Dairy-Free Christmas Baking Book

The other night I served cookies for dessert. My husband bit into one, paused, and said, "Is this for review?"

That should give you an idea of how many new foods and products we've been trying out lately. I want to hurry up and tell you about all of them so that you can give them as gifts or add them to your own wish lists! (The cookies weren't for review, but Scott did like them.)



Several weeks ago, I shamelessly requested a review copy of Kelly Rudnicki's cookbook, and she graciously provided a copy for me to review for Go Dairy Free. If you're looking for a cookbook gift, I can't recommend Kelly's The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book: Great Dairy-, Egg-, and Nut-Free Treats for the Whole Family highly enough. It is my favorite kind of cookbook: dairy-free (and egg- and nut-free), easy to follow with lots of great tips for food allergy parents, filled with beautiful photos of the food and her (four, soon to be five!) children, and calling for no obscure, hard to find ingredients. One photo in the book pictures the ingredients Kelly uses the most, and Scott said, "That looks like our fridge!"

The recipes are fantastic. Here's just a sampling:
Apple House Cinnamon Doughnuts
French Puff Muffins
Italian Fruited Jam Tart
Dairy-Free Classic Cheesecake
Key Lime Pie
Classic Yellow Birthday Cake
Chocolate-Soy Nut Butter Candies
Caramel Corn
Cranberry Bread
Whole-Wheat Waffles
Bakery-Style Bagels
Gingerbread Kids
No-Nut Russian Teacakes
Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies
Cutout Sugar Cookies

I'm currently obsessed with the Emerald Isle Coffee Cake, based on her mother's recipe. Mmm... cinnamon.... OK, forget it. You need to go buy a copy right nowfor all of your holiday baking. Trust me.

This review was written for Go Dairy Free.

Lunchtime

Who receives a copy of Vegan Lunch Box Around the Worldto review and makes Beet Salad as her first recipe from the cookbook? That would be me. Because people want to know about the beet recipes! Or because you all have taught me to love beets, and this is the best pickled beet recipe I've tried. (The secret? Ground caraway seeds.)

Since then, I've used several of Jennifer McCann's fabulous international lunch ideas and have fallen utterly in love with her Boston Brown Bread Muffins. I am always especially interested in vegan baked goods, as adding meat to main dishes isn't an issue for us, but baking with dairy sure is. As Beck said when asked about lunch ideas, "...I generally just look at old Vegan Lunch Box posts for ideas, substituting 'pot roast' for 'tofu,' of course." Exactly.

My only complaint about Vegan Lunch Box Around the Worldis passages like this, "One of the biggest shocks I had when I first turned vegetarian was discovering where gelatin came from: the boiled bones, skins, and tendons of animals. Yuck!"

Yes, it's gross. Yes, authors are entitled to their own food choices and being able to write their books the way they want. But I think there are ways to put forth one's ideals without making some non-vegans *cough*my husband*cough* feel defensive and turning them off of a great book of recipes.

I've been a fan of Jennifer's blog for years. She inspired us to buy the Laptop Lunch system. Once I experienced her second cookbook in person, I used a little birthday cash to buy myself the first Vegan Lunch Box, too.

This review was written for Go Dairy Free.

Coffee Mug Cakies

Image courtesy of Gluten-Free Essentials

I am a sucker for gift baskets and gift sets, especially ones people put together themselves. This is one of the reasons I was happy to receive samples of Gluten-Free Essentials' Hug in a Mug cakes. Wee little gluten-free and dairy-free mug cakies!

The cakes come in two chocolate varieties and two spice cake varieties. Chocolate Craving and Spice of Life are sweetened with sugar, and Chocolate De Lite and Spice De Lite are sweetened with Fructevia. You add one egg and 2 T applesauce to the cake mix, mix well, and microwave it in the mug.



Our family preferred the sugar-sweetened varieties to the Fructevia ones, and Chocolate Craving was our favorite flavor. One cake is big enough for two to three people to share. The texture of the cakes is the texture of a low-fat cake. DO NOT think that you can fix this by replacing the applesauce with oil. Ahem.

I think these are cute for gift baskets, Halloween treats, stocking stuffers, or to mail to a GF/DF college student. They would also be handy to take to a family function if you're not sure what the desserts will be. "Aunt Carol, may I please borrow an egg and some applesauce?" But, they are $3.99 a piece! If I wanted to make a dairy-free mug cake at home, I would alter a recipe like this one, and if I wanted to make a gluten-free mug cake at home, I would try this recipe.

Ingredients:
Chocolate Craving: Sorghum flour, rice flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, guar gum, corn starch, baking powder, salt.

Spice of Life: Sorghum flour, rice flour, sugar, baking soda, guar gum, corn starch, baking powder, salt, spices.

Chocolate De Lite: Sorghum flour, rice flour, Fructevia, cocoa, baking soda, guar gum, corn starch, baking powder, salt.

Spice De Lite: Sorghum flour, rice flour, Fructevia, baking soda, guar gum, corn starch, baking powder, salt, spices.

This review was written for Go Dairy Free.

Tears of Joy

So it's Thursday of the first week of school, and things are going well. Katherine is off to a great start, and she hasn't heard any other children complain about the new food allergy policies. Eli came bounding out of preschool on Tuesday announcing, "I have a good day at school!" And he didn't shed any tears on day two of preschool (today). Helen is adjusting to being alone with Mama.

Mama, on the other hand, has been weeping at the drop of a hat. Or the turn of a page, as it were. Oh hai. Has you met Gina Clowes' book, One Of The Gang: Nurturing the Souls of Children with Food Allergies? Well, buckle up, Buttercup, and grab your Kleenex. Remember when we were all talking about what a good children's book about allergies would look like? It's here, and its name is One of the Gang.


Do you know the Mister Rogers First Experiences series of books on divorce, when a pet dies, potty training, etc.? I love these books and have used them for many a parenting milestone. They have a calm, confidence-building tone, and they show photographs of real children going through the situation being discussed. (Yes, Amazon reviewers, some of the nice people in the photos are wearing dated clothing from the 80s. Listen to me: kids don't care. Never once has my child said, "Wow, I could really relate to these people if only they weren't wearing blouses with big bows at the neck and tinted eyeglasses with initial stickers on them.") One of the Gang has the same gentle, empowering tone as these books, if not the retro fashion sense. I think Family Communications should publish it.

One Of The Gang starts with a brief discussion of how children are different from one another, then moves into a specific discussion of food allergies and the struggles and emotions that go along with them. The book is addressed to children with allergies, but I think other children could learn from it, too. Then--genius. Gina writes that food allergies won't stop you from being what you want to be, and she includes photos of famous people who have food allergies, such as Jerome Bettis and Dr. Robert Wood. She ends by writing, "You are here for a very special purpose! I wonder what it is."

*Cue Parental Crying*

Here is what I think is most important about this book. More than any other allergy book we have read, this book prompted discussions about the emotions that go along with being a child with a food allergy. Katherine talked a lot about the page that says, "You might wish that you didn't have food allergies and that you could eat whatever you wanted." Her favorite photo is one of happy children eating ice pops, with the caption, "When other grown-ups bring treats that are safe for you, it's terrific!"

I am so grateful for this book. Thank you, Gina.

One Of The Gang: Nurturing the Souls of Children with Food Allergiesis available on Amazon for $15.29.


This review was written for Go Dairy Free.

A La Mode

Remember when I said I was going to start inventing and making homemade snacks? Well, I was half right. I've been making a lot of homemade snacks--using other people's recipes. Why reinvent the wheel when other people have already written wonderful recipes for granola and granola bars and now... vegan ice cream.



I had the chance to read and cook from Hannah Kaminsky'snewest ebook, A La Mode, and it is wonderful. I made the Jam Ice Cream because we have tons of homemade jam on hand. It turned out beautifully--creamy and delicious. Katherine said it's better than Tofutti's Wild Berry Supreme, and even Scott liked it. True confessions: the raspberry jam I used was from a batch that didn't set up quite right but was perfect for ice cream flavoring.

While some of the recipes have slightly complex ingredient lists, others are very simple. The Jam Ice Cream has just three ingredients! I used our small gel canister ice cream maker, which was cheap as ice cream makers go. I think we're going to save a lot of money--and have fun creating our own signature flavors--with the help of Hannah's cookbook.

The recipes are:
Birthday Cake Ice Cream
Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream
Chai Latte Ice Cream
Cherry Cola Ice Cream
French Vanilla Ice Cream
German Chocolate Ice Cream
Jam Ice Cream
Maple-Pecan Ice Cream
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ice Cream
Peanut Butter Bomb Shell Ice Cream
Peppermint Crush Ice Cream
Rose Petal Ice Cream
White Peach-Rosemary Ice Cream
plus variations on several of them

You can download this cookbook instantly for $5. Not a bad deal, huh?

This review written for Go Dairy Free.

Bibliotherapy

This is supposed to be a book review for Go Dairy Free, but I think it turned into a bizarre trip through my psyche. Enjoy!

First, the review in as positive a way as I could write it, ie. the part Alisa might actually want to publish:

***
I received a copy of Hold the Cheese Please!: A Story for Children About Lactose Intolerance the other day. It was written by Dr. Frank J. Sileo, a psychologist who is lactose intolerant. The accompanying press release says that this book is "the first and only book written for children about lactose intolerance." Sileo's previous children's book, Toilet Paper Flowers, is "the first illustrated book for children with Crohn's disease."

Hold the Cheese Please! tells the story of a lactose intolerant child named Danny who is teased by a classmate and then eats dairy to prove he can. He becomes ill. Then he and the school nurse teach his class about being lactose intolerant.

The press release states that this book is for children ages 6-12, but I'm not sure about that. I think some of it might be a bit over the heads of six-year olds, and I think the way Danny handles the bully in his class might not work for older children. Also, I don't think the way Danny speaks is true to life. Still, I am glad to see that there is now a book available about lactose intolerance. I think this book will be most effective for children who are lactose intolerant, rather than for their classmates.

In the notes to parents, Sileo makes the distinction between lactose intolerance and dairy allergies. I wish he had done the same in the text of the book. When the nurse is explaining lactose intolerance to the class, she says, "You cannot catch it from someone and people do not die from it." That would be the perfect place to insert a sentence about dairy allergies, which people often confuse with lactose intolerance, because people can and do die from it.

Hold the Cheese Please! is published by Health Press.



***

OK, so I tried to be glass half full about this book as much as I could, especially because it is apparently the ONLY book for children about lactose intolerance. I am glad that there is now a book for LI children. I am sorry that it is poorly written. However, I know my dairy-allergic daughter enjoys reading books about dairy allergies, even when her father and I find them to be a little heavy on the medical side of things.

To me, the text of No Cheese seems very fake and forced. Observe the text of the first page:
"Hi. My name is Danny. I love to play sports, especially baseball. My team won the championship last season. My best buddy is Jimmy. We do a lot of fun things together. One thing that I would really like to tell you about is my condition called lactose intolerance. You may be thinking, 'What's that?' Maybe you have it too? Let me tell you about lactose intolerance and my story."

What child talks like that? 'Danny' and 'Jimmy'? Is this 1955? I liked reading books about girls with glasses who liked to write when I was little. I understand the theory of bibliotherapy. I guess I just wish there were more and better choices out there than what currently exists. Perhaps a series about a main character who just happens to have an allergy or intolerance, where it is just a part of his or her life. And yet, much like when my children help clean the house, I hesitate to criticize because at least someone tried, right?

The bully in the story steals Danny's soy milk and calls him "soy boy." Later on, Danny says to the bully, "'I accept your apology Alex. [sic] I just wish you weren't so mean to everyone. Just like I have to take care of my lactose intolerance, you have to stop being so mean to other people,' I said.
Alex nodded and walked away."

In real life, would that not earn Danny a punch in the face?

I know there are bullies in school. I know that children get made fun of for their differences. I just don't know if this is the best way to tell them how to handle it.

Also, while I understand that LI is a real medical concern, you CAN'T die from it, and kids can be easily confused. My daughter, Katherine, also has a lactose intolerant girl in her class who describes herself as "allergic" yet occasionally eats dairy. My biggest fear is that people won't take K.'s allergy seriously because this other girl has the 'same thing' yet can eat dairy, so why can't Katherine? I cannot tell you the number of times she has been offered lactose-free food because people think it is safe. Lactose intolerance and dairy allergy are NOT the same thing. I really think this book should have devoted at least a sentence or two to that very important distinction, especially since Sileo saw fit to put that information in the notes to parents.

We live in a small town where many of Katherine's classmates have known her since preschool. They all know about and understand her allergy and don't think twice about it. On the field trip last week, all of the class took extra special care of K. and her peanut-allergic friend, N. One of her friends said "Ew," about the celery sticks in K's lunch once, but no one has ever teased her or N. about their allergies or their allergen-free foods.

Do you have stories about your kids being teased for their allergies or lactose intolerance? Do you think reading a book like this one to their classes would help? If your children don't have allergies or intolerances, does reading about them help them understand those who do?

Do we praise these books for existing or criticize them for being poorly written? Or both? I really don't know. What do you think?

Kids Can Cook

I bought my first canister of nutritional yeast at the health food store the other day. Because I am Crunchy Granola. It should last a long time, though.

Why did I buy nutritional yeast? Because it is a widely-used cheese (flavor) substitute. And because I wanted to try a cheese sauce from Kids Can Cook: Vegetarian Recipes by Dorothy R. Bates. This is a vegetarian/vegan cookbook with lots of old favorites in it: Cocoa Pudding Cake, Magic Coconut Pie, Blueberry Muffins, Monkey Pull Apart Bread, Vegetable Soup, etc. There are also some easy vegan recipes like Tofu Pot Pie and Melty Cheeze Sauce. Almost all of the ingredients in the easy-to-follow recipes can be found at any grocery store, and the recipes are kid friendly. We're very happy with this cookbook and have been using it frequently since it arrived last week. My only complaint is that the recipes calling for tofu ("Toofuuu!") don't indicate what variety (soft, firm, extra firm) is best. Also, the black and white photos of kids cooking are quite dark and hard to see, if you care about that sort of thing.

Melty "Cheeze" Sauce from Kids Can Cook

"Mix in a 1-quart saucepan
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 c. cornstarch
2 T. flour
1 t. salt

Whisk in:
2 c. water
1/2 c. canola oil
1 t. wet mustard

Cook and stir until the sauce thickens and bubbles. It will get thicker as it cooks and can be thinned down with a little more water."

We served this sauce with a dinner of ham, broccoli, and baked potatoes. The kids liked it; Scott thought it needed more flavor. I might add a little cayenne or something next time.



This review was written for Go Dairy Free.

My Sweet Vegan

I love cookbooks and cooking. So do my husband and dairy-allergic daughter. Since Katherine is just learning to read, she is especially drawn to cookbooks with color photos. At age seven, she knows that while they may look good, many of the foods in our cookbooks are not safe for her to eat. She cheerfully comes up with substitution suggestions, and Scott and I try to figure out how to make dairy-laden recipes safe for her.


Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling

When I received a copy of My Sweet Vegan in the mail this past weekend, it was so much fun to hand it to Katherine and say, "All of these recipes are dairy free. Which one do you want to make first?" Katherine looked at the beautiful, full-color photos of rich and creamy and chocolate-y and caramel-y desserts and said, "ALL of them? I can eat them all?"


Silken Chocolate Mousse Cake

Yes, you can, Katherine. And so can the egg allergic and vegans. You can all enjoy Whoopie Pies and Bananas Foster Cake and Pumpkin Pecan Pie. Katherine and Scott chose a dessert to make--Chai "Cheese" Cake, and I was sent to the store for Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and tofu. She can't wait to make something else, and we can't wait to help her.


Caramel Macchiato "Cheese" Cake

A few of the ingredients are a challenge for us to find in our small town right now, such as brown rice syrup and dairy-free soy yogurt. But we are working on it, and since we are not vegans or allergic to eggs, we can use ingredients like honey and eggs (and dairy-free sour cream) if we're stuck.

At just $15.61 on Amazon for a 184-page cookbook with a full-color photo of each and every recipe, I think this is a great gift idea for the dairy-allergic, or egg-allergic, or vegan person on your list.
My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

Written for Go Dairy Free.

Abby the Alley Cat

As I've mentioned before, children's books about allergies--especially dairy allergies--are not very common. Children's books about allergies that my kids actually enjoy reading are even more rare. So I am pleased that they like Abby the Alley Cat: Staying Safe From Dairy! by Myronie and Sam McKee. First-grader Katherine finds the Seuss-esque rhyme scheme and repeating refrain ("Staying safe from dairy is my goal/So I will not touch it with a 10-foot pole!") easy to read, and two-year-old Eli likes the cute drawings by illustrator Adi Rom. I like the positive, upbeat message and the allergy-related information for parents included in the back of the book.

In addition to the book, there is also a video available for purchase. It is done in a Reading Rainbow style; the narrator reads the story while the camera pans in and out over the book's illustrations.

At $12.99 for the book ($11.66 currently on Amazon), the price is steep, but I would recommend Abby the Alley Cat for allergic children, especially those with dairy allergies. The video download is $2.99. And, according to the authors' website, 10% of the profits go towards helping children with food allergies.

This review was written for Go Dairy Free.

Buy This Book

People often ask me what resources I recommend to learn more about food allergies. Of course I mention the many wonderful online resources, but for a print one, I recommend Food Allergies for Dummies. Not because I think the people asking are dummies, of course, but because it is such a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about food allergies. The author, Dr. Robert Wood, has a food allergy himself, so he knows of what he speaks. The text is very accessible, and it is full of information about and reviews of other food allergy books and websites.

I recommend Food Allergies for Dummies to teachers, childcare providers, and parents of allergic children or just-diagnosed individuals who are learning about food allergies for the first time. I also think this is a great book if, say, your child's friend or classmate has a food allergy and you want to learn a little about it without delving into complex medical texts.

Food Allergies for Dummies, Robert Wood, M.D. and Joe Kraynak. $13.39 on Amazon.com.

[Written for Go Dairy Free.]

The Very Non-Dairy Christmas

I finally managed to pry The Very Non-Dairy Christmas out of my children's hands long enough to write a review. This book has been on heavy rotation in our house since it arrived here several weeks ago. A Christmas book! About dairy allergies! Clearly this was written for us.

After the first two readings (one right after the other), Katherine kept saying, "Santa is just like me! He can't have dairy--just like me!" Eli loved the cartoon-y drawings, especially the ones of "Ho ho ho" (Santa). While we have read books about other allergies, this is our first dairy-only book, which Katherine loves. And the fact that it's about Santa is the icing on the dairy-free cake.

Writing fiction about medical issues--such as food allergies--in a natural way can be a challenge. To Scott's and my ears, some of the explanatory dialogue sounded a bit forced, but our children haven't been bothered by it at all.

I think that any child or sibling of a child with food allergies would enjoy this Christmastime tale. I don't know how it would translate for children who don't have allergies in their families. Their parents might not want to bother with buying special soy milk just for Santa! But The Very Non-Dairy Christmas is destined to be a Christmas classic in our house.

[This review was written for Go Dairy Free.]