Any tea party food ideas for nut-free and dairy-free child?

[MMMommy]

So I promised DDs a small tea party with their friends. I'm thinking little finger sandwiches, pink lemonade, and some sweet treats (little cupcakes, decorated cookies or something like that). There will probably be a total of 5 girls. One is allergic to nuts and also has dairy issues. So I will need to avoid using peanut butter, and I will need to have some assortment of sandwiches that do not have cheese/dairy. I could probably do some plain finger sandwiches with ham or turkey, but that seems so bland. I will have definitely have cheese in sandwiches for the other kids, but I want to have some options for the one child.

Any nut-free and dairy free tasty sandwich filling ideas? Any easy treat ideas?

Thanks!

[sariana]

Can she eat beans? How about avocado and black beans (beans could be smushed up into a paste)? I made DD (18 months) a guacamole and black bean sandwich; she seemed to like it.

Avocado is good with turkey, too.

[caleymama]

I've never tried it, but I know they make soy cream cheese. That fits with the idea of finger sandwiches - cream cheese/soy cream cheese and jelly would be a fun combo. Would the nut allergic child be able to eat sunbutter? That would be a tasty alternative to PB. I love the combo of avocado and turkey, but I know only one of my DDs would eat it.

[justlearning]

I agree that soy cream cheese would be a good idea.

You could also use soynut butter because it's completely nut-free (made from soybeans, not nuts) and dairy free. Sun butter is made from sunflower seeds, which should be fine, but I'd avoid it just in case the kids are allergic to seeds.

Here's a fun, healthy snack to make from Rachel Ray--"banana sushi": http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/banana-sushi/

I've made this easy recipe many times with my boys substituting in soynut butter instead of peanut butter and they're so yummy! I end up eating a lot of them myself. :) My sons love rolling out the bread with their small roller too, so your daughters would probably enjoy helping you as well.

ETA another idea--When I make my boys soynut butter and jelly sandwiches, I cut them out into circles (with a glass upside down) and then use a sharp knife to draw on happy faces. It just makes it more fun than a regular sandwich, so it could work for your party too.

Also, instead of regular meat sandwiches, you could roll up the meat along with soy cream cheese into a tortilla, then cut it up into little rounds. I think fruit and veggies are also nice no matter the occasion.

Regarding cheese, you may want to ask the mom of that child if the girl can have cheese. Although I'm lactose intolerant, I can eat hard cheeses so perhaps that girl could as well. It might help you in your planning to know. If you serve hard cheeses, it's fun to cut them with small cookie cutters into shapes like stars, flowers, etc. (the type made to cut a tiny pastry for decoration). OK, it's fun sharing these ideas--I might have to host a tea party now for my sons and their friends... ;)

[kristenk]

I would talk to the child's mother. Ask her what the little girl usually eats for lunch and if she likes a certain kind of sandwich. Then use the girl's typical lunch and try to fancy it up a bit! I think that asking the mom, if possible, would be the easiest way to get a basic idea and then go from there.

I'd also really try to make the same sandwiches and treats for everyone, if possible. I think it would be more fun for all of the kids if they all had the same things.

I have a few kid cookbooks and I'll see if I can come up with any ideas. :)

[m448]

here's a rich chocolately cake that is dairy/egg/nut free but doesn't use any kind of funky substitutes. It's really yummy. You could make it in little mini muffin tins and then make a powdered sugar/water/bit of lemon juice icing to drizzle over the top.

http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/2006/04/chocolatiest-quickest-most-rewarding.html