{Allergy Free} Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This is a rich and moist bundt cake. My husband said it was the best chocolate cake he'd ever had. I think I agree.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 cup Earth Balance

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup water

2 cups flour blend

1 tsp xanthan

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp egg replacer whisked with 4 T rice milk

1 container plain coconut yogurt-unsweetened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease bundt pan.
In small saucepan combine Earth Balance, cocoa powder, salt, and water. Heat over medium heat stirring until melted and just combined. Remove from heat.
In large bowl whisk together flour blend, xanthan, sugar, and soda.
Add half of the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.
Add the remaining chocolate mixture and stir well.
Add egg replacer mixture, whisking until smooth.
Add coconut yogurt and vanilla and whisk well.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into bundt pan and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes and then invert on cooling rack.
Ice the cake when cool.

Icing

I made an icing with cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, and some rice milk. It was just a simple chocolate glaze.

{Allergy Free} Crockpot Potato Soup

Crockpot Potato Soup

1 yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 T garlic, minced

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

4-6 cups chicken broth (I think I used closer to 5)

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups rice milk

1/4 cup rice flour

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt to taste

Add onion through pepper to crockpot and cook on high for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender.
Scoop out portions of the soup and put in food processor and blend.
Put the processed soup back in crockpot.
Whisk together rice milk and whisk flour and then pour mixture into crockpot.
Cook on high for another 30 minutes, allowing soup to thicken slightly.
Add in paprika and salt to taste.
Serve with bacon bits and green onion.

Adapted from Budget Bites

{Allergy Free} Sugar Sprinkled Gingerbread Muffins

My new Christmas time breakfast! Gingerbread in muffin form!

Sugar Sprinkled Gingerbread Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour blend

2 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup Earth Balance Soy Free, softened

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup molasses

1 1/2 tsp egg replacer whisked with 2 T rice milk

3/4 cup vanilla hemp milk

1/4 cup sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and spray muffin tins.
In mixing bowl, mix Earth Balance through egg replacer mixture.
Mix well.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour blend through salt.
Add flour mixture, alternating with hemp milk, just until combined.
Scoop into muffin tins (they will be full) and then sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

{Allergy Free} Pea Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Squares

These are a perfect afternoon snack combining chocolate and pea butter. My kids tried to eat the whole pan!

Pea Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Squares

1 cup pea butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups gluten free rolled oats

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Line 9x9 pan with foil and spray well.
Melt pea butter and honey over medium heat until smooth.
Stir in salt.
Over low heat stir in oats until well combined.
Remove from heat and fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into prepared pan and press down with spatula.
Place into fridge until bars set.
Cut into squares and serve.
Keep any leftovers in the fridge or they will become very sticky.

{Allergy Free} Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tsp egg replacer whisked with 4 T vanilla hemp milk

4 cups flour blend

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Glaze

3 cups powdered sugar

4 T water

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degree and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In mixing bowl combine Earth Balance through vanilla and mix until smooth.
In separate bowl combine flour blend through pumpkin pie spice and whisk.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until blended. No need to over mix.
Scoop in Tablespoon-sized balls onto cookie sheet.
Dip the bottom of a small glass in sugar and press down on each cookie to slightly flatten.
Bake 8 minutes.

To make glaze, mix all 3 ingredients together and whisk well.
While cookies are still warm spoon a little glaze on the top of each and use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly over the cookie.
After 5 minutes move them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
The glaze will harden once the cookies are cool.

Store covered.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

{Allergy Free} Smoked Paprika Corn with Bacon

This was a side dish for our Thanksgiving meal this year. My kids all loved it. But who can really argue with bacon, anyway? It make everything better!

Smoked Paprika Corn with Bacon 

1 package bacon

4 Tablespoons Earth Balance Soy Free

48 oz frozen corn or 6 cups of fresh corn kernels

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp sea salt

fresh chives, diced

Dice the bacon and fry in deep-sided skillet until crispy.
Pour out the bacon and drain off the fat, reserving about 2 T of the fat in the bottom of the skillet.
Put bacon bits on a paper towel and cover to save and use as a garnish.
Add the Earth Balance to skillet and melt over medium heat.
Add corn, paprika, and salt.
Stir well.
Cook for about 10 minutes or until corn is hot.
Serve topped with the bacon bits and diced chives.

My Daughter Has Food Allergies Just to Annoy Me

My daughter was born with life-threatening food allergies.

Really, she did this just so she could bother me. She wanted grocery shopping to me a nightmare. She hoped that I would have a nervous breakdown every time I tried to cook a safe dinner. She is just one of those kids who does everything in her power to be annoying. And with food allergies, she's definitely winning!

No?

A little selfish?

A lot wrong?

Food allergies is a medical diagnosis of a life threatening condition. No one can control it. No one can cure it. No one can even treat it.

You get to live your entire life in total fear of your allergens as you carefully avoid them so that you don't die.

But clearly my daughter just does all this to make her parents crazy.

At least that's what Healthline thinks in their article.

Food allergies are just something that kids do to slowly kill their parents on the inside. It's just a huge inconvenience and a total pain to have to deal with. And it's all your child's fault!

Why is it socially acceptable to make fun of food allergies?

What if the article were slightly different and mentioned other health issues?

For example, "Your child has cancer just to bother you."
"Your child was born with that medical condition just to get attention."
"Your child was born with special needs in order to break the bank with the cost of the special medical equipment that they require."

Don't kids do these things on purpose just to annoy their parents? According to Healthline, having food allergies ranks in annoyance next to your child waking up extra early on weekends and falling asleep in the car right before you reach your destination.

No. It's absolutely inappropriate to equate any type of medical issue to the silly and immature things that kids do like leave a trail of food all over the house or refuse to take a family picture.

It would never be socially acceptable to state that your child's cancer diagnosis or diagnosis of special medical needs was orchestrated by the child just to annoy you. You would never, ever think of blaming the child for their medical problems.

That is utterly heartless.

Any parent with a child who has received a type of medical diagnosis knows that the diagnosis feels very unfair but cannot be blamed on anyone, least of all that child.

When will food allergies be considered a serious diagnosis that is unacceptable as the brunt of jokes?