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.

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.

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.

Pumpkin Waffles

I found a yummy pumpkin waffle recipe on a friend's blog today. It sounded so good I decided to convert it to gluten & dairy free. The conversion was a success and they were fantastic! Just wanted to share.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
1 1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 Tbsp. gluten-free baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. rice milk
1 c. pumpkin
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
1/2 c. canola oil
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Mix together dry ingredients (flour, xanthan gum, baking powder & spices) in a separate bowl. Separate egg whites and beat with mixer to stiff peaks. Add egg yolks together with rice milk, pumpkin, agave nectar, oils and vanilla. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, mix well. Fold in beaten egg whites, mix well. Bake on a preheated waffle iron.

The original recipe included a caramel syrup which was butter-laden and couldn't be converted. We drizzled ours with pure maple syrup or agave nectar and they were wonderful. Enjoy!