Coconut Nog French Toast

Guess what I found only a few days before Christmas? So Delicious Coconut Nog! I was so excited! It tastes just like egg nog but without egg, dairy or soy. And I can say that it is in fact delicious. A little sweet, but delicious. Today I made some French Toast following the guidelines on the carton - 1 very ripe mashed banana plus a cup of nog, dip slices of bread in this mixture and let

Acorn Squash Dip

Happy Boxing Day! I must announce with some dismay that I am being assimilated. I've been trying to stave this off for years, flinging the word "wicked" around with abandon even in the face of raised eyebrows, to counter the effects of the "y'alls" I hear every day.A friend: "How'd y'all enjoy your weekend?"Me: "It was wicked good!"Sadly, I have succumbed to the quirky charms of where we now

Apple Spice Muffins

It's the holidays and I have yet to make a single batch of Christmas cookies. I've been so strapped for time lately that the girls have had nothing but boxed cereal for breakfast for days upon days. In this house, that's just not popular. The girls have been begging for muffins and I could not ignore their plaintive pleas any longer. Late last night I finally made a batch. These are good

Wilted Kale Salad

I have not baked anything interesting lately. This is stressing me out, since Christmas is just around the corner. I have not had the time - I've been working. Yes, that's right...I landed a part-time retail job - a year ago! I've been snapping up as many hours as possible during the holiday season while they are available. This is good for the bills, but not so good for the baking. Sigh.I

Curried Sprouted Beans

I've been busy sprouting things in my new spiffy Victorio three level sprouter! I love it - it does not take up a lot of space in my small kitchen and I can keep the moisture level consistent so my sprouts are neither moldy nor dry.My favorite thing to sprout so far are alfalfa seeds simply because Anna loves them so much. She'll grab great hulking handfuls of them and eat them on the run. I'm

Squash Flower Quesadillas

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. I just cannot seem to get my feet underneath me. I'm feeling very busy and very scattered, but in a good way. Life is busy, but good.In late August DH built raised garden beds and we planted squash. Crazy, I know, but we thought what the heck? It's been so hot since May, maybe the plants will produce squash in the milder temps of

Cinnamon Walnuts

Anna's third grade class is collecting family holiday recipes for a little recipe book they are putting together. I had the arduous task of picking a simple favorite recipe (most of my favorite holiday recipes are a little involved for third graders). I settled on this recipe - I've made it every year for many years, and every year it's gone in no time flat. It's easy, addictive and

Gluten Free & Vegan - Dumplings for Soup

Anna and I are both sick. So I made a big pot of soup for dinner, and to complete the meal-in-a-bowl, I made dumplings to go with the soup. It was fabulous....comfort food always hits the spot, but even more so when you are feeling under the weather.Dumplings for Soup1/2 cup brown rice flour1/3 cup tapioca starch2 teaspoons dried parsely2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram1/4

Gluten Free & Vegan - Pumpkin Muffins!

It's that time of year! Time to bake with pumpkin, my very favorite autumn baking squash! I have been dying to bake with pumpkin since diving into egg-free baking (a year and a half ago, wow the time flies!) but have mostly held off until now. Why? Some things just take time to knock around in my head before I can do anything with them. I love pumpkin breads and pies so much that I didn't

Lentil and Millet Flat Bread

So I have fallen in love with dosa (lentil and rice flat breads). I love them at any time of the day, stuffed with anything (especially steamed veggies) or just plain with a bit of salt. And it got me to thinking...why can't I use another grain in place of the rice? Such as...millet? For a little variety, no? It took a bit of searching, but I came across a recipe for Fox Millet Dosa (Korra

Lentil and Rice Flat Bread

Recently I visited a friend who treated me to what she called dosas, which are South Indian lentil and rice flat breads - basically, savory pancakes or crepes. I had been telling her about reading Wild Fermentation, making my own yogurt and trying to decide what fermented food to try next. She jumped up and insisted that I try her dosas, which are a fermented food and very easy to make. She

Stuff (Inspired by Mom)

My mom had a knack for driving me batty when I was a kid. When I was seeking information (which I'm sure she considered "pestering"), she'd give me non-answers."Mom, where are you going?""Crazy! Want to come?""No, Mom! Where are you going?!""Crazy! Bye!"That little exchange in particular would throw me into fits. Here's another good one."Mom, what's for dinner?""Stuff!""Really? Come on, Mom

Potato and Butternut Mash

I have been stuck in a rut as far as meals are concerned lately. One reason for this is because I've been introducing the girls to new foods and want to reinforce the idea that these are not just novel foods but regular on-the-menu foods, such as sauteed spinach with onions and beet greens with garlic (can you believe they eat beet greens? I can't!). So I keep presenting them with the same

Lasagna (Gluten, Casein, Egg, Soy and Yeast Free)

Life has been SO busy lately that I've had this recipe laying around for a whole month. What a crazy month it's been. This lasagna dish was a challenge - for a dinner where all in attendance had food allergies and sensitivities, this dish needed to be free of gluten, casein, soy, corn, egg and yeast. I could not use Daiya because it has yeast in it. How could I make a lasagna with no cheesy

Crock Pot Coconut Milk Yogurt

(Yogurt drizzled with maple syrup...yum, yum.)Well, I cannot believe how busy I've been these past couple of weeks! Many apologies for being so quiet lately. I have had NO time to post recipes, what with the start of school, meeting with Megan's school counselor and trying to pin down her teacher for a discussion about her classroom accommodations (sadly, the discussion still has not

Maple Yogurt Scones

After finding myself with an abundance of yogurt recently, I decided to make scones. Yogurt scones have always sounded very appealing, especially slathered with jam. These scones turned out nice and dry and not too sweet (the way I like them), but if you like scones that resemble muffins a little more and are a little sweeter, then add more yogurt and a little more maple syrup for a softer,

Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt

I recently tried my hand at homemade yogurt. I've been very into DIY lately and I chose to follow the recipe found in Wild Fermenation (making yogurt using an insulated cooler instead of a yogurt maker), substituting canned full-fat coconut milk for the cow's milk. I also read with interest the process for making coconut milk yogurt here at The GFCF Lady.

Making my own yogurt turned out to be

Shortcut Sweet Chili Sauce

Recently a friend came over for lunch. I had promised her vegetable spring rolls (next time I'll make these) and at the last minute I forgot that I had run out of purchased Sweet Chili Sauce! So I threw some together from scratch (with the help of some purchased Chili Garlic Sauce). It came out really good, better than store-bought! Next time I'll make it from scratch for real, with fresh

No Bake Cookies, Take Two

(These cookies look like truffles. Now that I think about it, they'd be cute rolled in dutch cocoa.
Now that I really think about it, they'd be great dipped in chocolate, on a stick!)

It was the motor. Our A/C motor up and kicked the bucket the other day. Even with the fans running it was so hot in the house, and it was even hotter outside. I like to joke with the girls that Sugar, since she

Roasted Garlic and Black Eyed Pea Dip

(The black eyed peas and roasted garlic give this dip a lovely subtle smoky flavor.)

It is over 100 degrees today. It's been like that for over a month. This summer has been just Too. Darn. Hot. And guess what we woke up to at 3am last night? A horrible squealing sound coming from the closet where our A/C until lives. It sounded like a cross between a fire alarm and a car's fan belt

Gluten Free & Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Because you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, here is another. They are crispy and reminiscent of Chips Ahoy, and they are good candidates for ice cream sandwiches!2 cups GF flour blend1/2 tsp. xanthan gum1 tsp. baking powder3/4 tsp. baking soda1/2 tsp. salt3/4 cup palm shortening1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 cup white sugar1/4 cup applesaucegenerous 1 tsp. vanilla extract1 cup

Carrot Greens Pesto

Recently I splurged on a bunch of pretty rainbow-colored carrots with beautiful green tops. A friend told me you can use the greens to make pesto, so that's what I decided to do with them instead of feeding the composter. I was afraid the tops would be very bitter, so I scoured the net to find recipes featuring carrot greens. Turns out, you can use them to flavor stocks, accent salads, turn

Peach Pie Filling

The other day I intended to make peach pie, but I ran out of time. So I threw the filling into a baking dish, topped it with Nut Free Crumb Topping, and baked it at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes and called it dessert. It was so good we called it breakfast the next day, too.As an aside...supposedly, peaches are easiest to peel when you dunk them into boiling water for a few seconds. The skin

Crock Pot Boston Brown Bread

I grew up with Boston Brown Bread. It is a steamed bread traditionally served with baked beans, but I liked it better served plain for breakfast with butter or cream cheese. I only ever had it from a can (B&M) and for me it was an acquired taste. It was dense and very filling, tasting strongly of wheat and rye and molasses. As is the case with so many other foods I introduce my girls to, I

Blueberry Kuchen

Blueberries are on sale! I love blueberries in baked goods and decided to make some blueberry kuchen for breakfast. I decided to follow a Penzey's recipe, which converted to being gluten free and vegan splendidly. It was easy to make, taking only a few minutes to throw together, and the end result is delicious. My pictures don't do it justice.For this recipe, I decided to replace the egg with

UnSoy-Ginger Dipping Sauce

Last week I tried making Gluten Free Gobsmacked's Radish Cakes. I also tried roasting them as she mentioned she'd done. As interesting as these things sounded, I'm just not sure I'm a fan of radishes. However, I am a fan of Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce! I have modified Kate's recipe to be soy-free. The coconut aminos make the sauce taste very slightly like coconut, but it's not distracting. In

Chipotle Sweet Potato Biscuits

I braved the temperature (hot, hot, hot!) and turned on the oven today to make biscuits. I had leftover mashed sweet potatoes - they gave my biscuits a lovely orange color with a hint of a bite. It was definitely worth it to turn on the oven. We'll have biscuits with dinner tonight and we'll split them tomorrow and enjoy them as sandwiches for lunch. What to use as a filling? I'm thinking

Beets from Our Garden

The other day I harvested two medium beets from the garden. For dinner I decided to cook them on the stove top because it's really far too hot to roast them in the oven. They turned out quite good sauteed with garlic, white wine and their leafy green tops. I regret not planting more beets, because they are so delicious! They were also different than what I can buy in the stores - a softer red

Pasta with Creamy Pesto Sauce

(Pasta tossed with sauce - perfect kid food!)


I went grocery shopping the other day and noticed that prices have spiked. Cereal we used to buy for $4.29 is now $4.99 on sale. Meat and fish are $1 more expensive per pound. Produce prices are inching up too. I didn't buy the cereal...and declared to DH that in an effort to save a little money, we are going to have Meatless Mondays (and

Onion Rings, Gluten Free & Vegan

I made onion rings for DH recently as a special snack while he was working from home late into the night. He about bowed down and kissed my feet - these onion rings get the DH stamp of approval. I did exactly the same thing with them as with Fried Pickles and they turned out just as crisp with a satisfying crunch. I don't know why it took me so long to try making them vegan - egg is simply not

Garden Relish

This dish is made with the vegetables and herbs from our garden, with the exception of the garlic. I'll have to try growing garlic next year, after we make our garden bigger again! I made this last night with just the tomatoes and served it on top of sardines, it was quite good. I liked it so much that I made it again today and added cucumbers from our neighbor's garden and served it on top of

Buckwheat Raisin Cookies

One of my favorite cookies has always been Oatmeal Raisin, and I've always added chocolate chips to the cookie dough (because life is better with chocolate!). I don't use oats anymore, preferring to use uncooked buckwheat hot cereal in its place (it has more character and a nifty crispy crunch), but you can use a cup to a cup and a half of gluten-free oats instead if you like. I've also cut way

Ginger Banana Scones

Scones are really not a fancy food. I think they are a rather humble cross between a biscuit and a muffin. They are easy to throw together but make such an impression! My girls always get so excited when I make scones, so I've been throwing together different combinations to change things up a bit. Here for your consideration are Ginger Banana Scones. The ginger here is subtle, you can

Blueberry Pancakes (Gluten Free & Vegan)

Look at the fabulous crisp edges! I'm so excited!Blueberries have been on sale recently and I've been busy making batches of blueberry pancakes on the weekends. After a year of playing with gluten free and vegan pancakes, I've hit on a combination that I really, really like. The edges of these pancakes get crisp while the centers stay light and airy - I really think they are perfect! The

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This dip so good it's hard not to inhale it all in one sitting. We like it with crackers and crudites. It would make an excellent spread for a sandwich, too. I like to make it with pine nuts when I have them, but it's not necessary. I love using Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax in this dip, but you can use breadcrumbs instead - start with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and add more as needed. Rice Chex

Sprouting Beans, Trial 2

Brown chickpea sprouts about 5 days old.I am continuing to sprout things, this time around it's random beans. My friend gave me samplings of no-name beans from an Indian market she frequents. One of the samples was a bag of small brown chickpeas, the others I have no idea what they are...one of the beans is the size of a chickpea but perfectly round and a cream color. Another is just like

Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce

Spaghetti with clam sauce is the girls' new favorite food! I can hardly stand how cool that is. They are becoming more adventurous with food...if it's in the garden they'll eat it! If it sprouts, they'll try it! I was very pleased when they wanted to try this dish. Maybe they'll grow up to be chefs...with their food allergies, that might not be a bad idea. Anyway, they both really liked the

Currant Scones

Recently I've been playing around with omitting gums in favor of pectin out of interest. Why pectin? Similar to xanthan gum and guar gum, it is used as a binder in many commercially prepared foods. It is also being added to some commercial gluten free baking mixes in addition to xanthan gum. A friend tells me she bought one of these commercial mixes with pectin in it and the dough it produced

Fried Pickles!

The other week out of the blue in a random conversation, a friend mentioned fried pickles and how much she liked them. And I suddenly, fervently needed to have some. So salty and crispy and sour, fried pickles may be my favorite fried food. Not that I do fried food much. Well aside from potato chips, but those don't count. Yes, my friends, fried pickles are simply divine. If you are a fan

Gluten Free and Vegan - Double Chocolate Cookies!

(There are not many better things in life than a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk!Featured here is So Delicious Coconut Milk.)Okay. Not to toot my own horn (although I kinda do, don't I, by blogging?). But seriously, I just made what may be my best batch of gluten free & vegan cookies yet! These cookies are soft, not too sweet, with a double punch of chocolate that simply begs for a

Sprouting Lentils, Trial One

Ever since a good friend gave us some of his excess lentil sprouts last summer (which were super delicious), I've been meaning to sprout my own. It's been several months and I finally got around to it. In all honesty, a friend who is greener than I am showed me how and talked me through it - apparently, she's been sprouting seeds and grains and legumes for years. Well, now I want to jump on

Cold Roasted Golden Beets with Maple Balsamic Dressing

I have a few weaknesses. One is for cookbooks. Another is for pretty produce. Imagine my intrigue when I saw golden beets the other day! They were such a lovely color and they were not any more expensive than red beets - I had to buy them. I brought them home, lopped off the greens and roasted the roots. While the beets were roasting, I sauteed the greens* with olive oil, minced garlic,

Turnip Greens with Garlic and Mustard

I have been too busy to play with new recipes for baked goods recently (though hopefully soon that will change, because I'm dying to tackle crumpets!). Instead, I have been having fun cooking vegetables. In the past week I've made beets, beet greens, kale, cabbage, cauliflower soup (which Megan begs me to make) and now, turnip greens. I've been meaning to try turnip greens for awhile since

Homemade Lemonade

Our weather here has been see-sawing between temps in the 60's to the 80's. People have been running around flaunting flip flops and tank tops one day in 85 degree heat, and then...psych! The next morning day it's 45 degrees. Soon the temps will even out and summer will be here. And what better way is there to welcome summer than with a glass of homemade lemonade?1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed

Spicy Sweet Potato Curry

I love soups and curries. DH bought an Indian cook book a year ago and has been working through different Indian-inspired recipes - one of the things I like most is the addition of dried red chilies to the soups and curries he has been making. He makes a mean lentil dish with chilies and spinach...it's so spicy and addictive that I've been known to hide it from him and keep it to myself. I'd

Potatoes with Cumin and Chipotle

DH makes really yummy potatoes. They are really addictive and even though they have a little heat to them, the girls (not lovers of heat or spice at all) really like them. What's even better than these potatoes are the potato skins DH saves and whips up for a snack at night. He's allowed me to share his recipe since it's really too good to keep to ourselves!Now, I've been trying for years to

White Bean Soup with Chipotle Onions and Roasted Carrots

It's been a week since I posted my last recipe (Ginger Lemon Tea) and although I have been dutifully drinking said tea, I'm still sick. I think it's a sinus infection, because for two days my upper teeth and gums have hurt along with my sinuses. While ginger tea is tasty, what I really crave right now are onions. Not only do onions taste good, they have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory

Ginger Lemon Tea

I am sick. DH and the girls have done nothing for the past three weeks except cough, hack, and sneeze all over me. All over the house. Even all over the cat. Now I have whatever it is they gave me. My mom has praised the virtues of fresh ginger and lemon tea for years and now I feel just terrible enough to try it. I'm not a huge fan of ginger (not even ginger ale) but tonight I threw some fresh

Uruguayan Pizza Dough (Gluten Free, Yeast Free & Vegan)

I make pizza every Friday. This is my very favorite pizza crust. I adapted a recipe for Urugayan baking powder pizza dough, and my gluten free version tastes just like the original. What's great is that it takes practically no fuss at all to make. It's fast, it's easy, and it hold up well to many toppings. It's not chewy, not gummy, not gritty or like cardboard. You can change its personality by

Mustard Greens with Garlic and Mustard Seeds

Calcium has been on my mind a lot lately. We don't do dairy (or soy), which cuts a lot of calcium out of our diet. Or does it? The more I think of all the greens we eat around here, the less concerned I am about our calcium intake. I am challanged as to how to get the girls to eat calcium-rich greens like DH hnd I do, but they eat sardines, which are one of the foods that are very high in calcium

Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

I have a friend whose husband is Vietnamese. They just recently traveled to Vietnam with his family to visit family members still living in Vietnam. One of the highlights of her trip was visiting an old great aunt who lives on a farm. Everything she made for them she grew or raised on her farm, and my friend said it was some of the most delicious food she's ever eaten. I am very slightly

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies - simple, subtle and sublime. What more can I say?Dry Ingredients2 cups GF flour blend (I used this one)1 tsp. baking soda1/4 tsp. baking powderdash salt1/2 tsp. cinnamon1/4 tsp. nutmeg1/4 tsp. clovesWet Ingredients1/2 cup canola oil1/2 cup brown sugar1/4 cup maple syrup1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium)1 tsp. vanilla extractAdditions1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate

Pasta with Butternut Sauce

Cold weather makes me want to cook squash. Lots of squash. I've been buying butternut squash on a regular basis and we've been enjoying butternut fries (the only way the girls will eat butternut!), but I was hankering for something different. And then, what to my wondering eyes should appear but Ina's recipe for Pasta with Squash, Leak and Bacon! There was a butternut on my counter and a snow

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

Baby, it's cold outside! I have not felt this cold in a long time! On Monday night we got treated to sleet accumulations of about 2 inches. The girls are thrilled with the novelty of making sleet angels and sliding down the slick driveway in a cardboard box (because the once-a-year snow we get does not justify buying sleds). Driving around is another matter, the roads have been covered in ice

Tomato Rosemary Muffins

This is a great savory muffin recipe, adapted from Better Homes and Gardens. They go well with just about anything - they are even good split and grilled for breakfast. I'll whip up these muffins when I have a yen for garlic bread and no time to make french bread. The girls like these muffins too...I should double the recipe because whenever I make them, they are gone in no time flat.1 tbsp.

Gluten Free Vegetable Tempura and Marinated Tuna

My dad made a trip to see us for Christmas this year. He is partial to Asian food, so we made sushi for Christmas. He mentioned tempura and suddenly, I really had to have some! My little sushi cookbook does not have a recipe for homemade tempura (it tells you to buy a package of the stuff, none of which are gluten free), but I found a promising candidate here at Chief Family Officer. I halved