Cooking for an allergic kid puts you both at odds with and filled with joyful thankfulness for the processed food industry. The grumpy times come when food, which should be simple, has a bunch of allergenic crap added in, like milk in McDonald’s French Fries, milk in soy yogurt, milk and egg in flour, or the ever popular legal disclaimer “may contain traces of X, Y and Z.”
The moments of jubilation come when corporate costs make chemical flavorings cheaper than the real thing. (How many of you have cried with joy when reading a label….I have…weepy mom in the freezer section looking at Tyson chicken nuggets, or weepy mom in refrigerated section reading Pillsbury Crescent Rolls…that was me.) I try not to think about what makes Club Crackers so buttery, or why our local Meijer buttermilk biscuits have no butter or milk in them.
But Rich’s Whip really has to take the prize. I have tried many dairy-free whipped cream options: whipping up tofu with soymilk and vanilla, putting Silk creamer in a frother, the uber-expensive Soyatoo (that always sputters out of propellant on the 3rd use or gets scary mold growing in the nozzle if you don’t wash after using), but nothing is cooler than Rich’s Whip.
Okay, so the ingredients are downright scary, but so are the ingredients in Twinkies, Cool Whip and Cheez Whiz and I think I survived those childhood indiscretions. It’s cheap for a big can ( about $3 at our local restaurant service store, Gordon Foods), stores frozen until you want it, and whips up exactly like Cool Whip. Special bonus, is that it works with my iSi cream whipper too!
Sheila, thank you, apology accepted. I appreciate your passion, but this is not a blog about natural living or whole foods, it never will be. There are plenty out there that are. This is a blog specifically for those faced with feeding children with multiple food allergies, in particular dairy/egg/nut.
In food allergy, to be distinguished from food intolerance, children will die if they eat even the smallest amount of these foods, trust me, I’ve had to save the lives of my own children multiple times after accidental ingestion. Given this situation, foods are extremely limited and trade-offs must be made. You have no idea what I would give for my children to enjoy a spoon full of organic whipped cream, I pray daily that God will heal my kids.
Until then, out of necessity, I will do my best making nearly everything from scratch. But I will delight in the joys of finding Rich’s Whip, so my kids can have that wonderful kid experience of eating a sundae with whipped cream and a cherry. Chicken nuggets will happen. Given all that allergy moms face: the medical emergencies, the heartbreak at another allergist’s visit without healing, the late nights up making bread or cookies so that there will be something for the lunchbox come morning, on and on… I have very little tolerance for judgement in all that we’re trying to do, keeping our kids alive and happy one meal at a time.
Meg, you said this so clearly — I agree 100%! Allergy parents would do anything to be able to grab any ingredient and make something for their child with say, an egg or glass of milk. Most of us deal with this by doing a lot of healthy foods (whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc.) that are safe for our child mixed in with any “cheat” that makes our kid feel less left out. I am embarrassed to admit how happy I was when I found out my dairy allergic child could eat OREOS!
Thank you!
I think you may have seen me at Meijer jumping up and down and saying, “we can eat these!” after reading something like the digestive biscuit label. Last time I checked, BK french toast sticks were egg and milk free…weird…and good for the junk food breakfast emergency.
Thanks for posting this (so long ago!). Hoping your kids have outgrown their allergies or are enjoying the wider selection of dairy free food available now. This recipe was easy to add to our full Thanksgiving cooking schedule.