Category Archives: allergy-friendly

Friday, July 20, 2012

Easy and Delicious Lasagna (dairy free, gluten free, vegan)

This lasagna recipe came about after making Kelly’s lasagna many, many times.  I love her recipe, but wanted a vegan version.  Cashews are the answer!  I love cashews, they are a dairy-free girl’s best friend.  They really mimic the flavor and texture of cheese.  I’m excited to share this recipe with you because it’s honestly super delicious.  My husband LOVES this lasagna.  And it takes no longer to make than traditional.  The most annoying part for me though is the noodles.  They take so long to boil and I only do a few at a time. I’ve tried using those no-bake noodles, but I don’t recommend them. But other than that, everything comes to together nice and quick.   And the key to any lasagna (as you might know) is allowing it enough time to cool before serving.  The lasagna you see here was cooling for at least an hour.  I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do. 
Ingredients:
-Gluten Free Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles.  I use about 12 total noodles.  (I think this brand is the best).
-1 batch cashew cheese filling (recipe here).
-Homemade marinara sauce (recipe here).  You could also use store bought marinara, just try and find low sodium
-Optional (Daiya shredded “cheese” on top for presentation) 

How To:
Preheat over to 375
1.  You honestly make this lasagna like any other regular lasagna.
2.  Make the marinara sauce.
3.  Make the cheese filling.
4.  I use a 15x10x2 inch Pyrex baking dish.  I start with some sauce and cheese on the bottom of the dish, then start layering noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce, etc.  I just swirl the cheese and sauce together in each layer, you want nice thick coating so the noodles don’t get dried out.  The cashew cheese will thicken quite a bit while baking and will “puff” up.    
5.  You can finish the layers by adding some dairy free cheese shreds on top, but this is totally optional.  
6.  Bake covered (I don’t use foil in my kitchen, so I use a stainless steel cookie sheet to cover) and bake for 45 minutes. 
7.  Allow at least 30 minutes to cool. 
You can see here how well this stays together. 
Delish.  

Shared on: Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Keep It Simple Mondays, Monday Mania, Mealtime Monday My Meatless Monday, Just Another Meatless Monday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,Gluten Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Keep It Real Thursdays, Full Plate Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food, Show Off Friday, Freaky Friday, Whole Foods Friday

Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, dairy free, gluten free, main dish, vegan, vegetarian.

21 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Friday, May 25, 2012

Lemon Ginger Cookie Chews with Lemon Cream Icing (grain free, low glycemic, vegan)

Something about the combination of ginger and lemon is incredibly pleasing to me.  I use it together in many recipes (especially soups, and my mint ginger lemonade, that I look forward to sharing with you next month).  And when it comes to cookies, I just can’t think of a better combination.  I simply adore ginger snap cookies, but I must admit, I love a soft, chewy cookie.  I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do!

Ingredients 
-100 grams almond flour* (1 cup)
-15 to 30 grams coconut flour (2 to 4 tablespoons) 
-15 grams arrowroot powder (2 tablespoons) 
-2 teaspoons ground ginger 
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon ground chia + 3 tablespoons water
-20 grams coconut sugar (2 tablespoons)
-1 teaspoon vanilla 
-1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed) 
-1/4 cup yacon syrup
-1 teaspoon lemon zest + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1/4 teaspoon lemon flavor (optional) 

How To:
Preheat oven to 350
1.  In a bowl add chia and water, mix until incorporated.  Let rest for a few minutes.  
2.  To chia add coconut sugar and mix until incorporated.  Then add vanilla, oil, yacon, lemon zest and juice (and optional lemon flavor).  Mix.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix together almond flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and arrowroot.
4.  Add dry ingredients to wet, mix.
5.  Start adding in the coconut flour until a thick, sticky batter develops.  For homemade almond flour, I use 4 tablespoon.  
6.  This is a thick, sticky batter (and needs to be so to create these soft, chewy cookies).  So oil your hands well, and make little balls, then press slightly into cookies.  Don’t be afraid of this batter, they will turn out, I promise.
7.  Bake for 12-13 minutes on non-stick surface (I keep mine in for exactly 13 minutes).  

Notes:
*To make the almond flour, I add 1/2 cup cold (refrigerated) almonds to my Vitamix.  I blend on high for exactly 20 seconds, then turn off and scrape around the blades with a knife, then another blend on high for 10 seconds.  The flour made in a high speed blender is much finer than the food processor.  I was using a coffee grinder to make flour too, but it took forever, and left huge chunks of almonds.  So, I like the Vitamix.  I can’t guarantee recipe results with any other flour, that’s why I have a varied amount of coconut flour.  P
lease let me know if you experiment with other almond flours.  If you’re a seasoned grain-free baker, then you will know what the batter is supposed to feel like when it’s just right.  
*The coconut cream is totally optional.  These cookies are amazing all on their own! 
*For coconut cream icing, add the coconut cream from 1can of full fat coconut milk (keep in fridge for several days).  To the cream, add 2 tablespoons of honey, agave or maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavor, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum if it needs thickening.  Blend with hand mixer.   

*If you don’t want coconut cream, you can make a cashew cream icing. Soak 2/3 cup cashews for 6-8 hours.  In a small blender, add drained cashews, 2 tablespoons sweetener, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavor, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 tablespoons oil, and water until desired consistency. 

Shared on: Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania, Ruth’s Real Food 101 (Mondays), Made From Scratch Monday  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,  Traditional Tuesdays Fat Tuesdays, Allergy-Free WednesdaysReal Food Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays Whole Food Wednesdays Make it Gluten Free Tuesdays, Wellness Weekend, Tastetastic Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Friday Food, Potluck Party Back to School Recipes 

Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, cane sugar free, cookies, dairy free, dessert, gluten free, grain free, low glycemic.

22 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Friday, May 18, 2012

Chocolate Caramel Chews (vegan, grain free, low glycemic)

Here’s another chocolate recipe, inspired by Ricki.  I’m no chocolate making expert – this is all new to me.  But can I tell you, I’m having a BLAST experimenting.  I’m sure this recipe, like all things, will evolve over time.  This latest creation is chocolate stuffed full of ooey gooey caramel.  Reminds me of a Caramello (anyone remember those)?  I just can’t eat traditionally made caramel (my stomach hurts just looking at those ingredients).  But I can tell you in all honesty, this is a very, very tasty alternative.  And I feel really good about the ingredients.  I just know Scott is going to go crazy over these when he gets home.  Can you tell I love surprising my husband with chocolate.  I’m working on a few other homemade chocolate recipes: ginger chocolates and bacon chocolates (yes, bacon- I know, crazy, but I hear it’s all the rage). I hope you enjoy these in the meantime.  And you can visit here for my chocolate covered strawberries (sweetened with stevia). 

Ingredients
Chocolate
-2 ounces cocoa butter, shaved 
-1/4 cup cashew butter *
-3 tablespoons raw cacao powder 
-1 to 2 tablespoons raw agave (more or less to your sweetness taste, I went with 2)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
-Pinch of salt 

Caramel
-3 tablespoons yacon syrup
-2 tablespoons coconut sugar
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-Pinch of salt


How To:

1.  In a small non-stick pan add chocolate ingredients and melt – taking care to not burn.  I recommend stirring the entire time.  Remove from heat once in a while, continue stirring.  Stir to break down the cashew butter.  When the mixture looks smooth with no cashew butter chunks, transfer to 1 cup glass Pyrex (with pour spout).
2.  Fill each miniature silicone baking cup 1/3 of the way with chocolate. 
3.  Place in fridge or freezer to set up.  (The chocolate will only take a few minutes to set up in the freezer).
4.  While the chocolate is setting up, make the caramel.  In a small non-stick pan, add the caramel ingredients.  Heat ingredients on med/low, and stir the entire time.  You want to heat this slowly and dissolve the coconut sugar.  Remove from heat when the mixture starts to thicken and stir rapidly, then transfer to a small bowl.  
5.  Remove chocolate from fridge for freezer.  They should be completely solid.
6.  Add an equal amount of caramel to each cup, filling to the halfway mark.  I use a slightly oiled spoon to get the caramel out of the bowl.  It will thicken and get very sticky as it cools.  So work quickly.  After you’ve filled each cup, the caramel should be firm inside the cups from the cold chocolate.
7.  At this point, simply fill the cups with the remaining chocolate and place back in the fridge or freezer.  I utilize the freezer.

Notes:
*Because these are made with agave instead of stevia, they melt much quicker at room temperature (and from fingers).  They are best out at room temp for no more than 10 minutes.  It goes without saying, it’s best to store these in the fridge.  The caramel stays ooey and gooey in there too!
*To make cashew butter, add 1 – 2 cups raw cashews to food processor.  Turn on and blend until creamy.  It will get creamy right after the ball of nut butter forms.

*
Melting the chocolate: 
Caramel Sauce: 
Middle layer of caramel:
Sliced open: 
 The caramel stays nice and chewy in the fridge 
Shared on: Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania  Ruth’s Real Food 101 (Mondays), Fat Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays,  Real Food Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend, Fresh Bites FridayFreaky FridayFight Back Friday, Friday Food, Lunchbox Love Friday, Feed Your Soul Friday, Potluck Party Friday, Super Food Sundays, Sugar Free Sundays, Allergy-Friendly Fridays  
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, cane sugar free, dairy free, dessert, grain free, low glycemic, vegan.

11 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Three Vegan, Soy Free White Bean Dip Recipes: Plain, Kalamata Olive, and Spinach (with SCD option)

Last month I made Maggie’s omega 3 white bean dip and loved it (I ate the entire batch actually).  So I decided to make a few of my own white bean recipes.  These dips are full of flavor and super creamy – my favorite combo.  If you’re a dip lover like me, then please give these recipes a try.  For SCD, omit coconut aminos.  See notes.  

*
Dip #1 
Classic Style 
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups prepared white beans*
-1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
-3 tablespoons oil (I use grapeseed) 
-2 tablespoons tahini (optional, but worth it)
-1 teaspoon garlic granules (or 1/2 clove garlic)
-3 tablespoons coconut aminos 

How To:
1.  Add beans, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and coconut aminos to food processor (or blender of choice). Salt is optional here. 
2.  Blend until incorporated.
3.  Drizzle in oil while blending 
4.  Store in glass container in fridge. 

Notes:
*I soak white beans for 48 hours, rinsing 2-3 times.  You certainly don’t need to soak this long, but I think it’s worth it.  After the beans are properly soaked, boil in filtered water until tender. 
*For SCD, omit coconut aminos and add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt.
Dip #2 
Karazy Kalamata 
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups prepared white beans*
-3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
-3 or 4 tablespoons oil (I use grapeseed) 
-2 tablespoons tahini (optional, but worth it)
-1/2 teaspoon garlic granules (or 1/2 clove garlic)
-3 tablespoons coconut aminos 
-1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives 

How To:
1.  Add beans, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, aminos, and olives to food processor (or blender of choice).
2.  Blend until incorporated.
3.  Drizzle in oil while blending 
Notes:
*I soak white beans for 48 hours, rinsing 2-3 times.  You certainly don’t need to soak this long, but I think it’s worth it.  After the beans are properly soaked, boil in filtered water until tender. 
*For SCD, omit coconut aminos and add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt.

Dip #3 
Simple Spinach 

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups prepared white beans*
-1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
-3 or 4 tablespoons oil (I use grapeseed) 
-2 tablespoons tahini (optional, but worth it)
-1 teaspoon garlic granules (or 1/2 clove garlic)
-3 tablespoons coconut aminos 
-1/2 to 1 cup fresh spinach (I like one cup in there)

How To:
1.  Add beans, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, aminos, and spinach to food processor (or blender of choice).
2.  Blend until incorporated.
3.  Drizzle in oil while blending 

Notes:
*I soak white beans for 48 hours, rinsing 2-3 times.  You certainly don’t need to soak this long, but I think it’s worth it.  After the beans are properly soaked, boil in filtered water until tender. 
*For SCD, omit coconut aminos and add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt.















I made Danielle’s Savory and Sweet Crackers (SCD) with this dip and they were delicious!! Don’t mind if I do.

Looking for some additional homemade cracker recipes?  
Well look no further
THIS should get you started! 
__________________________________________________
Shared on:    Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania  Ruth’s Real Food 101 (Mondays),  Traditional Tuesdays Fat Tuesdays,  Real Food Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, Thriving on Thursday, Wellness Weekend, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food, Lunchbox Love Friday, Feed Your Soul Friday, Allergy-Friendly Friday, Potluck Party Friday, Super Food Sundays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays 
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, dairy free, gluten free, SCD, snacks, soy free, spreads, vegan, vegetarian.

13 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Monday, May 7, 2012

On The Farm: Strawberry Picking! (Strawberry pancakes, strawberry popsilces, and Beth’s strawberry coconut breakfast cookies). Strawberries are taking over my kitchen – and I love it!!

Last weekend we went to a local organic strawberry patch (just up the road from our house in fact). Still a little early in the season, but the kids had an absolute blast searching for those little red berries (okay and so did mommy, I’m such a wannabe farmer).  We came home with a box full of berries and the first thing I made was Strawberry Coconut Breakfast Cookies from Beth @ Tasty Yummies (see below).  They were a total hit with the family!  Thank you for a great recipe Beth.  
This week I’ll be sharing a few additional simple recipes with strawberries.  See below for strawberry teff pancakes and sugar free strawberry cantaloupe popsicles.  
Stayed tuned for: strawberry lemon shortcake and strawberry smoothies!!


Here are Beth’s Strawberry Coconut Breakfast Cookies.  
These are a must! Check out the recipe.  

Strawberry Teff Pancakes with Maple Coconut Whipped Cream:
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups teff flour 
-1 1/2 cups filtered water
-2 tablespoons honey (vegan use maple syrup) 
-3 tablespoons oil (coconut is good)
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon cream of tarter
-1/4 teaspoon salt 
-1 cup chopped fresh strawberries 

How To:
1.  Combine above ingredients and mix (except strawberries).  Fold in berries.  Let batter rest for 1 minute.  Stir and make pancakes (we use a countertop griddle).
2.  See here for maple coconut cream topping.
Sugar-Free Strawberry Cantaloupe Popsicles:

Ingredients:
-12 ounces fresh strawberries
-12 ounces fresh cantelopue
-Vanilla stevia to taste (I use NuNaturals) 

How To:
1.  Combine ingredients in food processor until desired consistency (it’s fun to leave a few strawberry chunks in there).
2.  Makes 6 of these popsicles, I also have these which are super fun (purchased at my local Natural Foods Coop).
Shared on: Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania, Ruth’s Real Food 101 (Mondays), Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesdays, Kids in the Kitchen, Real Food Wednesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays , Whole Food Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Raw Foods Thursday, Wellness Weekend, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food, Potluck Party Friday, Potluck Party Friday: Summer Fruits, Super Food Sundays, 
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, breakfast, dairy free, dessert, gluten free, on the farm, sugar free, summer treats.

16 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bottomless Key Lime Pie with Whipped Lemon Coconut Cream (SCD Friendly)

Bottomless you say…well you naughty little pie.  Where is your crust?  Truth be told, I’m still working on my own SCD pie crust and didn’t want to wait any longer to share this recipe with you.  I do love crust, but this pie still rocks bottomless.  If you’re a crust lover like me, then check out the crust recipe links below.

After my friend Laura, from Gluten Free Pantry, made her no-bake vegan key lime pie, I started dreaming about it and wanted to make a SCD version.  I’m trying to “beef up” my SCD dessert list here.  The only thickener allowed on SCD (aside from eggs) is gelatin.  Luckily, it works just perfect for this recipe. I did try this recipe with eggs, but it was too eggy for my taste and didn’t set up quite right.  If you like tart, well this dessert if for you.  I LOVE tart, it’s my favorite (far more than the sweet, sweet chocolaty stuff my husband devours). The coconut cream is so sweet with a hint of lemon, and the light texture balances the thick tart lime filling.  I’m in love with this.  Thank you Laura for the inspiration!

Bottomless Key Lime Pie with Whipped Lemon Coconut Cream (SCD Friendly)
 
Ingredients
  • Lime Filling:
  • 1 can SCD legal coconut milk
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ¾ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (10-15 limes depending on thier size)
  • 1 avocado
  • 2½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin

  • Lemon Coconut Cream:
  • Cream from 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon lemon flavor
Instructions
  1. Filling:
  2. To food processor add:
  3. Lime juice, honey and avocado. Blend until well incorporated.
  4. Empty mixture in glass bowl.
  5. Add gelatin and whisk until incorporated
  6. Heat coconut milk on stove top (do not boil) and add to
  7. lime juice mixture. Whisk until well incorporated,
  8. Pour into pie dish (with or without a crust) and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
  9. After the mixture has set, top with whipped lemon coconut cream

  10. Coconut Whipped Topping:
  11. To a glass bowl add the honey, vanilla and lemon flavor. Mix.
  12. Scoop out the coconut cream and add to the bowl.
  13. Mix on high with hand-held mixer until well incorporated.
  14. Quickly top pie and place back in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.
Notes
*Place several cans of coconut milk in the coldest part of your refrigerator for several days. Remember that each can is different, some creams will be thicker than others. Use one with the thickest cream.
*Add the whipped coconut cream when the lime filling is completely firm (in fridge for at least 8 hours).
*SCD Legal Crusts: Honey Gram Cracker Crust, Dan's Awesome Pie Crust, Vegan Raw Pie Crust, Deep Dish Pie Crust
Shared on: Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Tuesday Kids in the Kitchen, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter Thursdays, Full Plate Platter Thursdays, It’s a Keeper Thursday,  Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Fridays, Friday Food, Pot Luck Party Fridays, Feed Your Soul Friday, Fight Back Friday, Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Recipe Lion, 
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, dairy free, dessert, SCD.

54 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Rate this recipe:  

Monday, April 9, 2012

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

(gluten free, common tree nut free, dairy free, egg free, cane-sugar free, & soy free)

I don’t claim to be much of a baker.  Never really have been.  But mommyhood has thrown me head first into the baking arena.  I make muffins every week (often it feels like daily).  I’ve always enjoyed cooking but honestly never found the thrill in baking.  Cookies are more my thing in the sweet department anyway.  So the other day I wanted to make some cupcakes/muffins for my son’s little friend.  We had a play date scheduled and my usual grain-free treat was not the best option, as his little friend can’t have tree nuts.  So a nut free creation was in order, and one that was still allergy-friendly for Ethan (no eggs, dairy, gluten, cane-sugar or soy).  No problem?  Yeah right.  GF baking is difficult and especially if you’re looking for a particular taste and flavor, which I was.  So in these urgent cases I turn to my baking guru, Tessa.  I emailed her a while back with my ingredients and she, of course, offered some great advice.  So thank you Tessa for your consultation!  One tip was to leave the fruit whole (which was an excellent suggestion, as I was pureeing it up).  
Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes 

Ingredients 
Dry
-1/2 cup white rice flour (90 grams)
-1/2 cup coconut flour (52 grams)
-1/4 cup tapioca starch (27 grams)
-2 tablespoons potato starch (19 grams)
-1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (40 grams)
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet
-1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed)
-1/3 cup applesauce
-1 1/4 cup filtered water  
-1 tablespoon ground chia seed+ 3 tablespoons water 
-1/3 cup coconut sugar 
-1 teaspoon vanilla 
-6 drops liquid stevia 
-1 can drained pineapple chunks, squeeze all the juice out of the chunks and chop into smaller pieces. 
How To 
Preheat oven to 325
1.  In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Spoon in the flours (otherwise it’s just too dense, so don’t scoop the flour out with your measuring cup.  Or simply follow the flour weights).
2.  In a separate bowl, mix the ground chia with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for a moment.  Then add in the coconut sugar and mix until incorporated.  It should be sticky and a bit frothy.
3.  Add in the oil, applesauce, vanilla, stevia, and pineapple chunks, incorporate, then add in the water, incorporate.  
4.  Add the dry ingredients to wet and incorporate.
5.  Immediately add batterer to baking cups – yields 12. 
6.  Bake for 20 minutes 
7.  When done, cool on rack

Notes:
*I highly recommend using these baking cups – they are great for nonstick! I And I use them over and over.  They are also biodegradable. 
*These cupcakes don’t rise much, so you can fill to the top of baking cup.
*I greatly dislike a dry cupcake.  And so I’m happy to report that these are incredibly moist.   
*Do not let the batter sit after mixing, as it starts to thicken and froth.  So after you mix the dry with the wet, immediately fill your baking cups and bake. 
*The little boy mentioned above can have coconut (no tree nuts).  I read that in 2007, the FDA classified coconut as a tree nut.  But I do believe coconuts are actually seeds, but can also be described as a fruit and nut.  This is a good read on the matter.  

Whipped Topping

Ingredients 
-1 can full fat coconut milk (I use this brand for its superior coconut cream)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup 
-4 drops stevia (or to taste)  
-Natural yellow food coloring 
-1/4 teaspoon thickener of choice (optional) 

To make the whipped topping place 1 can of full fat coconut milk in the coldest part of your fridge for at least 3 days (the longer the better).  I have a bunch in there so I just take one out as needed.  Work quickly and remove just the coconut cream from the top of the can.  Add to bowl with above ingredients.  Mix with hand mixer until incorporated.  Frost your cupcake, or place topping in the fridge until you’re ready to use. You could certainly omit the thickener if your coconut cream is working for you.  Every can of coconut milk is different.  I’ve made some very substantial toppings without thickener, and some really needed it.  


And of course, Scott’s dipped in a little chocolate
Shared on: Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Kids in the Kitchen, Real Food Wednesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter,  Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Fridays, Lunch Box Love Fridays,  Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Pot Luck Party Fridays, Friday Food, Superfood Sunday 
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, dairy free, dessert, gluten free, muffins, vegan.

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Perfect Base Hummus

We are big fans of hummus in this family so I always have some on hand in the fridge.  Nothing beats homemade!  And it’s so easy.  Making the perfect base hummus allows you to add other ingredients to create a whole new flavor, for example using cilantro.  But you don’t have to rely on beans.  Adding carrots in place of beans, for example, yields a delicious raw hummus.  Pictured above is hummus topped cucumber (served for snack time) – just a little something extra like this can put a fun twist on the everyday dish.  

Ingredients:
-2 1/2 cups prepared garbanzo beans (soaked overnight or 24 hours and boiled in filtered water)
-1/3 cup tahini (or more if you like a stronger tahini taste) 
-Juice from 2 lemons 
-1 1/2 teaspoons garlic granules
-3/4 teaspoon salt 
-1/2 cup olive oil 
-Filtered water as needed 

How To:
1.  Add beans & tahini to food processor, pulse a few times
2.  Add lemon juice, salt, garlic and pulse
3.  Drizzle in oil while blending 
4.  At this point you will have a very thick hummus and it will need some water for a creamy consistency, so add in 1/4 cup of filtered water (at a time) until it’s creamy and smooth to your liking
Posted by tta_admin at

Labels: allergy-friendly, dips and spreads, snacks.

9 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Allergy-Friendly Play Dough (2 ways)

I came across a really fun child-friendly activity/gift idea in the latest issue of Living Free magazine (pg. 10): making your own allergy-friendly play dough! 
I’ve been thinking about the Holidays here and all the gift giving that’s just around the corner.  Between my husband and I we have a pretty big family and we can’t possibly buy everyone a gift.  We find pleasure in simple 1-item gift exchanges, happiness in each other’s company, good food, music, and laughter.  But we do have little children in our immediate and extended family.  When I read this article in Living Free I thought, now there is a super cute idea for a child.  You could make the dough yourself, or provide the ingredients in a little jar with instructions and they could make it at their leisure.  I wanted to share the two recipes with you today.  

#1: Play Clay
Makes about 2 pounds
If not used immediately, store in an airtight container 
or plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
1 cup potato starch or cornstarch
2 cups baking soda
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or oil of choice 
2-3 drops food color (optional) – I only use this natural plant-based food coloring
How To
1.  Mix together potato starch and baking soda and pour into sauce pan.
2.  Mix water and oil in small bowl.  Add food coloring, if using.
3.  Heat saucepan and pour in water and oil, stirring constantly about 3 minutes or until clay holds together in a ball. (Small lumps will appear and then clay will hold together.)
4.  Turn off heat.  Spoon clay onto parchment paper and let cool slightly.


#2: Salt Dough
Makes about 1 pound 
If not used immediately, store in an airtight 
container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients
1 cup table salt
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup water, more as needed
2 drops food coloring (see above)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, if needed

How To
1.  Mix together salt and flour in a saucepan.  Pour in water and add food coloring, if using.
2.  Cook over medium meat until dough forms into a ball.  If dough is too dry to hold together, add more water 1 Tbsp at a time.
3.  Spoon dough onto parchment paper and let cool slightly 
4.  Knead until smooth and shape into a ball.  If dough is too hard, knead in 1 teaspoon oil until well distributed.
Picture from Hippo Flambe
Shard on: Thriving on Thursday, 
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, how to, kids.

4 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Friday, November 11, 2011

Grain Free Socca Bread

When I saw this socca bread recipe in Living Without magazine, I knew I had to try it. I love the simplicity of this recipe. I was very pleased with how it turned out, which is why I shared it here on the blog (I usually don’t share recipes from books or magazines).  If you like the flavor of garbanzo bean flour, you’ll dig this recipe.  It’s definitely something fun and different.
Grain Free Socca Bread
 
Author:
Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups garbanzo bean flour
  • 1½ cups filtered water
  • 2½ tablespoons oil (walnut or olive)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (you must use fresh!)
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced dried onion (I used onion powder)
Instructions
  1. Whisk together chickpea flour, water, 2 tablespoons oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, onion (minced or powder). Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. This gives the batter a chance to thicken up a bit
  2. Coat a large round nonstick skillet with oil and heat over med until hot (add oil to pan after removing the socca and get it nice and hot for the next one)
  3. Pour ½ cup batter into pan and swirl around a bit (sort of like a crepe). use heat-safe spatula to loosen sides
  4. Cook socca until crispy on one side, flip and brown on the other side
The recipe shared on: A Gluten-Free Holiday Week 2 – Thanksgiving Favorites, Traditional Tuesday, and Wellness Weekend, Whole Food Wednesday 
Posted by Amber at

Labels: allergy-friendly, grain free, sides, vegan.

11 Comments

Leave a Reply to Erin in AK Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Rate this recipe: