Cook It Allergy Free » ~ Desserts

5 Minute Super Healthy Watermelon Strawberry Slushies

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:44:03 +0000

This Allergy-Friendly Watermelon Strawberry Slushy “Recipe” is one of the quickest treats you can throw together on these sweltering summer days

….and I use the term recipe verrrry loosely since it almost really isn’t even one.

…and I only say sweltering because it has been 110 here for the last seven days straight…with no end in sight.

This is such an easy drink to throw together…just throw the ingredients into the blender…turn on…viola. Simple Slushies.

And the best part is that you can also throw any of your leftovers into your popsicle molds and end up with a frozen treat just an hour or so later!

So if you are looking for simple ideas to stay cool and healthy this summer… this is an easy one.

Plus, just check out all of the great reasons you should be including watermelons and strawberries into your diet anyway…

Some Health Benefits of Watermelon.

Watermelon are:

A powerful antioxidant – rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C
Extremely high in Lycopene – great for supporting vision, the immune system, and cancer prevention
Rich in B Vitamins – so an excellent source of energy production
High in Citruline, an amino acid that our bodies use to make Arginine, another amino acid that is used in the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the body
Exceptionally high in hydrating water content

Some Health Benefits of Strawberries.

Strawberries are:

Packed with high levels of Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin K, and Manganese – they are completely nutrient dense
Full of powerful Antioxidants to aid in strengthening the immune system
Exceptionally beneficial in fighting inflammatory conditions and aiding in cancer prevention
Beneficial in eye health and bone health
Helpful in Rebuilding Tooth Health

And just a note of advice…with all of this red goodness, perhaps these are best consumed outside…

This happened less than 2 minutes after I sent my boys and their drippy sticky fingers and faces outside and off of my couch…mama’s intuition!

Allergy-Friendly Watermelon Strawberry Slushies

Ingredients:

3 – 4 cups Watermelon, cubed into 2 inch pieces
12 – 15 Strawberries (make ‘em organic), medium sized, cored
2 – 3 cups Ice Cubes
1 cup Water

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into blender. Blend for 30 seconds – 1 minute until all ingredients are combined. Serve in frosty glass. Pour remaining slushy into popsicles molds and freeze for at least 1 hour for a frozen treat.

And just in case, I don’t “see” you around here before next week…

May your Fourth of July be full of glittery skies, dripping in exploding rays of lights, and squeals of laughter….from the children and from you.

Does anyone have any fun activities planned for the holiday??

How About A Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Tropical Summer Dessert?

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:00:53 +0000

Okay. I have a riddle for you.

What do you get when you cross a pineapple with a mango with some shredded coconut and then top it off with a delectable coconut crumble topping?

Give up?

Okay. I know the title of this post kind of gives it away. I have never been very good at riddles anyway.

The more specific answer, however, is a Gluten-free Dairy-free Pineapple Mango Coconut Crumble…

I have never had this type of a crumble dessert before. But with pineapples piled high in the stores and ringing in super-duper cheap right now, I decided to use up the one quickly ripening on my counter and mix it with a bit of mango that was hanging around.

The result? A perfect summer fiesta in your mouth!

The pineapple caramelizes in this much like it does in Pineapple Upside Down Cake. And, of course, we all know that the sugary pineapple is everyone’s favorite part of that dessert.

I am now officially in love with this fun new tropical gluten free dairy free summer dessert.

I suppose I could list some of the reasons you should give this a try.

Like…

1. There are so many health benefits in pineapple that you can’t help but feel a little good about eating this.

2. It only takes barely 15 minutes to throw together before tossing it in the oven.

3. That this goes far far too well with some Dairy-free Coconut Ice Cream.

4. That this recipe makes far more crumble topping than you need…but no one notices…because it is a well-known secret that that IS, after all, the best part.

5. That this is Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Refined Sugar-free, and EASILY EASILY Nut-free.

But I better stop now. I don’t want you to start drooling on your keyboards.

I’ll just go ahead and share the recipe now.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pineapple Mango Coconut Crumble

Also: Refined Sugar Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, and Easily Nut Free

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 Medium Sized Ripe Pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 Medium Sized Mango, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 tsp All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend (such as Pure Pantry’s All Purpose Baking Mix)
2 Tablespoon Coconut Palm Sugar, such as Wholesome Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
2 Tablespoons Shredded Unsweetened Coconut, preferably Organic
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Topping:

4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil – measured, for this purpose only, in solid form (OR Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, cold and cut into pieces; OR if not avoiding dairy, Organic butter, cold and cut into pieces) **See Note Below
1/2 cup Certified Gluten Free Rolled Oats (or equal amounts Quinoa Flakes if you are sensitive to Oats)
1/4 cup Almond flour (For NUT FREE: use additional 1/4 cup of your gluten free flour blend instead)
1/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour blend (such as Pure Pantry’s All Purpose Baking Mix)
1/4 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut, preferably Organic
1 – 2 Tablespoons ground Chia seeds, or Flax meal (optional, but nice addition of Omega 3′s)
1/3 cup Coconut Palm sugar (or Brown Sugar)
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 square glass baking dish or a round pie dish or cake pan. In small bowl, mix together all filling ingredients: Pineapple, Mango, Gluten Free Flour Blend, Coconut Palm Sugar, Shredded Coconut, and Vanilla. Place in prepared baking dish.

2. In another bowl add your chilled Coconut oil (or Butter or Butter Alternative), Certified Gluten Free Oats (or quinoa flakes), Almond flour (or additional all-purpose flour), Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, Shredded Coconut, Ground Chia or Flax Meal (if using), Coconut Palm Sugar, and Sea Salt. Use a pastry blender (or a fork) to crumle/cream your ingredients together until coarse meal forms.

3. Spread topping over Pineapple-Mango filling. This makes a lot of topping. Place baking dish in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. If you like a crispy top, you can turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes at the very end, but watch VERY carefully if you do this so it does not burn!

**Note: Measurements for Coconut Oil should typically, in most baking recipes, be measured in liquid form for the correct volume measurement.

And for a little savory treat to go along with this Summer Dessert, go check out my Gluten-free Zucchini Fritters over at The Balanced Platter today. They are a perfect way to get those kiddos eating Zucchini this summer while they are in full season!

Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Fondue for A Little Dipping Love

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:39:34 +0000

Well, I suppose I would be remiss if I did not post a chocolate recipe in honor of Valentine’s Day.

So, I am going to share what I will be serving to all of my love bugs on this day of romance. I posted a version of this recipe a long time ago but it is one of those things that my children ask for again, and again, and…again.

And thank goodness for me…it involves chocolate.

I raised these boys right, I tell ya.

This in-demand Allergy-free Valentine’s Day dessert I am talking about is, of course, Gluten-free Dairy-free Chocolate Fondue (also easily made to be Nut-free as well)!

But do not thank me for this recipe posting. Thank my boys who reminded me of it as we were driving back from our family ski vacation yesterday. I was quizzing them about what I should share with you all for an Allergy-free Valentine’s Day Dessert. This was what they came up with.

It was their choice. So, I declared them brilliant and called it a day. I hope you enjoy it as much as they will.

Oh, and here are some dipper ideas for your fondue:

Fruits: apples, pears, peaches, pineapples, citrus sections, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced bananas (can even grill or caramelize them first), dried apples, dried mangoes, or any other dried fruit.

Cakes and Other Treats (all allergy-friendly versions, of course): graham crackers, brownie pieces, marshmallows, cookies, shortbread, biscotti, crystallized ginger chunks, bacon (yup, I said it).

There is no wrong answer for what to dip. Use your imagination. Have fun. Go wild.

Well, not too wild. This is, after all, a family-friendly blog.

Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

6-8 oz of Dark Chocolate (dairy-free and gluten-free) – such as Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% (see Trader Joe’s list of Vegan products) - chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup Sweetened or Unsweetened Mimic Creme (For NUT FREE AND DAIRY FREE: use Full Fat Coconut Milk. If you are not Dairy Free, than you can, of course, use an equal amount of heavy cream)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
A variety of dipping goodies ( In the picture above, I used Organic Strawberries, Organic Cherries, Bananas, Pretzel Sticks, Homemade Gluten Free Brownies, and the most amazing Homemade Marshmallows from Sweet Republic Artisan Ice Cream shop here in Scottsdale, AZ)

Directions:

1. Warm the Mimic Creme (or Full-Fat Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream) in a heavy bottomed pan until small bubbles begin to form and it comes to a very light boil. Then add the chocolate pieces and gently whisk until melted, smooth, and fully incorporated.

2. Immediately transfer to a fondue pot and keep it heated it with a low flame, or serve straight from the pot (but it will start to thicken and harden after a while this way).

3. Assemble all of your dipping goodies of choice and provide some utensils, such as fondue forks or bamboo skewers, to help you dip (or just use your fingers – especially amongst family)! Enjoy!

What are your favorite things to dip into fondue? Give me some new ideas!!

Gluten-Free Apple Streusel Squares with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:44:20 +0000

SURPRISE!

IT’S A …….. BOY!

No not mine, sillies.

Although, I do already have two of them. Well, three, counting my husband. Geez…four, if you count my dog (who incidentally can be more mature at times than all three of the aforementioned boys).

No. This little boy I am talking about is Amy’s, of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. Her little bambino is set to arrive any second. Literally. And today we are throwing her a SURPRISE virtual baby shower since we cannot give her one in person.

And I am making these Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Apple Streusel Squares with an amazing Maple Cinnamon Glaze in honor of the event.

These little bite-sized gems are such a treat, with a healthier twist (they lasted all about two seconds in my house). And can so easily be made safe for multiple types of modified diets. Definitely a perfect addition to a baby shower.

Oh. I am not sure if I mentioned this yet. But, this may be a good time to tell you that these treats are totally and completely addicting. Consider yourself warned. If you have no will power, you may not want to make these.

Now. If you just happen to be throwing a baby shower in real life any time soon, we have a rockin’ gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and allergy-friendly menu ready to go for you right here:

Daily Bites Blog - Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding Parfaits
She Let Them Eat Cake - Gluten-Free & Vegan Gingersnaps
Tasty Eats At Home - Grapefruit Salad with Avocado & Jicama
Lexie’s Kitchen - Dairy-Free Crepe Quiche
The Spunky Coconut - Lime Pound Cake
Simply..Gluten-Free - Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Cara’s Cravings - Mushroom Pesto Pinwheels
Diet, Dessert, and Dogs - “Wine and Cheese” Charlotte
Alisa Cooks - Smoked Salmon Frittata Bites
Cook It Allergy Free - Apple Streusel Squares & Maple Glaze
Gluten Free Life With Jen - Tomato Panzanella Salad
Miz Helen’s Country Cottage - Cranberry Chicken Salad
Cybele Pascal - Allergy Free Focaccia Bread
Silvana’s Kitchen

Okay. Now for these Apple Streusel Squares. But like I said. If you have no self-control or will power…I will repeat what I said above. Do. Not. Make. These.

Gluten-Free Apple Streusel Squares with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free; Easily Nut-Free and Egg-Free

Ingredients:

Apples:

2 Small Apples (such as Fuji, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

Cake:

2/3 cup Superfine Brown Rice Flour (such as Authentic Foods brand)
1/3 cup Millet Flour OR Almond Flour
1/4 Tbsp Arrowroot Starch
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, Aluminum Free
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil, OR Coconut Oil measured in liquid state
1/2 cup Coconut Palm Sugar (or Granulated Sugar)
1 Egg (FOR EGG FREE: Mix together in small bowl: 1 1/2 Tbsp Unsweetened Applesauce with 3/4 tsp additional Baking Powder with 1 Tbsp Warm Water and with 3/4 tsp Ener G Egg Replacer – use mixture where you would add eggs)
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Apple Cider

Streusel:

2 Tbsp Almond Flour OR Millet Flour
3 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, measured in liquid state
2 Tablespoons Ground Chia Seeds
2 teaspoons Cinnamon

Optional Maple Cinnamon Glaze:

1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar, whizzed in food processor to match consistency of confectioner’s sugar
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Coconut Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch square pan. Toss together Apples, Coconut Sugar, and Cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together until airy: Superfine Brown Rice Flour, Millet or Almond Flour, Arrowroot Starch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, and Sea Salt.

3. In bowl of stand mixer, add: Oil and Coconut Sugar. Beat on medium-high for 1 minute. Add egg (or Egg-replacer) and vanilla. Stop to scrape down sides.

4. Add half of the flour mixture, then all of the apple cider, then the rest of the flour mixture and mix until just blended.

5. Mix together all streusel ingredients until mixture is crumbly. This may make more than you need or want to use. Reserve any extra for another use.

6. Spread half of batter in prepared pan with a spatula. Place prepared apples evenly on batter. Then top apples with remaining half of batter. Sprinkle Streusel topping over top of batter. Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. Once totally cooled, you can drizzle with glaze (directions below), or if not using glaze, simply cut into into bars.

For Glaze: Whisk together all Glaze ingredients until smooth and thoroughly combined. Drizzle over cooled bars.

This post is being shared with Simply Sugar and Gluten’s Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Gluten-Free Maple Spice Cookies

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:00:57 +0000

My family has arrived for the Holidays in full force. We have a house full of mouths to feed and I am loving every minute of it.

We are spending a lot of time baking right now and there have been many batches of these Maple Spice Cookies made so far. These are one of my family’s favorite cookies. They definitely disappear quickly around here.

Even though I shared a version of these with you last year at this time, I thought I would re-visit them and share the version I am making this year with you. If you want your home filled with amazing holiday smells, then I suggest you get a batch of these going in your oven about now. They will make you happy.

These cookies are perfectly chewy and cake-like (as long as you do not overcook them). They puff up so beautifully while they are baking and are an amazing combination of holiday flavors. They keep very well and make a wonderful homemade gift.

Gluten- Free Maple-Spice Cookies

(Easily Adaptable to be Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, and Nut-Free)

Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup White Rice Flour
2/3 cup Almond Flour (For Nut Free: use certified Gluten-Free Oat Flour)
2/3 cup Potato Starch
¾ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Sea Salt, fine
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger (optional)
12 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted – softened at room temperature (For Dairy Free: use 6 Tbsp Spectrum Organic Shortening with 6 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick, room temperature)
¾ cup **Organic Maple Sugar, OR Brown Sugar, packed, OR Organic Palm or coconut sugar
1 Large Egg (For Egg Free: use 2 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon oil + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, beaten together until smooth)
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
¼ cup Grade B Maple Syrup (preferably organic)
1 Tablespoon Unsulphured Molasses

For Rolling Cookies In (Mix Following Together in small bowl):

2 Tablespoons Maple, Brown, or Palm Sugar
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together white rice flour, almond (or oat) flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger (if using) until well-blended and mixture feels light.

3. In large bowl of electric mixer, cream together room temperature butter (or Dairy-Free replacement) and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes with mixer at medium speed), scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula once or twice.

4. Add egg (or Egg –Free replacement), vanilla extract, and Maple Syrup, and Molasses. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl.

5. Add dry ingredients slowly while mixer is on LOW speed. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape bowl once.

6. Roll dough into 1 ¾ inch balls (about the size of a ping-pong ball) then roll each ball in the sugar cinnamon mixture before placing on baking sheet.

7. Place cookie balls (rolled in sugar mixture) 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. DO NOT USE A SILPAT MAT OR PARCHMENT for these. These cookies will puff up much higher directly on sheet. Important: Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for 20 minutes prior to baking to chill dough. Repeat with remaining dough (do not put raw dough on hot cookie sheets-cool cookie sheets first or cookies will spread).

8. Bake for 11-13 minutes. These cookies are incredibly soft and chewy. Do not overcook them (they will not look totally done when you pull them out, but will firm up as cooling). Once done, cool on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes then transfer to wire rack.

**Maple Sugar, although absolutely delicious, can be quite expensive. You can also use Brown Sugar (or Organic Palm Sugar) in this recipe with perfect results as well.

I will be spending the next week with my family, but I want to wish all of you a wonderful Holiday week! I hope your days are filled with delicious allergy-friendly meals eaten with those you love the most!

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:44:53 +0000

This decadent gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and easily nut-free Salted Caramel Apple Pie was made once again in our house this weekend because I just had to test them out just one more time for our final week of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free’s Gluten-Free Holiday event.

I make such sacrifices for you all!

This week is all about everyone’s favorite part of the holidays…Desserts! And, of course, we have a great round-up of gltuten-free, allergy-friendly goodies.

This week’s host is the adorable, amazing Maggie, of She Let Them Eat Cake! She is sharing Gingerbread Cupcakes that I assure you you will want to try. They look stunning…I will be making those with the kids for sure.

She also has a gift for two of you. She is giving away two fabulous cookbooks.

The Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free, by Karen Morgan:

And Simply…Gluten Free Desserts, by Carol Kicinski:

So go check them out and enter to win, and link up a favorite Holiday Dessert, if you have one!

Okay, so about this Gluten-free, Grain-free, Dairy-free Salted Caramel Apple Pie...

It is naughty. But only a little bit naughty. It is decadent. It is sweet. But not in a too-syrupy kind of way. It is super easy to make. It is one of my favorite indulgences this time of year.

But wait. It is also a bit healthy. Well, at least healthier than a gluten-filled, grain-filled, dairy-filled version. And, if you count those 9 health benefits of apples (and just ignore the fact that they are smothered in salted caramel yumminess) then, I would go ahead and say…dig in, my friends!

But, hey. The holidays are for allowing yourself a special treat here and there. So do not hate me. In fact, I dare you to make them. I think you will really love me once you do.

And then you will apologize for any mean thoughts you had about me for forcing this on you.

A few notes about this Gluten-free, Grain-free, Dairy-free pie:

1. You can also just make these as bars, instead of a pie, in an 8 x 8 baking dish. I actually made this in a tart pan this time. They are very versatile.

2. I use an almond flour press-in crust for the recipe, but you can EASILY make this nut-free by using the press-in cookie crust that I note at the bottom of the recipe.

3. If you are short on time and are not dairy free, Trader Joe’s has a wonderful Salted Caramel Sauce that you can use in place of this homemade sauce.

4, This recipe is a very simple one to put together. But it has an incredible WoW factor that makes it look really difficult! A good way to impress your guests.

5. And, like I said above, you will love me when you make this.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie (or Bars)

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Grain-free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, EASILY Nut-Free

Ingredients:

Pie Crust (For NUT-FREE pie crust see **NOTE** at bottom of recipe):

2 Cups Almond Meal
7 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted, OR Butter, Melted, OR Earth Balance Vegan Butter, Melted
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, preferably Grade B
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
21/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1/2 Cup Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup, Grade B if possible
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling:

4 Apples, such as Fuji (or for tarter pie, Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. For Crust: Combine all of the ingredients in bowl. With fingertips, press the dough into an 9 inch glass pie plate or tart pan. Dough should be a bit sticky. Try and bring crust up sides gently. Bake the crust at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before adding the filling.

2. For Caramel Sauce: While crust is baking, stir together coconut milk, coconut oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Whisk continuously and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Watch carefully – do not allow to burn! Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

4. For Filling: While caramel is cooling, toss apple slices with the juice from the lemons. In medium bowl, mix together Sugar, Cinnamon, and Sea Salt. Drain apples on paper towel, then add to sugar/cinnamon mixture. Add vanilla and toss all together.

5. Assembly: Once crust and caramel has cooled, drizzle 3 – 4 Tbsp of the cooled salted caramel sauce over the base of the crust. Then layer your apple filling evenly over the drizzle of caramel sauce. Lightly drizzle another 3 – 4 Tbsp of the salted Caramel Sauce over the top of the apples and bake in oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lightly place a piece of foil over the top of the pie, making sure the edges of the crust are under foil as well, and bake for 15 minutes more.

6. Drizzle any remaining caramel sauce over top of pie once it comes out of oven. Serve and enjoy!

**NOTE**: To make a Nut-Free Crust, combine 2 cups crushed nut-free, gluten-free cookie crumbs of choice, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil or Melted Butter. Mix and proceed as you would for Crust preparation in step 1 of Directions.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Peppermint Covered Marshmallows

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:44:32 +0000

And behold! Week 3 of The Gluten-Free Holiday Event, hosted by SSGF, is already upon us.

Yikes! Week 3! Really? How is this time flying by so quickly?

Well, this week the lovely Alta, of Tasty Eats At Home, is in charge and she is focusing on Edible Holiday Gifts. Go on over and check out Alta’s Gluten-Free Chipotle-Maple Mixed Nuts and go enter to win her giveaway of the Artisinal Gluten-Free Cupcakes Cookbook by Peter & Kelli Bronski.

And in case you missed Weeks 1 and 2 of this event:

Week 1 – Amy shared her tips for Healthy Holiday Baking

Week 2 – I shared my Thanksgiving Prep Series and a Candied Apple Cranberry Upside Down Cake in honor of Thanksgiving Favorites.

Now for this edible gift. There are a few things you should know about these Chocolate Peppermint Covered Marshmallow Hot Chocolate Stirrers:

1. That name is a mouthful. I just could not think of something shorter. I am opening it up to suggestions for a new name.

2. I did not come up with this amazing idea. I just “borrowed” this one from Good Housekeeping. I also blame these on my new fascination with Pinterest. Beware if you click over to Pinterest. It is dangerous. And addicting. And strangely…a bit therapeutic. But I warned you. Don’t say I didn’t.

3. You do not need hot chocolate to enjoy these. Trust me. I eat them straight off the stick. This really bothers my boys. They like to play by the rules. Remember the long name above?

4. These are way too easy to make. You feel like you are cheating. These are my kind of gift. If you receive these as a gift from me, do not feel that you are being short-changed because I said they were easy. Just know that the little time I did spend on these was filled with total and complete love for you. I cross my heart.

5. Sometimes you just need a good chocolate covered marshmallow. Yes. There. I said it.

On the note of those marshmallows, I have attempted to make my own three times before. Although they tasted wonderful, I did not really enjoy the big sticky mess that was involved.

Instead, on the rare occasions that we have these treats, I buy my house-made marshmallows from Sweet Republic, our favorite ice cream shop here in town (and voted as one of the top 10 Ice Cream shops in America by Bon Appetit Magazine).

Their marshmallows, along with absolutely everything on their menu, are made from scratch with only the highest quality ingredients. There are no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or hydrogenated oils in any of their products – only what nature intended. They have gluten free and dairy free treats all over their shop. We do not go often, but every now and then we do indulge.

If you decide to make your own marshmallows, here are the three recipes I have used in the past. Two are allergy-friendly, the third contains eggs. If you purchase your own instead of making them…MAKE SURE TO READ YOUR INGREDIENTS CAREFULLY.

Fluffy Honey Sweetened Marshmallows from The Nourishing Gourmet

Homemade Marshmallows (Sugar and Corn-Syrup Free) from Z’s Cup of Tea.

Fluffy Springy Marshmallows from Smitten Kitchen (this one contains eggs)

And here is another Corn-Free Marshmallow Recipe from Tessa the Domestic Diva

And if you want to order your VEGAN Marshmallows, Sweet and Sara is your place to order from! Their Vegan Marshmallows are handmade in a Vegan Facility.

Now for this easy recipe. I did mention these Hot Chocolate Stirrers were easy, right? Just THREE ingredients, not counting your sticks…

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Peppermint Covered Marshmallows

Also Egg-Free, Nut-Free, and Soy-Free

Adapted From Good Housekeeping

Ingredients:

24 Marshmallows, Home-made or Store-bought
1 – 10 oz package of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips or Chunks (they are Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and Soy-free), or other allergy-friendly semi-sweet chocolate
4 Organic Peppermint Sticks, crushed into small pieces
24 plastic Candy Cane Sticks, striped straws, OR real Candy Canes

Directions:

1. Place a marshmallow on each of the Sticks. Place crushed candy cane pieces in small bowl.

2. Place chocolate in medium heat-proof glass bowl and place bowl over pot of simmering water. Make sure bowl fits snugly on pot and that bottom of bowl does not touch water inside – just rests on lip of pot. Stir chocolate constantly with rubber spatula until melted, shiny and smooth. Do NOT allow any water to get into chocolate – chocolate will seize immediately!

3. Use a spoon to pour chocolate evenly over each marshmallow. Do not dip marshmallow into chocolate. This could cause your melted chocolate in bowl to harden. Using back of spoon, spin marshmallow piece while smoothing chocolate. Make sure to cover the top of the marshmallow but leave the end where the stick enters uncovered.

4. Before chocolate hardens, dip just the tops of the covered marshmallow pieces into your bowl of crushed peppermint candies. Then place on parchment paper to set. Enjoy as is, or use as your hot chocolate stirrer. These package easily for gifts.

What edible gifts do you make during the holidays? Tell me! I love new ideas.

Candied Apple Cranberry Upside-Down Cake and a Gluten-Free Thanksgiving!

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:44:29 +0000

A Gluten-Free Holiday Week: Thanksgiving Favorites

….and along with a fun new Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe, I am also bringing back my Thanksgiving Prep Series that I ran last year.

It is no secret that Thanksgiving is my ultimate FAVORITE holiday. I host it at my house every single year.

Oh. And this way? I get out of having to host Christmas.

I decided last year to do an entire Thanksgiving Prep Series, where I shared everything from my prep schedule, to each of my allergy-friendly Thanksgiving recipes, and right on down to my Thanksgiving Feast Master Shopping List.

It was met with quite the response. I have never answered SO many Thanksgiving-based emails in my life. But, the rewarding part was afterwards when my inbox was filled with people telling me how the series helped them to get through the holiday without the stress or crazy kitchen mishaps or disasters.

So, in addition to sharing this dangerously decadent Allergy-Friendly, Gluten Free Candied Apple Cranberry Upside-Down Cake, I am bringing back my Allergy-Friendly Thanksgiving Prep series!

Annual CIAF Allergy-Friendly Thanksgiving Prep Series!

PART 1: The Menu and The Plan of The Ultimate Thanksgiving Series

PART 2: Cranberry Citrus Cider Sauce AND Green Bean and Shallot Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette.

PART 3: The Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipe for the stuffing (with the Variation to make the Savory Cornbread Rosemary Muffins to go with the meal) and Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes.

PART 4: Gluten Free Cornbread/Bread Stuffing With Apples, Sausage, Pine Nuts and a secret ingredient that you will NOT want to leave out.

PART 5: Cider Glazed Brined Turkey with Apple Brandy Gravy

PART 6: Toffee Pecan Caramel Apple Streusel (Gluten-free and Egg-free already, but ways to make this baby Dairy-free and Nut-free as well) and Crustless Pumpkin Streusel Pie.

PART 7: The Shopping List

RECIPE TIME!!

Now for this Candied Apple Cranberry Upside-Down Cake. As written it is Gluten-free and Dairy-free, and I also tell you how to easily adapt it to be egg-free and nut-free as well. And one of my favorite things is it is GUM-FREE with a perfect moist crumb.

This cake is a wonderful end to a Thanksgiving feast. And your yummy topping will look FAR better than mine does here. Every time I make this cake, I line my cake pan with a round piece of parchment paper that fits just right into the bottom. It makes the cake come out of the pan perfectly.

Of course, as I was making this cake again the other day, I had no parchment paper. And none of my neighbors were home to beg and borrow from. So I attempted to make it without. Do not do what I did. Use the parchment paper, people!

Half of my favorite part of the cake (the caramelized topping) stayed in the pan. I tried to put some of it back on, but the end result was not near as beautiful as my past successes with this cake. So I repeat. Use the parchment paper. Your cake will look much prettier than this…

Oh. P.S. The raw cranberries pictured below are for garnish only. I do not recommend feeding raw cranberries to your guests. Even my dog will not touch them…and that says a lot.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Candied Apple-Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Easily adapted to be Egg-Free and Nut-free

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh cranberries, measure while whole, then dice them in half
1 small apple, peeled and very thinly sliced
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar, or Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 cup Superfine Brown Rice Flour (such as Authentic Foods brand)
1/2 cup Almond Flour -such as Honeyville (For NUT-FREE: use equal amount Corn Flour, OR Quinoa Flour, OR Millet Flour)
1/4 cup Millet Flour
1/4 cup Arrowroot Starch
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, Aluminum-Free
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
8 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick (or Regular Butter, or Coconut Oil) softened to Room Temperature-IMPORTANT
1 Cup Blonde Coconut Palm Sugar OR Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature-IMPORTANT (For EGG-FREE: Mix together in small bowl: 3 Tbsp Unsweetened Applesauce with 1 1/2 tsp additional Baking Powder with 2 Tbsp Warm Water and with 1 1/2 tsp Ener G Egg Replacer – use mixture where you would add eggs)
1 Cup Plain Coconut Milk (such as So Delicious) Room Temperature-IMPORTANT (or regular Milk)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Generally grease a 9 inch round cake pan. Using the bottom of your round pan, trace around the pan on parchment paper the exact size of your pan bottom. Cut the piece of parchment paper to fit just in the bottom of pan, without letting it go up the sides.

2. In bottom of pan on top of parchment, place the oil and then put in oven for 1 minute, until oil is fully melted. Then add sugar evenly over bottom of pan, mixing with oil. Place pan back in oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle cinnamon over sugar, lay thinly sliced apples in a ring and place cranberries over apples. Place pan back in over for 3 minutes, or until it begins to bubble slightly. Remove from oven while finishing batter prep.

3. In medium bowl, mix together Superfine Brown Rice Flour, Almond Flour, Millet Flour, Arrowroot Starch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Sea Salt. Whisk together until light and airy.

4. In bowl of electric stand mixer, beat Earth Balance Butter (or Regular Butter) and Sugar for 3 – 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Then add eggs (or Egg Replacer), one at a time, continue mixing. Add vanilla and mix again until incorporated.

5. While mixer is going on low speed, slowly add 1/3 cup of the milk then add 1/2 of dry ingredient mixture. Then another 1/3 cup of the milk, and the remaining half of the dry mix. Finish with the last of the milk. Stop occasionally to scrape down sides with rubber spatula. Once all dry mixture is added, continue to mix until well-incorporated and batter seems light.

6. Pour batter over apple-cranberry mixture.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto plate. Remove parchment paper from cake top. Top with homemade Coconut Whipped Cream. And for even more Dairy-free Whipped Cream Recipes and resources, visit Go Dairy Free.

And for more Thanksgiving Favorites:

Cranberry Ice Cream from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Creative Leftovers: Baked Turkey Croquettes from Daily Bites

Plumberry Sauce or Jam from Diet Desserts and Dogs

Pumpkin Granola from She Let Them Eat Cake

Thanksgiving Prep from Tasty Eats At Home

Mini Gluten Free and Dairy Free Plum Crumbles…just for me (and you)

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:30:04 +0000

Do your kids think a birthday is not a birthday unless there is some semblance of a cake or cupcakes?

Mine do. Which is fine…when it is their birthdays. I love getting creative in the kitchen for them.

But when it is mine? I could really take or leave the whole birthday dessert idea. A day off from the kitchen sounds far more appealing to me than adding pounds to my waistline…especially since my Mom is a state away and will not be whipping up one of my childhood favorites this year.

So because my boys think my birthday will be a complete failure without a special dessert involved, I found myself in the kitchen deciding what I would be making to celebrate the year that brings me just another gray hair away from forty….and to make sure that my sons did not garner horrible childhood memories of their mother being totally deprived on her birthday.

So? I first thought about whipping up some Gluten-Free Black Forest cupcakes.

And then I thought about those Gluten-Free Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes that we all love so much around here.

After all, those are the two desserts that I have the fondest birthday memories of and biggest cravings for.

But, as I looked around my kitchen and found my eyes resting on the gorgeous pile of plums waiting for their destiny, I decided to get creative and create a new memory. After all, those juicy plums will not be available for much longer as their prime season starts to fade away into fall.

So, I am making Mini Gluten-Free and Dairy Free Plum Crumbles. They are also Refined Sugar Free, Egg Free, and Soy Free. Yippee!

My boys might balk. After all. There is no frosting.

But, hey. If they complain?…….All the more for me.

This recipe is actually my gift to you. Trust me. You will enjoy it. And you will be really glad I did not decide on cupcakes this year. You will not even miss that frosting.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Plum Crumbles

Also: Refined Sugar Free, Egg Free, and Soy Free

Ingredients:

Filling:

4 Medium Sized Red or Black Plums, just barely ripe
4 tsp All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend (I used Pure Pantry All Purpose Mix here)
1 Tablespoon Coconut Palm Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Topping:

4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil – measured, for this purpose only, in solid form – **See Note below (OR Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, cold and cut into pieces; OR if not avoiding dairy, Organic butter, cold and cut into pieces)
1/2 cup Certified Gluten Free Rolled Oats (or equal amounts Quinoa Flakes if you are sensitive to Oats)
1/4 cup Almond flour (For NUT FREE: use additional 1/4 cup of your gluten free flour blend instead)
1/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour blend (I used Pure Pantry’s All Purpose Baking Mix)
1 – 2 Tablespoons ground Chia seeds, or Flax meal (optional, but nice addition of Omega 3′s)
1/3 cup Palm sugar
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease four 6 oz Ramekins. In small bowl, mix together filling ingredients: Plums, 4 tsp Flour Blend, Coconut Palm Sugar, Cinnamon, and Vanilla. Divide evenly between your ramekins.

2. In another bowl add your chilled Coconut oil (or Butter or Butter Alternative), Certified Gluten Free Oats, Almond flour, 1/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, Ground Chia or Flax Meal (if using), Coconut Palm Sugar, and Sea Salt. Use a pastry blender (or a fork) to crumle/cream your ingredients together until coarse meal forms.

3. Divide topping evenly among each ramekin. This makes a lot of topping. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 25 minutes (filling may bubble over – you can line baking sheet with foil for easy clean up, if desired). If you like a crispy top, you can turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes at the very end, but watch VERY carefully if you do this so it does not burn!

**Note: Measurements for Coconut Oil should typically, in most baking recipes, be measured in liquid form for the correct volume measurement.

Oh yes. This turned out to be the perfect dessert. Happy Birthday to me. Definitely.

Dairy-Free Coconut Caramel Bananas and a…Haboob

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:44:54 +0000

Okay. Try and stop giggling. A Haboob is a real thing. I know. One just showed up on our doorstep.

And this Haboob has nothing to do with my Dairy-Free Coconut Caramel Banana Ice Cream topping. But I just had to share this with you today just in case you were in the mood for ice cream. I have now come to the conclusion that no ice cream should be eaten without this topping. And I wanted to catch you before you dished yourself up a bowl.

Alright, on to this Haboob thing that I have been referring to…

A Haboob is a wall of dust as a result of a microburst or downburst. The air forced downward is pushed forward by the front of a thunderstorm cell, dragging dust and debris with it, as it travels across the terrain.

This is the one that so generously greeted us upon our return home to Scottsdale, Arizona, after spending two weeks in San Diego.

The Phoenix Haboob of July 5th, 2011 from Mike Olbinski on Vimeo.

It measured 50 miles wide and 5,000+ feet tall and it engulfed our entire city. It made me totally wonder why we ever came back from the beautiful skies and the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. I almost told my husband to put the kids back into the car and head West again.

We had literally been home no more than fifteen minutes when we looked outside and could not even see our pool, or our neighbor’s house, or the street, or our trees, or our dog (who came running in as if a lion was chasing him)….

It was totally bizarre and I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it.

When we walked outside the next morning, there was a layer of dust at least a quarter inch thick covering anything and everything that was outside during that storm.

So…while a majority of the country spends a large part of winter digging out from mounds of snow, we Phoenicians get to spend our summers trying to hose ourselves off and out of the depths of dust.

Now, aren’t you jealous of us? I imagine you are packing your bags for your move to the Southwest right about now.

But aside from Mother Earth’s Welcome Home Party that she threw for us, we had a wonderful time at the beach. We enjoyed: family, friends, fireworks, fun, deep sea fishing, Farmer’s Markets, fabulous feasts, snow-cone selling, sand sculpting, boogie boarding, birthday celebrations (my baby turned 4), a lost tooth (my 6 year old lost his first one), and lots and lots of relaxation (I actually started and finished two entire books). It was marvelous.

And we had a perfect Fourth of July….

Now that we are home and back to the land of the hot, hot, hot, I decided to whip up this Coconut Caramel Banana Ice Cream topping this afternoon after we spent the day out in the sun, swimming and playing.

This ice-cream topping is the easiest and most delightful one that I have made. Oh. And it only has three (yes, 3) ingredients (unless you want to be technical and count the pinch of salt as a fourth). One more thing. It only takes seven (yes, 7) minutes to prepare. That leaves you plenty of time to get back to your warm-weathered fun and lazy summer evenings!

And now I will repeat what I said before.

Ice cream should not be eaten without this topping.

Disclaimer: This opinion is solely my own. You must make your own decision regarding this. I will not force this opinion on to you.

(However, my psychic and intuitive abilities tell me that you may decide upon a similar opinion).

Dairy-Free Coconut Caramel Banana Ice Cream Topping

Also Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, and Vegan

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil, measured at room temperature (liquid state)
3 Firm, but ripe, Bananas, sliced into thin rounds
3 – 4 Tbsp Coconut Sugar (depending on sweetness level desired)
1/8 tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Heat Coconut Oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add Bananas and stir to coat with oil.

2. Add Coconut Sugar and Sea Salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring continually until sauce begins to thicken and reduce and Bananas are coated.

3. Serve warm over Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream, such as So Delicious Frozen Dessert (or Dairy Full version of choice).

This post is linked to:

Cara’s Cravings and the Tropical Traditions Giveaway she is doing right now!