Allergy Mom - learning to live with it

Hey Mommy, what's that?

It's chicken soup, very yummy, you want some?

No, soup makes me sick. But maybe we can put some chocwit in it and I can eat it all. That will be tewwiffic!

Recently, our little girl has discovered the wonders of chocolate. She's been asking me (in not so subtle ways) to incorporate more of it into her diet. And although her suggestion to add chocolate to chicken soup was quite admirable, I wasn't entirely sure that such a concoction would be well received by the rest of us. So last night I tried to come up with a recipe that would please everyone. However, as opposed to making chocolate chicken soup I opted for chocolate loaf instead. Look at all the marbling of chocolate in there. It's like a chocolate cake on steroids. ENJOY!

Dairy, Egg, & Nut Free Chocolate Loaf
Yields two 8 inch loaf pans

1/2 cup dairy free margarine
1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
3/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup soy milk plus 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, combined
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 inch loaf pans with dairy free cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, place dairy free margarine and chocolate chips, and heat in microwave at 20 second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and sift in cocoa powder. Stir until it's well incorporated. Combine instant coffee granules with water and add to the chocolate mixture. Add sugars, applesauce, soy milk mixture and vanilla. Stir on medium speed until smooth.

In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for ten minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Then repeat the following (and this is a really important step; the recipe will not work otherwise): Lord, please grant me the discipline and will power to avoid cutting the loaf right now so it doesn't crumble. Wait ten minutes, then cut into the loaf anyway. Get completely swarmed by family members demanding a piece of the loaf that is still piping hot. Quickly grab the camera so you can take pictures before the loaf disappears. Watch it crumble as you slice into it. Watch as the darn thing is being inhaled by the masses. Look for any sign of crumbs. Fail to find any. Amen!

Note: We tend to like the addition of spices to chocolate in this household. I often add cinnamon or cloves, but you can add any spice you like.

Nutritional Info (per 2 ounce slice)
Calories 184.41, Total Fat 5.43g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 189.25mg, Potassium 51.02mg, Total Carbohydrates 33.07g, Fiber 0.73g, Sugar 20.98g, Protein 1.66g

Nutrition analysis is approximate and will vary depending on exact ingredients used. Calculations are based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutritional Facts are obtained from Radium Technologies' Living Cookbook. However, Allergymom.ca has no affiliation with Radium Technologies and does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.