Allerfree Recipes

It's been a very trying two weeks. Our car broke enough that we were forced to buy a new car that we neither wanted, nor were financially ready for. Our sweet friendly dog got sick, and after seeming to get better declined and died. Our baby had a random allergic reaction to what is apparently not the vets (as presumed at first by the doctor, but disproved after spending a lot of time there), and our air conditioner broke. Not been a cheap or happy week here. But this conversation happened.. 3year old (pointing to the olive oil container): are those bwueberries? me: nope, those are olives, it's olive oil. 3yo: but wook, they are bwueberries me: no sweetie, he's picking olives to squish into olive oil. 3yo: oh look he is picking bwueberries! me: still olives 3yo: olives taste like bwueberries me: sure honey. blueberries  .... We did also celebrate two birthdays during this week of joy. :) My husband's and the baby turned one, which was when we were sit...

So, after 7 hours of doctors and driving, we have our first cast in the house! Not fun when it's 95 degrees (F) and humid! But it's bright red, so tons of fun! except of course that the color comes off the cast, but not off skin or clothes :) soo. moving on! I made a smoothie and it was so good! I'd never expected it! It was a run of the mill almond milk, ice, vanilla protein powder  (I use vega protein and greens) and blueberries. I mixed it up, it was tasty... I threw in some basil (strange I know), It was Amazing!! So, try blueberries with basil!!  I'm going to start really trying to blog more frequently on how to be vegan and practical. People ask all the time what we eat. I'll try to give some more ideas.

Happy later mothers day! (in the US- but seriously it should be everyday everywhere!) Happy day for those who act as Mothers (not including my 5 year old)! My Mother's Day was spent napping.... HA! Jokes aside, we drove two hours to see a baseball game that got rain delayed for two hours.....a slightly different plan then my get some groceries and grill artichokes...this one included standing smooshed with a zillion people watching it pour on the field, paranoid that someone's hot dog, cheese, ice cream, pizza, or pop corn would touch our severely allergic son, reconsidering whether that was more scary than our exhausted two year old ticking time bomb, debating for 2 hours whether we should just leave and lose our tickets if they did play. packing ourselves into the team store with everyone else to get warm. and a debacle when a guy ended up in the ladies room (he was pretty surprised when he exited the stall to a group of security, and may still not know where he is...

Back in the pre dairy free days, one of my favorite candies (which says a lot since I was pretty much addicted to anything candy like) was peppermint patties. Ahhh York..... I could have been in a commercial. In fact it was always a dream I had to be in a commercial, anyone really. In case you're wondering, that did not work out! But I still had candy. ha. I've been reading peppermint patty recipes for years trying to decide if I  wanted to attempt one. but none seemed quite right. I didn't want coconut shavings, or a variety of other ingredients. I also like to make everything quick and easy. Generally, I also will not make a recipe that requires cooling or freezing before eating. I've acquired a bit more patience though, and as long as it's not more than say, 20 minutes (I said a bit more!) I'm good. Here it is.. Peppermint Patties 1 can coconut CREAM (not milk) 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 1/3 cup coconut flour (or any probably) 2/3 cup confectioners su...

I did it!! I made a vegan/vegetarian (and just for anyone!) veggie burger that met two criteria! 1. It can be grilled and 2. My kids eat it! I was (well, lets be honest, still AM) far more excited than I should be about something so silly. I didn't want mushy, I didn't want crumbly. I swear I've made a zillion veggie burgers. I also didn't want soy or anything not real food. As my two year old would say, I weeened! I love summer! I love cooking out! I don't always have tons and tons of produce to grill and have desperately wanted a quick recipe to be able to throw on the grill. I have tried tons of veggie burgers, none were grillable. I tried this.... magic the recipe includes, black beans (I have done canned and dried and soaked/ cooked), some nut or seed (I have used sunflower, but may try walnuts next), whole oats (not quick cooking), onion, garlic, grated carrot, and homemade grill seasoning (or any seasoning!). Not too much, not too hard! It does require ...

Whether you forgot to buy eggs, used them all, or are allergic, there's always a moment when we want to make something that needs ("needs") eggs and we forget until we start mixing. There are so many different variations of replacements it's hard to know what to use where. Here's a start... Things like pancakes and muffins don't really need a replacement. If you feel seriously inclined to replace, try GROUND flax. The general method is 1 Tablespoon of ground flax plus 3 Tablespoons of water, equals one egg. ORRRRRRRRRRRRR.... you dump in anywhere from 1/4 to 1 cup of ground flax in everything because it has health benefits anyway... I should start a one bowl cooking series. I do nearly everything in one bowl, as fast as possible. Generally holding  a child. Other substitutes are 1/4 cup mashed banana, 1/4 applesauce. Chia gel. (but this adds a bit of a crunch, be aware). There are several products, Ener G, and some new vegan egg product. I tend to lean tow...

I just figured out how to upload pictures, it's like a whole new world! Next step taking decent pictures!  First, Happy Easter! Hope it was blessed! It was beautiful here and we had family in town. It was great having everyone together and the kids love having their cousins here! Second, April Fools! My kids are obsesssssedddd with playing "tricks" on us. (thankfully particularly daddy). It takes a certain kind of ability to cope with special situations to find the humor in their "pranks" (i.e. completely taking apart the bed and putting stuffed animals under blankets all over the upstairs). Lets just say I have to prewarn daddy to come home with a good attitude and find the intended humor in a mess that looks like we either were robbed, or hit by a tornado. Thus, in an effort to sweeten that, this was our April Fools dessert creation to "trick daddy" after he waded through the hilarious upstairs mess. I made this gluten, dairy free and vega...