Ultimate Food Allergy Safe Backyard BBQ Guide: Sides Everyone Can Eat

Ultimate Food Allergy Safe Backyard BBQ Guide: Sides Everyone Can Eat

Ultimate Food Allergy Safe Backyard BBQ Guide: Sides Everyone Can Eat!

Summer is officially here this week & that means it’s backyard BBQ Season.

But if you or your kids live with severe, anaphylactic food allergies, an invitation to a cookout can trigger instant anxiety.

Classic BBQ sides are notoriously a food allergy minefield.

Potato salad can be made with hidden dairy, egg or soy.

The baked beans simmered in a soy-laden sauce & cross contact from the grill or serving spoons on a buffet table is a constant threat.

When this is your BBQ reality, it can sometimes feel easier to just stay home.

However, I am a firm believer that having food allergies shouldn’t mean missing out on summer traditions.

Over the past 24 years, our family is managing multiple anaphylactic food allergies to:

• peanuts
• tree nuts
• legumes
• shellfish
• soy and dairy &
• meat intolerances

I’ve perfected a backyard BBQ menu that is incredibly delicious & the rest of the guests may not even realize the food is completely food allergy safe.

Today, I am opening up my Food Allergy Friendly recipe box to share a few Ultimate Food Allergy Safe Backyard BBQ Guide: Sides Everyone Can Eat!

As always, adjust for your specific food allergies.

And, of course, feel free to forward this post to any family/friends who may benefit from our recipes. 🙂

Some additional Food Allergy Tips for BBQ Parties here.

Food Allergy Chef

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Cindi Korpacz, CEO of An Easy Journey Travel Consulting Company, tireless food allergy speaker, educator, advocate and fundraiser for over 20 years now. Our daughter Katie was 1st diagnosed when she was a toddler and has just turned 25 years old on our recent trip to Paris, France. So, I am a long time food allergy expert!

And I come from a long line of chefs.

Really. My German Grandma had her own restaurant, the Blue Swan & my Italian side of the family are superb cooks!

My son, Brandon spends many of his childhood summers tasting Gelato in Italy & he and my husband Joe, daughter Katie & son-in-law Liam are connoisseurs of all my meals!

Sometimes I feel like I am on the tv shows where professional chefs judge each dish!

You’ll have to let me know what you think in our Private Facebook Group Food Allergy Travels and Life – it’s where we chat & answer all food allergy questions (NOT medical). Join the conversation in our Facebook Group – it’s always POSITIVE & HELPFUL.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Egg Free Ultimate Pasta Salad

Now, in my opinion, Macaroni Salad is the Holy Grail of BBQ side dishes. But many traditional recipes are heavy on the soy, dairy, eggs, gluten. NOT our food allergy friendly recipe! And, no one will even notice.

• The Pasta – Swap out ingredients for ones that are safe for your specific food allergies. Corn or Brown rice pastas are sturdy, high quality pastas for a macaroni salad
• The Crunch – Dice red peppers, sweet onion, celery & even cucumbers for a delicious crunchy texture
• The Dressing – AH HA! What brings this recipe all together: Add a trusted allergy-friendly mayo (if you can eat egg) like @PrimalKitchen brand (or homemade recipe link below) with a TBSP (or 2) of Dijon mustard (SSSHH – the secret ingredient!), 1 – 2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar, sea salt, black pepper & LOTS of chopped fresh parsley. Sometimes I will add a tsp of smoked Paprika – entirely up to you. Play around with the taste for your liking!

BEST Coleslaw Ever

Another Backyard BBQ favorite, coleslaw is also so good with a Rueben sandwich, crab cakes (I am from Maryland after all!), hot dogs & hamburgers..heck, almost anything, is good with my coleslaw recipe. Now, this is super easy, better made a day ahead (YEAH!), all of 5 minutes of prep. But I promise, I won’t tell!

Consider doubling or tripling this recipe, it’s that good! My son Brandon will eat almost all of it.

• The Base – Grab 2 bags of coleslaw mix that has purple cabbage & shredded carrots
•  The Trick – I add 1/2 TSP of maple syrup & swap out traditional mayo for a safe, food allergy friendly mayo (this has egg in it) like @PrimalKitchen or very easy to make a quick homemade mayo
• The Flavor Kick – 2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar, pinch of celery salt, & chopped fresh parsley. Tangy, slightly sweet & keeps everything crisp!

Rounding Out Our Food Allergy Friendly Backyard BBQ

If you want to add a few more food allergy friendly foods to your BBQ, here are some great additions:

• Charred Corn on the Cob – Use @EarthBalance “butter” if needed (be careful of ingredients as some use pea/soy protein)
• Watermelon & Mint Salad – Simply slice or cube the watermelon, add torn fresh mint for a tasty addition
• Sweet Potato Wedges – Roast slices/wedges of sweet potatoes with EVOO/avocado oil, garlic salt & black pepper

Also, see our food allergy-friendly Brownie Fudge Ice Cream Cake, Italian Charcuterie Board. & our Ina Garten inspired Strawberry Shortcake recipe!

When you host or bring your own safe sides, it really allows you to focus on the family/friends & food in a relaxing way! And there’s NO compromising on your safety to enjoy a fantastic Ultimate Food Allergy Safe Backyard BBQ Guide: Sides Everyone Can Eat!

Love these Backyard BBQ recipes?

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