Recipe Help! - Tucson,AZ

Hi N., Well, I can't say I don't miss making the easy Campbells recipes, but, for me it was a double whammy, with the milk and Monosodium Glutamate. Just to let you know, MSG crosses the blood brain barrier in children as well as adults, and is not a safe ingredient to ingest. It also can cause migraines...so I'm happy that you don't use it any more. On another note...I've found that the Organic section of the Supermarket has some wonderful soups. Try looking there for the organic condensed or even the BOXed soups. If they call for milk, just use rice milk or soy milk for substitute in the recipe. I've done it before, and it is the closest I can come to the Campbells. Campbells also has the Healthy Request that might work for you. Some of them have different forms of MSG which are like Disodium Guyalate (spelling ?) (There are many names for it, but it all ends up doing the same thing...flavor enhancer and crosses the blood brain barrier and messes with the brain. You can find many articles on the internet regarding this.)I hope this has helped some and not confused too much!! I just am not a fan of Soups/chips/nuggets/etc with MSG in them...LOL

N.,
I feel for you..I have a son with a soy allergy (and can't have msg), and a son with a milk allergy. needless to say, our meal choices have become very limited. My first suggestion is to check out hemp milk. it just came out on the market, it is healthier than soy milk (especially for your boy...soy in large quantities causes elevated estrogen levels), and i find that it cooks better than soy. As far as cream soup substitute, i found a recipe a while back on a food allergy site. it calles for milk, but you could substitute soy or hemp milk:
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (i haven't been able to find this, you may be able to experiment with chicken boullion-i can't bacuase of msg, i just leave this out and kick up the salt and other spices)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp parsley
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 c flour

boil broth, seasonings and 1/2 c of the milk for a minute, mix together the flour and remaining milk. add to boiling mixture and whisk briskly until very thick. you can freeze this in 1/2 c portions, which equal a can of soup.

otherwise, some of the "natural" companies make soup, most are not condensed, but in a pinch they work, and i remember finding one that was dairy free, go to a healthy grocery store like sprouts, sunflower market, trader joes, etc and search labels in their soup aisle.

hope that helps a little!

p.s.- i notice people mention rice milk a lot. fine when your kids are older, but for nutrition for a growing body, rice milk is worthless...compare the label on rice milk to hemp milk or soy milk...

N.,

You don't have to avoid things anymore for your kids! Visit www.naet.com for a way to naturally and non-invasively ELIMINATE their allergies! My son was allergic to so much too, and it just makes life hectic in ways that it shouldn't be. You should enjoy what you want. If you do NAET while pregnant, it is supposed to help your baby not have the allergies, so it is a 2 for 1 bonus!

Good luck, and feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more about who I went to and the cost, etc.

L.

my daughter in law is vegeterian. she cooks a lot with tofu and other soy products. thanksfully she is old enough to cook her own food but i feel awkward when she comes over and cooks her own food. i have seen her make gravy before and this might help. she puts small chunks of tofu in the blender with canned vegetable broth, she adds spices and blends it and then strins it and keeps it in the freezer . when she makes her gravy she just brings it to a boil and adds cornstarch. i have never tasted ti but she seems to enjoy it. our family tradition at christmas is to make tamales a few days before but since she doesnt eat meat i make her a special batch. i use broccolli slae, bean sprouts, shredded carrots and zuchinni and tofu instead of meat. i make the chili sauce just like i regularly do but dont use any beef broth. the masa is vegetable based anyway so i use the same dough. they are pretty good although i dont like the consistency of the tofu so i pick it out.

I don't have any recipe help with the cream of soups- my son has multiple allergies- milk, soy, corn, legumes, and citrus-- so I never tried to find a substitute for that.. Although I use rice-milk for all other milk substitutes and its great.

You wont want to hear this- but I have read that while pregnant if you avoid those allergens you will decrease the chance of your next baby having one. Easier said than done- I know.

Check our kidswithfoodallergies.com-- they have an entire data base of recipes.

I recently learned that when a pregnant woman is undernourished it increases the chances of having a baby with food allergies. "Undernourished" doesn't mean you are not eating enough. It means that your body is not getting proper nutrition. Hence, it is very important to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily. Wish I heard that before, I have a daughter with food allergies. If you want more details, feel free to email me.

The Freezer Cooking Manuel from 30 Day Gourmet uses flavored white sauce much like what you are doing. Just add some broccoli to what you have or mushrooms, etc. A basic white sauce is butter (oil in our case), flour and milk (unsweetened soy milk or rice milk give great results). And from a freezer cookbook, making a big batch (after you have tested that you like it) and freezing seems like it would afford that convenience for you. I have been meaning to try it, but so far just separate the noodles, meat, etc. for my allergic children and bake it up for them with a bit of UNSWEETENED soy milk and then bake the reg. recipe with cream soup in another dish for the rest of the family. I hope your kids will outgrow their allergy as my older kids have.

Soy milk goes really well with broccoli, asparagus, etc. to make creamed soups. I have a great recipe for pumpkin pie with soy milk. Ilaria also has a milk protein allergy. We've been making this pie for 5 yrs now. Even the extended family claim it's the best they've ever had.

vegweb.com has tons of recipes for dairy free food as it's a vegan website. You can always add in your favorite meat if you feel the need. The soy milk pumpkin pie article appeared in Sunset Magazine years ago:

Soy Milk Pumpkin Pie
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour and 10 minutes, plus at least 2 hours to cool
(for 1 pie)
¾ cup sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 ¼ cups soy milk (10 oz.)
2 large eggs
(for 2 pies)
1 ½ cups sugar
3 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (29 oz.) cooked pumpkin
2 ¼ cups soy milk (add ¼ cup more if too thick)
4 large eggs
Pastry for a single-crust 9-inch pie, purchased (thawed if frozen) or homemade
1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add pumpkin, soy milk, and eggs; whisk until well blended. Pour mixture into unbaked pastry in pan.
2. Set pie on bottom rack of a 425° regular or convection oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°; continue baking until center of pie is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer.
3. Set pie on a rack until cool, at least 2 hours. After serving, chill pie airtight.
Per serving: 247 cal., 32% (78 cal.) from fat; 3.6 g protein; 8.7 g fat (3.3 g sat.); 38 g carbo (1 g fiber); 277 mg sodium; 58 mg chol.

MORE SOY SUCCESSES

The slightly sweet, nutty flavor of soy milk is particularly well suited to recipes based on plant foods. To substitute soy milk for regular, just reduce the amount of milk called for in your recipe by about 20 percent. Here are just a few dishes in which we've substituted soy milk for dairy with delicious results:

Quiche. Soy behaves well in pies, sweet or savory. It tastes great in a vegetable-laden quiche.

Cream of mushroom soup. Soy's flavor is a distinctive backdrop for earthy mushrooms. Make sure you don't boil the soup once the milk is added.

Muffins. Soy adds complexity to fruit-studded muffins. We especially like it in blueberry ones.

http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/hotsoups/r/creamcele...

vegweb.com (this one has kids meal ideas...mac and cheese, pizza!!)

I would try vegan recipes/website, you can add meat but it will keep you away from milk.

Good luck!!