What's For Dinner Tonight? {Gluten and Dairy Free} Family Favorite Crockpot Chili

Here is my comfort food. I know this isn't the most "healthy" recipe at a glance. But I add 1 red pepper to give it vitamin c. Also, the tomatoes have lycopene. Then if you add a nice fresh salad on the side, this meal is not too bad. It's perfect for a cold day. And the recipe is SO easy.
 Prep time 20 minutes. Cook time Low 6-8 hours, High 3-4 hours.

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 TBS chili powder
1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 tsp oregano
3/4 red pepper chopped fine
1 can 15 or 16 oz kidney, pinto or black beans

Everything is in the crockpot and ready to go!

1. Cook beef in skillet over med heat, stirring occasionally until brown; drain.
2. Mix beef and remaining ingredients except beans in 3.5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours (or high heat setting 3 to 4 hours) or until onion is tender.

4. Stir in beans. Cover and cook on high heat setting 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Sometimes I add one can of Stagg's Chili (classic) when I add the beans. It adds to the volume, and the flavor.

Serve topped with Daiya cheese, guacamole, and scallions or dairy free sour cream recipe here. I also like to add some Vegenaise. It tastes like sour cream!  I may top with Fritos or Food for Life brown rice tortillas cut into pieces. I am posting this at Allergy-free Wednesdays.

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Breakfast in a Biscuit

I am making these as I type this!  I love these to take on the road, or on an airplane! They are a party in your mouth! You can do breakfast sausage instead if you prefer. 

The unbaked biscuits can be frozen in a single layer, then placed in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 month. Just thaw before baking.

Makes: twelve 3-inch biscuits
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min

1 cup palm shortening
3 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup potato starch (not flour!)
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 and 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
10 pieces of bacon, cooked, chopped up and cooled
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar-style cheese, such as Daiya

Preheat the oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Then, add 1 cup palm shortening until coarse crumbs form.After that,  add the onion powder, bacon and cheese; stir to coat with the flour mixture. Stir in the non-dairy milk substitute and combine with a wooden spoon or your hands.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Lightly flour the top and using your fingertips or a rolling pin, press the dough out until about ¾-inch thick; cut into rounds or squares. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

{gluten and dairy free} asparagus risotto casserole

I have been wanting to try to make a risotto for some time, as I've heard about them on cooking programs. But my challenge was finding how to do one without dairy.  I found this in a favorite cookbook called, "Cooking for Isaiah". Boy, am I glad I did. It was quite easy. We served it along steak that was marinated in garlic, salt, pepper, and pomegranate juice before it was barbecued. It was a really nice combination.

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup water
1 pound thin asparagus trimmed and cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of one lemon (can be omitted)

Serves 4 to 6. Prep time 15 minutes. Cook time 40 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a heavy ovenproof pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and rice; season with about 1 and 1/2 tsps salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Cook, stirring until the rice is toasted,about 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth and water; bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes.

2. Remove the risotto from the oven and stir in the asparagus. Continue to bake, uncovered, until the rice is tender, about 4 minutes more. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest (if desired).

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Ham and Rice Soup

Do you love your crockpot, but hate rushing in the morning to put the meal together? Sometimes, I do! How about putting the ingredients in a bowl the night before. Refrigerate it over night. In the morning transfer it to your crockpot and turn it on. Another idea is to freeze the ingredients in a large ziploc bag. If you lie it flat you can fit a lot of meals on top of each other in the freezer.  You can either thaw it and put it in the morning or you can put it in frozen and turn it on high while you get ready in the morning. Before you leave, turn it to low and you should be set! Even better make two of them in the evening. Freeze on and throw the other in the crockpot the next morning.

Here is the recipe I like to do it with. I made it last night and am throwing it in the crockpot on a marathon day like today.

I know this dish may sound funny, but as soon as I made it, it became a family favorite at our house. My kids cheer when I say it is in the crock pot. I love it because there are a lot of veggies in there, too. You can sub beans instead of rice (white beans).  The rice gets a bit mushy so if that bothers you, you can add the rice at the last minute. Sometimes I put a 1/2 cup rice in a bowl and then pour soup over it.

1 cup rice, uncooked
1 container of Hillshire farms smoked ham, coarsely chopped or 1 pkg farmland ham cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
7 oz canned tomatoes with juice (I use safeway brand)
6 oz V-8 juice
2 TBS pure pomegranate juice (or you could use lemon juice)
1/2 TBS chili powder
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
water
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS dried thyme

Other good additives: a handful of chopped spinach, kale or sweet peppers.

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a crock pot. Add water until it is about an inch from the top of a medium size crock pot. Turn on low for 8 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. We put frozen peas on top to cool it down, and eat it with toasted Food For Life English muffins that are dripping with Earth's Balance spread, or grapeseed oil.

My Two Favorite Pork Recipes

I'm not a big fan of pork. I love me some ham and bacon (who doesn't love bacon??), but pork I find a lot harder to swallow. Until I found this recipe. This is one of my all time favorite ways to eat pork.  It's grilled on the barbecue which makes it very easy. We love to serve it with rice or baked potatoes.  We often sub pears instead of apples and may like it even better.  I have it in a Pampered Chef cookbook, but found it posted on-line.  We mix the rosemary and next six ingredients all together and use as a glaze on the pork and apples.

Glazed Pork Chops with Grilled Apples

Submitted by: ARAMINTHA here on sparkpeople.com

from Pampered Chef - It's all Good for You

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless pork top loin or sirloin chops, cut 3/4 - 1 inch thick (about 4 oz)
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
(top 4 should be mixed together)
2 tsp finely chopped, peeled fresh gingerroot
1/2 cup apricot preserves
3 T Dijon mustard
2 medium gala apples, cored and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices

Directions

Yield: 4 svgs

1. Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium coals. Season both sides of pork chops with 1 tsp of the seasoning mix.

2. Peel gingerroot; finely chop using food chopper. Combine ginger root, preserves, mustard and remaining seasoning mix in bowl; mix well. Core apples; cut apples crosswise into 1/2 inch slices, using chef's knife.

3. Lightly grease grid of grill. Brush one side of apples and pork chops with glaze using bbq brush. Place apples and pork chops, glazed side down, on grid of grill. Grill apples 3 minutes and pork 5 minutes, covered, turning once. Brush apples and pork chops with remaining glaze. Grill, covered 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature for pork reaches 160 degrees for medium doneness.

Number of Servings: 4

Mustard Oregano Pork Chops

My friend gave me this recipe recently and I must say it was amazing. My husband even grabbed one of the leftover pork chops the next day, ate it cold and still commented on how delicious it was!  She told me this makes three servings for a family of five. She divides it into three gallon size bags and freezes it. That's three fast and easy dinners! I love it! She serves it with hasbrowns and apple sauce, so that's what I did, too. I used pomegranate juice instead of the vinegar and lemon juice and it worked out super well. I wish I had taken a photo before they were all eaten. Next time!

Ingredients:

12 lean pork loin chops
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T honey
3 t dried oregano
3 t minced garlic
3 one-gallon freezer bags

Whisk mustard through honey, divide into separate bags. Divide oregano and garlic evenly between bags. Add pork and freeze. Thaw and grill.

Gluten Free Wrap Ideas

I love this post here at tessadomesticdiva.com. Wraps are so great for dinner, as well as on a trip or in a lunchbox. The photos come from her super cool blog. Here's what she says:

"Wraps are a lovely way to change things up in a lunchbox.  They look cool, provide a bit of novelty, and taste great!

Your wrap options:

1. Brown rice tortillas – To use these, heat a 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium heat.  Turn tortilla once, this makes them pliable and very tasty!  Do not short-cut this tep or they will crack and break.
2. Gluten free flour tortillas.    My favorite tortilla recipe I have tried is over at Lexie’s Kitchen (picture at right).  Cybel Pascal also has one.
3. Corn tortillas
4. Teff tortillas
5. Rice paper wrappers – Asian section of most grocery stores
6. Lettuce leaves (iceberg, readleaf, green leaf, butter, napa cabbage are all good options)
7. Nori – I prefer toasted and this seaweed used for sushi applications is found in almost all Asian sections.

Here are 10 different wrap ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• The Orig:  Chipotle cream cheese (pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce mixed w/ allowed cream cheese to taste), romain lettuce, turkey slices, slice of crispy bacon.
• Tuna Hummus Humdinger:  favorite hummus (we use a spicy version), tuna salad(we just mix tuna w/ a bit of mayo and mustard), Romain lettuce, pickled jalapeno slices.
• Holey Guacamole!  Guacamole, ham, peeled cumber
• Beaneriffic: Refried beans, favorite cheese, rice, lettuce, avocado, tomato or salsa
• Asian Salad Rolls: Favorite veggie saute wrapped within a rice paper wrapper along with some chicken or tofu. (at right)
• Eggtastic: Egg salad, romaine lettuce, pimentos, red peppers, pickles
• BLT:  Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and some mayo!
• Medditerrean: Goat Cheese, olives, red peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and favorite deli meat or salami
• Italian: Salami or pepperoni slices, allowed mozzarella, onion, lettuce, marinated artichokes
• Grilled Veggie:  Marinate some favorite veg (summer squash, mushroom, eggplant, peppers, etc), Grill it all up, and wrap it up with some cheese, cooked rice,  or both!

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
12 ounces gluten-free pasta
2 ½ cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
¾ teaspoon salt (the salt makes up for the lack of Parmesan cheese)
1 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeded
1 zucchini, cut in half
6 mushrooms
1 small red onion, thickly sliced
Daiya mozzarella cheese shreds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. If using, season the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the chicken in the oven or on the grill until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165° F, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Set the timer for a few minutes less than the package directions say and check the pasta. If it is still too firm, check it again in 30 seconds. Keep checking every 30 seconds until it is just right. Drain. Reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons of the starchy water from the boiled pasta when you drain it. This will help the pesto stick. While the pasta is boiling, blend the basil, garlic and ¾ teaspoon salt in the blender. Drizzle the ½ cup olive oil in as it blends. Grill the vegetables on a grill onion a grill pan until charred and cooked, but with some firmness left. You may also place them on foil on the top rack of an oven and broil. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pesto to the noodles, depending on how strong you like it. I try some of the noodles to make sure it's the right amount. Add more as needed. It's easy to overdo it (see note). Add pasta water, if needed. Cut the veggies and chicken (if using) in roughly 1-inch cubes and toss with the pasta. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Sprinkle with mozzarella “cheese”. Note: You can freeze the rest of the pesto in ice cube trays for later. Transfer the frozen cubes of pesto to a freezer bag. It makes an easy dinner later and tastes great in scrambled eggs! You should have plenty left over. 

My Favorite {Gluten and Dairy Free} Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies

Photo by Christina Weedon

I want to take note of this website where I found these (here). I can imagine many other yummy goodies coming from here. I made these recently. Ok, maybe I ate them for breakfast. And why not? They have oats, bananas, raisins and no refined sugar. They are like granola in a cookie. I made half of my batch with raisins and the other with Enjoy Life chocolate chips. We at the raisin ones for breakfast and the chocolate chip ones for dessert (after breakfast). You should have seen my child's eyes light up when I broke the news of what we were having for breakfast. There were SO delicious. I was surprised at how easy they were to whip up. We snuck down to my husband's office at lunch time to surprise him with some. These cookies brought a lot of happiness into an ordinary day.  They beyond a doubt just became a staple at our house. As I was eating the first cookie I was already thinking about getting ingredients for my next batch. The only thing I would change is to make a double batch and freeze half as I usually do!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Gluten Free Oats {I used two cups old-fashioned, and one cup quick-cooking.}

1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 Cup Maple Syrup {the real stuff!}

1/2 Cup Oil {grapeseed, canola, another neutral oil}

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2 Well-Mashed Bananas {for very small bananas, use two... very large, maybe just one.}

1/2 Cup {or so} Mix-In's, such as raisins or other dried fruit, nuts, chocolate... 

Directions:
Combine oats, flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir thoroughly.
To the flour mixture, add maple syrup, oil, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Mix well to combine.
Add your mix-ins, and don't be afraid to experiment! This batch used raisins and just a few mini chocolate chips. {Keep in mind that some mix-ins may add a touch of sugar to the recipe.}
Place rounded spoonfuls of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees for about ten minutes, until the edges are golden and cookies have a nice 'puff' to them.
Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

Note: this is a sticky, messy dough! Don't be alarmed {I was!}, the cookies will bake up nicely and with a dense, chewy texture.  

{Gluten Free, Vegan and Refined Sugar Free} Pumpkin Ice Cream

I came up with this recipe one day when I was craving pumpkin ice cream. It really hit the spot. I bet you could put these ingredients with a lot of ice and make a "milk" shake if you don't have an ice cream maker.

1 and 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup honey (or agave)
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch cloves
1 pinch nutmeg

3 cups hemp milk (or your milk of choice. Creamy milk like hemp, or coconut  would be best).

Put in ice cream maker or blender with ice and walla!

I am posting this in the Allergy Free Wednesdays and Waste Not Want Not Wednesday extravaganzas. If you want to browse some fun allergy-friendly recipes you should jog over there. I posted this years ago and couldn't help but post it again.

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Graham Crackers

You heard me. Graham Crackers!  I can't wait to give these a try. Go here to dandelionsonthewall.com to see Christina's wonderful recipes!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Gluten-Free AP Flour Blend (I use this blend here and skip the xanthan gum later)
1 Cup Brown Sugar (I will use granulated maple)
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
7 Tbsp. Shortening, chilled {I use Spectrum}
1/4 Cup Honey {I believe agave would work here, for a vegan recipe}
1/4 Cup Cold Water
1 tsp. Vanilla

To Make:
Combine the flour, brown sugar, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your food processor.
Add the chilled shortening, honey, cold water, and vanilla, pulsing to combine the ingredients. You'll wind up with a very solid ball of dough.
Turn the dough out onto your {clean} counter top, and knead it just a bit to form a ball. Divide the ball into two equal parts.
Roll each ball of dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, to a thickness somewhere around 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch. The thinner your dough, the more crunch your finished treat will have, especially the next day. {I like to use a sheet of plastic wrap between the top of my dough and my rolling pin, as gluten free dough tends to STICK to the rolling pin.}
Using a small knife or your pizza cutter, score the dough to create squares. Use the tines of a fork to poke holes in the crackers, giving them the "look" of graham crackers we're all familiar with.
Slide each piece of parchment, with the rolled dough, onto a cookie sheet. Refrigerate the dough, on the cookie sheets, for about 30 minutes.
Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, in a preheated oven set to 325 degrees. On my air-bake cookie sheet, 25 minutes was perfect. On my non-air-bake, 25 minutes was a touch too long. Experiment with your own oven and cookie sheets, watching for golden brown edges and a bit of dryness on the top of the crackers.
Immediately after removing the crackers from the oven, sprinkle them with a bit of sugar. You could also add some cinnamon on top, for cinnamon-sugar graham crackers.
When you remove the finished graham crackers from the oven, you'll likely need to re-cut the squares. I found this to be easiest with a small paring knife.

Store your cooled graham crackers in an air-tight container

What's For Dinner Tonight? EASY {Gluten and Dairy Free} Phad Thai

 I love Thai food, and this is always a huge hit at our house. It is also really easy to make.

8oz dried rice noodles
3T oil
1 clove garlic
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce (Thai Kitchen brand is GF)
1/4 cup sugar (I use granulated maple)
1/2 TBS paprika
1 green onion chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
2 carrots sliced like matchsticks
1 red pepper cut like match sticks
cilantro, lime and hot pepper flakes to garnish

Soak rice noodles in water (submerged) for at least 3o minutes. Heat frying pan until hot. Add garlic, and chicken. Reduce temperature if necessary. Drain noodles and add to pan. Also, add carrot and red bell pepper. Stir fry until noodles are translucent, adding a small amount of water if required. When noodles are soft, add fish sauce, sugar and paprika. Throughly combine and  stir for a few minutes. Garnish with bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro and hot pepper flakes (if desired). Serve with 1/4 of lime squeezed over top. You may add chopped peanuts if you can tolerate them. You can also had stir fried egg if you'd like.

Tonight I cut up the carrot, bell pepper and green onion ahead of time. I cooked up the chicken, and mixed the garlic, fish sauce,paprika and sugar in a mug. I soaked the noodles while we enjoyed a walk in the sunshine. When I got home I cooked the veggies, and noodles, added the chicken to warm it up, and the sauce. It took only about 10 minutes to make it ready.

What's For Dinner Tonight?{Gluten and Dairy Free} Porcupines

When I married my husband this is something that came with the package.  .  .his love for a dish his mother makes affectionately called "porcupines" (due to the rice poking out of the balls of meat like quills). I adapted it for our GF lifestyle (it originally uses Cambell's tomato soup). My kids cheer whenever we make it.

I am posting this on a group called Allergy-free Wednesdays at glutenfreelyfrugal.com this week (here). For more recipe ideas, you should check it out!

Porcupines 
1-1.5 lbs ground beef
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 cup uncooked rice
2 TBS onion chopped or dried onion
salt and pepper

Mix ground beef, rice, salt, pepper and onion in a medium bowl. Form into small balls like meatballs and put in a saute pan. Turn on medium. Put tomato paste and 1 can of water into another bowl and stir. Pour over porcupine balls. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put a lid on. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until they are cooked through.  We serve these with mashed potatoes (using olive oil and chicken stock instead of milk and butter), and oven roasted broccoli.

Allergy-friendly Smokey Kale Chips

These kale chips here sound dynamite.  I will use McCormick's smoked paprika because it is gluten free. Did you know some brands add gluten to herbs to keep them from sticking together? I was disappointed to find that out. If you want to print this recipe easily you can go to their site. In the reviews on the foodnetwork site several people said to cut down the salt or omit it. One person said this, "These are amazing! Just like other reviews, don't expect them to taste like potato chips. Be careful not to burn. I found that if I cooked them just until dry, and turn off the oven and leave them in there for about 15 min. they finish crisping without getting brown."

Total Time:

15 min

Cook

15 min

Yield:

8 cups

Level:

Easy

Directions

Remove the center ribs and stems from 1 bunch kale; tear the leaves into 3-to-4-inch pieces. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread on 2 baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F until browned around the edges and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

Per serving (about 2 cups): Calories 60; Fat 4 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 170 mg; Carbohydrate 6 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 2 g

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Inexpensive Spaghetti Sauce

I like to add onion, red pepper, julienne sliced zucchini, and mushrooms to my sauce. Here are the basic ingredients. It's amazing how inexpensive it is. We like it chunky, but you can put it in the blender and make it smooth if you prefer.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes 8 servings

14.5oz canned tomatoes

1 red pepper chopped

1 zucchini sliced

8 oz can tomato paste

1 and 1/2 cups water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small chopped onion

2 TBS italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 TBS Pomegranate juice or 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

optional: basil for garnishing, and/or 1 cup chopped spinach, or 1 pound browned ground beef

Directions for Sauce:

Put 1 TBS olive oil in frying pan. Add onion and veggies.   Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, water and Italian seasoning. Stir and simmer. Add 2 splashes (2-3 TBS) of either pomegranate juice, red wine, or balsamic vinegar.   If you want a smooth sauce, put the ingredients in the blender before adding them to your cooked ground beef and walla!

Italian Seasoning (here)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried sage

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and sage. Blend for 1 minute, or until desired consistency is achieved.

Dairy Free Triple Chocolate Pudding

This should be called "Triple Death Chocolate Pudding". It's amazing. I think I usually don't use the chocolate chips, but it's still enough to make my mouth water just typing this.  It comes from the book "Go Dairy Free" by Alisa Marie Fleming

3/4 cup granulated sugar (or granulated maple sugar)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup + 2 TBS Corn Starch
Pinch salt
3 cups cold milk alternative (rice, hemp, soy, almond)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I choose Enjoy Life)
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large pot, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk alternative, whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking continuously. Lower the heat and simmer gently, whisking continuously, for 5 to 10 minutes or until the pudding is thick. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla. Serve the pudding warm, or scoop into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming), and refrigerate until ready to serve.

What's For Dinner Tonight?{Gluten and Dairy Free} Thyme Chicken

This is a recipe I have kept in my mental rolodex for far too long. I have changed it so much from the original, my husband would never be able to figure it out. I have finally written it down. I take this to potlucks (so I can eat something for sure), make it for people who need a meal, or even serve it when I have company.

5 cups cooked white or brown rice
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 and 1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

3 green onions (thinly sliced)
1 bundle of broccoli ( cut into bite sized pieces)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks or a handful of baby carrots


6 chicken thighs with skin on
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 pinch pepper


Preheat oven to 400F.  Mix together white rice, olive oil, thyme, salt, pepper,  green onions, carrot, and broccoli (broccoli will be crispy. You could sprinkle it on top after 10 minutes of baking if you'd rather it  not be crispy).

Mix the garlic, salt, thyme and pepper listed under the "chicken thighs". Lift skins of chicken thighs and smear garlic mixture underneath.  Lay chicken on top of rice. Rub tops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 35-45 minutes (until chicken juices run clear when cutting near the bones). Sprinkle with chopped parsley for a garnish.