Egg Free, Milk Free, Peanut Free Waffle Victory!

When Carson was diagnosed with food allergies last week I immediately started scouring the internet for waffle recipes. This boy loves waffles and was none too pleased when he didn't find his morning waffle waiting for him the next morning. The egg free waffles that I made over the week end were not fit for a dog and we obviously couldn't feed him his normal waffles. I mean they don't call them EGGO waffles for nothing! I was stumped. I just kept searching and then.....Victory! I came across this wonderful lady's site, Food Allergy Mama. She specializes in baked goods for kids with food allergies. And she lives in a suburb outside of Chicago which is where I grew up so I knew she was "good people." And what's more she has this amazing recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles. I made them on Tuesday night  and I ate one and the first thing I thought was, these are too rich to give to Carson. Yes, they were that good! The trouble with using Chocolate chips is that #1 they usually have milk in them and #2 they are usually made in a place that produces peanut products. I found these wonderful chocolate chips made by Enjoy Life! at Sprouts that are free from all 8 common food allergens AND are produced in a dedicated plant that is peanut free. And the bonus is that they taste like the real thing! No lie. My greatest triumph this week was when Jared sent me the following text the next morning, "All I can say is Carson devoured that waffle! He loved it! Good job Mommy!" I cried little happy tears at my desk. I had solved the waffle challenge. Side note: I substituted the soy milk in the recipe for Almond milk which he loves and is drinking straight from the glass (never did that before with Cow's milk!). He also loves the substitute cheese that we are putting on his quesadillas. It is rice based and made by Daiya. It is shredded and melts like the real thing. I am discovering that with a little research on the internet,a  little creativity, and a little help from Sprouts (love that place!)  eating well with food allergies is definitely doable.