Don’t freak out, I’m not going vegan. I believe in eating MEAT! I made this up for my daughter and myself (and the rest of the family enjoyed them as well). The reason I made us a dairy-free, egg-free cupcake was because both of us had a blood draw that showed high levels of antibodies to both eggs and dairy in our system. Boo. I know that Dr. Natasha says that sensitivity testing like this fluctuates, depending on what the patient ate that month, and what the patient really needs is GAPS. I believe in GAPS, but I’m questioning Dr. Natasha’s thoughts on sensitivity testing. See, my test also showed high antibodies to crab and peanuts. I haven’t eaten crab in at least a year. I haven’t eaten peanuts in 14 or more years. I had reactions to both crab and peanuts and have stayed away from these foods–and yet, I still had antibodies to these foods floating around in my blood. I also had moderately high antibodies to most grains and beans (except rice). My naturopath said if I eat these grains or beans 3 times or less per week, I should be ok.

I know, GAPS-believers are probably thinking “just go on GAPS Intro again!” I know. I’ve been there (the week after Christmas we did 1 week of GAPS Intro again). I did the full GAPS Diet for 3 years of my life. I totally believe in GAPS and I know it improved my health a TON. However—I feel like my gut is not totally healed. When I went back to eating grains (even gluten-free, soaked grains in moderation), my belly and some of my health issues came right back. I do not love the idea of eating GAPS for the rest of my life. So, for now, I am trying some other things–avoiding the foods that showed up high on my sensitivity testing, eating the moderately high foods 3 times or less per week, taking digestive enzymes, probiotics, and the max dosage of L-Glutamine every day. I will let you know how this goes for me.

When we first got the test results for our daughter (we had hers done first), I was skeptical. Eggs!? Seriously!? They’re a super food! However, she has dealt with some severe asthma issues, and even on a day when she appeared “normal,” her O2 reading was always too low. She had some severe inflammation going on in her lungs. The lungs and the skin are the last detox pathways, after the body has tried everything else. You don’t want your body detoxing through your skin or lungs. You want to help it detox other ways first. Also, she had issues with uncontrolled urination at night (at 7). I know, Dr. Natasha says this is yeast–avoid sugar. Again–we did GAPS for 3 years. When we stopped giving her dairy or eggs, she stopped having major issues with bedwetting, and her asthma has improved (we also use Breathe in a diffuser in her bedroom every night). SO, we have seen improvements…I am always learning, people. Always! I am not a naturopath (I wish!), and I still have a lot to lean from mine (she is great!). For now, we’re taking her advice–no eggs, no dairy (at least for the 2 of us…the rest of the family has not been tested, since they haven’t had big health concerns)….I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. 🙂

SO, I made up these cupcakes! I had no clue it was possible to make cupcakes without any eggs in them. (Especially after making so many coconut flour recipes like my Coconut Flour Chocolate Cupcakes! By the way, coconut was moderately high on me as well…so strange…but I could have predicted that. For some reason, the thought of coconut flour baked goods makes me want to gag these days. Weird, right? I think it’s my body saying “don’t eat that!”….I do have coconut milk in my coffee 3 times per week, and I seem to do ok with that…)…Ok, so enough about me and my crazy food issues. Let’s get on with the recipe!

Gluten-Free & Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c brown rice flour
1/2 c sorghum flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/4 c arrowroot powder
1/3 c dark cocoa powder
1/2 c organic brown sugar
1/2 c  organic evaporated cane juice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 c coconut milk
1/3 c palm shortening
1 TB apple cider vinegar
paper baking cups

FROSTING
1 c Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
2 TB coconut milk

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and blend until combined. Set 6 paper baking cups in a pan. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the baking cups 2/3 to 3/4 full. Place the pan of baking cups into the oven, and bake for 20-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the frosting, combine the chocolate chips and the coconut milk in the top of a double boiler. I don’t own a double boiler, so I use a small metal bowl that fits perfectly over one of my small pots. I put water into the small pot, and put the chocolate chips and coconut milk into the bowl. I put the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and stir the chocolate chip mixture until it is totally melted. Then, pour it over the top of the cupcakes.

Makes 6 large cupcakes

What about you? Have you had food sensitivity testing done? Do you believe in it?