Okay, this is probably not news to the rest of you but Sarah and I are a little behind on things. We were out of town for a couple days to attend a food allergy blogger summit hosted by Mylan Specialty, the makers of the EpiPen auto-injector. Plus, the regular weekly schedule of school and afterschool classes continues while Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day have somehow creeped up on us. And we barely recovered from winter break!
Superbowl is a great excuse to have a snack-filled party. As an allergy mom, I try to get as natural as I can -- organic fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible or store-bought products with less processing and no preservatives -- so that I can know what's going into our bodies. It's good practice, food allergies or not. If you have other party guests with different food allergies, make sure you find out again what their exact allergies are. (So many of my friends' kids have food allergies, it can be hard to keep track of what.) Take extra precaution with washing all cookware and utensils and preparing and handling foods. If possible, have an allergy-friendly table separate from other party foods, or extras that do not ever hit the shared buffet table (less chance of cross contact). Keep recipes and all ingredient labels handy but be completely straight with your food-allergic guests on potential risks of exposure to other allergens.
The easiest way to cater (no pun intended) your party food to the game is to go for color. The San Francisco 49ers' colors are scarlet (red) and gold. And the Baltimore Ravens' colors are purple, black, metallic gold, and white. Lots of natural food possibilities there, special thanks to the abundance of red and yellow fruits and vegetables and the Ravens having a pretentious four team colors. (Ha ha, no snark there.) You can make dishes with these foods or simply use them as garnish.
Red foods:
Berries, tomatoes, red bell peppers, paprika, red tortilla chips, ketchup, salsa
Yellow/Gold foods:
Lemon, banana, pineapple, mango, yellow bell peppers, corn, tortilla chips, mustard
Purple foods:
Blueberries, grapes, purple cabbage, purple kale, purple yams or potatoes
Black foods:
Seaweed, black olives, black grapes, black beans, safe chocolate chips or shavings (I love Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips which are milk-free. They also sell milk-free dark chocolate bars.)
White foods:
Shredded coconut, jicama, rice, safe cheeses (we love dairy-free Daiya Vegan Shreds which are free of the top 8 food allergens)
We have compiled some of our favorite food posts in case you need ideas for where to put that colorful garnish!
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| Snack stadium, version 1.0 |
Snack ideas
Last-minute Superbowl snack ideas
Superbowl Snack Stadium
Furikake Chex Mix
Colorful Couscous Salad
Healthful Allergy-Friendly Party Menu
Princess and the Pea Salad
Soups
San Francisco fans, dress up your soups with your favorite red and yellow trimmings. If you are safe with wheat and gluten, serve it hot San Francisco-style, in sourdough bread bowls. Otherwise, slice your favorite safe bread and serve it on the side.
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| Corn and Chickpea Chowder |
Potato Soup - Ravens fans, try making this soup with purple potatoes and replace the vegetable broth with water and additional safe milk of your choosing.
Corn and Chickpea Chowder
Butternut Squash Soup
Bean and Bacon Soup
Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup
Desserts
Layered Jell-o - change up the Jell-o colors to represent your favored team!
Chocolate covered confections - San Francisco is well known for chocolatier, Ghirardelli. While many Ghirardelli offerings are not guaranteed milk-free, you can substitute your favorite allergy-friendly chocolate. (Mine is Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips.) Not exactly the same as Ghirardelli, but have you ever known a guest to complain about chocolaty anything??
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cupcakes 6 Ways
No matter what you choose to serve, have fun with it!
Hello mate greatt blog post
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