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7 Easy Steps to Make Your Own Water Kefir and Why You Should

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:48:30 +0000

Water Kefir.

Totally Allergy-Friendly. Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and, of course, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free. And most everything else-free, too. It is a wonderful Vegan beverage option.

As I am finishing up my Vision Board for this coming year, I have determined that one of my goals on it is to Make More Kefir, especially Water Kefir, since it is so completely allergy-friendly.

Water Kefir is also so full of health benefits and a wonderful healing beverage:

It is a natural supplier of various strains of healthy bacteria and yeasts (probiotics) to our digestive tract and can help to bring balance to your inner microflora
During the fermentation process, it becomes an excellent source of Vitamins B1, B6, and B12
It has a tonifying and cleansing effect on the intestines
It is perfect for a Vegan Diet
It has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties
In addition to the good bacteria and beneficial yeasts, it also contains many vitamins, minerals, and amino acids
It strengthens the Immune System
It has a cleansing effect on the entire body
It helps to eliminate Candida issues
It can help to normalize metabolism
It helps to treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne
It can reduce inflammation in the body
It can improve the function of the liver
It can increase energy levels and lend an overall feeling of good health
It is very inexpensive to make

**Do remember that by adding these wonderful live probiotics to your diet, you are going to be changing your internal ecosystem. There may be a brief period where you will experience “die-off” (such as headaches, diarrhea, body aches, etc) as some of the good bacteria replaces the bad bacteria. You body is just working on eliminating the bad toxins. This does not happen for everyone but it is a possibility. Just add the Water Kefir into your diet slowly and this will help your body to adjust without many side effects.

And it is so so easy to make, dairy-free or dairy-full (you just use Milk Kefir Grains for the Dairy version), that I thought I would teach you all how to do it, so you, too, can possibly make it one of your goals for this year too.

7 Easy Steps to Make Your Own Water Kefir:

1. Order Water Kefir Grains from Cultures for Health or another reputable source.

2. Gather INGREDIENTS once you rehydrate your Grains after they arrive:

Quart or half gallon glass jar (I make a half gallon at a time)
Plastic Strainer (not metal – kefir grains do not like metal)
Wooden Spoon for stirring (not metal)
Organic Cane Sugar or Sucanat or Rapadura (see **Sugar Note)
Water Kefir Grains.

**Sugar Note: The grains will consume most of the sugar as they ferment. The longer they ferment, the more sugar they will consume.

3. Dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in a small amount of hot water in your jar (cut amount of sugar in half if making by the quart). Then cover dissolved sugar with enough cool water to almost fill half gallon jar (leaving about 2 inches unfilled at top) and stir with wooden or plastic spoon.

Spring water with good mineral content is preferable (instead of filtered or Reverse Osmosis water). If using tap water, however, you need to remove chlorine first by placing it in a bowl and letting the water sit over night – chlorine will evaporate. If using filtered water, you may want to add a few drops of liquid minerals back into the water (grains thrive on the minerals), such as Vital Earth Fulvic Minerals or add a half (rinsed) pastured egg shell to the jar.

4. Add 1/2 cup of kefir grains (use 1/4 cup if making in quart size jar) to room temperature water. Cover jar tightly with lid, or towel with a rubber band.

**Kefir grains can multiply. A good ratio to remember is: 1/2 cup grains to half gallon water to 1/2 cup sugar. Cut amount in half for quart size containers.

5. Let kefir culture at room temperature for 24 – 48 hours. The longer you let it sit, the less sweet it will become as the grains consume more of the sugar. I find that just over 48 hours is good. Bubbles may appear as it cultures. This is normal (although does not always happen). If your family is used to a sweet flavor, start with a shorter period of time (like 24 hours) the first time, then try letting the grains culture a bit longer for each new batch.

**There is a small amount of alcohol that is produced as the microbes feed on the sugar and produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide. This is what causes the bubbles/carbonation. The alcohol content in kefir varies with the fermentation time, and is usually less than 1% .

6. Strain off the finished liquid into another container using a plastic strainer (remember-grains do not like metal), once you are done culturing the grains, and cover with an airtight lid. At this point, rinse your grains thoroughly and you can use them to begin your next batch.

7. Now you can flavor your prepared Water Kefir (or just leave it as is).

FLAVOR OPTIONS:

Cream Soda: Add 2 Tbsp of Good Quality Vanilla per half gallon to your Prepared Water Kefir

Fresh Fruit-Flavored: Add your choice of fresh organic fruit to your prepared Water Kefir. Change fresh fruit out every day and replace with new fresh fruit. Good choices (either alone or combined) are: strawberries, orange slices, kiwi slices, mango slices, sliced grapes, lemon slices, etc).

Dried Fruit-Flavored: Add your choice of dried organic fruit to your prepared Water Kefir. Change dried fruit out every seventh day.

Fruit Slushie: Blend your prepared Water Kefir with fresh fruit and ice cubes for a refreshing treat. Strawberries and kiwi are favorite combination in our house. Or add Water Kefir to your favorite smoothies in place of your liquid.

Cucumber Lemon Mint: Add Cucumber Slices + Mint Leaves + Lemon Slices to your prepared Water Kefir. Change out the fruit every 24 hours.

Ginger Lemon Flavored: Add 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice to prepared Water Kefir + lemon slices + 4 Tbsp grated fresh Ginger, and 1 Tbsp Good Quality Vanilla

To sum it up, Kefir is a wonderful healing aid. It provides so many benefits to our health and well-being. And for something that is so easy to prepare, we really should have no excuse for including it into our diets more often.

And it goes along perfectly with this month’s theme for Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free being hosted by Maggie, from She Let Them Eat Cake.

Her chosen theme, and incidentally, one of my favorite topics of all: Foods That Heal.

She will be sharing information from wonderful bloggers that bring us ideas on how to bring health and nourishment to our bodies, our minds, and our souls.

I would definitely say that Kefir is right up there in that category. I am encouraging you to give it a try and come back and let me know if it helped to improve your health in any way!

12 Healthy Snack Ideas And A Simple Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:44:18 +0000

Today is a busy day.

I have my first post up as a monthly contributor over at The Balanced Platter, the new site full of wonderful ideas for balanced, healthy living. I am sharing 8 Steps Towards Lifelong Health and a “No-More-Diet Challenge”.

Will you go on over and take the challenge? Well..wait. Don’t go until you first check out these 12 quick and healthy snack ideas below for the continuation of A New Year, A New You with my sweet friends over at Daily Bites and Lexie’s Kitchen.

For this event, I am tackling some quick and healthy snack ideas to get you through your day (and satisfied until dinner).

Now, I have a question for you.

Do you have a witching hour in your house? You know. That time right around three thirty or four o’clock in the afternoon. The time when every one is hungry. Dinner is not ready yet and all (kids, spouses, you) are starting to get grumpy, and whiny…and really really annoying.

My focus in this new year is to hit that crazy hour with a pre-emptive strike. My goal is to have some of these healthy ideas below ready and waiting when the kids walk through the door after school.

Consider this Operation-Cease-and-Desist-of-the-Witching-Hour. Do you want to join in on this covert operation?

Here is the plan (since all good operations need a plan, right?):

Get out a muffin tin. No. I am not making you bake right now.

Use that muffin tin to fill the openings with a variety of the snack ideas below. Put a couple of different dips in the center (in this photo, the dips on the left, from top to bottom, are homemade roasted pepper hummus, sunflower seed butter, and Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip – recipe below). Then surround the dips with fresh and dried fruits, raw veggies, and some nuts and trail mixes and any other ideas from the list below or from your creative and ingenious minds.

These simple ideas below will refuel all of that energy spent throughout the day (but all of these are also wonderful mid-morning snacks that can be packed up in lunch boxes as well).

The other benefit is that if you add raw veggies and the kids are snacking on them, you do not have to worry so much if they are eating all of their vegetables at dinner time. And I have found that when my kids are starving they will eat those raw veggies sitting out.

Here are 12 Healthy Snack Ideas to fill up those muffin tins:

1. Sliced Bananas, Apples, Pears, or Celery with nut butter or nut-free sunflower seed butter for dipping.

2. Raw vegetables (sugar snap peas, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, celery, etc) with hummus or salad dressing for dipping (try pureeing vegetables into your hummus)

3. Kale Chips – there are many store bought ones, but making your own is way too easy: tear kale away from stems and then tear leaves into bite sized pieces, place on baking sheet, drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sea salt (and any other other seasoning of choice), bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Enjoy.

4. Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip (Recipe Below) to dip fruit and veggies in (or even to eat with a spoon).

5. Smoothies - get creative and add different fruits, greens, chia or flax seeds (can put in a thermos for a snack on the road) – not for the muffin tin, obviously.

6. Trail mix with Dairy Free Dark Chocolate pieces for a treat (Enjoy Life Foods has great Nut-Free Trail mixes) or make your own with: chopped raw nuts such as almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachios, or macadamias (if not Nut-Free), raisins, dates, apricots, cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, dark chocolate pieces, etc.

7. Dehydrated Fruit (sulfite free).

8. Gluten-Free and Allergy Friendly Granola Bars cut into small pieces.

9. Home-made air-popped popcorn tossed with organic coconut oil and celtic sea-salt.

10. A small serving of dry Gluten-Free Granola, store-bought or home-made.

11. Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free “Bran” Muffins cut into pieces.

12. Raw, organic cheese slices (if not dairy-free) with grain-free or gluten-free crackers.

And now for that recipe…

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Corn-Free

Ingredients:

1/2 of flesh from a large Sweet Potato (measured to equal about 1 cup), roasted (reserve other half for another use…or lunch)

3 Tbsp Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie puree)

2 Tbsp Coconut Milk

1 Tbsp Raw Honey, or Pure Maple Syrup

1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice OR Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:

1. Whisk together, or puree with immersion blender, all ingredients until smooth. Serve with apples, bananas, pears, carrots, celery, cucumbers, etc.

Make sure to go and check out all of these other wonderful ideas for Smart Snacking today too:

Daily Bites sharing Smart Snack Ideas and A Giveaway
Lexie’s Kitchen sharing Sticky Toffee Power Balls
Go Dairy Free sharing Cinnamon-Fig Cashew Butter Spread
Silvana’s Kitchen sharing Gluten-Free Veggie Burgers

Okay, after you tell me what your favorite snack ideas are, go on over and take my challenge at The Balanced Platter!

Cinnamon Raisin “Bran” Muffins and Vision Boards

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:44:04 +0000

Well, I am back after the longest hiatus from my online life yet.

It felt amazing. I spent the most wonderful days with my family and enjoyed the most stress-free holiday season that I have ever had.

While I was languishing in the time with my loved ones, I really thought about what was important to me and what I really want to focus on in 2012.

These two little munchkins are at the TOP of my list…

It turns out, I do not have a long list of “resolutions” or “goals” for 2012. I feel pretty good about where I am in my life right now.

I achieved just about everything I put on my Vision Board for 2011. And now I am so anxious to get started on my new board for 2012.

Oh. Have I ever told you? I am a huge believer in Vision Boards.

The premise behind them is that when you surround yourself with images and words of who you want to become, what you want to do, where you want to live or go on vacation, where you want to see yourself in a day/ a month/a year, your life changes to match those images and those desires.

They are so fun and easy to make. The best way is to go through magazines and find words and images that call out to you. Look online for photos or inspiration as well. Type up some goals. Then get busy cutting, creating, and designing a collage of how you would like your year to go.

Here is a tip. It is a lot of fun to do this with friends. And wine. Trust me.

When you are done with it, place it where you are going to look at it every day. My husband and I put ours in the bathroom. It might sound weird, but you spend a lot of your life in the bathroom. I can see it from my shower, from the toilet, and from where I put on my make-up. That is a lot of time spent staring at what I want to manifest in my life.

Here is my board from last year. Yup. Right in plain sight.

I will just say it was a good year.

I am ready for the new one. Are you?

I just sent the kids out the door for their first day back to school in 19 days. NINETEEN DAYS! That is the longest holiday break we have ever had.

Getting back into the routine today was rough. After all of those lazy mornings, it was hard (really hard) to be out of the door on time…especially when the alarm that I thought I set never went off. I am just so happy that I thought ahead enough to make these Cinnamon Raisin “Bran” Muffins and some hard-boiled eggs the night before so we had a good protein and fiber filled breakfast to get those little brains ready for the day.

These muffins are filled with omega goodness and protein. They are a great treat to start the morning off right and a perfect snack to throw into your child’s lunchbox. As written, they are Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, and Soy-Free, with directions on how to also easily make them Nut-free and Egg-free. I shared a version of these a while ago (hence the reason the photo may look familiar). But with minor tweaks, I am sharing it again just because we love them so much around here.

And because they are what started our New Year off.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Raisin “Bran” Muffins

Also Refined Sugar-Free and Soy-Free and Easily Egg-Free and Nut-Free

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Gluten Free Flour Blend – I use The Pure Pantry Organic All-Purpose Baking Mix (Check to see that there is xanthan gum in your flour blend of choice -if not, add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum to this recipe)

1/2 cup Almond Flour, such as Honeyville (for Nut-Free version use an additional 1/2 cup of your gluten-free flour blend instead of Almond Flour)

1/4 cup Flax Meal (OR 2 Tbsp Ground Chia Seeds)

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice (or more to taste; or just use an additional 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon)

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoons Honey (liquified, not solid)

3 eggs (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)

4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (measured in liquid form), or Grapeseed Oil

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1/4 cup Coconut Milk

3/4 cup Raisins (soak raisins for 20-30 minutes before adding to the batter, then drain on paper towel – this will prevent them from sucking moisture from the muffins as they bake)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease a muffin tin. In a medium bowl, thoroughly sift together gluten free flour blend, almond flour (or additional flour blend), flax meal or ground chia seeds, baking bowder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice (or additional cinnamon), and salt.

2. In a high-powered blender, add eggs (or already mixed egg-replacer), honey, coconut or other mild tasting oil, vanilla, and Coconut Milk. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds to one minute.

3. Mix the wet ingredients into the sifted dry ingredients. Then gently fold in the raisins.

4. Fill muffin liners or greased tins 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

And now as I am sitting here in my quiet house, eating one of these muffins, I am thinking about how I want this day, this week, this year to go, and I honestly cannot wait to see what unfolds.

And because I am such a believer in Vision Boards, I am challenging YOU to make a Vision Board of your own! Will you do it? Come on and join me!! Bring on 2012.

This post is linked to Cara’s Cravings Blog Event for Heart-healthy Breakfasts.

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.

8 Favorite Allergy-Friendly and Gluten-Free Brunch Ideas

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:44:12 +0000

I am so sad that the SSGF Gluten-Free Holiday Event is already getting close to the end. We have only one more week after this one. And next Thursday She Let Them Eat Cake will be all about the Holiday Desserts Theme. There will be an amazing line-up to look forward to. Of that I am sure.

This week’s theme , however, is actually one of my favorite parts of the season….Holiday Breakfasts and Brunches!

Ricki, of Diet, Desserts, and Dogs fame, is in charge today. And her Gluten-Free Oatmeal Poppyseed Scones will wow you, without a doubt.

Ricki is also giving away a copy of her amazing cookbook, Sweet Freedom (which I reviewed glowingly here).

She is also giving away a copy of Gluten-Free And Vegan Holidays, by Jennifer Katzinger:

If you read my last post for gfe-gluten-free easily’s Home for the Holidays event, I talked about how the simple moments are what are so important to me this season. And the lazy morning brunches with my family are some of my favorite moments.

However, because a certain appendage of my body is currently dressed in this latest accessory, I am not technically supposed to be in my kitchen whipping up a brunch recipe worthy of the Wow Factor.

But seriously. Just admit it. You are insanely jealous of my new boot. I would tell you the quickest way to earn yourself one, but then I would just have to hide my face in embarrassment.

My path to this footwear is pretty pathetic. I will just keep it to myself.

And because my husband would surely place me on the naughty list if I was on my feet trying to create something fun to share with you today, I am just going to bring you a little round-up of 8 of my favorite Allergy-Friendly and Gluten-Free Brunch Recipes that usually grace our morning table at this time of year. You can go check out the recipes and decide for yourself which one tickles your fancy!

Oh, and all of these recipes have notes to easily make them friendly to your allergens!

Drumroll Please (with no further ado and in no particular order):

1. Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cinnamon Bun Breakfast Cake with Dairy Free Eggnog Glaze:

2. Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Dessert Waffles:

3. Vegan Banana French Toast:

4. Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Waffles:

5. Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cake:

6. Grain-Free Apple Puff Pancakes:

7. Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Apple Cider Pumpkin Pancakes:

8. Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Rolls:

Okay, now make sure to go on over to Ricki’s and check out her recipe and enter to win her awesome giveaways today!

And please tell me…what is gracing YOUR brunch tables this season?

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Bun Cake for GFE’s Home For the Holidays

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:44:49 +0000

Well in true gfe-gluten-free easily form, my sweet Shirley has out done herself with the most stunning holiday event yet. Home for the Holidays- Gluten-Free Style (and very Allergy Friendly as well) has kicked off with an enormous bang. Twenty four bloggers are sharing recipes that represent what the home and holidays are all about for them.

And there are over 100 prizes you can enter to win - this list is insane. And then a GRAND PRIZE and two runner ups that will knock your socks off!

- Grand prize: A top-of-the-line VITAMIX blender!

- 2nd Prize: $150 Shopping Spree at Free From Gluten

- 3rd Prize : A Giveaway Package from Caveman Cookies worth $89.

And you will see below the great gifts that I am also giving away today as part of the event. But WAIT! Here is the most exciting part…

Each Entry/Comment you leave here will also count towards the Grand Prize, and 2nd, and 3rd Prizes as well! So make sure to maximize your chances!

Of course you know I am going to say how steeped in tradition the holidays are for us. And after all, our family has a long list of must-do’s for the season that we stick to like glue.

But this last year has brought some unexpected events and experiences that have left me understanding that simple moments are what really make this season bright.

Like the pride the boys get when they “help” Dad build the fire…and the sound of their belly laughs that are simply full of pure joy just because Santa will soon be burning his britches and squeezing his jolly belly through our chimney.

Like belting out Christmas songs with my boys at the top of our lungs and dancing to them “like no one is watching”. And then giggling hysterically afterwards…

Like listening to Big Brother read Christmas stories to Little Brother and Big Brother asking questions and encouraging Little Brother like Mom and Dad usually do…

And like sitting around the breakfast table together in our pajamas during the cold December weekends and enjoying special breakfast treats that are not normally made during the other times of the year.

Yes. Those are the kind of traditions that are making the season for me.

And this Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Bun Cake with an Eggnog Glaze plays a big role on these special holiday mornings for us. It actually looks like and tastes similar to a giant cinnamon bun, but it is yeast-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, and easily egg-free.

Oh. And it is waaaay easier (and much faster) to make than real Cinnamon buns.

I place a layer of cinnamon bun filling (and a layer of raisins) on the bottom of my pan, then pour half of the batter in. Then, using a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off, pipe a swirl of the filling and add another layer of raisins. Then I place the remaining batter on top of this and pipe the remaining filling in that same spiral pattern. Because we love the filling so much, I have been known to double the filling recipe below for an extra dose of decadence.

The result when it is done baking? Does it not look like a giant cinnamon bun?

Oh, and then that dairy-free eggnog glaze is not so bad either.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Bun Breakfast Cake with Dairy-Free Egg Nog Glaze

Also Yeast-Free and Corn-Free; Easily adapted to be Nut-free and Egg-free

Ingredients:

Cake:

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 Butter, softened to Room Temperature-IMPORTANT (if not Dairy-free, you can use regular butter)

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar OR Blonde Coconut Palm Sugar

2 Large Eggs, at 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 Yogurt (such as So Delicious) OR Plain Dairy-Filled Yogurt OR Sour Cream-Room Temperature-IMPORTANT

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling:

1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar (or Brown Sugar)

6 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Butter, melted, OR Regular Butter, melted, OR Coconut Oil, melted

2 Tbsp Cinnamon

3/4 Cup Raisins (divided)

Icing:

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Butter, or Regular Butter, Melted

3 Tbsp Corn-Free Confectioner’s Sugar, such as 365 Organic Powdered Sugar made with Tapioca Starch, available at Whole Foods

2 Tbsp Dairy-free Eggnog, such as So Delicious Holiday Nog, or Regular Dairy Egg Nog

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan on the bottom and sides. Then cut a piece of parchment paper to fit just in the bottom of pan, without letting it go up the sides.

2. 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.

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

4. While mixer is going on low speed, slowly add dry ingredient mixture. 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.

5. Mix together filling ingredients (Note: if you like a lot of filling, double the filling ingredients). Spoon 3 – 4 Tbsp of filling into bottom of pan and spread evenly with back of spoon. Sprinkle half of the raisins over the filling. Pour remaining filling into a ziplock bag and snip small corner off one side of bottom.

6. Pour half of batter over bottom raisin/filling layer. Then, pipe filling from bag in a circular spiral, starting in center of pan and working outwards. Sprinkle remaining raisins over filling. Then pour remaining batter over raisins. And, again pipe all remaining filling in circular spiral pattern. Use a toothpick to follow the spiral to incorporate it slightly into the batter.

7. Bake for 40-42 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

8. During the final few minutes of baking, whisk together all of the icing ingredients. Once cake is out of oven, let cool for 5 minutes then cover pan with dish and flip onto plate. Then cover cake with another plate and flip onto that one so cake is right side up. While it is still warm, drizzle the icing evenly over the top of cake. Enjoy!

Here we go… GIVEAWAY TIME! Enter to win:

Simply Gluten-Free Desserts, by Carol Kicinski and one bag of her Amazing All- Purpose Gluten-free Flour mix:

The Pure Kitchen, by Hallie Klecker

One Easy Eats Subscription to the all-digital food and lifestyle gluten-free magazine:

To enter the giveaway, please do one or all of the following three things:

Just remember that each entry brings you one step closer to winning that Vita-Mix!

1. Please leave a comment telling me what makes this season bright for you.
2. Share this giveaway on facebook and come back to tell me that you did.
3. Share this giveaway on twitter and come back to tell me that you did.

Note that you will have 48 hours to leave a comment here before it will be closed to entries on December 8th at 10am CST.

All of the comments you leave on this post and any other posts by the other bloggers participating will be entered into the Grand Prize Giveaways. The grand prize winners will be announced on Christmas.

And do not forget to go back and see the Gluten-Free Red Chile Enchiladas from Gluten Free For Good yesterday and then head on over to Lexie’s Kitchen tomorrow, for what I am sure will be an amazing treat.

NOTE: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Allergy-Friendly Savory Baked Apples for a Gluten-Free Holiday

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:44:47 +0000

Wow. Week 4 of the Gluten-Free Holiday Event, hosted by Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, is already here. How can that be?

In case you missed the first 3 Weeks of this event, here is a little recap:

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.

Week 3 - Alta shared her Edible Gifts of Good Taste with her Gluten-Free Chipotle Maple Mixed Nuts.

And now for Week 4…

Hallie, over at Daily Bites, is focusing on Holiday Entrees and Sides with her beautiful Butternut Squash and Cabbage Salad. Make sure to go and link up a favorite savory holiday dish, either in the linky or in the comments. This will enter you to win a copy of Hallie’s amazing cookbook, The Pure Kitchen. It is one of my favorites and it soon could earn a spot on your counter.

Now, is it just me or do you too feel like time is passing by so quickly these days? I am really focusing on staying in the moment and enjoying each memory we are creating this season.

We have already decked the halls…

and hung the stockings by the chimney with care…

My husband and the boys have already donned the outside of our home in so many lights that Clark Griswold would be jealous (after all, ours are set to music ).

We are taking part in all of our favorite family holiday traditions: hot cocoa and cider by the fire, a different Christmas story book each night, Christmas music playing all afternoon, and the mad dash each morning to find where our special little Elf (on the Shelf) is hiding.

We named our Elf Canyon years ago and he never disappoints in reappearing each year. He is certainly a mischievous and antics-filled little fellow. And last night he made a dashing debut into our home… and then somehow got stuck in the air vent uptake.

Hopefully he will manage to get himself out of this pickle tonight as he has an important job to do.

He has to get back to the North Pole to report to Santa on who has been naughty or nice in our home.

I know one thing for sure. Mom has been nothing but nice this year.

It is great that December marks the month that my boys are sweet little angels, not wanting to upset Santa in any way. It is just too bad they do not have elves for every other month of the year. How about a Valentine Elf? Or a St. Patty’s Day Elf? Perhaps a Patriotic Elf for the 4th of July? Ooh. And what about a Birthday Elf, for the month before their birthday?

Okay, enough dreaming. I want to share a recipe that I love making during this time of year. The boys in this house, old and young alike, love them. These Savory Baked Apples are Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Corn-free, and easily Vegan. They are a huge hit around here and are packed with healthy ingredients that no one even notices.

You can play around with the ingredients in the stuffing. Omit the Italian sausage for a Vegan version. Play with the herbs. Kick it up with some spice. Anything goes really. But below is our favorite combination of goodies.

Allergy-Friendly Savory Baked Apples

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Corn-free, Easily Vegan

Ingredients:

1 Acorn Squash, halved (save one half for another use), seeded, peeled, and finely diced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 Yellow Onion, finely diced

4 Large Apples, preferably organic (such as Fuji)

1 Lemon, halved

1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage, crumbled (omit for a Vegan Version and instead double or triple your vegetables and seasonings)

1/4 Cup Fresh Herbs (such as Thyme, Basil, Oregano, or Sweet Marjoram), finely diced

1 cup Chopped Leafy Greens (such as Swiss Chard, Collards, or Kale )

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Cracked Fresh Pepper

1/2 Cup Apple Juice, preferably organic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut apples in half. Then, using a spoon, carefully scoop out center core and discard. Then scoop flesh from inside of apple skin leaving a 1/4 inch shell around the edge to keep the shape. Reserve the apple flesh. Rub edges of apple with the halved lemon to prevent too much browning.

2. Finely dice reserved apple flesh. Toss apple pieces with about 2 tsp of lemon juice to prevent too much browning.

3. Sautee sausage over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add in diced onion and squash pieces and cook for 3 – 5 minutes more. Add in apples and herbs and cook for 1 minute more.

4. Remove pan from heat and add in greens, salt, and pepper.

5. Place prepared apple halves in 8 x 8 baking dish. Fill each apple half with about 1/4 cup of the sausage mixture. Add apple juice to the bottom of the pan, around the apples. Place pan in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Garnish with additional fresh herbs if desired.

Do You Have An Elf? What is his or her name? Canyon would love to get to know some of his friends!

Get On Your Walking Shoes And Head To The Tempe FAAN Walk

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:56:31 +0000

For all of you that are anywhere near the Phoenix metropolitan area this week, the 2011 FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) Walk is this Saturday, December 3rd, at the Tempe Arts Park at 10 am.

The goal of the walk is to raise public awareness, to provide advocacy and education, and to advance research on behalf of all those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis. The hope is that it will help provide understanding, hope, and an opportunity for those affected by food allergies to network. And, of course, the ultimate goal is to save lives.

Please join FAAN and the Arizona Food Allergy Alliance this weekend. Check out the FAQ page to answer any of your questions regarding the walk.

If you are not in Arizona, check out all of the other locations and find a FAAN walk near you!

And if you cannot walk, please consider donating.

And if you live in Arizona, please consider joining the Arizona Food Allergy Alliance. The Arizona Food Allergy Alliance is a support group dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by food allergy in the State of Arizona. This group sustains the common interests of members through education, support, and advocacy. The main goal is to bring awareness, understanding, and safety within families and communities by providing educational resources, personal networking experiences, and opportunities for community involvement.

Connect - Network with other’s in the food allergy community through our many communication forums, and other programs.

Learn - Educate yourself and those around you about food allergies and anaphylaxis. Increasing your own knowledge is the first step to bringing awareness and “buy-in” with those around you (school, work, church, play, etc).

Succeed - With the resources that Arizona Food Allergy Alliance and our partners offer, YOU will be successful in not only living with food allergies, but creating a safe confident environment coupled with understanding and awareness. Together we can connect, learn and succeed!

Founded in 2011, The Arizona Food Allergy Alliance is a statewide support group dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by food allergy in the State of Arizona. This group sustains the common interests of members through education, support, and advocacy. The goal is to bring awareness, understanding, and safety within families and communities by providing educational resources, personal networking experiences, and opportunities for community involvement. AFAA hopes that every person that visits will connect, learn and succeed. For more information, please visit AFAA at www.arizonafoodallergy.org.

Get Ready, Get Set, and Cook!

Kim-Cook It Allergy Free — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:32:28 +0000

It is just about go-time for all of the Thanksgiving cooking and prepping to begin.

I have a feeling that with all of the amazing allergy-friendly Thanksgiving recipes out there in the blog-world, there will be some really good eating this holiday season, food allergies or not!

We will be sticking to our menu. My family is stubborn. They like tradition. They do not like change.

And really? I have worked years on perfecting this menu. So I would be silly to mess with it. So, if you have not nailed down your menu yet, these recipes are all gluten-free, allergy-friendly, tried, true, and well-loved over the last nine years.

THE MENU

Cranberry Citrus Cider Sauce

Cold Green Bean and Shallot Salad

Simple and Delicious Crock-pot Mashed Potatoes - a method to not leave you doing the well-known Thanksgiving jig called the Last Minute Potato Mash

My Homemade Gluten-Free Cornbread Recipe - to use for the stuffing and a variation on the recipe to make the muffins to serve with the meal.

The Family Favorite Gluten-Free Cornbread and Crusty Bread Stuffing Recipe - with Apples, Sausage, pine-nuts, golden raisins, and a secret ingredient that knocks this one out of the park.

Cider Glazed Brined Turkey with Apple Brandy Gravy - trust me when I say you will be eating this gravy with a spoon (a perfect reason to make a lot of it)

Toffee Pecan Caramel Apple Streusel

Crustless Pumpkin Streusel Pie

If you do decide to make any of the items on this menu, then you will want to click on the Shopping List. It is your full printable grocery list of all of the items you will need for each dish.

PRINTABLE THANKSGIVING SHOPPING LIST

And this Thanksgiving, I will be giving thanks for you, my completely wonderful readers. All of you reading this blog and commenting and sharing your stories each day makes this such a happy place for me. I am grateful for all of you.

So I wish all of you, and your families, an absolutely positively amazingly fantabulous Allergy-Friendly Thanksgiving Holiday!

I cannot wait to hear how wonderful all of your feasts were.

Cook It Allergy Free » Blog

7 Easy Steps to Make Your Own Water Kefir and Why You Should

12 Healthy Snack Ideas And A Simple Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip

Cinnamon Raisin “Bran” Muffins and Vision Boards

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Raisin “Bran” Muffins

Gluten-Free Maple Spice Cookies

Gluten- Free Maple-Spice Cookies

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Apple Pie

8 Favorite Allergy-Friendly and Gluten-Free Brunch Ideas

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Bun Cake for GFE’s Home For the Holidays

Allergy-Friendly Savory Baked Apples for a Gluten-Free Holiday

Get On Your Walking Shoes And Head To The Tempe FAAN Walk

Get Ready, Get Set, and Cook!

THE MENU

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU!!