Why am I the expert all of a sudden

Its weird. Your cruising along for a couple of years doing your allergy free safe thing, and it just seems all of sudden people start noticing that it is not a fad for your family, or some crazy weight loss diet, and your very serious about keeping your kid safe. Then the phone calls and the conversations start. People fall into 2 groups. The largest group are the ones who recognize that food allergies or intolerances could very well be causing or contributing to what ever is bothering them but they are to overwhelmed with the prospect of cooking differently or trying to get the family on board with the idea. Yet they will continue to go to Drs to get a diagnosis or meds. Then there is the small minority who will make changes but often don't realize to what degree it will require and are calling to 'pick your brain' so to speak. These are the people I enjoy sitting down with and walking them through some of the steps, pitfalls, and alternative ideas to their current diet, and their expectations of change.

Allergy Free Baking or Vegan Baking

Allergy Free baking is a lot like vegan baking however without the soy substitutes. It is usually free of the top 8 common allergens. In our case it also excludes sunflower and safflower products. Since my itchy chipmunk has an allergy to eggs and soy, baking sometimes gets a little tricky or at least requires some experimentation. I think when I went in search of a good pancake recipe it wasn't the problem of finding a recipe but of finding a recipe that everyone liked. We must have tried at least a half a dozen recipes and a few of those ended up in the trash. My favorite recipe author is Cybele Pascal. Her cookbooks can usually be found on my counter in the kitchen. She also has her own website and writes for Martha Stewart's Whole Living website.

So join me as I talk about different substitutes in Allergy Free baking. Stay tuned as we discover what eggs do in baked goods and how we can make our baked goods more allergy friendly.