Gluten free Thumbprint Cookies Dairy free Egg free

These are free of many top allergens such as soy, gluten, dairy, and eggs. They are also sweetened with natural organic apricots and stevia. The end result is a delightful little cookie treat that serves as a vehicle for protein without the normal sugar load of a traditional cookie.
Ingredients:

• Apricot puree - boil 1 cup of dried, organic, natural apricots with water until soft. Drain remaining water and puree in blender or food processor. 
• 2 Cups almond flour (or mix of walnut flour and almond flour)
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp stevia 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp organic palm shortening or coconut oil

Method:

Blend shortening/oil with 2 Tablespoons of apricot puree. Add nut flour, stevia, soda, and salt. Blend. Scoop cookies onto stone baking pans and press thumbprint into each. Fill each thumbprint with a small amount of apricot puree. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-15 minutes. Cookies will turn golden around edges when done. Let cool before removing from pan.

*Note, this is a good option for SCD (specific carbohydrate diet), GAPS, or Paleo dietary plan

Affordable Sides and Snacks gluten free egg free dairy free

Here are some of our family quick fix favorites for additions to lunches or sides with dinner as well as healthy snacks to have on hand. You can make large batches of any of these dishes and work on them over the course of 3-5 days, depending on freshness.

First up: Potato Salad
I like to do a mixture of half sweet potato to half red skinned potato when I make a potato salad, but for this purpose I am showing you a basic American dill potato salad.

• 1 small bag of potatoes (yukon gold peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces for salad in photo)
• Peel (or wash well) and chop potatoes and add to boiling water. Cook for 11 minutes, and check for doneness. If potatoes get too soft, they will mush, but if they are too hard, they won't taste as good, so check them every minute from the 9-15 minute time range.
• Cool with cold water in a strainer immediately
  

• In a side dish add 6 stalks of organic celery, washed and chopped
• 1/4 cup Veganaise
• 1 rounded teaspoon of dill weed
• 1/8 tsp celery seed
• 1/4 tsp salt (real salt/sea salt)
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
  
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• Mix well and add this mixture to potatoes. Mix with wooden spoon and refrigerate.
• Optional additions: I love tomatoes and salsa in my potato salad as well as fresh green peppers and raw onions!

Second: Coleslaw
I do love cabbage. It is affordable year round, so good for you and versatile. I recommend boiling your head of cabbage for 5 minutes then chilling immediately in ice water to help reduce the gas producing effect. The cabbage will still retain crunch. While a sesame oil, lime, and cilantro coleslaw is my personal favorite, I am posting the basic American coleslaw recipe here to start with. Most kids are a fan of this creamy sweet method of serving cabbage, so try packing some in those lunches!

• Rinse and chop 1 small head of cabbage (white or red will work).
  

In a separate bowl, mix the following ingredients

• 1/4 cup Veganaise
• 1/2-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1/8 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp yellow mustard

Mix this creamy sauce together and dip a piece of cabbage in to taste. If you would like a little more kick, add more apple cider vinegar. If you like more sweet, add some stevia powder or a dash more honey. This amount of dressing will coat your cabbage lightly, so double the batch if you prefer a creamier coleslaw than the one pictured.

Third: Hummus
Hummus is so affordable, so easy to make, and oh so delicious! I often encourage my nutrition clients to add hummus and veggies as a night time snack replacement to chips and sweets. The beauty of this is that you can customize it to suit your style. For example, say you want more spice, add more garlic. If you want less oil, add some unsweetened almond milk and cut back on the oil and so on.

• 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas) rinsed well
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed (If you think this is too spicy for you, start with less garlic)
• Juice from 1 1/2 small lemons
• 1 rounded tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 rounded tablespoon tahini
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or flax oil)

Blend ingredients together. If you need more liquid, add 1 tablespoon more olive oil or tahini, depending on your taste preference. Unsweetened almond milk can be added if you want to add more liquid without adding more oil. Serve with sliced Jimica, Kohlrabi, Carrots, Celery, Nut Crackers and more.

All three of these recipes are gluten free, dairy free, and egg free. In addition these are great base recipes to add Super Antioxidant Spices. Click here to read more about those antioxidant boosters for your foods.

I Never Make the Same Gluten Free Pancake Twice

It's true. I look at gluten free and dairy free pancakes as a free for all when it comes to gluten free flours. I have a basic formula I work with and it goes something like this:
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup starch (tapioca or arrowroot)
1/4 some healthier grain
1/4 some other healthier grain
1 egg (or flaxseed egg replacer)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon oil (or two if you like)
1 cup almond or rice milk

Easy, right? So here is today's experimental batch:
Rice Tapioca Finger Millet Almond Flour Pancakes
Hmm....I think I'll need to come up with a better name.

3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
1/4 cup almond flour (or technically, almond meal)
1/4 cup finger millet

What is finger millet? Otherwise known as African Millet or Ragi (Indian Millet), it is still millet that will vary in color from brown to black and it lasts a very long time in storage without insect damage, which makes it a popular crop for worldwide use. I find my Finger Millet Flour at the local Indian Food store. In fact, I find many great gluten free flours this way and the prices are very reasonable! The downside is that they almost all contain labels that say they are processed in facilities that also process wheat. So, for some this may not be an option.

Our batch of finger millet flour has plenty of specks of black, which you see in batter as the speckles.

A little fun fact about Finger Millet is that is has Methionine, which is lacking in diets of many vegetarians.

So, with our millet, we increase the iron, fiber, and protein in this batter. The almond flour / meal also increases our protein and fiber. Each of these grains has a unique nutritional profile that makes it valuable.

So, we tossed some blueberries in here....some mini chocolate chips in there and came up with some delicious pancakes to call our breakfast this day. This is a thinner pancake then some of our others, such as our Squash Pancake, seen below. The taste and texture were great, though. The blueberry version was my favorite.

I doubt I'll come to a final version of pancake recipe at any given point in time because the pancake is a great place for me to test out all those wonderful gluten free grains and experiment with their cooking properties as well as to receive their nutritional value! Have fun in the kitchen and try adding in some coconut flour, almond flour, buckwheat flour, or another healthy booster to your pancake mix. Enjoy ~

Egg Free Gluten Free Dairy Free Breakfast Burrito

For those of you egg free folks who looked longingly at my breakfast suggestion of eggs, wilted greens, and salsa in the morning...here is a great option for you!

You can still start your day with 2 cups of wilted greens, a generous serving of salsa, and any fresh sauteed vegetables of choice that are quickly warmed in a pan with an Organic Southwest Veggie Burgers in place of eggs as your protein source. Here you can create a breakfast burrito by wrapping all of these delights in an Ivory Teff or Brown Rice Tortilla Shell.

I love the hint of spice and rich flavors that come through in one of these bean veggie burgers, but what's even better is that they are all natural, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and 9 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein to balance your meal!

If your breakfast burrito is a little sad without a dairy binder, you can smooth in 2 tablespoons of homemade guacamole, or a bit of veganaise to help balance the tang of the tomato.

Enjoy your easy breakfast packed full of nutrients as you start your day.

Jambalaya - Disney style gluten free and dairy free

My 7 year old daughter is a bit of a cook book collector. She can often be found browsing the children section of cookbooks in our local library. She loves to pick out new recipes to try and she loves to help cook. This works out great for all of us because it opens up a world of new recipes to explore, new ingredients, and it even opens dialog about geography and history (depending on the cookbook). This week, Bella chose Tiana's cookbook from the Disney Princess and the Frog. On page 26 we found a recipe for Jammin' Jambalaya and that is where we decided to start cooking, but with a few of our own variations.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks and cooked with sausage
1/2 lb Niman Ranch Andouille sausage, cooked and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
8 stalks of celery, cleaned and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 small can green chiles
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
2 cups white rice (can replace with brown rice, and if you do, look at note for increasing broth)
4 cups gluten free chicken broth (or 6 cups if using brown rice)
2 teaspoons gluten free Worcestershire sauce

First, cook chicken and sausage, then add all ingredients, raise heat to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmering for aprox 20 minutes (or until rice is done).

This was a huge hit with everyone. We only modified it slightly, but I have already decided to add way more vegetable with the next run, and maybe skip the sausage (I am not a huge sausage fan). Still, everyone enjoyed it and it did pack a little heat. This large serving is said to feed 6-8, and I believe it! Just add a salad and you're good to go!

Check out the cookbook, here and look at your local library or bookstore for more fun children themed cookbooks to spice up your kitchen repertuar.

Rice Pudding Please

Well, we skipped our drive to Chicago this weekend due to snow predictions. So, with so much extra weekend time on our hands, we did some baking. Bella requested a favorite warm dessert, rice pudding. I was out of my usual brown rice, but I had a little jasmine, so the two of us made this sweet and incredibly filling dessert. I decided a little granola sprinkled over it in the morning would be a wonderful replacement for the texture and cool thickness of yogurt.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Rice Pudding
1/2 Cup Jasmine rice (or any pudding rice would work)
1/4 cup honey, or Monin Organic Vanilla syrup
1/4 cup raisins
1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk
2 cups water (add additional 1 cup of water if you like a soupier rice pudding - this will be thick)
optional: sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon, 1/4 cup pistachios

Put rice, sweetener, raisins, coconut milk, and water into a baking dish (such as a glass or ceramic cake pan), leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch room for bubbling. Stir ingredients. Add optional pistachios and light dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon. Bake for 1 hour.

Healthier variations: I always recommend using brown rice over a white rice. This pudding is delicious with brown rice, too, but it does take quite a bit longer to cook. I find that I can leave it in the oven for up to 3 hours when I use brown rice. Also, when using brown rice for this dish, you'll need to use 3-4 cups of water in addition to the coconut milk. The benefit of the long cooking time is a caramelizing that takes place on the top of the brown rice version of this pudding as you remove it from the oven.

If you want to omit the sweetener, I recommend you just add more fiber rich fruit and cut back or remove the honey/vanilla syrup. The coconut milk and rice have a rich and wonderful flavor on their own, and when you add raisins and pistachios to this mix, you may find that the sweetener isn't required. I think this is especially true if you plan to top it with a sweetened granola. I had some of the gluten free Bakery On Main granola in my pantry and this is a VERY sweet granola. When adding that to the filling and rich rice pudding, I felt quite full and my sweet tooth well satisfied.

Is your rice pudding too thick the next day? Just add more water, rice milk, almond milk, or coconut water and mix it back in.

Squash Muffin - with Toro

I started with a Toro White Bread Mix. I had not yet tried this gluten free mix, so I was excited to give it a whirl! I took at look online at their recipes and I saw Pumpkin Bread.
It was a start, however, if you follow my food philosophy, you can guess I was not likely to put 1.5 cups of sugar into a bread made with all white flours! This was a good start, but it needed some fiber and a decrease in sugar, so here is what I came up with...

Squash Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Toro White Bread Mix
1/3 cup millet flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup oil (melted coconut is nice!)
2 eggs (I'm sure this would be good with 2 tablespoons milled flax seed mixed with 6 tablespoons of water in place of egg, as well. This would be another way to add fiber to this muffin!)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
1/2 cooked acorn squash. Spoon cooked flesh of squash into the mix

Method:
Mix all ingredients together by hand, and pour into muffin pan. This made a batch of 12.
Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
While I felt this was a step in the right direction to "health up" this pumpking bread, I think that next time I may want to even step it up a notch and cut back on the white bread mix and add more gluten free whole grain flours or nut flour. The taste was very good! Another great use for fall squash, of any variety. Enjoy!