Pizza "crust"

1 egg, beaten
~3/4 cup spaghetti squash, cooked, chopped
~1/4 cup almond meal
shake of garlic powder
shake of dried basil

Mix together and scoop in to a medium frying pan coated with olive oil. Flatten. Cook until browned on the bottom and then carefully flip with a large spatula. When cooked through move to a cookie sheet and add toppings (pesto, red pepper, red onion, olives, mushrooms, prosciutto). Broil until toppings are done to your likeness.

Dairy Free Pudding

1 large frozen banana
1/2 can coconut milk
1 rounded tablespoon cocoa powder

Mix together in food processor until smooth.

Cranberries and Butternut Squash

Fill a jelly roll pan with cubed butternut squash and fresh cranberries. Drizzle with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and sea salt. Roasted at 375 for about 30 minutes or until soft and browned.

Crockpot Gigantor Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

1.25 lb ground beef

2/3 lb Italian sausage

1 large stalk celery, minced

1 large-sized carrot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 of a large red onion, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup almond meal

1 tsp dried oregano
sprinkle garlic poweder
a few turns of black pepper

dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt

Sauce Ingredients:

32 oz can Organic Diced Tomatoes

6 oz can Organic Tomato Paste

1 shake dried basil

5 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Mix together meatball ingredients by hand. Divide in to eights and make 8 gigantic meatballs. Place in a single layer in the bottom of a large oval (6 qt) crockpot. 

Mix together sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


These were fabulous! (and HUGE) Great with spaghetti squash and a salad.

Roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts and cranberries

brussels sprouts, halved (or quartered if huge)
butternut squash, cubed
cranberries, rinsed
coconut oil, melted
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

Loosely fill a jelly roll pan with the sprouts, squash and cranberries about 2 parts sprouts, 2 parts squash and 1 part cranberries. Drizzle with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 30 minutes or until your liking. The tart of the cranberries goes great with the sweet of the squash. Excellent with pork loin chops.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

a little less than a pound of baby spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
balsamic
3 sliced prosciutto, diced
sliced almonds

cook proscuitto until crispy, remove from pan
add olive oil and garlic
add spinach in batches, stirring to lightly wilt and make more room for more spinach
drizzle with balsamic and sea salt/fresh ground pepper to taste
serve sprinkled with prosciutto and almonds


A big hit with kids and adults in our house.

Dairy Free Hot Olive-Artichoke Dip

2 15 oz cans whole artichoke hearts, drained
half a 15 oz can of black olives
1/3 cup red onion, diced
2 eggs
few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 - 8 oz containers of non-hydrogenated Tofutti Cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise 
cayenne pepper, kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a food processor pulse together all ingredients. You may have to mix in the mayo by hand if your food processor isn't big enough (mine wasn't). Scoop in to two pie plates or small casserole dishes and top with a bread crumb/Earth balance crumble and paprika or just paprika. Refrigerate until ready to cook/serve. Cook in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until set and bubbly. 

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Adapted from PW's recipe - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/spicy-lemon-garlic-shrimp/

Minimal changes - Earth Balance for butter to make it dairy free, reduced red pepper to make it more kid friendly. Kids and I loved it.

Handmade Noodles and Rustic Chicken Noodle Soup

Dairy-Free Handmade Noodles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup original rice milk

1 tablespoon Earth Balance, softened

In stand mixer whisk together egg, milk and softened Earth Balance. Add flour and salt and mix with the paddle until well combined. Change to kneading attachment and knead for 3-4 minutes, adding flour if too sticky. Knead until smooth. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Break off small chunks of dough and roll out on a floured surface or flatten in a well floured tortilla press. Cut in to the noodle shape you want.Add to boiling broth. 

Rustic Chicken Noodle Soup

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large red onion

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 large ribs celery, sliced

5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in to small bite size pieces

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

handful each frozen corn & frozen peas

10 cups of chicken broth

salt & pepper to taste

1 recipe of dairy-free homemade noodles

In a large pot heat olive oil. Cook onion, carrots and celery until softened. Add chicken and cook until cooked through. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add zucchini, corn and peas. Return to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Raise to a low boil. Drop noodles one by one in to boiling broth. Noodles are done when they float to the top of the broth.

Pumpkin Curry Coconut Soup

In a large pot on medium heat melt:
1/4 cup coconut oil

Add:
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook until onion is translucent then add:
2-3 tablespoons red curry paste

Cook until well combined and fragrant then add:
1 28 oz can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can coconut milk

Rinse each can out with water and add water to pot (approx 2 cups). Stir in:
2 teaspoons low sodium chicken broth paste

Use an immersion blender to remove all chunks and then heat through over medium heat, stirring often.

Green Goddess Dressing

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

green tops of a bunch of green onions
leaves from a small sprig of rosemary
leaves from a small sprig of thyme
handful of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 tin of anchovies
1/2 cup mayo
juice of 1 lemon
2-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Blend all ingredients in the blender until creamy and well combined. Great with a green salad with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, artichoke hearts and grated carrots.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

Cilantro Lime Pesto (all measurements are approximate)

• 2 bunches of cilantro - washed and big stems removed
• juice of 2 limes
• about 1/3 cup of walnuts
• about 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• fresh ground sea salt & fresh ground pepper
• olive oil

1. pulse together walnuts, sunflower seeds, garlic, lime juice in food processor, scraping down as needed
2. add cilantro and continue to pulse until everything is all smooshed together and well combined
3. with food processor running pour in olive oil until desired consistency
   

I have added chopped fresh tomatoes, (tofutti) cream cheese and (tofutti) sour cream and used it on pasta (YUM) and tonight I added probably equal parts mayo and pesto with juice of a lime as salad dressing. We had the pesto mixed in to steamed rice. We have also used it as dip with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Basic dairy-free chocolate chip cookies. The big trick with using Earth Balance for cookies is never melt it, no matter what the original recipe says. I make a big batch and refrigerate/freeze the extra dough for later use. I always add a little extra vanilla to recipes. Adapted from - Best Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups Earth Balance

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2+ tablespoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

3+ cups semisweet chocolate chips

 

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2.	Sift/whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3.	In bowl of stand mixer, cream together the Earth Balance, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, eggs, and egg yolks until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Drop cookie dough one cookie scoop at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4.	Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

 

Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad

half a bag of TJ's frozen white corn, defrosted
can of TJ's black beans, rinsed
half a large tomato chopped fine
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced and smashed with a few turns of fresh ground sea salt
a pinch of sugar
can of mild rotel
red wine vinegar
vegetable oil

Mix together corn, beans, tomato and onion. In a small bowl whisk together garlic, 2 tablespoons juice from the can of rotel, sugar, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Add more rotel juice, vinegar or oil to taste. Mix dressing in to salad along with several tablespoons of rotel to taste.

Big hit for kid #2 as long as I picked out the red onion bits. #1 was a fan too. Husband had it over lettuce and didn't complain - I guess that is good.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This is probably how we should have brought our giant zucchini home!

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons
ground cinnamon
5 eggs
   
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup olive oil
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini
2 cups chopped walnuts
Half a package of TJ’s semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.     Grease and flour two 9 x 6 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.     Whiskflours, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3.     Beat eggs, oils, vanilla, and sugars together in stand mixer until combined. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and chocolate chips until well combined. Scoop batter into prepared pans.
4.     Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Late Night Protein Shake

1 cup chocolate Rice Dream
1 cup plain soymilk
3 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter
1 tablespoon unsweetened chocolate powder
2 teensie tiny scoops of TJ's stevia powder
2 big handfuls of ice

Blend until smooth. Makes for a GIGANTOR shake.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

My 7 year old and my husband are at Cub Scout evening camp tonight. Which left me at home with a heartbroken 5 year old. We measured, mixed and munched away the blues with these cookies. Modified from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-II/Detail.aspx#.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup softened Earth Balance (or your favorite dairy free margarine)

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 bag Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips (dairy free)

DIRECTIONS:

1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

2.         Beat the Earth Balance, white sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture a little at a time. Fold in the chocolate chips; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Use an awesome cookie scoop to place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3.         Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are firm, 9 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dairy Free Waffles

These waffles were made by my husband while I slept (may have made them taste even better).  He adapted the recipe from this blog. The waffles are crisp on the outside and tender and fluffy inside. So delicious with a little Earth Balance and freshly canned plum jam. 


3 1/2 cup of high fiber white flour
2 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Eggs
3 1/2 cups premium quality Soy or Almond milk
1 cup cooking oil, ideally canola oil


Whisk all ingredients together. Cook on waffle iron. This recipe made 27 waffles in our waffle maker. 

Dairy-Free Crustless Mini Quiches

Ingredients:

half a pound of bulk sausage (browned and drained) (or bacon or canadian bacon, or ham)

half a cup of frozen spinach (defrosted and drained) (or kale, red pepper, tomato, etc)

one and a half cups of frozen shredded potatoes (defrosted - 2 mins. in microwave)

quarter cup of mayonnaise and a quarter cup of water - whisked together

10 eggs 

quarter teaspoon of dry mustard

fresh ground sea salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F.

Liberally grease two sheets of mini muffin pans (48 mini muffins total). 

Whisk, together mayo/water, eggs, dry mustard, salt & pepper. Mix in sausage, spinach and potatoes. Scoop mix in to muffin tins. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean (approximately 15 minutes - check often). 

These were so good for our homeschool group's Pancake Potluck in the Park that I made more for dinner tonight!

Ingredients:

half a pound of bulk sausage (browned and drained) 

half a bag (1lb?) of frozen spinach (defrosted and drained)

one tomato, seeded and chopped fine

3-4 cups frozen shredded potatoes (defrosted - 2 mins. in microwave)

1/3 cup of mayonnaise and 1/3 cup of water - whisked together

14 eggs 

heaping half teaspoon of dry mustard

fresh ground sea salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F.

Liberally grease 10x15 baking dish. 

Press potatoes in to bottom of baking dish. Whisk, together mayo/water, eggs, dry mustard, salt & pepper. Mix in sausage, spinach, tomatoes. Pour over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean (approximately 30 minutes).

Serving for dinner with sautéed kale and fresh cantaloupe and pineapple.

Christmas 2011 version
1 lb bacon
1 lb sausage
1 bag hash browns, defrosted overnight in fridge
16 eggs
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup water
1 t mustard powder
salt & pepper

Cheeze Sauce

Dairy-free cheeze sauce for Mac & Cheese


Modified from Gluten Free Goddess. All measurements wildly approximate.


4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cups plain soymilk (add a little at a time until proper consistancy)
2 rounded tablespoons good tasting nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or more, to taste
A good dash or two of garlic powder, to taste
A good dash or two of onion powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard, or to taste
1/2 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon paprika (for orange) or turmeric (for yellow) color- may omit
1/4 cup white wine, to taste (I may omit this next time)

In a saucepan, heat the Earths Balance over medium heat until melted, and whisk in the  flour until it creates a thick paste - add more flour if necessary. Cook and stir the flour for about 30 seconds. 

Slowly add in the soymilk, whisking to blend the flour paste and soymilk.

Bring the mixture to a bubble (it will thicken as it heats) then reduce the heat to low. Add the nutritional yeast, sea salt, garlic and onion powder, mustard, vinegar, nutmeg, paprika or turmeric, wine (and sesame tahini, if using), and whisk to blend.

Continue heating and stirring the sauce over gentle heat for about five to ten minutes. Taste test. Does it need a hint more salt? Wine?

Stir and gently heat through.

Remove from heat and use on pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables or casserole fillings. Makes about three cups sauce.

Note: Try adding a tablespoon of tahini next time.


I used for macaroni & cheese - mixed with about 2/3 a pound of dried macaroni cooked until al dente. Topped with crusty sourdough bread torn to bite size pieces and drizzled with melted Earths Balance. Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350 or until the bread is golden brown.