Amazing Dairy Free Toffee

I make this one time a year....ONLY for the holidays.  Why, you might ask.  Good question!  Because I have no self control.  I will eat the entire batch all by myself.  It is THAT GOOD!  I try to make enough for all our holiday parties, teachers, neighbors, etc, but this is so good that it doesn't stick around for long.  I usually have to make several different batches of it so we have enough!


AMAZING DAIRY FREE TOFFEE

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy free earth balance butter (the stuff in the red tub)
1/2 cup Kirkland, ghittard or earth balance dairy free chocolate chips


Directions:

1.  Grease bottom and sides of a square pan 9x9x2.
2.  Spread chopped nuts in pan.
3.  Heat brown sugar and butter to boiling in 1 1/2- quart sauce pan, stirring constantly.
4.  Boil about 7 minutes, or until your candy thermometer registers at 302 Celsius (hard crack.)
5.  Immediately spread evenly over chopped nuts.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and cover with another pan or cookie sheet. 
6.  Let chocolate and toffee stand for about 1 minute, then when chocolate is softened, spread over candy. 
7.  Break into wedges after candy and chocolate are hardened or cut into small squares while still hot. 

Thai Coconut Curry

This is pure deliciousness!  I got this recipe from my friend, Terri Buckmaster.  This recipe is sure to please if you like curry!

Thai Coconut Curry


Ingredients:

2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 diced red potatoes
1 chopped and cooked chicken breast
2 cups chicken broth (divided)
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 chopped onion
2 tbsp. fresh shredded ginger
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 diced jalapeño
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 cups of veggies (I prefer chopped spinach, broccoli, and chopped kale)
1 can coconut cream
salt & pepper


Directions:

1. Place coconut oil, diced potatoes, and chicken in hot skillet.  Add 1 cup of chicken broth in skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink in center. 
2. Add remaining broth, curry, onion, ginger, jalapeno, and garlic to skillet.  Stir.
3.  Add veggies and cilantro to skillet.  Cook 1 minute.
4. Add can of coconut cream, salt & pepper.  Do not let the coconut cream boil.  Serve as soon as it is melted & stirred in. 


Serve with rice or quinoa.

Mrs Field's Adapted Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies

We just made the most amazing cookies & guess what?!  They were vegan, soy free, and gluten free!  I almost cried.  I can't believe something tasted this good & was ok to eat!!!!

Most of you have probably baked or at least tasted the amazing Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies at some point.  But, have you ever tasted them THIS way?  Now you can!!!!  Here is the recipe WITH the substitutions listed.

Cream together:

2 cups butter (I used 1 1/2 cups Earth Balance Butter & 1/2 cup Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil)
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs (we used 4 T of ground flaxseed & 12 T boiling hot water - let the mixture set for 10 minutes)
2 tsp gluten free vanilla

Add a little at a time of:

4 cups flour (I used:
                                1 cup white rice flour
                                 1/2 cup sorghum flour
                                 1/2 cup brown rice flour
                                 1 cup potato starch
                                  1 cup tapioca starch
                                  2 tsp xanthan gum)
5 cups blended oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
2 tsp baking soda

mix all ingredients

Add 24 oz (we added 12 oz) of chocolate chips (Guittard or another dairy free variety)

Bake at 375 fir 10 - 12 minutes.


Ok, so maybe these aren't "healthy,"  but sometimes you need something yummy!  These sure beat all those store bought cookies (bleh!)

Allergy Free Foods We Use Regularly

Here are some of the products we regularly buy that are gluten free, dairy free, etc.  I will try to keep the list updated as I think of more things.  I hope this helps even just one person!  When we were first starting out, I had a few people come along side of me (thanks Alicia & Tom Moore & Mary Lou Hom!!!) who were able to point me to certain products that were helpful in starting our overwhelming journey of changing the entire way we eat.  Yes, at first it is overwhelming, especially if you have never shopped at, say, Whole Foods, but after a while things get easier, you know where things are in the stores and you find yourself experimenting with all sorts of crazy ingredients you may never have even heard of until recently!  We have been on this food journey less than two years as of now, and I am still learning new stuff almost every day.  But, I hope what I have learned can help those of you who might be just starting out.  I remember those first months and how helpless I felt.  Anyhow, the Lord has really taken me by the hand and led me and given me much peace.  I still struggle at times (esp lately when we seemed to have regressed in our progress or to have developed some NEW allergies) but I am confident that the Lord will see us through it.  Take the Lord by the hand and let him lead you in this journey.  He will carry you and comfort you and he will show you that you are NOT alone in this.  HE is always with you and will give you the strength you need moment by moment!  I have learned to lean on him much more than I ever have had to before in our journey with food, and I thank him that he has used this for his glory.   

Products We Use That Are:

Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Peanut, Egg, Almond, Garlic, Amaranth, Lentil, Shellfish FREE

-         OrganicVille Organic Ketchup

-         Daiya Cheddar and Mozzarella style shreds

-     Daiya Cheddar Style Wedge (you can slice the cheese for sandwiches!)

-         Earth Balance Butter (we use the soy free in the red container)

-         Once again Organic Sunflower Seed Butter (it is contaminated, so Silas can't have it...I make his myself)

-     Cashew Butter (I can't find an uncontaminated brand for Silas to have, but I make my own)

-     Kettle Brand Hazelnut Butter (can't have this anymore, as Si is allergic)

-         Glutino Gluten Free Pretzels (YUM!)

-         Enjoy Life soft baked cookies (they have all sorts of flavors!)

-         Enjoy Life Chewy on the go Bars

-     Lara Bars (If you can have nuts)

-         EnerG breads (make sure to toast them before you eat it!)  We like the tapioca loafs & brown rice loaf the best

-         Edward & Sons Baked Organic Brown Rice Snaps

-    Quaker Rice Cakes (plain & salted) are a new gluten free addition to the list!

-         Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (use it to bake, fry, use it as butter, etc!)

-         Bob’s Gluten Free Red Mill Oats

-         Chex cereals (rice, cinnamon, and corn, & now chocolate which are newly dairy free)

-         Envirokids Organic cereals (Panda Puffs, Koala Crisp, Amazon Frosted Flakes, and Gorilla Munch)

-     Enjoy Life Cereals:  Very Berry Crunch Granola & Cinnamon Raisin Crunch Granola

-         Kix

-         Real Foods Corn Thinks (organic, original)

-         So Delicious Coconut yogurt

-         So Delicious Coconut Milk (I like unsweetened best)

-         So Delicious Coconut Ice Cream  (We usually buy plain Vanilla, chocolate, or Mint Chip)

-Luna & Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss

-         Organic Rice Milk  (I like unsweetened best)

-         Premium Gold Organic Golden Omega Flaxseed (for use instead of eggs in baking & I buy the preground stuff at costco)

-         Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening (palm oil) (for use instead of Crisco soybean shortening)

-         Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos Soy Free Seasoning Sauce (as a substitute for soy sauce)

-     Guittard Chocolate Chips (regular chocolate chip or dark chocolate chip, although these DO CONTAIN SOY LECITHIN and were manufactured on equipment that once had dairy on it.)

-     Bob's Red Mill flours for baking - Tapioca Starch, Rice Flours (white, sweet white, brown), Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour

-    Bob's Red Mill GF pancake mix

-    Bob's Red Mill GF brownie mix


-    Bob's Red Mill GF pizza crust mix


-    Bob's Red Mill GF cornbread mix

-    Edward & Sons:  Let's Do Gluten Free Sugar Cones or Ice Cream Cones

-   Oscar Mayer Selects hot dogs

-   Garden Veggie Crisps

-    Kettle & Lays plain potato chips (not made with soybean oil)

-    Brown, Batsami, & Jasmine rice, quinoa, buckwheat groats, millet

Meals I make regularly

I thought it might be helpful to write down some of the meals I make regularly.  Some of these meals do not work well on the rotation diet that Silas is on (because they contain too many ingredients), but when we don't have to worry about sticking to the bare basics, this is a list I pull my ideas from.  I hope it can be helpful to at least one person out there.  If anyone wants a recipe, please ask!  I will try to get the recipes up for each of these meals that require a recipe, but in the meantime, I can get one to you sooner if you ask. 

Gluten & Dairy Free Dinners that I regularly make

1. Roast with potatoes, carrots, beans, tomato sauce
2. Stew with leftover roast
3. Spicy walnut chicken & batsami rice (use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce)
4. Turkey tacos with homemade corn tortillas
5. Hot dogs & hamburgers (Silas is bun free) & potato chips
6. Split pea soup with ham, carrots, & celery
7. Chicken & rice soup with potatoes, carrots, celery, onions
8. BBQ steak with baked or mashed potatoes & veggies
9. Apple Pork chops with curry baked potato wedges & veggies
10. BBQ chicken with baked potatoes, fresh veggies with homemade hummus & ranch dip
11. Pizza (gluten, dairy, egg, garlic, soy free for Silas)
12. Carne Asadas with corn tortillas (use coconut aminos instead of soy for sauce)
13. Spaghetti with corn or brown rice pasta
14. Bacon Avocado Pasta
15. Chili & cornbread (gluten/dairy/soy/egg free for Silas)
16. Baked ham, sweet potatoes, veggies
17. BBQ fish, baked potatoes, veggies
18. Sweet Potato black bean enchiladas
19. Coconut Curry Chicken with jasmine rice
20. Pork Roast with applesauce/apple chunks, veggies,
21. Squash, potato, or veggie soup (use rice or coconut milk)
22. Teriyaki Rice King Chicken, Veggies, & rice (homemade teriyaki sauce with coconut amino instead of soy)
23. Boneless Pork Spare Ribs with BBQ sauce (homemade sauce)
24. Veggie Soup
25. Black Bean Soup
26. Chicken with curry mustard sauce, rice, veggies
27. Fajitas (with gluten free tortillas for Silas - corn or brown rice tortillas) with veggies sauteed in coconut & olive oil
28. Baked potatoes with all the fixings (we use Daiya Cheese, Earth Balance Butter, salsa, broccoli, onions, bacon, etc.)

Yummy Valentine's Day Chocolates

For my Valentines this year, I needed to figure out something that I KNEW was safe!  I needed to be frugal since the budget was tight, so I just used what I had on hand at home.  I decided to make my own chocolates - yummy!  Michael came home from work and could not believe I had made these all by myself.  He even called me his little Betty Crocker (I am not sure what that meant...either I am a scary cook normally or this was such a brilliant idea it COULDN'T possibly have come from me (ha ha), but I will take it to mean he was just plain impressed!)

I use Guittard chocolate chips (real semisweet chocolate chips) which are made in a peanut and gluten free facility and they contain no milk.  The ingredients are semisweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter), soya lecithin and real vanilla.  It does have a note that says it is processed on equipment previously used to process milk chocolate, but Silas is ultra sensitive to all dairy and this has not bothered him one bit.

I then proceeded to grab all the gluten, dairy, peanut, almond, egg, and soy free things I could find around the house.  Those of you allergic to corn will not be able to have the marshmallows (we used the campfire brand, I think...whichever ones specify gluten free) or the Glutino Gluten Fee Pretzels because both contain corn starch, but for everyone else, those are great options.  We used marshmallows, raisins, dried mangos, coconut, walnuts and cashews (which those of you with nut allergies will want to avoid, obviously!)
So, here is an ingredient list:
Guittard chocolate chips (or other dairy free ones of your choice)
Olive Oil (or coconut oil or something to smooth the chocolate)

(Here are some ideas of what to dip into the chocolate)
Marshmallows (Campfire or other gluten free)
Nuts
Coconut
Raisins
Pretzels (Glutino Gluten Fee Pretzels)
Your favorite gluten/dairy/allergy free cereal
Any dried fruit of your choice
Fresh fruit like strawberries or bananas

I poured one 12 oz bag of Guittard chocolate chips into a small pan and I put that inside another pan filled with water. Heat the water slowly (on low) and make sure that none of the water splashes into the pan with chocolate. I poured a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the chocolate to smooth it. Stir constantly once it starts melting. When the chocolate is ready, have your prepared goodies all ready to dip! I just used a few forks & dipped the items in the chocolate, then placed it on a sprayed pan to cool (I sprayed the pan with canola oil so the chocolates wouldn't stick.) With the leftover chocolate, I poured it into about 6 cupcake holes in my cupcake pan with some of the items (I used cashews & coconut which turned out really yummy!)


This was a hit with my whole family!  I think we will be making a lot of these in our future!  Enjoy, and please share any ideas with me that might make this even more enjoyable!  (For those of you who don't have tons of allergies, things like sprinkles might be fun to add to the top!)