Coconut cream is also surprisingly easy to locate; you’ll find it in the Asian foods section of most grocery stores under the guise of canned coconut milk. Coconut cream is simply the rich part of full-fat coconut milk. As the coconut milk rests, the cream rises to the top to form a very thick layer that can be scooped out like soft ice cream.

In fact, the sign of a good canned coconut milk is one that separates into a watery base with up to three-quarters of a cup of “stand a fork in it” cream on top. In warmer months, chill the coconut milk in the refrigerator for a few hours to assist in the separation.

Watermelon and strawberry have evolved to be one of my favorite fruit combinations. Plus, the riper the fruit, the sweeter the pops, so this cool recipe is ideal to enjoy in the heat of summer.

Feel free to reduce the honey in the watermelon and strawberry blend if your fruit is particularly ripe, but be aware that the finished pops will taste a little less sweet once frozen. –Alisa Fleming

Free of: dairy, nuts and gluten, plus the other top allergens.

Makes 4 to 6 Pops

Ingredients

Fruit Layers

• 1⁄4 lb (113 g) seedless watermelon flesh (about 1 ⁄ 2 cup of purée)
• 1⁄2 cup (120 mL or 2.5 oz) fresh or frozen ripe strawberries, halved
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
• 1⁄4 tsp (1.25 mL) fresh squeezed lime juice

Vanilla Cream

• 1⁄2 cup coconut cream* [see “Advice on Substituting Cream”] or full fat canned coconut* milk
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
• 1⁄4 tsp (1.25 mL) vanilla extract

Method

1. Combine the watermelon, strawberries, 1 tbsp of honey and the lime juice in a blender. Purée until smooth. Pour into a glass measuring cup, and quickly rinse the blender jar.
2. Combine the coconut cream or coconut milk, remaining 1 tbsp of honey and the vanilla in the blender. Purée until smooth.
3. Pour the fruit blend into 4 to 6 pop molds until they are roughly ⅓ full. Freeze the pops for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the pops from the freezer, and divide the vanilla cream among the pops to make the second layer. Freeze the pops for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the pops from the freezer, and pour the remaining fruit blend over the pops to make the third layer. Place the popsicle sticks into the pops, and freeze the pops for 1 to 2 hours, or until completely frozen.

Recipe Variations

• Quick Blended Cream Pops: For a super fast two-step recipe, skip the layers and simply blend all of the ingredients together. Fill the pop molds and chill in the freezer for 2 hours or until solid.

• Strawberry Cream Variation: For fruitier pops, blend two ripe strawberries into the vanilla cream before pouring it into the molds.

*A Note on Coconut
Coconut is technically a fruit. While most allergists do not consider it a tree nut, if you are nut allergic, ask your doctor if coconut is safe for you.

Alisa Fleming is Allergic Living’s Senior Editor and the author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance and Casein Free Living. She is also founder and chief editor of the popular Godairyfree.org website. Recipe was first published in Allergic Living magazine.

Dr. Hemant Sharma: This is a great question, and one that many parents of children with cow’s milk allergy have as they search for a suitable substitute for cow’s milk. Unfortunately, because goat’s milk protein is similar in structure to cow’s milk protein, more than 90 percent of  the time, the immune system will mistake the two and cause a reaction to goat’s milk or goat’s cheese in someone with a cow’s milk allergy. So goat’s milk is not a safe alternative to cow’s milk, and for the same reason, neither are sheep’s milk nor buffalo’s milk.

You can discuss with your child’s allergist what might be an acceptable cow’s milk substitute. An option for an infant would be an extensively hydrolyzed, cow’s milk-based formula, in which the cow’s milk protein is extensively broken down, making it less recognizable by the immune system and less likely to cause a reaction. Since these formulas are also good sources of nutrients, many allergists will recommend children on restricted diets remain on them beyond the age of one year.

Once ready to wean from a formula, options at that point might include soy milk or rice milk, assuming your child does not also have allergies to those foods. To be sure that all nutritional requirements are being met, it definitely is a good idea to discuss your options with your child’s allergist or a dietitian.

Dr. Sharma is an allergist, clinical researcher and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. He is Associate Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. and Director of the Food Allergy Program. He is also the site director for the National Institutes of Health Allergy and Immunology fellowship program. He writes “The Food Allergy Experts” column in the American Edition of Allergic Living magazine. Questions submitted below will be considered for answer in the 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

A It’s common for parents to be concerned about a child’s nutrition with an allergy to cow’s milk, since it’s a source of calcium, vitamin D and fat. These are important nutrients for growth and development, and to keep bones strong. However, many children thrive without consuming cow’s milk.

If you are breastfeeding your 18-month-old, you may continue to do so. In some cases, mothers who consume milk can pass allergenic proteins through their breast milk. If this is suspected, you may need to avoid milk products. In other cases, cow’s milk proteins are not passed through. Always consult your doctor or a dietitian before altering your diet while breastfeeding. Removing milk from your diet won’t be recommended unless absolutely necessary.

If you are not breastfeeding your daughter, she should drink soy formula until the age of 2. Soy formula is a complete source of nutrition and will provide enough calcium, fat and protein. Your doctor or dietitian can advise you on how much formula to give based on your child’s age, height and weight.

Some children don’t tolerate soy formula and require a hypoallergenic formula that contains extensively hydrolyzed proteins. Since the proteins are broken down, the body no longer recognizes them as allergenic. This formula should only be used on the advice of a doctor or dietitian.

While soy formula is a good alternative at your daughter’s age, soy, rice and other dairy-free beverages should not be used in place of an infant formula as a main source of liquid nutrition. These beverages do not contain the amount of protein, fat or iron needed and may lead to poor weight gain and brain development.
Young children who cannot eat or drink cow’s milk products must continue on soy formula or extensively hydrolyzed formula until age 2. (Children without milk allergy are able to drink homogenized milk starting at the age of 1.) Goat’s milk is also not a suitable alternative for a child allergic to cow’s milk, as those with this allergy may also react to goat’s milk.

By 2, your daughter can be reassessed to determine if she is ready to transition to a fortified soy beverage with vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin, calcium, zinc and others. Children allergic to cow’s milk should eat non-dairy, calcium-rich foods as well as foods with lots of vitamin D. With the right modifications to her diet, your daughter will receive all the nutrients she needs

Non-dairy foods for an 18-month-old

Rich in Calcium
• Broccoli
• Bok choy
• Tahini
• White beans
• Calcium-fortified orange juice

Rich in Vitamin D
• Egg yolks
• Fish
• Liver
• Fortified margarines
• Soy beverages

See question and answer on substituting eggs.

Alisa Bar-Dayan, RD, is the Marketing Dietitian at the Specialty Food Shop in Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, www.specialtyfoodshop.com. First published in Allergic Living magazine, Winter 2008. To order that issue or to subscribe, click here.

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