Strawberry Shortcake & Whipped Cream {Dairy-free}

I love a good strawberry shortcake. It makes me think of summertime and running around barefoot in the grass at my mamaw’s house when I was growing up. She and my papaw lived in the country. Technically, it was Knoxville, but it was rural Knoxville. When we took the ‘back way’ (aka – curvy, country roads) to get there, we would pass lots of farmland, cows, an old one-room schoolhouse, several very old dilapidated wooden houses and drive over lots of hills that take your breath away. I don’t know if she ever made us strawberry shortcake, but this summer dessert brings back these memories of my childhood summers.

This has to be one of the easiest desserts to make and it is a crowd pleaser. To make it dairy-free, follow this recipe!

Strawberry Shortcake {Dairy-free}

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar {or less – you could even use Agave Nectar or Stevia instead}

2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick mix

2/3 cup Almond milk

3 T sugar

3 T Smart Balance LIGHT buttery spread, melted {only the LIGHT version is dairy-free}

Dairy-free Whipped Cream {see below}

Mix strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar; set aside. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 T sugar, and butter until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and dairy-free whipped cream. Makes 6 shortcakes.

Dairy-Free Whipped Cream {this recipe taken from here.}

2 cans of coconut milk full fat

1 cup powdered sugar

Place your cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours.  The longer the better.  So when you bring them home from the grocery store just tuck two into the ice box for when you need emergency whipped cream.

Also, place your bowl and whip into the freezer for at least 3 hours to chill.  I use my son’s Kitchen Aid mixer with the balloon whip.

Once you take your bowl and whip out of the freezer and set up the mixer do not waste time.  You need to keep the equipment cold.  Open the cans at the bottom with a bottle opener to drain off the coconut water.  Save this it is great for smoothies.  Now open the top of the can all the way and scoop out the thick cream.

Start your mixer on low and move up 1 or 2 notches for speed until you get to moderate.  As it starts to whip and increase in volume, gradually add in the powdered sugar.  Once it’s mixed and looks fluffy like whipped cream, well you now have whipped cream.  Tip from J.C.- look for the beater to leave light traces on the surface of the cream.

Crispy Kale {allergy-free sidedish}

I am a total copycat today (and I totally stole this picture!). My sister posted about this dish yesterday on her blog. She had told me about it while I was at her house over the weekend and I knew I would try it as soon as I got home. And I did. I tried it last night and was pleasantly surprised. Any kind of greens like mustard greens, collard greens, etc. make me gag are not my favorite. So, I decided I would try this with the hope of forcing healthy good-for-me greens down my throat. And you know what? They are really good. I must not have gotten the salt spread evenly over them because some of the pieces were only tolerable. BUT the ones that did have the salt on them were very good – even tasty! My picky older girls didn’t care much for it, but my picky husband and youngest daughter ate them and that is a big accomplishment. So, try it! You might actually like it!

Go here for the recipe! 3 ingredients and super easy!!

Chocolate Muffins in a Rush {Dairy-, Egg-, & Peanut-Free}

I’ve been gone for a few days celebrating Easter with family out of state, so I haven’t posted in almost a week! The Whoopie Pies were a success for my youngest daughter’s 3rd birthday party. You would never know they were allergy-free. The cousins loved them! Saturday morning, I was at my sister’s house and she was making muffins for breakfast, so I decided to go ahead and whip up some muffins for my allergy girl, too. You can ask my 12 yr old niece how proud I was of myself for doing such a good job…she heard me exclaim several times, “These are great! I can’t believe how good these turned out!”  My sister doesn’t have anyone in her family with food allergies, but you can make these delicious muffins from anyone’s pantry! No weird ingredients – all normal, everyday items.

Chocolate Muffins in a Rush {Dairy-, Egg-, & Peanut-Free}

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup oats

1/3 cup sugar

1T cornstarch {this replaces the egg}

1/2 cup pure cocoa powder

1 cup almond milk {plain for less sugar content}

1/2 cup applesauce {I used a snack sized cinnamon flavored because that’s what my sister had}

1/4 cup canola oil

Mix dry ingredients together in mixing bowl. Mix liquid ingredients {including applesauce} in a small bowl and then add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until moist. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full and bake @ 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Serve warm with Smart Balance Light {dairy-free buttery spread}. Makes 12 muffins. 1/2 the recipe to make just a small batch of 6. They turned out perfect!

Whoopie Pies! {Dairy-, Egg-, Peanut-Free}

Goodbye, Cupcake. Helllloooooo, Whoopie Pies! I recently read in some magazine that whoopie pies are the new cupcake. Well, I just had to try my hand at them and make an allergy-free version {as in dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free} and let me tell you – these are scrumdiddlyumptious. There’s no other word for them. Of course, you wouldn’t believe how easy these are, either! I was pleasantly surprised and you will be, too! Because the bottom line is – if it ain’t easy, I ain’t makin’ it. {Yes, I know that isn’t proper English, but it conveys the attitude behind the statement.} So, go now. Make these.

 

Whoopie Pies! {Dairy-, Egg-, Peanut-Free}

2 c. sugar
3/4 c. shortening
1/2 cup unsweetened appelsauce

2 c. almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla
10 tbsp. cocoa

1 tbsp. cornstarch
4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. soda
Pinch of salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Combine applesauce, almond milk and vanilla and beat into creamed mixture. Slowly stir sifted dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, and beat on medium speed about 2 minutes. Drop with tablespoon onto greased and floured cookie sheet (enough dough to make a baked cookie about 2 to 2 1/2 inches). Bake at 350 degrees until cookie just springs back when pressed in center with finger {about 10-12 min). Remove to rack and cool completely before filling.

Go here for my dairy-, egg-free Buttercream Frosting to use for filling these lovelies.  Spoon a nice heap of frosting on the bottom side of one cookie. Then, top with the other cookie. Then, savor every.single.delicious.bite. {Makes about 2 dozen}

 

These are perfect for birthdays {like I’m doing for my soon-to-be 3 year old on Friday!}, parties, school treats, snacks, desserts, etc. Try them out and let me know how you like them! The whole family will like these!!

All Natural Strawberry-Banana Popsicles {allergy-free}

I have been wanting some popsicle molds for awhile now and when World Market sent me $10 for my birthday, I headed over to see what I could find. There were several things I liked, but when I saw these I decided I would buy them with part of my money. These are so fun and the girls love them. I had some strawberries, apples and bananas that needed to be eaten so I decided to experiment. This is what I came up with…

All Natural Strawberry-Banana Popsicles {allergy-free}

2 cups fresh strawberries, {1 cup washed and sliced, 1 cup washed and tops cut off}

1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup 100% apple juice

2 T Agave Nectar

Put 1 cup sliced strawberries and bananas in a blender.

Pour apple juice on top. {If you don’t have any juice, you can juice your own apples. I juiced 3 small apples and got exactly 1/2 cup. Skim the foam off the top with a spoon. Then, pour juice into blender.} Juice 1 cup whole strawberries – or more if you like! – and pour into blender. Add Agave Nectar.

Put the lid on the blender and pulse until you get a smooth texture.

Pour juice mixture into popsicle molds, put in freezer for a couple of hours until popsicles are set.

Serve!

These popsicles are loaded with fruit and are great for snacktime, breakfast, dessert….anytime! Consider each one 1-2 servings of fruit.

Mini Ice Cream Cakes {Dairy-free}

Yesterday was my birthday and Hubs and I love ice cream cake. We just don’t normally buy it because of our daughter’s allergy to ice cream. But a brilliant idea {in my opinion} came to my mind on a way to make a mini ice cream cake for my girl to enjoy. She was SO excited and told me I’m the best ‘cooker’ ever! Totally makes my day when she says that because I know I’ve done my job when I get that response. So, without further ado…

Mini Ice Cream Cakes {Dairy-free}

2 So Delicious Ice Cream Sandwiches, any flavor {I used vanilla}

Dairy-free frosting {I used Pillsbury Strawberry flavored}

Spread frosting on the top of one ice cream sandwich. Stack the other sandwich on top. Spread frosting around the sides and top of the stacked sandwiches. Decorate as desired. Serve!

This is so easy and quick. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before now.

Crepes {Dairy-, Egg-free}

Yes, you heard me right. Crepes with no dairy and no eggs. Absolute dream come true. I am thrilled to share this recipe with you. Crepes are wonderful for breakfast, dessert, snack or even dinner!! And the best thing about them is how versatile they are. You can make them savory OR sweet, virtually filling them with just about anything that strikes your fancy. Check out these variations and stay tuned for many more to come!

Crepes {Dairy-, Egg-Free}

1/2 cup almond milk, original or vanilla

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup Smart Balance Light {this is dairy-free} buttery spread, melted

1 T sugar

2 T maple syrup

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

In a large mixing bowl {I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with whisk attachment}, mix all ingredients together. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Grease a 6 inch skillet with Smart Balance Light buttery spread {dairy-free} and heat until hot. Spoon 3 T of batter into the bottom of the pan and swirl around until bottom of pan is coated. Cook until edges of crepe are golden and top side edges start to ‘dry’, flip and cook til golden. Fill with desired filling, roll, top with your favorite drizzle or fruit and serve.

Strawberries and ‘Cream’ Filling

1 8 0z. Tofutti brand Cream Cheese {dairy-free}

2 T brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Soften cream cheese, mix in brown sugar and vanilla. Spread 2 T onto each crepe. Roll. Top with fresh sliced strawberries or All-Fruit Strawberry Jam. *You can even add 1 T of All-Fruit Stawberry Jam into the crepe for more strawberry flavor.*

Nutella Drizzle {This is NOT dairy-free}

Melt 1/4 cup of Nutella and mix with 1 T Almond Milk. Stir well. Drizzle over the top of the crepe.

Pizza Popcorn {Dairy-free}

We love popcorn at our house. We eat it on family movie night and sometimes as a snack {especially when I’m out of everything else}. But let’s face it, popcorn can be rather boring. Sometimes I’d like a more flavorful snack and that is why I made Pizza Popcorn. Popcorn is a whole grain and is healthy for you {when it’s not dripping with butter}. So, why not try this tasty variation!

Pizza Popcorn {Dairy-free}

1 bag microwave popcorn {I use Pop Secret – they do have some without milk – read the labels}

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

dash of pepper {optional}

While popcorn is popping, mix together all ingredients in small dish. Sprinkle over popcorn while it is hot. Toss to coat evenly. EAT!  *If you are not allergic to dairy, you can add in 2 T grated parmesean cheese. Then, with mini food processor, pulse all ingredients together to mix them well. Finally, add to hot popcorn and toss to coat.*

Summer Grilled Chicken Wrap {allergy-free}

I just whipped this up for lunch and it was absolutely delicious! Whether you are food allergic or just trying to cut back on carbs/sugar, this one’s for you.

I used leftover grilled chicken from dinner last night. {I rubbed it with a dash of sea salt/black pepper and some Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper No Salt Added Seasoning and grilled it.} I took half of a chicken breast and chopped it to my liking. Added about 1T each of chopped red onion and chopped green pepper. 1 T Nayonnaise {egg-free, sugar-free mayo}. 1/4 of an avacado. Mix all ingredients together. Wash two leaves of fresh, green leaf lettuce and pat dry with a paper towel. Spoon your chicken mixture into the bigger leaf and roll it up. Add the other leaf for more support. It is a delicious, healthy lunch for anyone. My kids may not go for red onion, but you can add whatever you like to it!

MedicAlert and the Food Allergy Initiative

I follow Food Allergy Initiative on Facebook and came across something that might interest you. MedicAlert is a 24 hour assistance for those with serious medical conditions. The person with the health condition (or in this case, a food allergy) wears a MedicAlert bracelet that has an emergency phone number on it, as well as, identifies the person so that in case of an emergency medics will have immediate access to the person’s medical records, etc. The following statement was taken off their website:

The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) and MedicAlert Foundation are proud of their ongoing partnership to provide free enrollment for low-income children and adults who suffer from food allergies. Members select a MedicAlert medical ID, which is engraved with their member number and our 24-hour emergency response number. This information saves lives by giving emergency medical personnel immediate access to the member’s medical records. This offer of free MedicAlert membership to needy individuals is made possible by a generous grant provided by the Food Allergy Initiative on behalf of an anonymous donor.

This is worth checking into and passing the info along to anyone you know that might benefit from this. What a great partnership!