In this section we give you information that may help you when your child is on a restricted diet due to food allergies. We also offer food hints, tips and recipes. If you have any recipes you would like to contribute Contact us. Bon Appetite!

• Nutrition information
  • Foods that are high in Calcium
  • Foods that are high in Iron
  • Substitutes
  • What's in my freezer?
  • What's in my cupboard?
  • Using juices
    
    
• Recipes and Meal Ideas.
  • Breakfasts
  • Snacks and Baking
  • Dinners
  • Desserts
    
    
• Food Links
  

Nutrition Information

I have two children who have multiple food allergies. Our 4-year-old son had grown out of most of his allergies by 3 years of age. Our one-year-old daughter has just been allergy tested and it confirms what we’d already worked out. Again we need to avoid dairy, soy, egg, nuts, chicken, banana, potato and wheat in our cooking and still keep fish out of the house for our son. I am sharing this information because it has taken me years to build up recipes and search for products for us. I hope it can save you some time and stress. 

I have had to find different ways to provide food that is high in nutrients in particular calcium. The following tables have been useful for us. I try to sneak a high calcium item into any recipe I do such as sweetening porridge with Golden Syrup instead of sugar or chopping dried apricots into porridge. Mostly our meals are simple meat, vegetables and rice meals but having a freezer full of emergency items has been great. There are a couple of sanity savers in our family and you will soon pick the ‘rice’ and ‘balls’ themes! Rice because it can be used in a multitude of ways and balls because they are easily picked up for finger feeders. 

It is important that you check all labels yourself as ingredients change frequently and also check with a dietician if you require professional nutritional advice. You may not need to eliminate as much as us from your diets so experiment with the recipes and ideas as I have done.

Foods that are high in calcium 

Foods that are high in iron

Information from a NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau leaflet.

Haem iron is the best absorbed form. The iron in non-meat foods such as eggs, some vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, fruits and wholegrain cereals is called non-haem iron. Non-haem iron is not well absorbed. Absorption can be improved by eating these foods with others high in vitamin C or with meat, fish or chicken. 

Substitutes

What’s in my freezer?

• Cooked and frozen sausages. Our local butcher makes additive free real meat sausages. If you live in Wellington – Island Bay butchery has pure beef (ask for them as they are kept frozen) and Pork Bratwurst (Spicy, but my 1 year old loves them).
• Varieties of cooked meat and vege balls
• Frozen mixed vegetables
• Pikelets
• Biscuits
• Arial Farm meat strips
• Cooked fruits made in bulk when in season
• Muffins, slices of cake

What’s in my cupboard?

Always check the labels as ingredients change frequently.

• Rice crackers – we use Pam’s Original Rice Crackers
• Corn thins
• Earth’s Best Organic Wheat free teething biscuits  
• Coronilla Gluten Free Spaghetti, organic, contains rice flour and quinoa flour
• Casalare Pasta, Organic Brown Rice Twists, contains brown rice flour and water, need to be cooked carefully as go mushy if overcooked or left draining.
• San Remo Gluten Free Spirals, gluten, egg, dairy free (contains soy and potato) these hold their shape when cooked.
• Dried fruits including raisins, mango, apricot
• Healtheries Rice Wholegrain Rice flakes for breakfast or baking
• Long grain white rice, Arborio  rice (for Risotto)
• Brown rice, retains the good nutrients
• Rice Vermicelli e.g. Trident or Longbo brand
• Chantaboon Rice Sticks (thicker ribbon type noodles)
• Rice paper, for fun family pancake wrapping type meals and spring rolls
• Tins of Watties baby fruits and other tinned fruits
• Gouldburn Valley fruit pottles
• Pappadoms, great to pop in the microwave  
• Vogel's Select Rice and Rye Wheat Free( Also Soy and Dairy Free but made on same line producing those products)

Using juices

Juices are a great way to get fruit and vegetables into the diet. We started with mixed apple and orange and carrot. Gradually we sneaked in small amounts of broccoli, which is high in calcium (peel and use the thick stalks), beetroot (can be bitter so add a small amount), celery etc. My son always wants to help with the juicing and it seems to encourage him to drink it straight away. 

I have used the juice to replace water in mixing with oats (porridge) which makes it a funny colour but for the under one year old it worked a treat and was naturally sweet.

Recipes and Meal Ideas 

Breakfasts

• It is important to read and check labels but we use Sanitarium Rice bubbles and Cornflakes because they do not mix their production lines with nuts but they do contain a risk of wheat. However the single serve boxes of cereals are made on a mixed production line with other products so have a contamination risk of nuts and other foods.
• Porridge - oats mixed with Quinoa (Keen wa) flakes (Quinoa, a seed, is a staple to millions in South America, it is gluten free and has a mild slightly nutty flavour)
• Fruit eg apple, pear or any in season stone fruit boiled and thickened with oats. Freeze in portions.
• Healtheries Rice Wholegrain Rice flakes, soak in rice milk or make as a fruity porridge.
• Rice breads eg Dovedale, Rice and Rye Purebread. These are best toasted.
  

 Spreads 

• As all of they spreads seem to have either dairy or soy in them I have started to use refrigerated Olive Oil, which thickens like a spread. Our daughter seems to like this.

• Olivani - if you can tolerate Soy

Snacks and Baking

Apricot Balls
Whiz 250 g dried apricots with ¼ cup (or less) sugar, the rind of 1 orange, 1T orange juice and ½ c coconut. Roll into balls and roll in extra coconut. These freeze well.

Fruit Balls
Use any dried fruits that are high in calcium e.g. currents, figs, apricots, dates. Whiz with any seeds or nuts that are suitable. Sweeten with golden syrup. Roll into balls and freeze for use. 

Granny Rose's Fruit Cake
(Dairy, Egg, Nut Free)
1kg Mixed dried fruit
2 1/2 Cups Ginger ale or beer
2 Cups self raising flour

Soak fruit in ginger ale over night.
Add flour.
Bake in 24cm x 12 cm square tin or in two loaf tins at 180 degrees for 1/2 hour
Reduce heat to 160 degrees for a further 3/4 of an hour. Cooking time may very according to size of tins used.
Cover top of cake if beginning to brown too soon.

Banana Cake/Muffins
(Egg, Dairy and Nut free)
2Cups plain flour
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-4 bananas (I use 4-5)
1/2 Cup oil
1/2 Cup milk/rice milk/soy milk

In a large bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda.
Mash banana and add oil (the more bananas the moister the cake)
Stir banana and oil into dry ingredients
Add milk to moisten

Pour mixture into olivani greased cake tin/muffin trays or patty cases. Baking time depends on size of baking container. I usually use a wooden skewer to test in middle of cake and muffin.

Can freeze but once defrosted they are a bit sticky on top which one of my kids did not like in her lunch box so they eat them frozen from the freezer! 

 Our Best Chocolate Cake
(Egg, Dairy, Soy free) Have yet to try it using Brown Rice Flour
3 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
6 Tablespoons cocoa
2 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 Tablespoon malt vinegar
½ Cup oil cooking or Safflower oil
2 Cup water 

Sift dry ingredients Add liquids and mix well. Bake 170 Celsius in a 20 – 22 cm round greased tin for 55 minutes. 

Variations: Add a cup frozen berries, or 1 Cup cooked pumpkin, 2 mashed bananas, make as muffins to freeze to take to birthday parties. We slice the cake and freeze any leftovers for emergencies.

Spicy Dutch Biscuits (Freeze well)
(Dairy, Egg, Nut Free)
3 cups flour (or brown rice flour substituting 3 T of it for 3 T cornflour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Sift flour, spices and baking powder.  
Rub in softened butter.  
Add sugar and milk.  
Mix by hand.

Transfer to plastic bag and refrigerate. (I have kept mixture for up to 3 weeks and break off small amounts to make one tray of freshly baked shapes).

Roll out and cut into shapes with cutters  
Decorate if desired with fruit, coloured sprinkles etc.

Bake 8 – 15 minutes.  

 Malt and Sultana Biscuits
(I haven’t tried making these soy and wheat free yet)  
4 oz non-dairy spread e.g. Olivani
½ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon soy or rice milk
1 Desert spoon malt
1 ½ Cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
½ Cup sultanas 

Bring spread, malt, sugar and milk to boil, add soda. Stir well and add flour and sultanas. Place teaspoon sized balls onto a cold tray, flatten with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes at 300 F.  

Anzac Biscuits
(Dairy, Egg, Nut Free)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut
¾ cup sugar
4 oz non-dairy spread
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon golden syrup
3 Tablespoon water

Melt spread and golden syrup, mix soda in water and pour all into dry ingredients. Mix well and place small balls onto greased try. Press with a fork. Bake in a slow oven for 20 minutes.

Variations: Instead of coconut use cereal such as cornflakes or rice bubbles or use a mixture. Instead of golden syrup use honey or half of each. Replace flour with gluten free baking mix (the texture is more grainy than normal flour) Add raisins and/or chopped apricot. Double recipe, add raisins and place in a slice tin. Cut when warm and wait till cool to remove from tin. The more spread and syrup used the chewier the finished product.

Granny Rose's Shortbread/Chocolate Shortbread
(Dairy, Egg, Nut Free)
1/2 Cup Olivani (could try other non-dairy spread)
1/2 Cup Icing Sugar
1/4 Cup Cornflour
1 Cup Self Raising Flour
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Cream Olivani and sugar.
Blend in dry sifted ingrediants
Roll into small balls and flatten on baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 mins at approx 160

These cookies are very crumbly but yummy especially once they are iced.

When cool ice with lemon icing made with lemon juice, icing sugar and small amount of Olivani.

To make chocolate shortbread substitute 2 tablespoons of flour for cocoa and ice with icing made of disolved cocoa in water, icing sugar and a small amount of Olivani.

Variations: Add to creamed Olivani and sugar either lemon rind or orange rind. 
Add to dry ingredients either cardomon, cinnomon or mixed spice. Could try rolling into balls with a flat bottom and then when cool ice and stick two cookies together like a melting moment or yoyo type cookie.

Granny Rose's Lemon Biscuits
(Dairy, Egg, Nut Free)
1 Cup Plain flour
1/4 Cup Rice flour
2 Tablespoons Cornflour
2/3 Cup Icing Sugar
150 grams Olivani
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Icing: 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 cup icing sugar.

Biscuit: Cream icing sugar and Olivani. add sifted flours and zest.
Work together with hands. Using grease proof paper, roll into cylinder approx 4.5 to 5cm diameter.
Chill in fridge overnight.
cut into 1/2 cm slices and bake at 160 degrees for approx 15 minutes

Ice and decorate with silver balls or strips of glace cherries. Orange can be subsituted for lemon.

Granny Rose's Chocolate Rough Squares
(Dairy, Egg, Nut Free)
1 Cup Self raising flour
1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 Cup of Coconut
1 Tablespoon Cocoa
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
125grams Olivani (melted)

Mix melted Olivani and vanilla with dry ingredients until moist and grumbly.
Press into a greased, 1 inch by 1 inch baking tin.
Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Icing:
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cocoa
1/2  Cup of Coconut
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
30 grams Olivani
A little boiling water.

Mix dry ingredients with only enough water to make a spreading consistency.
spread over cake while hot and cut immediately before cake hardens.
Cut into small squares or oblongs.

Granny Rose's Gingernut biscuits NEW*
100grams Olivani
225 grams (1Cup) caster sugar
1 egg
1tablespoon Golden Syrup
250 grams (2 cups) Flour-Horleys wheat and gluten free mix/or other
1 teaspoon baking powder-gluten free
3 level teaspoons ginger 

Cream Olivani and sugar. Add egg and golden syrup and beat.
Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix well.

Roll into 30 balls. Place on baking sheet, leaving room for rising. DO NOT flatten.

Gingernuts will puff up then collapse. Bake at 170 degrees for 18 minutes.

Pikelets
1/4 cup maize cornflour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg (or replacer or 1 ½ T water, 1 ½ T oil, 1 t baking powder, mixed together)
1/2 cup suitable milk e.g. Rice, Soy, formula

Variations: Add mashed banana, use buckwheat or ground oats as flours or a combination.  

Pikelets or Pancakes
(Egg, Dairy Free) 
1 tablespoon of olivani
1 Cup self raising flour
1/2-1 cup of rice milk
1/2 cup of white sugar

Melt olivani in large bowl in microwave
Add flour, sugar and milk slowly (can use blender if lumps form)
mix well to form a thin batter.
To make pikelets place heaped spoonfuls of batter into hot pan. Three or four at a time. To make pancakes use a soup ladle to put out and cover bottom of pan.

Tips: I use olive oil in the pan rather than olivani as it has a higher heating temperature and does not burn. I wipe the pan out with a paper towel after each batch. That way all pikelets/pancakes cook cleanly without burnt bits. I often don't add sugar to the batter as the family like to put sweet spreads on top such as lemon and sugar, golden syrup or jam. The extra sugar in the batter is not really needed!!

Variations: For pikelets leave sugar out and use savoury toppings. Cool Pikelets and keep in airtight container to use as snacks. Can be frozen and popped into school lunch boxes. Pancakes can also be used for savoury fillings. Use cutters to vary shapes for occasions like birthdays. Spread with olivani and add sprinkles etc.

Gluten Free Savoury Flat Bread
1 cup rice bran
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup arrowroot flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup chicken stock (or water)
2 egg yolks
oil for glazing 

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add stock and egg yolks. Beat until smooth. 

Spoon heaped tablespoons of dough onto a baking tray (oiled). These will spread out while cooking.  

Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 35-40 minutes. Halfway through cooking brush with oil and sprinkle with a little salt if desired. Can also sprinkle seeds over such as poppy or sesame seeds. 

Easy Dairy Free Bread Recipe (With Gluten Free Option) Oven Bake
2 ½ tsp surebake yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp oil (for gluten free option use Healtheries gluten free bread mix. For wholemeal option use 2 cups high gluten white flour, 2 cups wholemeal flour)
1 ½ tsp salt (use iodised salt and don’t miss this out – kids need iodine!) 

Combine yeast, water and golden syrup in a large bowl, leave to rise in a warm place for 20 mins. Add oil, flour and salt. Stir thoroughly then beat with wooden spoon. Spray a loaf tin with oil or grease with dairy free margarine, spoon mixture into tin. Level the top with the back of a wet spoon. Coat or spray lightly with oil. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until twice its original size, about 1 hr. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 45 mins, middle of the oven

Dinners

Rice is our staple for the whole family. A Rice Cooker is the most vital piece of kitchen equipment we own. I put the rice on without thinking and then decide what else is for lunch or dinner. Rice improves the longer (within reason) it rests so you can put it on quite early. I have started using brown rice more as it is better for us and has a lovely nutty flavour however the children don’t eat it so readily. I am mixing white and brown rice for them. It needs more water and takes longer to cook.

Rice Balls
Squash warm cooked rice into bite sized balls and children pick them up easily. They can be dipped into any suitable sauces e.g. soy or plum etc (I dip mine into Wasabi!).  

Congee or Juk
This is basically water or a meat or vegetable stock thickened with rice. Salt, soy sauce, pepper can be added to taste by individuals. Looks like a porridge. 

About 4 cups of liquid to ¼ cup rice. Place water, chicken bones or drumsticks (slices of lamb or beef) in the water with the rice and boil slowly until the rice no longer has its form. The cat usually gets the discarded meat or you can add the meat towards the end of the cooking and eat it too.  

Rice wraps
Make plates of fillings e.g. shredded  cooked chicken, cooked pork mince lightly flavoured with garlic, peels of cucumber, carrot, shredded lettuce, a Thai dipping sauce (for adults)

Boil the kettle and soak sheets of rice paper as required, place a little of the chosen fillings at one edge and wrap up to eat.  

Thai Dressing
¼ c coriander 
chillies to taste
40 ml soy sauce
40 ml lime or lemon juice
20 ml fish sauce
1 – 2 t palm or brown sugar
¼ c fresh mint leaves
2 cloves garlic finely chopped 

Combine. Toss cooked meats in dressing or use as a dressing.  
 

Rice Paper Spring Rolls
Make up a filling of choice using suitable ingredients. Can easily make small amounts of fillings suitable for different family members. Just keep track of which is which.

For Example:
Pork or chicken mince
Garlic
White pepper
Grated carrot
Grated courgette
Finely chopped broccoli

Other option:
Pork mince
Chinese 5 spice powder
Garlic
Hoisin Sauce
Sliced water chestnuts 

Cook fillings in a pan or wok. Place cooked filling in a rice paper wrap that has been soaked in hot water. Roll up and pan or deep fry in olive or safflower oil.

Other Possibilities:
Roll raw ingredients into balls, fry or boil in water (chicken or vege stock) to cook. Soak a small rice wrap in hot water. Place ball in centre. Twist (or tie with a piece of spring onion). Deep fry.  

Lamb Bites with Skordalia
1/2 Cup raw chickpeas (or tin of cooked)
500g lamb mince
1/2 Cup mint leaves
2 Tablespoons spread or oil
1 teaspoon smokey paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Soak raw chickpeas for 6 hours.
Drain, blitz in the kitchen whiz until chickpeas form a crumbly paste. Add lamb, chopped mint, paprika and salt and pepper.
Roll into balls then roll balls in melted spread or oil.

Cook in pan or oven until brown and serve with Skordalia

Skordalia
2 medium potatoes or kumara
1 Cup cream or rice milk
1 Tablespoon roasted garlic
salt and pepper to taste.

Boil potatoes until well cooked. Reduce cream by half. Whiz together with garlic, salt and pepper

Can use this recipe to make bites into burgers. Serve with roasted pumpkin, rocket and topped with skordalia

Risotto with Pumpkin and Bacon (our family favourite – freezes well)
2 litres stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
Olive oil
3 rashers bacon
1 cup diced pumpkin
2 cups Arborio rice
Chopped parsley or coriander
Grated parmesan cheese or pinenuts (optional)

Heat stock and keep at a gentle simmer.

Sauté onion, garlic in oil and add bacon. Stir in rice and pumpkin. Mix well until rice is coated and shiny. Add a couple of ladles full of hot stock, stir occasionally until absorbed. Repeat adding 2 ladles full of stock at a time until rice is thick and creamy. Stir at regular intervals. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove portions for dairy free eaters and stir in cheese for others. Garnish with parsley or coriander.

Meat Balls – Just meat and grated vegetables!
Use lamb, chicken, or beef mince add grated vegetables add flavours of choice eg onion, garlic, salt, pepper. Don’t be tempted to add too many vegetables as the balls don’t combine as well and I find the children notice the vegetables and not eat them so readily. Roll into balls and place in oven dish to cook in own juices. These freeze well and are great to pop in the microwave for lunch or dinner especially when the rest of the family is having something unsuitable. Meat loaves using the same formula work well too.  

French Cutlets
Cut away fat from cutlets. 
Coat cutlets in golden syrup.
Make a 'crumb' of either, or a combination of, cornfakes and rice bubbles.
Dip cutlets in crumb. You may need to press the crumb into the meat, place in baking dish and drizzle with oil.
Bake until cooked and crumb is golden. Will need to turn cutlets half way through baking.

Variations: instead of golden syrup use pureed fruit. (either your own or the canned baby stuff) Add to the crumb cinnamon and sugar or curry powder or paprika. Use other safe cereal depending of food restrictions. 

Fish or Chicken Nibbles
Cut fish/chicken into strips.
Coat in soy yoghurt or pureed fruit.
Dip in one of the above 'crumbs'.
Drizzle with oil and bake.

Home Made Sushi
Nori, vinegar powder, bamboo rolling mat and Japanese rice can be purchased in most super markets and Asian food stores. Follow directions on packets.

Fillings: tinned flavoured or plain tuna, tinned or smoked salmon, carrot, cucumber, capsicum, chicken or other fish. Any filling, as long as it is cut thinly can be used. My kids like tinned tuna, carrot and cucumber. I serve it on little plates with chopsticks and limited amounts soy sauce for dipping. If there are any leftovers the kids take it to school for lunch. Good meal that works for both adults and kids.

Millet and Vegetables Casserole
250g millet, cooked until soft in 650ml water
200g cheese cut into cubes
lots of cooked vegetables
herb salt

Mix all ingredients in a quiche dish and bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius

Millet Rings
300g millet cooked 10-15mins in 450ml water and 450ml milk
onion finely chopped
Garlic chopped
Butter
150g cheese
herb salt, pepper, nutmeg
Capsicum to garnish

Saute the onion and garlic in butter. Mix with cooked millet, cheese and seasoning. Press into a greased ring mould. Put into a warm oven, turn onto serving dish before eating, garnish with capsicum.

Sweet Millet Slices
200g millet flakes
300ml milk
300ml water
dash of oil or butter 

Cook this until the millet is cooked, then form the millet mixture into flattened balls. Fry these in shallow oil until golden. Drizzle with honey or golden syrup to serve.

Millet Tabbouleh
175g Millet
7 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp mint and parsley each
 spring onions finely chopped
salt and pepper 

Place the millet in a saucepan with 1 tbsp oil and cook over medium heat, stirring for 2-3 mins until lightly toasted. Stir in 350ml boiling water and simmer for 20 mins until the water is absorbed. Transfer into a bowl and stir in rest of ingredients. Add the herbs once cool.

Desserts

Fruit Sago
1 cup water
¼ cup sago
1 kg of apple or other in season stoned fruits 

Core or stone fruit (skins can be left on or peel fruit). Combine with water and sago in a microwave dish, cover and cook approximately 20 minutes stirring at times. If skins have been left on using a potato masher to squash skins to the bottom. If you need to sweeten use golden syrup or honey.  

Ice Cream
225g bananas
1/2 Cup dates
30g carob powder
3/4 Cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup coconut milk divided in half.

Slice and freeze banana
Pour the first 1/2 Cup of the coconut milk into container and put in fridge to cool
Slice dates and place in saucepan with water and vanilla. Simmer until smooth
Cool the date mixture
When cool add the second 1/2 of the coconut milk to the date mixture. Pour this into ice cube trays and freeze.

In a food processor place the frozen banana, frozen date mixture, the refrigerated 1/2 cup of coconut milk and the carob powder. Process on full power and serve immediately.
 

Links that I find useful for food information

Master Foods Database –this link takes you to a search to eliminate combinations of allergens http://arachna.co.nz/mfd/search.asp

Ntolerance - New Zealand's only one-stop-shop specialising in allergen free foods. You may order online. http://www.ntolerance.co.nz/

Allergy Awareness recipes http://www.allergy.org.nz/recipes/recipesIntro.php

Everybody Website - use the allergy bulletin board to see what others are discussing, what they have tried, and find great food tips http://www2.everybody.co.nz/  

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