Product review: I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter

This jar sat in our cold, dark pantry, unopened, for months and months after I had snapped it up on clearance at a natural foods market.  I had seen varieties of soynut butter but this was my first and only sighting of chocolate soynut butter.  I was intrigued at the time but tucked it onto a crowded shelf that eventually became even more crowded with our pantry staples.

I came upon this forgotten jar in the spring -- conveniently right before the "best if used by" date -- so I knew it was time to pull off the seal, and have a try.  Oh my.  What had I been waiting for??

I think I.M. Healthy's chocolate soynut butter is pretty darn tasty.   It's not as decadent and rich as the dairy-filled, hazelnut spread Nutella -- I.M.'s texture is fluffier and not gooey.  Even so I.M. Healthy's chocolate soynut butter has a pleasant cocoa taste, slightly nutty, even though it's nut-free.  (Must be those roasted soy "nuts"!)  I liked it.  But would my picky, picky kids like it?

The kids liked it more in the beginning when I made chocolate soynut butter and banana sandwiches but they grew quickly tired of the combo.  They will eat it sometimes on untoasted whole bread, no bananas, but they are not clamoring for chocolate sandwiches all the time.  This will be a good lunch option to mix things up a bit every couple of weeks.  I should be grateful that they are not particularly fond of sweet sandwiches, right?

In addition to sandwiches, I.M Healthy's chocolate soynut butter is great as a quick frosting.  We keep a stash of unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer so that we always have a safe treat to bring to friends' parties.  the chocolate soynut butter requires no refrigeration and is especially convenient when you just need to frost one or two cupcakes.

Sprinkles and I.M Healthy's chocolate soynut butter on top of a GF cupcake.  Yum!

The company, I.M. Healthy, also makes other soy nut butters.  Their products, as clearly labeled, are made in a peanut-free, tree nut-free facility.  I called the company's toll-free line, was momentarily rendered speechless when a live person answered the phone (so nice!), and found out that their facilities are also DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE, and WHEAT-FREE.  Woo hoo!

I.M. Healthy's chocolate soy nut butter has a little more fat, protein, and fiber than Nutella.  One thing that I.M. Healthy has a lot less of is sugar, one third of the sugar per serving than Nutella.  I was lucky to find a 6-pack of the spread on Amazon during a random sale in April (6 jars for $15!).  This stuff is definitely hard to find.  I have seen prices range from $5 to $6 per jar through Amazon, Walmart, and non-chocolate I.M. Healthy soynut butters for about the same at Vitacost.

Ryken has a classmate, we'll call him "Q" for privacy sake, who loved to bring Nutella sandwiches to school.  Q is a sweet and close friend who, upon finding out that Ryken was allergic to Nutella, gave up his favorite lunch option so that he could continue sitting with Ryken at the allergy-free table.  After finally trying the chocolate soynut butter and getting my hands on more jars, I gave one to Q's family to try out.  I hope to see this in Q's lunchbox this fall!


I.M. Chocolate Soy Nut Butter Nutritional Information*:

Product: I.M Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter
Product size: 15 oz
Serving size: 2 Tablespoons
Total fat per serving: 14 grams (compared to 12 grams in Nutella, 16 grams in Skippy No-Stir peanut butter, and 16 grams in Trader Joe's sunflower seed butter)
Dietary fiber: 3 grams (compared to 1 gram in Nutella, 2 grams in the peanut butter, 7 grams in the sun butter)
Sugar: 7 grams (compared to 21 grams in Nutella and 3 grams in both the peanut butter and sun butter)
Protein: 5 grams (compared to 2 grams in Nutella, 7 grams in both the peanut butter and sun butter)


*The nutritional information was taken from the company's website.  This information differs slightly from the nutritional info found on the label of chocolate soynut butter jars that I had purchased in May.  I am guessing that the company's website features the most current facts.

Product Review: Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella Shreds

I was shopping at my neighborhood Trader Joe's yesterday when, what did my wandering eyes see?

Oh yes.  It's finally here.

I had hoped and asked through the company's online product comment form for Trader Joe's to start carrying vegan cheese.  (I hoped that other like-minded folks were doing the same from their home computers, too!)  Now, I realize that there is already an excellent vegan cheese substitute on the market.  I don't think it would be exaggerating if I said that Daiya has revolutionized the vegan and allergic worlds with its completely milk-free, top 8-free cheese substitutes.  It tastes great and it melts.  In my inquiries to Trader Joe's about vegan cheese, I specifically mentioned Daiya by name as a product that the company should consider offering.

This winter Trader Joe's finally started selling vegan cheese and, of course, took it one step further: they are selling vegan cheese until their own label.  I found Trader Joe's vegan mozzarella shreds selling for $3.29 for an 8-oz bag.  This is significantly less than the $5 that I pay for packs of Daiya.

General observations about TJ's shreds:  The shreds are thinner, drier, and more translucent than Daiya shreds.  They kind of reminded me of parmesan shreds.  TJ's mozzarella shreds come in a convenient resealable package, an improvement over Daiya's packaging.  To me at least, TJ's shreds smelled like real cheese when I first opened the package, so much so that I momentarily got a little nervous about serving it to my kids.  (I admit, I reread the ingredients after the smell check!)  I mention the scent because I have read that some people really do not like the smell of uncooked Daiya.

I decided to test-drive TJ's shreds on some homemade pizza.  I made a barbecue pizza and a sauceless vegetable pizza using Trader Joe's fresh, whole wheat pizza dough.  If your family is okay with wheat and gluten, TJ's pizza dough is a great option for tasty, thin crust pizza.  I baked the pizzas according to the dough directions.  I took the pizzas out when the crusts were golden around the edges at around 11 minutes.

TJ's shreds melted completely.  They melted well -- almost too well -- it was hard to tell that there was vegan cheese on the pizza.  It was definitely on the gooey side taking on a sheen like glazed donuts.  It would be nice to have a more whitish look to the cheese like real mozzarella but what I really cared about was the taste.  Would it be a worthy substitute for the real thing?

TJ's shreds were pretty good. They had a nice flavor that tasted more like the real thing to me than Daiya.  After my second time of making pizza with TJ's shreds, I did detect a slight powdery aftertaste.  I'd say texture-wise, TJ's shreds are on one end of the spectrum and Daiya is on the other, with real mozzarella shreds right in the middle.  Daiya melts and stretches to a point but not as readily as real cheese.  TJ's shreds melt more than real cheese would.  Beyond taste and texture I was ecstatic to see that TJ's vegan shreds are fortified with calcium.  They provide 25% of the RDA for calcium per 1 oz (about 1/4 cup) serving.  Daiya Vegan Shreds provide a mere 2% of the RDA for calcium.

Trader Joe's vegan mozzarella shreds will definitely be a regular in our carts!

With a very good taste, meltability, calcium-richness, and competitive pricing, I definitely recommend Trader Joe's vegan shreds to anyone who is looking for a milk-free mozzarella substitute.  Daiya's growing product line (including vegan pepperjack and cheddar shreds, wedges, and spreads) is still a lifeline for cheese-longing vegans and individuals with milk allergies.  I do love their products but I will now buy my mozzarella shreds exclusively from Trader Joe's.  What's more, I hope my frequent purchases will keep vegan shreds on the shelf and encourage Trader Joe's to expand their vegan cheese products to more flavors.

The Pure Pantry Saves Valentines Day

Until this year, I think the kids still truly believed that Valentines Day was all about spending a few weeks creating lovely tokens of friendship for their classmates, and not about candy.  We thankfully still had the homemade cards, which I was so grateful for.  In fact, it was Addi's first year exchanging Valentines cards, and when the morning came, she got a bit teary-eyed over the thought of parting with her 30 painted and glittered hearts.

Who can blame her for not wanting to part with her creations?

 

 

 

 

She begrudgingly brought her Valentines cards to school, but quickly had a change of heart--yes, a change of heart--when she realized she had received 30 lovely cards, many with candy attached. 

Back at home, with all of her cards scattered in front of her, some ripped open envelopes (why is it so difficult for children to open envelopes?), and a pile of lollipops, chocolates, and other confections, I finally relented and gave her a lollipop. 

And then there were two.  Two holidays she now associates with getting a piece of candy.

She's the lucky one without food allergies, but it was heartbreaking after so many years of a strict 'no candy rule' to see the kids wanting it more and more.

As for my MFA (that would be Multiple Food Allergic) boys, I was rushing around the kitchen at 8 am on Valentines Day trying to whip up chocolate cupcakes, only to discover I was low on pantry staples like flour and sugar. 

In a pinch, I dug out one of the mixes I'd picked up at the Gluten & Allergy Free Expo last weekend.  We are not gluten-free, but we do avoid egg, dairy, and all nuts (except coconut), and it was really eye-opening to sample lots of products that were free of the top 8.  I am a gluten-free novice, but found the cake at this booth so incredibly rich and delicious that I had to buy a bag to see for myself.

The Pure Pantry Mixes at the GFAF Expo were beautiful to look at but are even better to bake with.

 

In a blind taste test, I would've never guessed that the Pure Pantry Wholegrain Dark Chocolate Cake Mix was anything free.  How they managed to get such a moist, rich, and delicious cake with a true dark chocolate taste out of this mix is beyond me.  To prepare it without egg, I used Ener-G Egg Replacer according to the directions.  I also opted for coconut oil, as I had used it in Irene's brownies, and was impressed by the results.  I liked how the directions included dietary modifications, and some recipes for frostings.

I topped the cupcakes with an egg and dairy free cream cheese frosting that I made with soy cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, but quickly found that the frosting wouldn't hold up without remaining chilled.  Nevertheless, frosting-less cupcakes were a hit with the boys, as well as with my littliest sweets monster.  We've been frosting them and gobbling them up for dessert in the last few days.  I've managed to eat my fair share of the two dozen I baked, telling myself I'm doing it for the good of the team.  :)

In the end, I think the spirit of card-making and giving still won out over the candy.  Addi's lollipop was never even finished before it was dumped into the compost bag, and, even after the candy came and went (into the compost bag alongside a half-eaten lollipop), the cards and memory of a day filled with love remain.

I hope you and yours had a fabulous and safe Valentines Day.

Bring on the Red, White, & Blue

Fourth of July.  A day for family, picnics, hotdogs, and all things red, white, and blue.  And what better way to celebrate than to make one of America's favorite desserts: Jell-O.  Who could forget a tray of Jell-O chilling in the fridge on a hot day, pudding pop commercials featuring Bill Cosby, or the coveted rainbow layered Jell-O served at parties?

Such a mystery to my little hands, how they got all those colors to line up so perfectly in one little square of Jell-O.  And what was the white layer made of?

Well, Jenn at JustJenn Recipes seems to understand my childhood obsession, with a beautiful tutorial on how to make rainbow Jell-O.  I decided to try my hand at making a dairy-free version for the Fourth of July, using coconut milk instead of condensed milk.

Red, White, & Blue Jell-O
adapted from JustJenn Recipes

Add color and stripes to your Fourth of July party with Red, White, & Blue Jell-O.

1 6 oz. box red Jell-O
1 6 oz. box blue Jell-O
6 packages unflavored Knox gelatin
1 cup coconut milk
hot water
coconut oil (optional)*

1. Combine 1 cup of coconut milk with 1 cup of hot water and set aside.  If you prefer a sweeter white layer, you could probably add some sugar to this mixture.

2. Stir in 2 envelopes of unflavored Knox gelatin with 1 cup of hot water, then combine with coconut milk mixture and let cool to room temperature.

3. Mix together box of red Jell-O, 1 envelope of Knox gelatin, and 1-1/2 cups of hot water.  Pour about half the mixture into 9 x 13 Pyrex pan and let chill in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes.  If you are worried about sticking, grease bottom and sides of the pan with coconut oil*.

4. While the red layer is chilling, mix together box of blue Jell-O, 1 envelope of Knox gelatin, and 1-1/2 cups of hot water.  Let it cool to room temperature.

5. Once the red layer has set, add 1/3 of the milk mixture to the pan, and let chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or until set.

6. As each layer sets, add a new layer, alternating between red, white, and blue.  I added them in this order: red, white, blue, white, red, white, blue.  This way one side of each square is blue, one side is red.

7. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Slice Jello in half lengthwise and use a star-shaped cookie cutter for stars and stripes all in one treat!

For other festive Fourth of July treats, try Michelle's Red, White, & Blue Fruit Pops,




a simple star pasta dish,

fresh berries over soy or coconut ice cream or yogurt,

or a bowl of red, white, and blue tortilla chips with your favorite salsa.  Happy Fourth!!!

Substitution: Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Here is one of many possible ways to substitute gluten-free, wheat-free flour in place of wheat-based flour for your baking needs.  Cybele Pascal has this blend in her Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook and I have seen the blend in other GF cookbooks and other online sites.  I have tried this blend in quick breads, muffins, cakes, biscuits, scones, and cookies so far with pretty good results.  I tried this mix to make cinnamon rolls and the results weren't so good so I need to do a little more R & D to figure out what a good GF flour blend is for yeast-dependent baking.  When I made cupcakes with this blend, they did come out pretty dense and got even more heavy after a couple days of refrigeration.  Best to consume or freeze these within a day or two, I think!

Xantham gum or guar gum is absolutely critical when you are using gluten-free flour so do not skip this ingredient.  Xanthan gum (which contains corn derivatives) and guar gum replace the binding power that a gluten-full wheat flour source would provide.  Xantham gum and guar gum are not cheap but a 1-pound bag of the stuff lasts quite a while since recipes typically call for 1 teaspoon or less per batch. 

Gluten-Free Flour Blend 

3 cups brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1/2 cup tapioca starch (this can also be labeled as tapioca flour)

1. Thoroughly mix flour and starches together using a whisk or sifter.  Make sure you scrape the sides repeatedly so that all the ingredients are combined well.
2. You may want to double the recipe so that you have a good-sized stash of GF flour blend for your future baking needs.  Store in an airtight container in a cool place (you can even store in the refrigerator) for optimum shelf life.

Use the following rule of thumb for adding xanthan gum or guar gum:

• 1 tsp per 1 cup of flour mix = sandwich bread/pizza crust
• 1/2 tsp per 1 cup of flour mix = cakes/muffins/quick breads
• 1/4 tsp per 1 cup of flour mix = cookies

S.O.S. -- Save Our Sunbutter!

Hello, nut-allergic families and non-allergic good-food enthusiasts!

On Monday when I was in my neighborhood Trader Joe's, I had trouble locating sunflower seed butter, a kitchen staple of ours, on the shelves.   A friendly customer service person checked the stockroom and then the store's computerized delivery schedule.  He told me there was no sun butter at the main wherehouse, no new deliveries were imminent, and no orders from their local store had been requested.  This, he said, was a likely sign that the product was on the brink of retirement.  It appeared that they may no longer be selling sunflower seed butter due to poor sales.  NOOOOO......

If you haven't yet discovered TJ's sunflower seed butter -- and hopefully, you can find it very soon again at a Trader Joe's near you -- it is a rich, creamy alternative to peanut butter.  It is great with apples, crackers, or in smoothies and is baked goods such as granola bars, cookies, and brownie bars.  It contains only three ingredients: sunflower seeds, evaporated can sugar, and salt.  There are no mysterious, hard-to-pronounce ingredients and no preservatives on the list.  Each serving size of two tablespoons provides 17 percent of the recommended daily allowance for fiber.

The appropriately named SunButter is another company that sells sunflower seed butter.  I have recently seen this at Target stores as the corporation makes bigger strides to accommodate diets of all different kinds.  However, the price of SunButter was almost 50 percent higher than Trader Joe's sunflower seed butter!  TJ's sun butter is a delicious deal!!

Eliminating sunflower seed butter would affect those with multiple allergies to nuts and soy as soynut butter, which is sometimes easier to find, is not a safe alternative for these folks. 

So after hearing that TJ's sun butter was possibly on the chopping block,  I emailed Trader Joe's through their customer service form.  I wrote what I like to call "a love letter" to Trader Joe's about how much I rely on and love sunflower seed butter as a safe, delicious, and affordable alternative in our household of nut-allergic kids.  I also posted about sun butter's possible fate on Facebook.  I also visited another nearby TJ's and stocked up on a few jars.

I received an email response from a Trader Joe's customer service rep two days later telling me that sunflower seed butter had not been discontinued.  It was still available for all stores to order and should be available the next time I go to a Trader Joe's.  This made me feel a little better but I was still nervous.  Clearly, Trader Joe's doesn't realize that I stop there twice (sometimes three, okay, four) times a week so seeing that huge gaping hole on the shelf or, worse, noticing that the shelf tag has been completely removed makes me wonder if it's ever really coming back.

My friend had seen my post about sun butter on Facebook.  Being a sun butter lover herself who packs her daughter nut-free school lunches, she also immediately sent an email to Trader Joe's customer service with her concerns.  She received a more detailed message -- sun butter is temporarily out of stock in all stores, the company is working out supply issues with its vendors but has no intention to discontinue selling sun butter  -- and that made both of us feel better.

As we raise our children, we often find great products that become staples in our homes.  This sun butter story ends happily but sometimes some of our favorites do disappear.  This is especially true for products that are created for special diets, the allergy-friendly foods like Earth Balance, non-nut butters, gluten-free snacks, non-milk alternatives (RIP TJ's whole grain milk) in the world that are more expensive to produce and therefore a bigger commitment of our monthly food budgets.  

If you are a huge fan of a specific product or company, continue to buy their products.  But also write them your own love letter, "like" them on Facebook, and share your experiences on a blog and with friends and families.  Make your voices heard!  The internet with its many social networking opportunities can be a powerful tool in getting your impassioned messages out and creating a larger, collective force of change. 

Product review: Soy Dream

We have not kept cow's milk in the house ever since we suspected a dairy allergy in our eldest son, Ryken.  In the beginning of not knowing what was causing Ryken's horrendous eczema, we opted for rice milk so we could avoid dairy, soy, and all the other top allergens.  Once I figured out that soy was not a problem for Ryken I quickly hunted for a good soy milk.  I wanted something that had some richness and fat to it and rice milk just wasn't doing it for us outside of a cereal bowl.

I've tried many a brand of soy milk and my all-time favorite is Soy Dream Original.  It's delicious as a stand-alone drink or in recipes that call for milk.  I use it in both sweet and savory dishes.

Soy Dream Original has 4 grams of fat so it has some creamy body to it and some fat for my super-skinny kids.  (Are all dairy-allergic kids super-skinny, I wonder?)  The enriched version that we buy provides 35% of the recommendation daily allowance for calcium.  It is sweetened but just enough so that my kids think they are drinking a special vanilla treat.  (My kids, sadly, will not touch unsweetened soy milk unless it's hidden in a bowl of cereal or baked into a recipe.)  At 4 grams of sugar per one cup serving, it has just one-third of the sugar that cow's milk brands such as Horizon Organic contains. 

Soy Dream Original also comes in shelf-stable packaging which means it will keep just fine without refrigeration as long as it remains unopened.  This is great for stocking our pantry and relieving our already-crowded refrigerator although the package isn't recyclable so it's not great for the environment.

When cooking, simply substitute Soy Dream in place of cow's milk.  Here are some other suggested substitutions using Soy Dream:

1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tbsp vinegar OR 1 Tbsp lemon juice + enough soy milk to fill 1 full cup.  Let it curdle for 10 minutes.

1 cup heavy cream = 3/4 cup soy milk + 1/3 cup melted vegan margarine.  Blend until emulsifies.

Basic white sauce
Makes 1 cup
 
1 cup Soy Dream Original
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 tsp salt
Garlic powder and pepper to taste

1. Mix corn starch with Soy Dream.  Pour into small saucepan.  Add margarine and seasonings.  
2. Cook over middle heat, stirring milk/corn starch mix constantly to prevent corn starch from clumping.  Sauce will thicken.  Reduce to low heat when it begins to bubble.  Cook until it stops thickening.
3. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a little more soy milk.  If it's too thin, thoroughly mix 1 tsp corn starch with a little bit of soy milk, then pour into the heated mixture, stirring constantly so that the new cornstarch doesn't clump.  You might want to take the pot off the heat while you're doing this.
4. You can add more seasonings, nutritional yeast, or vegan cream cheese for a stronger-tasting cream sauce.

Besides its original soy milk, Soy Dream's product line includes flavored soy milk and frozen desserts.  There are also rice milk and almond milk products sold under the same Dream label.  Visit the Dream website for a printable coupon worth $1 off of 2 products.

Lastly, before diving into Soy Dream, read up on the growing controversy surrounding the use of processed soy products.  Even though my family loves Soy Dream, the uncertainty over the long-term health effects of consuming soy is alarming to me.  I am trying to use Trader Joe's Organic Whole Grain Milk in baked goods when possible (muffins and cakes work well) and to mix with Soy Dream so they aren't consuming as much soy.

"Cheeses" - some milk-free options

Vegan cheese makes good pizza possible for milk-allergic families.

If you're a milk-allergic family, you know how tricky it is to make meals without cheese.  Typical kid favorites like pizza and macaroni & cheese aren't exciting options without gooey, salty melted cheese.  Lucky for us, food habits are changing and there are companies producing alternatives to traditional cheese.  But with so many food products on market shelves, it can be daunting to sift through all the choices for a safe and tasty cheese alternative.

A big problem I have is over the confusion brought on by the widely available "soy cheese".  With so many soy replacements for milk products these days (soy milk, soy yogurt, soy ice cream, soy creamer to name a few), "soy cheese" sounds like it must be made from soy and it is -- mostly.  Soy cheeses, which often advertises themselves as "lactose-free" are mainly for people with lactose intolerance, a difficulty in breaking down lactase found in milk.  Soy cheese such as Galaxy Foods' actually still contains milk products in the form of casein (whey), which is not safe for anyone with milk allergies.  The same goes for "rice cheese" -- it still contains milk products.

Unless your cheese alternative says "milk-free", "dairy-free" or "vegan" on it, it probably has some element of milk in it.  All the more reason to continue checking and rechecking those labels!

Here are a couple of vegan cheese alternatives worth your attention:

Vegan Gourmet -contains soy but free of the other top food allergens (milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish) 
Follow Your Heart vegan cheeses are sold by Vegan Gourmet, a company that also makes the egg-free mayo Vegenaise.  Flavors include the mozzarella, Monterey Jack, cheddar, and nacho cheddar.

Follow Your Heart/Vegan Gourmet vegan cheeses come in a big, soft block so you'll have to cut them into smaller pieces.  It's not too hard to do with a butter knife but it takes a little time.  And you probably won't get the lovely thin shreds you would from a bag of store-bought shredded cheese.

The kids and I like the Vegan Gourmet mozzarella.  In the past, I've had trouble with the stuff melting properly.  So this time I spent a little more time cutting the block into small strips (think shredded cheese).  The cheese melted better than I expected in a high heat oven for homemade pizza, in our case.  The taste was pretty good.  We were less thrilled by the cheddars which had an overpowering flavor.  I have to say, though, that I don't like sharp or bold cheeses so this might be the reason I wasn't a fan of Follow Your Heart's cheddar version.

I have found Vegan Gourmet vegan cheese at Raley's and Nob Hill Foods for about $5 for a 10 oz. block ($4.50 on sale!).  Not a bad price for a cheese alternative if you're willing to put in the extra time to shred them yourself.

Daiya -free of the top 8 food allergens
Daiya Vegan Shreds is the gold standard of fake cheeses among vegans.  It is free of the top 8 allergens, including milk, gluten, and soy.  Originally sold exclusively to restaurants and food service companies, Daiya has gradually made its way into the hearts, minds, and bellies of milk-allergic and vegan eaters through Whole Foods Markets and a select few natural foods store.  It looks like real shredded cheese, the taste is a pretty good imitation of real cheese, and it melts really well.

Daiya comes in convenient shredded form.

All that perfection doesn't come without a price.  Daiya is not cheap.  Whole Foods sells it for about $11/lb.  I haven't been able to find Daiya at any major supermarket chain so Whole Foods or your local natural foods stores, all pricey I'm sure, might be your only choices.

Do you have a favorite milk-free cheese?  Let us know especially if it's not one of the above. 

Product Review: Bob's Red Mill Ground Flaxseed Meal

When it comes to baking I'm always eager to try out new recipes.  I love trying to use natural ingredients to make something simple and yummy.  I also like the challenge of baking without eggs.  Even though there aren't any egg allergies in our family (not since Ryken was 1 at least) it's an ingredient I feel like I can do without if I get creative. 

To help matters for me, there is Bob's Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal.  Made only with flaxseeds, it's a nice natural food in my opinion.  Here is how to use it as a substitute for eggs:

1 egg = 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal plus 3 tablespoons of water, mixed well

It's recommended to only replace up to 3 eggs with flaxmeal/water. I use this mixture regularly in muffins, cakes, biscotti, and pancakes and in savory ground meat dishes such as meatloaf and dumplings.  I've also read (but haven't tried) adding 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder for each flaxmeal/water to retain the leavening effect that you would normally get by using real eggs. 


Flaxseed is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, essential acids that promote brain function and reduce the risk of heart disease.  Bob's Ground Flaxseed Meal is free of the 8 most common allergens and high in fiber. One 16-oz bag contains 68 tablespoons.  That's more than 5 dozen egg replacers in one bag!  Besides acting as an egg substitute, I also like slipping in a tablespoon or so of flaxmeal to oatmeal, cereal, batter or dough of any kind.  Who couldn't use the extra boost of brain food?

Bob's Red Mill is making its way onto market shelves everywhere.  In recent years it's been easier to find their products around my town at Raley's, Safeway, Whole Foods, and even Target.  The best price I've found for their ground flaxseed meal is at Trader Joe's for about $2.70, almost half of the cost of a bag at my local Safeway.  The company has an impressive line of baking products including many gluten-free flours made from beans, tapioca, sorghum, and amaranth to name a few. 

If you can't find Bob's products where you are or want to save by buying in bulk, check out Bob's Red Mill website for their complete product line.  Buying by the case straight from the company really does make sense especially if you regularly bake in a gluten-free kitchen.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese...WAY Better

We always have Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese in our fridge.  My kids are major bagel eaters, especially Tristan, who would eat a bagel every single morning of his life, if I’d let him.  It’s great on your other breads too—english muffins, toast, etc.  Try mixing it with cinnamon-sugar for a sweet topping, or in your dairy-free cream cheese frosting!  Yum.  Spread it on sandwiches instead of mayo or butter.  My kids love cream cheese and jam sandwiches, cream cheese, turkey, and tomato sandwiches, and cream cheese sandwiches! 

Use it on tea sandwiches for parties—with almost half the fat of traditional dairy cream cheese, your guests will love you for it.  I made smoked salmon and Tofutti cream cheese tea sandwiches for an adult party and the platter emptied fast!  (Mmm…thinking about cucumber and Tofutti cream cheese sandwiches).

Add some garlic powder and dried dill for an easy and tasty veggie dip!

Anywhere you’d normally use cream cheese, Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese will do the trick.  It has more of a whipped cream cheese texture, as it does come packaged in a tub.  But the flavor is really similar to the dairy stuff, and if you’re spreading it on something anyway, you can’t tell the difference in texture.

The cream cheese comes in many varieties, including French onion, herbs and chives, smoked salmon, garlic and herb, and garden veggie.  SO good.

 

Product Review: Earth Balance

Nucoa Margarine used to be my go-to substitute for butter. Milk-free and in convenient stick form, it melted well and made altering traditional butter-laden recipes, well, a piece of cake. I was pretty sad to find out recently that Nucoa (which is now sold under Smart Balance) changed their recipe for their milk-free margarine, now labeled as the mysterious "Buttery Sticks".   Although the ingredients do not include any obvious milk products, the company has eliminated "milk-free" to its labeling. Very suspicious and, in my book, that means the stuff might not be safe for my dairy-allergic kids.

In search of a suitable dairy-free butter or margarine, I have turned to Earth Balance, not to be confused with Smart Balance.  (I seriously didn't know these were two different brands until I did the research for this post.)  Earth Balance has created a line of natural, oil-based spreads that the company says promotes healthy cholesterol levels.  As a non-dietitian I don't exactly know what to make of the company's claims.  However, as a mom of kids with food allergies, I'm very happy to have Earth Balance as a safe option for when a recipe calls for that buttery taste and texture.  It's not a perfect substitute for real butter (because stores I visit never seem to carry the stick form) but I think it's the best dairy-free butter substitute on the market and at a reasonable price for our family.

Earth Balance has many varieties of spreads -- some with dairy, some without, at least one without dairy or soy.  Trust me, it can be confusing. So read and reread the labels before you buy it.  I've made the mistake of buying the wrong kind but, luckily, I've conditioned myself to check labels right before I break open anything so I caught my oversight before giving any to my kids.

Out of the big grocery chains in my area, Trader Joe's has the best price for vegan Earth Balance.  (I haven't seen the dairy-free, soy-free version there, though.)  For more information on Earth Balance and their products, check out their website.

If you are dairy-free, what butter substitutes do you like?