Healthy Brownies

Who doesn't like brownies?  How about healthy brownies??  I was browsing the Internet for an easy gluten-free brownie recipe recently and found something called black bean brownies.  Hmmm...didn't sound all that appealing at first, but I decided to give it a try anyway and was pleasantly surprised!  I still haven't told my oldest son what exactly is in these tasty little treats, but he sure does gobble them up!  ;-)

So how about making some healthy brownies for Valentine's Day?

Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained & rinsed
3 eggs
5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Powdered sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350.  Puree black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and sugar in food processor or blender.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into greased 8 x 8 pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Homemade Allergy-Friendly Cadbury Eggs

A couple of days ago Brody asked me what a Cadbury Egg was.  What?!  For some reason the fact that he has never been able to enjoy one of these popular candies, and in fact had no idea what it even was, really bothered me.  Of course with all of his allergies there are lots of foods that he has never been able to try, but I remember how much I always looked forward to finding a couple of these candy eggs in my Easter basket each year.  So I decided it was time Brody finds some (allergy-friendly) Cadbury Eggs in his Easter basket too!

Homemade Allergy-Friendly Cadbury Eggs
Marshmallow Fondant (recipe below*)
Yellow Food coloring
Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Tint a portion of the marshmallow fondant yellow, kneading until color is fully mixed in.  Take about 1/2 tsp of the yellow mixture and roll into a ball.  Now scoop out about 1 Tbsp of the white fondant and while holding it in your palm make an indent in the center and place the yellow ball (yolk) in it, then pinch the white fondant around the yellow ball and roll into an egg shape.  Continue this process until all your "eggs" are complete.  Place them in the freezer on a wax paper lined tray for a few minutes to harden.  Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and stir well.  Using a fork, dip each "egg" into the melted chocolate and let the excess drip off before placing back on the wax paper lined tray.  Place the chocolate covered "eggs" in the fridge for 10 minutes while the chocolate sets.  If desired, wrap each treat in a foil candy wrapper!

*Note*  The marshmallow fondant recipe makes a large amount.  If you are only using it to make these homemade Cadbury Eggs, I would suggest cutting the recipe in half.

Marshmallow Fondant
16 ounces white mini marshmallows
2-5 Tbsp water
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 cup Crisco

Melt marshmallows and 2 Tbsp of water in microwave.  Stir every 30 seconds until melted.  Place three-quarters of the powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallows and mix.  Grease hands and counter generously with Crisco.  Dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture onto the greased counter.  Start kneading the mixture like you would bread dough.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more.  Re-grease your hands and counter when fondant is sticking.  If the mix is tearing easily, add about 1/2 Tbsp of water and knead it in.  Keep kneading until you get a smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing. 

Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco, wrap in plastic wrap, and then place in a Ziploc bag.  Squeeze out as much air as you can.  MM Fondant can be made up to a couple of weeks ahead of time.  To soften again for use, unwrap and knead a few times again with greased hands.

Valentine's Day Treats

Looking for something to make with your little one for Valentine's Day? Here are a few quick and easy ideas free of many of the top allergens...

• Microwave Brownies cut into heart shapes and dusted with powdered sugar! (see recipe below)
• Candy Cane Hearts! (place 2 mini candy canes on a wax paper lined tray so they form a heart and fill with safe melted chocolate and sprinkles)
• Rice Krispies Treats cut into heart shapes! (swap some of the Rice Krispies cereal with Pebbles cereal for a little extra flavor and a pop of color)
• Melt some safe chocolate chips and pour into heart shaped candy molds. (I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks)

Microwave Brownies
1 banana, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (can use 1/2 cup white & 1/2 cup whole wheat)
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Mix all ingredients well and pour into a greased 8x8 glass pan. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Reindeer Pops

Here's a quick and easy Christmas treat you can make with your little elves!

Dairy-Free Reindeer Pops
Large Marshmallows
Mini Pretzel Twists
Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting (or make your own)
Red Food Coloring
Lollipop Sticks

Insert a lollipop stick into the side of each marshmallow.  On a wax paper lined cookie sheet, lay out sets of 2 pretzel twists so they are touching each other.  Melt chocolate chips in double boiler or microwave.  Dip each marshmallow into melted chocolate, tap off excess.  Place the flat side of each dipped marshmallow onto a set of pretzel twists.  Chill for 10 minutes.  Color a small amount of frosting red.  Spoon the white and red frosting and also the remaining melted chocolate into 3 decorator bags fitted with a small round tip or spoon into Ziploc sandwich bags and cut off the corner to make a very small opening.  Use these to add eyes and a red nose to each reindeer pop.

(I originally found this idea on Pinterest, which then took me to this website... http://www.makenmold.com/Create/Projects/Christmas.aspx )

12 Days of an Allergy Free Christmas - Kyle Dine

A great Christmas song by the awesome Kyle Dine!

Recipe of the Month

Who doesn't love having their house filled with the smell of pumpkin bread fresh from the oven?  This recipe makes about 50 cookies so it's perfect to have on hand for any fall festivities you may be attending!

Pumpkin Bread Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
(dairy, peanut, tree nut-free)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg*
15 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar.  Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla and beat until creamy.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Drop onto baking sheet by tablespoonfuls.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool and frost with the Cream Cheese Icing.  If desired, sprinkle frosted cookies with extra cinnamon!

Cream Cheese Icing
1 (8 oz) container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
4 Tbsp Fleischmann's Unsalted margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine the cream cheese and margarine. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth. 

*Note*: To make this recipe egg-free, replace the egg with 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp warm water.

Pinterest Love!

I've mentioned before that I love cooking/baking and I absolutely adore browsing through any cookbooks I can get my hands on to search for recipes that I can easily adapt to fit my son's food allergies.  Then I stumbled upon Pinterest.  Oh. My. Goodness.  This online "pin board" quickly became my latest obsession and has been for a while now. 

If you're looking for some new recipe ideas feel free to follow my Food Allergy Recipes board where I list easy ingredient subs to make the dish free of milk, eggs (unless it is baked-in, which Brody can have), peanuts, and tree nuts! 

http://pinterest.com/foodallergylife/food-allergy-recipes/