Ingredients

• 1 boneless lamb loin (ask your butcher to tie)
• 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and grated
• 1 small onion, peeled and grated
• 1 egg or egg replacer
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 jar good quality relish or chutney (See Red Currant Relish in Winter 2012 edition of Allergic Living magazine)

Method

1. Rub lamb loin with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Sear lamb for 4-6 minutes, turning often, until cooked medium rare. Remove lamb to plate to rest.
3. For the fritters: in a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, egg or replacer, salt and pepper.
4. Using the same pan (don’t want to lose the lamb flavor!), heat vegetable oil over medium heat.
5. Place 2 tbsp mounds of fritter mixture into pan. Flatten into disks, using the back of a spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
6. Place cooked fritters on paper towel. Gently pat off excess oil. Make rest of the fritters.
7. Remove string from lamb loin. With a sharp knife, slice lamb into ¼-inch thick slices.
8. Place two slices onto each fritter, and top with a dollop of your favorite relish or chutney.

Reprinted from the Winter 2012 edition of Allergic Living magazine.

There is no need to forego favorite family recipes, even if following a free-from diet. With the right ingredient substitutions, those beloved holiday desserts will make the transition flawlessly. The most important thing to consider when making substitutions is the purpose of the original ingredient.

Take buttermilk for example. It adds a slight tang and subtle richness to recipes; the acid in buttermilk tenderizes the gluten in batter to produce baked goods with a softer texture; and the acid reacts with baking soda to help quick breads and cakes rise. Fortunately, all of these needs can be met with a quick, homemade substitute.

Dairy-Free Buttermilk Alternative

Yields 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
• plain or unsweetened soy milk, or rice milk, or hemp milk alternative

Method

• Place the vinegar or lemon juice in a glass measuring cup and add enough milk alternative to reach 1 cup. Stir, and allow to stand and thicken for about 5 minutes.

Note: Milk alternative does not curdle the way dairy milk does.

Sour cream has similar properties to buttermilk, but its thickness also adds structure to recipes. You can substitute a store-bought sour cream alternative, but making your own is easy and economical.

Silken ‘Sour Cream’

Yields 1-1⅓ cups

Ingredients

• 1 12.3 oz (349 g) package firm silken tofu
• 1 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp agave nectar or sugar
• ½ tsp salt

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until the mixture is creamy.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Next: Replacing Egg White

Baking at Its Best

With a team of 20 testers to assist, Pascal mixed, baked, tweaked and rebaked. Everything had to live up to her standards. The result is a truly superb recipe collection and must-have for those with – or without – diet restrictions. Celestial Arts, $29.95. See Allergic Living‘s interview with Cybele Pascal. – Gwen Smith

Enjoy Life’s Cookies For Everyone!

Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso; Fair Winds Press; $21.95

Warning: Do not peruse while hungry; you may try to eat the scrumptious pages. This book is a great idea: the manufacturer known for its snacks, bars and breakfasts without top allergens (including gluten) teamed up with Leslie Hammond, a culinary expert with an allergy-friendly focus, and a collection of 150 awesome safe cookie recipes was born.

Young children will be over the moon for: Gimme S’more Bites, the Fantastic Fairy Cookies and Caramel-icious Apple Cookies. And for your own safety, don’t stand between allergic women and the Especially Expresso Brownies and Ludicrously Lemon Bars. – Gwen Smith

Go Dairy Free

Alisa Marie Fleming; Fleming Ink; $19.95

Author Alisa Marie Fleming calls this a “guide and cookbook,” and what particularly impresses is the depth of the former. This is no quick gloss-over: it’s a comprehensive, must-have resource for those avoiding dairy. The author, who’s well-known for her website Godairyfree.org, walks the reader through the dairy allergy basics and offers extensive lists of both hidden dairy sources and ingredients that will inspire.

There are thorough sections on dairy substitutes (homemade margarine, anyone?) and creative recipes, from soups to salads to curries and Make Your Own Pizza (without cheese.) Baking without dairy is usually a challenge, but Fleming rises to the task with the likes of Coconut Fudge Brownies, Orange Chocolate Chunk Cup- cakes, and Pumpkin “Cheesecake”. – Gwen Smith