Anyone who has witnessed or experienced the reaction to peanuts of someone with a peanut allergy knows how frightening it can be. It is, in fact, life threatening. One of the things that makes peanut allergies so frightening is that the person allergic to peanuts does not need to actually consume the peanuts in order to get a reaction, often just touching a peanut product of being in close proximity to someone else eating peanuts is enough to send someone into anaphylactic shock.
For this reason and the fact that peanut allergies are on the rise (an estimated three million Americans suffer from peanut allergies and the number doubled in a five-year period from 1997–2002) there is talk of banning peanut products from schools. In fact many schools have already done so.
Even if your child does not suffer from peanut allergies, you may need to find a substitute for the iconic school lunch-box staple, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Finding alternatives to peanut butter has, fortunately, become easier. Spreads made from sunflower seeds, such as Sunbutter, are available in regular grocery stores and super stores such as Walmart and Target.
Sunbutter is made with roasted sunflower seeds and is completely peanut and tree-nut free and makes a delicious alternative to the classic PB & J.
In addition to making sandwiches, Sunbutter has many applications. For a fun breakfast treat that is peanut, gluten, and dairy-free, crepes can be made with Sunbutter. Fill them with all fruit spread and you can whip up a healthy, allergy-free breakfast in about ten minutes.
Sunbutter and Jelly Crepes
Ingredients:
Two large eggs
3 tablespoons creamy Sunbutter
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup jelly or all-fruit spread
Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and blend with a handheld mixer until everything is fully incorporated and smooth.
Heat a small nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles immediately when dropped in the pan. Spray pan lightly with gluten-free nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1 tablespoon of the batter into the hot pan and immediately start tilting and rotating the pan to spread the batter evenly. Cook for one to two minutes or until the edges appear dry and the batter looks almost set in the middle. Loosen the edges with a spatula and flip the crepe. Cook for another thirty to forty seconds or until the bottom is browned and the batter is set. Repeat with remaining batter. You can keep the crepes warm in a low oven or microwave them for a few seconds to warm up if not using immediately.
Spread each crepe generously with the jelly and roll up. Serve immediately.
Makes about six crepes.
