Alternative Cook offers up healthy baked goods for those on a special diet

Love to bake? On a special diet or have family members with food allergies? Millions of Americans with dietary restrictions feel deprived daily as they forgo delicious baked goods due to hidden allergens. But things are looking up – help has finally arrived. BAKE DELICIOUSLY! Gluten and Dairy Free Cookbook (May 2009, $24.95) by Jean Duane, Alternative Cook, shows at-home cooks how to make more than 150 beautiful baked items without gluten, dairy (GFCF) and other common allergens.

This must-have cookbook is for anyone following a special diet. Inside Ms. Duane shows readers how to make appetizing cakes, muffins, quick breads, truffles, cookies, soufflés, crackers, desserts, snacks, breakfast treats, tarts, pies and crisps. In addition to the easy-to-follow recipes, most of which can be completed in five steps or less, the book also features hundreds of mouth-watering photos as well as notes on what happens in a recipe when one ingredient is changed. Those with Celiac disease, gluten or dairy intolerance, food allergies, Autism, ADD, Crohn’s disease, asthma, IBS, ADHD, Aspergers or those looking for a healthier approach to baking will find the book especially useful.

Inside readers will find 150+ recipes for elegant baked items, all gluten and dairy-free including:

· Berry Cream Tarts

· Lemon Chiffon Cake

· Pizza and Focaccia

· Red Velvet Cake with White Icing
· Sesame Sticks
· Pecan Sandies
· Cinnamon Raisin Bread
· Orange Cream Pie
· Lady Fingers
· French Bread

So many gluten-free cookbooks feature flour mixes that contain 60-75% highly refined starches such as tapioca flour, cornstarch, sweet rice flour and potato starch. Ms, Duane focuses on using a higher percentage of whole grains and offers innovative substitutions for dairy products and other allergens. Special diets can be expensive, and BAKE DELICIOUSLY! Gluten and Dairy Free gives many money-saving tips as well as a host of baking techniques unique to gluten and dairy free baking.

After two years in recipe development and triple-testing and packed with baked items that rival those made with traditional ingredients, BAKE DELICIOUSLY! Gluten and Dairy Free Cookbook will find a coveted place on any cook’s bookshelf or as a great gift for someone you know struggling with food intolerances. The book is available nationwide or by visiting www.alternativecook.com.