Newfoundland Christmas Dinner

So I was lucky enough to marry a man from Newfoundland!   For anyone that’s not familiar people from Newfoundland are incredible – they are warm, caring funny people, who have their own (often very funny) slang for day to day words and terms that are just so great! 

Plus it’s absolutely beautiful there as soon as the plane touches down, you know why they are so proud of their province.

The first time I went back to Newfoundland with my hubby (the boyfriend at the time) my biggest concern was “the food”…  To me the idea of cooked meat, boiled vegetables and meals like pea soup had me shaken in my booties!

   <it’s possible I am the only person ever that has not seen a moose in Newfoundland – even after countless hours of driving all over the province… it’s become a bit of a family joke!>

I often joke with my mother in law now about how I’m a hippie…  but now proudly wear a badge of honour for becoming  an honorary “Newfie hippy” because not only did I love the food, I now crave it and try to replicate it often & have lost part of my heart to my East Coast home!

(minus the lobster – I’m not really a fan)

The first Christmas dinner is what did it for me.  I’ve had some good turkey dinner’s in my past – but this meal took the cake.

There was typical turkey and then everything else…

 <source – I hope they don’t mind me borrowing, I’ve never take a picture of the dinner – but this is always what it looks like>

Pretty much everything is boiled with salt beef which granted is not healthy on any level, but it tastes oh so good! 

I am no where near the calibre that my mother in law, or Dave’s nan was at cooking, so I’ll just share links to the recipes!  All of which are making an appearance at our Christmas dinner tomorrow!

Jiggs Dinner with Pea’s Pudding and Boiled Veggies! (just sub butter for your favourite dairy free alternative!)  Make sure to have pudding bags for the pea’s pudding!  (We use carrots, turnip potatoes & green cabbage)

Dressing (not my favourite, but loved by many – the next day it’s common to have the dressing over french fries with gravy) (not pictured in above photo)

Then there are “puddings” my mother in law has me hooked on onion and cranberry spice.  While I am no expert – I couldn’t find a recipe for it anywhere, so I’ll try to break it down!  (Ps. the final product doesn’t look very good, but I promise it’s tasty!)

Onion Pudding

• 1/2 loaf of plain bread (I usually use whole wheat) – must be stale – I usually leave it out for a day or two.
• 1 onion – chopped
• 1 tablespoons of butter (I use Earth Balance)
• pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup (give or take) of flour
• Pudding bag with string

Soak bread in water & then squish all the liquid out of bread.  Try to get it as dry as possible – so it makes a dough.  Place in a bowl.

Sautee onion in butter – add to bread mixture – add in sugar and mix together.   Add flour as needed until you have a non sticky piece of dough.   Place dough in a pudding bag and tie.  Boil for 1 – 2 hours with salt beef (or very salty water).

 

Cranberry and Spice Pudding

• 1/2 loaf of plain bread (I usually use whole wheat) – must be stale – I usually leave it out for a day or two.
• 1 – 2 table spoons of dried cranberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nut meg.
• pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup (give or take) of flour
• Pudding bag with string

Soak bread in water & then squish all the liquid out of bread.  Try to get it as dry as possible – so it makes a dough.  Place in a bowl.

Add in sugar, cranberries, spices and mix together.   Add flour as needed until you have a non sticky peice of dough.   Place dough in a pudding bag and tie.  Boil for 1 – 2 hours with salt beef (or very salty water).

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Then of course there is usually a jar of pickled beets, fresh homemade bread and butter!

 

For the next day it’s pretty typical to make a “hash” out of some of the left overs for breakfast or lunch!   Sometimes I think this is one of my favorite parts!!   This is pretty typical of what it looks like!

Just writing about this meal (while having all the ingredients in the next room especially) makes me drool.  Yes of course you must drink 16 gallons of water the next day to counter balance all the salt…  and your blood pressure will be a bit high for a day or two… it’s worth it – it’s Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas to each of you!! Thank you for making my blog and facebook page so enjoyable! Wishing you and your families a safe and happy Christmas   (full of lots of good dairy free treats!)

xo

Jessica

Dairy Free Nuts & Bolts

 

Hi!

Long time no chat!   Hopefully you are following DFB on facebook – because I try to check in every day with questions, tips, suggestions, product reviews etc.!   There has been some great chatter about dairy free hot chocolate suggestions, cheese substitutions, cookbook suggestions etc.!  Don’t miss out!

Anyways, moving on!

I have been a total slacker with creating recipes!  So many great recipes out there that are easier to follow!  

However, I always make a few alterations & with it being Christmas Season and all I have made a few tasty treats!

So far I’ve made…

1. Turtles (aka caramel, nuts and chocolate!) – I use this recipe and it’s incredible!
2. Chocolate Covered Oreos  - sounds as easy as it is!  You just roll and oreo (dairy free!) in chocolate – and sprinkle with well… SPRINKLES! ha
3. I’ve also made Christmas “crack” but I don’t like the name, so I’ll come up with a new name and post the recipe!

 

Now in all that sweetness – this preggo chick (29 weeks today!) needed some salt in her life! That’s where Nuts & Bolts comes in!  The recipe comes from a dear friend – when we visited them October – I couldn’t stop eating this – it’s salty, savoury and crunchy, what more can you ask for?  And it’s cute to package up in little baggies or mason jars as gifts!

Dairy Free Nuts & Bolts!

• 1 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 8 cups plain cheerios
• 5 cups shreddies
• 4 cups pretzels (I would personally add more, they were my favorite)
• 2 1/4 cup peanuts (I used almonds!)
• 1 tsp celery salt (I used seasoning salt)
• 1/4 cup dried onions
• 1-2 tsp garlic powder

Mix canola, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, dried onions and garlic powder together in a small bowl.    Mix the rest of the ingredients in a very large bowl.    Pour sauce over and mix until everything is covered!

Bake at 200 for 1.5 hours – stirring occasionally!  (This part is really hard, I had to taste test a few times!)

Remove from heat and let cool completely, transfer into a air tight container!

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Of course you can play around with this recipe – a few things I thought of after that would be good to add…

• Plain Popcorn
• Chex cereal
• Seeds (sunflower and pumpkin)
• If you are a sweet/salty, after it’s all cooled you could add in some crasins or chocolate chips!
• Pine nuts

Hope you enjoyed this recipe – up next – Christmas “crack” will appear with a new name!

Jessica

Pink or Blue?

Hiya guys!

So once again it’s been forever since I’ve posted! (so sorry!)   I’ve had a few messages from YOU asking about a baby update!!     I realize I haven’t said much since we announced it!

I’m almost 25 weeks now! (Time FLIES!)

My friend took some photos last week!!    

So fun!!  I still forget I’m pregnant – until I get a little punch or kick!  hahaha

We also found out that we’re having a BOY!!!!

I always always pictured myself having a whole bunch of little girls running around – however, we are sooooooo excited about a little boy!!  Name is all picked out, tons of cute “little man” clothing has been purchased and I’m working on the nursery!

It’s been a lot of fun as well because a few of my blogger friends are pregnant too!  We’ve been swapping stories, advice and enjoying the process of being pregnant together (in cyber space!)  Love the people I’ve met through blogging!

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Anyways I’ve been cooking lots, but mostly other people’s recipes – but the holiday season is fast  approaching, and I have a bit more time on my hands coming up, so I foresee sweets &  treats  and yummy recipes on the horizon!!   Pintrest makes it hard to create your own recipes when they show you things like “salted caramel brownies” that are already dairy free (I die…) but I’ll see what I can come up with!

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Hoping you are all doing fantastic – although I don’t do blog posts often, I try to do a lot of chatting on facebook – so join me there for recipes, tips and tidbits and more!  And of course, I love getting emails so feel free to always email me if you have questions about living dairy free!

Take care & Much Love!

Jessica  

Meal Planning

Hiya guys!

So on my vacation last week, I promised to start posting more!   I’ve already failed at that, but let me explain – we got home Sunday night – Monday I started work again and we expanded our space so it was our opening day of the new space,  got my ultrasound done to find out pink or blue…  and I started coaching Special Olympics again!  It was a busy week – however – I made a meal plan and we stuck to it!

Monday Night – Stir-fry – veggies, chicken and a mixture of sauces (sweet chilli, sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce) served over basmati rice!

Tuesday Night – Creamy Veggie Soup with yummy crusty bread – very similar to this recipe.

Wednesday Night (I work and coach so no dinner for you!) Fend for yourself night

Thursday Night – Homemade pizza – just used a simple pizza dough recipe (on the side of the pizza dough yeast) topped with tomatoe sauce,  roasted red pepper chicken sausage & a bunch of veggies.  Served with kale salad with homemade dressing!

Friday Night – Pulled Pork w/tangy coleslaw!  Very similar to this recipe!

Saturday Night – We both just ate leftovers

Tonight – No idea!!

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As for this week, I’m trying to come up with some ideas!

I think that this Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf… might be on plan for tomorrow – but I’ll half the recipe since hubby doesn’t eat it!  (I might even make it today, it’s one of my favorite recipes!)

I’m also making some of these for lunches this week. Healthy Banana Cranberry Oat Bars.

What I’m thinking for the rest of the week;   spaghetti, bean/chicken burritos, maybe curry and we are going for sushi on Friday night so that’s taken care of!

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Do you meal plan?  And if so what’s usually on your menu?

Cashew Cream

Hey guys!

Thank you so much for the congratulations! We are very excited and at now at 17 weeks! YAHOO!!  The baby bump is starting to show!

Anyways – you didn’t come here for baby talk!  The other day I was invited to a brunch at a friends place – I woke up late and didn’t know what to bring…  originally I was going to make my favorite muffin recipe – Mom’s Muffins – but they take a bit of time to make.

So I decided to make “Flourless Oatmeal Pancakes” they are super easy to make and a great vessel for yummy sauces!   I added a bit of unsweetened coconut to the above recipe.

Sorry again for the bad iPhone photo – One day I’ll take out my big camera again!

I needed a topping so I made some raspberry chia jam – Basically just boiled down frozen  raspberries, added some brown sugar and let it boil for about 1/2 hour!   Once I took it off the heat I added about 2 tablespoons of chia seeds – to thicken it up a bit!

For the cashew cream – I had made this before – but I didn’t love it.  Just cashews and water – didn’t cut it for me – So I followed this recipe and added about a tsp of vanilla, a tsp of lemon juice and maple syrup to taste!!  

Together with the raspberry chia jam and the pancakes – it was great!  The kids seem to really like it to – so if you are a parent with a dairy free kiddie this might be a good addition to the family!!

And I feel like the possibilities are endless with the cashew cream!  Here’s what I’m thinking…

• Flavor it with a chai tea bag – would be great on a scone! 
• Strain some of the water off so that it becomes thicker – you could almost use it as a cream cheese!
• Add it to my blended veggie soup! To add to the creaminess!
• Using it like a dairy free sour cream (only adding lemon juice – no vanilla or sweetener)
• Making a fruit dip!  Adding extra vanilla and pouring over strawberries!
• Using it as a base for ice cream!!

I could keep going – but you get the idea!!   

Have you guys tried cashew cream before?

 

Much love,

Jessica

No Cooking from DFB

Hiya guys,

I can finally announce why there haven’t been many posts from me lately…

 

Food and I have not been friends, but I’m sure you all understand that!  

I hope to start posting (and eating) more yummy dairy free treats as soon as possible! 

Until then… 

Much love,

Jessica

xo

These are a few of my favorite things…

Hi guys!

So as mentioned on my facebook page – I have been hitting home runs with a few products lately! All dairy free of course – so I thought I would share my findings (and maybe save you some hard earned $$ in the process).

I got most of these products at the health food store – and while many of them are “organic” I didn’t spend much $$ on them. I find the health food store very reasonable, and I keep up with their monthly sales as well, which they deeply discount many things. Please note – I paid for all these products with my own money – and it’s all my own opinion (as always).

First off – I finally found and tried daiya wedges!

I tried the Jack flavor and it was incredible – melt in your mouth dreamy.  Huge fan – unfortunately, like the shreds, my stomach doesn’t approve. I know many other people don’t have problems with them though, so it must be my sensitive tummy’s problem!  I wish I could eat it though, as it would change a dairy free person’s life!

 

Next up Amande Yougerts (vanilla specifically)

This stuff is SO good!!  I’ve been loving it mixed with dried fruits & seeds and also on top of homemade waffles (my favourite recipe) with a little blueberry syrup!  (sorry for the bad iphone photos)

A few of you have mentioned you’ve tried it and not enjoyed it?  Give the vanilla try I think you’ll enjoy.

Up next…

Matcha Pumpkin Seeds – I got them from Courtney at the Tea Center – but you can usually find them at any Asian Food store!  So good! I’m a huge fan of matcha – and these just sounded too good!

 

Kamut Puffs by Natures Path.

I have loved these forever.  They are super cheap (around $2-$3 per bag) and are a 1 ingredient cereal!  I love them in yogurt, as a cereal with banana, some almond milk and a drizzle of maple syrup!

 

My health food store has had these on sale all summer – 2 for $5 – which is cheaper than buying the plain ones at the grocery store.  They are crispy and have better nutritional value that regular rice cakes!

This is awesome -  I don’t know about you but I very rarely use up a whole can of coconut milk.  This stuff is awesome – all you do is add a bit of water and you have as much coconut milk as needed!  WAY cheaper than buying it in the cans as well!   Plus you can add a teaspoon or so too a smoothy for a coconut milk flavor!

I have been loving quinoa all summer – cook it up, add some fresh veggies, a few fresh herbs, salt and lemon juice and you have yourself an awesome meal!  This bag is from Costco – and by far the cheapest way to purchase quinoa!  (plus it’s organic and pre-rinsed!)

and now…

While I said that everything I purchase is cheap – these are an exception.  I stopped by our health food stores demo at a recent fair and they were handing these babies out… I fell in love – especially with the green one.  Anyways they are about $2.50 each and pretty small – but they taste awesome. I just watch for sales and get them for around $2.00  (Please note a few of them do have dairy in them, please read the ingredient list before purchasing)

Another great Costco purchase!

Who doesn’t LOVE guac?  This comes with 4 little packages, and you can freeze them! I usually keep one out and freeze the rest – just run it under cold water until thawed… perfect for last minute visitors or a last minute taco party!

Never have I ever met a “tofu dog” that I liked… until a few weeks ago when the hubby was craving hot dogs and we stopped by a hot dog stand – this is what I got!  To me – they taste like regular hot dogs more or less but aren’t filled with wacky ingredients!  They are packed full of 9g protein per dog and come in at 60 calories each!   While they don’t roast like regular dogs, they are perfect if you are a boiled/steamed hot dog gal like myself!

Lastly, a product I’ve been meaning to talk about forever.   Please note – I did receive a free sample about 1 year ago from this company, however, I have purchased this product since many many times, as well as referred many friends to it.  While it’s not food – it’s pretty awesome.

I don’t know about you – but stress gets to the best of us.  I tend to get really nervous/stressed/anxious  when travelling, or before presentations or even going to the doctors.   These have totally 100% helped with those problems. After over a year of using this product when needed = I’m still a firm believer in it.  It also helps when you can’t sleep at night!  I want to do a more in depth post on it one day – please let me know if you are interested in more information!  

Again 100% my opinion on this and all these products!

 

Hope you enjoyed this post!  It’s been awhile, but I thought I’d let you in on what I’ve been loving lately! 

How about you – what have you been loving?

I promise to do a post very soon with non – iphone pictures!  

Much love,

Jess

A Little Round Up

It’s been forever since I’ve opened up my Live Writer to write a blog post!    Lots going on in my neck of the woods these days mixed with summer time has made for not many interesting creations coming from the kitchen (did I mention we’re trying to sell our house and creations usually = big messes!)

However – I’m still here – and I’m still cooking (other people’s recipes!) So I thought it would be fun to do a little round up/shout out post!

First off – Summer equals lots of zucchini – so I went on the hunt for a perfect Zucchini Bread recipe and I found it at Smitten Kitchen. Best zucchini bread I’ve ever had hands down – ever!  I made a few alterations – including using whole wheat flour, chia eggs instead of regular eggs (made it vegan), and 1/2 cup less sugar!  It’s awesome and delicious and dairy free!  I’ve made it two times now (mmm it’s cooking in the oven right now!) Check it out!

Also – I’ve been making Pea’s and Thank You’s Mmmmm Sauce!  It’s perfect for dipping salad rolls in – something I’ve been making a lot of lately!  They are the perfect summer lunch!  Follow the link to see how I make them!

Also thanks to Pintrest I found the perfect tip to never buy rotten avocado again – I’ve tested it out for a few weeks and it’s true!!  It works perfectly!  Nothing worse than cutting into a rotten avocado!

I’m really happy also to see that my friend Tasha at the Clean Eating Mama is posting again!  She’s a lovely lady and she’s awesome in the kitchen!   We’ve also been chatting about a blogger meet up on Vancouver Island – let me know if your interested!

I also have been checking out lots of redesign blogs and found this AWESOME one – this chick is so creative and does everything for pennies!   She gives me so much hope for all the imperfect (but wonderful) houses we’ve been looking at !!

Also, because I still LOVE weddings check out Purely Twins wedding recaps!  It’s one of the most beautiful weddings EVER and makes me wish I had more time to plan our wedding!!

I hope everyone is doing awesome!  I really do love hearing from you guys – so always feel free to send me an email (under contact info) on facebook or in a comment!   I have a few blog posts in the works too – so hopefully you’ll be hearing from me shortly!!! 

xo Much Love,

Jessica

Sundried Tomato Dairy Free Pesto?

Hiya!

What’s shaken folks?

How about a little pesto recipe that is easy, flavourful and dairy free?

I know you want it?

 

Sundried Tomato Pesto (Dairy Free)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/4 cup raw or toasted almonds

1/2 (or more) packed basil

1/2 cup chicken broth (or veggie)

2 TBSP oil – I used grape seed

1/4 cup sundried tomato in oil – rinsed of excess oil

1 TBSP nutritional yeast (optional)

1 clove of garlic (or more if you are a garlic lover)

Process all ingredients in a food processor! – You will probably have to scrape down the sidesa few times to get everything processed!   Yum that’s it!!  Add more liquid as required – this made a fairly thick pesto!

 

Now what to do with it you ask?

• I roasted a bunch of my favourite veggies, and tossed it with them and some pasta and topped with chicken.
• As a base for pizza instead of tomatoes sauce
• Spread for sandwiches
• Dip for crackers/veggies
• Spread on burgers
• Spread on chicken/fish/tofu
• Thinned out and used as a salad dressing
• Coating for kale chips (mmmmmm must try this!)
• Inside a lettuce or rice wrap

Now that summer is here, I’m hoping to do more cooking and start getting recipes out to you guys! I’ve had TONS of emails (thank you) encouraging me to get back into blogging, I’m so sorry for my absence – I lost my blogging mojo a bit – but hopefully I’ll be back soon!

 

Any recipe requests out there?  Also, any great ideas for Arugula?  I was gifted a big bag of garden fresh stuff, but haven’t used it much!?   Thank you!! 

 

Hope you guys  are all doing well!  My posts on facebook haven’t been reaching everyone – so if you’d like to make sure you receive all my posts – please sign up through  email!!   The link is at the very top of my page on the right hand side!! Thank you bunches for your support!

Much love,

Jessica

Curried Millet with Greens

Happy first day of summer!  I don’t know where you guys all live, but here – the weather is sub par to normal “Summer” weather!   I had a few hours off yesterday and was feeling cold to the bone – I wanted something creamy, filling, thick and with a spicy kick!

Drool….

Curried Millet w/Greens

1 tsp. oil

1 onion diced

1 clove garlic minced ( more if you love garlic flavour)

3 TBSP curry (I used mild spiced curry)

1 cup millet

1 red pepper sliced into short strips

2 cups chopped cauliflower

2 cups chicken broth

1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas

1 can full fat coconut milk

3 TBSP  (or to taste) fish sauce (sub 1.5 tsp. soy sauce for vegan)

1 TBSP sugar (or to taste)

5 cups packed greens!

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DIRECTIONS

• Sauté onion & garlic in oil
• Add in curry powder and millet (I find toasting the curry powder and millet adds to the flavour).
• Add in the rest of the ingredients (except greens)
• 
• Simmer on medium low for 30 – 40 mins or until millet has softened
• Taste – you may need to add in more fish sauce and or sugar – depending on your taste buds
• Final step – add in greens just before serving!

 

NOTES

• You may need to add extra water/broth  - depending on how thick you would like it.  It thickened up overnight!  
• I say add fish sauce and sugar to taste because everyone likes their flavours different – I am a huge fan of the salty – so it may be too salty for other’s taste buds!!
• All curries taste different and have different spice levels – so be sure to do lots of taste testing!

 

Hope you enjoyed this recipe!  I know I’m looking forward to the left overs!

Dairy Free Hollandaise Sauce

So being dairy free – do you remember the smooth, creamy, buttery taste of hollandaise sauce? Don’t worry, I won’t make your mouth water for nothing!

When I lived in Kelowna, I used to go on Sunday’s with friends to a place called the Jammery for Eggs Benny!   They would do English Muffins w/cream cheese, apricot jam, ham, eggs and hollandaise sauce – it was TO DIE FOR!!!! 

So I was thinking about that – mouth watering and decided to try out a recipe and see what happened?    Now it’s been a long time since I’ve tasted hollandaise – but I felt like it was close!

This recipe is by no means good for you!

Dairy Free Hollandaise Sauce

1/4 cup dairy free margarine

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp turmeric ( I added more but I love turmeric!)

1 tsp lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients over medium heat!   Add salt to taste.  Depending on the coconut milk you use, you may need to add some thickener to it – I added about 1 tsp sifted cornstarch.   Continue whisking together until everything is combined and warmed!

I served over a peice of dairy free toast (which I cut the corners off of to make it look pretty), sautéed kale  and of course with a perfectly poached egg!

It was oozy and delicious and perfect for a lazy weekend treat!

Sorry it took me awhile to post – but I hope you enjoy this recipe!!   Next time I will recreate the Jammery’s recipe with dairy free cream cheese and apricot jam!! Mmmm!!

xo Jessica

Smore Pie w/Peanut Butter Chocolate Sauce

Howdy!!

Glad you guys enjoyed the last post!  Yum – gotta love ice cream that us dairy free folk can eat!!

So yesterday we cooked dinner for my parents and grandma!   We made some kebabs, some chicken, potatoe salad and grilled corn on the cob!  It was a tasty meal – but of course we needed something for dessert! 

With summer peaking it’s head out – I start craving all things smore – so I decided to test my hand at a smore pie!!  Oh yes!!

Ok, I’m not going to lie – it’s not pretty – but what can you do!?

On the bottom I crumbled up graham crackers and then made this dairy free cake recipe and poured it over the graham crackers!  I baked it for about 15 mins and then added the marshmallows on top (If I was doing it again, I would cover the top with more marshmallows <maybe mini ones>) and baked for another 5-7 mins or until the marshmallows get brown!

Yum!!!  It was good – but it needed a little something – so I made some Peanut Butter Chocolate Sauce (which was AWESOME!)

Into the mix

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk all ingredients together over low – medium heat until combined!   Once warmed – drizzle over the pie!!  *drool*

This peanut butter chocolate sauce would make an awesome fondue too!!

Sorry for lack of photos – but I was busy cooking getting ready for our guests!!  Hope you enjoy this recipe – it’s an easy recipe that will make your guests happy (just add those extra marshmallows)

Hope you enjoyed this recipe!!  They would be fun as cupcakes too!

Enjoy

xo Jess

Delightful Double Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream (Guest Post)

Hello blog land!!  Another guest post for you all!  I hope you enjoy this delicious sounding ice cream recipe!!   This will be my last guest blog post for awhile, so I hope everyone enjoys!

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Hello, my name is Amber, and I’m the author of The Tasty Alternative . I’m thrilled to be guest posting today on Dairy Free Betty! The dairy free community is close to my heart, and I admire Jessica’s dedication to health, dairy-free information, and cuisine. Thank you Jessica for your beautiful blog and health-full recipes.

Eight years ago was I diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. You can read more about my health and healing journey here. I was young and very scared, but absolutely determined to heal and live a positive quality of life. In doing this, I began healing holistically and immediately changed my diet (gave up dairy, wheat, cane-sugar, and soy). I’ve learned a great deal of information along the way and while I was lenient with some foods, I’ve been 100% dairy free since 2004. It’s completely possible, and totally worth it. My greatest accomplishment from this lifestyle is learning how to create delicious alternative recipes. I’m a foodie and determined to make awesome food that both tastes great and heals.

When I gave up dairy, I mourned the loss of ice cream. Anyone with me on this?! As you might have noticed, we’ve come a long way just in the last ten years in the alternative ice cream department! When I went dairy free, soy ice cream was the dominant alternative (that and rice ice cream). Now, coconut milk dominates the field, and I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Coconut milk is a wonderfully healing food, and I have to say, with complete and utter honesty, it makes the most delicious ice cream. And did you know that it’s ridiculously easy to make? I use coconut milk as the base to all my ice creams (but you could also use a nut-milk based ice cream, I have several homemade nut-milk recipe son my blog). So with summer right around the corner, I wanted to share one of my favorite ice cream recipes with you today. My chocoholic husband goes insane for this recipe. If you haven’t tried making your own dairy free ice cream, please do give it a try. An ice cream maker isn’t necessary, but oh so worth it. See notes below.

Delightful Double Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream

Ingredients

-2 cans coconut milk (this brand has BPA free lining)

-1/4 cup raw cacao

-1/3 cup grade B maple syrup

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-1 teaspoons coffee flavor

-1/2 cup shaved chocolate bar (this is my favorite chocolate, only sweetened with beet sugar, it does contain soy lecithin)

How To

1. Mix above ingredients in a blender, high speed or otherwise.

2. Transfer to ice cream maker and churn

3. Just before you remove mixture from ice cream maker, add in your chocolate shavings, and churn for about 30 seconds

4. Transfer to glass storage and freeze at least 4 hours

6. Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving

7. Garnish with additional chocolate shavings, shredded coconut, or coffee beans. Serves 6-8

Notes:

*An ice cream maker aerates the mixture, creating a lovely creamy traditional texture. You could just blend then transfer to glass storage and freeze, but it gets icy and doesn’t mimic traditional ice cream. If you’re in the market for an ice cream maker, I LOVE this one.

Other dairy & cane-sugar free ice cream recipes from The Tasty Alternative

-Chocolate Pumpkin Ice Cream

-Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

-Pink Peppermint Ice Cream

-Strawberry Almond Ice Cream

Amber Husten is author of the alternative foods blog, The Tasty Alternative (TTA), which launched August 17, 2011. The Tasty Alternative features posts related to alternative cuisine, holistic healing, organic gardening, green living and organization. All recipes found on TTA are dairy free, gluten free, cane-sugar free, and peanut free, with an emphasis on allergy-free cooking with the omission of eggs, corn, and soy. Amber includes a special focus on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), with recipes free of grains, starches and sugars (expect honey), and provides additional information on Crohn's disease and eczema. Amber is also one of the seven hostesses of the weekly bog hop, Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

Stevia Winners

Are you ready!?

25 – Colleen

41-Voita

38- Kathi

12 - Char

Congrats guys – hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Please send me an email with your address (remember no PO BOXES) by Wednesday evening at the latest (Thursday morning I will draw again if I haven’t heard from you!)  and I will forward your info on and they will ship directly to you!!     Click here for email address.

Thanks for all your entries!

Jessica

Stevia Giveaway

Ask and you shall receive my friends!

I recently won a giveaway at Everyday Foodie’s blog!  And was super excited when my package arrived – especially when Ron the “SUGAR-FREE POPPA” mentioned that he’d like to sponsor a giveaway on my blog – and not only one but FOUR!!   Can I get a “whoo whooo”?

As you may know, I don’t love stevia – I find it very bitter – and if you have a blog and you use stevia – you have probably had a comment from me such as;  “How much sugar do I use if I don’t use stevia?”  So it was bitter sweet (no pun intended) when I won the giveaway because I felt a little bit guilty taking a product I wasn’t so sure about but NuNaturals claims their stevia is not bitter – so I decided try! 

When I opened the package it smelled like orange!  Real orange, not fake orange flavor – I quickly opened it up and dripped a few drops into my water/lemon juice hot drink mix and guess what? It wasn’t bitter!!  YAYA!

Unfortunately, I smashed the vanilla before getting to try it *sniffle* and I haven’t tried the lemon yet, but I’ll get to it shortly.

 

Anyways – enough chatter – you probably don’t care about those above details, you just want to get to the good stuff!

SUGAR FREE POPPA is offering up 4 different winners – 2 bottles of liquid stevia – one orange and one lemon!   Sound good!?

I’m going to make this easy one everyone – please leave ONE comment for EACH entry.   Please note – this is open to US and Canadians – but THEY DO NOT SHIP TO PO BOXES

Here’s how to enter!!

1. Leave a comment letting me know why you think you should have some stevia?  
2. Like me on facebook  (and leave a comment here)
3. Like NuNaturals too!  (and leave a comment here)
4. Share a status on facebook that says something including – giveaway + Dairy Free Betty + NuNaturals!! (and leave a comment here!)

That’s all!  This is open to bloggers and non bloggers – so don’t be shy! 

Closes MONDAY  May 14th!