We’ve all been cooking more at home during these challenging times, which is fantastic! However, it can be challenging to cook for someone with a nut allergy. In addition to always having your EpiPen auto-injector available at all times, you can manage a nut allergy by swapping out nuts for nut-friendly allergy ingredients in common family recipes. Let me show you how!
Recipe 1: Seedy Granola Bars – It can be hard to find a great granola bar without nuts – let me show you how to make your own!
Recipe 2: Sunflower Seed Pesto Sauce – pesto is typically made with pine nuts, but sunflower seeds can be swapped in for this recipe!
Recipe 3: PeaNOT Butter Cups – we’re swapping in soy butter instead of peanut butter
Seedy Granola Bars
Ingredients
- • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds or chia seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, raw
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/4 cup water, as needed
• Unsweetened or dark chocolate for drizzling (optional)
Directions
- Line a square 9″ glass dish with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, process the dates a few seconds to chop them up.
- Add all the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate and water. Process until you get a crumbly mixture. Add the water and continue to process until the mixture sticks together when pressed. It may form a ball in the food processor.
- Transfer to the prepared glass dish. Press evenly to the bottom of the dish.
- Drizzle with melted unsweetened or dark chocolate.
- Place in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate hardens. Cut into 8 bars. Enjoy!
Sunflower Seed Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- • 4 cups fresh basil leaves (coarsely chopped)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds (raw, hulled)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated) OR vegan parm
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
Directions
- Place basil, sunflower seeds, olive oil, Parmesan, butter, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process to a purée, frequently scraping down the sides.
- Transfer pesto to a small bowl with a lid. Press a sheet of plastic wrap to the surface of the pesto, then seal with the lid until ready to use.
- Let the pesto come to room temperature before tossing with pasta.
PeaNOT Butter Cups
Ingredients
- • 1 package of allergy friendly chocolate chips
• 1 cup of WOW butter or your favourite peanut butter alternative
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1.5 tbsp dairy-free margarine
Directions
- Blend Wow butter (or alternative), icing sugar, margarine (or coconut oil), and sea salt until smooth and creamy.
- The easiest way to melt the chocolate is in the microwave for about a minute or two. You can also use a double boiler method if you prefer. Stir to ensure the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
- Line mini-muffin tins for small cups or regular muffin tins for large. Spoon or pipe melted chocolate to fill the bottom fourth of the muffin cups.
- Top with a dollop of the creamy pea-NOT butter mixture on top. It’s up to you how much you would like but I like a lot so I put a good size dollop (approx. 2/4ths).
- Top this with more melted chocolate to fill the cup.
- Put them in the fridge to set. Once set, store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze.