Chef's Tip: Using Avocado as a Dairy Replacement ("Lovocado")

Avocado is a what nutriotionists call a "healthy fat".   But don't panic, this kind of fat is monounsaturated, which researchers say can lower cholesterol if used instead of the saturated kind. Plus avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFA) are usually found only in sea veggies & are rare in land-based plants. PFAs fight all inflammation, and reduce UVB-induced damage and inflammation in skin, and even act like a sun screen, according to a study done in Israel and published in May, 2011.  Avocado also has 20 some vitamins and minerals, too, like vitamins K, Folate, B6, Riboflavin, Niacin, E, and C; plus minerals like potassium and magnesium.  Avocado may not contain the same nutrients as dairy (like calcium), but it brings many very special and healthy nutrients to your diet.

Nutrition is one of many reasons we call it "Lovocado" here at the The Tender Palate.  Avocado's culinary ability to be used as a dairy replacment is another.  Here are a bunch o' ideas.

Chef Jenny Brewer

Since I loved Chef Jenny Brewer's Not Your Mamma's Chocolate Mousse Tart so much, I asked her for other ways that you can use avocado as a texture replacement for dairy.  Here are a few tips from Chef Jenny.

1. Use some mashed avocado as a sandwich spread in place of mayonnaise
2. Fold avocado chunks into a burrito or taco filling in place of cheese
3. Blend an avocado with lemon juice and a little water for a creamy salad dressing
   
4. Blend an avocado with chocolate and/or fruit and milk of choice for a refreshing milkshake
   
5. Use blended avocado in a creamy pudding, like in this pie!

2 large ripe Haas Avocados
(if your avocados are small, add 1/4 - 1/2 avocado more)

1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder

3-4 Tablespoons maple syrup or agave 
(or more or less to taste, depending on size of avocados)

1 TBS vanilla extract
(depending upon the size of your avocados, you may want to start with 1/2 TBS and add more to taste)

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

(I added 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut milk to make it more pudding-like)

Nutrient Tip:  The most concentrated nutrients in the avocado are closest to the skin. To get them, cut the avocado lengthwise in half, remove the pit, slice the flesh while still in the skin, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Make sure you get the spoon as close to the skin as possible, so your 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are in your meal, not the compost pile.

Chef Alton Brown

I wondered if you could make a frosting out of avocado, so I searched the internet for a recipe.  I wish I could say that I spoke to Chef Alton Brown personally (may some day), but I found this recipe for a dairy-free icing online through another blog called Joy the Baker.  Joy has a delicious vegan cake recipe, that could also be made gluten-free using the all-purpose, gluten-free flour from Jules Shepherd.  I asked Jules if this were true and she said:

It should work just fine with my flour, although I think I'd "up" the baking soda to 1 Tbs. Thanks for sharing - looks like a yummy recipe!  ~Jules

The icing is simple:

• 8 ounces avocado meat, approximately 2 small to medium
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (for the vegan cake, Joy actually uses 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract)

Beat the avocados and the lemon juice in the bowl of your stand mixer (use the whisk attachment) for 2-3 minutes until creamy.  Add the powerdered sugar a little at a time until smooth.  Then add whichever extract you choose and incorporate.

With a little bit of knowledge, replacements aren't so hard, right?  Here's a Tender Foodie Challenge:  try these ideas and make your own recipe.   Let me know how your experiments go, will you?  If I like it, I might just write about it.

Tender Halloween Candy List (Allergen-free & Vegan)

 

If you are reading this post, and are a parent of food allergic kids, you don’t need me blabbering on about what a pain in the buttocks Halloween can be.  It must be tough to tell your kids that they can’t go trick or treating or that they can’t trade candy with their friends. Your kids just want to belong.  And Halloween is a huge social event.

For some children, however, even the very presence of allergens like peanuts, dairy or wheat could be deadly, so even wrapped, allergen-free candies mixed in a bowl with other candy can cause a reaction.

To help with the candy part of Halloween, we are compiling a “living list” of candy and other treats that are free of the most common allergens.  If you have a favorite that isn’t here, send me an e-jingle.  I’ll research it and add it to the list as appropriate. 

Stay tuned for more from Melanie Potock on creative (and practical) ways to deal with the social side of Halloween.  Read my Interview with Melanie on reducing school & food allergy stress...

NOTE:  Please remember to look at EVERY label to double check that each product is safe for you or your child.  Also, if you see something you like, order it soon! 

Free of the top 8 allergens

The candies in this section do not have any of the top 8 allergens (eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, dairy, fish or shellfish)

INDIE CANDY

Indie Candy really goes the extra mile to make not only safe, but delicious candy.   I've tried several of their sweets.   Their chocolate truffles are delicious and their gummies are fantastic. 

Indie Candy Lime Frankenstein Lollipop (big 8 allergen free)
Indie Candy Orange Jack O' Lantern Lollipop (big 8 allergen free)
Indie Candy Pineapple Ghost Lollipop (big 8 allergen free)
Indie Candy Orange Jack O' Lantern Gummies (big 8 allergen free)

Additional Information on Indie Candy:

• Kitchen free of Big 8 allergens
• Cater to a variety of special diets - GFCFSF, vegan and Feingold
• Kosher certified.
• Majority of our ingredients are organic.

Enjoy Life

 click image to go to coupon.Chocolate Bars

•  Big 8 free
• Made in a dedicated nut- and gluten-free bakery     
  

Yummy Earth Organic Candies 

They sell wholesale allergen-free and organic hard candies with names like "Roadside Rootbeer Barrells" and Pomegranate Pucker".  None specifically for Halloween it seems, but they are in retail stores like Whole Foods, Baby's R Us and many Marriotts around the country. Thanks to NourishMD.com for this suggestion.

•  Big 8 Free
•  No High Fructose Corn Syrup
•  Free of MSG
•  100% Natural Colors
• No chemical dyes
• Real Fruit Extracts   
• 100% Natural Flavors
• Kof-K Kosher Parve
• Processing Plant: no tree nuts or peanuts allowed in the facility.

Gimbal's Gourmet Candies 

The gourmet jelly beans look great, and they make those and their other flavors without the Big 8 allergens.  We haven't tasted them yet, but we like their ingredients and their philosophy.  Their Honey Lover's flavors support a project that keeps the ever-important honey-bee healthy, alive and pollinating.  Gimbal’s donates 5% of Honey Lovers proceeds to the University of California Davis Honey Bee Research.

• Big 8 free
• Gelatin-free
• Kosher-Pareve
• No High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Facility is free of big 8 allergens

Sold online through Candy Direct.

Free of Many Common Allergens

These candies are free of some of the most common allergens.

Premium Chocolates 

Thanks to Audrey Depenbrok for this suggestion.  Audrey has good taste in vegan cupcakes, is a dairy-free Tender Foodie contributor, and a chocolaholic like myself.  So I respect her judgement here.

Located in Lakeside, NJ, or order online:  http://www.premiumchocolatiers.com/

• Soy-free
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Vegan
• Kosher-Pareve
• Nut-free
• Testing:  Random testing for dairy & nuts

Goody Good Stuff

Gummies, is what I would call these candies, and I heard of them through Saffron's Gluten-free Market.  Deb, from Saffron's calls them "gummie-type thingies". 

• Vegetarian
• Fat-free
• Meat-free
• Dairy-free
• Nut-free 
• Gluten-free
• Egg-free
• Gelatin-free
• Soy-free   

Fancypants Bakery

 

Fancypants makes the cutest nut-free cookies.  Just too cute to eat.

• Peanut-free
• Tree nut-free
• Facility:  Nut-free

Divvies Bakery

Divvies (and their jelly beans) gets mentioned by fans on the Tender Palate Facebook Page every so often, and Halloween has been no expection.  Divvies is a bakery, and they make candy as well.  Including ghosts, goblins and dinosaurs.  Rahr.

• Peanut-free
• Tree Nut-free
• Egg-free
• Dairy-free
• dedicated facility where no peanuts, tree nuts, milk or eggs "enter the doors". And Divvies uses ingredients that are certified allergen-free.
• Divvies conducts routine testing to minimize the risk of any cross-contamination in their certified allergen-free ingredients.

Potential Mainstream Candies

I say “potential” for these, since there is no testing or processing information on the web site.

Dove Chocolate

Rockford Allergy Food Network, a support group for food allergies in Michigan, gave me the heads up that many Dove Chocolate products are now produced in a tree-nut- and peanut-free facility.  Bravo, Dove!  Since they went nut-free in 2009 or 2010, there may still be products on the shelves that were produced with nuts.  So read the label carefully for the "May contain" labeling.

• Peanut-free
• Treenut-free
• Allergen-free facility since 2010 (so read your labels carefully)
• Testing information not available.

Tootsie Products

It would be great if Tootsie offered facility, allergen testing, and processing information - but they don't.  They have so many options that are gluten- and nut-free.  I have two emails into the company to request further information, but have not heard back.  (They are Kosher-certified, which, in my opinion, is a good sign that they are testing oriented.)

• Gluten-Free (All Tootsie products are gluten free except Andes cookies.)
• Peanut-Free
• Nut Product-Free
• “Tootsie does not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt, or any of their components, either as ingredients or as part of the manufacturing process.
• Corn and soy products are used
• No testing or facility information provided. 
• Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Frooties and DOTS have become kosher-certified by the Orthodox Union (OU).

Update on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 6:34PM by Elisabeth Veltman, The Tender Foodie

Dove Chocolate has been added to the list...

RECIPE: Not Your Mama's Chocolate Mousse Tart (super allergen-free)

"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." ~James Beard

A Healthy yet Naughty Tart.  Really.

About two months ago I saw a recipe for Banana Cream Pie from Chef Jenny Brewer.  I am not a fan of banana cream (nor of pie), but many Tender Foodies are.  Plus, the pie was touted as being "better than chocolate cake" and chocolate cake is in my wheel house.  So I posted the recipe on social media for gluten- and dairy-free pie lovers everywhere.

Since a great number of Tender Foodies have developed multiple food allergies, the response I received was, "I wish it were free of {insert allergen here}.  I began to wonder:  Could you make a PIE that is free of the Big 8, plus make it oat-free, corn-free, coconut-free, and sesame-free?  And could that pie be GOOD?  I asked Chef Jenny if she could do it, and she accepted this challenge. 

Chef Brewer specializes in healthy food, dessert included.  So when I tested the recipe myself, I kept thinking, "This pie is really good for me.  How will it taste?  How will it taste?  How will it taste?"  Part of me agrees with the James Beard quote above.  Dessert is supposed to be decadent, shameful, indulgent.  Naughty.   Since this pie is actually a tart, the naughtiness is in its name, without one ounce of naughty in the pie.  Until you taste it.

What is the difference between a pie and a tart?  The short answer is that a pie has sides, but a tart does not.  I like this post from The Kitchn that explains this more in depth.

No one will know that the "cream" in the mousse is actually avocado.  When I finished my first slice, I felt nourished and satisfied, so did my fellow testers.  This is a great quality in a dessert (and a great quality in a saucy little tart, too, I would imagine).

Chef Jenny made a video that demonstrates the finer points of making the tart (see below).  So give this recipe a try and let us know if you like this recipe as much as I do.

Tools

8' Spring Form Pan (the crust is really sticky, and this pan works great)

Food Processor

Spatula

Medium-sized skillet

Toasting the Sunflower Seeds in a Swirling, Dry Pan.

The Crust

1 cup pumpkin seeds, sprouted and/or toasted* (toasting gives great depth of flavor)
(*to toast pumpkin seeds, place them in a dry skillet over medium high heat, stirring until brown, about 5-7 minutes, being very careful not to burn. Alternatively, place in a 375 degree oven and roast for about 5 minutes, or until browned.)

½ cup popped millet**
(**to pop millet, place in a dry, hot skillet over medium heat and stir constantly -don't let them burn- until you hear consistent popping.  See video below for more)

½ cup raisins

1/3 cup dates, pitted

2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 4 Tablespoons water and left to gel for 3-5 minutes            

pinch of salt

In a food processor bowl, pulse pumpkin seeds and millet until seeds are ground. Add raisins, dates and pinch of salt and chop until everything is ground together.  Add in flax mixture and pulse until sticky. Wet your fingers and press the mixture into 8-inch pie pan and keep refrigerated while you prepare the filling.

The Chocolate Mousse Filling

2 large ripe Haas Avocados
(if your avocados are small, add another avocado and adjust the ingredients.  Avocados vary quite a bit in size.)

1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder

3-4 Tablespoons maple syrup or agave 
(or more or less to taste, depending on size of avocados)

1 TBS vanilla extract
(depending upon the size of your avocados, you may want to start with 1/2 TBS and add more to taste)

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. 

Spread into crust and chill until ready to serve.

Note: taste it and add more cocoa and maple syrup if desired.  I used a 10" springform pan so that the crust was very thin, then doubled the filling.  If you would like more naughtiness, you can double the filling with an 8" springform pan, too.  It will give you a more voluptuous tart.

Watch the Video Demonstration

Where to find the ingredients:

I used raw cacao powder, processed wtih no preservatives or additives (no alkaline). From Harvest Health.

The pumpkin seeds I used were sprouted and salted from Go Raw, so I cut back the pinch of salt to accommodate.

The whole grain millet is from Eden Organic.  They process their millet in a gluten-free factory and test their millet to 5ppm (the proposed law requires 20ppm).  Thanks to Saffron's A Gluten-free Market for sourcing this for me.  Please note that even though millet is inherently gluten-free, not all brands source, process or test millet as a gluten-free product.  Look for the gluten-free label and check any brand's web site.  Eden's whole grain millet is what I recommend.

Saffrons has an online store, as well.  So if you can't find it, give them a shout, or let us know that you would like them to carry this online and we'll tell them.

Nutrients

Avocado provides Vitamins C&K, B6, folate, and copper, potassium and dietary fiber.  It also provides anti-inflammatory and digestive support and being researched as a blood sugar regulating food.

Pumpkin Seeds are protein and Omega-3 rich. They are one of the healthiest seeds around providing manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, Vitamin K and zinc.  Pumpkin Seeds are also thought to be anti-inflammatory, good for prostate health and may have cholesterol lowering benefits.

Whole Grain Millet has manganese, tryptophan, magnesium and phosphorus and is thought to be heart-healthy like oats.

Organic Raw Cacao contains flavanols and flavanoids that have been studied for cardiovascular health.  The benefits are all in how the cacao is processed, so organic and the less processing the better.

Tasting the Vegan Cupcakes of Grand Rapids. Dairy-free, Egg-free, & a Gluten-free Surprise.

We once again welcome guest blogger, Audrey Depenbrok.  She and a group of taste testers had the "painful" job of eating their way through all of the dairy-free and egg-free cupcakes they could find in Grand Rapids!  Their favorite, of course, is at the end.  Thanks Audrey!

_elisabeth

Preparing to Score

Cupcakes seem to be all the rage these days. However, if you are a vegan, or suffer from food allergies or intolerances, finding an enjoyable cupcake can be a challenge. Our group of tasty testers scoured the local cupcake scene to find a few bakers who are creating treats for we, the allergen-free, the Tender Foodies.

"We" were a group of taste testers whose ages ranged from 9 to 75 years old.  We conducted a taste test and came up with four of our favorites.  Each person graded each cupcake in four different categories (Taste, Texture, Appearance, and its Similarity to a "regular" cupcake).  We then gave each cupcake an overall score, all on a scale of 1-10, where 10 reached perfection.

Cupcake Group #1 - Bartertown serving Roc's Cupcakes

Roc's Cupcakes at Bartertown 

Bartertown is a recently opened vegan eatery located in downtown Grand Rapids. Their cupcakes are provided on a daily basis by Roc's Cupcakes. These cupcakes are vegan, so they are free of any dairy or egg product. They offer a variety of different flavors each day. 

On the particular day that our taste testers swarmed into Bartertown, we were pleased to see that they offered five different flavors. The offerings were; Chocolate, Vanilla, Apple Crumb Cake, Orange Blossom and Rosewater. 

Our favorite from this group was the chocolate cupcake. Which scored an 8. It had great taste, although it was slightly dry. The icing was very good, very creamy and sweet. This cupcake was more dense than a traditional cupcake might be.

The vanilla cupcake was also a favorite, scoring a 7.5. Its taste, however, was a bit like cornbread, and again had the same dense and dry texture that we found with the chocolate cupcake. 

We were very excited to try both the Orange Blossom and the Rosewater cupcakes - but we were disappointed with the flavor. Both cupcakes scored a 4. The rosewater cupcake was a bit overdone, and came off tasting soapy. While the orange blossom cupcake didn't seem to have enough flavor, and it didn't offer much in the citrus department. 

The apple cupcake was delicious, and had beautiful texture. But, each taster made a comment that it was more muffin-like, even more similar to a coffee cake than a cupcake. It scored an 8, even though it wasn't perfectly "cupcake-like".

All of the cupcakes from Bartertown were beautiful. Each was iced to perfection, with coordinating sprinkles or decorative sugar. 

Cupcake #2 - Little Pearl Cupcake

Little Pearl Cupcake, located on Northland Drive in Plainfield Township, recently began offering gluten free cupcakes and vegan cupcakes.

First, we tested out their Cinnamon and "Butter"Cream Vegan cupcake. They use Earth Balance spread in place of the butter in their icing. 

Cinnamon & "Butter"cream Vegan Cupcake at Little Pearl

These cupcakes had a nice texture, weren't too dry, and they looked great. We found this cupcake to have a slight cornbread flavor as well. The cake portion of the cupcake didn't offer much in the way of cinnamon flavor. The icing was topped with a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon, which is the main source of cinnamon flavor on this cupcake. 

This cupcake scored a 7.

LIttle Pearl also offered a Gluten Free variety, so we took a bite out of their Gluten-free Lime cupcake. 

Gluten-free Lime Cupcake from Little Pearl

We found this cupcake to have a texture very similar to that of a regular cupcake. In fact,  many of our tasters commented that if they hadn't known it was gluten-free, they would have thought it was made with regular flour.

The taste however, left something to be desired. Nearly all of our tasters agreed that the lime flavoring seemed very artificial. The lime flavoiring did seem to please our 9-year old taster who said, "the flavor is very soothing".

The icing on this cupcake was very sweet. It also melted very quickly. I put these cupcakes into an already cool car, and drove them approximately two miles to the tasting location.  They were melted by the time I arrived. 

This cupcake scored a 6.

Cupcake Group #3 - Marie Catrib's 

Nestled in "The Center of the Universe" on the corner of Lake Drive and Diamond in Grand Rapids, Marie Catrib's offers a plethora of vegan and gluten free baked goods each day. 

Although there weren't any cupcakes available, we took a recommendation from the staff for two of their most popular cakes - which are also available as cupcakes from time to time. 

The Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake.

 Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate Cake from Marie Catrib's - sometimes available in cupcake form

This chocolate cake was rich, moist and utterly delicious. A dark chocolate cake, with a "milk" chocolate icing and filling, and drizzled with a chocolate ganache. This cake could easily be passed off as it's dairy-laden counterpart. 

The Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate Cake scored a 9.

The second item we tasted from Marie Catrib's was the Vegan Carrot Cake, which is also available in cupcake form on certain days. 

 Vegan Carrot Cake from Marie Catrib's - on certain days, this presents as a cupcake, too.

The carrot cake was equally as good as the chocolate cake. Since this cake is vegan, the traditional cream cheese is missing. However, the icing is sweet and delicious and covered with toasted coconut that helps hide the fact that the icing is lacking cream cheese. 

The carrot cake scored a 9.

Cupcake #4 - Cakabakery 

Cakabakery, founded by J.T. Kakabaker in 2010, is a custom cake baker. Designing custom wedding and special occasion cakes and cupcakes. Cakabakery will attempt to meet any dietary need. 

Vegan Raspberry Lemondate Cupcake from The Cakabakery

From Cakabakery, we taste tested their vegan Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes. These cupcakes were a lemony cake, topped with a raspberry icing. The cake had pieces of candied lemon zest running through it, while the icing had bits of real raspberries. 

This was the unanimous favorite of our taste testers. Each agreed that the cake was beautifully moist, not too dense, and had a perfect balance of sweet and tart. You would never guess that this cupcake is dairy-free and egg-free. 

This cupcake scored  perfect 10. 

 Note from Elisabeth:  We will be contacting these bakers to ask if they would be willing to provide some information on their kitchen practices, so that highly allergice/ Super Tender Foodies will have more information regarding cross-contamination and baker knowledge.

Audrey Depenbrok is a Tender Foodie and a self proclaimed cake-aholic with an indecisive nature. She spends her days as a freelance non-profit consultant while taking care of her little boy, golden retriever and two cats.  You can find her tweeting away @mommy_kinz. 

Review: Indie Candy

Allergen-Free Sweets for Your Valentine

Having a tough time finding the perfect sweet for your favorite Tender Sweetie? You can pull out all of the stops and make your own, or order from a professional like Indie Candy. Most of their sweets contain none of the “Big 8” allergens. Plus, they cater to special diet protocols (like Feingold, Kosher and Vegan). You would think this is a recipe for crappy candy, but it’s not. It’s tasty. I sampled a few of their Valentine-themed products for you. You don’t have to thank me. No really. Here are my choices.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Truffles are love. Truffles are sensuous. “Truffle” even sounds romantic. So when you bite into one, you long to hear that naughty little voice in your head say, “Ohhhh. (pause) “Ohhh Yeah.” And these truffles do not disappoint. What I like the most is the initial snap as you bite into the hard chocolate shell and the caramel-like consistency of the center. Yum. Are they as fluffy as the dairy-packed confections that I remember? Not quite. But they don’t have to be. They are the “real thing” and they are very, very good.

Sweet Hearts Gummies

These gummies are yummy. And pretty. Indie Candy uses no artificial dyes or flavors so the wild cherry and watermelon flavors pop genuinely. The texture is satisfying and sexy, too. Might make your gluten-free Valentine’s imagination run wild.

Other products that I sampled were the Pineapple “Love Heart” which was not a favorite (it just tasted like sugar).  But the “Beary Sweet” dark chocolate sucker used high quality chocolate and would please adult and child alike. The packaging of each product is not highly designed, but sweet and down-to-earth.

Sweetheart GummiesThe Company

Before I took my first bite, I wanted to understand the company and its practices. I spoke with the President/CEO, Hanson Watkins. I was sincerely impressed with her knowledge and passion for both confections and health. She emphasized their goal of making things truly delicious, not just allergen-free – a goal that the Tender Foodie requires. Indie Candy carefully sources each ingredient right down to the factory where it is processed and to the seed that is sown. The majority of their ingredients are organic and they do their best to use non-GMO foodstuff. They sell their own in-house artisan candies (no Big 8 allergen is allowed in their kitchen) as well as those from other independent confectioners who cater to more narrow allergen-free markets. The Indie site clearly directs you by allergen, diet and confection and includes the ingredients, so read them.

If you are a Tender Foodie (or a Tender Valentine) and you give Indie Candy a try, let me know what you think!