Sophie-Safe Cooking: A Collection of Family Friendly Recipes that are Free of Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish [Paperback]

Emily Hendrix (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the best food allergy cookbooks I have ever read. The recipes are creative, easy to make, and most importantly safe. My staff and I have tried them and can attest that they taste wonderful! A must have for mothers of food allergic children. -- Dr. Mark Ebadi, allergist

One of the best food allergy cookbooks I have ever read. The recipes are creative, easy to make, and most importantly safe. My staff and I have tried them and can attest that they taste wonderful! A must have for mothers of food allergic children. -- Dr. Mark Ebadi, allergist

From the Author

After Sophia was diagnosed with food allergies, I began to cook allergy-free for our family. I bought several cookbooks, and read several others, and could not find anything that met my needs. I began creating my own recipes, and people (without allergies!) started asking me for my recipes. My husband said, "You should write a cookbook!" and so I did.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: LULU (December 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1430304480
• ISBN-13: 978-1430304487
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Allergies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, delicious family favorites, March 9, 2007

By 

Alisa Marie Fleming "GoDairyFree.org" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sophie-Safe Cooking: A Collection of Family Friendly Recipes that are Free of Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish (Paperback)

The whimsical illustration on the cover of Sophie-Safe Cooking is the perfect representation of its contents. Simple, down-home recipes, created from a mother's love. There is just one thing missing...okay, there are eight things missing...milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Emily Hendrix authored this delightful collection from the tasty meals and treats she created for her food allergic child, Sophie.

So what's left? Admittedly, I am guessing that Emily's pantry is sparse, with large bags containing a handful of ingredients. Yet, what is in it gets some seriously creative mileage. I like that Emily uses only easy to find, everyday ingredients. Though natural foods and spices are her focus, trips to an expensive specialty grocer (i.e. Whole Foods) are completely unnecessary when following her recipes. Apple cider vinegar is about as exotic as it gets.

Sophie-Safe Cooking houses over 100 recipes very neatly laid out, one per page. Most of the recipes contain less than ten ingredients (always a top feature for me) and for the most part the directions are just a few straightforward sentences. Emily adds in helpful, but brief, notes with several of the recipes. Most of the recipes are Sophie-Safe versions of familiar family favorites, such as Granny's Meatloaf, Shepherd's Pie, and Chocolate Cupcakes (frosted of course!). While a few unique concepts caught my eye, like the Whipped Pinto Beans, Zucchini Brownies, and Taco Vinaigrette. My one and only complaint: the size is handy (6 x 9"), but it is difficult to reference while cooking without a stand to hold the book open.

It should be noted that many of the baked goods rely heavily on oat flour. For those who may have gluten concerns with oats, but would like the benefits of Emily's recipes, Gifts of Nature produces certified gluten-free oats. Purchasing oat flour is a convenience, but unnecessary. Just grind up oats in a blender, food processor, or my favorite, the spice grinder until it becomes flour.

Speaking of oats, the first recipe I trialed from Sophie-Safe Cooking was the Oatmeal Muffins. They were delicious, and gone in minutes! I like that most of Emily's baked goods are somewhat hearty, yet wonderfully sweet and tasty for kids and adults alike. At first I was unsure if the serving-size was correct, but I then realized that they are portioned for little ones. My husband and I each downed two muffins slathered with peanut butter (no peanut allergies in our house), without a pang of guilt.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good starter cook book for allergic families, January 1, 2008

By 

P. Zack - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sophie-Safe Cooking: A Collection of Family Friendly Recipes that are Free of Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish (Paperback)

There is nothing earth shattering in this cook book. The recipies are of common foods with the substitutes that are already well known in the food allergy world. But, if you are a parent who just got the news that your child has multiple allergies, this book will be a good place to start. The recipies are easy and "kid" friendly. Plus, they are close enough to the regular recipies you already know how to make, so that the transition will seem less overwhelming. I, however, found the recipies to be unenlightening, and nothing that I hadn't figured out by poking around on the internet. The HUGE issue with this book, however, is that nearly every recipie relies heavily on oat flour or oats as a substitute. This is fine if you have a child who is not oat allergic, or a true celiac. The current recommendation for celiac children is that they ALSO avoid oats. And, in fact, recent studies have reinforced that many, if not all, commercial oat products contain unsafe levels of gluten. Unfortunately, cooking without oat flour (which substitutes nicely for wheat in almost all recipies) is much much harder. You can't just replace the oat with rice or some other flour.

So, the bottom line for me is that this is a good starting point for food allergic families who do NOT have oat issues. But, for true celiac children, or for oat allergic, this book is more or less useless.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, May 10, 2007

By 

Arleen Sherwood - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sophie-Safe Cooking: A Collection of Family Friendly Recipes that are Free of Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish (Paperback)

This cookbook is just wonderful. My 5 yr old son is allergic to all 8 top allergens. This is the only cookbook that I've come across that addresses all 8 and the recipes are unbelievably delicious. I found this just before my son's birthday and I made the Chocolate Cupcakes and used the Frosting recipes to decorate them with. I'm so glad that he can finally bring cupcakes and not just ice pops for his class party! I think the class liked them as they were gone rather quickly. The cupcakes are so moist and yummy. The Apple muffins are really good, too - a favorite of my 2 1/2 year-old (also with FAs). I look forward to trying more recipes from the book. I highly recommend this cookbook to families struggling with multiple food allergies. Thank you!