Hang this symbol on your door on Halloween to notify trick or treaters that you are an allergy friendly house.

I just received an email alert from one of my allergy subscriptions. Boy was I excited to read this! A new organization has formed to help assist families dealing with multiple food allergies.

Co-founder Erin states, “We started AllergyFreeHalloween.org because we want a world where children with food allergies can trick-or-treat without worry. Please join us in giving out Halloween treats that are fun and allergy-safe.”

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About two months ago, while we were on holidays in Ireland, I took my 3 1/2 yr old with me to the grocery store. He got very excited when he saw a picture of jam cookies on a packaged box and was mad about getting them. I explained that they had wheat, and that we couldn’t get them. He just pointed his finger at me and said exuberantly, “But YOU could MAKE them!” (more…)

Pleasantly surprised with this recipe, I decided to add it to our collection of favorites. In our house all our breads are not only gluten and corn free, but they are also made without yeast, something that we are quite used to by now but at one time meant crumbly dry bread that broke apart when you tried to spread jelly or butter on it. This problem makes sandwiches impossible, but I have finally found a combination of ingredients that works for us. This recipe produced a nice moist and spongy loaf with loads of nooks and crannies. It sliced beautifully in my machine. The two small loaves I baked last night were gone in less than 24 hours, so I think I will be making it again! (more…)

My husband says this is better than real ice cream, but we think that’s going a bit too far. It is super rich, creamy and delicious!

While this recipe does contain milk, it’s in the form of yogurt, so it will work for those who cannot have liquid milk, but who can have yogurt and cheese.

To make this frozen yogurt, you’ll need an ice cream machine. I have the Cuisinart electric ice cream and frozen yogurt maker. (more…)

I waited until the last minute to get together something for my son’s Mother’s Day Tea Party. Wanting to make these cookies as healthy as possible by avoiding all sugars, even maple syrup, I decided to check out Pecanbread.com, a website devoted to helping folks following a Specific Carbohydrate Diet. There I found a handful of recipes. One in particular peaked my interest because I had all the ingredients for it on hand. This was my first attempt to bake cookies without any flour or sugar and I was very surprised at the results. The kids loved them, and for anyone not familiar with the SCD diet, as it is often referred as, this recipe is gluten-free, corn-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and Feingold approved. Oh, and one last thing I forgot to mention–delicious! (more…)

We like to make oatmeal once a week, now that we’ve been gluten-free for a year. There is a lot of controversy on the use of oats in a gluten-free diet, but several new studies have proved that as long as the oats are Elisa batch tested and are certifiably free from cross-contamination they are perfectly fine for celiacs.

Today there are several companies offering gluten-free oats in both Canada and the States, so do check out whether or not your local grocer would be willing to carry one or more brands for you. This dish is great for a weeknight. Yes, you heard me right. I said weeknight. Just simply dump all the ingredients into a 2 quart slow cooker just before you go to bed; set it on low and in the morning your breakfast is ready. This is the favorite breakfast dish in our house.

Our version is naturally corn-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. (more…)

This year for Dad’s birthday he had only one request: carrot cake. He’s not exactly gluten-free, but the rest of us are, so I decided to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It is a “from scratch” recipe, as sure sign that my gluten-free confidence is building. A year ago I would have never attempted such a feat. I researched ‘best’ carrot cake recipes of the traditional gluten variety and I finally settled on a game plan when I found a tried and true recipe from All Recipes.com that seemed to get the highest ratings from viewers. (more…)

I often joke that a year ago we could have been considered the “Mc Talty” family for all the times we would frequent McDonald’s. My then two year old was so familiar with the place that he felt compelled to point it out whenever we passed one in our travels. We’ve made a complete turn around since then, thanks in large part to our oldest son’s diagnosis of a chronic tic disorder and our subsequent discovery that he is allergic to wheat and corn and highly sensitive to gluten– three foods we since eliminated and made all the difference for him in his recovery.

This recipe is unique. What makes it special? It is not so much about the ingredients as it is about the preparation. You see, this Little Chef Salad is literally a salad made by my little chef, age 3, a former chicken nugget man turned foodie, a fella not diagnosed, but gluten free through association, and loving it. (more…)

No matter how you eat, whether it’s a restricted diet or not, it’s easy to get in a rut. We broke out of our rut with a “Spring is Coming” Salad Nicoise. Salad Nicoise is a French salad that traditionally includes hard boiled eggs, tuna and green beans.

While I often include tuna — a high quality Italian one packed in oil — this time I didn’t happen to have any, so I left it out. (more…)

If you’re avoiding dairy it’s not too hard to find a substitute since there are so many fine choices out there — various nut milks, soy milks, as well as rice milks. Most people gravitate toward nut milks and soy milks when they need to substitute for whole milk or cream in a recipe. But what do you do if you’re avoiding soy? The thickest of the milk substitutes, soy is a handy go to for the dairy-free baker. It’s the staple product in nearly all non-dairy frozen goodies. Let’s face it, no soy means no Tofutti Cuties! (more…)