A Few of My Favorite Things

I've been a little reluctant to make a list of the products that I use to compensate for my child's food allergies in the kitchen. The idea of pushing specific brands makes me uncomfortable, even though I'm not receiving any kind of compensation from these companies. Since I get so excited to get these kind of tips from other allergy moms, I decided to go ahead and share. With the usual caveat to always read the ingredient label, here is my grocery list:

• Arnold Dutch Country Potato & Whole Wheat Breads are the commercial breads that I generally purchase. Other Arnold breads do have dairy and eggs.
• Earth Balance Spread and Buttery Sticks are non-hydrogenated dairy free margarines with an excellent flavor. I always recommend it for baking.
  
• Ener-G Egg Replacer has become indispensable for baking.
• Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips are really, really good, as well as allergen safe.
  
• Flax Seed Meal is useful binder/egg substitute for some recipes.
• I.M. Healthy is a good replacement for peanut butter.
  
• King Arthur Flours have also improved my baked goods. I highly recommend.
• Silk Soymilk & Yogurt are the best tasting we have found and are staples in our kitchen. I once contacted the company after purchasing yogurt with mold in it and the customer service was outstanding.
  
• Soy Wonder is another good replacement for peanut butter.
• Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese & Better Than Sour Cream are virtually indistinguishable from the real things. [Update: I should have written that they are virtually indistinguishable in recipes. On their own, there is a slight, but noticeable, textural difference.]
  

Other useful foods that aren't brand specific include ground turkey, rice cakes, and tortillas. The green vegetables that have proven least unpopular are peas and, oddly enough, zucchini, most likely because they have the mildest flavors and least objectionable textures.

A Note on Breadcrumbs:
Since I usually use cookie cutters on The Kid's sandwiches, I save the crusts in the bag from the previous loaf, then once it's full run them through the food processor to make breadcrumbs, which I save in the freezer. If you are looking for ready made breadcrumbs, Panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs) are generally safe, not to mention a fantastic breading, but are much less economical.