Allergy-free baking with 'Babycakes'....

As a sad member of the 'gluten-free' subset of the population (which seems to be growing at an alarming rate), and someone who does better without dairy too (sob), I had resigned myself to a life scarcely populated with the baked deliciousness' that we all know and love for being bad for the waistline, but damn good for the soul!......until my gorgeous friend Lizzie from Jackson Hole, had me over for brunch and introduced me to a plate overloaded with muffins which looked and smelt so good they would rival any bakery. On hearing that they were gluten free, sugar free AND vegan (aka dairy free and egg free), I tucked in with a gusto reserved only for Christmas dinner, and I've never looked back.

The secret to Lizzie's success is partly her unfair advantage as an amazing baker, but it can also be traced back to 'babycakes', a book filled with vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free recipes from it's namesake's bakery in NYC, owned and authored by Erin McKenna. The book itself is beautiful, inspiring even the most hesitant in the kitchen to get involved (yes, ummm, that would be me...), and I can firmly say that the products really are testament to the glossy photos.

So - whether your particular physiology dictates that you must look to the 'alternative' aisle for your carbohydrate fix, or you are keen to decrease the otherwise-overwhelming levels of gluten and sugar found in the average Westerner's diet, look no further, this book should be on your shelf. And for the parents out there, I just made a batch of her 'Pumpkin-spice Muffins' yesterday and they are nearly all gone....thanks mainly to individuals under the age of 3!

(And as a post-script that I can't resist adding ... even for those of you who are quite happy with your traditional baked goods, know that alleviating the load of sugar and gluten inflicted on developing and young digetive systems is a really positive step for everyone. There are many theories on why gluten-intolerance is increasing in our society, and while there are no clear-cut answers yet, there is no harm in reducing its role in our diets. And sugar....well don't get me started!)