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.

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!

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.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Cupcake

Here's a fun way to decorate cupcakes or cookies for the holidays. We used gluten-free pretzels for the antlers, a dried cranberry for the nose and dairy-free chocolate chips for the eyes. This also works great with cookies by shaping he cookies into a triangle and baking the pretzel antlers right into the cookies, add the chocolate chip & nose embellishments right as they come out of the oven. Happy baking & Merry Christmas!

GFCF Sugar Cookies

This recipe was converted from my mother's sugar cookie recipe which I ate all through my growing up years. It has a slight lemon flavor which I think adds a nice touch in a sugar cookie. Enjoy these during the holidays.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

1 c. sugar
¾ c. shortening
2 eggs
¼ c. rice milk
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
3 c. gluten-free flour blend
1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon flavor
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Mix in rice milk, vanilla and lemon flavoring. Add salt, baking powder, xanthan gum and flour.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes and then rollout about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut with cookie cutters.

Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.

Watermelon Tomato Delights

We were served these at a wedding last summer, it was the only thing being served that was dairy & gluten free and they were absolutely divine. I have since made them a couple of times and had rave reviews each time. It is a strange combination of ingredients, but is very fresh and won't dissapoint.

Watermelon Tomato Delights

Watermelon, diced

Spinach leaves, washed

Grape Tomato, halved

Bacon, cooked

Balsamic Vinegar

Cut bacon into small square pieces. Layer one watermelon piece with folded spinach leaf, one square of bacon and a tomato half. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar.

Spiced Pumpkin (Dairy-Free) Milkshake

I got the original recipe for this off of this blog. It sounded so good, so I converted it to dairy free and served it to my children. It was amazing!! It's been 4 years since I had a milkshake, and this one was a treat indeed. Serve one up today, you won't be disappointed.

Spiced Pumpkin Shake
Yield: 2 servings

1/3 c. pureed pumpkin
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. coconut milk
2 c. vanilla coconut milk ice cream or rice-based ice cream
½ c. gluten-free graham crackers or gluten-free ginger cookies, crushed

Place 2 glasses in freezer to chill.

Combine all ingredients excluding ¼ cup of the graham crackers or ginger cookies in blender and blend thoroughly. When completely blended, top each serving with remaining graham crackers or ginger cookies.

GFCF Pumpkin Pie

I can't imagine having Thanksgiving dinner without pumpkin pie. We were excited about this great recipe made with coconut milk. I love to use coconut milk as it has a nice thick rich texture. Happy pie baking!


Gluten-Free Pie Shell
2/3 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
5 Tbsp. GFCF margarine
3 Tbsp. cold shortening
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. cold water
1 tsp. cider vinegar

Mix together sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, sea salt & baking powder. Add margarine and shortening with a pastry blender, or pulse in a food processor until mixture is coarse. Add egg and one tablespoon of water and cider vinegar. Add remaining tablespoon of water slowly, a little at a time until the dough forms a ball.

Place the dough on some floured wax paper. Sprinkle a thin layer of flour over the top of the dough, and flour your rolling pin too. Roll the dough gently and thinly, sprinkling with flour as needed to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin, until the dough is just bigger than your pie plate.

Gently turn the crust over onto a 9-inch pie pan. Gently pat any broken or cracked places back into shape. Crimp edges. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 375°. It is now ready to add pie filling.


Pumpkin Pie Filling
2 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3 large eggs, beaten
1 ¾ c. coconut milk

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Pour into gluten-free pie crust. Bake the pie in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 425°, continue baking for 40-50 minutes at 350°, or longer if necessary (until a knife inserted into center comes out clean). A llow to cool on a wire rack, and then refrigerate.

Turkey & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

This is a family favorite of ours, particularly after Thanksgiving when you are wondering what to make with leftover baked turkey. I got the original recipe from Karina's Kitchen blog, however her recipe called for cheese on top, so this is a modified dairy-free version.

Turkey & Sweet Potato Enchiladas
2 c. salsa
4 c. turkey, diced
1-2 limes, juiced
sea salt & pepper
cumin, pinch
2 c. sweet potato, cooked & diced
8 oz. can roasted green chilis
olive oil, as needed
12 gluten-free corn tortillas
1 c. pineapple, diced
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. zuchinni, peeled & grated
1/2 c. apple, peeled & grated

• Preheat oven to 350°. Pour about a half cup of salsa into the bottom a large lightly oiled 9x13" baking dish- or use two smaller pans for six enchiladas each.
• Place the diced turkey pieces into a bowl and squeeze lime juice all over the cooked turkey; stir; season with sea salt and pepper and toss well.
  Season the sweet potato with cumin, to taste. Add in half of the roasted green chilies & mix.
• Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and heat one corn tortilla until softened, turning it over once to coat with oil. Place the tortilla into the sauced baking dish. Add a spoonful of sweet potato down the center. Sprinkle with 1/12 of the turkey.
• Roll up the enchilada- seam side down, and place it at the far end of the dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, adding more oil, if needed to soften them.
• Pour the remaining salsa over the rolled tortillas. Add diced pineapple and remaining roasted green chilies and chopped cilantro.
• Top with grated zucchini & apples.
• Bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Gluten-Free Turkey Stuffing

Here is a recipe for gluten-free stuffing that I got out of a magazine a few years back. We have had it many times and it is amazing! We like to make it with Kinnickinnick Italian White Rice Tapioca bread for the bread crumbs as they have a nice texture to use in the stuffing. My husband, who is not gluten-free, absolutely loves this stuffing. Stove-Top Stuffing...move over!

Gluten-Free Turkey Stuffing
5 c. gluten-free bread crumbs
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 apples, peeled & chopped
3-4 chicken-apple or turkey sausage, chopped
1/2 c. dried cranberries or blueberries
3/4 c. gluten-free chicken stock
4 eggs or egg substitute

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread bread cubes on cookie sheets in a single layer and bake in an oven until cubes are dry, about 15 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté garlic, onion and celery until soft. Add apples and sausage and sauté until apples are soft (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat

In a large mixing bowl, combine bread cubes, onion mixture and remaining ingredients. Mix until bread is thoroughly moistened.

Use as much stuffing as needed to lightly pack turkey cavity and cook according to weight of the bird. Press remaining stuffing into lightly oiled baking dish. Bake covered in a 350° oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking to let stuffing brown, about 10 minutes.

Sausage Zucchini Skillet

This recipe has been a family favorite of ours for a long time. The original recipe called for sprinkled cheese on top, we of course, make it without, but my husband does add grated cheese to his after he dips it up.

Sausage Zucchini Skillet
½ c. brown rice or quinoa
1 lb. pork or chicken sausage
¼ c. onion, chopped
½ c. bell pepper, chopped
4 c. zucchini, chopped
1 c. tomato, diced
½ tsp. basil
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. lime juicesalt & pepper to taste

Cook rice or quinoa according to directions. Cook sausage with onion & peppers, drain excess grease. Stir in zucchini and tomatoes, cook until tender. Stir in rice or quinoa. Add seasonings, cilantro & lime juice.

(Dairy Free) Fruit Sorbet

This recipe has a fabulous flavor, and goes great in the Gluten-Free Graham Cracker crust, or can be frozen into popsicles, or just in a freezer-safe dish. If you like chunky sorbet make as instructed below, or the mixture can be blended before freezing for a smooth texture. Enjoy!

Fruit Sorbet
3/4 c. orange juice
1/3 c. honey
1 ripe banana, diced
1 c. fruit, diced (peaches, strawberries, raspberries)
1/2 c. crushed pineapple, drained
1 c. coconut milk yogurt

In a large bowl, whisk honey into orange juice. Add banana, diced fruit, pineapple and coconut milk yogurt. Starting out slow, beat until creamy. Pour into gluten-free graham cracker crust, or freezer safe pan and freeze.

GFCF Graham Cracker Crust

This is a very good graham cracker crust recipe, you'll never believe that it is free of gluten & dairy. For our gluten-free graham cracks, we prefer Kinnikinnick "S'moreables". However, I know there are other options out there as well. It's a great start to a yummy dessert. Enjoy!

GFCF Graham Cracker Crust
2 c. gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. agave nectar
1/3 c. canola oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch sea salt

Mix together and press into pie plate.

Cucumber Lemon Chicken

This recipe is a family favorite and I love to make it whenever I get cucumbers from our organic co-op. The original recipe called for cream and lots of butter, but I've successfully converted it over and my family still loves it. We served ours with a wild rice blend and lightly steamed carrots. Enjoy!

Cucumber Lemon Chicken

2 lb. chicken (breasts or tenders
2 large cucumbers
1/4 c. brown rice flour
6 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. rice milk
1 Tbsp. tapioca flour
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. dill
lemon peel

Peel, halve and slice cucumbers (approx. 4 cups). Place them in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt, toss and let drain for one hour. Pat cucumbers dry. Saute cucumbers in 3 Tbsp. olive oil until light brown (approx. 7 minutes). Set aside.

Mix brown rice flour with salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat chicken. Saute chicken in 3 Tbsp. olive oil until browned. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until cooked through (approx. 5 minutes). Set chicken aside.

Add remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock. Increase heat and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup (approx. 4-5 minutes). Mix rice milk and tapioc flour together. Add to skillet. Simmer until thickened, stirring frequently (approx. 2 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chicken and cucumbers to sauce and heat through. Garnish with lemon peel.

Chicken Bone-Broth Soup

One of our favorite meals, which we have about 3 times per month, is homemade chicken bone-broth soup. There is a lot of research which indicates multiple health benefits of bone-broth such as:

• Broth is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosporus & other trace minerals
• Minerals in broth are easily absorbed
• Contains glucosamine & chondroitin, reduce effects of arthritis & joint pain
• Rich in gelatin, which supports connective tissue of body
• Gelatin (broth) can also help with gastrointestinal symptoms, reflux and inflammatory bowel diseases

So we can see that broth has properties of being both a food & a medicine. Not to mention it is inexpensive to make & tastes great!!

Chicken Bone-Broth Soup
Chicken Bones
4 large carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
2 medium zuchinni, sliced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced
1 cup spinach, chopped
4 oz. gluten-free spiral noodles

We love to buy the rotisserie chickens from Costco, which incidentally are gluten & diary free (and quite tasty too). After using the chicken for 1-2 meals, I place the bones & remaining chicken in a pot, cover it with water and add a little bit of white wine vinegar. I then let it boil for 3+ hours. After which I fish out all the bones, and start adding the following: carrots, celery, onion and sweet potato. I let this simmer for about 30 minutes and then add the zuchinni, yellow squash and gluten-free noodles. I let this simmer for an additional 15 minutes and then remove from the heat. Add chopped spinach just before serving.

I typically don't add a lot of seasoning and we season it to our liking (typically just a little sea salt). My young boys have gotten to where they love this soup too and cheer each time I make it. Enjoy a bowl of homemade bone broth soup tonight!

Shepherd's Pie

I originally got this recipe from "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook" by Cybelle Pascal (a favorite cookbook of mine). It has become a family favorite and is very versatile. We typically change it up a little each time we make it. You can vary the meat and use chicken, pork, turkey, ground beef. You can certainly vary the vegetables included. You can vary the sauce, it calls for ketchup, but we have used barbeque sauce and even a honey mustard once. You can vary what goes on top, it calls for mashed potatoes, we often make mashed potatoes using sweet potatoes mixed in and I even topped it once with butternut squash. Enjoy and have fun with this one.

Shepherd's Pie

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup hot water
3 Tbsp. ketchup (or other sauce
1 lb. ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork sausage

Topping:
3 large potatoes, cubed (white or sweet potato combination)
3/4 cup rice milk
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook potatoes, when soft drain and mix with rice milk, olive oil & salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

Brown meat. Saute onion in olive oil. Add celery and carrots, saute for a few minutes. Mix together ketchup with the hot water. Combine all ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish. Top with thick layer of mashed potatoes. Bake 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees until potatoes are lightly browned on top.

Pork Roast

We have two different gluten-free pork roasts which the boys and I love (although my husband, for some reason, doesn't like either of them ;) These are great to make on a Sunday afternoon and serve on a bed of rice with steamed vegetables. Enjoy.

Teriyaki Pork
1 c. pineapple juice
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. gluten-free soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. ginger (fresh or powder)
1/2 tsp. garlic (2 cloves fresh or powder)
1/4 tsp. pepper

Orange Spice Pork
2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. apple juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 lb. pork roast
2 Tbsp. tapioca starch

Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Using either the teriyaki pork recipe or the orange spice pork recipe -- in a bowl combine top ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour over pork roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast, add tapioca strach and thicken gravy. Shred pork roast with two forks. Return to slow cooker and top with gravy.

Meatball Heaven!

I'm not sure who to give credit to for this yummy meatball recipe. I printed it several months ago and finally got around to making it and my family loves it! It is truly a tasty treat. It's been so many years since we had meatballs too, which I'm sure contributed to the enthusiastic response. Enjoy!

Meatballs (Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup rice milk

2/3 cup gluten-free crumbs (cracker or bread)

2 tsp. balsamic vinaigrette

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup sweet peppers, diced

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 lbs. ground beef, turkey, chicken or a combination

• Combine first six ingredients and crumble in the meat. Mix it all together and shape into 1-inch (or larger) balls. Place on cooking spray-coated baking sheet and bake at 375 until browned. Drain and cool.
• Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatball, but 1-inch balls take about 25-30 minutes. If you're unsure whether they are cooked through, cut one open to test it out!
• These freeze really well. Once baked and cooled, place them in a single layer on a clean cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, place the meatballs in a storage bag and put back in the freezer. They can be added to your favorite spaghetti sauce directly from the freezer.