Cranberry Fruit Salad

1 ½ c. water

1 ½ c. granulated sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 ½ c. navel oranges
½ c. red apples
½ c. bananas
2 Tbsp. pecans, chopped

1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
¼ c. boiling water
2 Tbsp. granulated tapioca

1 pkg. dairy-free vanilla pudding

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar & cranberries. Cover over medium heat until the cranberries just begin to open, stirring occasionally. Transfer the cranberries to a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, dissolve 1 pkg. unflavored gelatin in 1/4 c. of boiling water. Add granulated tapioca. Let stand one minute. Add to bowl with sweetened cranberries. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare vanilla pudding as per label and allow to chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Stir in cooled vanilla pudding into salad mixture. Peel and cube oranges, core and cube apples, peel and slice bananas. Fold fruit and chopped pecans into the cranberry salad. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Product Review: Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I thought I had found my all time favorite dairy/gluten-free back when I posted about the Coconut Almond bars, but it has now been replaced by a new favorite....So Delicious German Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream. It is truly a delight....rich creamy chocolate flavor with a perfect amount of caramel & coconut. My mouth is watering just writing about it...good thing I have some in my freezer right now...what's in your freezer?

Natural Cleaning Solutions

Okay ~ so you're eating a pure, healthy allergen-free diet. But what are you cleaning your house with? Chemical cleaners leave toxic fumes in your home and can contribute to poor health. Try these tried & true cleaning solutions, not only do they work great but they smell great too!

All Purpose Cleaner (Mix in a spray bottle)
1 cup vinegar

1/8 cup dish soap (1 oz.)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup water

Glass Cleaner (Mix in a spray bottle)

1/2 tsp. dish soap

3 Tbsp. vinegar

2 cups water

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet bowl, pour a generous amount of vinegar in toilet bowl
Scour with a brush & flush

Laundry
Replace fabric softener with ½ cup vinegar added to each load’s rinse cycle.
Adding ½ cup of baking soda to laundry helps naturally whiten them and deodorize them.

Furniture Polish
Mix well 1 ½ cups olive oil, with ½ cup of vinegar. Apply to furniture with a soft cloth.

Oven Cleaner
· Dampen the oven surface by sprinkling with water.
· Rub with a very fine steel wool pad using baking soda as an abrasive paste
· Wipe away residue with a sponge, rinse with a damp cloth and let dry before using oven.

Drain Cleaner
· First use a plunger or plumber’s snake
· Slow drains can be improved by pouring one cup of baking soda down the drain followed by one cup of vinegar. Cover if you can and let stand for five minutes to let this mixture foam-up. This mixture works by breaking down fat & allowing the clog to be washed down the drain. After five minutes was away remaining clog with very hot water.

Mineral & Lime Remover
Soak a cloth in vinegar and wrap around a faucet for an hour to remove buildup.

Mold Killer (Mix in spray bottle, use on moldy places)
2 tsp. tea tree oil
2 cups water

Product Review: Udi's Whole Grain Bread

Our family is in love with the new bread by Udi's. We prefer the Whole Grain version, although a "white" sandwhich bread version is also available. The thing we love about it is it's soft texture and fabulous flavor. Up until this point, all gluten-free breads were very lacking in the flavor department and terrible in the texture department. That is why I spent the last year baking my own gluten-free bread from this recipe "Gluten Free Harvest Loaf".

My only complaint about the bread is it's small loaf size, which translates into small slices of bread. I will say, however, that the size of the loaf seems to have gotten bigger since we first tried it about 6 months ago. The upside is that the bread is dairy free, gluten free & soy free.

Try a loaf (or two) today. You won't be disappointed!

Lemon Almond Frittata

Here is a light and delightful recipe that is great for a Sunday morning brunch. We drizzled ours with pure maple syrup.

Lemon Almond Frittata

4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. ground almonds
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. sliced almonds (more for garnish)
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Powdered sugar (for garnish)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt, ground almonds, coconut milk, sliced almonds, lemon zest and juice.
2. Melt coconut oil in an 8-inch ovenproof skillet over low heat; add almond mixture to pan, tilting pan to distribute batter evenly. Continue to cook tart on stovetop until edges just begin to set, then put pan in oven and finish cooking, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
3. When tart is done, put it in broiler for about a minute or until just golden on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and sliced almonds. Serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

GFCF Buttermilk Biscuits

We recently found a biscuit recipe that we absolutely love. It's hard to believe they are gluten & dairy free and my husband even loves them. This recipe has been adapted from the Gluten Free Every Day cookbook by Rob Landolphi.

GFCF Buttermilk Biscuits

1 1/4 c. tapioca flour

1/2 c. sorghum flour

1/2 c. brown rice flour

3/4 c. potato starch

1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. sea salt

1/3 c. palm oil shortening

1/4 c. dairy free margarine

3/4 c. unsweetened rice milk

3/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with palm oil shortening.
• In a medium bowl, combine the tapioca flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and sea salt. Stir with a whisk to blend.
• Using two dinner knives, cut the shortening and dairy free margarine into the dry ingredients. Cut the through the mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
• Mix together the rice milk, coconut & apple cider vinegar to create "buttermilk". Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
• Drop by 1/4 cup mounds on baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly. Serve warm.
• Makes 16 biscuits

These are wonderful with coconut oil, honey or fresh preserves. It was even suggested that they would be perfect fore gluten-free strawberry shortcake. Happy baking!

Product Review: Multi-Seed Crackers

We found a new gluten-free cracker at the store that we *love*. They have a fabulous flavor, and could easily be served to a crowd of non gluten-free people and they would never know the difference. There were 4 flavors available, but unfortunately only the "Original" work for us as they are dairy free as well.

If you go to the company website http://www.crunchmaster.com/ you can print a coupon for the crackers. Also, I just saw on their website that the crackers are available at Costco...I'll definitely be checking that out.

Decadent Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse

My brother-in-law is married to a wonderful girl from Switzerland who shared her Grandmother's chocolate mousse recipe with me years ago. It was a family favorite for many years, but hadn't been made for nearly 5 years since we went dairy free. I decided it was time to tackle this recipe and somehow find a way to convert it. It was the most challenging conversion of a recipe I have done....but the results were incredible! It was the most decadent of desserts, and I could hardly believe it was dairy free. Try it, you won't be dissapointed!

Special Notes:

• I'm dividing the ingredients up into three sub-groups as they are mixed into three separate bowls and then combined at the end.
• Place two cans of coconut milk in the fridge for 4 hours before making recipe. Be careful not to shake them before or after putting them in the fridge, as you will want to be able to scrape the coconut cream off of the top.

Decadent Chocolate Mousse
5 egg whites

1 egg yolk
200 grams sweetened dark chocolate
50 grams milk chocolate (dairy free, we use Enjoy Life brand which uses rice milk)
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp. tapioca starch

2 cans coconut milk
6 oz. plain coconut milk yogurt

1. Beat egg whites separately until stiff.
2. Combine one cup coconut milk with 1 Tbsp. tapioca starch, mix well. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler with coconut milk/tapioca starch combination. As chocolate melts, add egg yolk.
3. Using the two cans of coconut milk, which have been refrigerated for 4 hours, carefully scrape off the thick cream from the top (use approximately the top half of each can). Discard the remaining bottom half of both cans of coconut milk, as this will just be the watery portion that remains. Beat coconut cream until stiff. Keep the plain coconut milk yogurt separate.
4. Fold together chocolate mixture, egg whites, whipped coconut cream and plain coconut milk yogurt in a large bowl. Stir just until mixed, being careful not to stir too much.
5. Pour into dessert bowls, chill for 8 hours. Serve & enjoy!

Corn & Bean Salsa

This is a fabulous dip recipe. It would go great at a sporting event or a book club, or a movie night at home. My 9 year old son loved it and couldn't keep his chips out of it!

Corn & Bean Salsa

1 can (1.5 cups) garbanzo beans

1 can (1.5 cups) red kidney beans

1 can (1.5 cups) black beans

1 cup frozen sweet corn

2 tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 avocado, diced

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Drain & rinse all beans, add to a large bowl. Add frozen corn, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic & avocado. Mix dressing in a small bowl. Drizzle over bean mixture & toss. Serve with tortilla chips.

Product Review: Coconut Almond Non-Dairy Dessert

I have recently discovered the most *amazing* diary free treat I've had since embarking on this journey 4+ years ago. The SO DELICIOUS Coconut Almond non-dairy frozen dessert bar is a delectable delight! Eating one is very satisfying and makes me feel like I am somehow cheating on my diet.....but the beauty of it is that I'm not! Try one today, you won't be dissapointed (and if you are I would be happy to finish off the other 3 bars in your box ;)