Breakfast Birthday Party

A year ago if you had asked me about hosting a breakfast-themed party, I would have said "no way!". Breakfast can be a difficult meal for people with allergies, especially when making food for a crowd. But when Little Man was recently asked what food we should serve at his birthday, he replied "waffles and bacon". That sounds like the makings of a breakfast party to me!

Here's what we served for our party of nine people:

• bacon (made before people arrived and kept warm in the warming drawer)
• waffles (made to order)
• maple syrup
• blueberry sauce*
• Healthy Top "whipping cream" (this was really good!)
• large fruit platter
• banana bread (I made the delicious one from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook)
• car-shaped cake (Agave Cupcake recipe from The Allergen-free Baker's Handbook)
• pina colada ice cream
• juices: apricot, guava and pomegranate

The cake was our first one that wasn't white (we don't use food colouring). The pink icing (I was going for purple) was coloured and flavoured by crushing raspberries and blueberries through a fine mesh sieve and adding the juice to the icing. The brown icing had molasses added to it. I made the cake in 2 8-inch round cake pans and cut them to form the car shape. The '3' was made of raisins.

*Blueberry sauce:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

1. Combine all in small saucepan. Cook at medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until sauce thickens a little.

The party was a big success and all the food was a hit. Our 3-year-old was very pleased with his special party.  And when it was all over, he predictably asked "Can I have more cake please?".

Vitamix Recipe: Strawberry Milkshake (Dairy-free of course!)

This morning I decided I needed a little treat, so I blended up this easy-to-make strawberry milkshake.  It was so delicious!  I am very thankful that I froze so many strawberries this year as I can see this becoming a frequent treat.

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup almond milk (or rice milk)
• 2 dates, pitted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Add all ingredients to Vitamix.  Start at speed 1 and slowly increase to 10, then flip the high power switch.
2. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.
3. Serve immediately.  Makes one large or two small servings (really you won't want to share though).

Zucchini Bread with Roasted Almonds

I have been looking for a good gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free zucchini bread for awhile, and I finally found one that really caught my eye over at Gluten Free Goddess.  I made a few changes, including incorporating roasted almonds.  We are just starting to introduce nuts to the Little Man's diet, so we don't have a wide range of nuts to choose from.  Although I would have originally wanted to pair this with pecans, the almonds surprised me in how much flavour they added to the bread.  It was a perfect match!  Roasting them yourself really brings out extra flavour.  I also included almond residue (leftover from making homemade almond milk) for an additional flavour boost, and used an organic demerara sugar for a crisp crust.

To roast the almonds, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spread whole raw almonds over a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Watch the oven carefully as the 10 minute mark approaches.  You want a nutty smell to be coming from the oven, but if you overdo it the almonds will burn.  Set cookie sheet aside for almonds to cool.  Note that almonds will not crisp up for at least an hour.  For using in the bread, you only need to wait until the nuts are cool enough to handle.  Chop by hand or in Vitamix at power 5 for 5-7 seconds.  For storage of extra almonds, wait 1-2 hours until almonds are completely cool, then store in a tightly-sealed container in the fridge.  I like to use my roasted almonds to top green salads.

The bread recipe can be started while the almonds are roasting.  Conveniently, the bread bakes at 350 degrees, so you can use the same preheated oven once the almonds are done.

• 1 rounded cup (1 1/4 cups) partially peeled then grated zucchini
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup organic demerara sugar (can be substituted with natural cane sugar)
• 1/4 cup almond residue (solids created by making almond milk) (optional)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp lime juice (can be substituted with lemon)
• 1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer whisked with 1/4 cup water 
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds (optional)

1. Press the liquid out of the zucchini by placing it in a sieve and squeezing. It is important to remove as much liquid as you can so the bread isn't too gooey. Fluff it with a fork and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sorghum, tapioca, xanthan, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Mix.  Add sugar and mix again.
3. Add almond paste, coconut oil, coconut milk, lime juice, and egg replacer mix.  Beat on medium speed until well mixed -- about 1 minute.
4. Add drained zucchini and almonds and mix on slow 20 seconds or so until combined.
5. Scrape dough into parchment-lined loaf pan (I just drape it in a U-shape in the pan and don't worry much about the ends) and smooth the top with a damp spatula.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Apple Rhubarb Blackberry Crisp

Something I have missed with our oat restriction is a fruit crisp.  It is such a comforting homey dessert.  Now that it is autumn, I went looking for a crisp topping that would work with our allergies.  And WOW, this is one great crisp!  I didn't feel deprived of oats at all in this recipe.  It is feel-good food.

I adapted the recipe from one at Allergic Adventures, a lovely blog that has recipes free of allergens similar to our own.  The crisp can be served warm from the oven, or cold from the fridge.  It makes a delicious breakfast as well as a dessert.

Filling:

• 2 apples, sliced
• 2 cups rhubarb, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp minute tapioca (mini tapioca pearls)

Topping:

• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup natural cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chilled coconut oil
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix filling ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and scoop into a deep-dish pie plate.  Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, assemble topping by mixing together the flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, sea salt and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.  Use a pastry blender/cutter to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until the oil is in pea-sized chunks.  Add boiling water and stir just until combined.
4. Remove the pie plate from the oven.  Using a tablespoon, scoop balls of topping onto the fruit.  Try and cover as much of the surface as you can.
5. Return to the oven for 25 more minutes.

This post is my entry for The October 2010 "Scared Silly" Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free event -- hosted by Diana at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang.  The "scary" ingredient is rhubarb due to its poisonous leaves.

Cookbook Review: The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

When I heard that Cybele Pascal had a second cookbook coming out, I was very excited.  I have previously mentioned her first cookbook, The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook, as it contains several recipes that we regularly prepare at our house.  The one downfall of the first book for me was that the baking recipes contain spelt, which we cannot have as it is a form of wheat.  So I awaited the new book's arrival with a bit of caution as to not raise my hopes too high.  When I opened the cover for the first time I was holding my breath in anticipation.... and... NO spelt to be seen!  And Oh, what lovely photographs of things I can bake!

The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook starts with a very useful dry and perishable goods pantry list.  It outlines the various flours, sugars, shortening, chocolate, and other baking ingredients that are found in today's allergen-free kitchen.  Cybele gives information on companies that make some of these products, as well as useful tips on why these ingredients are used and how best to use them.  This is followed by a section on how to replace various allergens so you can learn what to substitute in your favourite baking recipes.

For the most part, the recipes in this book use a flour mixture consisting of brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour.  It is recommended that you mix up a big batch of this flour to store in your fridge or freezer so you have it on hand when needed in a recipe.  This makes it so much easier to bake -- you don't need a multitude of flours each time you want to make something.

In our family there is a one-month period where we celebrate three birthdays.  This book arrived just in time for the festivities!  My Mum borrowed the book and made Chocolate Layer Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting for my birthday.  She loved the book and decided to also try making Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting.  Both were a success!

Next was Little Man's birthday -- and his first ever cake!  I made the Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting -- twice, as we celebrated on his birthday and then again a few days later.  I found this recipe very easy to make.  The icing recipe creates a lot of icing, so I needed to make it only once for the two sets of cupcakes.  It keeps well in the fridge.  The cupcakes stay good in the fridge for several days, but they also freeze very well.  This has become a staple baked good in our house. In just over a month, my Mum and I have made these FOUR times!  When you have gone such a long time without cake I think there is a grace period where you can eat as much as you like to catch up a bit. :)

For my Mum's birthday, I made Carrot Ginger Layer Cake with Orange Buttercream Frosting.  This is soooo good.  We couldn't taste the ginger, so we would add a bit more next time (and yes, there will definitely be a next time).  This cake was ok the day it was made, but it became outstanding the next day after it was refrigerated.  The icing is good enough to eat on its own!

I also tried the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.  The results on this one were somewhat mixed, but it was through no fault of the recipe.  In my area we are unable to purchase dairy-free, soy-free shortening.  So in my baking recipes I substitute 3/4 cup refrigerated coconut oil for 1 cup of shortening.  This worked fabulously on all three types on cakes and their icing.  But I didn't measure very well with the cookies (I added too much), and I didn't refrigerate the coconut oil as long as I usually would.  The flavour was divine -- but the cookies ended up flat and lacy.  Next time I will try this recipe with 2/3 cup coconut oil and I bet they will turn out perfect.

There is much more to the book than cake and cookies;  there are pies, cobblers, muffins, biscuits, and breads too.  Everything looks delicious.  There are lovely photos of baked goods that inspire you to try everything shown.  I am tempted to start at the beginning and cook my way through the book, but then I would have to wait a couple months before having a vanilla cupcake again -- and that is not going to happen!

This book is so much more than just a cookbook to me.  This book represents a way of experiencing "normal" foods in spite of all the allergies.  It's a guide to creating a birthday cake that doesn't have to have the label "allergy-free cake", because it is so yummy that the non-allergic crowd can enjoy it too.  It is a confidence booster in that you don't need to alter the recipes and hope they work out.  It is the first book I pick up when I want to bake.

I received a review copy of this book, but was in no way influenced to write a positive review.  I would have written everything the same if I had obtained my copy from the bookstore.  This is truly a breakthrough book for those of us living with allergies and I strongly encourage you to give it a try.  Cybele's web site gives the recipe for the flour mix, a red velvet cake with icing, and blueberry boy bait.  Give one of these a try and you will likely see yourself needing her book.  And remember, if you haven't eaten cake in awhile you have my permission to go a little crazy when you start baking from this book.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

The moment I waited a year for... Little Man got to eat birthday cake.  Last year we knew we were dealing with allergies before his birthday, but we didn't know what he was allergic to.  So no birthday cake for the birthday boy.  This year, we needed a special recipe for a two-year-old's first taste of cake.  I found what I was looking for in the Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting recipe from the Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook.  More on this book in a future post... but the cake was divine!  Little Man's opinion?  "Mmmmmm cake. Cake GOOD!"

What else do you serve a two-year old on his birthday?  All his favourites of course!  For Little Man, that meant baby corn, brown rice pasta, turkey meatloaf, and homemade crackers with guacamole.  A tasty and nutritious meal that he gobbled up.

Planning: Allergen-Free Christmas Dinner for Ten

That's right, Christmas dinner is in full planning mode at Eagle Loft Kitchen!  It is not only possible to make a holiday dinner for ten people that is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, etc. etc.... (not taste-free!), but in some ways it is even easier than the traditional way.  What makes it easy?  Planning.  And the freezer!  And a bit of a messy kitchen a few days before the event. :)

Here's what we will be serving for dinner this Christmas:

• Turkey (salted, then basted with olive oil and oven roasted)
• Gravy (chicken broth mixed with turkey drippings, poultry seasoning, tarragon, salt, pepper, and thickened with arrowroot flour)
• Mashed potatoes (boiled, mashed and mixed with rice milk and Becel RSF)
• Mashed sweet potatoes and yams (boiled, mashed together and mixed with Becel RSF, fresh orange juice and a touch of agave syrup)
• Bread stuffing (cubed homemade gluten-free bread mixed with sauted onions, celery, sausage meat and bacon, tossed with poultry seasoning -- stuff in turkey or add some chicken stock or white wine and bake covered in the oven)
• Sausage meat (made fresh by our local butcher, allergen-free -- hooray!)
• Carrots and peas

And for dessert:

• Pumpkin pie
  
• Molasses spice cookies
• Date coconut balls (I will post these sometime in January)
• Chocolate star cookies (similar to my chocolate Easter cake, but in star shapes)
• Chocolate cinnamon ice cream (same as my chocolate fudgesicle ice cream with a bit of cinnamon added in)

The beauty of this menu is how much can be done ahead.  All of the desserts are already made and frozen except the pie, which I am making Christmas Eve night.  The mashed veggies can be done the day ahead, and pretty much everything else is finished off late Christmas morning as the turkey goes in the oven.  I'm anticipating getting a lot of time this year to visit with my guests Christmas evening.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, and a tasty allergen-free holiday feast.

No Apology Pumpkin Pie

I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year! My dish to contribute to the feast is "a pumpkin dessert". I started by checking my family's traditional pumpkin pie recipe -- how many eggs can I replace with egg-replacer? -- what gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free crust recipe should I use? Then I decided to check my safe recipe file of thousands of collected recipes that fit with our allergies. There were several options, but none seemed like they would fill my craving for my family's recipe. So I searched through the recipes of my blogging friends -- jackpot!! I should have known to look there first.

I only recently discovered Karina's Kitchen, and have tried a few of her yummy dishes already. But this recipe looked too good to be true. Ok, here's the secret: there is no crust on the pie. How is that possible? I figured this needed some investigating, so I made a practice pie prior to the Thanksgiving event. I have done a lot of sampling since then... and yes, there really is no crust and it WORKS! More than works -- I love it! No need to make excuses for your allergen-free concoction. This is a real pie and it is delicious.

I've made a few modifications to Karina's recipe, some for our allergy requirements, others to more closely resemble the seasonings in our family's traditional pumpkin pie recipe.

• 1 14 oz can pumpkin
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer powder
• 2 Tbsp tapioca flour
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
  
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Lightly oil a 9" glass pie plate.
   
3. Add all ingredients to food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice.
4. Pour blended ingredients into pie plate.
   
5. Bake for about 1 hour, until done and the center is not wet. Mine took an hour and five minutes. Cool thoroughly, then refrigerate until time to serve.

I made the first pie without allspice and ginger and my toddler was able to eat it. Little Man's first pie! He helped to make it (ie. he insisted I hold him the whole time so he could see what I was doing), learned to say "pie" and agrees that it is delicious.

Chocolate Fudgesicle Ice Cream

Luckily for us, summer has lingered late this year. So you get one extra ice cream recipe while the weather is still hot. This ice cream takes me back to childhood and the taste of original-recipe fudgesicles. I swear they changed the recipe somewhere in the last decade and added a lot of filler junk so now they taste mediocre. Of course it could be that as I got older my palate improved, but my memory tells me that fudgesicles used to be rich and super chocolatey. This ice cream tastes like that chocolatey memory.

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cup rice milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup crumbled chocolate cake

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (or refrigerate the coconut and rice milks ahead of time).
3. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions (I process mine for 28 minutes).
4. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. (If you refrigerate your blended ingredients for several hours before processing you may be able to serve immediately.)

It probably sounds odd to have cake in this recipe, but I'm sure that is what gives it such a rich flavour and texture. I usually have slices of cake on hand in my freezer so it is easy for me to pull out a piece for this recipe. If you don't have any cake available, you can probably omit it and add extra cocoa powder (1/4 cup or so). It will still be good, but it won't be quite the same.

Pina Colada Ice Cream

Summer appears to be coming to an end here. You can feel that fall crispness in the air already. So before the summer warmth is gone completely, I need to post my favourite hot weather recipe -- pina colada ice cream! (And who am I kidding? I'm going to be making this all winter long!) If you like pina coladas... and getting caught in the rain... (sing along!)

This is the most simple recipe for ice cream ever, but it has such rich flavours and textures. I don't even advertise it as non-dairy anymore, and it gets rave reviews from people who don't require allergy-friendly food. Since pina coladas contain coconut, no one questions why the ice cream is "coconutty".

• 1 can coconut milk
• 20 oz can pineapple tidbits (including the juice)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup agave syrup

1. Refrigerate cans of coconut milk and pineapple for at least 2 hours (I keep a can of each in my fridge for an emergency pina colada ice cream fix).
2. Mix coconut milk, pineapple with juice, sugar and agave in a blender at high speed until liquefied.
3. Transfer to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. (I process mine for 25-30 minutes).
4. Pour into a freezer-proof container. At this stage I usually scrape pineapple pulp off of the beater and discard it. This is not a necessary step, but it makes a smoother ice cream.
   
5. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

If you have only pineapple rings or chunks, that would work too. You would probably need to include the step where you remove the pineapple pulp from the ice cream maker's beater. One time I only had a 14 oz can of pineapple on hand, so I included some fresh pineapple chunks and juice. It was so delicious, but definitely left more pulp on the beater.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

A couple of months ago I decided I needed an ice cream maker. Not "wanted"... neeeeded. After perusing the different options, I decided to purchase the ice cream maker attachment kit for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Being summer, one would think this would be easy to find. But no! In our town there was not a single place that stocked this item. Thus began an ice cream maker journey that involved online shopping, shipping to friends-of-friends in another country, my parents meeting up with those friends while both parties were on vacation, and their efforts to cram it in the car to drive it home.

This story is told to highlight just how special this ice cream is. Aside from the fact that I didn't think I could eat ice cream again. After all, I can't eat cream... not even soy cream. And now I don't need to, because this ice cream is spectacular without it!

This recipe is inspired by one in the new cookbook Lick It!: Creamy, Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love. It is the first ice cream I've made that doesn't taste like the coconut milk that it contains. I am excited to try many more of the recipes from this book.

• 1 14oz can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (I used rice milk)
• 1/2 cup agave or granulated sugar (I used 1/4 cup of each)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

1. Put first 4 ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Freeze in ice cream maker following the directions for your machine (I processed mine for 25 minutes).
4. Add cherries and chocolate chips and process a further 5 minutes.
5. Transfer ice cream to freezer-proof container and freeze 4 hours or more to obtain a hard ice cream consistency.
   

Spiced Teff Cookie Bars

Looking at this photo, don't you think of a dense chocolate brownie? What if I told you there was no chocolate in this bar? Nope, not cocoa powder either. These surprisingly light-textured cookies are dark due to the nutrient-rich ingredients of teff flour and blackstrap molasses. And no, they don't taste one bit healthy. They are super delicious!

This recipe was created by Ali of Whole Life Nutrition in order to accommodate our allergies (I'm so honoured!). And they couldn't be more perfect -- I love them! Thank you Ali!!

Rhubarb Crisp with Rhubarb Tea

I never know what to do with rhubarb except bake it in a pie. I still haven't found a piecrust recipe that fits our allergies, although I have a few recipes I am waiting to try. But I had some fresh rhubarb waiting to be used and not enough time to experiment with pastry. So I decided to stew the rhubarb on the cooktop and mix in some tapioca. Mmmmmm.



As a byproduct of the cooking process, you also get a nice cup of rhubarb tea to enjoy.

• 3-4 stalks fresh rhubarb, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup small tapioca pearls
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup agave syrup + extra to sweeten tea
  
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• sprinkling of granola for each serving (I use Enjoy Life granola)
  

1. Combine tapioca and 3/4 cup of water in a small bowl. Let sit 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put rhubarb in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.
   
3. Simmer 10 more minutes, then drain water. This rhubarb water is the tea, so pour into a nice cup and sweeten with some agave syrup to taste.
   
4. Add tapioca/water mixture to rhubarb. Stir in the coconut milk and agave syrup.
5. Simmer 5-8 minutes, until tapioca is transparent.
6. Stir in blueberries and simmer 1-2 minutes.
7. Pour into 3-4 serving dishes and top with granola.
   

Lemon Coconut Pie

Lemon pie is definitely something I thought I wouldn't be seeing again soon due to our egg allergy. After all, the main ingredient in lemon pie filling is egg yolk. Fortunately for me, my Mother-in-Law saw the recipe for lemon pie filling on the Ener-G site and decided to give it a whirl. Here's how she made it:

Coconut crust:

• 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 3 Tbsp safflower oil (or coconut oil)
  

1. Mix coconut with oil until coconut is thoroughly coated.
   
2. Press firmly into a 9 inch pie plate.
   
3. Bake at 325 F for 10-15 minutes (until coconut starts to brown).

Lemon Filling (from the Ener-G site):

• 1/4 cup Ener-G Egg Replacer
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
  
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp grated lemon rind

1. Mix egg replacer with sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler until well blended.
   
2. Add water, lemon juice and lemon rind and set over medium heat.
3. Stir constantly until smooth and thick.
4. Remove from heat, but continue stirring for 5 minutes to cool mixture.
5. Pour into pie shell. Cool thoroughly then refrigerate at least 2 hours.
   

Rice Pudding

This is simple and so yummy. I adapted this recipe from the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.

• 1 cup cooked jasmine rice
• 2/3 can coconut milk (I use the rest for a chocolate ganache for other desserts)
• 1/3 cup liquid honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 plum (or other fruit) sliced
• handful of granola (I used Cranapple Crunch by Enjoy Life)

1. Mix together the rice, coconut milk and honey in a saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently (around 8 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
   
4. Spoon into 3 dessert bowls and refrigerate to chill.
5. Top with plums and granola before serving.

Chocolate Bunnies and Eggs

Happy Easter!!

My contribution to Easter dinner this year was a dessert. But I didn't want it to be just any dessert. I wanted our family to see that "cooking with weird ingredients" didn't mean having to sacrifice in the taste department. And that it could still follow a theme. And that it could mean eating chocolate! (I still can't believe I found chocolate that fits all our restrictions -- and just a week before Easter. Thank you Enjoy Life!)

A huge thank you to Allergy Mom at The Allergic Kid for posting her recipe for "Be My Valentine" Cakes. This was my first time attempting to bake a cake without wheat, dairy or eggs and I must say I found the task quite daunting. It took literally hours to make, but was worth every minute of effort. And I learned so much that I could probably whip these up without too much fuss the second time around. Part of the lengthy time was due to reinspecting labels on all the products I had never used before. I also used a coconut spread that needed to be "warmed" first -- and this took 45 minutes. Next time I will get that going even before preheating the oven.

So, lessons learned and confidence gained for future baking projects. But did I mention the taste? OMG!! This was probably the best chocolate dessert I've ever eaten! Now I may be a little biased after not tasting chocolate for a year, but these cakes were way beyond my expectations and our family wholeheartedly gave them a glowing review.

Here are the substitutions I made to the cake batter to make these work for our allergies:

• 1 1/4 cup wheat flour => 3/4 cup brown rice flour and 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• I added 1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 4 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup canola oil => just under 1/2 cup safflower oil to accommodate the added "egg"
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt => 1/2 cup Wilderness Family Naturals Coconut Spread

I didn't make the filling due to lack of time and they were still delicious without it. I made the ganache as listed in the original recipe.

These cakes reminded me of chocolate lava cake, which I will try making at some point using this recipe. I picture putting batter in a ramekin, then the ganache (or maybe even just the chocolate chips), then more batter. Mmmmm.