The Sneaky Chef and Annie's Homegrown have collaborated on an allergy-friendly PB&J sandwich for kids who want to enjoy the yummy lunch without having to worry about allergies.
Food Navigator reports that the sandwiches are actually called “Pea B&J Pockets” (notice the "P" is Pea … As in, it's not peanut butter but something entirely different). These kid-friendly crustless sandwiches use a pea-derived peanut butter substitute, based off of The Sneaky Chef's "No Nut Butter."
According to The Sneaky Chef, the No Nut Butter is peanut, tree nut and soy free. Since so many kids have a peanut allergy, it is made to bridge a gap between forbidden foods and delicious snacks. The Sneaky Chef says the No Nut Butter "really does taste a lot like peanut butter." On a sandwich with jam, it should be difficult even to tell the difference! It's made from golden peas (hence the Pea rather than "P") and can be used in any recipe that calls for the real thing.
The Sneaky Chef's founder, Missy Lapine, was inspired to start working on this new product by her own daughter's peanut allergy. The alternatives to peanuts that were available before her own product were either processed soy, which she didn't feel comfortable feeding to her children, or sunflower butter, which wasn't as well liked.
Lapine said her daughter felt like an outsider when she couldn't enjoy the PB&J lunch staple that the other kids were enjoying. "The no peanut table at school became the no friend table," Lapine said.
After experimenting with different ingredients, Lapine learned that the "golden pea is a phenomenal substitute for peanut."
The process isn't easy, of course. "It's not easy to get peas to taste great, so you have to remove the bitter taste, and roast them so they have a roasted golden flavor"; the rest is a secret!
Lapine's goal in creating this new substitute for peanut butter is to help kids feel more included, and to help keep them from feeling like outsiders. Plus, as Lapine herself says, “We want all kids to enjoy pea butter.”