Easy Home Made Pasta Sauce + Baked Mini Turkey Meatballs - Dairy/Soy/Egg/Wheat Free

 We signed up for a food Co-op! We pay $15 every two weeks to get a laundry basket full of assorted fresh in-season fruits and vegetables! (You can find out if there's one in your area here BountifulBaskets.org).

 Anyway, with that said, we've ended up with some produce that we normally would not purchase, namely tomatoes. I hate tomatoes (HATE them!!), but I can eat them once processed, like in pasta sauce. Pasta sauce is so cheap that I usually just buy it in a jar, but since we a. are trying to get away from pre-packaged and processed foods and b. have a bunch of tomatoes to get rid of, I decided to try to make my own. It turned out to be surprisingly easy and so much tastier than purchased sauce. I think I may try to make some in a larger batch and can it. Hmmm...

Easy Pasta Sauce

1 tsp  olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
7 medium tomatoes, coarsely shopped and juices retained

In a medium sized saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients, including tomato juices, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes.

Baked Mini Turkey Meatballs

16 oz 85% ground turkey (you can use leaner meat but you will have drier meatballs)
2/3 cup quick cooking oats (use GF oats if you choose)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chopped fresh basil

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until just mixed. Do not over work the meat mixture or your meatballs may get tough!
Spread about 1 cup pasta sauce on a baking sheet.
Form the meat into balls about the size of large grapes (about 1 Tbsp meat each), to form about 30 meatballs, and place them evenly on the sauced baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

You can then either serve this with your pasta sauce and pasta, or once cooled, place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer. After the meatballs are frozen you can place them in a freezer bag and reheat them in the oven, in boiling pasta sauce, or in the microwave!

Vegan Deviled Eggs - Egg, Dairy, Soy, Wheat/Gluten Free

  I haven't been posting on here much lately because I've been really sick. I had strep throat that lasted almost a month and a sinus infection thrown in for good measure. My awesome husband stepped up to take care of the boys, keep the house clean, and make sure no one starved while I lay about in a fever stupor, but it turns out he's not a very good cook (sorry, Chris!).
  So now that I'm feeling better, I thought I'd try out an experiment. This recipe came about because, while in the very worst stages of strep, I could not swallow almost anything and only eating popsicles and vegetable broth for weeks was really starting to wear me down. I needed some calories! I'd read that turmeric and garlic both had anti-inflammatory properties, so I thought I'd make some bland mashed potatoes with a dash of each. Well the resulting potatoes were light yellow and tasted just like hard boiled egg yolks. This got my wheels turning. Could I make deviled eggs?? I love love love deviled eggs but haven't had any for years and because of Jack's allergies, how sad that he would never know the joy of a good deviled egg?
  So I set out to find if it could be done. I found a few recipes here and here, which were good starting points but as both contained soy and Vegenaise (which contains rice), I really just used them for reference. The results came out fantastic. I was really shocked by the flavor and texture of the whites! They are so mush like the real thing! I only wish the edges had come out a little smoother from the mold but if I was really looking to impress I could probably clean them up with a sharp knife.

For this recipe, you really must have 3 important things:

• Black Salt (NOT black sea salt, but Indian black salt also called Kala Namak, which has a sulfurous, egg-y flavor)

• Agar agar powder

• a half egg shaped mold, unless you don't care if they are egg shaped or not. (My mold made eight 2 1/2 inch eggs)

So without further ado, here's the recipe!

Vegan Deviled Eggs 

Whites:

1 cup unsweetened plain coconut milk
1 tsp agar powder
1/8 tsp black salt

Yolks:
1 medium potatoes, skinned, cooked, and mashed (or 1 cup instant mashed potatoes made with just water)
1/3 cup unsweetened plain coconut milk
1 Tbs prepared mustard
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs dill relish (if desired)

Paprika to garnish

In a small saucepan, bring egg white ingredients to a boil, stirring frequently. Try not to create too many bubbles while stirring, as it will just create more work for you later. Remove from heat, pour mixture into egg molds. Using a spoon, scrape any bubbles off of the top. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all yolk ingredients together, set aside.

Once eggs whites are set, using a melon baller or small spoon, scrape out half sphere holes near the middle of each.

Pop the whites out of the mold by inserting a butter knife or similar object in between one side.
Scoop egg yolk mixture into a zippered plastic bag and cut off just the tip on one bottom corner.  Pipe mixture into holes scraped in egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve or keep refrigerated up to 3 days. These are suitable for an outside picnic as they do not need to be kept cool to retain their shape (something I was worried about) and they won't spoil as easily as their actual egg counterparts.

Creamy Enchilada Casserole - Dairy, Soy, and Wheat/Gluten Free

 I actually already have a recipe for enchilada casserole on this blog, and it is really yummy. However, this recipe is so different that it almost seems like a totally different food than the other, so I wanted to include it. While the first recipe calls for ground turkey, this uses cubed turkey breast. It also includes black beans and corn which give the recipe some texture, while the other is much smoother. And perhaps my most favorite part about this recipe, it calls for the 'sour cream' to be baked right in and something magical happens to cashew sour cream when it's baked; it becomes almost like a cheese sauce... it just totally made this recipe fantastic.

 I adapted this recipe from this post on AllRecipes.com, although I had to make many changes to make this recipe fit our needs.

Creamy Enchilada Casserole

2 turkey breast tenderloins, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can whole corn kernels, drained
4 medium flour tortillas (or corn tortillas, if gluten free)
1 cup Daiya Mozzarella shreds
1 cup Daiya Cheddar shreds
1 Tbs Mexican seasoning blend (optional)
1 recipe cashew sour cream (see below)
1 recipe enchilada sauce (see below) OR 1 10 oz can prepared enchilada sauce of choice

Cashew Sour Cream
1/2 cup raw chasews
1/4 cup coconut milk + 1/4 cup water OR 1/2 cup water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
 Place all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth

Enchilada Sauce
1 5oz can tomato sauce
half can of water
1/2 Tbs chili powder
 Place all ingredients in small sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat until boiling, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 375.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook turkey with cumin,coriander, salt and pepper until turkey is fully cooked through, about 6-10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, beans, and corn. Stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes, until beans and corn are heated. Meanwhile, mix Daiya cheeses and Mexican seasonings together in a bowl and set aside.
Spoon 4 Tbs enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Place two tortillas over the sauce to make your bottom layer. Spread the turkey/bean mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the turkey. Drizzle a little more than half of the sour cream over the cheese. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese. Cover with the remaining two tortillas. Top with the rest of the cheese, and drizzle with the remaining sour cream.
Cover dish with foil wrap and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.
Allow to cool 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Baked Penne and Roasted Vegetables with Smokey Cheese Sauce - Dairy, Soy, Gluten Free, Vegan

  Last week I bought a zucchini, a yellow squash, and an eggplant simply because I liked the colors. I figured I could find something to do with them but inspiration never hit me. This morning I decided to try to do something with them tonight or they were going to end up in the trash; the eggplant was becoming soft and not so bright purple. So then as I was browsing Facebook and saw this recipe from GoingHomeToRoost.com and it was perfect! I used eggplant instead of mushrooms (we didn't have any mushrooms), and really had to scale down this recipe as it was originally made for 12 full grown men. So this is my version, but you can find the original recipe here. This was really yummy, though Chris and I both agreed when we make it again we will probably add some ground turkey.

Baked Penne and Roasted Vegetables

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 medium eggplant
1 yellow onion
1 bell pepper
1 Tbs olive oil (or coconut oil)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbs Herbs De Provence
1 package GF penne pasta (or regular)
1 cup marinara sauce

Smokey Cheese Sauce:
1 Tbs Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread
1 Tbs GF all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 cup plain unsweetened coconut milk or other plain unsweetened non dairy milk
2 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
dash of Tabasco
1 tsp malt vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
1 cup Daiya Mozzarella cheese shreds

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion, and bell pepper, being careful to keep them all roughly the same size so they will roast evenly. Toss with oil, salt and pepper, and Herbs De Provence. Roast on large baking sheet until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter and flour together over medium heat. Whisk in the coconut milk. Add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients except Daiya, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese shreds, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions, but remove from heat and drain while pasta is still slightly firm as it will continue to cook in the oven.

Spray a large casserole dish with olive oil. Add drained pasta, roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, and cheese sauce to casserole dish and stir until incorporated.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Creamy Spinach Dip - Dairy, Wheat/Gluten, Soy Free

 Spinach dip has always been my favorite party treat, especially on crusty french bread. I haven't even considered trying to make some dairy free until my husband asked me before heading out the grocery store this morning if I wanted any particular snacks for the Super Bowl today. I decided to give it shot and this came out pretty darned good!

Creamy Spinach Dip 

1 cup raw cashews, soaked 1 hour and drained
1 Tbl water
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt (plus more, if desired)
1 1/2-2 cups baby spinach
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 Tsp plain unsweetened coconut coffee creamer or other non dairy milk of your choice
1 Tsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
1/4 cup water chopped water chesnuts (optional)

In a blender, puree cashew, water, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate while continuing with the next step.
In a small sauce pan, boil baby spinach until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain into a wire mesh strainer if possible and then use kitchen scissors to snip spinach into small pieces. You could also cut the drained spinach up on a cutting board. Set aside until cool, about 5 minutes.
Stir cashew puree, spinach, and rest of ingredients together. Taste and add more salt if desired. Refrigerate an hour or so before serving if time allows, and serve with french bread or even Ruffles.




 

Turkey Sausage Breakfast Gravy - Dairy, Soy Free with Wheat Free Option

  I've done a few different breakfast gravy recipes that were decent, but after a recent trip to Penzeys Spices and finding this breakfast sausage seasoning, our lives have been changed for the better! I now can make turkey breakfast sausage anytime with the ground turkey of my choosing rather than having to use the ultra watery Jenni-O tube of ground turkey sausage we had been relying on. I HIGHLY recommend you pick yourself up some of this seasoning mix. Seriously. Also, using coconut milk instead of almond milk really improved the flavor and made the gravy whiter than the previous versions. To boot, this recipe is a lot simpler in that you make it all in the same skillet without having to remove the meat. This is really good stuff, we had it for breakfast one day and then for dinner two days later because we loved it so much!

Turkey Sausage Breakfast Gravy 

 
1.25 lb lean ground turkey
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbl Penzeys Breakfast Sausage Seasoning*
2 Tbl Bisquick, GF Bisquick, or other GF flour of your choice
1 cup unsweetened plain coconut milk, plus more if needed
1/2 tsp sea salt
a few cracks of fresh ground black pepper

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add turkey and sausage seasoning. Break meat up with wooden spoon and stir until completely browned, about 5 minutes. Push all of the turkey meat to the back of the skillet, allowing the juices to come to the front. Add the flour to the juices and stir quickly to form a paste. Whisk the coconut milk into the flour paste until there are no lumps, then incorporate the turkey into the flour/milk mixture. If it is very thick, add more coconut milk. Remember that the gravy will thicken slightly as it cools so try to get it just slightly thinner than you'd like. Stir in salt and pepper and taste, adjust seasonings as desired. (For spicier gravy, add a pinch more of sausage seasoning). Serve over hot biscuits or toast.


 * The ingredients are:  salt, sugar, paprika, black pepper, dextrose (a simple sugar), nutmeg, cayenne pepper, sage, and thyme. I do not know the exact amounts of each, but you could try to make your own seasoning (and store in a small mason jar or other air tight container). Here is my best guess at the measurements for an 4-6oz jar:

4 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme 
  

Apple Sage Turkey Chops

  Turkey breast cutlets. I wish there was something nice I could say about them, but I can't. They are dry, filled with gristle, and generally awful. Around here it's very easy to find turkey breast cutlets, but finding their delicious cousins, turkey breast tenderloins, is a whole different thing. We have to go 40 miles into Fort Worth and even then the only place we can find them is the Joint Reserve Military Base which has limited to no access to the general public, especially not for grocery shopping. Needless to say, we don't get a hold of them often,so I'm trying to find more things to make with the dreaded cutlets.
  In the past, we've always tried to use cutlets in the place of chicken breast in recipes, but I mentioned to my husband that they seem more like a pork chop than a chicken breast when *LIGHT BULB* it hit me! What if I prepare them like pork chops? Maybe I could find a way to make them more edible and to be honest, I do miss pork chops. So I tried my favorite pork chop recipe and it came out really great. My husband even said if we fed them to someone who didn't know, they wouldn't be able to tell they weren't pork chops. The meat was moist and juicy and I did not notice much gristle, at least in my piece. I'd like to try breading them at some point, but for now, here is my recipe!

Apple Sage Turkey Chops

1 package turkey breast cutlets (usually 3 large 'chops')
1 1/2  tsp sage
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl GF all purpose flour OR whole wheat flour
2 Tbl olive oil
1 medium white onion, sliced
2 red apples, cored and sliced thinly
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbl brown sugar

Mix flour and seasonings in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of each cutlet with seasoning mix, retaining about 1/2 for later in the recipe.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet (use a skillet you have a lid for) over medium high heat. Once just barely smoking, add chops and brown, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove cutlets and set aside. (Turkey will still be uncooked in the middle.) Add onions to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add apple slices and cook another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in vegetable broth, brown sugar, and remaining flour mixture. Bring to a boil. Return cutlets to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 6-8 minutes.

Serve cutlets with apples and onion on the side and sauce from the pan drizzled over the top.

Crock Pot Corned Turkey and Cabbage - Soy, Wheat, Dairy Free

  Corned beef and cabbage is traditional St. Patrick's Day food, and some people (my family included) eat it on New Year's Day to represent wealth and health in the coming year.

  The term 'corned' really means cured or pickled with salt rocks (or corns). You can buy beef brisket already seasoned and ready to be cooked, but to my knowledge there is no such turkey product. Thankfully pickling a turkey roast at home was very easy, only requiring time to cure, and because I cooked this in a crock pot it basically made itself!
This had a very similar flavor to corned beef, and it was moist and juicy thanks to the brining.This was a fabulous substitute for corned beef!

Remember when making this that it takes 3-5 days to cure the meat. This is NOT something you can rush, it just won't be the same.

Corned Turkey 

brine:
4 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 Tbl brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbl pickling spice
2 cloves minced garlic

1 3lb boneless turkey roast, thawed and gravy packet removed (We use Butterball roasts with white and dark meat)
1 small bag baby carrots, or 3-5 medium carrots peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 medium head of cabbage, coarsely chopped
6 oz beer (Gluten free, if necessary. Dark stout is the best, in my opinion)
 2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup water
1 Tbl pickling spice

In a medium sauce pan, heat brine ingredients until sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Allow mixture to completely cool. Place turkey roast (netting still on but all other packaging removed) in a large Ziploc bag (we doubled up our Ziplocs just in case there was a leak!) and pour cooled brine mixture over turkey. Try to remove as much air as possible from the bag before zipping, then place in your refrigerator for 3-5 days, turning turkey twice a day to ensure an even brine.

Once ready to cook, place carrots, onions, and potatoes in crock pot. Pour one cup water over veggies. If desired, lightly sprinkle with salt. Discard brining fluid and place the turkey roast on top of the veggies. Pour beer over roast, then sprinkle the top of roast with pickling spice. Cook, covered, on high for 3 hours, then add cabbage to crock pot, recover, and continue to cook another hour.

Remove roast from crock pot and allow to rest on a plate for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with veggies and sour kraut, mustard, or whatever your family likes with it!

Taco Pie - Dairy, Egg, Soy Free with gluten free option

  Now that we've got our new computer up and running, I will be updating more often again! I had some yummy recipes from Thanksgiving that I want to share, but first I had to share this taco pie because it is soooo good. It is similar to the cheeseburger pie recipe I posted in October, but easier and more flavorful. This is our new family favorite!

Turkey Taco Pie with Cashew Sour Cream

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbl chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup gluten free or original Bisquick
1 cup vegetable broth
EnerG egg replacer for 1 egg
1/2 cup Diaya cheddar and/or pepper jack shreds
Earth Balance Soy Free buttery spread to grease pie plate
 Sour cream: 
1 cup raw cashews
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 Tbl lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425.
Take a small pat of Earth Balance and spread it using your fingers over entire inner surface of a 9 inch pie plate.
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil until hot. Saute onions until transparent. Add turkey and brown over medium high, breaking up into small pieces. Once turkey is just browned, add in seasonings and 1/4 cup vegetable broth. Stir and simmer until liquid is completely evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix Bisquick, 1 cup vegetable broth, and EnerG egg replacer until smooth. Set aside.
Scoop turkey into pie plate, trying to get mixture mostly level but not hard packed. Pour Bisquick mixture over turkey, shaking the pie plate slightly to evenly distribute among turkey. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese shreds. Return to oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is hot and bubbly. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place 1 cup raw cashews in high powered blender. Add approximately 1/4 cup water, just enough to cover the cashews. Add salt and lemon juice and blend 3-5 minutes, until smooth.

Store left over sour cream in refrigerator in an air tight container for up to a week. It will thicken when refrigerated until almost the texture of cream cheese. It makes a fabulous base for dips!

We love our taco pie served with salsa and cashew sour cream. You can also add shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, olives, whatever your family enjoys on tacos. Enjoy!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie - Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Soy, and Egg Free

  The gist of this recipe came from LunchBoxBunch. To be honest, the first time I made this it wasn't so hot, but that was my own fault. I put the cashews in water to soak and then a whole lot of things came up and, well... they ended up soaking for nearly 3 days. That results in gummy cashews that don't lend themselves to blending smoothly. So it was gritty and tasted awful, plus I think I didn't use enough syrup (because I tend to eyeball measurements more than maybe I should).
  But THIS time, following the recipe a tad more closely and with only a few minor tweaks, this pie was YU-U-UMMY!

Vegan Wheat Free Pumpkin Pie

Pie Crust
1/4 cup almond meal flour
3 tsp organic sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted soy free Earth Balance or coconut oil
2 tsp ice water
Oil or more melted Earth Balance to grease pie pan

Pie Filling
1 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews
about 2/3 cup water (see directions)
15 oz pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup maple syrup
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400.
Combine almond flour, sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Stir in melted Earth Balance or coconut oil with a fork until well combined. Slowly add in  ice water and stir until dough forms a firm ball. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender, add cashews and just enough water to cover cashews, about 2/3 cup. Blend until smooth and creamy, (I used the Dip/Sauce button on my Blentec twice, if using a regular blender this may take several minutes.) Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and blend again until well mixed. You may have to stop and scrape the sides several times. Set aside.
After 30 minutes, you can roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface  to form a crust or just press it into a 9 inch greased pie plate.
Pour pumpkin pie filling into pie shell and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30-40 minutes, until outer edges of pie filling are puffed and fluffly looking and slightly darker than the rest of pie. If edges of crust start to get too dark, use strips of tin foil to cover. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 30-45 minutes, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Serve with vanilla coconut ice cream. Mmmm!

Super Easy Spiced Cranberry Relish

  It's almost Thanksgiving, hooray! I still haven't been posting much since I lack the ability to upload and/or edit photos and that sort of takes the wind out of my sails. BUT I stole my husband's iPhone and it takes semi-decent pictures, so here is one of my favorite new recipes! This recipe makes about a cup, which is plenty for our small gathering, but could easily be doubled or tripled.

Just a note, though this is called 'spiced' and it contains cayenne pepper, it is not spicy hot at all. The pepper just really brings the sweet flavor to a new level, it's absolutely delicious on roasted turkey!

Spiced Cranberry Relish

1/4 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 a large orange, peeled and chopped
2/3 cup fresh cranberries
1/8 tsp cinnamon
a dash ground cayenne pepper (more to taste)

In a small saucepan, heat water and sugar over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Add oranges and cranberries and simmer, covered, over medium low heat about 15 minutes until cranberries are burst and easily smashed with a spoon. Add cinnamon and cayenne, cover and simmer another 5 minutes. Use a spoon to mash cranberries and orange pieces against the side of the pan until they are mostly all smooshed. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes and then place in an air tight container and chill 2 or 3 hours (or serve warm, if that's your style!) Sauce will thicken up as it cools.

Turkey and Dumpling Soup - Dairy, Egg, Soy Free with Wheat/Gluten Free Option

Dumpling soup is such a yummy comfort food that was always one of my favorites as a kid. It's often made with condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, and the only dairy free recipes I could find were very involved, calling for more than an hour worth of cooking. There is no need for that! This recipe was delicious and you'd have no idea it wasn't 'regular' dumpling soup.

Butterball makes these yummy little turkey breast loaves that my husband loves. I like the ease of being able to bake them from frozen because I have the darnedest time remembering to thaw anything out. Aaaanyway, we had one on Wednesday night and had a little less than half left over, so I used to rest to make dumpling soup. Yum!



Turkey and Dumpling Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
32 oz vegetable broth
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond or other non dairy milk
1 1/2 Tbl cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water or non dairy milk till lump free
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, and green beans preferably)
1 1/2 cups or so cooked turkey breast and thigh meat, cut or torn into pieces
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 cup Bisquick or Gluten Free Bisquick
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond or other non dairy milk
sprinkle of paprika (optional)

In a medium large stock pot, saute onions over medium heat until transparent. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in 1/2 cup almond milk and cornstarch/water mixture. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add frozen vegetables, turkey, salts and pepper.

In a medium bowl, mix Bisquick and non dairy milk together into a sticky dough. Using a spoon, scoop about 1/8 of the dough mixture out of the bowl and drop it into the soup pot (be careful not to drop it from too high so as to avoid splattering yourself with hot liquid!). Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover and cook about 10 more minutes, turning the dumplings over once midway through cooking.
Serve sprinkled with paprika and enjoy!

Turkey Cheeseburger Pie - Dairy, Soy, and Egg Free with Gluten/Wheat Free option

  A lot of things have happened in the past month, but one of them is that we decided to try to reintroduce wheat into Jack's diet for two reasons: 1) he is officially in remission of eosinophilic esophagitis, having scoped clean even off of steroids. This does NOT mean that he can start eating any of the foods he was found to be allergic to and the disease will not come back. In fact, it almost certainly WILL come back if we added them back in. Which brings me to my next point 2) he hasn't actually tested positive to wheat in the last two skin prick allergy tests. So we started out with these teeny tiny graham cracker bunnies (the only graham product I could find that was still vegan and soy free), 3 on the first day, 5 the next, and 7 the next. When he had no reaction, drop in appetite, or unexplained crying episodes, we made him a quesadilla with wheat tortillas (omg, SO hard to find soy free tortillas!!), Diaya cheese and Earth Balance Soy Free spread. He loved it! So after a three week trial, we've decided he may be ok, but we aren't completely letting our guard down.
  Anyway, we bought a box of Bisquick and have been going wild making biscuits, pancakes, and waffles using non dairy milk and egg replacer. Such a normal thing had brought so much joy to our lives, who knew!

  For those of you who are gluten or wheat free, Bisquick makes a gluten free mix that you can substitute in here 1:1. We could not use it though since it's main ingredient is rice flour.

Anyway, all of that to tell you that this recipe is super tasty! We will definitely be making this again, it was so easy!

Turkey Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
optional: 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil
1/2+ cup Diaya cheddar shreds
1/2 cup Bisquick or Gluten Free Bisquick mix
1 cup unsweetened plain dairy free milk
Ener-G egg replacer for 3 eggs
optional: 3 slices turkey bacon, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400. Pour olive oil into a 9 inch pie pan and spread it around with a paper towel.
In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add ground turkey and onion. Cook, breaking up turkey, until completely browned and onions are transparent. Add salt and pepper (and optional Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder, if using,) and stir until incorporated. If there is any liquid in the pan, drain it off or raise heat to high for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to cook it off.
Place turkey mixture into pie pan. Sprinkle with cheese shreds and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix bisquick, egg replacer, and non dairy milk until lump free. Pour over turkey and cheese.
At first it may look like you don't have enough bisquick batter but just gently shake your pie pan or even pat the top of the mixture with a spoon and it will soon incorporate the entire mixture. If using, sprinkle the top with turkey bacon pieces.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and top just lightly starts to brown. Allow to cool and set 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve with ketchup or barbeque sauce as you would a cheeses burger, or enjoy on it's own!

Chocolate Pudding - Dairy/Soy Free, Vegan, Raw

  My very first post on this blog was for vegan chocolate pudding. Now, you must understand that I was just starting to cook Jack friendly and though I had a lot of heart, I didn't have many tricks up my sleeve. I thought that that pudding was good because I had set the standard for allergy friendly food very low, assuming as most do that it all was going to taste a little off, be unsatisfying, or require me to stop shaving my armpits and start growing my own veggies to enjoy it.
  It's been nearly a year since that first post, and boy have things changed! My standards for allergy free foods now are just as high if not higher than they are for foods with the 'right' ingredients. I love to see the shock and surprise on people's faces when they realize that Jack's food is actually... food!
  So here is my new chocolate pudding recipe. I will add the picture later, I just don't want to forget this recipe!

Chocolate Pudding

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup coconut milk
1 heaping Tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbl chocolate syrup, such as Hershey's Genuine Syrup (optional!)
1 heaping Tbl sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes in a regular blender or 45+ seconds in a high power blender like Blendtec or Vitamix. Place into an air tight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. Enjoy!

Boneless Buffalo Wings - Dairy, Wheat/Gluten, Soy Free

  It's football season...hooray. I guess marrying the man I did and then having two boys I should have known it wasn't going to be all Mystery Diagnosis and The People's Court on tv all day long but come on, man! It's baseball 24/7 until it's Football 24/7, until it's Baseball season again, with brief periods of golf and hockey in between. Oh yeah, and Nick Jr. Can't a girl get a break?!

  *Fwew* Glad I got that off my chest! So anyway, we wanted to try to make some sort of hot wings to eat while we watched the game, but since it seems almost impossible to get turkey wings around here (plus they'd be huge), I used turkey cutlets cut into chicken nugget-sized pieces. These were really tasty though the breading of course is not exactly like wheat breading. I'm not a fan at all of pan frying things, and I'm terrible at it, so you can pan fry these at your own risk but I can't tell you how, sorry.

  Also, Frank's Buffalo Sauce is vegan (it contains "natural butter type flavor" but when I called their 1-800 number I was assured that it is dairy free) and gluten free... its basically vinegar, cayenne, and butter flavor. But if you would like to make delicious vegan buffalo sauce from scratch, here's a great recipe.

Boneless Turkey Buffalo Wings

1 lb turkey cutlets, cut into 1 inch strips or nugget size pieces
1 cup corn meal (or use 1 cup Zatarain's Crispy Southern Fish Fri and omit the lemon pepper seasoning from the recipe)
1/2 cup GF All purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, optional but recommended
3 Tbl FRANK'S buffalo sauce
*Optional 1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk

Preheat fryer to 375.
In a shallow dish or pie pan, stir together fish fri, flour, salt, and lemon pepper.
Toss turkey in flour mixture until well coated. We've found you get a slightly crunchier crust if you squeeze the turkey in your palm after flouring and then let them sit a few minutes before frying, but this is no way necessary. Fry in batches for 3-5 minutes, until just browned and crispy. Drain on a brown paper bag.
In a medium mixing bowl, toss fried turkey in buffalo sauce.
Serve hot, with carrot sticks and celery and dairy free soy free ranch.

*If you prefer a thicker, crispier crust, after tossing turkey in flour mixture, dip into almond milk (or other dairy free milk or melted Soy Free Earth Balance buttery spread) and re-dip in flour mixture before frying.

Potato and Sausage Breakfast Bake - Wheat/Gluten, Diary, Soy Free

 We needed breakfast and had some left over produce laying around that needed to be used before it went bad (I HATE throwing away money by letting food spoil!), so I threw this together this morning and it was so yummy I had to share!

Potato and Sausage Breakfast Bake

I sprinkled mine with fresh cilantro and ate it with salsa!

1lb ground turkey sausage (We use cheap ol' Jenni-O in a tube)
4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp olive oil
6 (or so) white mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 cup Daiya cheese shreds (pepper jack or cheddar)
1/2 tsp salt
4-5 cracks of fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375.
In a skillet heated to medium-high heat, add turkey sausage, onion, and bell pepper. Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon, and cook stirring occasionally until all the sausage is browned and onions are translucent. Drain grease thoroughly.

Add the olive oil to a 3 qt casserole dish and spread it around with a paper towel to evenly coat the bottom. Place potatoes, mushrooms, Daiya, , salt, and sausage/veggie mixture into casserole dish and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle black pepper on top and bake for 40 minutes.

Turn broiler on to  high and broil for 2-5 minutes, until tops of potatoes are browned and crisp.

Great on it's own or with salsa.

Pumpkin Pancakes - Wheat/Gluten, Soy Free and Vegan

  This recipe for pumpkin pancakes came from the most recent issue of Something Special, a magazine for parents of children with special needs (for those of you new to this blog, my 3 year old son who has all these fun food allergies also has a rare chromosomal deletion resulting in intellectual disability). This is one of the few recipes I've ever found that we could follow exactly as written and these were wonderful. They tasted great, and not just for gluten free pancakes!
  Enjoy this yummy fall treat with other mix-ins like chopped nuts, raisins, or even vegan chocolate chips.
Makes approximately 12 5-inch pancakes (and several silver dollar sized pancakes, which my kids love!)

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (We used Bob's RedMill GF All Purpose)
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl baking powder
1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
1 tsp salt
egg replacer for one egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 3/4 cup almond milk (or other non dairy milk), we used vanilla flavored
2 Tbl olive oil
Optional Soy Free Earth Balance buttery spread

Preheat a skillet on medium high heat.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients together. Whisk wet ingredients into flour mixture and stir until thick and slightly lumpy.
Pour about 1/4 cup at a time onto hot skillet. Once top of pancakes are no longer shiny (1-3 minutes), flip and cook other side. Spread with a layer of Earth Balance and top with maple syrup.
*Tip* keep finished pancakes warm while you cook the rest, place in an oven heated to 200 degrees.

Lazy Peach Crisp - Wheat, Dairy, Soy Free

  Here's a fun fact; I used to work in the kitchen at a hospital birthing center. My job was to make the desserts for lunch and dinner everyday for all the new mamas, and one of my specialities was "Peach Crisp". When I was first introduced to the hospital's current version, I was horrified to see a gelatinous bowl of peach pie filling with a handful of graham cracker crumbs thrown on top and a plop of melted whip cream. Nothing screams "Get well soon so you can get the hell out of here and eat real food again!" like that sad, sorry dish.
  I only had what was available to us in the kitchen to work with, but with some ingenuity I morphed that worthless recipe into the best tasting institutional peach crisp that's ever been tasted, and we'd get plenty of post dinner calls from nurses, "*Sigh* Do you guys have any more peach crisp? Room 134 is requesting more".
  My recipe? Crushed frosted flakes, graham crackers, brown sugar, and melted butter mixed together into a crumbly mess and then scattered onto a casserole dish of drained sliced peaches and peach pie filling, baked until actually crisp. Yum!

 Oook, so where was I going with that? Oh yeah, I made a lazy version tonight (I would love to recreate teh real recipe once I find a decent graham cracker substitute) that I did not take a picture of because it in fact resembled the original sad, lame looking peach crisp recipe. Even though it wasn't a pretty presentation, I'm putting it on here because it tasted really very good and only required a few ingredients.

This recipe serves two generously.

Lazy Peach Crisp

1 can sliced peaches in light syrup
1/2 Tbl corn starch mixed with 1 Tbl water
1 Tbl brown sugar (or agave nectar, honey, stevia, etc)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup frosted corn flakes, crushed
1/2 cup vanilla SO Delicious coconut ice cream
cinnamon for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, heat peaches and syrup over medium heat.
Add in vanilla and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, stirring frequently. Once peaches begin to fall apart (about 10 minutes), slowly stir in corn starch/water mixture. Continue to stir until the syrup thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool until luke warm. Serve in bowls with corn flake crumbs sprinkled on top and vanilla ice cream on the side.

Turkey Sausage Stuffing (Dressing) - Wheat, Dairy, Egg, Soy Free

  We're having a cold spell here in North Texas. With Fall just around the corner, it's like we got to start celebrating the new cooler season a little early. So today we had a mini Thanksgiving just for fun. We had grilled turkey cutlets, stuffing, and mashed potatoes and peach cobbler!
  I decided to make the stuffing on a whim and as such did not have all the ingredients, no celery or carrots and I usually would have made this with ground turkey sausage, but it was really good! I'd never thought of eating stuffing on any day other than Thanksgiving but this was easy enough that I think it could become a side dish (or even entree) we have often.

By the way, you could easily leave out the turkey to make this completely vegan and it would still be delicious, and add in sauteed celery and carrots for a more traditional stuffing.

This recipe makes 4 large servings.

Turkey Sausage Stuffing

6 slices of wheat free bread of choice (Food For Life White Rye)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
1  turkey kielbasa sausage, sliced into coins OR ground turkey sausage
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup raisins
Soy Free Earth Balance buttery spread to grease pan

Preheat oven to 400.
Cut bread into half inch cubes, spread evenly on a cookie sheet, and bake 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until transparent. Add vegetable broth to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly. Stir in salt, celery salt, and turkey sausage. Continue to simmer about 5 minutes (If using ground turkey sausage, cook until completely browned) .
In a mixing bowl, stir toasted bread cubes, apple, and raisins together. Pour broth mixture over bread cubes and stir until evenly coated. Sprinkle on poultry seasoning and toss to incorporate.
Spread a thin layer of Earth Balance around a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Pour stuffing mix into casserole dish and bake about 15-20 minutes, until the top begins to brown slightly.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole - Dairy, Wheat, Soy Free

  Ok, look. I know I am always saying everything is delicious but this is seriously DELICIOUS. I mean it. My dad came over for dinner tonight and I was nervous because he can sometimes have a hard time accepting Daiya cheese, but he raved how great it was through the whole meal, as did the rest of us.

  This involved a lot of cheese, it's not a typo, but trust me, it's great. The recipe made enough for 3 adults who ate way too much and two kids plus one portion leftover; you could halve the recipe pretty easily if making it for fewer people.

Mexican Enchilada Casserole

2 cups canned tomato sauce
3 Tbl chili powder
1/2 cup water

1/2 Tbl olive oil
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 Tbl paprika
2 Tbl chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 bag Daiya cheddar shreds
1 bag Daiya pepper jack shreds
12 corn tortillas, cut in half
olive oil to grease dish

Preheat oven to 425.
In a medium sauce pan, stir tomato sauce, chili powder, and water together. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer, stirring often, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, turkey, and seasonings. Break turkey up while cooking until well crumbled and browned. Stir about 1/4 of the tomato sauce mixture into the turkey. Remove from heat.

Grease a 3 quart casserole dish. Mix pepper jack and cheddar cheeses together in a bowl or large ziploc bag. Place 8 tortilla on the bottom of the dish, arranging to cover as much of the bottom as possible. Spread about 1/3 of the cheese on top. Add 1/2 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the remaining sauce, and repeat with the cheese, meat, sauce again. Top with remaining 8 tortilla halves, then spread on the rest of the sauce, making sure to completely wet all parts of the tortillas (other wise they will dry out and be pretty inedible). Sprinkle with the last of the cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and brown.

Allow to cool 10 minutes and then cut and serve with black olives, sliced green onions, and cashew sour cream.