New Things I have learned

So, as the winter weather seems to be hanging on for dear life this week I have just been remaking things, nothing new on our table, but I did learn some new stuff.

1. Earth Balance, my beloved Earth balance soy free spread has corn in it...sigh. I will be cutting back on how much I use it, and trying to sub some new things so be on the lookout for that.

2. In recipes that call for some sort of yogurt, non of which my child can eat!, you can use a mixture of hemp milk and applesauce. I will be trying this soon!

3. Hemp milk looks like a good thing to try. We have only ever used rice milk, but hemp milk has some awesome nutrition compared to that. Check that info out here

What new discoveries have you been making?

Allergen free Gnocchi and Veggies

We are still on an Italian kick around here, as well as switching over to a more organic/natural lifestyle, so we will be doing less meat. I think I have discovered a good selection of meatless meals that will be satisfying and since my family are meat and potato type eaters this makes me shout a big Yay!

I looked at the price of frozen GF gnocchi in the store and said forget it! Then came across a recipe for homemade, allergen free gnocchi from Cybele Pascal and it is really simple!  So that is what I use in this recipe.

Gnocchi and Veggies 

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup chopped tomatoes (cherry or miniature heirloom ones work great)
Sprinkle of basil
1/2c of chopped frozen spinach
16 oz gnocchi 
1 tbs Earth Balance soy free spread
2 tsp lemon juice

First make your gnocchi, it will take you at least an hour so plan ahead, but once they are made they can be frozen or refrigerated and served a day or so later.

Heat oil in large pan and add garlic, stir for about a min and add the tomatoes and spinach. Stir for another two minutes or so. Remove from heat and toss with the gnocchi and sprinkle on the basil, stir in butter and lemon juice. You can also add a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan at the end.

Enjoy!

Allergen free Honey Ginger Muffins

These muffins are super simple to make and have a fun twist for a light springtime flavor! My kids have been devouring them left and right!

Grease or line two, 12 capacity muffin tins.

Pre-heat oven to 350

In  a large bowl mix
1 cup of canola oil
3/4cup of honey
1 1/2 cups apple sauce
1 tablespoon ginger
Zest from a small orange or lemon
Juice from the orange or lemon that you zested

In a seperate bowl whisk together
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients bowl in small batches until it is all incorporated and mixed well.

Scoop batter into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 until tops are golden.

Enjoy!

Allergen free baked spaghetti

I have been missing Italian food A LOT lately and while I have come to terms with the fact that there is just no way to recreate a good allergen free lasagna there are lots of other things that can be recreate well. This week I decided to try a penne pasta version of baked spaghetti, because plain spaghetti is just getting old.  It was a pretty simple, and inexpensive meal and the kids loved it so triumph!!  You can also make some yummy garlic bread if you want to splurge a little bit.

Baked "spaghetti" 

2 bags Trader Joes Brown Rice Penne

2 Jars Aldi Traditional Spagettie Sauce

1/3 of a block of Vegan Diaya Cheddar, grated
3/4 of a block of Vegan Diaya Jack, grated

If you want you can add ground beef or turkey, but I make this for a meatless meal and serve it with peas or lima beans to add in protein.

Cook your penne according to the directions (this is a tip i never seen mentioned but adding some canola or olive oil to the water you boil the pasta in really prevents the pasta from sticking together)

Spread about 1/3 cup of pasta sauce across the bottom of a 9 by 13 dish.
1.Add a layer of cooked pasta
2.Add a layer of the cheese mix, go sparingly! the hint of cheese goes better than a large amount of something that is clearly not real cheese,
3. Spoon another layer of sauce
Repeat steps 1-3 until your dish is full and top with a sprinkling of just the Jack cheese.

Bake covered at 350 for 30 min, then broil on high for 3 to 5 min to get that browned cheese look on top.

Garlic Bread 

1 package of Udies GF french bread

Earth Balance soy free spread

garlic powder
vegan parmesean
oregano

Cut the frech bread in half, lengthwise
spread the Earth balance on both sides
Sprinkle with the mixture of garlic powder, vegan parm and oregano.
Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 5 to 7 min.