Alternatives to Butter (and soy) in Baking–Spectrum Shortening and Earth Balance Coconut Spread

Today I bring you some information about alternatives to butter and regular shortening in baking.  Butter of course, makes things delicious and flaky, but it is made out of milk.  So it’s out for people with milk allergies or vegans.  But you can still bake wonderful treats without butter.  There is shortening, like Crisco, or your store’s generic brand.  This works very well in most...

Winter Fruit Salad

I usually like to keep my fruit in its natural state.  But sometimes it is fun to dress it up; especially around the holidays.  You could make this fruit salad for your Christmas dinner, New Year’s Eve party or anytime in the winter when oranges and grapefruit are in season.  It is easy to put together and adds a special twist to your dinner. Apples, pears, oranges, some grapefruit, and...

Pork Chop Suey + Coconut Aminos Explanation/Product Review

I cook a lot of stir fry meals.  I kind of always did, but probably a bit more now.  As long as you use a safe sauce or make your own, they are usually a naturally allergy friendly meal when served over brown rice or quinoa.   This “Pork Chop Suey” recipe does not make for a pretty picture, but does make a good meal.  I used coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and then it was free...

Vegetable Chili-Vegan Style

I love soups, stews and chili this time of year.  I love to make them and eat them.  Today I bring you a vegan chili that is so hearty.  This is a good way to introduce people to meatless soups or a good way to start trying them yourself.  You will not miss the meat.   I bring this recipe (slightly tweaked) to you from More Choices, Eat Well, Live Well by Cheryl D. Thomas-Peters, RD. ...

Trader Joe’s Waffles vs. Van’s Natural Foods Waffles-A Comparison/Product Review

I am not one to purchase a lot of premade allergy friendly food.  It is expensive, and often not that healthy.  But I recently found wheat free, egg free waffles at Trader Joe’s and thought I’d try them out.  They pretty much tasted like Eggo’s at least as best as I could remember.   The nice thing about them is that they are also yeast free and rather bland tasting.  It might be...

Gingerbread Donuts With Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting + Photo Tutorial

"These are crazy good!”  Those were the first words out of the mouths of my “recipe tasters” when I made these gingerbread donuts with cinnamon “buttercream” frosting. My pumpkin donuts were such a hit this autumn that I thought I would come up with a Christmas flavored donut.  I asked on the Allergy Free Test Kitchen Facebook page what some favorite Christmas flavors were and...

Creamy Garlic Potato Soup With Vegan Options

I used to have a baked potato soup recipe that was so delicious!  It was loaded with heavy cream, butter and the like.  It was high calorie/fat so I limited myself to making it only once or twice a winter.   It was also a lot of work. So about two years ago, I set out to find a potato soup that could replace my old love.  I found it in a vegan cookbook.   It was simple and fast; not a lot...

Mashed Potato Bake

Mashed potato bake is an easy way to serve potatoes during the holidays.  Why?  Because you can prepare it a couple of days in advance and then just warm them up before serving.  This came in very handy for me at Thanksgiving.  I made the potatoes two days in advance and then they warmed in the oven while I carved the turkey.  It was way less hectic in the kitchen and I didn’t have to...

Brownie Dessert Shooters

I miss brownies.  When I first had to say goodbye to eggs and milk, I searched high and low for an egg free brownie.  I tried several recipes and none of them fit the bill.  Brownies seem to be the one thing that must have eggs.  Then a year later, when adding in the gluten free factor I tried a few more recipes from good cookbook authors.  But for me, the brownies just did not do it. ...

White Bean Quesadillas

I have a new favorite mid-day meal.  I never tried quesadillas before, and I am not sure why, but with a creamy inside and crunchy outside, these make for a good, quick lunch.    I was flipping through a vegan cookbook of mine and found a recipe for white bean quesadillas.  The problem was the only ingredient I had on hand was the white beans.  So I had to come up with my own version and I...