Creamy Dairy-Free Chocolate Pudding

     Pudding is something every kid and kid at heart loves. What's not to love....creamy, delicious and satisfying. And though it can have sugar, pudding has some nutritional value with egg and milk or milk substitute in it. So, I began trying pudding recipes to see if I could come up with something dairy-free that we would enjoy. I found that we particularly liked chocolate homemade pudding with coconut milk best. This one is very creamy and a favorite at our house.

Creamy Dairy-Free Chocolate Pudding

1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. sifted cocoa
2 T. cornstarch
dash of salt
1 beaten egg
2 c. coconut milk beverage (from carton)
1/4 c. dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 T. dairy-free margarine

In a microwave safe dish mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt together with whisk. Add beaten egg and 1/2 c. of the milk to dry mixture and whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the remaining milk. Microwave on full power for 2 min. initially and then 30 - 60 minute intervals stirring between each time. Pudding should be at a full boil and thickened when finished. Add chocolate chips and margarine. Stir until melted and combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl and place plastic wrap over surface of pudding. Chill and serve.

Notes:
Increase sugar by 1-2 T. for a sweeter pudding.

We enjoy making parfaits with pudding, fruit and dairy-free whipped topping. We added a gluten-free cut-out cookie in this picture.







Enjoy this creamy, chocolaty pudding!

Zucchini Spice Cake

Zucchini works so well in cakes, breads and muffins because it makes the product nice and moist. I do like making chocolate zucchini bread and muffins, but I wanted to make a version with some spices that reminded me of fall. This recipe is really a sweet bread, but has a really nice texture and reminds me of cake. I also like to make muffins because it works well in lunches for us. I made this recipe into 12 muffins and an 7 x 7 inch cake.

Zucchini Spice Cake

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
2 t. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini, unpeeled
1 3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. tapioca flour
1/2 c. potato starch
1 t. zanthan gum
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. allspice
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
2 t. brown sugar

Whisk eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil, vanilla and zucchini. Whisk dry ingredients together, except for walnuts and brown sugar, and stir into egg mixture until combined. Line  20 - 24 muffin cups with paper or grease two 7 or 8-inch pans. Fill muffins cups about 2/3 full or pour into pans. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 - 22 minutes for cupcakes and about 20-28 minutes for cakes (time depends upon pan used) or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on rack. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate (up to one day) or freeze leftovers.

Moist and delicious...Enjoy!

Black Bean Salsa

Although I like salsa in general, I especially enjoy the time of year where red, ripe tomatoes are plentiful and I can make fresh salsa. There's just something about fresh tomato, pepper and onion with the appropriate seasonings. Salad on a chip.

In the winter, it's harder to find decent tomatoes and to be quite honest, I was getting a little tired of so many tomatoes at the end of the season this year. I wanted to try something different with my husband's salsa recipe. I had tried black bean salsa a couple of times and really enjoyed it, but didn't prefer the corn in the recipe. I decided to add just black beans to our fresh salsa recipe and cut down on the tomatoes. My husband and I were really pleased with how it turned out...less acidic with protein added.

Black Bean Salsa

1 1/2 c. chopped roma tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans
1/4 c. chopped onions
1 - 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 small red pepper, choppped
finely chopped hot pepper of choice, as desired
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 2 limes
2 t. cumin
3/4 t. salt


Combine vegetables and beans. Sprinkle with cilantro and seasonings. Toss gently to combine. Refrigerate for several hours before serving to combine flavors.

We love this combination of flavors and the salsa is more satisfying with the beans in it. Enjoy!

10/6/12  Note:  "Pepper to taste" was not part of our original recipe and was put in by mistake. I removed it from the recipe above. Add it if you wish.

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Muffins

One of my favorite things I look forward to in late spring is the start of rhubarb season. I love the tangy flavor in my baked goods. This recipe is an easy cake-like muffin with rhubarb that my family enjoys. I added brown sugar and nuts for a little crunch on top. Yum!

Rhubarb Muffins

1 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. tapioca or potato starch
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. zanthan gum
3/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg
1/2 c. applesauce
1/3 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon juice
1/4 c. canola oil

1 1/3 c. diced rhubarb
2 t. brown sugar
3 T. chopped pecans

Whisk the first seven (dry) ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk egg in a large bowl. Whisk in applesauce and milk, one at a time. Whisk in vanilla, lemon juice and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in rhubarb.

Grease 14 - 16 muffin cups or use papers. Fill cups about 2/3 full with dough. Sprinkle dough with brown sugar and pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 17 min. or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on rack.

If you won't be eating the muffins that day, refrigerate for 1-2 days or freeze in a sealed container. Frozen muffins work great for school or work. Put it in a bag or container and it's thawed out by the time you need it - although my kids love frozen muffins.

Enjoy!

Cookies for Breakfast

While cookies for breakfast doesn't sound quite right, imagine a cookie with lots of rolled oats, nuts and dried fruit and enough egg,sugar, oil and flour to stick it all together. Made into 3 - 4 inch rounds, these cookies have great flavor and are slightly chewy. With all of the oats, nuts and dried fruit in them, there are sort of like granola and could reasonably be eaten for breakfast.

This recipe was adapted from an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe by Cal Schroeck from Allrecipes.com with a high ratio of oats to flour. I was also impressed that the recipe used oil instead of a solid fat.

Breakfast Cookies

1 1/2 c. rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
1/3 c. brown rice flour

2 T. potato or tapioca starch
1/3 t. zanthan gum
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
1/4 - 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. canola oil
1 large egg
3/4 t. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. chopped dried cranberries
     (or any dried fruit)
2 T. mini chocolate chips (dairy-free if needed)


Combine oats, flours, zanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, egg and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Add nuts, dried fruit and chips and mix until everything is sticky. Dough will "sort of" stick together. Divide dough into 12 parts. Spoon each part, about golf ball size, onto a greased cookie sheet and press dough into cookie shape about 1/2 inch thick. Cookies will grow little during baking and will seem like they will not stay together, but they will. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 - 12 minutes or until edges start to brown. Don't over bake. Wait 2 - 3 minutes and remove to rack to cool.

Notes:
If you start having trouble shaping your cookies because the dough is sticking to your hands, try washing your hands so they are not sticky. We like our cookies with just 1/4 c. brown sugar, but to some people that may not be very sweet. If desired, shape your cookies into bars.

Whether you sneak one at breakfast or eat one for snack, these cookies are delicious and nutritious.

Thicker Yogurt

We enjoyed the fruit smoothies so much last week I just had to try to make yogurt again. I wanted to get a thicker yogurt that I could serve in a dish with fruit. Success! What did I do different?

1. I was careful to sterilize all utensils and items that would touch the cooled coconut milk.
2. I used one can of regular (full fat) coconut milk and the rest was a milk beverage from a carton to make 5 cups.
3. I made sure to mix the gelatin, honey and starter in well at the appropriate times.
4. I used 2 packages of unflavored gelatin instead of one.
5. I was careful to lower the temperature of the coconut milk to 95 - 100 degrees F before adding the yogurt starter.
6. I still used the purchased vanilla coconut yogurt as a starter, but I used more - about a 1/4 c for 5 c. of coconut milk. I have not found a yogurt starter at a local store yet.
7. I make sure that I had a sterilized container to mix a small amount of the coconut milk with the starter before adding it to the rest of the milk.
8. I still ran the machine for about 10 hours.

It's delicious in shakes or just in a dish with a little cooled berry sauce (also delicious on pancakes) or other sweetener as desired. See below for the recipe.

Triple Berry Sauce

3/4 c. water
3 c. frozen raspberries,
      blueberries and
      blackberries (divided)
4 T. sugar or 3 T. agave
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. water


Mix cornstarch and 2 T. water until well blended and set aside. Bring 3/4 c. water and 1 c. fruit to boiling. Stir in sweetener. Add cornstarch mixture slowly to boiling fruit stirring constantly. Remove thickened sauce from burner and add the rest of the frozen fruit stirring into sauce. Let sauce sit to thaw fruit. Heat on low if a warmer sauce is desired.


For more ideas and instructions for coconut milk yogurt check:  http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/homemade-coconut-milk-yogurt/

I Want Yogurt

Growing up on a dairy farm, we consumed plenty of milk, cheese and yogurt (and ice cream). Not being able to tolerate dairy well now has been a challenge. We found milk beverages we liked and started making homemade ice cream, but we went without yogurt. Yogurt was always a main ingredient in our fruit smoothies. We made them without, but I missed it.

Since we really enjoyed coconut milk ice cream, I started looking for information on how to make coconut milk yogurt. Coconut milk yogurt in our local store is very expensive. In my teens, I used to make homemade yogurt with regular milk and plain yogurt for starter, and I still had the yogurt maker. So, I decided to give it a try. I remembered a little from when I used to make yogurt, but I searched for more information to refresh my memory and to learn how to make it with coconut milk. This particular site had loads of info on it:  http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/homemade-coconut-milk-yogurt/ and is great to get started with. It gives a suggestion on how to make yogurt without a yogurt maker.

So, I got started. From my previous yogurt making days, I remembered heating the "milk" to about 180 degrees F and lowering it to 95 - 100 degrees F when adding the starter as mentioned in the recipe listed above. Sterilizing everything was necessary and I used my yogurt maker. I added a T. of honey for sweetener along with a packet of unflavored gelatin to my 5 cups of "milk". I did not have the probiotics mentioned, so I bought a 6 oz. vanilla coconut milk yogurt (they didn't have plain) and used it as a starter like I used to with dairy yogurt. This is generally not recommended and I am still searching for a dairy-free probiotic starter in my local stores. I chose to run the machine for about 10 hours and then put the yogurts in the refrigerator overnight.

I tried a yogurt in the morning. It was very runny and a lot of watery liquid separated out of it as you can see in the picture. It tasted good, but I threw it away thinking it didn't work at all and no one would eat it. I hestitated to throw away the rest of them and put them back in the refrigerator. Then I decided to make a fruit smoothie using the whole jar of "yogurt", a handful of frozen strawberries and a banana. Delicious! I did not throw anymore away.

Since I used a coconut milk beverage the first batch, I am going to try adding regular coconut milk and more gelatin, and be a little more careful with the temperature (it got a little low) and see what happens before I write a recipe. Meanwhile, I think I'm on to something that we are really going to like.

Easy and Creamy Non-Dairy Ice Cream

Ice cream can be a perfect treat alone, with fruit or your favorite dessert. If you cannot tolerate dairy, the choices in the store are much more limited and expensive. Coconut milk makes really good ice cream. It's super creamy with just a light coconut flavor. Besides, the fat in coconut milk has been shown to be a good fat. And if I make it myself, it's much more economical.

Easy Vanilla Non-Dairy Ice Cream

1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz.,
     regular not light)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c. sugar

Blend ingredients well in a blender and freeze in an ice cream maker or in an 9 x 13 pan.

If using the pan, freeze 2 - 3 hours or until just a little soft in the middle. If you freeze too long, just let it warm up and soften a little. Blend again just enough to make the ice-cream smooth. It may need to be frozen again before serving.

Store in air tight container in freezer. It gets fairly hard when frozen for extended periods of time. Let thaw a little before serving.

Notes:

1. Agave may be substituted for the sugar. Use 1/4 c.
2. Try making chocolate ice cream. Add 1/4 c. cocoa to the blender in the beginning. If desired, increase your sweetener.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Dip

We are always looking for healthy and fun snacks at our house. Dipping veggies and chips/crackers is fun but the dip is not always healthy. And if you are avoiding dairy, making dip becomes more challenging.

That is why we love hummus - no dairy, but creamy and delicious with nutritional value. For us, getting the hummus really smooth really adds to its appeal. If your blender is not getting it creamy enough, try a food processor. I have used sesame seeds in this recipe instead of tahini (sesame seed paste). If you prefer to use tahini, see notes below.

Hummus

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpea or garbanzo beans
reserve 1/3 c.  liquid from can
2 medium cloves of garlic, halved
3 T. olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
3 T. raw sesame seeds
1/4 - 1/2 t. salt

Blend beans, 2 T. of the reserved liquid, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds and 1/4 t. salt in a food processor or blender. Add more liquid as needed to obtain a smooth, creamy dip. Add more salt as preferred.

Notes:

1. I never seem to use a whole jar of tahini because I mainly use it for hummus, so I just put sesame seeds in my recipe. If you want to use the paste, omit the sesame seeds and add 1 1/2 - 2 T. tahini.
2. Check the salt content of your garbanzo beans before adding salt to your recipe. Some cans contain more than others.

Variations:

1. Omit tahini and sesame seeds. Some people, particularly children, don't like the sharp taste of tahini.
2. Add chopped kalamata (Greek) olives or black olives after blending and sprinkle on top. Don't blend them. The resulting color is NOT appetizing.
3. Adjust the lemon and or garlic to increase or decrease their intensity.
4. Blend 2 - 3 T. of sun dried tomatoes with the other ingredients.
5. Add 1/2 - 1 t. of cumin or a dash of cayenne pepper to spice it up.

Hummus goes great with chips, crackers and veggies. Our favorites are rice crackers, carrot sticks and pepper slices.

Enjoy!

That Favorite Recipe

Did you ever have a favorite recipe that everyone seemed to like and was just so flexible and easy? That's how I feel about the banana bread recipe I wrote about in my first blog. I had lowered the sugar to 1/2 cup and made the bread into muffins. They always turn out so nice and since you don't need zanthan gum, I've give the recipe to others with a gift of rice flour so they can easily try a gluten-free recipe. It was the inspiration for other goodies along the way.


I picked up an idea to have the flavors of peanut and toffee with banana bread in a magazine while waiting for an appointment one day. Their recipe had yogurt, wheat flour and toffee bits in it, but I took the idea home and modified my favorite recipe one more time. It was a hit! See what you think.

                         

Banana Peanut Muffins                    print recipe

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. dairy-free margarine
1 T. canola oil
2 eggs
1 t.  gluten-free vanilla
1 c. mashed banana
1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
3/4 t. gluten-free baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4c. chopped peanuts
dairy-free mini chocolate chips and extra peanuts for decoration on top, if desired


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with 12 papers and lightly spray.

Cream sugar, oil and margarine until creamy. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Stir in banana.

Whisk remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding to banana mixture. Stir into banana mixture just until mixed. Spoon equally into muffin cups. Decorate tops with peanuts and chocolate chips, if desired.

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove to rack to cool. Store in cool place for a day or wrap and freeze.


                      

Note: Butter or margarine may be used in place of the dairy-free margarine if dairy is not a concern for you. No zanthan gum is required for this recipe.

Enjoy,

Party Time

One of the things I had a hard time with when removing dairy from recipes was coming up with dip to use for veggies and chips. Yes, dip is perfect for parties, but let's face it. Dip is just fun any old time and the healthier you make it the more you can eat it, right?

I love avocados...the taste, the creamy texture. And even though they are high in fat, a lot of it is monounsaturated fat (the "good" kind). I wanted an avocado dip that could work for veggies or chips. This one is very simple. Feel free to add more of your favorite flavors.


Fresh Avocado Dip          Print Recipe

2 medium avocados
     (peeled and cubed)
1/3 c. chopped tomato
     (skinned and seeded)
2 T. minced onion
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 T. plus 1 t. lemon juice
1/2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. sea salt
1/8 t. pepper

Mash avocados in a bowl until creamy. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to blend flavors.

Note: If you wish to spice it up a bit for a party, try adding in 2 T. of GF mayonnaise and a dash of hot sauce (optional). Sprinkle two pieces of crumbled bacon on top. Definitely not as healthy but yummy.

Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Is So Easy

One thing my whole family really enjoys is homemade granola - for breakfast or snack. A batch just doesn't last long in our house. And it's so easy to make. My favorite flavor is cherry pecan. Use your favorite dried fruits and nuts. Our local health food store just started carrying bulk gluten-free oats which made making gluten-free granola much more economical.
                                                                                  Print Recipe

Homemade Granola    
4 1/2 c. rolled oats
3-4 T. ground flax seed
     (or rice bran)
1 c. coarsely chopped nuts
    (walnuts, pecans, almonds)
1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
3 T. water
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 T. gluten-free vanilla extract
3/4 - 1 c. dried fruit of choice
     (coarsely chop large pieces
      like cherries)

Combine oats, flax seed or rice bran, nuts, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Combine brown sugar, honey and water in a small saucepan and bring to a full boil. Add oil and vanilla. Pour over oats and mix well. Spread in a large cookie sheet lined with tinfoil. Bake at 250 degrees F for about 1 3/4 hours or until lightly browned/toasted. Loosen in pan immediately. Cool and add fruit. Store in airtight container.

Simple and delicious!

Chas' Chips

My kids are "starving" when they get home from school. They love chips, of course. And to make them is even more fun.

Chas likes his homemade chips both sweet and salty. He likes them sprinkled with sugar and pumpkin pie spice. He also likes to sprinkle non-dairy cheese shreds (we use Daiya) on them, sometimes mixed with chopped natural salami. Waiting for them to get done is the hardest part.

Print Recipe

Homemade Tortilla Chips              
one medium rice tortilla
1 T. sugar
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Cut tortilla into 12 wedges with pizza cutter. Arrange on cookie sheet. Combine sugar and spice and sprinkle over wedges. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 7 - 9 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy.

Note: If you desire savory chips, try lightly sprinkling with sea salt and herbs of your choice or non-dairy cheese as mentioned above. If you use the cheese, bake at least 3 - 4 minutes longer to melt the cheese and dry out the chips. The Daiya cheddar style shreds work well on the tortilla and get extra crunchy where the cheese bakes against the pan. Yum!

Oops! Turning Not So Good Into Delicious

My husband really liked the thyme dinner rolls I made for Thanksgiving, so I made them again for Christmas. For some reason they were dry. Were they over baked? Maybe the egg whites were smaller than last time? Not sure.

Nevertheless they were not as popular this time. My husband was willing to eat the leftovers. I hesitated...then thought, I'll toast them in thin slices. I love crackers.

I thinly sliced the rolls and put them on a cookie sheet in a single layer with just a little sea salt. I toasted them at 400 degrees F turning and checking every 4 minutes (more often at the end when they started to dry out). They were delicious with our soup. What a great way to save a bread recipe that didn't turn out the greatest.

Next time I think I'll try tossing the slices with olive oil, salt and spices before baking. Baking them at a lower temperature like 250 degrees F for a longer period of time may be better. Mine got a little brown in spots. I would still check them fairly frequently depending upon the size and thickness.

Gluten free bread can be tricky. If you make a recipe that just isn't a hit with the crowd, try recycling it in creative ways. My friend recently made her favorite stuffing recipe out of a loaf of bread that had bean flour in it. She didn't like the flavor of the bread plain, but it was delicious as stuffing.

What creative ways have you found to use bread?