One of my sweet neighbors just found out they are gluten free so she's been trying out some of my recipes. She loved my dairy free Alfredo Sauce but then I found out she's not even dairy free! Oh my goodness, if you can digest dairy the more power to ya! Here is my DAIRY-infested version of Alfredo that we LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's Gluten Free and AMAZING. My family even thinks it's BETTER than Olive Garden's actually. It's serious that good! Enjoy ;)

(Gluten Free)
Posted originally by food.com

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1-2 tsp of garlic powder (to taste)
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Then add the cream cheese and cook until it is softened. 
2. Add the heavy cream and season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Simmer for 15-20 minutes over love heat, stirring constantly. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan. Serve over hot gluten free noodles. 

One day while I was out doing my normal grocery shopping I stumbled upon some fresh basil. And we're talking so fresh it still had the roots and dirt attached! But that made me think... Oh my goodness! I could grow my own basil and save a lot of money. Basil is easy to grow inside your house and is low-maintenance. Plus you get that "eating for free" feeling. You should try it! 

So whenever my basil leaves are large and plentiful enough, I make this next recipe. There's nothing like taking a plant straight from it's root and eating it. Of course if you don't grow your own basil you can always find it at your local grocery store as well. ;) 

I made this Gluten Free as well as Dairy Free so Audrey can eat it. It's so yummy, you wont even miss the cheese! Of course if you are not vegan, you can always sprinkle a little fresh Parmesan cheese on top for an extra bonus. 
 

Adapted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed into measuring cup)
• 4 fresh cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup pine nuts 
• 3 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Toast the pine nuts (Optional to toast them but sure makes the dish taste better!) To toast: place pine nuts on a pan and put into an oven set to 350. When nuts are fragrant and golden, remove from oven and allow to cool. (Be sure to watch carefully as they change quickly!)  
   
2. Combine the garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. 
3. Wash and completely dry the basil leaves. Place into a blender.
4. Add the olive oil and the garlic & lemon mixture. Blend well. (Scrap sides if necessary.)
5. Add the toasted pine nuts to blender and pulse until your desired consistency. 

Keep unused portion in an airtight container in the fridge. I usually consume it within a week. 

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 was watching Rachel Ray one day and she made this beautiful Pumpkin Penne Pasta dish. I was so excited about it I set out to make it gluten and dairy free. My first couple of attempts were so BLAH. Mostly because the original recipe she had on TV has white wine in it and she said to cook your own pumpkin and puree it. Well...let's just say there's a lot of different sizes of pumpkins and my recipe tasted like you licked the inside of a jack-o-latern. Ha ha. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad but needless to say, after realizing not any sized pumpkin would do, here is my version of Rachel Ray's Penne Pumpkin Pasta. 

This dinner kind of looks like a hamburger helper meal but it tastes SO MUCH BETTER than one! The great thing it's a spectacular way to get your kids (or husband) to eat squash because it's hidden in the sauce. 
 

Pumpkin Pasta
(Gluten-Free, Corn-Free, Nut-Free, Can be Dairy-Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 8 oz gluten-free spiral or penne pasta 
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• ½ lb pork sausage (natural with no msg, GF) 
  
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 
  
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (see note)
• 1 cup chicken broth 
  
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk if making dairy-free
  
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp sea salt 
  
• pinch of fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried sage powder
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg 

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt water, cook pasta to al dente. 
   
2. While pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add sausage, brown and crumble while cooking. Add garlic and cook 3-4 minutes. 
   
3. In a blender, add squash puree, chicken broth, coconut milk, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp oil, sage, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour sauce over sausage, add pasta and stir until combined. Serve warm.

Makes 5 cups

*You can use canned pumpkin or you can make your own by following these directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425. Split squash in half, scoop our seeds, rinse and dry them, drizzle with olive oil, and place on a small baking sheet. Cook until tender. 
   
2. Scoop our squash and add to food processor. Puree until smooth.
3. Freeze bags with 1 cup puree for easy future use. 

*I noticed my brown rice noodles sucked up a lot of the moisture from the sauce after being in the fridge overnight so if you're having leftovers, you can add a little more chicken stock to revive it. 

*My 1 year old has a hard time eating rice noodles. I think it's a texture thing. I got her to eat this meal by cutting up the noodles very small and adding 1/2 cup hot chicken broth to make a soup. She loved it then! 

As the weather is getting hotter, meals start getting lighter. This next recipe is a great light and healthy Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free pasta dish that is easy to throw together. 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pine Nut and Asparagus Pasta
Created by Jalene Nielsen

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Gluten-Free Pasta (uncooked)
  
• 1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (skinny asparagus works best)
  
• 1 tsp minced garlic
  
• 3 Tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
  
• 2 oz or 4 slices of Hormel All Natural Sliced Ham or Bacon, cooked and diced (optional) 
  
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
  
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When heated, place nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook 3 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Be careful! These can burn fast.
   
2. Cook the ham with a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan until fragrant and lightly brown. Set aside.
   
3. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir with whisk and set aside.
   
4. Cook the GF pasta according to directions on package. Add cut asparagus to boiling water during the last 3 minutes of cooking the pasta. Drain pasta and asparagus.
   
5. Add minced garlic, cooked ham, toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes (optional), and lemon juice mixture. Toss well.
   
   

Makes 4 servings, 2 cups each

Alteration:
You can exchange the meat in the recipe for chicken if you would prefer. Just cut into 1 inch strips and cooked before adding.