It's a tough job...

...but someone needs to taste-test the CHOCOLATE!!  In the wake of  Valentine's Day leftovers, and an impending baking challenge, I pulled out all the dairy, egg and nut-free chocolate from the pantry and did a little taste test.  Yes, there is safe chocolate out there...you just have to look!

  The chocolate we tried today were Divvies chocolate chips, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, Amanda's Own chocolate chips, No-Nuttin chocolate chunks, a nibble on the Enjoy Life Dark Boom Choco Boom Bar, plus a few Amanda's Own chocolate hearts and the rest of the Divvies Benjamint Crunch bar from Christmas (sorry those last 2 items were devoured before picture time!).  You can buy all these directly from their respective companies, but I ordered them all through peanutfreeplanet.com to get a little free shipping.

1.) Divvies:  I love Divvies, their products are cute and the company has such a positive attitude. I also loved finding them in Disney World! Their chocolate chips are my standby.  I order a 5 pound bag along with some cookies twice a year.  They are full-sized semi-sweet chips and remind me of the intense chocolate in Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.  The price is $30 for 5 pounds, or $6.50 for a 1 pound bag (but why would you go small?) Their chocolate bars are so fun for a sweet treat.  The Benjamint Crunch is a huge hit around here with little crispy shavings of peppermint candy mixed in the bar ($4/ bar).

2.) Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips:  These are mini chocolate chips, but are pretty intense on the chocolate flavor.  They melt a bit too much in chocolate chip cookies or granola bars, but they are great for sprinkling on sundaes or rolling around the edges of ice-cream sandwiches.  They cost $3.49 for 10 ounces and are being stocked more frequently in health food stores.  They also make a chocolate bar called Boom Choco Boom ($1.99 for 1.4oz) that is a treat to snack on or chop into chunks.

3.) Amanda's Own:  These are mini chocolate chips and look exactly like the Enjoy Life chips, but are more sweet/waxy and not as chocolaty as Enjoy Life.  They cost $6.65 for 1 pound. These were not my favorite.  I'll save my money and buy Amanda's Own amazing chocolate creations instead!  Their shaped chocolates are truly their niche, where else can you get a dairy and egg-free chocolate advent calendar!!

4.) No-Nuttin' 70% Dark Chocolate Chunks: Wow!  Intense, bittersweet chocolate chunks.  My girls love dark chocolate, so these were actually their favorite for snacking on and for adding to trail mix.  These run $8.99 for 13 ounces, not the cheapest of the bunch, but a little goes a long way with these guys.

So my final report on the allergy-friendly chocolates: Divvies wins for the "normal" style of chocolate chip, Enjoy Life wins for being the only option I can find easily in a bind at my local health food store, Amanda's Own chips are not something I will buy again but I will keep buying her amazing little shaped chocolates, No-Nuttin' is something I'll use only for special occasions and even then, it will be sparingly due to the strength of the chocolate.

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I Take it Back...

Chocolate Pot de "Creme"

That thing I said about predestined yuck for any recipe mixing in tofu and calling it good...I take it back. As I was glancing through my cookbooks, I ran across this one again from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking....a recipe I'd tried in the past to great success. It was the first recipe, other than smoothies, that I had used tofu for blending.

I only tried it because Heidi's intro promised that the tofu would not be tasted. And guess what, she was right. My success with her recipe is probably why I got sucked into buying the Mori-Nu Mate in the first place, and why I was so terribly baffled at how horrible the Mori-Nu Mate was.

So here it is, I will eat humble pie, and I promise...you won't taste the tofu. The original recipe calls for amaretto flavoring, which sounds kinda nutty to me, so I've switched it out and modified the measurements and technique slightly to make it easier.

The first time I made this, I thought I'd be all Gourmet and steeped some fresh mint in the soymilk...the idea was good, but the result was medicinal and not well-received. If you want to make these into chocolate mint, use peppermint extract instead.

Dairy and Egg Free Pot De "Creme"

1 cup safe chocolate chips ( I used Divvies)
1/2 cup Vanilla or Chocolate soymilk (depending on how intense you want it to be!)
1 12 ounce box of silken tofu, liquid drained
1 t. vanilla extract

1.) In a microwafe-safe bowl, heat the soymilk and chocolate chips slowly, 30 seconds at a time stirring in between zaps, until melted and smooth.
2.) Dump in the tofu and blend well with a wisk or a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
3.) Mix in the vanilla.
4.) Spoon into cups and chill for 1 hour. It will thicken up as it gets cooler.

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Chef Amber, A True Disney Princess

1 week at Disney, All Known Princesses plus various Fairies met and autographed....and my girls are still talking about their favorite person of all....Chef Amber. Thank goodness there was one last page in the Princess Autograph Book for her to sign. Let me back up a bit and say that the trip was absolutely wonderful. Let me also say that despite being a pediatrician and surrounded by wonderful kids all the time...I am also plagued by a touch of cynicism ( I blame that on an overpriced medical education I'm still paying on at an ego-filled University, followed by residency out East in the backwoods filled with the consequences of poor parenting, absent dental hygiene, and an unfortunate trend in parental heroin use.) Disney Magic...bla bla bla bla...how good can they be? The answer..Really, Really, Good....like, still shaking my head in amazement....Good.

I had heard rumors that Disney was pretty good at handling food allergies. I was still a bit (ok, a lot) doubtful, so I ordered up a load of groceries to be delivered to our room, and packed my induction burner to do some cooking. Those back-ups were nice for breakfast, packing a lunch for a busy day, and dinner when we wanted to save a few bucks...but not necessary. We made reservations in advance, indicating Brynn's allergies, for the California Grill, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Brown Derby, Princess Lunch at Akershus, and Rose and Crown. Granted, those are some of the nicer restaurants, but that was the end-of-the-day reward for mom and dad. And honestly, the $12 kid's steak dinner is a steal when hot dogs and fries are $9 (plus the cost of Prevacid for mom).

All of the restaurants had kid's meals with safe options, grilled chicken/steak, safe potato, vege with no butter. All of the restaurants had the chef come to the table to talk options. The visual of The Chef, was a big thing for Brynn. It really put her at ease and she ate all her meals without the constant nervous questioning that usually accompanies her meals...even when I am the cook.

The one restaurant that I was nervous about, ended out being the highlight of our trip. The Rose and Crown is in the UK portion of Epcot, chosen because it was a good spot to watch the fireworks. As we walked in, I could smell the fish and chips, looked at the kids menu with no safe option in sight...and my heart sank...we had made a terrible mistake. And then Chef Amber arrived, took over and spoke directly to Brynn. Steak? No problem, she had half of a steak left over from an allergic kid she'd cooked for earlier that day. Potato...how about french fries in a dedicated, no-fish, fryer? Veges...your choice, peas, carrots, green beans? And how about dessert? Divvies chocolate chip cookie sundae with Rice Dream ice cream and Mickey sprinkles...for two.

Just when we though Brynn's heart would nearly burst with happiness, the staff told the girls that Mickey was stuck in the monorail and needed their help to start his fireworks. Those amazing, creative people, ushered the girls onto the deck with a Mickey Wand, and because they had watched the fireworks hundreds of times, were able to tell the girls where to point that wand to direct the fireworks. There is not a doubt in Brynn and Katie's mind that they truly started and directed the fireworks. Add a Tinkerbell light from Chef Amber and a Tinkerbell pin from the staff...and you get Brynn, floating home saying "My eyes are sparkling and my heart is so full of joy...this is my most magical day ever." I have to agree.

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