Allergy Challenged Baking

School has started and with it comes the challenge of packing a healthy lunch that won't kill my children's classmates. We received a flurry of notes about severe allergies in the classroom with nuts and peanut butter being the main offenders. However, we've also received notes about fish, kiwi, dairy and egg.

This recipe is for Quellia. I use this recipe as a base for cupcakes or any other treats that I send to school. I've adapted it to make a banana cake after I realized I was inundated with over ripe bananas and there were no eggs in the house. In the adaptation, I would reduce the banana a bit and add oil to maintain a moister texture. But, the chemistry works, it's a healthy snack and no one gets hurt.

Chocolate World Cocoa Cake

3 cups unsifted all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Beat 3 minutes and medium speed until thoroughly blended. Pour batter into a grease and floured 9x13x2 inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes or until baked.

Cool. Frost as desired.

Banana Cake

3 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 cups mashed bananas
1 cup raisins
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp rum flavouring

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add bananas and flavouring. Beat 3 minutes and medium speed until thoroughly blended. Pour batter into a grease and floured 9x13x2 inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes or until baked.

Deer Lips

Not moose lips, but we couldn't resist.

Roasted Eggplant Soup

Eggplant is a favourite vegetable of mine but it's not easy to cook. Sometimes it can be bitter and if the skin is left intact - well, it can remind you of moose lips. Epicurious has a fabulous recipe for a roasted eggplant soup. It was flavourful, smooth and deep. The addition of Landini brand white truffle oil elevated the soup to new heights. (No, no one pays me to say that but they are welcome to send some!)

Roasted Eggplant Soup

3 medium roma tomatoes, halved
1 large eggplant or two small ones (about 1 1/2 pounds - 650 gr), halved lengthwise
1 small onion, halved
6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 30 mL
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, 15 mL or 1 teaspoon dried, 5 mL
4 cups (or more) chicken stock, 1 L
1 cup heavy cream, 250 mL

Salt and pepper to taste
Truffle oil for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put all the vegetables in a plastic bag and pour in the olive oil. Squish it around so everything is coated then put all the vegetables on a large baking sheet. There should be no vegetables overlapping each other.

Roast until the vegetables are tender and brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Check the vegetables about every 15 minutes to turn them or remove if they are too cooked. There will be a lovely roasted smell from the tomatoes, eggplant and garlic when they are ready.

Remove from oven. Scoop eggplant from skin into heavy large saucepan; discard skin. Squeeze the garlic out of it's peel. Remove the the skins from the tomatoes and discard. If the onion has burned a bit, cut off or remove the burnt layers. Burnt onion or garlic will give a bitter taste to your soup.

Add the roasted vegetables and thyme to same saucepan. Add 4 cups chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the onion is very tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. Stir in cream. Bring to simmer, thinning with more stock if desired. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with a dash of truffle oil and sprig of fresh thyme.

Serves 4.

The epicurious version of Roasted Eggplant Soup can be found here.