SunButter Caramel Apple Dip: Dairyfree and Allergy Friendly!

Halloween has to be one of my favorite holidays. Why? I think it's because Halloween falls during the most beautiful season, autumn, but also because there are so many fun activities for kids and adults who are kids-at-heart! And today, I have a FUN treat for you that's perfect for autumn AND Halloween! 

This SunButter Caramel Apple Dip is SO yummy...and you know it has to be dairy free, egg free, nut free and sesame free for my Little Guy!

When I told Little Guy I was making it, he said, "what's caramel"?  Well, that broke my heart a little, just realizing he's never had caramel before. So, I was even more determined to make a delicious recipe that he would love!

Here are my kiddos in action TOTALLY enjoying this treat (and actually, this is almost a healthy snack depending on the toppings you use!). Pay no attention to the Christmas shirt Little Gal picked out to wear that day. Sigh. Sometimes I have no control over outfit choices (I'm sure you parents can relate!).

Here's the recipe!

SunButter Caramel Apple Dip Recipe

*Adapted from TheVegan8

PRINT THIS RECIPE

SunButter Caramel Apple Dip Ingredients

• 1/4 cup SunButter (I used Natural flavor)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Allergy-Friendly Toppings (for your dipped apples):

• Nut free granola
• Dairy free chocolate chips
• Mini marshmallows
• Safe cereal like Rice Krispies or another safe brand
• Sprinkles
• Crushed cookies
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Crushed pretzels

Directions

• Combine all apple dip ingredients in a small sauce pan
• Heat to a boil for about 1 -2 minutes while whisking
• The longer you heat, the thicker it will become. I've also found it becomes thicker after sitting in the fridge for a day.

Enjoy!

As a SunButter Blog Ambassador, I come up with SunButter focused recipes a few times throughout the year and feature them on my blog and/or SunButter's blog. In return, SunButter sponsors these new recipe posts. Thanks to SunButter for your partnership. We truly use SunButter every day and depend on it as a great nut-free source of protein for our family!

The Rachel Way: Gluten and Dairy Free Food Pantry Cooking Classes

There are certain kinds of people in the world that take action when they see a problem. Heather Gannon is one of those people. After her daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed as gluten and dairy intolerant, she realized the high cost of specialty foods. She wondered how people who needed food assistance could afford allergy friendly food. So she started The Rachel Way, a gluten free and dairy free food pantry located outside of Philadelphia in Plymouth Meeting, PA, dedicated to helping people in need who struggle with food allergies and sensitivities.

In order to spur awareness of and donations for the food pantry, Heather is now offering fun allergy friendly kids cooking classes open to everyone. You don't need food assistance to participate. In fact, it's a great time to bring along allergy friendly foods to donate to others in need!

We recently attended a cooking class and got to meet Heather and see the awesome food pantry. Look at all those donations!

We brought a few boxes of coconut and soy milk to donate. There were a bunch of other donations by the time everyone came for the cooking class.

Each kiddo got to choose one of these awesome apron's to wear. How cute is that!?  They also had the ingredients setup in stations. Since Little Guy also has to avoid nuts and sesame (plus dairy), I worked with Heather before the cooking class to make sure all ingredients were safe. She was more than accommodating to make sure everything Little Guy used was safe. 

Rabiya Bower, RD, LDN (here in the black apron) was the wonderful cooking class teacher. She made sure to clearly give the directions, and even had a mini nutrition talking circle with the kids while the baked apple crisps were cooking!

Little Guy and Little Gal had fun cutting their apples for fresh apple crisps, and putting all the ingredients together.

While we waited for the apple crisps to cook, the kids also got to try banana ice cream (just frozen bananas blended to make ice cream. Heather made sure to supply safe Enjoy Life chocolate chips. Smiles all around :)

Want to know more about The Rachel Way and how you can help? Keep reading!

Q&A with Heather Gannon, Founder, The Rachel Way

Why did you start The Rachel Way? 

My daughter became acutely ill a few years ago. After months of doctors and tests and not many answers, we finally found out she was gluten and dairy intolerant. On the way home from the doctor, we stopped at the grocery store and both left in tears. I enrolled in nutrition school the next day to help families with food intolerances not feel as overwhelmed as we did. Then as a family, we felt the pinch of buying specialty foods and couldn't imagine where people would get safe food when they needed food assistance with dietary restrictions.

How did you start The Rachel Way? 

I have never done anything like this before and asked anyone who would talk with me about starting a non profit. Everyone told me not to do it, it's too expensive, too much work, just buy food and donate it. That only made me want to do it even more! That wasn't the vision I had. I researched how to file the paperwork and went from there.

What kind of food does The Rachel Way usually need? 

We always need gluten free bread, brown rice pasta, condiments (ketchup, sauces, dressings) spaghetti sauce, Daiya (vegan) mac cheese, protein drinks, cereal, snacks and cookies (especially for kid's lunches) and non-dairy milks (almond, coconut and rice)

Is there any food you DON'T accept? 

No, as long as it is labeled gluten free, it's good!

How does someone who needs help get food at The Rachel Way? 

We welcome and help anyone who needs assistance with gluten free and/or dairy free food. Give us a call (​484-804-5293) or email (Heather@therachelway.org). You can also visit our website: www.therachelway.org. 

How many people/families do you serve each month? 

At least 20-30, some come frequently and some not so regularly, it depends on the need and how far they are coming from.

How can someone donate to The Rachel Way? 

We have a donated button on our website. There is a bin labeled The Rachel Way outside of the pantry and I am always happy to meet people with donations. Grocery store gift cards are also welcome.

What kind of events are coming up for The Rachel Way and how can someone get involved?

We have started monthly gluten free kid's activities. Each month will be a gluten free cooking class or some kind of food activity. In April, we will be dying eggs with natural colorings and decorating cookies. May will be a Mother's Day tea. We are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with events and some help around the pantry if needed. 

Easy homemade bread: Gluten-free, vegan and sesame-free

Where in the world do you buy FRESH tasting egg-free, dairy-free and sesame-free bread?

So far, I have no idea. I haven't found ONE off the shelf bread that's safe for Little Guy.

But I sure do know how to make it!

Even though Little Guy grew out of his wheat allergy, he still prefers the original gluten-free and vegan bread he ate as a toddler. I've tried a number of times to bake vegan wheat bread (whole wheat, half whole wheat half white, etc.) but he still asks for "my white bread".

Argh.

Every other week I make a different kind of bread in our breadmaker with different portions of white and whole wheat flour. I know that someday he WILL eat other bread. In the meantime, I'm going to keep on truckin' along with the same King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Bread Mix!  All you need is the bread mix box, a loaf pan and the ingredients!

Let me tell you, I'm thankful that this bread mix exists. It has made my life a whole lot easier for these past few years. Yes, it's expensive, but only Little Guy eats this bread, and the convenience factor outweighs the expense for now.

I figure, we don't buy many other "convenience" foods, or even eat out much. So, I can justify the convenience of this bread!

Here's the back of the box with the necessary ingredients. You can see the directions for the dairy free version under the pictures. In addition to the bread mix, here are the ingredients we use as substitutes:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 3/4 cup applesauce (1/4 cup applesauce = 1 egg)

We follow the other directions as usual, and the bread always bakes to a wonderful light brown color, soft texture and fresh taste.

It's not crumbly like other gluten free breads, and it's light and fluffy. It's also a perfect for a toddler/preschooler sized sandwich!

(And let me take a moment to thank my wonderful Mama for her bread making efforts and skills. Many days when she's watching the kiddos and I'm at work, I come home to find that she's made Little Guy his bread. What an angel she is to us).

Now, how do we store it?

Since this homemade bread doesn't have any preservatives in it, it gets moldy with a few days on the counter. It also gets a little mushy in the fridge and doesn't keep as long there either. We've had lots of trials and errors of storing it, believe me. 

Here's how we find it works best.

• After it cools, slice the bread and place as much as you want to freeze in layers in a big Ziploc freezer bag. I usually freeze one or two pieces on the bottom, and then layer it on top with wax or parchment paper. Then add another layer of bread.
• Save a few pieces of bread to be stored on the counter. This is only if you know you're going to eat it in the next one or two days.
• When you're ready to eat your bread from the freezer, microwave it for 30 seconds or more depending on your microwave's power. 
• You can defrost your bread overnight, but it will become nice a soft if you microwave it for a few seconds even after it's defrosted. I still do this even if I'm packing a sandwich for later in the day. Wrap the sandwich in foil when the bread is still a little warm. 

This is actually a photo I took before we left for a week at the beach. I baked a loaf two days before, stored it in the refrigerator until we got there, and then put it in a Ziploc bag as I usually do in the freezer.

Some of Little Guy's favorite sandwiches are:

Sunbutter and banana sandwich 
Chicken salad with avocado (mayo-free)
Ham or turkey sandwich with Daiya cheese slices

If you deal with multiple food allergies, what's your usual go-to bread?

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This post is NOT sponsored. We truly have been using King Arthur Flour Bread Mix for the past 3+ years. This post includes affiliate links.

Healthy Potato Skins: #Kid-friendly and #Dairyfree

Need a new way to serve your family veggies? Need a new way to get your KIDS to eat veggies?  These healthy potato skins are kid-friendly, dairy free, and a great solution to the same old meals.

Presentation is everything, right?

Little Guy has been somewhat picky lately, and I think he's getting bored with the SAME food over and over again. I understand how he feels since his diet is somewhat limited with food allergies to nuts, eggs, sesame, dairy (and possibly salmon). So, I wanted to try something a little different and fun to get him excited.

Enter...Healthy potato skins that can be filled with anything you and your family like (or that you want your kids to TRY to like!).



I actually showed little guy a photo of these potato skins first. I wanted to get him excited about them, and I called them potato BOATS. I explained they were so yummy and he was going to have his own boat to fill with whatever he wanted. Basically, I tried to build them up before we ate them!

He WAS excited about it, so I knew I already won the first half of the battle.

So how do you make them?

First, wash the potatoes and spray or rub them with olive oil. I used my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer. Oh how I love it!

Then bake the potatoes at 425 degrees for 40 - 60 minutes. Mine took closer to 60 minutes.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides. I used a tablespoon which was about the perfect size for these potatoes!  Save the leftover potatoes for another meal...something like mashed potatoes or even potato pancakes!?

Spray the insides and outsides with a little more olive oil, flip over the potatoes skin side up on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with a little salt. I used kosher salt.

Broil the potatoes in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes to get them crispy.

Flip over your potatoes skin side down and sprinkle on your favorite cheese. We of course used Daiya due to Little Guy's dairy allergy. Daiya cheddar style shreds worked nicely for this recipe.

Broil the potatoes for another few minutes (about 3) until the cheese melts.

Add your toppings. We had black beans, tomatoes, chicken, avocado, and corn and broccoli not pictured here.

Top your potato and enjoy!

Little Guy loved filling up his boat.

He actually ate it too!  Amazing!

What are some cool things about this recipe?

• You can fill your potato skins (or potato boats!) with whatever you want
• This is a great make-ahead recipe where you can cook your potatoes up to the cheese step, and prep your toppings ahead of time. Just add cheese, broil the potatoes, and fill 'er up!
• You can make a fun and beautiful presentation with these for your family or guests!
• The skins of potatoes are actually VERY nutritious. According to eatright.org, potato skin has more nutrients than the rest of the potato. They contain B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium and other nutrients.

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes - makes 8 potato skins
• Daiya cheddar cheese
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Toppings: Whatever you desire. We used black beans, tomatoes, chicken, avocado, and corn and broccoli.

Directions

• Wash the potatoes and spray or rub them with olive oil. I used my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer. 
• Bake the potatoes at 425 degrees for 40 - 60 minutes. Mine took closer to 60 minutes.
• Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides. I used a tablespoon. Save leftover potatoes for another meal.
• Spray the insides and outsides with a little more olive oil, flip over the potatoes skin side up on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with a little salt. I used kosher salt.
• Broil the potatoes in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes to get them crispy.
• Flip over your potatoes skin side down and sprinkle on your favorite cheese. We used Daiya cheddar style shreds.
• Broil the potatoes cheese side up for another few minutes (about 3) until the cheese melts.
• Add your toppings. We had black beans, tomatoes, chicken, avocado, and corn and broccoli.

Next time I'd like to add a little bacon for crunch and flavor. What would you put on your potato skin!? 

Here's my favorite Misto sprayer!

Easy Baked Chicken Fajitas #Dairyfree

I wanted to share a recipe with you that we've been making frequently this summer. It's an easy, one pan meal that we ALL love. Did you catch that?

ONE pan.

A meal we ALL love.

Now that's a GREAT recipe!

Easy Baked Chicken Fajitas


The husband and I are both fans of Mexican-inspired food, and this easy baked chicken fajita recipe satisfies us both! It's rather healthy and filled with protein, veggies and healthy fats if you include avocado. And with a blog name like Mamacado, you know we include avocado!

The recipe is based on this one from Self magazine, but I took a few shortcuts to make it easier. Because all mamas (and parents!) need shortcuts!

I also made it food allergy friendly and dairy free by substituting avocados as a tasty topping instead of greek yogurt. Here's how you do it.

Chop up all your veggies (peppers and onions) and add them to your 9 x 13 pan that you've sprayed with olive oil.

Add the tomatoes. Place the chicken on top of the veggies. Make the marinade and pour it on both sides of the chicken.

If you're prepping it for tonight's or tomorrow's dinner, put some plastic wrap on and stick it in the fridge. This helps the chicken sit in the marinade a bit.

When you're ready to cook it, pop it in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until the chicken is cooked. Depending on the amount and thickness of chicken, this could take 20 minutes to 1 hour. Invest in a good meat thermometer to make this easy!!  I am a fan of non-digital thermometers like this that do not need batteries and have the meat temperature reference chart on the side!

When the chicken is just about done, put your tortillas in foil (or have them ready in foil in the fridge) and pop them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up.

Cut up the chicken in smaller pieces when cooked (you can really do this anytime).

To go along with this meal I also cooked some brown rice and mixed in some black beans, frozen thawed corn, cumin and salt.  It was a nice side to add to this meal.

Here's my quick shot of dinner on the table...not plated or beautiful for blog photos.  Just how we ate it family style!

Little Guy liked his meal - here's a picture of his almost finished meal.

You know what else I love about this meal? The leftovers are great to make easy fajita bowls. Even if there's no chicken left, a little bit of rice, beans corn and fajita leftovers make a great lunch the next day.

Recipe

Basic ingredients:

• Boneless skinless chicken breast (between 3/4 lb to 1.5 lb - I've used many different amounts of chicken and it's worked well each time - just adjust your cooking time)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 peppers (use different colors if you'd like to make it pretty)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I've made it with no salt diced tomatoes, salted tomatoes and tomatoes with green chilies. It's worked well each time).

Marinade:
*you can double this marinade recipe if you're making lots of chicken!

• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Add-ons:

• Fajita tortillas - as many as you can eat!
• Salsa
• Fresh cilantro
• Avocado
• Rice side dish including brown rice, black beans, corn, cumin, salt and pepper

Directions:

• Add chopped peppers and onions and can of tomatoes to 9 x 13 baking dish coated with olive oil
• Add chicken
• Pour marinade on chicken and mix with veggies
• Bake at 400 degrees until chicken is cooked throughout. This could take 20 min to 1 hour depending on the amount and thickness of chicken. Use a meat thermometer!
• Warm tortillas in foil in oven for a few minutes.
• Serve with other add-ons.

Hope you enjoy!

PS - Invest in a great meat thermometer for meals like this!

Making Eating Out Safer and a New #1 Seller Recipe!

Going out to restaurants is supposed to be a fun and positive experience, right?

For people with food allergies, it can still be fun to participate in the atmosphere, company and food that's safe for them. But it takes more planning and communication than most people realize.

We've gone out to eat many times with Little Guy, and each time, it's a little nerve-wracking. We do research on the restaurant before we go. We also tend to stick with many of the same restaurants with which we've had great experiences in the past.

But what if you had the power to encourage your favorite local restaurants to be more food allergy aware?

FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) recently launched SafeFARE as an online resource center that offers tools for diners with food allergies. The goal of SafeFARE is to make dining out safer for families managing food allergies. 

On SafeFARE you can find:

• Tips for before and during your visit to the restaurant

• A customizable “Food Allergy Alert” chef card

• A “Find a Restaurant” feature that enables visitors to locate allergy aware restaurants in their area. 

The SafeFARE database of food allergy aware restaurants is just getting started and you can help it grow! If your family deals with food allergies, FARE urges you to tell your local restaurants about the SafeFARE program and the benefits of allergen training. 

Below are two ways you can help: 

• BECOME A SafeFARE ADVOCATE! Download this flyer from FARE and share it with restaurant staff and managers to let them know how to become a food allergy aware restaurant. Download and print the flyer and share with your local restaurant today!

• WATCH FARE's new Food Allergy Teamwork PSA and explore the SafeFARE website. This new PSA presents the importance of teamwork between those dining out with food allergies and restaurant staff.

Now for some delicious FUN...

Chicken Thighs with Pepperoni Sauce are pictured here. Chef Mike has created this dish with both chicken thighs and wings! Excerpted from http://crazygooditalian.com

One of the chef's in the Food Allergy Teamwork PSA, Chef Mike Isabella, is a professional chef, restaurant owner and a competitor on the TV show, "Top Chef". 

Chef Mike kindly shared his #1 best selling recipe at one of his restaurants. It’s a great family recipe that is not only free of dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and sesame, but of soy, shellfish, fin fish and wheat – all of the major allergens. 

This dish is proof that you don’t have to be a fancy chef to create something flavorful and memorable for your friends and family.

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Chef Mike Isabella:

Chicken Wings with Pepperoni Sauce *

You can’t write a book called Crazy Good Italian without including pepperoni. I serve this sauce with chicken thighs or flatbread at my restaurant, Graffiato. It’s our #1 seller. 

Pepperoni Sauce

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups

Active Time = 1 hour, 20 minutes

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

6 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Pepperoni sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat the sauce before you are ready to use.

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sweat for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent. If the garlic begins to brown, lower the heat.
2. Add the pepperoni and sauté for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate dry sauté pan, toast the fennel seed over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning. Add the chili flakes and toast 1 minute longer, then add the toasted spices to the pepperoni mixture.
3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and increase heat to bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring every now and then.
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée for 2–3 minutes or until smooth.
5. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a mixing bowl, using the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to help the sauce pass through.
6. Finish the sauce by stirring in the red wine vinegar.

Chicken Wings

Serves 4 as a small plate

Active Time = 40 minutes

Inactive Time = 2 hours, 30 minutes

8 whole chicken wings (about 2 1/2 pounds)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, smashed

2 sprigs rosemary

Peel of 1 lemon (no pith)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups pepperoni sauce 

1. Using a sharp knife, remove and discard the chicken wing tips. Then, cut each wing into two pieces: find the joint and cut at the joint to separate the drumette from the wing.
2. In a large glass mixing bowl or other nonreactive bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and lemon peel. Add the chicken wings and stir until well coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 1/2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the wings from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Stir in the salt.
4. Place wings on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet to allow for even cooking. Don’t rinse the marinade from the wings, but do make sure there’s no garlic, rosemary, or lemon peel on the chicken—they will burn.
5. Roast the wings for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
6. Pour 3/4 cup warm pepperoni sauce into a large mixing bowl, add the wings, and toss to coat. Transfer wings to a serving platter and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

* As always, please check ingredients in all packaged and canned goods.

Please leave a comment if you do visit www.SafeFARE.org to access the restaurant database, helpful tools, information and resources about food allergies. I'd love to know what you think and if you do contact a local restaurant or try this recipe from Chef Mike!

Easy Egg Free Italian Meatballs with Broccoli

I love this easy baked Italian meatball recipe for a few reasons. It's egg free and great for someone with food allergies to eggs. Yet, the meatballs still hold together nicely. It's also simple and easy.  It' requires minimal ingredients, yet it still tastes great. And finally, my favorite part of this baked Italian meatball recipe is the HIDDEN broccoli that you (and your kids!) can't even taste.

I'm not much into hiding veggies. I LIKE to know that my kids will eat veggies without having to hide them. Broccoli is a big favorite in our house. But lately the kiddos haven't been eating it, most likely because I've been serving it too frequently. So, what's a mama to do? HIDE the broccoli!

These meatballs are seriously moist - even when microwaved two days later.

We ate these meatballs on top of wheat pasta (since Little Guy can now eat wheat). We also still eat gluten-free quinoa pasta as an alternative. So, if you're gluten free - that's a great option too!

RECIPE: Easy Egg Free Italian Meatballs with Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped cooked broccoli (I warmed up frozen broccoli and it worked great)
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I used Ian's Panko Bread Crumbs, but any plain wheat or gluten-free breadcrumbs would work. I've also substituted quick cooking oats if I don't have bread crumbs!)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce, marinara sauce or ketchup (use a brand with no high fructose corn syrup)
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (this includes anchovies just FYI for food allergies!)

Seasonings:

• 1/2 Tbsp basil
• 1/2 Tbsp oregano
• 1/2 Tbsp Thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt is only needed if you use a low or no salt tomato sauce

Directions:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
• Use a whisk or fork to mix together seasonings with bread crumbs
• Add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce
• Cook your broccoli (steam it, or take a shortcut and microwave frozen broccoli for 1 minute with a tsp of water)
• Chop your broccoli in a food processor into fine pieces and add it to the bread crumb mixture
• Add ground beef and turkey and mix everything with your hands
• Scoop meatball mixture with a tablespoon (or just use your hands to estimate like I do!) and roll in your hands until golf ball sized meatballs are formed
• Bake at 400 degrees for 22 - 25 minutes or until at least 160 degrees

What's your favorite meatball recipe!!??

Yes, I know breadcrumbs are fairly easy to make, but I prefer the easy route some days! Here are two kinds of Ian's breadcrumbs, wheat and gluten-free, I've used in the past for various recipes. I used the Original Panko Breadcrumbs for this meatball recipe.

Banana Bread Oat Muffins

I know I recently posted a food allergy friendly muffin recipe, but I couldn't resist posting another! Especially since the recipe is egg free, dairy free, gluten free and so tasty. Muffins are such an easy breakfast or snack option for kids. They're also portable and easy to freeze. I try to make food allergy friendly muffins every few weeks, eat some, and freeze the rest. These Banana Bread Oat Muffins are such an easy and healthy breakfast or snack option.

I love this muffin recipe because:

• It's egg free and dairy free.
• Even though Little Guy can now eat wheat and gluten, this recipe is gluten free. Great for those who need it.
• Even though it's gluten free, it only requires one kind of flour - oat flour - and no "gums" like xantham gum.
• It uses coconut and mandarin oranges in addition to bananas to make it moist and give it lots of flavor. 

I based this recipe off of one of my favorite food allergy friendly cookbooks: Sophie-Safe Cooking.  

I've used this cookbook OFTEN in the past 3 years of cooking food allergy friendly recipes for our family. I especially like the baking recipes because most of them are based on oat flour and are very simple to make.

The only issue I have with this book is that some of the recipes are very high in sugar and the muffins come out VERY small. My kids have BIG appetites!

So, I changed a few things about the recipe to work better for our family.  Here's my version:

Dry Ingredients:

• 5 cups oat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 mashed bananas (medium to large)
• 1/2 cup shortening. I use Spectrum Organic Shortening. You could also use safe margarine or butter substitute like Earth Balance.  
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup coconut. I use Let's Do Organic Shredded, Unsweetened Coconut
• 1.5 cups mandarin oranges, drained. 

Recipe:

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix on low speed with mixer. Spoon into 24 lined muffin cups (I use a measuring cup for the spooning part!). Each muffin cup will be about 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Mine takes about 22 minutes, but ovens will vary.

This recipes makes 24 muffins. I always want some to freeze, so 24 works best in our house.

Who doesn't like a warm muffin with butter (allergy-friendly) melted on it?  YUM.

What's your favorite kind of muffin?