Healthy Recipes

The following is a rundown of what to use in place of allergenic ingredients, including gluten. These allergen-free standbys are wonderful in the kitchen.

Replacing Eggs
Eggs provide moisture, richness, binding, and leavening. You may choose from a variety of alternate ingredients throughout your recipes in place of eggs.

APPLESAUCE

Applesauce works as a binding agent, and is also a great substitute for eggs or oil/shortening, when you want to reduce the fat. 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce = 1 egg

BANANA

Works similarly to applesauce, but has a much more distinct flavor. Only use it when you want to taste banana. 1/2 a mashed banana = 1 egg

PRUNE PUREE (AKA, baby food!)

Again, works similarly to applesauce, with a sweeter flavor. 4 1/2 to 5 ounce jar = 1 egg

VEGAN YOGURT

Vegan yogurt is great for adding moisture and binding. You may use it in place of eggs, but also in place of buttermilk, or cream. Also, coconut milk yogurt (see notes below re: coconut), and rice milk yogurt. Most people with tree nut allergies are NOT allergic to coconut, it’s an extremely rare allergy, but still, check with your allergist before consuming it. If the coconut milk is not an option for you, use the rice milk yogurt instead. 1/4 cup vegan yogurt = 1 egg

FLAXSEED MEAL

I love the effect of “flax eggs”, it works just like an egg, doing everything but leavening. It’s moist, rich, and binding. However, use “flax eggs” sparingly, as it is difficult to find totally clean flax. It’s often processed in facilities along with tree nuts or other allergens. So be sure to check with the manufacturer before consuming flax if cross contamination is a concern for you. 1 tablespoon Flax Seed Meal mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water = 1 egg

EGG REPLACER

Egg Replacer is great for leavening and binding. Ener-G Egg Replacer is manufactured in a facility free of all common allergens. 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons rice milk or water = 1 egg

BAKING SODA & VINEGAR

This is an old baking trick from WWII when eggs were rationed. It provides leavening in place of eggs. Add the baking soda to the dry ingredients, and the vinegar to the liquid. Wait to combine the dry and liquid ingredients until the very last minute, as the chemical reaction occurs as soon as the baking soda and vinegar meet, and you must get your goodie straight into the oven! 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon cider vinegar (or distilled white vinegar) = 1 egg

Replacing Dairy

Replacing cow milk is pretty much a no-brainer since even our local supermarkets now sell soy milk, hemp milk, almond milk, pea milk, seed milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc.

1 cup non-dairy milk = 1 cup cow milk

RICE MILK

Rice milk is generally made from brown rice. It is a little thinner than other nondairy milks, but still provides yummy moistness. Rice milk is commercially available just about everywhere. Be sure to read ingredients carefully, as some rice milk brands contain gluten.

HEMP MILK

Hemp milk is the most nutritious of nondairy milks, and has a rich “nutty” flavor. Look for it at Whole Foods or your local health food store.

COCONUT MILK

Traditional coconut milk is very rich. It can be used in baking, but bare in mind that it is thick and sweet. (Again, the allergy world is on the fence about coconut. Some say it’s a member of the date family, some say it’s a tree nut. Most people with tree nut allergies are not allergic to coconut, it’s an extremely rare allergy, but still, check with your allergist before consuming it).

There is also a new Coconut Milk on the shelves made by Turtle Mountain, that functions like rice milk. It’s a thinner, lower calorie coconut milk, available in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods. It’s amazing for baking and yummy in cereal!

INSTEAD OF BUTTERMILK

You can easily make your own nondairy buttermilk at home. For any 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar to 1 cup nondairy milk, and let stand about 10 minutes to sour.

INSTEAD OF YOGURT, CREAM & SOUR CREAM

Use coconut milk yogurt, and rice milk yogurt in place of yogurt, cream, and sour cream. The coconut milk yogurt has a better texture, and the tang of traditional dairy yogurt. If the coconut milk is not an option for you, use the rice milk yogurt instead. And if you can eat soy, then by all means, substitute soy yogurt.

INSTEAD OF BUTTER

Ah, butter, the backbone of western baking. Or is it? I’ve been delighted to find you can still make awesome “buttery” baked goods WITHOUT butter.

DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE VEGETABLE SHORTENING

It’s non-hydrogenated, cholesterol free, and bakes up nice and light. 1 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening = 1 cup unsalted butter

Replacing Nuts & Nut Butters

SUNBUTTER

The past few years has seen the advent of Sunbutter. Sunbutter (aka, sunflower seed butter) is a great replacement for peanut butter and other nut butters. It is available at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and many local health food stores. It’s also popping up on some supermarket shelves. Additionally, you can now buy safe sunflower seeds for snacking, or use in baking, though you may have to order these online.

Replacing Wheat Flours & Other Gluten Flours
This is perhaps the trickiest part of baking allergen-free. It’s not so hard to bake gluten-free if you can still use eggs, butter, and nut flours, but learning to bake without ANY of them can be a challenge.

GLUTEN-FREE, ALLERGEN-FREE FLOURS

Rice, Corn, Potato, Tapioca, Beans, Garfava, Sorghum, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat, Arrowroot, Amaranth, Teff, Montina, and Flax.

Whoa, that’s a lot of flours! And trickier still, most of them can’t be used on their own, they must be mixed like you’re doing AP chemistry. They can’t be swapped out cup for cup for wheat flour, and they require varying amounts of xanthan from recipe to recipe. So to make things simple for YOU, here is a Basic Gluten-free Flour Mix that you can whip up and store in your fridge:

BASIC GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR MIX (RECIPE)
Makes 6 cups

4 cups superfine brown rice flour
1 1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour)
2/3 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
1. To measure flour, use a large spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Do NOT use the measuring cup itself to scoop your flour when measuring! It will compact the flour and you will wind up with too much for the recipe. Combine all ingredients in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake until well blended. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT CHOICE OF FLOURS

When preparing baked goods recipes, do so with a blend of super-fine brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. These selected flours/starches are great for gluten-free baking, and they are generally the easiest gluten-free flours for the general public to find. But most importantly, they carry the least risk of cross contamination.

Most gluten-free flours are still being processed in the same facilities as tree nut flours (such as almond flour). These ingredients can be found with the safety assurance that they are free from cross contamination with all common allergens, and which are easily found by the general public.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT EGG REPLACER

Egg replacer works best when whisked together with a liquid, using a small whisk. Be sure to beat it until slightly frothy and all the lumps have dissolved before adding it to a recipe.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT XANTHAN GUM

Xanthan Gum is the be-all and end-all of gluten-free baking. I don’t know what we would do without it. It is a plant gum that mimics gluten. It provides structure and elasticity. A little bit goes a long way, so measure it carefully. I have found there is variation between brands. I like Ener-G Xanthan Gum best. It is a derivative of corn. If you can’t eat corn, you may use guar gum instead, but please note, these recipes have not been tested with guar gum.