Soy and Lactose Free Cookies for Santa
By Robert Latkany, MDDecember 15, 2009
In our house, Santa is lactose intolerant, and one of his constituents is allergic to soy. Soy is a stealth ingredient in most types of chocolate (in the form of soy lecithin, an emulsifier). Yet making cookies for Santa that are dairy free and contain no chocolate is not boring; a soy free, dairy free, chocolate cookie is not hard to make, and it is tasty as well.
My son is the one with the weird allergies; he seems to react to minute quantities of soy and food coloring. He is not alone. Berni Canani et al reported that greater than 90% of food allergies in children are caused by eight foods: cow's milk, hen's egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish and shellfish. For those of you who are allergic to or know somebody who is allergic to soy know that soy lecithin is found in just about everything. Soy lecithin is used as an emulsifier in foods, topical skin care products and even medicines. Beliveau et al reported a severe allergic reaction in a 3 year old boy after exposure to a medicine containing soy lecithin.
Soy proteins (the actual source of a soy allergy) are often found in soy lecithin samples, margarines, and soy oil according to Porras et al. To complicate matters for the ingredient observant shoppers, only 17% of 20,241 products reviewed contained advisory labels avccording to Pieretti et al. They point out that better allergen labeling regulation could improve the safety of those people with food allergies. Until proper clear labeling takes effect, play it safe and avoid products with a lengthy ingredient list, most of which is unecessary and unhealthy, not to mention hard to pronouce.
When in doubt, prepare it at home.
Soy-Free, Dairy-Free Cookies for Santa
Recipe:
2 cups of white all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix all the dry ingredients
3. Add the eggs/oil/vanilla and mix together.
3. Place a tablespoonful of the mixture on an ungreased cookie sheet
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees and then place on rack to cool
(2 dozen cookies)
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