Cajun Chicken Pasta (gluten free & dairy free)

This is a super colorful and healthy pasta dish adapted from skinnytaste.com to be gluten and dairy free!  It is so good!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 oz GF spaghetti noodles- tinkyada
1 lb diced chicken
1 t cajun seasoning
1 T EVOO
1 red pepper- sliced
1 yellow pepper- sliced
1 green pepper- sliced
1 C mushrooms- sliced
1 red onion- sliced
3- garlic cloves- minced
2 medium tomatoes- diced
1 C chicken broth
1/3 C unsweetened almond milk
1 T brown rice flour
3 T dairy free cream cheese- I like go veggie
1-2 T nutritional yeast



Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and the cajun seasoning.  Prepare the pasta according to the directions.  Heat the oil in a pan over medium.  Add the chicken and cook.  Remove from pan.  Add onions, peppers and garlic to the pan.  Saute for four minutes.  Add mushrooms and tomatoes.  Cook four more minutes.  In a small bowl mix the milk, cream cheese and flour into a slurry.  Add the slurry and the broth to the vege mix, along with any other seasonings and nutritional yeast-to taste.  Cook two minutes, stirring.  Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat. 


You could try it with shrimp too!

Asian Spaghetti

Get your own here!



I found these cute chop stick bowls at Marshall's on clearance and just had to have them!  Simply because they are just so darn cute!!

Now I needed something fitting to put in them...

Here it is!



Asian Spaghetti

8 oz gf spaghetti- tinkyada (as usual!)
1 C fresh snow peas
4 green onions
1 garlic clove- minced
1 t sugar
2 T sesame seeds
1 C fresh mushrooms
3/4 C shredded carrots
2 T oil
1/4 C soy sauce- make sure it's gluten free!!!
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Cook the pasta according to the directions.  Meanwhile in a large skillet heat the oil.  Cook the chicken.  Add the veges and saute until crisp-tender.  Add garlic and cook one more minute.  In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, sugar and cayenne pepper.  Add this mixture to the skillet and stir.  Add the pasta and stir to coat and heat.  Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.  And finally fill your chop stick bowl and eat it with your chopsticks  .. just because it's fun! :)

Click here for the oringal recipe from Taste of Home

This is great meatless, but I also like to double the sauce recipe and make it with pork or chicken.

Teal Pumpkin Project!!

You think Halloween is scary?!? 

Well....seriously, try it with food allergies!  Now that my friends is scary!!  Yikes!!

I have a hard enough time passing out a bunch of candy I can't eat to all my little trick-or-treaters.  Fortunately throughout all my trick-or-treating years I never knew I had Celiac, and I could definetly still eat dairy! Thank goodness!  I can't imagine being one of those children!  Sporting your super cool costume and running up to a porch with a light shining down on a bunch of treats you can't even taste.  Why even bother going? 

Let's not make those kids feel like they shouldn't bother trick-or-treating.  Let's make it easier for them (not to mention less stressful for their parents) and include them in something that is so important to a childhood.  Enter the Teal Pumpkin Project!

I seriously adore this!!


It's so simple.  Just offer some non food items.  Buy your usual candy, but also grab some others goodies too....  stickers, glow jewelry, bubbles, temporary tattoos, crayons, and the list goes on

 

 

 

 

Head to the Food Allergy Research & Education site to get all the info, ideas for treats and ways to spread awareness, and to download bunch of different flyers to show that you support the Teal Pumpkin Project.

Getting ready!! :)



I'm so glad that this idea is getting exposure! A ton of bloggers, Fox News, CNN, and countless local new stations have all covered it and as it gets closer and closer to Halloween time I hope to hear more and more about it!

Won't you help me do something small that will make a BIG difference!?  Get out there shopping and get those pumpkins painted!!



I know my whole entourage is ready!! ;) 

 

A Gluten Free Halloween... The big candy list for 2014!

Although I am all about non food items this year because I am in love with the idea of the Teal Pumpkin Project... I thought y'all still might want to know what candy was safe.

The Celiac Disease Foundation has us all taken care of this year.  Click the picture for a link to the list and a super cute CDF butterfly stencil for pumpkin carving!!

Maybe you could carve that butterfly on a TEAL pumpkin!!

And don't forget to grab some non food items when you are picking up all that gluten free candy at the store!! ;)

Cinnamon Coconut Oil Zucchini Bread (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

I'm a little lady, but still....
it's as big as my whole arm!!

I had one last forgotten GINORMOUS zucchini in the garden to use up.  I wanted a really moist bread that was made with coconut oil for a little extra flavor, full of cinnamon sugar goodness, and had some pecans thrown in for some crunch!



Cinnamon Coconut Oil Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 C coconut oil
1 3/4 C sugar
2 C grated zucchini
3 t vanilla
1 C brown rice flour
2 C GF all-purpose flour blend (I use Sarah's)
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 C chopped pecans
Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat the oven to 325.  Wash your zucchini well.  I peel mine only if they are as huge as the one above because then the outside is tough and I don't like that at all.  When using zucchinis that are a reasonable size I always leave the peel becasue I like the texture and extra nutrients.... and it's just less work!  So peel, no peel, its up to you.  Whatever you choose, finely grate it (use a grater, or just throw chunks into your food processor).  In a large mixing bowl beat the oil and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Mix well and add the zucchini.  Mix well again.  In a smaller mixing bowl stir the flours, salt, soda, powder, and spices together.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixing thoroughly.  Stir in the pecans.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.  Throw some extra pecan crumbs on top along with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 55 minutes to an hour.

My First Gluten Free & Dairy Free Lasagna.. with Cashew Ricotta

I had so many fresh tomatoes in the garden this year and I made a bunch of delicious sauce.  After a couple glasses of red wine I looked at all my jars of tomatoe sauce and got brave!  I decided to not overthink it and just attempt lasagna!  Lasagna is one of those things that I have been a bit overwhelemed by since I've had to go dairy free too.  But the wine and I figured why the hell not?!  What's the worst that could happen?


I honestly couldn't tell you what was really in my tomato sauce... garlic, garden fresh tomatoes, garden fresh basil and oregano, onion... who really knows.... it's not important..

I could use any old tomato sauce.  Hell I could even get lazy and use a jar (gasp)!

What I didn't know how to handle was the cheese... that's what was important...



Cashew Ricotta Cheese

1 1/2 C Raw Cashews
1/2 C Water
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Garlic Clove
dash of Onion Powder
1 T Nutritional Yeast
sea salt & pepper- to taste

Soak the cashews for at least two hours in a covered bowl of warm water, covering the cashews with the water.  Drain the water and place the cashews in a blender (hello vitamix!) with the remaining ingredients.  Blend until nice and creamy- you will probably have to keep scraping down the sides.  Taste and adjust the flavor.



Click the picture for the original recipe from The Simple Veganista

This looks just like ricotta cheese.  Tasting it you could tell it really wasn't, but it was close.  I figured once it's mixed in with the yummy tomato sauce, meat and noodles you wouldn't even notice the difference.


After this was figured out the lasagna came together easily....

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 red onion
4 garlic cloves
2 C chopped spinach leaves- just because I like to sneak greens in wherever I can!
1 jar of homemade tomatoe sauce- I'll pay attention next time I make it and share a recipe!
fresh herbs- whatever you like
1 batch of cashew ricotta
1 package of gf lasagna noodles- I used tinkyada

I just browned the meat with the onion and garlic.  When it was done I added the spinach in to cook it down.  Then I added the tomato sauce and let it simmer while I made the noodles.  Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.  Layer the noodles, meat sauce, and ricotta in a 9 by 13 dish however you like.  I baked it at like 350 for 40 minutes covered with foil.  Then uncovered it and baked it another 5-10 minutes.  I threw some nutritional yeast and more fresh herbs on the top to garnish it.

This was the happiest lasagna has ever made me.... there may have even been tears! :)

My Favorite Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce

I had been on the hunt for a dairy free alfredo sauce that tasted like real alfredo sauce.  I found it here...Thank you Silk!

This honestly tastes like real alfredo sauce... and that's not just my opion... my gluten eating friends agree!



Dairy Free Fettucini Alfredo

16 oz fettuccine noodles- whatever gluten free brand you like!

3 T olive oil or margarine

3 T flour- I use brown rice flour

4 T dry white wine or vegetable stock

2 C Silk Unsweetened almond milk

1 t onion powder

2 t garlic powder

1 t salt

1 t white pepper- don't skip it.. it's important!

1/4 t nutmeg

1 T nutritional yeast

Fresh herbs for garnish

Prepare fettuccine according to package directions.  While pasta is boiling, heat olive oil or margarine in a medium saucepan. Add flour and wine/stock and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the milk and everything else (except the herbs).  Bring to a simmer and stir continuously until thickened- about three minutes.  Remove from heat.  Toss with the pasta and garnish with fresh herbs.

There are so many possibilities with this recipe. Add veges, shrimp, chicken... whatever your little heart desires!  Or just keep it simple and serve it just as it is with nothing but a glass (or whole bottle.. I won't judge) of good wine! 

I use it in A LOT of different recipes.... I'll share more soon!