No Peanuts & No Nuts! That has become my family’s motto ever since my niece was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy. To now have a cookbook that focuses on four of the top food allergens and ways to make substitutions in recipes that will entice all eaters— allergic or not—is fantastic. Alice Sherwood’s “Allergy-Free Cookbook” is a very welcome addition to the many cookbooks lining my kitchen shelves.

Today, everybody knows someone who has a food allergy, a cookbook that addresses this is a very useful tool. I wish this cookbook had been written several years ago when my family had to start delving into the scary world of food allergies.

What I find especially interesting are the many ethnic recipes to tempt our palettes with diverse flavors. I can't wait to taste the “Thai Green Chicken Curry” dish. Just thinking about Cinnamon Raisin and Apple Muffins has my mouth watering and nose anticipating the aromas.

For my first family dinner from this cookbook, I made Moussaka as the main dish, with the Middle Eastern Salad as a side dish, and the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies for dessert. The Moussaka (recipe below) was devoured in short order. The Middle Eastern Salad was easy to make and tasted as good as it looked. All of the colors in the salad really made us feel like we were eating healthy as well.

For occasions where there are multiple food allergies—such as to dairy, eggs, and nuts— there are many recipes to work around the situation. I can say with authority that children as well as adults will love the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (recipe below). For me, the appeal was the not-overly-sweet flavor. For the kids, it was the chocolaty goodness.

The first chapter, "Living with Allergies", has many helpful tips about eating out, special occasions, traveling, and shopping. Kudos for the mention of some very good organizations, including my personal favorite: FAAN, The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, where I volunteer in a yearly walkathon to raise money for research and to increase public awareness.

The only criticism I have of this cookbook is that no nutritional information is provided for any of the recipes. I understand that it might be hard, given the various changes for the four types of food allergies, but even the nutritional information for the base recipe would have been nice.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

From Allergy-Free Cookbook by Alice Sherwood, DK Publishing 2007

Dairy, egg, & nut free 

• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ¾ cup self-rising flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup nut-free unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar for coating

Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus chilling time

Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes

Makes: 16 small or 8 large cookies

For dairy, egg & nut free cookies:

Follow the recipe, but use dairy-free spread instead of butter.

For gluten, egg & nut free cookies:

Follow the recipe, but substitute an equal quantity of gluten-free flour, convert it to self-rising flour by adding 2 teaspoons of gluten-free baking powder.

Moussaka

From Allergy-Free Cookbook by Alice Sherwood, DK Publishing 2007

Egg & nut free

• 3 eggplants
• Salt
• Olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp paprika or mild chili powder
• 1 lb 2 oz ground lamb
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 scant cup red wine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 quantity Béchamel sauce
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta or grated Parmesan

Preparation Time: 1 ¼ hours

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

1.  Cut the eggplants lengthwise into ¼ inch slices. Place in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and leave for 30 minutes for the salt to draw the bitter juices; then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

2.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole dish or frying pan and fry the onions and garlic for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the spices.

3.  Add the ground lamb and fry until browned. Using a wooden spoon, turn the lamb constantly to break up any lumps. Add the tomato paste and wine, and season with salt and pepper, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat as low as possible, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the oregano.

4.  Meanwhile, heat enough olive oil to coat the base of a frying pan, season the flour with salt and pepper and dip the eggplant slices in the flour. Fry in batches until golden on each side. Drain well on paper towels.

5.  Make the Béchamel sauce and stir in the feta or Parmesan.

6.  Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line the base of a 8 x 10 inch ovenproof dish with a layer of eggplant slices, then half the meat, then eggplant, then the remaining meat, finishing with eggplant. Top with béchamel sauce. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and bubbling. 

For dairy, egg & nut free

Follow the recipe, but use the dairy-free Béchamel sauce recipe. Use dairy-free crumbled feta or dairy-free grated Parmesan, Gouda, or cheddar-style cheese.

For gluten, egg & nut free

Follow the recipe, but substitute rice flour for all-purpose flour when coating the eggplant slices and use the gluten-free version of Béchamel sauce.

Béchamel Sauce

From Allergy-Free Cookbook by Alice Sherwood, DK Publishing 2007

Egg & nut free

• 2 cups milk
• 1 onion, peeled, halved, and studded with two whole cloves
• 6 peppercorns
• 4 parsley stalks
• 3 Tbsp butters
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp light cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes plus 20 minutes to infuse

Serves: 4-6

1.  Place the milk, clove-studded onion, peppercorns, and parsley stalks in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and remove from the heat. Let infuse for 20 minutes before straining the milk back into a saucepan and discarding the vegetables.

2.  Melt the butter on low heat in a separate saucepan. Add the flour. Mix well and cook for about 2 minutes taking care not to let the butter and flour mixture to brown. Bring the infused milk to a simmer.

3.  Keeping the flour and butter mixture on low heat, add in the milk gradually, using a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. When all the milk has been incorporated, simmer the sauce on a very low heat for 8-10 minutes to get rid of any lingering floury taste, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

4.  Stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If keeping for later cover with a circle of wet waxed paper.

For dairy free (also egg & nut free)

Follow the recipe, but use non-dairy spread instead of the butter; soy, rice, or oat milk in place of cow’s milk; and use soy cream alternative instead of the cream.

Gluten free (also egg & nut free)

Follow the recipe, but use ¼ cup of a gluten-free flour mix or a half and half mix of rice flour and cornstarch.

About the Allergy-Free Cookbook

Packed with tasty and healthy family recipes that can be made without the "big four" allergens—gluten, eggs, nuts and dairy—this reassuring cookbook explains how to adapt classic recipes to avoid problem ingredients and how to create a healthy, balanced diet for the entire family.

Available at Amazon.com

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