“Swapping foods: Peanuts” Disclaimer: None of the information provided in these posts should be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before trying recommendations or if you have concern
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“Swapping foods: Peanuts” is the first in several posts where I talk about specific food allergens and offer recommendations for replacing them with foods that are safer for you or someone you with that particular food allergy. I know several of my previous posts have been very fact-filled and less personal, and I did that intentionally, because I wanted to set y’all up with some basic facts about food allergies and reactions that could occur. I also wanted to let y’all know about the most common food allergies.
Now it’s time to get personal…and maybe a little snarky. I’m also sharing another recipe. Oh, and there are still facts involved; most of them are listed at the bottom of this post. Let’s dive in.
The “good old days”
I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, and we were poor. Like, “living out of church boxes and hoping we could pay Section 8 rent” poor. Well, my great-aunt and uncle helped us out food-wise with government-issued food. Show of hands – who remembers government cheese? Well, there were several other foods the US government distributed in the 80s, and one of them was peanut butter.
Oh, the government-issued peanut butter.
That was the best peanut butter in the world! Though, you had to stir the oils back into it; you know, like you have to now with “natural” peanut butter. And I practically lived on it. Peanut butter and Concord grape jelly on white bread was a cheap, filling staple of my diet growing up (and would possibly put me in the hospital if I ate it today). But I don’t remember many people being allergic to peanuts when I was a child. The only person I remember hearing about a peanut allergy from was the friend I mentioned a few posts ago who landed in the hospital from his godson’s peanut butter-laden kiss. When he told me about his allergy, I remember saying these fateful words…
“I can’t imagine living with a peanut allergy.”
Me, getting one of my first lessons in “be careful what you say”
The bad news (or, when I found out about my food allergies)
I cried the day I found out I was allergic to peanuts. I mean, I actually sat in the immunologist’s office and sobbed like a broken-hearted toddler. What I was going to do? How would I change my diet after this? Oh, that’s also when I found out that, yes, I was allergic to wheat (an earlier test had been not-so-reliable) and, no, I did not grow out of my milk allergy. I also found out I was allergic to grapes.
I was devastated. And I was determined to find some substitutes!
Enter nuts and seeds
It took me some fun experimenting to find foods I could swap for peanuts. Nothing quite replaces them, though almonds come close (more on that further down). For those who can have nuts and/or seeds and are looking to add crunch to salads and other dishes, here are some replacements:
- Cashews
- Dry-roasted edamame
- Roasted chickpeas
- Almonds
- Macadamia nuts
It’s kind of ironic that I can have only the last two on that list.
A note on butters
There are several “butters” on the market that work as a substitute for peanut butters. Some work better than others, depending on the dish. Here are a few:
Almond butter
I had always liked almonds, but I never really paid attention to them until I lost my beloved peanuts. But, almond butter has a similar texture and taste (a previous coworker of mine once described it as “sweet peanut butter”). It’s really my go-to replacement anymore. It usually comes in a non-hydrogenated form, so you have to stir the oils back into the solids (a food processor makes this a much easier and significantly less painful process).
Sunflower butter
Sunflower butter has a mild flavor and the texture of hydrogenated peanut butter. It’s actually pretty tasty. A word of warning when baking with it: I tried to make bread with sunflower butter instead of almond butter once, and my bread turned out significantly different. The outside was a lovely crusty brown color. The inside was green; I mean thick, healthy summer grass green. It was one of my “well, I didn’t expect that to happen” food testing moments.
Sesame butter
Also known as tahini, sesame butter can be a nice replacement for recipes where peanut butter is used as part of a sauce or dressing. I’ve mostly had it in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods; go ahead and experiment with it on your own. I would love to hear what dishes you come up with.
Okay, real time talk again
I can’t help everyone find substitutions for their food allergies. In the case of peanuts, if you are allergic to nuts or seeds, your best bet is to just avoid them altogether (and rail against the universe about how life isn’t fair!).
Recipe Time!!
Yes, I’m sharing another one with you. Coming up is a recipe that my family has loved for years: Grandma’s peanut butter cookies, which I make with almond butter (and am almost afraid to try with sunflower butter, considering what happened with the bread). Here you go!
Grandma’s Almond Butter Cookies
1 cup fat (either shortening or butter/butter substitute works here)
1/3 cup almond butter (make sure it’s pre-stirred)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar (I use organic sugar or unbleached, which works, too)
1 egg
1½ cups flour (add about a teaspoon of xantham gum if you’re using a gluten-free blend that doesn’t already have it)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together the fat, peanut butter, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla; beat well. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and add to the batter.
Form tablespoon-sized balls and place them about 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined or greased baking pan (skip the grease if the pan is nonstick). Press the balls flat with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 2-3 dozen.
Grandma didn’t do this, but I often roll the dough balls in sugar before I bake. That’s just me. Try them both ways, and be sure to drop me a line to let me know how they turn out.
Quick facts about the peanut allergy
Here are some quick facts about the peanut allergy.
- Peanuts are a legume, not a tree nut.
- Between 1-3% of people in the US are allergic to peanuts.
- The percentage of children under 18 with a peanut allergy increased from 0.4% in 1997 to 1.4% in 2008.
- Peanut allergies in children have risen 21% since 2010, meaning nearly 2.5% of US children are allergic to peanuts.
- While peanut allergies are usually lifelong, about 20% of children can outgrow them.
- About 30% of people allergic to peanuts can also be allergic to tree nuts, while some can also be allergic to seeds or other legumes.
- The protein in peanuts does not break down, so food processing will not alter it enough to be tolerable (this can happen with soy for some people).
- The most common exposure route is swallowing, though skin or eye contact and inhalation can affect people, as well.
- Unlike most food allergies, the peanut allergy can cause a reaction after the first exposure to the food, making it the most dangerous food allergen.
That’s all for today. If you have any comments, please feel free to leave them below.
Be safe. Eat safe. And savor life!
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