Navigating the Egg Free Terrain

As many of you know, Gracie is allergic to eggs. I discovered this after she ate a ton of scrambled eggs. She ate the eggs, then I packed her up, took her to a Relief Society meeting and stuck her in the nursery. It was past her bedtime and when I went to get her, her eyes were red and puffy. I could barely see her eyes. I thought "oh my, she is so tired, her eyes are swollen shut." I was a very new mom still. That entire night I kept wondering what baby would rub their eyes so much that they would swell shut? Wouldn't they stop after awhile? The next morning her eyes were a little bit better, but I called my doctor. A trip to the allergist later, ta da! She is officially allergic to eggs. Since then I have scoured every label to every food product possible. I have attempted to make many egg free things (mostly using a special powder), some have worked, some haven't. Cakes cannot be made without egg. Some cookies turn out okay, most muffins turn out wonderful.

It only took me a year to realize that if I asked for vegan meals or products, it saved me a whole lot of trouble. The idea just hadn't occurred to me. Usually, I just ask workers if their products contain eggs. Please read the following experience

Location: The Pretzel Place

Me: Do your products have eggs?

Employee: (blank stare...long pause)....I don't know

Me: (used to this buy now) Do you have a list of the ingredients?

Employee: I don't know, let me see. (is gone for one second while she dives underneath the counter) No, it looks like we don't, but I would think there are eggs in these. All my breads have eggs in them.

Me: Ok thanks.

I left outraged that there wasn't an ingredient list, let alone that I know that most breads, unless cake breads or pastries do not have eggs. If it was a bread dough, then the pretzels most likely did not have eggs. Anyway...The other day Sean and I wanted waffles really bad, but most waffles, to be good, need eggs. He did an online search and walla! If you search for vegan waffles a number of delicious recipes appear. I felt so happy that I discovered to ask for vegan products. My life is so much easier now, because even if employees don't know if stuff contains eggs, they will know if something is vegan.

And whether or not you are allergic to eggs, you must try this waffle recipe. We eat them about twice a week, and store the extra in the freezer. They make a great and easy treat for Gracie.

Ingredients:
* 1 ripe banana, mashed
* 2 cups water
* 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
* 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* vanilla extract to taste (optional)

Method:
Mix together the mashed banana and water. Add dry ingredients and mix, leaving lumps in the batter. Vegan waffles: Cook on a waffle iron, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pancakes: Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a hot, lightly oiled frying pan. When bubbles rise through the middle of the pancake and break on the top, flip the pancake and cook until browned underneath. (Note: Test the pan before cooking the pancakes by throwing a few drops of water onto it. If the water jumps around and then disappears, the pan is at the correct temperature.)
Serve for breakfast or dessert; add margarine and top with sweet syrups, fruits, or preserves. This vegan waffle recipe takes less than five minutes to prepare, not including cooking time.
You must leave lumps in the batter. Vegan waffle or pancake batter which is too smooth will spread out very thin on the waffle iron or pan, and the result will be a rubbery, tough cake. The batter doesn't freeze well but can be refrigerated for a short time. Waffles can be made in large quantities and frozen for future use; this is a good option if your waffle iron is small! As shown, recipe makes roughly four waffles; the number of pancakes will vary according to size. Recipe can be doubled.