Tag Archives: Soya free

Kracklecorn? What’s Kracklecorn?

6 Replies
Courtesy of gruffalo.com

Courtesy of gruffalo.com

 

 

Kracklecorn! Why, didn’t you know?

(with apologies to Julia Donaldson and the Gruffalo)

 

 

 

20141002_201822No?  Well neither did I until we travelled to London for M’s September GOSH appointment. I had left Mike to keep an eye on the children whilst I fought my way to the train’s buffet car for a much-needed injection of caffeine.  As I waited for my latte to be made, I spotted an attractive looking blue and white striped bag hidden amongst the more familiar packs of crisps and bars of chocolate and, intrigued as to what it was, I asked if I could look at the packet and ran my experienced eye over the extremely short list of ingredients.  I was thrilled to discover that the four ingredients (maize corn, rapeseed oil, cane sugar and sea salt) were all 100% safe for both G and M and naturally snapped up a bag of Kracklecorn for them to taste, with fingers tightly crossed that I might just have found another M-friendly snack for them to enjoy.

I think they broke records in devouring this popcorn treat and Mike and I barely managed to sneak even the tiniest of morsels to taste ourselves.  I’m not a fan of salted popcorn usually, but the balance of the not-too-sweet and the not-too-salty was spot on and even I found little to fault with this snack.  As the children begged for more, I had visions of having to buy out all the stock on the train and heave my haul around London, so imagine my delight – and Mike’s relief – when I discovered that it is readily available at most Tesco stores, including, thank goodness, those a stone’s throw from our front door.

For those of you yet to discover this brand, Kracklecorn is hand-made by Portlebay Popcorn in their factory, lovingly known as “The Poppery” in Devon and is available in a huge range of flavours, the like of which I’ve never seen before.  Unfortunately, the “Classic” sweet and salty is the only one suitable for my pair, but I can assure you that the “Lemon Sherbet” and “Crispy Bacon and Maple Syrup” flavours are equally delicious and unequivocally moreish – a fact that Mike cannot dispute as we fought over who would finish the bag of lemon sherbet popcorn on Saturday night.

20141002_201805I contacted Portlebay Popcorn to ask for some samples to review and when this parcel arrived on our doorstep, G and M thought all their Christmases had come at once.  I asked for their thoughts as they munched their way through yet another bag and the comments “delicious“, “amazing” and “10/10” were just about audible as they crammed more popcorn in. Despite the best efforts of 2 small children in the 7Y2D household in the run up to Christmas, we still have several packs of Portlebay Popcorn waiting to be enjoyed and the question has been what to do with them all as G has been left to devour them on her own whilst M is on his elemental diet.  I found the solution today.

popcornToday is the perfect day to be offering my very first blog competition as it is, believe it or not, National Popcorn Day, though admittedly this is celebrated mostly in the USA where they consume an unbelievable quantity of this sweet treat each year.  Thanks to the generosity of Portlebay, I am offering 2 lovely readers the opportunity to win 3 bags each of the “Classic” Kracklecorn to enjoy.  Simply enter via the link and I wish you all the very best of luck and happy munching!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer – We were sent packs of Portlebay Popcorn for the purpose of an independent review and the views expressed are entirely my own and those of G and M.

Stir-up Sunday

4 Replies
Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

Did you know that the last Sunday before Advent is known as “Stir-up Sunday”?  That it’s thought that this tradition was introduced to Victorian Britain by Prince Albert?  Did you realise that the Common Book of Prayer is the source for the nickname as the Collect for the Day starts “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord“?  And I love the idea that hearing those words whilst in church on that Sunday, meant that cooks, wives and servants would be reminded that it was time to get started on preparing the Christmas pudding.

20141123_151640[1]The reason I know all this is that this year Stir-up Sunday fell on November 23rd and I went on-line to track down its origins, whilst G and M helped my Mum create a culinary masterpiece worthy of a M-friendly Christmas.  My Mum was given this recipe a couple of years ago and it proved relatively easy to convert to suit our allergy requirements.  The children have enjoyed making it and this year was no exception, even though we know there’s a good chance that M won’t be able to eat it by the time Christmas arrives.  The recipe was also a great opportunity for M to practice his reading skills and he did a sterling job in making sure that all the ingredients were present and correct.

20141123_154214[1]With all the ingredients in the bowl, the whole family took their turn to stir the mixture and make a wish.  M took a little convincing not to share his wish with the world, but the pudding was made and is now waiting for Christmas day.  I’m assured by those in the family who enjoy Christmas pudding, of which I am most definitely not one, that this is a great recipe and that the pudding is delicious as well as being allergy-friendly.  Definitely one for the cook-book!

Mission Impossible: More Secret Veg

1 Reply
Courtesy of twirlit.com

Courtesy of twirlit.com

SECRET MISSION (should I choose to accept it!):

  • To find new ways to sneak extra vegetables into the diet of my somewhat veg-averse children without them noticing
  • Avoid the obvious appeal of a delicious chocolate beetroot cake and instead find a savoury dish that achieves similar success

RECIPE 1: Vegetable Fritters

Method:  20141007_173343I took one of the firm favourites in our household, Corn fritters and decided to give it the sneaky veg treatment.  I whipped up a batch of my Canadian pancakes batter, threw in a generous handful of frozen corn and then grated a large carrot and a large courgette into the mix too. I added a little ground nutmeg and black pepper before cooking and serving with sausages and some sliced cucumber and apple on the side.

Result:  Silence as the food was wolfed down, clean plates appeared and the requests for “just one more pancake please Mummy” came flooding in.  The observant pair had noticed the addition of extra veg, but as M likes his carrots cooked and both thought the courgette was cucumber, there was no complaint about my tinkering with this popular dish.

Mission status:  Success

RECIPE 2: Pasta Sauce

Method:  I took an array of vegetables I knew that neither child would usually eat, blitzed them together in my handy food blender and heated the concoction through in a pan before adding to some M-friendly pasta.  My very home-made and rustic pasta sauce was made from tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, courgette, mushrooms, onion, garlic and the remains of an over-ripe avocado.  This time I added a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a dash of rosemary to deepen the flavour.  Once the pasta was well coated in the sauce, I added some diced chicken and grated a little cheese on top before serving to my suspicious duo.

Result:  G and M again munched their way through a generous serving of the pasta dish and were keen to know when I would cook it again.  I poured the leftover sauce into a Tupperware container and now have it stored in my freezer for the next time this pasta dish needs an outing.

Mission status:  Success

EXTRA MISSION: Pizza

20140721_180656Method:  I bravely took a portion of my pasta sauce, added some safe BBQ sauce as well as some pesto before spreading across our home-made pizza bases. I then topped this with a variety of foods including ham, prawns, pineapple, olives and cheese.

Result:  Another resounding success.  The pizza disappeared within minutes and with no comment about the sneaky veg pizza sauce I’d added.

Mission status:  Success

FINAL MISSION STATUS: COMPLETE

Three brand new savoury dishes, containing enough sneaky veg to keep any mother happy, were successfully created and enjoyed by G and M.

A Birthday Treat – Lemon Meringue cupcakes

2 Replies

This time last year, M was admitted into GOSH for scopes and he and I spent Mike’s birthday away from the birthday boy himself, leaving him to celebrate at home with the rest of the family.  There was a point this year when I thought history was about to repeat itself as we’re once again waiting for an admission date for M, who needs further testing to try to sort out the games his body is currently playing.  However, Mike’s birthday came, and went, with no sign of a phone-call from GOSH and I finally had a chance to make a long-awaited attempt at the Lemon Meringue cake I’d been dreaming of making last year. lemonmeringue

Lemon Meringue pie is Mike’s favourite dessert and there was a time, many eons ago, when I’d actually make him one from scratch for his birthday treat.  With the arrival of G and M, the general busyness of work and juggling the school-run alongside business meetings and the general day-to-day running of the household, I don’t think I’ve turned my hand to such a dish for at least a decade.  Add into the mix, the newer challenges of egg-free meringues and MEWS-free pastry and it’s not been the easiest pudding to make.  I attempted a cheesecake version for Fathers’ Day this year, but that didn’t quite go as planned, so I put my thinking cap on to see if I could figure out an alternative format for this popular dessert.

I settled on lemon drizzle cupcakes topped with vanilla butter-cream icing and small meringues.  I’ve made Lemon drizzle cake before, but found that the rice flour made the sponge taste very granular and I was keen to see if I could improve the texture.  I found a lovely recipe for vegan lemon drizzle cake and read around the options for replacing the flour to make the cake both gluten- and potato-flour-free. 20141015_194117 My final recipe included gram flour – an ingredient that’s been lurking in my cupboard for a while, but which I had yet to brave using – rice flour and tapioca flour and the end result was infinitely better than the last time, though some further tweaking to create the perfect lemon drizzle cupcake is needed.

I whipped up a small batch of my vanilla butter-cream icing and used it to secure the mini egg-free meringues to the top of each cupcake.  I was delighted with how these cakes looked and M spent most of the day, and evening, before Mike got home from work, begging to try one to “just check it’s okay for Daddy!”  I am assured by the family that the cupcakes were a huge success and so that’s another recipe added to my ever-increasing repertoire.

 

National Chocolate Week – Part 2

1 Reply

Despite arriving late to the delight that is National Chocolate Week, we have been lucky enough to receive another fantastically M-friendly chocolate product to try and then review.  As I mentioned in my last post, Moo-free chocolate bars are a staple in the fridge at 7yearstodiagnosis HQ and this latest find might soon become another permanent fixture in our store cupboards.

chocshotI had never even heard of Sweet Freedom foods until I came across a stray comment on Twitter last month that pointed me in the direction of their allergy-friendly product, Choc Shot.  This chocolate syrup is made in the UK from “Sweet Freedom® (natural fruit extracts; apples, grapes & carob), water, cocoa, rapeseed oil, natural chocolate flavour” and promises to deliver great taste for a low calorie and GI content.  The website includes a wealth of recipe suggestions for using Choc Shot and I couldn’t wait to see whether it could do all that it promised.  M tried it first, opting to have it spread sparingly on a piece of toast, a rare treat in our household.  He liked the flavour, but didn’t love it, finding it quite rich and not overly sweet.  I could quickly tell that it didn’t quite hit the mark here as he hasn’t asked for a second helping at all.

Mark:  A tentative 7/10

20141007_182950However, I was keen to see whether we would fare any better if I used the Choc Shot to cook with and here is where this product really comes into its own.  I decided to whip up a batch of my Canadian-style pancakes for pudding and chose to deploy the Choc Shot in 2 ways to see which worked best to satisfy my hungry hoards.  The first lot was pancakes made with a generous helping of frozen forest fruits  – think cherries, blackcurrants, grapes and blackberries, all the things G wouldn’t usually touch with a barge-pole – mixed into the batter and drizzled with Choc Shot to serve; the second round saw me incorporating both the fruit selection and the Choc Shot into the mixture to produce delicious-looking Chocolate and fruit pancakes.  I dished them up and waited nervously for the reports of my discerning children.  Two rapidly emptied bowls soon appeared on the table, accompanied by requests for more pancakes, even from G, who barely blinked when I told her what fruits were included in her dessert.  I was delighted with this result, not least because the Choc Shot added a delightful chocolate flavour to the pancakes without making them overly sweet.

Mark: A resounding 10/10

20141017_122336The final test was to try the Choc Shot as suggested on the bottle itself – to make Hot Chocolate.  I heated mugs of rice milk in the microwave, added a generous squirt of the Choc Shot and topped it off with some boiling water.  The end result was fantastic – rich enough to feel indulgent, but not too sweet.  It was quick to make and was, by far and away, the best M-friendly hot chocolate I’ve been able to make since diagnosis.

Mark:  10/10

I was impressed with Choc Shot and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for an allergy-friendly alternative for chocolate to use in cooking.  It is readily available from most supermarket chains and is reasonably priced at around £3.50 a bottle.

 

*Disclaimer – We were sent bottles of Choc Shot and Sweet Freedom for the purpose of an independent review and the views expressed are entirely my own and those of G and M.

National Chocolate Week – Part 1

3 Replies

I’ve rather belatedly discovered that this week is National Chocolate Week and what better way to enjoy this amazing celebration, than to review 2 fantastic AND M-friendly chocolate products in my blog?

20140916_170227Tonight’s offering are the wonderful creations from Moo-free.  I discovered this chocolate 2 or 3 Christmases ago, when I spotted it on the shelves of one of my local health food shops. The chocolate is vegan and soya free and is made using sunflower lecithin, instead of soya lecithin, which my hyper-sensitive boy reacts to, even in the tiniest of trace amounts.

The chocolate is rich and delicious and has become a staple of our fridge at home.  They have developed their range over the last couple of years, which now includes the likes of Cheeky Orange, Minty Moo, Bunnycomb, Chocolate Drops and Cranberry and Hazelnuts bars to name but a few.  Their seasonal offerings are equally impressive with Chocolate Santas, Chocolate Advent Calendars and a brand new Chocolate Selection box as well as Easter Eggs on offer at appropriate times in the year.

Moo-free were kind enough to send us the individual bars included in their Christmas Selection box and, needless to say, G and M were more than willing to taste-test each bar and give their marks out of 10:

G M
Cheeky Orange A lovely crunch and just the right amount of flavour

 

Mark:   10/10

 Nice, but the orange flavour reminds me of medicine

 

Mark:   9/10
Minty Moo Delicious, the right amount of crunch & an awesome flavour

 

Mark:   10/10

 Not quite 10/10 as it tastes a little like toothpaste & I don’t like seeing the mint pieces

Mark:   9/10
Bunnycomb Perfect crunch!  I love it

 

Mark:   10/10

 I loved it, great flavour and the perfect crunch

 

Mark:   10/10
Chocolate Santa Nice, but I liked the flavoured ones more 

Mark:   9.5/10

 The flavour’s good and the shape is fantastic 

Mark:   10/10

Overall family rating:  10/10

20140916_170326

Both children enjoyed them all and are more than happy to nibble on whichever one is available.  If they’re able to choose, then M would always go for the Bunnycomb as his favourite flavour, whilst G’s top pick is the Minty Moo.  They are readily available in most of the big supermarket chains now, are reasonably priced and the choice is brilliant especially as it is all safe for M.  I’m thrilled by the offer of a selection box this Christmas, the first time either of my children will have been able to enjoy this festive treat.  You can buy these from some supermarkets or can find them on-line at Freefromforkids or other on-line stockists.

 

 *Disclaimer – We were sent this selection of Moo-free chocolate bars for the purpose of an independent review and the views expressed are entirely my own and those of G and M.

Who feels like chicken tonight?

Leave a reply

Who remembers that advertising slogan from 20 years ago?  I couldn’t quite believe it when I googled to see just how long it’s been since the “Chicken tonight” adverts first started being played on TV – 20 years and that song is still reverberating around my head as if I’d heard it yesterday.  For those who never had the joy of seeing these the first time round, here’s a quick sample to show you what you missed:

The reason that jingle came to mind is that I decided to attempt a M-friendly version of that other classic, Chicken Kiev.  My reason?  G read something in one of her books where the main character was sitting down to a dinner of Chicken Kiev and she had to ask me what the dish was.  I realised that, as a result of the multiple allergies we deal with in our household, there are several meals I remember from my childhood that G and M have never had a chance to try.  Chicken in any form is a meal they will eat, so I thought it might just be one they could both enjoy and something new to add to their repertoire.

As always, I searched around for an easy recipe and then converted it for the family’s dietary needs.  I always keep any left-over bread crusts or pieces in a bag in the freezer as they are perfect for making into breadcrumbs.  20141003_201701I’ve also used frozen wraps, which work similarly well when making crumbs and add a slightly different texture.  Everything prepped, I coated the chicken breasts, popped them into the oven and kept my fingers crossed.

The finished dish looked delicious and both children commented on how wonderful dinner smelt as they washed their hands and came to the table.  I served it with rice and a mixture of steamed vegetables the first time and with mashed potato (or sweet potato) the second time at G’s request.  The chicken was beautifully succulent and the garlic butter oozed across the plates as the children cut into the Kievs.  Both plates were quickly emptied and G and M have asked me to prepare it again soon.

A Chocolate-Lover’s Birthday

3 Replies

Recently someone posted a link to this easy cake recipe on one of the EGID support group forums I belong to on Facebook.  I was soon drawn to its simplicity, not least because it was already dairy-, soya- and egg-free, but also because the comments that followed suggested it could be easily converted to a gluten-free recipe too.  What was even better was that I had the perfect occasion to try the recipe out – my Mum’s birthday.  As you may recall, we had planned a special afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian whilst we were on holiday, but the actual date was now approaching and we had a family lunch booked for the day itself.

chocsI think it would be fair to say that my Mum is an avid chocolate-lover, one might almost say a chocoholic and there used to be a time when you’d be hard pressed to find her without an emergency chocolate bar stashed in her handbag, glove box or on the top shelf of the fridge.  Bearing that in mind, it was something of a no-brainer to decide on a cake that would satisfy her idea of chocolate heaven.  The bigger challenge was in making that creation both deliciously decadent and M-friendly.

20140912_225331I doubled up the quantities in the chocolate crazy cake recipe and chose to mix the ingredients in a bowl, rather than in the cake tins themselves as I wanted to make 3 individual layers to sandwich together.  I replaced the flour with a blend of rice and tapioca flour and added a pinch of xanthum gum to help it on its way.  The cakes that came out of the oven appeared to be beautifully moist and not too granular, although Mike’s first comment on tasting some of the trimmings was that they were a lot sweeter than my usual bakes.  I swirled vanilla butter-cream icing with spoonfuls of Grandma’s strawberry jam (all the way from Canada) and used this to sandwich the layers together.  Lashings of home-made chocolate butter-cream icing then covered the entire cake, before I finished it all off with a generous sprinkle of pearl drops, moo-free chocolate buttons and shavings of moo-free orange chocolate.

It looked like my idea of a chocolate-lover’s dream birthday cake and tasted good too.  My Mum thought adding raspberries would have added a little sharpness to cut through the sweetness of the chocolate, but there wasn’t much left after her meal, which is always a sign of a good bake!

Raglan Road Irish Pub

Leave a reply

1458655_800725413290492_2694048479460387307_nNaturally having asked G and M to name their favourite meal, I got to thinking about what my own number 1 would be.  I loved nearly every meal we ate at Disney and would have been more than happy to return to any of the restaurants to eat again.  The one that stands out in my mind however, has to be our fabulous dinner at the Raglan Road Irish Pub at Downtown Disney.  I had read great reviews about the pub before booking and I had contacted them back in February to find out whether they could cope with M’s food allergies.  Their response was to send me a complete allergy listing for all their menu options, so I had a good idea of what M and G would be able to order.  Unfortunately, our evening started on a slightly sticky note when I discovered that the allergy-friendly calamari that both G and M had been looking forward to trying was no longer available.

G's fish & chips

G’s fish & chips

M’s face dropped and he declared a disinterest in ordering anything off the menu, whilst G chose a traditional favourite of fish and chips.  Our server, Sheldon, was fantastic however and after a quick word with the chef, came back to M with an offer of shrimp cooked in their gluten-free batter accompanied by green beans, carrots and parsnips.  What impressed me most here was the offer of a side dish that wasn’t obvious from the menu, but one that our server knew and enjoyed himself and that he had checked could be made safe for M.  With that offer, M cheered up instantly and he and G disappeared off to watch the Irish dancing, whilst we soaked up the atmosphere accompanied with a pint of Magners cider.

M's shrimp & roasted veg

M’s shrimp & roasted veg

The food, when it came, was delicious and M not only made short work of his dinner, but set to helping G polish off the remains of her large portion of fish.  Main course done and we turned to the decision of pudding.  The options here were a little more limited that we’ve found elsewhere, but it was nice to have the “healthier” choice of fresh fruit drizzled with honey.  G is not a fan of fresh berries or melon, so whilst M was in heaven enjoying a bowl of mixed berries, that was the epitome of G’s idea of hell.  Once again Sheldon stepped to the fore and a bowl of apple pieces drizzled with honey appeared for her, which frankly made her day.

This is definitely a restaurant Mike and I would have loved to go back to and we were both disappointed that we just couldn’t find the time to squeeze a return trip into our busy schedule.  A great choice and yet again we experienced the wonderful service we have come to associate with Disneyworld.

G & M’s Top Disney Picks

3 Replies

Having written my last blog post, I asked G and M to name their favourite meal whilst we were at Disneyworld.  It came as no surprise to me that neither could narrow it down to just one meal, so instead they each listed their top 3 (which were exactly the same) and I thought I’d share them with you.

Afternoon tea at Citricio’s Lounge – Grand Floridian

20140813_192037 20140813_195034

Our afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian was a surprise for my Mum, who is celebrating a special birthday in September and was one that the children and I had successfully kept from her for months.  We arrived at the hotel via monorail from the Magic Kingdom and it was only when I suggested we got off there that my Mum had any idea of what was going on.  The children both opted to have the “Mrs Potts Tea” and were treated to 3 tapioca rolls filled with turkey, ham and strawberry jam, followed by a small plate filled with a variety of allergy-friendly cookies and fresh fruit.  M chose to have apple juice to drink, whilst G had water and both were served from their own individual tea-pots, which they loved and took the chance to pour more to drink at every opportunity.  We were well looked after by Chris, the on-duty manager and David, our waiter and the children both rated this as their most favourite meal of all.

20140818_143459Mickey waffles – Tusker House (Animal Kingdom), The Mara (Jambo House) and Chef Mickeys (Contemporary Resort)

We didn’t order these for our first breakfast at Disney, but instead waited until the character breakfast we’d booked at Tusker House.  Chef Renee confirmed that they were gluten-, dairy-, egg- and soya-free and only contained a small amount of potato starch.  The kids were over-the-moon to be given the opportunity to eat such a treat and I don’t think I’ve ever seen M consume so much for his breakfast.  They ate these marvellous Mickey waffles with lashings of maple syrup and strips of crispy bacon.  Elsewhere they were also given fresh berries to enjoy alongside them.  I know G liked them, despite her assertions the other day that perhaps they weren’t in her top 3: after all, repeated requests for seconds and 1 breakfast of 5 Mickey waffles would seem to disapprove her statement!

Hoop-dee-doo Musical Revue – Wilderness Lodge

hoop dee doThis was my wildcard dinner reservation, but one I’m really glad I booked as both children had a brilliant time and loved every minute of the meal.  This is a dinner show, where the audience is entertained by the antics and songs of the 6 performers both on stage and with some audience participation, whilst enjoying an all-you-can eat dinner of fried chicken, BBQ ribs, green salad, baked beans, mashed potato, corn and cornbread.  M and G were treated to plates overflowing with food, including grilled chicken, ribs, corn, tapioca rolls and a baked potato for G.  Instead of the strawberry shortcake offered for dessert, they were given coconut ice-cream, strawberries and allergy-friendly chocolate cookies.  Not only was the food delicious, but they clapped and cheered along with the show and took the opportunity to play the washboard and dance around the dining room.