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Food allergies are getting to be a fairly ubiquitous subject in the foodie world. One of my former posts was my absolute shock with Ming Tsai, a well-known mainstream celebrity chef that got serious about food allergies through sanitation and using alternative ingredients in his renowned restaurant, Blue Ginger. While Erin McKenna has become the belle of the gluten-free ball with her bakery, Babycakes, that produces gluten-free, wheat-free, refined-sugar-free, soy-free, egg free, caseine-free vegan goodies.

I’ve been experimenting on a few dishes that ordinarily contain at least one of America’s most common allergy sources – peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, dairy, egg, and shellfish. My first project was to recreate one of my favorite condiments: Chinese peanut sauce. It’s an amazing sauce for soba noodles, a crunchy slaw, makes a great marinade, and a great dip for virtually anything. Most importantly, I almost always have the ingredients handy.

I wondered what I could possibly substitute for peanut butter and came up with three possible alternatives – tahini, almond butter, and cashew butter. Tahini, sesame seed paste used to make hummus and other delicious Middle Eastern dips, came out bitter on the palate without sufficient sweetness.  While cashew butter imparted way too much sweet and overpowered the other savory ingredients. Almond butter came out as the clear winner, providing the right amount of sweet, nutty and richness.

And after a few experiments in the kitchen, here’s a tasty recipe for a peanut-free sauce! 

Chinese Not Peanut Sauce
Yield – approximately one cup

¼ cup brown rice vinegar
2 tablespoons shoyu
1 tablespoon agave
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
½ cup almond butter
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until fully combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stay tuned for more delicious allergy-free alternatives!
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