GF Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup potato starch
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
5 tbsp coconut oil
6 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp honey
1tbsp molasses
cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling on top before baking

Directions:
1. Stir together sorghum flour, quinoa flakes, potato starch, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Add coconut oil and mix with electric mixer until coarse crumbs form.
3.  Mix in milk,  honey and molasses.
4.  Split dough in half, sprinkle with sorghum flour and place between 2 sheets of wax paper.  Roll dough until it is about 1/8" thick. 
5.  Peel top layer of paper off and flip onto baking sheet.  Remove second paper from top.
6.  Cut into squares, rectangles or other shapes.  Use a fork to poke holes for an authentic look.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
7.  Cool in refridgerator while oven preheats to 350 degrees.
8. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Add safe chocolate and marshmallow for a fantastic summer s'more!

Inspired by another mama (thank you!):
http://fa.sarahbdesigns.net/2010/08/graham-cracker-revision-and-chocolate.html

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bites (or Muffins)

Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup potato starch (or corn starch or arrowroot)
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line or lightly grease cupcake pan or brownie bite pan.
2. In medium bowl, stir together baking powder and applesauce.  Allow to bubble while you find your other ingredients.
3.  Add pumpkin, sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Stir gently.
4. In a small bowl stir together sorghum flour, quinoa flakes, potato starch, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5.  Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients. Mixture will be thick.
6.  Add chips and stir.
7. Pour into baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes for brownie bites and 20 to 25 minutes for muffins.  These don't rise much.

Pumpkin Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup coconut milk (or other safe milk)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (optional but it gives it that pumpkin pie flavor!)
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp corn  starch (or potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot) (optional, but it will be a bit thin)

Directions:
1.  Combine ingredients except starch and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
2.  Add starch and stir 2-3 minutes until it begins to thicken.
3.  Pour into serving bowls and chill.  Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Gluten-Free Vegan Strawberry Obsession Cupcakes

Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup quinoa flakes

1/3 cup potato starch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup granulated sugar
1 recipe Strawberry Frosting (recipe follows)

12 small strawberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.

2. Puree strawberries.  Combine ½ cup strawberry puree, vanilla, coconut milk and baking powder.  Set aside.

3.  Combine sorghum flour, quinoa flakes, potato starch, salt,  and baking soda in a small bowl.

4. Cream together applesauce and sugar for about a minute.  Add flour and strawberry puree.  Mix about another minute.  Fill muffin tins to about 2/3 full.

5. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

6.  Cool completely before frosting.

Frost with this and top each with a small strawberry (I am also working on an alternate frosting as this is VERY sweet!):

Strawberry Frosting

Makes enough for 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening or Coconut Oil
pinch of salt
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Puree strawberries in blender. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream shortening and pinch of salt on medium speed, about 2 minutes.

3. Add confectioners’ sugar in three batches, beating after each addition. Add 3 Tablespoons of the strawberry puree, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4.  Top each cupcake with a strawberry.

This recipe was adapted from this amazing recipe:

http://www.foodista.com/blog/2011/05/19/allergy-free-strawberry-cupcakes

GF Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ c sorghum flour

½ c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ c Earth Balance soy free butter

½ c applesauce

1 c brown sugar

½ c white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3-6 tbsp coconut milk

1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     In a large bowl, mix butter, applesauce and sugar until combined.  Mix in vanilla until well combined.

3.     In a separate bowl,  stir together dry ingredients (except chocolate chips).

4.     Add dry ingredients to sugar/butter and mix until combined.  Add just enough milk to make the mix not too dry.  It will be a thicker cookie batter.

5.     Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake 10-15 minutes.

6.     Cool completely before removing from trays.

This recipe was inspired by a delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe I found here:  http://hubpages.com/hub/sorghum-gluten-free-cookies. 

Healthy Carrot Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

1 c sorghum flour

½ c quinoa flakes

1/3 c potato starch

2 tsp cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup applesauce

2/3 c brown sugar

¾ cup shredded carrot (3 medium-large carrots)

¼ cup melted Earth Balance butter or coconut oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line muffin tins with papers.

2.  In a large bowl, combine applesauce and baking powder, set aside for a couple minutes.

3.  Mix sorghum, quinoa flakes, potato starch, cinnamon and baking soda in a smaller bowl.

4.  Add sugar, carrot and butter/oil to applesauce mixture.

5.  Stir in flour mixture until combined.

6.  Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full.  Bake  17-20 minutes.

Gluten-Free "Buttermilk" Biscuits

1 1/2  c sorghum

¾ c potato starch (or corn)

2 packets gelatin

1 ½ tbsp baking power

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

½ c earth balance butter

¾ c buttermilk (1 tsp vinegar to 1 c coconut milk)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl with fork.
3. Sprinkle the butter cubes evenly over the flour mixture and mix with electric mixer until mixture becomes crumbly.
4. Add buttermilk and mix until blended.
5. Roll ice cream scoop sized balls of mixture and press top and bottom slightly to make a biscuit shape.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
6. Bake 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush tops of biscuits with butter. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free “Buttermilk” Pancakes and Grandma’s Syrup

Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 c sorghum flour

¾ c potato starch (or corn starch or arrowroot)

2 packets gelatin

2 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/3 c sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 c cold Earth balance butter

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ c buttermilk (combine 1 tbsp vinegar and 1 ½ c coconut milk (or other safe milk), let stand 5 minutes)

½ c  coconut milk  (or other safe milk) (more for a thinner batter)

oil for griddle

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.

2.  Drop pieces of butter into dry mix and mix with mixer on low speed.

3.  Add buttermilk and vanilla, mix  on low until combined.

4.  Add enough milk to make a thicker pancake batter.

5.  Preheat griddle to medium and add oil.  Cook on one side until bubble begin to break.  Flip and cook until done.

Yields 15-20 pancakes

Grandma’s Syrup

Ingredients:

½ c brown sugar, lightly packed

½ c water

1 tsp vanilla

¾ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1.  Combine ingredients in small saucepan.

2.  Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes stirring often.

I store in an old honey bottle in the fridge.

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:
1- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cut into nugget sized pieces
1/2 c safe milk
1 c crushed corn chex
1/2 c quinoa flakes
1/3 c potato flour
2-4 tbsp canola oil (to fry them in)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Place cut chicken pieces in a bowl and add milk.  Stir to coat chicken.
2.  Mix chex, quinoa flakes and potato flour in a small bowl.
3.  Press chicken pieces into chex mixture.
4.  Place into hot oiled skillet on medium to medium high heat and cook 5-7 minutes per side until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Serve and enjoy.

I am sure you could bake these too.  I haven't tried it yet, but will include those instructions if I do.

Sorghum Brownies

Super easy, no mixer required!  Everyone will love these!

1 1/4 c applesauce
1/4 c Earth Balance Soy/Dairy Free spread, melted
1/4 c coconut oil, melted
3/4 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c Enjoy Life chocolate chips (or more if you like)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Stir together applesauce, oil, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl.
3.  In a small bowl, combine sorghum flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
4.  Slowly stir flour mixture into wet mixture until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.
5.  Pour into greased 11x7 (or similar size) pan.
6.  Bake @350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until center is set.  Cool completely before cutting.

Safe Yogurt

You will need a thermometer to measure temperatures between 90 and 212 degrees (I use a meat thermometer which is cheap and easy to find at the grocery store) and an incubator of some kind* (see below, I use a double crock pot)

Ingredients:
6 cups coconut milk (or whatever safe milk-  I have been using 4 cups coconut and 2 cups hemp)
6 probiotic capsules (whatever kind is safe, we use Kirkman's Pro Bio Gold) or 1 cup yogurt from last batch
2 tbsp honey (or other sugar) (this is needed to give the bacteria enough sugar to eat since cow's milk has a higher sugar content to begin with)
3 packets gelatin or 3 tbsp agar agar
2-4 tsp vanilla (optional, use as much or little as you like, we use 2 cups vanilla flavored milk and 2 tsp vanilla)


1.  Place milk, vanilla and honey in medium saucepan.  Heat on medium heat to almost boiling (until tiny bubbles are starting to form around edges) stirring very often.  While heating slowly whisk in packets of gelatin or agar agar.
2.  Cool liquid mixture to 115 degrees (I put it in the fridge to achieve this more quickly)
3.  Add 6 capsules probiotics  by opening capsules and stirring in (or saved yogurt from last batch (but I still add a capsule or 2 of probiotics, just in case)
4.  Pour contents into incubator.  Maintain temperature of 105 degrees to 115 degrees for 7 hours*
5. Refrigerate until solid and cold.

*For my incubator I place my 1.5 quart (with yogurt inside) into a big crock pot (mine is 3 quarts) that I have lined with towels to insulate.  I turn it to "serve" for about 1/2 hour if the temperature drops to 105 degrees (usually I heat it so the crock isn't cold when I put the yogurt in and then turn it on 1-2 times during the 7 hours). 

 You could probably do this with just one crock pot as long as the temp didn't get too hot around the edges to kill the bacteria (so stir often when crock is on).  Or you can do this on the warm setting in the oven with a baking dish of some sort.  Or in a cooler with hot water bottles around your yogurt container.  The key is keeping the temp between 105 and 115 degrees for 4-7 hours.  I use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.  I check it every 2-3 hours or twice during the incubating process.

This recipe is based on another mama's yogurt adventures:
http://funkyfoodallergies.blogspot.com/search/label/yogurt

I tripped over FPIES and I fell UP!!!!

Falling Up
by Shel Silverstein
I tripped on my shoelace
And I fell up--
Up to the roof tops,
Up over the town,
Up past the tree tops,
Up over the mountains,
Up where the colors
Blend into the sounds.
But it got me so dizzy
When I looked around,
I got sick to my stomach
And I threw down.

I love this poem and I think it describes the roller-coaster ride my daughter Samaya and our whole family embarked on when faced with Food Protein- Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES).  It is overwhelming.  It has been a constant up and down of successes and failures.

In the beginning, I had no idea what was happening with our daughter.  I didn't know why she had diarrhea all the time or why she vomited certain foods.  Then I found the FPIES community on BBC and I knew what was happening.  We got a diagnosis.  I was terrified of what the future would hold and if we would find safe food for Samaya, but at least I had support from this amazing community of moms and a diagnosis.  I was determined, empowered even, by the information I had discovered to find a way to live with FPIES and not by it.  And I fell up!

I began to see things a little differently.  I could stop wondering why she was sick. I just needed to figure out how to conquer this beast.  I searched through the baby food book we had used with my son,  Jack, and became frustrated and overwhelmed.  Nothing in that book could help us.  That was for normal babies.  So I literally threw out the book!  I chucked it across the living room and it smashed against the wall and fell to the floor with a great thud.  And into the kitchen I went.

The kitchen has become my retreat- a place to think, to plan, to conquer this FPIES beast.  With the help of those amazing moms on BBC (and particularly one kitchen-chemistry-inclined mama) I began to manipulate my daughter's tiny menu into an array of new tastes and textures for her to explore.

My kitchen-chemistry success didn't come easily.  My first major chemistry experiment was with arrowroot cupcakes.  I was determined to make cake for my daughter's first birthday.  It didn't go well. Batch after batch went into the oven. Each batch looked like traditional cake batter.  Most began to bake and even smell like cake.  And then each batch dissolved into an oily, gooey puddle. 

Samaya's first birthday "cake" ended up being sorbet and it was beautiful! She loved it, and we were able to make the same happy memories as other kids have- messy first birthdays covered in sugary goo!  But the desire to make her cake never left. 

Over the following summer, we completely gutted and remodeled our kitchen.  The process helped me to push the envelope of creativity.  I had only a microwave and a grill to work with for months!  I enjoyed spending the time preparing fruits, veggies, and meats for my little one (and the rest of our family), but I was really hungry to bake!!!

Finally, my dream kitchen was complete and I could get to work!  With the help of my kitchen-chemistry friend I began to slowly build Samaya's menu.  Her list of safe foods has grown, and the flavor and texture  of my creations has improved dramatically.  I can now create a variety of foods that taste pretty close to their originals (and sometimes better!).  And of course, we have made some tasty cakes!  For her second birthday, I made kitty cake pops for everyone at her party to enjoy!  I have come a long way since those early days of flopped arrowroot cupcakes!

So I decided it was time to share.  Time to share my recipes (and organize them where I can find them).  Time to share our family's story of FPIES with others.  We still struggle with FPIES each and every day but it hasn't beat us!  We are a success story.  I have learned how this family can live with FPIES not by of it.  I have fallen up!  Up to a place of acceptance.  Up to a place of compassion.  Up to a place where, for her I can "throw down" and do whatever I have to do.  I hope you enjoy our journey and my recipes!