Grain Free, dairy free, egg free Pancakes

One of my latest muses has been working towards less grain in our diets. Yes, we are already gluten-free, but my dear husband seems to be reacting to oats. A friend introduced me to coconut flour a while back and I gotta say it has been a fun addition to our diet. Not only do you increase your fiber without increasing your glycemic load, it's yummy!

Since pancakes and waffles seem to be a weekly necessity at our house, I'm experimenting with a recipe that works with no eggs.  

Ingredients:

1/2 c. coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda (gluten free)

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbsp warm water

4 Tbsp milled flax seed

3/4 c. coconut milk/almond milk (my favorite is the mixed one)

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp honey or aguave

coconut oil/olive oil

1) Place milled flax seed and warm water in mixer. Whip until frothy.

2) In separate bowl mix dry ingredients together.

3) Gently mix wet ingredients into dry mixture, then add in flax seed mixture.

4) Preheat griddle and lightly grease with oil, drop approximately 3 tablespoons of mixture onto griddle and flatten out to shape pancake. Lightly brown one side then flip and brown second side.

Try them and let me know what you think! 

No Tomato, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, No Nightshades Pizza!!

Just wanted to share a little encouragement for families with multiple food allergies! 

In celebration of being able to go out and actually eat as a family (without telling someone, when we get home I'll feed you more...), "Your Pie!"

Yes we had a gluten-free, dairy-free, nightshade-free, soy free, egg free, etc. pizza!!! And some dessert to boot.  Yes... I just typed those words. It can happen folks....

Our very sweet server who kindly allowed us to snap a shot on phone of her bringing our first ever family pizza meal at a restaurant.  [I think she may have thought we were a bit loopy and way too excited to just be eating pizza.]

They make an awesome pesto (green) sauce and use Daiya "Cheese" along with choices for vegetarian and fresh meats (instead of processed, preservative-laden sausages). 

Here are some links for you to check out:

http://www.yourpie.com/

http://www.yourpie.com/your-menu/gluten-free

http://www.daiyafoods.com/our-products

No worries.... I am not giving up on homemade pizza. Green Pesto sauce is in my future... I can smell it! :o)

No Bake Cookies (Revisited)

I've been away from the blogging world for a while. School and a major move consumed my time. But I haven't been away from learning about a world of new ingredients and foods to make life more palatable around here. So I'm back....

Coconut Oil! Yum, and good for you... just can't beat it. So in my fun one day (and lack of dairy products in my house at the time) I tried something and it just improved what was already really, REALLY, GOOD! So let's talk cookies...

Note: A friend asked for this recipe this past weekend saying that it was "Better than that expensive confection 'thing' they were selling at a local health food store that they always run out of because they only make so many each week." (This from my friend who is not a big sugar fan and knows so much more than me about lots of amazing ingredients. I was shocked to even know she liked my cookies! Hmmmm.....)  

"Gluten-free No Bake Cookies"

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter (or g-f margarine) softened

¼ c. coconut oil

1 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. g-f vanilla

2-3 c. g-f oatmeal  (I used the old fashioned kind)

"The Powdered Icing"

1/4 c. confectioners(powdered) sugar

1/4 c. coconut flour (optional... you can just use the powdered sugar)

1) In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, cocoa and vanilla.
2) Add oats and mix well
3) Squish together about a tablespoon size into a ball, then roll the ball around in the "powdered icing" and place on wax paper.  [Makes about 40 balls]

*** I'm just warning you... go ahead and make a double batch... those little things pop into your mouth and disappear before you know it! 

Options:  You can add things to this recipe like coconut or peanut butter or some flavoring.  You can even roll them in nuts also if you like.

No pictures today dearies.... the cookies go as fast as we can roll them out around here and the camera woman wasn't fast enough. Another day. Hugs. :o)

Italian Vegetables & Rice

V8 website has a nice little recipe to that can sneak some veggies into your kids' lives (or yours for that matter).

Italian-Style Rice & VegetablesPrep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
4 cups V8® 100% Vegetable Juice (Regular or Low Sodium)
1 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Directions:Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Stir the vegetable juice, basil and garlic powder in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the vegetables. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender.

Serving Suggestion: This recipe is delicious as a side dish or wrapped with chicken and g-f cheese in a (gluten free) burrito.

7 Ingredient Chili (v8)

Some days you need a quick fix. One a cold overcast day in the Ozarks, this could work to feed some hungry family. (Note: this is obviously not night-shade free)
7-Ingredient Chili
(from the V8 website)

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 lb. ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 1/2 cups V8® 100% Vegetable Juice (Regular or Low Sodium)
1 small green pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cans (about 15 ounces each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Cook the turkey, onion, chili powder and cumin in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked through, stirring often.

Add the vegetable juice, pepper and beans to the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with baked potatoes with sour cream and chives. For dessert serve fresh apple slices.

No Tomato BBQ Sauce

I am sooo excited! Something happened today that had my #3 child jumping for joy.

We have searched and tried for quite some time to find BBQ sauce without tomatoes that is palatable for a child. (There's a reason they put sugar in the ketchup.) Since nightshades and additives are a big "no-no", store bought sauces have not worked for us. Today we had a roast in our old friend the crockpot and a some serious hankering for BBQ.

Once again I googled and searched. Then viola'!!!  There was this allergy friendly recipe made with common household items. (What a concept!) I cut, paste and printed that bad boy then handed the recipes to my hubby. "Have at it," I said. "Let us see how it turns out."

Umm.... YUM, it was!
Thank you Mr. Riches at About.com for making one night-shade free kid happy and his mama proud.


(By Derrick Riches, About.com Guide)

Sweet Mustard Barbecue Sauce

This is a mustard-based barbecue sauce, which might sound strange to a few people, but is actually a delicious Southern barbecue sauce. The combination of mustard and molasses gives barbecued meats a sweet and sour flavor.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
• 1 cup prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (we left out the cayenne, because we think it's a nightshade and it was totally yummy without it)

Preparation:

Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan. Add enough vinegar to make a mixable paste. Mix well. Place over high heat and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-------------
NOTE: throw this stuff in with your roast and let is simmer on slow.... melt in your mouth BBQ shall ensue.

Quick Rice YUM!

This recipe was born out of a need to make something quick with what was on hand. Also, I was truly hankering for some recipes with some coconut flavor but lacked some ingredients. So I played around and it turned out great!

Quick RICE Yum

2-3 c. cooked brown rice (sweet is yum)
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 large carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, powdered (or use fresh)
1/2 tsp curry
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. dates, chopped (or raisins)
1/4 c. chopped almonds
2-3 c. water (or you could use coconut milk and omit coconut flour)
1 c. green beans (already cooked)
1 c. kidney beans (already cooked)
¼ c. coconut flour

In a skillet, heat oil and add sesame seeds. When they begin to pop, stir in onion and carrot shavings. Cook for a few minutes until the onions begin to get soft, then stir in curry, garlic, cilantro and salt. Combine well, then add rice, beans, nuts and dates. Add the water and stir well. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer on low until flavor is cooked through.

Serves 4-6

The fun part of this recipe if that you can vary the beans/vegetables. You can omit the coconut if it’s not your thing. You can cook the rice/fresh green beans with all the seasonings on low (or use your handy, dandy crockpot). Have fun!