Alisa ~ After years of Western medicine writing off food allergies as rare and with only a small set of possible symptoms, the research is coming to light. In just one example, a recent survey identified a correlation between food allergies and asthma.

As reported by Jewish Health Associate Professor of Pediatrics Andrew H. Liu and his colleagues in the November 2010 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, food allergies are more common in people with asthma and may actually contribute to asthma attacks. Dr. Liu felt that food allergies may be an under-recognized trigger for “asthma exacerbations.”

The survey included over 8,000 people, aged 1 to over 60, and had their blood tested for antibodies to peanuts, milk, eggs, and shrimp. This was reportedly a very comprehensive study, and the first to look at specific blood serum levels and food allergies across the whole life spectrum (not simply infants and toddlers).

The subgroup of participants who were identified as the most sensitized to one of more of the food allergens were twice as likely to have an asthma diagnosis. To add insult to injury, those who currently have asthma were 3.8 times as likely to have food allergies as those who had been previously diagnosed with asthma but no longer have it.

The pumpkin filling from your Jack-o-Lantern won’t be flavorful enough for this decadent, free-from cake. Seek out those little sugar pie pumpkins, which are also abundant this time of year (and look darn cute as Halloween and Thanksgiving décor until you need to use them). They are perfect for this recipe, and nothing beats fresh pumpkin. Of course, if you are in a pinch, you can substitute canned pumpkin.

Ali Segersten ~ If you are looking for a great alternative to traditional cheesecake for your Holiday celebrations, I’ve got one for you. A dairy-free, egg-free cheesecake with a gluten-free pastry crust….and the filling? Well, fresh baked sugar pie pumpkin to start, then cashews, and maple syrup….but what else? Hint: it is also soy-free!

I got the idea for this "cheesecake" from the Lemon Teascake recipe in our cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Though that original recipe came from the vegan, gourmet Café Ambrosia restaurant in Seattle. It was such a lovely restaurant but is no longer in business. My husband and I dined there only a few times as it was a little pricey for our student budget back then, but their amazing food was worth every penny!

Pumpkins aren't simply good for carving; along with their other winter squash counterparts (kabocha, butternut, acorn, spaghetti, etc.) they are astronomically high in Vitamin A and an excellent source of many other goodies, including fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and even Omega 3's! But, even if they weren't so darn healthy, we would still enjoy eating them. Winter squash provides body, richness, and a subtly sweet flavor to dairy-free baked goods.

Heather of Heather Eats Almond Butter plays off this flavor quite frequently in her recipes. Her diet is very low in added sugars, so the natural sugars in winter squash help to provide not only health, but indulgence to everyday favorites like pancakes. She offered to share two of her most beloved winter squash recipes with us today, both of which are made with whole grain oats, and can even be made gluten-free with certified gluten-free oats. Though freshly cooked squash is ideal, feel free to sub canned pumpkin, squash, or even sweet potatoes in a pinch! Take it away Heather ... 

I love fall. I love pancakes.  So, I decided to combine the flavors of my favorite season with my favorite weekend breakfast. First up, we have oatmeal pumpkin pancakes ...

A couple of years ago I sampled my first "artisan-style," close-to-homemade marshmallow. There was no turning back. Handmade pillows of love aren't even in the same class as those plastic bags of jet-puffed goo. And though I haven't sampled the popular vegan and gelatin-free marshmallows from Sweet & Sara, I will take the word of my good friend Hannah (and the hundreds of other positive reviews I have read on this brand) that these belong in the high ranks of those artisan-style marshmallows.

But well beyond your typical vanilla variety, Swee & Sara offers enticing flavors like coconut, strawberry, and now a whole array of holiday treats ...

For Halloween they have just announced chocolate covered marshmallow bats. Accordig to Hannah, "The beauty of this Halloween offering isn't so much the actual shape though, but the fact that it's absolutely loaded with quality dark chocolate, providing the perfect textural foil to the light and fluffy mallow underneath. With just the barest hint of bitterness, it knocks down the level of sweetness overall, and makes these bats dangerously easy to wolf down."

And for Halloween and beyond Sweet & Sara has also added two new flavors ...