Yummy Salad Dressing

A pleasant, tangy dressing for a simple lettuce salad, spring greens, tomatoes etc.

Zip Creamy Dressing

1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Hain Safflower, which is soy-free)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dry or 1 tsp fresh finely minced parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
Ground black pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a small jar with watertight lid and shake to blend. Refrigerate and use within a week. This is a small recipe so it is easy to use up on just a couple of salads.

Turkey Sweet Potato Chili - Turkey Burger 7 Ways

This chili is easy, healthy, inexpensive and filling. Best of all, for those with allergies, it is tomato-free. It keeps well as leftovers. I like to make a big pot of it early in the afternoon and just let it sit on the stove till dinner time. Would probably be good in a slow-cooker too.

Turkey Sweet Potato Chili

Brown in large pan or medium soup pot over medium high heat:
2 slices nitrate-free bacon

Remove bacon when crispy and set aside. Then add to bacon grease in pot:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
Saute for several minutes, then add:
1 lb. frozen turkey burger, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

When meat is cooked, add:
1 cup/can cooked kidney beans
1 cup/can cooked white or pinto beans
the cooked bacon, snipped into small bits
1 large (or 2 small) sweet potato, peeled and cut to 1" cubes
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk (or 1/4 c coconut cream concentrate in 1 cup water - don't bother to dissolve separately since it will do that in the pot)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne powder, chili powder or dash or tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

Turn to very low and cook for 1 hour. Before serving, stir in:
Handful of chopped fresh parsley

Savory Chicken Gravy - GF, DF

I experimented with a grain- and dairy-free 'biscuits and gravy' dinner this evening using homemade cashew milk for the chicken gravy, and it turned out beautifully. It was my first try with making cashew milk from raw cashews, and I'm sure this won't be the last. If you're tired of coconut products, and want something creamy but dairy-free that doesn't taste like coconut milk for once, cashew milk is a great alternative as it has very little flavor, but lots of creamy texture.

Chicken Gravy with Cashew Milk

Cook and stir over medium-heat in large saucepan, till meat is either cooked through or re-heated. (I used leftover chopped, cooked chicken breast.)

1 Tbsp fat/oil/bacon grease

2 cups chopped chicken, turkey, or sausage

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. white pepper or powdered dry sage

Add (optional)

1 c. chopped kale leaves, stems removed

Cook till wilted and tender over lowered heat.

For the gravy

Combine in blender and whirl till fine-textured and milky:

1/2 cup "raw" (blanched) cashews 

3/4 c boiling water

1 clove fresh garlic

1 tsp. salt (more or less, depending on if your meat is salted)

Add cashew puree/milk to saucepan along with

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder dissolved in 1/3 c water or reserved cashew milk - I used water that I put in the blender to rinse out the cashew milk residue.

After adding all liquids to the meat mixture, raise heat back to medium. Stir well until mixture is heated through and thickening and bubbling and then turn heat to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes. Serve over biscuits, waffles or pancakes. I hope to post my grain-free pancake or waffle recipe another time!

Lemon Fenugreek Waffles

Fenugreek is a unique pungent spice that has both culinary and medicinal properties. Most people have eaten it ground up as one of the many spices in curry powder, but it is also a frequent ingredient in herbal tea for lactating mothers. I was attempting to make fenugreek sprouts, which can be a tasty addition to stir fries, but had to travel before I could wait for them to sprout, so I stuck them in the fridge. Unsure if they would still sprout after their sojourn in the cold regions, I decided to put them into a waffle recipe, and the result was quite tasty.

Grain-Free Lemon Fenugreek Waffles

Puree in blender until smooth:
2 T fenugreek seeds, soaked 24 hrs in water, drained (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 lemon - juice and pulp
2 eggs
1 cup water or milk
1/2 c oil
1 T honey

Sift together into medium mixing bowl:
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat waffle iron. Add blended ingredients to flour ingredients in bowl and stir. Add additional 1/4 cup water to blender, whirl briefly to rinse and add to bowl also. Stir together with large spoon or whisk till well blended. Cook waffles according to regular procedure for your waffle iron.

Carrot Gingerbread Bars

2 T flax seed

1/2 cup water*

1 cup water, divided in half

1 large carrot, chopped roughly

1 inch ginger root, peeled

1 T blackstrap molasses

1 egg

1/2 cup butter or coconut oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 T grated orange peel, optional

8 drops liquid stevia extract, optional

3/4 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Ground cinnamon

In blender, whirl flax seeds until beginning to be powdery. Add 1/2 cup water and blend until well combined - about 30 seconds. Allow to sit while you prepare remaining ingredients (or for 5 minutes). Add remaining wet ingredients to blender, one or two at at time and blend until smooth, about 5 minutes, reserving second half of the 1 cup of water for rinsing out the blender.

In large mixing bowl, sift together flours, soda and salt. Add blended wet ingredients, then add 1/2 cup water to blender, whirl briefly and add also. Stir together thoroughly. Should be the consistency of thick cake batter - very soft, but not at all runny. Add more water as needed to achieve the consistency.

Spread on to greased cookie sheet or large cake pan and spread to about 3/4 inch thickness. The batter does not need to reach the edges of the pan - it is easier to slice and remove that way. Sprinkle top liberally with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or till edges are lightly browned and center is springy. 

Cool on baking pan before slicing into 2-inch squares and removing to covered container.

*The flax seed and water can be substituted with 2 eggs, and likewise the 1 egg may be substituted with an additional 1 T flax seed and 1/4 cup water.

Simple Green Smoothie

This is a light green refreshing smoothie with ingredients that nearly everyone has in their produce drawer. It's delightfully simple to make and it is fruit/sugar free!

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup green cabbage
1/2 cup cold water

Whirl in blender till smooth and drink immediately. Makes 1 serving.

Grain-Free Banana Ginger Snack Cake

This is a very slightly sweet snack cake. Sugar or honey could be added to make it sweeter to taste.

Puree in blender:
1 ripe banana
1 chunk (2-inch, appx.) fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
2 large eggs
1 c. coconut oil, softened butter, or palm shortening
3/4 c. almond or coconut milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine in large mixing bowl:
1 1/4 c. chick pea flour 
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Add blended wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until mixed well.

Combine in small mixing bowl:
1/3 c cocoa powder
8 drops stevia or 2 T honey

Pour 3/4 c batter into cocoa powder mixture and stir together. Pour remaining batter into greased 9x11 or 9x9 cake pan (depending on thickness desired). Drop spoonfuls of cocoa batter on top and swirl through with a knife. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes - till lightly golden brown on edges and springy in center.