Gluten Free

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don't miss dairy

Emily Stokes
I'm a lady who loves cheese, sour cream, & ice cream, but I recently became lactose intolerant. My key focus in recreating dairy recipes is taste, but I try to be as health conscious as possible. Some of my recipes are low lactose rather than dairy free. I'm also a writer, teacher, nanny, dog mom, housewife, native Yinzer, current Californian, and social organizer extraordinaire.

Gluten Free

Cinnamon Rice Pudding

Desserts, Veggies & Sides, , , , ,

This week I’ve been lying low, slowly recovering from gum grafting surgery. I have very thin gum tissue around four front teeth on my lower gum line, and it has been gradually receding over the years to expose the roots of some of my teeth. So I decided to take care of it before it got worse. Last Friday I had a minor surgery done where a rectangle of skin on the roof of my mouth was taken and sewed over the exposed roots and thin area of my lower gum line. Sounds gross but it’s very cool!

It was a quick and easy surgery but came with a 10 day recovery time that limited my ability to eat (I’m so hungry!).  Being restricted to a soft food diet, I needed to come up with some creative ways to eat substantial food without chewing. I had the added challenge of my lactose intolerance so ice cream, smoothies, milkshakes, etc. all had to be dairy free.

Here is a delicious rice pudding recipe I made for a breakfast option. Besides being easy to eat it has the added bonuses of being dairy free, gluten free, and low fat/low sugar! I used Very Vanilla soymilk, but any dairy free milk could be substituted. If it’s not vanilla then I recommend adding an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe.

The sweetness can also be varied to taste. I used exactly 1 tablespoon of SPLENDA packet sweetener, which is sweeter than the granulated SPLENDA. The estimated equivalent in SPLENDA granulated form or white sugar is a 1/2 cup. But I haven’t tried this measurement yet so I can’t be sure of the equivalent sweetness. I would start with a 1/4 of a cup and add more if needed. You can also substitute with Agave syrup or Stevia sweetener. I would start with a 1/2 cup for these as they are not as sweet as white sugar or SPLENDA.

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup white rice
3 cups Silk Very Vanilla soymilk
1/4-1/2 cup SPLENDA granulated sweetener
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium size saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and salt, stir. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed–about 10 minutes.

2. Add Very Vanilla Soymilk, SPLENDA, and cinnamon. Cook uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the soymilk is absorbed–about 15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm. Easy for someone recovering from surgery!

Herby Quinoa

Veggies & Sides, , , ,

Did you know that quinoa is a seed? It comes from a type of plant called a goosefoot, or Chenopodium, a species of annual herbaceous flowering plants. It looks like this as a plant:

I made the following quinoa recipe to go with our Turkey Meatballs last night. It’s not my recipe, but I tweaked it a bit to fit my likes and needs. I feel that quinoa by itself is too bland, but I love it mixed with other flavors. This a flavorful side dish to compliment meatballs or steak.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon Smart Balance Buttery Spread Light
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 14.5 oz. can (or 2 cups) vegetable broth
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/4 teaspoon lime juice (optional)

Directions:
1. Melt 1 tablespoon of Smart Balance Buttery Spread in a saucepan over medium heat. Add quinoa and toast, stirring often, for about five minutes. This is what uncooked quinoa looks like:

2. Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Start to caramelize onions (see step 3). Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until quinoa has sprouted and liquid is absorbed. It should look like this when it is done:

3. While your quinoa is cooking, in a separate pan, melt 1 teaspoon of Smart Balance Buttery Spread over medium low heat. Add onions and cook for about 5 -10 minutes.

4. In your saucepan of cooked quinoa, toss in caramelized onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and lime juice and mix thoroughly. It’s so delicious!

Three Potato Barbecue Chips

Snacks & Dips, , , , ,
Three potato bbq chips.

Try these out for a perfect game day snack! This is the tastiest BBQ seasoning I’ve ever had, and the different types of potatoes make it uniquely yours. Make sure to slice them very thin, and use the leftover seasoning on your barbecue chicken dinner!

Ingredients:

10-15 small purple, red, and gold potatoes, very thinly sliced*
1/2 cup canola oil

Seasoning:

2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch of red pepper

*Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups of potato chips.

Directions:

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water about halfway full. Rinse potatoes under warm water, and then slice them very thin. Place slices in a small colander and let soak in ice water as you are slicing.

2. Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. You should use just enough oil to cover the potatoes–anymore is just too much.

3. Take about 20 slices of potatoes out of the ice water and pat dry on paper towels, then add them to the hot oil. Cook for about three minutes on each side or until browned and crispy. Remove chips from oil with a slotted utensil and place on plate of paper towels to absorb excess oil.

4. While chips are still drying, sprinkle seasoning on one side, then flip layer of chips over and sprinkle on the other side. After a few minutes they are ready to go into a serving bowl.

5. Start your second batch and continue frying until finished. Seal in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to keep fresh–if you have any leftovers!