Dairy-Free Blueberry-Coconut Popsicles or "Ice Cream"

This is a simple recipe for a very flavorful and refreshing popsicle. Since I can't have dairy, due to IBS, I've found coconut milk to be a great stand in for creamy desserts. I love the combination of blueberry and coconut so this popsicle recipe has become my favorite. The flavor is intense and a great balance of tart and sweet. The coconut milk rises to the top of the mold while it freezes which makes two layers.

Blueberry-Coconut Popsicles (or "Ice Cream)

1 can full fat coconut milk
2 cups blueberry juice (I strained pureed thawed berries that I had in the freezer)
1/4 cup maple syrup

Mix together ingredients and pour into popsicle molds. Enjoy!


Look at this cute little ice cream maker. It's slightly bigger then a coffee mug. My Aunt Linda gave it to me and this was the first time I got to use it. It's a Donvier Half-Pint. I'm not sure that they're still in production. I wasn't sure how often I'd use it at first but now that I've given it a try, I love it! One problem with non-dairy ice creams is that they get really hard in the freezer. If I only make one serving at a time, I can enjoy it while it's still scoopable.

It took me about 3 minutes of turning the little crank on top to get ice cream. It's delicious. The tart, sweet flavor is intense and the coconut milk makes it just creamy enough. I'm going to be using this little ice cream maker more often from now on.


This recipe has been shared as part of Simple Lives Thursday.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes (Dairy-free)

For Valentine's Day this year, I made these cupcakes. Moist chocolate cake topped with chocolate fudge icing. I'm pretty sure they're the best cupcakes I've ever had. The cake is moist and has a delicate texture. The icing is rich but with a hint of tang from the vinegar that gives it that perfect balance. I'm very sad that there's only one cupcake left and it's Jon's. Jon won't be home for hours and hours though.....hmm....

This cake/frosting recipe can also be baked as a sheet cake. I thought cupcakes would be a nice change of pace.
I adapted the original recipe (found here at King Arthur) to be dairy-free and I added an ingredient or two to add more flavor. If you are able to enjoy dairy, feel free to use the original recipe or use butter and milk in place of the Earth Balance and coconut milk. I can't promise the same result but it would probably work just fine.



Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter substitute)
1/2 cup oil (I use extra-light olive oil)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup coconut milk (heated in the microwave until hot to the touch)
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups whole grain spelt flour (or use 2 cups of all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt


Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan or line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

Melt the butter substitute in a medium or large microwaveable bowl. Stir in oil, cocoa, hot coconut milk, vinegar, and instant coffee powder. Using a whisk, mix in eggs, vanilla, and sugar until very well combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined.

Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well combined. Pour into 9x13 pan or divide evenly between 24 muffin cups (filled about 3/4th of the way full).

Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes or 9x13 pan for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let 9x13 cake cool in the pan. Cupcakes can cool in their liners on a cooling rack.



Dairy-Free Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance (non-dairy butter substitute)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
4 cups (1 lb.) confectioner's sugar

In a medium sauce pan, melt the Earth balance. Stir in cocoa powder, coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Bring mixture to the boil, then remove from the heat and mix in the confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth. Pour over cake while the frosting is still warm or frost cupcakes while frosting is still warm.
Yield: enough for one 9x13 cake or 24 cupcakes.

*The frosting will firm up pretty quickly as it cools though it never gets hard.
*If you frost cupcakes, you might notice the frosting starting to firm up in the pan. If you put the pan over a slightly warm burner for just a second and stir, the frosting will loosen up enough for you to continue frosting cupcakes.
*If you add sprinkles to your cupcakes, add them IMMEDIATELY after frosting each cupcake since the top layer of frosting cools quickly and prevents sprinkles from sticking.

This cupcake got dunked in the pink sugar sprinkles.

I topped them a few different ways. I found I preferred the plain ones since the sprinkles were too crunchy.

Evan didn't care how his cupcake was decorated. He ate the frosting first.

I've linked this post up with Simple Lives Thursday.

Tender Cranberry-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

I made these wonderful cookies over Christmas and I couldn't stop eating them. They're chewy, sweet, nutty, tart.... all things I love in cookies rolled into one.

Tender Cranberry-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from King Arthur Flour.com) (dairy-free substitutions in blue)

3/4 cup butter (Earth Balance)
1/4 cup lard (or shortening)
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat your oven to 350*. Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two baking sheets.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, lard, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, vanilla, beating until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; then add the syrup. Stir in the fruit and nuts, then the flour, beating gently until well combined. Add the oats last, making sure they're well distributed.

Scoop the dough by Tbsp's full onto the baking sheets leaving about 2" between cookies. Bake cookies until they're barely set on top- about 12-14 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a minute or two then transfer them to a cooling sheet to cool completely. Makes ~30 cookies.


I'm excited to add this recipe to the great list at "Sweets for a Saturday"!

Chocolate Bon-Bon Cookies

These little cookies are delicious. The chocolate cookie is a little like shortbread. The icing just puts them over the top. They're sweet and delicious. It's a good thing to make them small because they are a bit rich .... that didn't stop me from having 3 in a row after I made them.
If these are baked long enough, they'll be crisp. I took mine out of the oven a bit soon so they were soft but still delicious! Chocolate Bon-Bon Cookies (recipe from KingArthur.com) (dairy-free substitutions in blue)

Cookie:
12 Tbsp. butter, softened (Earth Balance)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Icing:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (2-3 Tbsp. coconut milk)
1 Tbsp. vanilla


1. Place all cookie ingredients in the bowl and beat on medium speed with a mixer until a soft, smooth dough is formed. Remove from bowl and shape into a 3/4" disk. Wrap well in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350*. Roll dough into balls the size of a large gumball. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (or lightly sprayed with Pam). Space them about 2" apart since they will spread a little. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Watch the cookies carefully to avoid burning.

3. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for a minute or two on the pan before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

4. Mix together icing ingredients until you made a spreadable icing. Add the liquid a little at a time and only add as much as you need to make a thick icing. Pipe or spoon a small amount of icing onto each cookie and top with chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc. Let them set for an hour or two before packing them up to let the icing set up.

Sugar And Spice Cookies

I've broken out the Christmas cookie cutters. It's officially the Christmas season now! I've been collecting possible Christmas worthy cookie recipes for a few weeks now. It's hard work trying and tasting recipes but someone has to do it. This recipe is definitely a winner!
These cookies taste like what would happen if a sugar cookie and a gingerbread man had a love child. They have the sweet crispness of a sugar cookie and just the right amount of spice without being as intense as a true gingerbread cookie. I'll definitely be making these again before Christmas.
These cookies would be great decorated with royal icing and pretty sprinkles but I chose to sprinkle some of them with a little coarse raw sugar.

I have the tiniest Christmas tree cookie cutter. It's about an inch tall. I love cutting out little baby cookies.

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On a non-cookie note, I'm so excited to be rid of my deep blue stoneware dishes! My Mom and Mark gave us their Corelle Ware and Wedgewood. Thanks you guys!!! What a difference it makes to have a white background when taking pictures of food. Someone was more then happy to pick up my old dishes after I listed them for free on Craigslist.

Sugar And Spice Cookies (Dairy-free substitutions in blue)

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1/2 cup butter, softened (Earth Balance)
1/2 cup lard (or butter/Earth Balance)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

3 Tbsp. molasses

3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry and 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose)

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

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In a medium bowl, cream together butter, lard, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add baking powder, spices, salt, molasses, vanilla, and egg until well combined. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, flattening each ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour (or longer).

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Preheat oven to 350*.

Roll out the dough to about 1/8"-1/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface. The thinner the cookie, the crisper it will be. Cut with cookie cutters and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if you like, before baking.

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Bake cookies in a 350* oven until just slightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes to set up. Transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

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Makes about 3-4 dozen 3" cookies or a TON of tiny little baby ones

**These freeze very well after they're baked and cooled completely. After they thaw, they're just as crisp as fresh cookies.**

Baking Day + Buckeye & Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipes

The day before Thanksgiving, my brother, sister and her gang arrived just before 2 am. Needless to say, napping was a must. Katie and Buford snuggled on the big couch. This was the first time we got to meet Buford. He is the sweetest puppy. Such a good boy too... at least while he's traveling, right, Kate?


Since I volunteered to be in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving, Wednesday was spent baking, baking, and baking. Have I mentioned that I love baking? I just wish my kitchen was a bit bigger and I had maid that would clean up after me while I bake.



Katie helped me so much! Here she is putting the chocolate coating on some buckeyes (recipe further down).

I'm showing you this picture for two reasons. The first reason is that I think it's funny even though it's blurry. I was pretending to eat a buckeye... or did I really eat it, Katie? I can't remember. The second reason is that you can see just how messy my kitchen was while we were baking. Do you see the sink full of dishes? There are clean dishes lined up on the half wall. There are dishes and ingredients stacked up on the counter behind me. This is how I work, folks.

We had leftover melted chocolate after we dipped our buckeyes so we coated some pretzel rods and Katie was in charge of putting sprinkles on them. She took her job very seriously and did a beautiful job. We ate these after dinner since we couldn't eat the Thanksgiving desserts.

Aren't they beautiful? I love pretzels dipped in chocolate. This post is making me hungry. One of the hazards of blogging, I suppose.

Devin and Jon worked on a puzzle for a bit.

If you try one new recipe this Christmas season, let it be these buckeyes. They're like Reece's cups but better in my opinion. They have a slight crispness because of the graham cracker crumbs. They're just the right balance of sweetness and slight saltiness of the peanut butter. I have to say that I ate quite a few of these little guys. They were really easy to make, too.

Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

10 Tbsp. butter (or Earth Balance), melted and cooled

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

-With a mixer, mix together peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar until well combined.

- Roll peanut butter mixture into balls in the palm of your hands. Make them as big or as small as you like. I made them about a Tbsp's worth of filling per ball. Set them aside on a baking sheet while you melt the chocolate.

- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring often until 75% of the chips are melted. The residual heat will melt the rest. You do NOT want to over heat the chocolate.

- Line a sheet pan with waxed paper or parchment paper. Take one peanut butter ball at a time and dip the bottoms in the chocolate. Place the coated peanut butter ball on the paper line baking sheet to set up. Repeat until all candies are coated with chocolate.

*I've tried a few ways to dip them into the chocolate and none worked better then just using my fingers. The sides get a little smudged but they still taste great.*

-Set the buckeyes aside in a cool place until the chocolate sets. Store at cool room temperature.

Chris helped Katie and I mix up these pumpkin pies. I never get tired of pumpkin pie.

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

I couldn't resist making another apple slab. This picture was taken before I put the icing on. I waited until the next day to add the icing since I didn't want it to get soggy. Apple Slab

It's rare that I don't alter a recipe. This Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe needs no alteration. I made it last year for Christmas and it was fantastic! This year I can't eat it due to the dairy but I still made it knowing everyone else would enjoy it... especially Mark!

It really is worth the time to make this cheesecake. It knocks pumpkin pie right out of the water!






So, those were the desserts of Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoyed eating them as much as I enjoyed making them (with Katie's help). I really wish I had some dessert right about now....

Autumn Harvest Soup With Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

With an abundance of winter squash puree on my hands, I decided to come up with a meal that is good for you and packed with flavor.
This soup has been one of my favorites for a long time. The addition of apples helps give it a touch of sweetness.
The pumpkin rolls were a huge hit! I reinvented my favorite dinner roll recipe to include pumpkin. The pumpkin made them very moist. They were as soft and delicious on day 3 as they were when they were fresh. Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 c. Earth Balance, melted and cooled (or butter)
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten (helps whole wheat breads rise)
1 cup warm water
4 1/2-5 1/2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour (you may need more or less depending on humidity)

-In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except the flour. Stir well to combine.

-Mix in the flour until the dough comes together without being too sticky or too dry. When in doubt, put in less flour. A dough that is too dry will be hard to work with and not as tasty to eat. You can always mix in more flour as you knead if it's too sticky.

- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes dusting lightly with flour to keep it from sticking to the surface and your hands.

-Put dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap sprayed with Pam or a damp kitchen towel. Set in a warm place to rise until about doubled in size (about 90 minutes).

- Preheat oven to 350*. Grease (spray well with Pam) an 11"x18" pan or two 9"cake pans. Form about 18 rolls equal in size (about the size of a large egg,but round)and place in the pan(s). Let them rise until almost doubled in a warm place (about 45-60 minutes).
Place in the preheated, 350* oven for 35-40 minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reaches 190*.

-Turn the rolls out onto a cooling rack and brush the tops of the rolls with melted Earth Balance. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.



Autumn Harvest Soup

4 cups butternut squash puree
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil or Earth Balance
2 medium apples, diced (not Granny Smith)
1 quart chicken stock (homemade preferred but LOW sodium if you buy it)
salt

1. In a large pot, saute onions and apples in oil or Earth Balance on medium-low heat until VERY soft. They need to be very soft or they won't puree into a smooth soup. Don't let them brown.

2. Puree onions and apples in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Add back to the pot and turn heat to medium. Add butternut squash puree and chicken stock. Add salt to taste.
(The amount of salt will vary greatly depending on your broth. Store bought broth has so much salt that you may not have to add any additional salt. I use homemade stock without any added salt so I use close to 1 1/2tsp. of salt to my soup. )

3. Let soup simmer until heated through. Taste to be sure any onions were well pureed. If you taste tiny bits of onion, let the soup boil for about 15-20 minutes to fully cook the onions. Check seasonings. Serve. Serves approx. 6 large adults.





I'm excited to enter these recipes in the Naturally Frugal Food Challenge. Wish me luck!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

I have baked 3 pumpkin pies in the past 2 weeks in preparation for the big day. With Thanksgiving only 2 days away, I'd like to share my pumpkin pie recipe that I think is better then the traditional pumpkin pie and it happens to be dairy-free.

I am in charge of bringing desserts to our Thanksgiving at Mom and Mark's this year. I had so much fun deciding what desserts to bring. Here's the final dessert menu:
Apple Slab
Pumpkin Cheesecake (I'll share that recipe soon)
Pumpkin Pie
Buckeyes


I wanted to be sure that any adjustments that I made to the recipes would be delicious so I decided to have some pie trial-runs. The pumpkin pie on the left is made with almond milk and the one on the right is made with coconut milk.

The reverse is true in this picture. The pie made with coconut milk is on the left and the one made with almond milk is on the right.

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Both pies were good. The one with almond milk was clean and refreshing tasting. It's texture was softer. The one made with coconut milk was creamier, smoother, and held up beautifully. The coconut milk pie was the clear winner. I don't think anyone would have been able to tell it wasn't made with dairy cream.

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Last week I made pumpkin pie one more time just to be sure. Yeah, that's why I made it again. It sure wasn't because I just had a hankerin' for pumpkin pie.

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Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

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1 unbaked pie shell (I use this recipe but only use half the recipe per pie) in a lightly greased pie plate

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 large eggs, beaten

15 oz. can of pumpkin puree or almost 2 cups of homemade, well drained)

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (can be found at most supermarkets near the Asian foods)

1 tsp. vanilla

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Preheat oven to 425*.

Mix all ingredients (except the pie shell) until they're well combined.

Pour into the pie shell.

Bake at 425* for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350* for 50 minutes or until the center of the pie isn't very jiggly when you give the pie pan a little nudge.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple Slab - Silly Name, Delicious Pie

Jon has decided that this is his new favorite dessert and all other apple desserts are a waste of time. I think I agree. This is a big apple pie with a slightly tart filling and a delicious, apple cinnamon icing on top. The great thing is that it's a BIG apple pie so it will serve a crowd. This pie is best within the first day or two after it's baked because the crust tends to get soggy after the second day so be sure to eat it fast... not that that was an issue in this house.

Before the icing

Apple Slab (dairy-free alternatives in blue)


Crust

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (you could use all-purpose)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cold lard (or butter)
10 Tbsp. cold butter (Earth Balance)
1 tsp. vinegar
6-7 Tbsp. ice cold water

Filling

10 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith or other firm, tart apples (the icing will make the pie way too sweet if you use sweet apples)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla


Icing

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon


Directions:

-Make crust: In a food processor, blend flour, salt, baking powder, sugar until well mixed. Add lard and butter (Earth Balance) and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. The lard and butter chunks should be the size of a small pea. Add the ice water and vinegar and pulse just until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 2 pieces... one slightly larger then the other. One ball being about 60% of the dough and the other 40% of the dough. Pat the dough into flat rectangles, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

- Preheat oven to 350*

- With the larger rectangle of cold dough, on a lightly floured surface, or between two pieces of plastic wrap, roll out the dough until it's about 11x15". Don't worry if the dough is rough around the edges. This pie is very forgiving.

-Place the dough into a 9x13", ungreased baking pan. Let the dough come up the sides of the pan, pressing them gently into place. It's fine if the sides aren't completely covered but patch any holes in the bottom because you don't want the filling leaking out.

-Mix together all filling ingredients in a large bowl until the apples are all coated in the other ingredients. Dump the filling gently into the pan lined with dough being careful to distribute the apples evenly.

- Roll the remaining cold dough into a rectangle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Lay the crust on top of the apples. It's fine if the dough doesn't reach the sides of the pan but try to get it close. Cut 6 or 8 slits in the top of the crust to let steam escape while cooking.

- Place slab in the 350* oven and bake for one hour. Remove from oven. It should be golden brown and bubbling around the edge. Allow to cool completely before adding the icing.

- Stir together all icing ingredients and drizzle over completely cool apple slab. Serve!

Yields 12-16 pieces depending on how you slice it.

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Chunk Ice Cream

I've been on the look-out for Dairy-free ice creams that taste like the real thing for a while now. Ice cream is one of the only things, other then mac&cheese, that I really miss about going dairy-free ). This recipe makes an "ice cream" that would fool anyone into thinking it was made with dairy. It's rich and creamy and has delicious peanut butter chunks in it that reminded me of a Ben&Jerry's type ice cream.

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Chunk Ice Cream (adapted very slightly from Alisa Cooks blog)

*recipe makes about 2 cups of ice cream. Double the recipe to fill most standard ice cream makers*

-1 14oz. can of Coconut Milk

- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1/3 cup maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey (I used maple syrup and couldn't taste any maple flavor in the finished ice cream

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 batch of dairy-free peanut butter chunks (recipe below)

Combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, sweetener, and vanilla in a bowl and stir well with a whisk until well combined. Place mixture in the fridge and allow to cool completely.

Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Make peanut butter chunk recipe while mixture is in the ice cream maker.

When ice cream is done, transfer it to your storage container and top it with the peanut butter chunk mixture. Try to spread out the mixture as evenly as possible over the ice cream. Put ice cream into the freezer for about 30 minutes or until the chunks have set up. Stir ice cream, breaking up the chunks, and return the ice cream to the freezer until ice cream is firm.

*This ice cream is better when not solid as a rock. Allow it to thaw just slightly before eating for creamiest ice cream*

Ice Cream-Friendly, Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Chunks

-2 1/2 tsp. coconut oil

-1 1/2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

-1 Tbsp. honey (don't use sugar, you want the chunks to be soft)

-1/4 tsp. vanilla

Combine ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 10-15 seconds. Stir until coconut oil is melted and everything is well combined.

Morning Glory Muffins aka. The Best Muffins In the World!

These moist muffins are full of such delicious ingredients. This recipe makes 24 muffins but keep for a few days at room temperature and they freeze beautifully. This is one of the only recipes that I don't alter. It's perfect just as it is. A little sweet and full of flavor.

Just look at all the yummy add-ins!


Morning Glory Muffins

1 1/4 cup sugar (you can use less if you want to... I think I used 3/4 cup)

2 1/4 cup flour (I use either white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour but all-purpose work too)

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

3/4 cup raisins

1 large apple, peeled and grated

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups grated carrot

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots, and nuts. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir ONLY until combined.

Spoon the batter into muffin tins that have been sprayed with Pam or lined with muffin cups. Fill each one to the top since these muffins don't rise much. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes then move to a rack to finish cooling.

IBS and Going Dairy-Free

I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. I've always had a bit of a sensitive stomach but a year an a half ago, it began to get worse. I was mis-diagnosed by several doctors and when they wouldn't take my symptoms seriously, I went online and did my own research. I went to my family doctor feeling pretty confident that I had IBS and he confirmed that I had IBS but he had very few suggestions as to how to help deal with it other then "learn to live with it". I had a prescription for a medication that could help ease some of the symptoms but it wasn't helping all the time. I was stuck with a daily stomach ache that would sometimes last all day. I tried probiotics, I switched to almond milk, and I drank chamomile tea. Each thing helped a little bit but nothing got rid of the stomach aches completely.

Two months ago, after reading a book on how to treat IBS, I completely gave up dairy. My stomach aches are 95% gone! I haven't had a "pit in my stomach" stomach ache since I gave up all forms of dairy. I still have a little stomach upset when I'm under stress but it's nothing like it was 2 months ago. It's such a relief to feel better that it makes giving up some of my favorite foods worth it. I've stopped taking all of the probiotics and I only take my prescription once or twice a month instead of several times daily.

The reason I wanted to share my tummy troubles here is that I've had to make some changes to recipes to make them dairy-free. I thought I'd share those recipes in case anyone else could benefit from them.


So, if I can't have dairy, how do I bake everyday? How do I live without butter? Here are some of my favorites....


Spreading on toast:
Earth Balance (soy-free) It's a tub butter substitute that is non-hydrogenated and doesn't contain soybean oil. (I try to avoid non-traditional soy products). I like Earth Balances taste. It melts nicely and spreads well on toast.

Sauteing:
Earth Balance
Olive Oil
Lard

Baking:
If the recipe calls for melted butter: Olive oil, melted coconut oil, or melted Earth Balance
If the recipe calls for creaming softened butter: *Lard, coconut oil, Earth Balance
If the recipe calls for milk: Almond milk or coconut milk

Frostings: *Lard (though I'm finding the taste too aggressive) or Earth Balance
I've tried coconut oil but it makes the frosting too dense

With Cereal: Almond milk (I like the original or unsweetened varieties)


*Lard: You might be surprised that I use lard but here are some of the facts about lard that most people don't know....
-Lard is a great source of Vitamin D
-Lard has less saturated fat then butter
-Lard has more mono-unsaturated fat (good fats) then Olive oil
**Just be sure that your lard comes from animals not treated with hormones and the lard is NOT hydrogenated.


Unfortunately I still haven't found a way to make Mac&Cheese dairy-free and I don't think I'll ever be able to. It was my former favorite food but luckily the longer you go without a food, the less you think about it and remember how it tastes. I'm working on dairy-free ice creams but so far have only found so-so recipes. I'll be sure to post if I find a great one.


When you see me post recipes from now on, I'll put my dairy-free substitutions in parenthesis next to the dairy item in the recipe. I'm by no means an expert on the subject... just a food-lover trying to enjoy the things I've always loved.... without a stomach ache!