Allergen-Free Recipe - Sugar-Free Sunflower Seed Butter

Toasted sunflower seeds are one of the brilliant additions to peanut and tree nuts free diet  Likewise, sunflower seed butter is a great substitution for peanut butter or almond butter.  I like to make my own to control the ingredients.  This sugar-free version is perfect for anyone wanting to try the Grain Brain Diet who also has an aversion to nuts.
  

3 C. Sunflower Seeds (or roasted sunflower seeds)
1/4 c. Avocado Oil (or other neutral-tasting oil)
Salt


(1) If using raw sunflower seeds, dry toast sunflower seeds in a pan over low heat.  Make sure you continue to stir the sunflower seeds during toasting so that they do not burn.

(2) Place all ingredients in a high power blender (salted to taste) and blend while tamping for 1 minute (or follow your blender's instructions).

Allergen-Free Recipe - Yam Candy

I cannot recall where I first ran across a version of this recipe for roasted yams - but I do know that it made a huge impression on my taste buds.  Simple ingredients, huge flavor.  You won't be able to stop eating them.


2 Yams
1/4 c. Olive Oil
Salt






(1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

(2) Peel yams and cube into 1/2" cubes.

(3) Mix yam cubes with olive oil and salt in a bowl.  Lay out on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the yams have one side that is caramelized. 

The Goods (Recommendation) - The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

Allergen-free baking can get quite tricky.  Ingrid and I used to experiment with our own recipes but found the efforts laborious and the results somewhat disappointing.  There are a few decent allergen-free recipe books that we have run across, and The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal is one of them.  Not all of the recipes turn out like the pictures and a few have textural issues but by and large this is one of the better books that we have come across.  The sunflower seed cupcakes provided a wonderful alternative to the peanut butter cupcakes I have had to give up.  This book also has an alternative to peanutbutter blossoms (called Sunflower Greenies), one of my all-time favorite cookies.

Bottom line is if you are looking for good baking resources, check out The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook.  Quick access to this book on Amazon below.