Sweet Potato Fries

INGREDIENTS
2  large sweet potatoes, peeled
3  tablespoons olive oil
1  teaspoon garlic powder
1  teaspoon paprika
1  teaspoon salt
½  teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION
Heat the oven to 400.
Cut the sweet potatoes into french fry shape, place in ziplock bag or bowl.
Add toss them with the oil and seasonings.
Put parchment paper on 2 rimmed cookie sheets.
Spread the sliced potatoes on the parchment paper
Bake about 15 minutes or until crispy on the bottom, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Farmer's Breakfast Skillet with Bacon and Eggs

I just copied and pasted this recipe because it is so delicious. Thank you Diana Rattray, wherever/whoever you are!

This farmers' breakfast is a whole breakfast for four in one skillet.

There are lots of different vegetables you can add to this dish. Mushrooms could be sauteed ahead of time and then added with the eggs. Finely chopped bell peppers could be sauteed with the potatoes. They would give the dish extra color and flavor.

5 strips bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
3 medium cooked potatoes, cubed
6 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

How to Make It
In a large, heavy skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain.
In drippings, cook onion and potatoes until browned, about 5 minutes. Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet.
Cook, stirring gently, until the eggs are set and cooked through.
Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with the bacon and shredded cheese.
Let stand a minute or two, just until cheese melts.
Serves 4.

Variations
Add chopped green onion tops to the potatoes about 1 minute before you add the eggs.
Add a few tablespoons of chopped bell peppers along with the onion.
Instead of bacon, brown about 8 ounces of diced ham in the skillet. Sprinkle it over the top of the egg and potatoes along with the shredded cheese.
Instead of bacon, brown about 8 ounces of bulk pork sausage in the skillet. Sprinkle over the top of the egg and potato mixture with the cheese.

Dairy-free Chocolate Cake

We made this for Leila's first birthday since we needed a cake to be dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free. It was delicious! So glad I found Milk Allergy Mom! Here is the link to her recipe.

DAIRY-FREE & EGG-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Heat oven to 350

Grease pan(s) with an allergy safe food if you are making this for someone with food allergies. We have luck with Earth Balance dairy-free butter and coconut oil.

1.5 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup oil
1 c cold water

Combine ingredients, mix with mixer. Pour batter into a greased pan (8x8, 9x9) or (12) muffin tins.

Bake approximately 30 minutes in the oven until the cake springs back to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean. Time varies depending on the pan you use.

I also used her frosting:

VANILLA FROSTING
1/4 cup chilled dairy-free butter
1/4 cup chilled shortening
1-3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix chilled butter and chilled shortening with a mixer, in a chilled bowl. Add vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar. Put in refrigerator to chill before icing, if necessary.

You can make this soy-free by using dairy-free & soy-free Earth Balance butter.

Yummy Bruschetta

2 cloves of garlic, minced
                  sauté in 2 tsp olive oil and allow to cool before adding to the rest

3-5 tomatoes, diced into small pieces
6-8 basil leave, chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients (including the oil from the sautéed garlic) in a bowl.

I like to let it sit for a couple of hours to let flavors blend and then I drain off some of the excess liquid. I usually put it in the fridge if it's going to be a couple of hours before I serve it but I think it is probably fine to let sit at room temperature.

Serve on toasted french bread. (I slice it at an angle, brush one side with olive oil and stick them olive oil side down on a cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven at 450 degrees for 5-6 minutes.)

Nikki Adams (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Memorial Day Spare Ribs

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl:
8 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Weber - Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning

Rub on rack of spare ribs and wrap in foil. Ideally let it sit overnight, but still is delicious if done right before baking. Place the foil-wrapped ribs in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet to catch any drips of juice. Bake at 300 F for 2-3 hours or until the meat temperature is close to 160 F.

Place rack of ribs on grill for 10-20 minutes (until charred to your liking), basting the leftover juices in the foil back onto the ribs. While it's on the grill you can also put barbecue sauce on it if you want to. We didn't and it was still delicious!

Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

We had lots of leftover rotisserie chicken that we had to use and I found this recipe. I didn't really measure the spices, but ours could have used a little more kick. I put some salsa on top and that made it yummy! Here is the simplified version of the already simple recipe with a few tweaks.

Bring to a boil:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Add to the pot and stir until heated :
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

Spread out four flour tortillas and put filling down the middle. Top with shredded cheese (omit cheese if making it dairy-free).

Fold the ends, roll up like a burrito and heat for 2-3 minutes on a nonstick pan with a heavy pan on top to squish it. Flip and heat for another 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Delicious Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Here is a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I adapted once to be dairy and soy free. They were really good (even for people who eat normal food). The only adaptation to the dough was to use oat milk with vinegar as a substitute for buttermilk. Then for the filling, I used dairy-free soy-free Earth Balance. I used a completely different frosting recipe last time using earth balance butter, oat milk, vanilla and powdered sugar.

I just made them today with dairy and soy and they were even better. The only changes I made this time were to use real butter instead of margarine and next time I'll omit the lemon juice from the frosting. With the lemon juice, the frosting tastes more like Cinnabon's but I prefer it without.

Below is the text from Lauren's Latest, go to her website for the recipe with pictures:

My Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

yield: 15 ROLLS APPROXIMATELY prep time: 6 HOURS cook time: 17 MINUTES total time: 6 HOURS 17 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS:
for the dough-
3/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast {use the fast acting kind!}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 egg
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 1/2-5 cups all purpose unbleached flour

for the filling-
1/2 cup softened margarine
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch

for the frosting-
2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup softened margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Making the Dough- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour in water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Stir and proof 5 minutes. Once mixture looks bubbly and frothy, pour in remaining sugar and salt. Stir on low for 15-20 seconds. In a small bowl, measure buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk ingredients together until egg is incorporated to other two ingredients. Pour contents into the water and yeast mixture. Stir another 20 seconds in the mixer. Pour 2 cups of flour into mixer and stir on low until incorporated. Sprinkle flour in by 1/4 cup increments until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. Dough should be sticky but not sticky enough to stick to your hands when touched. Once it has reached this stage, turn mixer on and knead for 5 minutes. Remove dough from bowl, grease and replace back into same mixing bowl {since it's practically clean anyways.} Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Rise 1-2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Filling and Cutting Rolls- In a medium size bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch together until combined. Set aside. Punch down dough. Flour a large clean table liberally with flour. Lightly flour dough as well. Roll dough out to be a 20x30 rectangle {or as close to that as possible} while moving dough around to ensure it's not sticking to your work surface. If it's a little short or uneven, feel free to cut off the edges to even it all out. {FYI-I cut off some dough on one side and filled in a spot that needed more dough on the other side to make a more even rectangle.} Spread softened margarine over dough, being sure to go right to the edges leaving a 1-inch strip untouched on one of the longer sides of dough. Dump brown sugar mixture onto the middle of the dough and spread with your hands, creating an even layer over top of the margarine, still leaving that 1-inch strip of dough untouched. If you have any filling that falls off the sides of the dough, use a bench scraper to replace. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the margarine using a rolling pin. Roll the dough up into a tight log, finishing with the plain dough on the bottom to seal the entire thing together. Cut off the uneven ends to even out the log. Score log every 2 inches and then slice your rolls using those marks. Place into parchment paper lined, margarine greased pans. 12 into a 9x13, 3 remaining into a loaf pan, or 8x8 with the small ends. Cover pans with plastic wrap and dish towels. Let rolls rise another 1-2 hours or until they are touching and have risen almost double. My rolls always spread out more than up, so just be aware that they will most likely spread out more than up. Bake in a preheated 350 degree for 17 minutes, or until tops start to brown. Watch them carefully!!

For the Frosting- While the rolls are baking, whip cream cheese and margarine together. Stir in vanilla, corn syrup and lemon juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Pour in powdered sugar and stir slowly until it starts to incorporate. Then mix on high for 5 minutes or until frosting starts to lighten in color. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. Once rolls have been removed from the oven, frost using half the amount made. Then after they have cooled a few more minutes, frost again with remaining frosting. The first frosting will melt down into the rolls and the second layer should stay put. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes:
-See step my step photos for more details I neglected to mention.
-Also, if your frosting isn't quite ready after you pull the rolls out of the oven, cover with foil so the tops don't dry out and get crispy.
-If you notice it takes forever for your rolls to rise, try adding an extra teaspoon of rapid rise yeast to your dough next time around. I also like to use Red Star Platinum yeast--it's hardcore stuff

Easy Cornbread

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Grease 9" round pan (grease it well).

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 egg
1 cup milk (or oat milk for dairy free, rice milk or almond milk don't work as well)
1/3 cup oil

Mix together and pour into pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until you poke with a knife and it comes out clean.

(I found this recipe online and made it. It was delicious and I wrote it from memory but don't know who to attribute it to.)

Nikki's Chili

In a large soup pot:

2 Tbsp canola oil (butter if not going dairy free)
3 cloves garlic
1 large sweet onion

Saute until the onion is beginning to become transparent.
Then add:

1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1-2 cups of pre-cooked ground beef
1 can tomato paste
1 can water
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans

In separate cup: stir 1/4 cup harina masa (corn flour) into 1/2 cup of water. Then add to pot.

Add water, if too thick. Add more corn flour if too runny.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2-3 Tbsp chili powder*
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper*
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

*Add more for extra spice. Can also add chipotle chili powder for a little different flavor and spice.

Let simmer for 1-2 hours. 6-8 large servings. Tastes delicious with cornbread!

-Nikki

Sweet Potato Soup with Spicy Jalapeno

I adapted this from I Hear Exercise Will Kill You to make it dairy and soy free AND to make it faster and easier to make.

2 large sweet potatoes -- poke holes and cook in the microwave
2 chicken breasts -- mine were pre-cooked and frozen, cut into bite-sized pieces

Sautee 1 diced medium onion, 4 minced garlic cloves and 1 minced jalapeno in olive oil in a soup pot.

Scoop sweet potatoes (cut into bite-size pieces and scoop out, discard skins) into the pot. Add 2 cups of water, 3 chicken bouillon cubes and 1/2 tsp onion salt. Begin to simmer then add 1 cup coconut milk, cooked chicken and 1 can of corn. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rolls or breadsticks.

Makes 6 servings. It only took about 30 minutes to make, including simmer-time.

Our jalapeno was pretty spicy so our soup had a lot of kick! I have had to add a couple of jalapenos before for flavor when it was a less spicy jalapeno. The coconut milk also gave it a curry flavor. 

We didn't put in the full amount of chicken and we usually make it without chicken. This would be a good recipe to use rotisserie chicken in.

UPDATE - Preferred way to make (even though it's one extra pan to wash):

-Peel sweet potatoes, chop and boil in water while preparing the rest
-Sautee onion, jalapeno and garlic in butter (or olive oil)
-When onion starts to brown, add 2 cups of water from potato pot and 3 chicken bouillon cubes
-Drain remaining water from potatoes, add potatoes, mush a little with a potato masher but leave some chunks (omit chicken)
-Add 1 cup half and half and can of corn, simmer for 10 minutes

White Bread for Breadmaker (Dairy and Soy Free)

1 cup warm water
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Add to breadmaker in the order listed. Makes 1 1/2 pound loaf. Bake on lightest crust setting

Sweet and Not-too Spicy Chicken

2 Tbsp oil
2 chicken breasts, bite-sized
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper (I chose red)
2/3 can pineapple chunks (you can do all the chunks if you like lots of pineapple, I saved it to add to a smoothie later)

1/2 cup pineapple juice from the can
1/4 cup chicken broth (or 1/4 cup water and 1 bouillon cube)
3 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce (more for spicier)
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat oil in pan on medium-high heat and begin cooking 2 Tbsp garlic and chicken. (Chicken would also be delicious battered, it's just faster to not do it.)

While cooking chicken: In a small bowl, mix pineapple juice, chicken broth, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, and brown sugar.

Now back to the pan.... When chicken is mostly cooked, move to plate (will continue cooking while it sits). Add more oil to the pan if needed. Add 2 Tbsp garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes and then add sauce from separate bowl and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes (sorry it's not exact) and then add pineapple and chicken. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the water and cornstarch mixture. Cook for a few more minutes. Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

-Nikki Adams

Vegetable and Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients (in the order I added them to the pan):

3 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large onion, diced
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper

1 tomato, diced (optional, I had one that needed to be used and figured it would be good in here)
1 can of diced tomatoes (mine was Hunt's, seasoned with basil and oregano)
2 cups fresh, washed spinach
1 jar spaghetti sauce (make sure it is dairy-free and soy-free, most are dairy free unless they are cheesy kinds. But Prego is not so free, I'm not sure about Ragu... I used Kroger's Private Selection sauce and it was delicious!)

1 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano

1/3-ish lb ground Italian sausage, cooked (I would recommend going with mild OR if you don't like the flavor of sausage, you can use ground beef OR omit it completely for a vegetarian lasagna)

Lasagna noodles (I used Barilla, and cooked the whole package but only needed probably 2/3 of the noodles)
Mozzarella cheese *I added this only to my husband's non-dairy lasagna 

Instructions:
Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. When garlic is starting to brown and onion is starting to go clear, add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms start to look like you want to eat them. Add some salt and pepper.

At this point, you have a couple of options. I did not want to use all of the sausage I bought but wanted to cook it all to freeze and use the next time I make this... SO, you can cook the sausage in a separate pan and add to the recipe later (that's what I did and how I will explain in the rest of the recipe) OR add the raw sausage to cook with your garlic and onion. 

Add spinach and fresh tomato, cook for a minute or two, then add can of tomatoes. Let simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles in separate pot. Boil water and add noodles (should take 8-10 minutes depending on the type of noodle).

Back to the sauce: add spaghetti sauce, sugar, basil and oregano. Stir well and then add sausage. Allow to continue simmering until your noodles are cooked (or longer, doesn't matter).

In a 9x13 pan (or in my case, I used two 8x8 pans so I broke my noodles in half before cooking), layer sauce, noodles, sauce, noodles and sauce until you have used all your sauce. If it doesn't need to be dairy-free, add cheese in the layers and top with cheese.

Our oven was broken so I just heated it up to melt the cheese in the microwave (I used Pyrex since it is microwave-safe). If you use cheese, putting it in the oven will let it get the nice golden top... 
-Nikki Adams

No Bake (No Dairy and No Soy) Cookies

These are almost gone the day after I made them. This is the first dessert I've had since going dairy and soy-free that I've truly enjoyed and kept going back for more. I think they taste even better when sandwiched between a couple of pretzels. The sweet and salty combination is yummy!

3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup natural peanut butter (check to make sure it is soy-free, next time I may use 3/4 cup)
2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut milk (next time I may try 3/4 cup next time)
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Measure oats and peanut butter in a bowl, set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar, coconut milk and cocoa to a boil and let boil for a minute and a half. Stir constantly so you don't burn it. Add vanilla and stir, then pour over oats and peanut butter. Stir until well-mixed.

Place spoonfuls of mixture on wax paper and let cool. Eat!

Ideally, they should harden... Mine didn't, which may have been the result of humidity, hot kitchen and also that the coconut milk and natural peanut butter don't have the same properties as cows' milk, butter and regular peanut butter. They also tasted sweeter to me than your traditional no bake cookies, probably because there is no salt added in the form of butter.

I slid my wax paper onto a cookie sheet and transferred it to the fridge. When I'm ready for a snack, I just peel a cool, delicious cookie off of the wax paper. Maybe next time I'll give the freezer a try. 

Red Coconut Curry

2 Tbsp canola oil
2 chicken breasts, bite-size pieces

Heat oil and add chicken breasts. Cook until halfway done and put on a plate.

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 red potatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
ginger
red pepper flakes
coconut milk (13.5 fl oz)
red pepper paste (we have Thai Kitchen and we think it isn't very spicy)

Heat oil, saute garlic and onion (and ginger if it is real ginger, if it's ginger powder add when you add the curry paste) for a few minutes on medium heat. Add 3 Tbsp red curry paste. Add potatoes and coconut milk. Sprinkle red pepper flakes (amount depends on how hot you want it) in. Add chicken. Let simmer for a few minutes. Add bell pepper. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Peanut Free Chewy Granola Bars

This recipe is copied and pasted from I Hear Exercise Will Kill You, with a couple of modifications.

I had a hard time getting my sauce to thicken the first time. I was not patient enough and did not wait long enough so my granola bars did not set like they should have but still tasted good. The second time I was patient and they turned out perfectly!

Peanut Free Chewy Granola Bars

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I found some dairy, soy and nut-free mini chocolate chips!)
3 cups brown rice Rice Crispies  (I used regular)
3 cups Quick oats

In a small sauce pan combine the coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla.  Cook on medium high heat.  Stir continually.  If you have a TV in your kitchen, now would be a good time to use it to help pass the time.  After about 5 minutes of stirring the mixture will come to a boil...keep stirring.  After about 10 minutes the mixture might start to look kind of frothy...keep stirring.  After about 15 minutes the mixture might start to look a bit thicker as you are stirring on the bottom of the pan.  If this is the case it's time to test your mixture.  Drop a small drop of the mixture onto your stove.  If it looks really runny then you need to keep stirring with the heat on.  If the drop looks kind of rounded and a bit more solid then it might be done.  Let the drop cool for a few seconds and feel it with your finger.  If the drop feels kind of runny then put the mixture back on the heat and keep stirring for a few more minutes.  If the drop feels kind of like a light taffy then it is done. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.

In a large bowl mix your rice cereal and oats.  When the maple syrup mixture has cooled for about 5 minutes, poor it into the bowl with the oats and rice cereal.  Mix the syrup in really good.  Add in your mini chocolate chips or dark chocolate pieces.  Grease a 9x13 pan and spread your oats into the pan.  Press everything down really well.  Put the pan in the fridge for about 30 minutes to solidify everything.  Cut into the sizes that you want and store the bars in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken (non-battered)

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 chicken breasts, diced into chunks
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 onion
1 bell pepper (any color, I used red)

Cook chicken, onion and garlic in the oil. While cooking chicken, prepare the sauce. When chicken is almost cooked through, add the peppers.

Sauce:
In a small sauce pan, combine all of these ingredients and bring to a boil.

1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 chicken boullion cubes
1 tsp ginger (if using fresh minced ginger, cook with the chicken, garlic and onions)
4 tsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp water

Add 1 cup of diced pineapple to the chicken mixture and pour sauce over top. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice.

(Can add food coloring or ketchup for the red/orange color associated with sweet and sour.)