Cybele's Free-to-Eat cookies

I am so excited to find these at our local Kroger. I've been waiting since their launch to actually try them & they didn't disappoint! They are free of the top 8 allergens- dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, & shellfish. The last two seem like no brainers... fish in cookies? You'd be surprised what some ingredients are derived from! Anyway, these chocolate chip cookies were moist and tasty with a good texture. Nothing ruins an allergen free cookie more than a sandy texture! Although they were a little one the small side, there were 12 in the package, so I was ok with it (and they're probably the size cookies are supposed to be... not the behemoths sold in the bakery). Personally, I enjoyed them & will definitely look for these again!

O'Dough's Bagel Thins

I honestly can't remember the last time I had bagels. They used to be a favorite of mine, but since my food allergy/sensitivity diagnosis a few years ago all things wheat, egg, and dairy are out. I still had to forgo the cream cheese, but these bagel thins were great! They're tasty and soft, but have just enough chewiness to separate themselves as bagels not rolls. They toast up great and keep well in the freezer. I will definitely buy these again! The best part? They're on the low end of the price range for similar products and they're only 100 calories apiece! 

Get more information from O'Doughs.

Mexican Bean Salad Recipe

I found this recipe on Yummly.com. I know it as Texas Caviar. It's a great salad and works well when eaten with tortilla chips (kind of like a salsa).

Ingredients
15 ozs black beans (rinsed and drained)
15 ozs kidney beans (drained)
15 ozs cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
10 ozs corn kernels (frozen)
1 red onion (chopped)
1/2  cup olive oil
1/2  cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsps white sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4  cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp black pepper (ground)
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder

Cola Roast

From A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients

4 pound pork roast (bone in or out; I've used both pork tenderloin and a shoulder/butt)

1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted diced green chiles

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper (*Use powder - remember, the canned chipotles in adobo are not gluten free)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup cola

Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the meat into the bottom of your cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the chiles, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, chili pepper, sugar, and salt. Stir to create a paste, and then smear this mixture on all sides of your meat. If you have time to do so, you can marinate your meat in this mixture overnight (in a sealed plastic bag or tupperware; it's not recommended to refrigerate the stoneware and then cook in it). Pour in cola. Cover, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or until pork has relaxed and begun to fall apart. If you used pork tenderloin, slice thinly and serve over rice or mashed potatoes. If you opted for a shoulder roast, shred completely using two large forks.

Meatloaf Cupcakes

These "cupcakes" cook up quickly and taste great... not to mention, they're just fun!

Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 Tbsp water
1 chopped bell pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp garlic powder
Cooking spray

Corn Pasta Update

I had originally posted a  review of this pasta on July 5 and referred to it in the Great Noodle Debate. Although I still stand behind my statements, I have found one drawback to this particular pasta. It's texture changes when it's cold. I have cooked this pasta, stored it in the refrigerator, and reheated it with no problem. It will return to the proper texture when it's warmed thoroughly, but it becomes firmer and a little gritty when it's cold. This isn't a huge problem if you're planning on eating it warm, but it can cause a big issue if you're wanting a cold pasta salad. I made that mistake recently and ruined a big bowl of shrimp. The pasta was hard and chewy making the salad extremely unappetizing. Learn from my mistake and chose an alternative pasta for your cold pasta dishes.

Refrigerator Cucumber Salad

From Recipes We Love - This site has images to guide you through the steps.

Ingredients

4 thinly sliced cucumbers

1-large  sliced red onions

1-large  sliced green peppers

1-tbsp salt

2-cup white vinegar

1 1/2-cups sugar

1-tsp celery flakes

1-tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

Mix cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt; set a side. Put vinegar, sugar, celery flakes and pepper flakes  in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and  add 2 handfuls of ice until melted. Place all veggies in large mouth canning jars (2 quarts or 1 half gallon jar). Pour mixture over cucumbers,  store in refrigerator. Will keep up to 2 months. Makes 2 quart jars.

Allergy Free Breakfast Sausage

I'm always happy when I can find recipes that meet my dietary needs, but I know how incredibly frustrating it can be to not find what you're searching for. A good friend of mine has a son with food allergies and while she's been a great resource and support for me, I feel frustrated for her when she responds, "but is it soy free?" Well, my friend, this is a SOY free, WHEAT free, GLUTEN free, DAIRY free, EGG free breakfast sausage recipe I found on Yummly. This recipe originally came from AllRecipes. Hope this helps!



Ingredients
2 tsps sage (dried)
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper (ground)
1/4 tsp marjoram (dried)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (crushed)
1 pinch ground cloves (optional)
2 lbs ground pork (You can substitute ground turkey) 
*For a spicy sausage add 1-2 tsps each garlic and onion powder and cayenne pepper to taste. You may also want to consider reducing or eliminating the amount of brown sugar. 
*For maple sausage replace brown sugar with 1-2 tbsps maple syrup.

Chipotle Turkey Breast

Spice is king in my house and chipotle is one of our favorite flavors. I'm really excited to try this recipe!


This recipe came from Yummly... originally posted on Food.com


Ingredients
2 chipotle peppers (rehydrated stemmed and seeded)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves (peeled)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (fresh ground)
1 tsp olive oil
4-6 lbs turkey breast (fresh)

FRIENDLY FRIDAYS: Chick-Fil-A

We all know fast food is not healthy food, but in my quest for information I'm finding out just how unhealthy it is. I'm also learning how few options there are for people with food allergies. Thankfully Chick-Fil-A has made an effort to make a healthy kid's meal that just so happens to be an allergy free option for many people. Their grilled chicken nuggets are tasty and free from all major allergens. They sell them from the kid's menu in a 4 and 6 count. You can make it a meal by adding waffle fries, a fruit cup, or Buddy Fruit (applesauce in a squeezable pouch). This kids meal is by far the healthiest kid's meal of all the fast food kid's meals, and it was surprisingly filling. 

You can go to Chick-Fil-A's Allergen Information page where they have a quick reference list. The list shows which items contain the major allergens, but there are links for the ingredients of every entry, so you can check for unlisted allergens. I like that they offer it in a printable PDF as well.

Dairy Free Rice Pudding

From Betty Crocker

Ingredients

3/4 cup white rice

1/3 cup raisins

4 cups vanilla soy milk

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Place all ingredients in a 3 qt pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and Cook uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is tender; remove from heat. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm or chilled with additional brown sugar and soymilk if desired. Cover; refrigerate any remaining pudding.

This pudding is wonderfully sweet and creamy, just like my grandma used to give me when I was little. *I added 1/2 tsp nutmeg to mine.

Lemon-Kissed Blueberry Ice Cream

From Diet, Dessert and Dogs

 (No ice cream maker required!)

This ice cream is a great summer treat. Light and fruity, it offers a pleasant diversion from the heavier, cream-laden ice cream flavors.  Top with a few more fresh berries for a lovely presentation.

Ingredients

3 cups (750 ml) fresh blueberries

2 Tbsp (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) water

30-40 drops lemon or plain stevia liquid, to your taste (I used NuNaturals lemon stevia)

2/3  cup (110 g) raw cashews

This Pasta is so Corny!

Who'da thunk?! I've never seen corn pasta before, but I figured I'd give it a whirl. It has a low glycemic index, is egg free, dairy free, cholesterol free, and GMO free! I'm all for allergy free AND no genetic modification! All that and $1.99 a bag? I was sold! They cook up nicely (I even cut corners and cooked them in the microwave), and I have to admit I was surprised by how good they were. They have a good firm texture. Don't you hate it when pasta is mushy!? I do! Anyway, I thought corn = gritty... but they were very smooth. Pasta d'oro by Sam Mills gets 4 1/2 Happy Bellies. Warning, they're kinda funky if you eat them cold. I bought these at HEB, but you can get them from celiac.com too.

Allergy Free Gnocchi

From Cybele Pascal

Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients

•  1 lb. Gold Potatoes
• ¼ cup rice milk
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend, or my Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Brownie Bliss!

Betty Crocker has done a wonderful thing! I LOVE these brownies! They're good... and not just in a "for gluten free brownies, these are good" kind of way. I mean they're just good, chocolaty brownies. I've shared them with other people without telling them they were gluten free and they all raved about them! They're moist and chocolaty and YUM!!! Most importantly, they

Know what's gluten free, egg free, AND dairy free?

THESE GUYS!

AND THIS STUFF

AND THIS STUFF!