If there's one thing I LOVE to eat it's Fettuccine Alfredo (if you couldn't tell already from my "About Us" page.) The only problem- the dairy. Gluten is easy to get rid of because I can easily sub out the gluten-infested noodles for Tinkyada's Gluten Free Fettuccine Noodles and I don't even notice a difference! But the Alfredo-now that's a tricky one. 

I have tried all sorts of dairy free Alfredos. Some made from cashews, some prepackaged from the store, some made from gluten free flours and I have not been satisfied! Luckily for me, longing is a great inventor of amazing dishes and this next dish is amazing! I'm so pleased that it turned out so well! I always ask my husband is a recipe is "website worthy" and he said, "Honey, this is restaurant worthy." ;) What a sweetie! Enjoy!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)
Created by jalene

Start to finish less than 10 min
Makes about 2 & 1/2 cups
Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup Vegan Earth Balance Butter 
• 1/2 cup Vegan Chive & Garlic Cream Cheese Alternative (I used Galaxy Nutritional Foods' Brand- You can find it at health food stores in refrigerated section)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
  
• 1/4 tsp onion powder 
  
• 1 can (13.5oz) Coconut Milk
• 2 Tbsp Nutritional Flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cream cheese. Add the garlic and onion powder then stir in the coconut milk. 
2. Bring to a boil then add the nutritional flakes, salt and pepper. Serve warm. 

Keep unused portion in an airtight container in the fridge.

The great thing about this dish is that you can't tell it's made from coconut milk (unless it's reheated). But even when it is reheated, its only a slight taste. For this reason I recommend making this fresh when you need it. 

Also, I always carefully read the list of ingredients on anything prepackaged that I buy. When shopping for "dairy free" items, I have found a HELPFUL trick! IF THE LABEL SAYS "VEGAN" IT'S ALSO DAIRY FREE! And thanks to all the Vegan consumers out there, there are a lot more Dairy Free options in the grocery stores today! 

I learned this great tip from my cousin last week. She says she replaces oat flour for wheat flour 1:1 in any regular recipe and she has great results! I admit I was a little skeptical because I have tried some oat flour items and they have turned out too moist or soggy. But, with a little bit of faith, I tried this out with my daughter yesterday... and they were a hit! 

They have an amazing taste (even with a sub of rice milk for regular milk), they pull apart from the muffin paper perfectly, and they stay  moist (but not too moist). I wish I could report how they do on days to follow but we polished all 9 of them off today! Audrey kept asking for "more fuffin!" (which is so cute because she can obviously say the "m" sound in more but apparently not for muffin. ;) So cute. Happy eating!

(Gluten-Free, Can be Dairy-Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Blendtec

Makes 9 muffins (weird number I know but that's just how it worked out)
Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup milk (or milk substitute to make it dairy free)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup oat flour (or you can make your own by grinding 1 cup of gluten free oats)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup organic evaporated cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a Blendtec or food processor, add all of the ingredients except for the blueberries. Blend on low until combined. 
3. You can fold in blueberries at this point or you can wait and add them later to the batter after it's poured into the tins. (I do this because I usually end up with 8 blueberries in 1 muffin and 2 in another.)
4. Line 9 muffin tins with liners. Divide batter evenly among 9 tins. Should be about 2/3 full. 
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. My muffins didn't brown very much on top. 

So I've been playing around with my dinner roll recipe and I've been able to do quite a bit with it! This next recipe turns out amazing. The hamburger buns are MOIST, not-distracting, have a GREAT TASTE and easy to make. The whole process can be done in under an hour which is such an improvement from some other hamburger bun recipes I've seen. You can also make it dairy free if you prefer. I like my hamburger buns a little dried out so you can make these the day before you have hamburgers too to save time. 

Great news too, these can also be FROZEN! Simply freeze them after cooling completely in an airtight ziplock bag. To thaw you can throw them in the oven at 350 for about 5-7 minutes or thaw them on the counter or in the microwave. 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)

Created by jalene but inspired by  a recipe from Carol Kicinski 

Makes 11-12 hamburger buns
Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cups warm milk or to be DF use plain rice or almond milk (about 105 F)
• 1 & 1/2 cups sweet white rice flour (or you can grind your own from calrose rice)
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup potato starch (not flour)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 3 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 & 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/4 cup butter or Earth Balance Butter Sub (dairy free option)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

2.   In a small bowl combine the yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Cover with a towel and let sit 6-8 minutes or until the yeast has doubled in size. (2 cups should become 4 cups).

3.   In a mixing bowl or food processor combine rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. 

4.   Add the yeast mixture, 2 eggs, butter sub, honey and apple cider vinegar and blend while scraping sides. Mix for 3 minutes longer on medium speed.

5.   Scoop 1/2 cup dough out onto a cookie sheet forming a circular mound. 

6.   Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with olive oil and place on top of the rolls. Let rise 30-35 minutes. The last 10 minutes, preheat your oven to 375 F.  Discard plastic wrap. 

7.   Bake for around 15-20 minutes or until tops are light golden brown.  Slice in half and serve with your favorite burger!

To store: Cool completely then keep in an airtight container. Can also frozen for later use. 

Some gluten free baking has to be done very PRECISE in order to turn out correctly. This recipe is no exception. If your buns flattened or turned out incorrectly check these helpful tips to trouble-shoot where it went wrong: 

• Double check all the ingredients- be sure you leave nothing out. Be sure you used the correct ingredient. For example, potato STARCH is not not the same as potato flour. Potato flour is heavy and dense and will dramatically change the results of your product. 
• Be sure to measure your flour correctly. To correctly measure flour, use a spoon to lightly scoop flour out of its container into a measuring cup. Continue until the cup is overflowing. Then use the back side of a knife to level off the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup. (Too much flour, and your product will be tough and dry. Too little flour, and your product will collapse when it comes out of the oven, and have wet spots and dense layers.)
• Check your yeast.  In step #2 above you mix your milk, yeast and sugar. This should double in size. If it does not, your yeast is not active and won't produce good results when baking these buns. Also, if your risen yeast mixture collapses when it is touched, chances are your rolls will do the same thing fresh out of the oven. 
• Be sure to let the buns rise before baking.  These buns need 30 minutes to increase in size. This allows air pockets to form from the yeast and baking powder. If you don't allow them to rise, they will turn out dense and dry. 
• Be sure your oven is preheated BEFORE placing your buns in the oven.  One time I made these  and plop them in the oven before it had a chance to fully heat. The buns flattened! So this is one step I closely follow.

If you caught my post last week I posted a fantastic freezable gluten free and dairy free pizza crust. It makes an excellent basic pizza crust that holds together well and tastes really close to a real gluten-infested crust! 

But then I started thinking, "Man, wouldn't it be nice to have a gluten free crust you could cook on a pizza stone? Now that would be awesome." I had a gluten-infested recipe that I was trying to copy but the trouble with gluten free dough is that it's SO STICKY and doesn't work like a regular dough. After a bright idea I finally did it! You are going to be amazed at this crust! It raises well before cooking and develops a excellent crunch on the edges while cooking. This seriously might be your new favorite crust.  

I think it's actually easier than the freezable version because you can simply roll it out. (I took a lot of pictures so you could see just how easy it is.) IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PIZZA STONE, don't fret it. Just use a pizza pan that can withstand cooking at 500 degrees F. 
 
(P.S. I LOVE this pizza sauce on it. Give it a try!)

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free) 

Created by jalene but inspired from a recipe by the baking beauties

Yields two 14-inch pizza crusts
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup non-GMO cornstarch
• 3/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1 & 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 2 & 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp instant yeast
• 1 & 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 & 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
• 2 & 1/2 Tbsp oil (not olive oil, see note)
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup warm milk or rice milk (about 110 degrees F)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

5.   With a rolling pin, roll out the crust to your desired thickness. It will raise almost 1/3 of the amount. (I rolled mine to about 1/3 of an inch thick.) 

6.   Remove the top layer of parchment paper and save (for prep of the 2nd crust). 

7.   Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.  Let dough rise for at least 35 minutes. 

Does't that crust look amazing for being gluten free?! 

While the first crust is rising start on your 2nd crust following the same method as above. 

At this point I place my crust onto my pizza slider thingy (not sure what the technical name is for it...) but you don't have to have one of these. Just improvise. 

8.    Top with your favorite toppings and slide into the oven onto your pizza stone. Now I know what you're thinking...parchment paper can only go to 425 degrees... 
So this part is really important: After 4 minutes of cooking, pull out the parchment paper from under your cooking pizza. (If you are using foil, you DON'T have to remove it. It can simply bake the entire time on it.)


Bake for a total of 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.  Enjoy! 

I DON'T recommend using olive oil for this recipe because the smoking point is 350 degrees. Smoking points are important to know because oils will break down and can become very harmful to your body. For the technical version read this quote: 

"decomposition results in the creation of hydroperoxids and then increasing levels of aldehydes. (Aldehydes are toxic compounds and recognized “markers of oxidative stress in cells” and are known contributors to “degenerative illnesses.” What does this mean for anyone who eats rancid oil? They just invited in a Trojan Horse of free radicals galore that are now beginning their violent pillaging of the person’s innards."

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/oil-fat-overheat-smoking-point/#ixzz21CIl6dZ6

Vegan mozzerella cheese works amazing on this crust/method too. Audrey's cheese only piece is pictured to the right.  I have also found the higher cooking temperature is BETTER for Vegan cheese because it was not melting like normal mozzarella does at a lower cooking temperature. 

If you're anything like me...on those super warm summer days it's really hard to get up the desire to cook a hot dinner. Heating up the oven is the last thing I want to do! But this recipe is one of those mix it, leave it, and then love it recipes! It only has 3 ingredients and takes just a couple of minutes to throw everything in. Then stand back and let the crock-pot do the work while you play! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Andrea and it's been an instant hit! 

This recipe feeds about 4 so you may want to double it for larger groups. You can also double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for quick meals another time. Enjoy!

(Gluten Free & Dairy Free)

Created by jalene's sister-in-law ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cups of cooked black beans or 1 can, rinsed and drained
• 1 pint fresh salsa
• 2 chicken breasts (can be frozen)

Directions: 

1. Place all the ingredients into a crock-pot on high. Cover and let simmer 6-8 hours. Shred the last 30 minutes before eating. 

We serve ours with corn tortillas, avocado or guacamole dip, salsa, and lettuce. YUM!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze. 

One of the biggest complaints that I hear from people about being gluten free is about the BREAD. "It's like eating sawdust!" "It's SO dry, it just crumbles when you eat it." 

WELL NOT THIS ONE! 

You will be so pleasantly surprised when you try these next rolls. I took 24 of them to a family reunion for sandwiches and before you know it they were gone! I love this recipe so much I'm experimenting with it to create other variations (soon to come)! Until then, enjoy these basic dinner rolls. They're moist, hold together well, taste really similar to a regular dinner roll, and they are great for sandwiches. 
  

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Carol Kicinski 

Makes 20 rolls (using 1/4 cup per roll)
For 30 rolls use a recipe and a half
Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cups warm rice milk (about 100 F)
• 1 cup sweet white rice flour (I grind my own from calrose rice) (see note below)
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• ¾ cup potato starch (not flour)
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• 3 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 & ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs 
• ¼ cup organic unsweetened applesauce or GF DF Earth Balance 
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

7.   Remove plastic wrap. 
8.   Bake for around 15 minutes or until tops are light golden brown. 

Cool slightly and remove from pan.  These taste AMAZING hot out of the oven but they are also good at room temperature too. Store in an airtight container.  You can even freeze them and then heat them back up when you need them. 

I now use 2 cups brown rice flour instead of both white rice flour and brown rice flour. It's a little bit healthier and it still works out great. 

Summer time! 

I LOVE the summer time because things are relaxed, easy going, warmer... But this past week has been CRAZY! I even have been late on my posts which I never do! I promise to make up for it with these next couple of days. I've teamed up with my mom this week (who is also gluten free) to bring you some AMAZING treats. 

One of my favorite things to do on a summer night is to make s'mores! I found these great marshmallows at Sunflower Market and they don't contain any corn syrup! Hooray. The ingredients look A LOT better than the Kraft alternative and they were verified gluten free so I bought them. 

I also verified that Hershey's chocolate bars are gluten free. (See my post HERE.) 

The only trouble now- gluten free dairy free graham crackers are so expensive!! They are close to 5 dollars for a small box. Ouch. So with a little adaption, I took this gluten free graham cracker recipe and made it dairy free too! You're going to love them. They taste close to the real thing. 

If you're not dairy free, simple sub real milk for the milk substitute and butter for the Earth Balance butter spread. 
   

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free, Can be Soy Free) 

Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients: 

• 1 & ½ cups brown rice flour
• ½ cup non-GMO cornstarch
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp cold butter or to be dairy-free use Earth Balance Spread (GF, DF, Soy Free)
• 6 Tbsp Milk or Milk Substitute
• 3 Tbsp honey 

4.   Carefully remove top piece of parchment. Transfer dough to a cookie sheet. 

5.   With a pizza wheel trim around the outside to create a clean edge. Then score the dough into 3 by 3 inch squares. With a fork, prick the dough to prevent bubbling and help even cooking. Cover dough with the parchment paper again and place in fridge for 10 minutes. 

6.   Bakes 15 minutes or until evenly brown. (I usually scoop off the outside edge pieces and continue baking the center.) Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Break along scored lines. Makes 24 three-inch squares.

Some people were wondering what kind of candy we feed Audrey. Truth is, she doesn't have a lot of sugar! And if she does, it's in the form of pure maple syrup, honey or organic evaporated cane sugar. 

But she will inevitably eat candy one day (as all of us have) and when she does, here is a list of Gluten Free candies from Hershey to choose from. They do not state which are Dairy Free as well so I'll have to check the labels closely. 

The following information comes straight from the Hersey Website: 

"For your convenience, the current products listed below have been fully evaluated and qualify as gluten free using standards proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Please note this list is not all inclusive as we have other gluten-free confections.

The best way to determine if our products contain a gluten ingredient is to read our product label. This label includes an accurate, current listing of the ingredients in our products. Because, on occasion, the list of ingredients can change, we strongly encourage you to check the ingredient label on the package each time before you make a purchase."

Last updated March 29th, 2012

ALMOND JOY and MOUNDS Bars – ALLHERSHEY’S – BAKING ChipsHERSHEY’S Butterscotch Chips

HERSHEY’S Cinnamon Chips

HERSHEY’S KISSES MINI KISSES Milk Chocolate

HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Chips

HERSHEY’S MINI CHIPS Semi-Sweet Chocolate

HERSHEY’S Premier White Chips

HERSHEY’S Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Chips

HERSHEY’S SUGAR FREE Chocolate Chips

REESE’S Peanut Butter Chips

HERSHEY’S – Baking BarsHERSHEY’S Semi Sweet Baking Bar

HERSHEY’S Unsweetened Baking Bar

HERSHEY’S – CocoaHERSHEY’S Cocoa

HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa

DAGOBA Baking and BeveragesDAGOBA All Baking Bars

DAGOBA All Bars

DAGOBA Cacao Powder

DAGOBA Authentic Drinking Chocolate

DAGOBA Chai Drinking Chocolate

DAGOBA Unsweetened Drinking Chocolate

DAGOBA Xocolatl Drinking Chocolate

HEATH Bars – ALLHERSHEY’S KISSES and NUGGETSHERSHEY’S KISSES Milk Chocolate

HERSHEY’S KISSES Filled Chocolates – All

HERSHEY’S NUGGETS Candies – All

HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate BarHERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Bar (1.55oz only)

HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar (1.45oz only)

HERSHEY’S Syrup and REESE’S ToppingsHERSHEY’S Caramel Syrup

HERSHEY’S Chocolate Syrup

HERSHEY’S Chocolate Syrup with Calcium

HERSHEY’S Chocolate Sugar Free Syrup

HERSHEY’S Lite Chocolate Syrup

HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Syrup

HERSHEY’S Strawberry Syrup

REESE’S Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping

REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups – ALL Except Seasonal Shaped ItemsSCHARFFEN BERGERSCHARFFEN BERGER 70% Bittersweet Chocolate Bar

SCHARFFEN BERGER 82% Extra Dark Chocolate Bar

SCHARFFEN BERGER 41% Milk Chocolate Bar

SCHARFFEN BERGER 62% Semisweet Dark Chocolate Bar

SCHARFFEN BERGER 99% Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Baking Bar

SCHARFFEN BERGER Cocoa Powder

SCHARFFEN BERGER 70% Bittersweet Baking Chunks

SKORSKOR Toffee Bar

YORK Peppermint Pattie – ALL(source)

Make sure to note that the seasonal shaped Reese’s peanut butter cups are not on the gluten-free list.