbest]

oceanfamily-

I thought of another cookbook title. Our daughter is a school psychologist and she suggested this book when we first went gluten-free because many of her parents of autistic students found it useful. I located it at the public library and copied out several recipes. The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook - The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet. Great information - like how to make nut milk and how to make it into nut yogurt. Many recipes include eggs, but egg substitutes can easily be used in those recipes, for the most part. I don't like to replace more than 2 eggs in a recipe with a substitute, or I'll use more than one type of substitute.

I learned early in life about food allergies. My mother had Celiac disease and was allergic to eggs. She figured it out herself while reading about it in a book. Back then (1980's) her doctor wasn't much help. You should be glad you have all the food choices we have now to contend with your dietary changes. Back then there wasn't much to go on. As it turns out, my sister, her daughter and I are gluten sensitive and have benefited greatly from going gluten-free.

I didn't realize how many eggs I use until I started going through my recipes, but I'll start making them with egg substitutes and post those that work best. The easiest thing to do is to concentrate on is whole foods, which are better for us in the long run. What recipes have you found to be successful for you and what kinds of things are you specifically looking for?