If you haven't seen this combination before you're probably thinking I'm crazy... But trust me, it's actually quite delicious! Let's be honest though, chocolate has a way of making everything a little better don't you think? ;) 

This is a great way to sneak some healthy food in your kid's dessert. Just don't let them watch you make it! 

But why avocados you ask? They're simply incredibly good for you and have some surprising health benefits. Among other things, can you believe they help prevent birth defects and cure bad breath? Crazy I know! Those are just 2 out of the 15 amazing things they can help do. (Click this article for the other 13 benefits.)

Enjoy!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Can be Vegan)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by fearlesshomemaker.com

Serves 2
Ingredients: 

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled + quartered
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup honey (use agave to make Vegan)
• 1/4 cup almond milk or canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Yum! I LOVE this soup so much. It's almost addictive. Right now as I type my tummy is so full! I should have stopped at 1 bowl. Ha ha. Even Audrey reacted the same way! Usually she says "No" when I ask her if she'd like more but today she surprised me with a resounding "YES!" 

Success! And it's completely Gluten and Dairy Free! :)

I love this recipe because the base is made from my new Gluten Free Cream of Celery Soup recipe (which is amazing just by itself). I've been craving a broccoli cheese soup lately but wanted a good Vegan recipe that was SOY free as well because Audrey has been reacting to Soy-based Vegan Cheese lately. 

So, believe it or not, this yummy, cheesy soup DOES NOT HAVE CHEESE in it! Crazy I know. Let me introduce you to a Dairy Free Cheese Substitute that we use a lot: Nutritional Flakes. (That's the secret ingredient in the Chreese packet.)

My husband calls this a "restaurant worthy" recipe. He's so nice. I'm glad I have 1 fan. ;) Wait, 2. Audrey likes my food too. ;) Hope you LOVE it as much as we do! 

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

Makes 3 cups
Ingredients: 

• 2 cups water, divided
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
  
• 1 can equivalent (10.75 oz or 1 & 1/4 cup) GF Cream of Celery Soup (or if you don't mind a little meat use  Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1 packet of Road's End Gluten Free Cheddar Chreese Mix
• 1/4 tsp Wright's Gluten Free Hickory Seasoning Liquid Smoke
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 
  

Directions: 

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat add 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup broccoli, and 1/2 tsp onion powder. Cover and simmer for about 6 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and tender. 
2. Add the Cream of Celery Soup and 1 cup of water. Stir occasionally as it warms. 
3. While the Cream of Celery mixture is heating, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then whisk in the Road's End Cheddar Chreese Mix. Stir until it thickens. Remove the chreese sauce from the heat and add to the Cream of Chicken mixture. 
4. Add the 1/4 tsp liquid smoke and heat the soup until nice and hot. 

Serve warm and store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

I have to share with you this next great recipe that came to us from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This week they are featuring specially gluten-free meals! I love this recipe because it's one featured out of this great book:

This recipe contains a fantastic seed (that is often mistaken for a grain). Millet is a tiny bird-like looking seed that packs a powerful punch of nutrients. It's heart-healthy because it's high in magnesium (which aids in lowering high blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attack.) It's definitely a great seed worthy of incorporating into your diet! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Recipe by Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine

Makes 4 halves 
Ingredients: 

• 1 lb fresh spinach, chopped & steamed
• 1/8 cup or 2 Tbsp dry millet, rinsed
• 3/4 cup water, divided
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 1 Tbsp cashews
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 & 1/2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Place millet in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until all water is absorbed (about 1 hour). Set aside. 
2. Bake, microwave  or steam the potatoes whole until tender. Carefully cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. Set flesh and shells aside. 
3. Steam the fresh spinach. Set aside. 
4. Combine the cooked millet, cashews, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt in a blender with remaining 1/4 cup water. Blend on high speed until completely smooth (about 2 minutes). Stop the blender occasionally to scrape down the sides. 
5. Transfer the potato flesh into a skillet. Break it into bite-size chunks  Add the spinach and warm over medium heat, stirring often. When hot, stir in the millet mixture. Cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes to heat through and thicken slightly. Scoop into the potato shells and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using). 

Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat using an oven or microwave. 

Ah man... Ranch Dressing is one of those things I don't think I could live without! It's difficult enough to find a Gluten Free mix but then throw Dairy Free, Soy Free, and MSG Free in there too and you might as well give up hope... until today! 

I do have a great Gluten Free Ranch Dry Mix that I LOVE to use but it's made with buttermilk so poor Audrey can never try it. I wanted to come up with a CLEAN ranch. One everyone could eat. Thankfully Food.com led me to an answer!

My family is so pleased with this Ranch Dressing, we're already on our 2nd batch of it! Don't worry, I put it on everything... salads, chicken strips, baked potatoes, baked french fries, and don't even get me started on all the recipes this allows me to create now! I'm excited for all the possibilities! 

Hope you're family loves it as much as we do! Happy Ranching. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, MSG Free, Vegan)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Food.com

Yields about 1 & 1/2 cups
Ingredients: 

• 1 & 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 3 to 6 Tbsp plain rice or almond milk (use 3 for thick ranch and 6 for thin)
• 1/2 tsp dried chives
  
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  
• 1 cup Follow Your Heart Soy-Free Vegenaise (You can also use regular Mayonnaise instead)

Directions: 
(I mix my ranch up in the same jar I store it in. It makes clean up next to nothing! Be sure to find a jar with a lid that holds at least 1 & 1/2 cups.) 

1. In your jar, combine the lemon juice (or apple cider) to the milk and allow to rest. (You're creating a mock buttermilk.)
2. In a small bowl combine all of the spices: chives, parsley, dill weed, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add them to the milk mixture. Plop in the mayo, cover, and shake up to combine. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes so the flavors can blend. Note: The ranch will very slightly thicken so if it's too thick simple "water" it down with milk 1 tsp at a time. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge. 
   

This next recipe comes to us from the Maxwell Family. It's a delicious recipe for Refried Beans! I LOVE this because we have been converting our home over to anti-canned-foods. WHY you ask? That sounds like a lot of unnecessary work but, there's a VERY good reason for it. Did you know they line food grade cans with BPA? BPA stands for Bisphenol A (a chemical invented by a Russian Scientist.) That's the ingredient you see flashing proud on a lot of baby products: "BPA free!" 

Technically, the FDA has banned using BPA in all baby bottles due to it's possible health effects of the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. YIKES! And it lines the inside of our food cans? Yep. 

Now, I know a lot of you love your cans. They're so convenient, they store well, you may even have those special racks that rotate your food cans for you! We sure do. But the risk of BPA is not worth filling those cool rotating racks. So instead, we FREEZE. We make extra large batches and freeze them in Ziploc Brand freezer bags (of which ARE BPA-FREE.) Basically, our food storage is in our freezer. See my special links at the bottom for our suggestions on converting your home to anti-canned foods. It's a lot easy than you think, the food tastes better, and it's so much better for you!

Thanks again Suzanne for this next great recipe! She says, "These beans are great for any Mexican dish or just an after school snack.  My kids ask for them in their school lunch with a little cheese on top."

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free) 
Adapted by The Maxwell Family from 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups dry pinto beans (rinsed)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 6 cups water

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker (crockpot). 
2. Cook on high for about 8 hours or overnight
3. When the water is absorbed and the beans are soft, mash beans and onions with a potato masher. Yum!
4. If you want a thicker refried bean, drain some of the liquid before mashing.  

I have a NEW holiday favorite!!! Seriously, does anyone know why it is called "Pound Cake" though? 
After creating this recipe I can take a guess... because I LITERALLY wanted to pound this cake down! We actually ate so much that I had to made another batch to take pictures! Ha ha. 
It's that good.

My husband was surprised how moist it was and tasted like the gluten version. You could definitely serve this to people and they WOULD NOT know it's gluten free! 

I love that it's made with almond and coconut flour so it's not only gluten free but grain free as well! Almond flour is packed with great protein (among other benefits) and the coconut flour provides great fiber and is low carb. And don't even get me started on the cranberries!  After you read about the benefits you'll wonder why you don't eat them everyday! In fact, cranberries are super cheap this time of year (after Thanksgiving) so you can save $ by stocking up and freezing some now.

Well, I think you're going to LOVE it!  ;) So, without further ado...

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Can be Corn Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by askgeorgie.com

Makes about 8-10 (1-inch thick) slices
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or to make corn-free use guar gum)
• 2/3 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder (to be truly grain-free use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot)
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp water
  
• 1 & 1/4 cup cranberries (I used frozen) or you can do 3/4 cup cranberries and 1/2 cup diced apples

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large bread pan with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond, coconut flour, sugar, salt, baking powder (or sub) and xanthan gum (or sub). Whisk to combine. 
3. In a mixing bowl, add your eggs and beat for 30 sec. Add the almond extract and water. 
4. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet and mix until uniformly moist. (Batter will thicken as it sits.) Quickly fold in the cranberries. 
5. Scoop the batter into your prepared pan and smooth down the top. 
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is starting to lightly brown and will slightly bounce back up with touched. 

Cut about 1 inch thick to serve. Store any leftovers (if there is any!) in an airtight container and consume within 3 days.

I LOVE homemade spaghetti sauce but sometimes I don't have the TIME to hover over the stove and boil the tomatoes down. This sauce is SO easy to make. You prep it and then bake it and the oven takes care of the rest. It's versatile as well. You can blend it to create a nice sauce or leave it chunky and serve over some great gluten free pasta. Either way, it's a hit. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan) 
Adapted by jalene & her husband Dr. Nielsen from a recipe out of the May 2003 Canadian Living Magazine

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 16 garlic cloves (that's not a typo! see note)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. (Cut the large ones into 3rds.) Set aside in a large bowl. 
3. Cut the garlic in half, cut the large cloves into 3rds as well. Add to the tomatoes. 
4. Add the oil, parsley, basil, salt, red pepper and toss well. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until your tomatoes are shriveled and the garlic is tender. 

While your sauce is baking, don't forget to cook your gluten-free noodles! We LOVE the brand Tinkayada. They have a great taste and texture and they're made simply from brown rice, rice bran, and water. 

Do you ever get bored with the ordinary? Ever want to venture out and try something new? Good. This next recipe is for you. Who would have thought to take the meat out of Joe and make him Mexican?! Introducing: Mexican Sloppy Joes. 

This is a recipe inspired from one I found off MeatlessMondays.com. (It's a great website if you haven't ever visited. Especially if you are Vegan! There are a ton of recipes. Not all gluten-free mind you but you could adapt them. Or if you need help on how to adapt it, ask me! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)

Created by Jalene from a recipe by Meatless Mondays

Serves 4
Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 & 1/2 cups black beans, rinsed & drained
• 15 oz or about 1 & 3/4 cup gluten free salsa
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Gluten Free Dijon mustard (you can also use regular mustard instead)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 recipe of my Gluten Free Hamburger Buns (or you can purchase your own)

Directions: 

1. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. 
2. Stir in the beans, salsa, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, cumin, and salt. Bring to a light boil and cook for 10 minutes. 

Serve on Gluten Free buns. Serve with your choice of cheese. Vegan varieties are available at your local health food store. 

Oh yes...it's another zucchini recipe! The stuff is seriously multiplying like a weed in my garden. Tell me if you're fed up with the recipes, but they're all a great way to consume this vegetable! You could always pawn it off to a neighbor if you're having the same problem as me! Come to think of it, we are constantly getting new neighbors where we live...maybe I should start giving out in neighborhood welcome baskets! ;)

This is one of my easy go-to recipes when I want to use it as a side dish for dinner. It's quick and tastes good. You can also make this dairy free if needed.  

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)

Created by Jalene
Makes 2-3 side dish servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size zucchini
• 1/2 tsp onion salt (or onion powder, I've tried them both & they taste great)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Optional: plastic baggie

4.   Place on preheated pan and cook until lightly browned on one side. Flip and cook the same way on the opposite side. 

Serve warm, refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. 

If you're not worried about being Vegan or Dairy Free, you can add 1 Tbsp of Parmesan Cheese for a extra yummy treat! 

Let me just start out by saying I'm no Stir-Fry expert but I love to eat it! There's actually so many different combinations you can do but we just had this one for dinner so I thought I'd share. If you don't have exactly these veggies, you can sub in other ones you need to use up. 

Speaking of veggies, did you know that you're supposed to eat 2 & 1/2 cups of veggies a day?! Man, how many of us are doing that? I know sometimes it can be hard! So, here's a great naturally gluten free meal that is PACKED full of veggies and with the garlic and ginger flavored teriyaki sauce, you won't be forcing them in your mouth either! I like to add nuts for extra protein. It makes a great Vegan, meatless meal. 

Directions: 

1. Prepare (wash, cut) all the veggies (if you haven't already.) If you need help on how to julienne visit HERE. 
2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. 
3. Add your oil, garlic, ginger, and carrots. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the remaining vegetables. One minute before desired firmness is achieved, add the Teriyaki Sauce. Serve hot over rice. 

Optional: Sometimes we like to sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Makes a yummy addition. 

Like I said, I'm no expert but here's a great article from someone who is. It's a great Q&A session specifically about Stir-frying. It's worth checking out: http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/a-cook-talks-about-woks-and-stir-fries/