Tag Archives: Dairy Free

Bolognese Sauce

If you are looking for a delicious meaty bolognese sauce, then this one is sure to hit the spot! I cannot call it classic, because it doesn’t contain dairy, and I have taken some liberties beyond the Academia Italiana della Cucina‘s official definition. But I have to say, it tastes pretty darn authentic tasting!

Bolognese

You start with a Soffrito Base also known as the Holy Trinity…Carrots, Onions (Green Onions in this Case) and Celery, finely chopped.

Saffritto for Pork Ragu Bolognese

Pork Ragu Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Bunch of Scallions, Green Parts Only Sliced

4 Carrots, Peeled and Finely Diced

4 Stalks of Celery, Finely Diced

2 Tablespoons of Garlic Olive Oil

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Himalayan Pink Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Black Pepper

2 Pounds Ground Chicken

1 Pound of Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage Links, diced (I used gluten free)

1 Cup of Dry Red Wine

1 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk, no additives

1 28 oz. Jar Organic Strained Tomatoes

2 Cups Chicken Stock (homemade if you have it)

Directions: Finely Dice your Scallions, Celery and Carrots. Add two tablespoons of Garlic Infused Olive Oil to a large stock pan over medium high heat. I love this brand and used the 5 quart braiser for this recipe, if you are looking for a good versatile pot. Add your scallions, celery and carrots and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt and 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper. Sautee for five minutes until starting to brown and they are tender, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to high and add the two pounds of ground chicken and diced sausage sprinkled with another 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt and 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, and continue to cook, breaking up the meat until the meat is starting to caramelize. Don’t skip the caramelization! It adds flavor! It will take about ten minutes.

Soffritto Ready to Sautee

When meat has caramelized and you have a nice brown coating on the bottom of your pan, you deglaze! Pour the red wine into the pan, bring to a boil for one minute scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the brown bits and flavor. Add your stock, tomato puree and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Then, turn heat to a low simmer and cover the pot 3/4 with the lid and simmer for four hours until very thick and reduced. If it starts sticking before the four hours add more stock just a half cup at a time. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Bolognese Sauce

Serve over noodles of your choice. I used zucchini noodles in the photo below, I have also served it with spaghetti squash noodles.

Bolognese with Zoodles

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Cranberry Apricot Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This chicken is moist and juicy! I don’t know about you, but I pretty much like stuffed anything, because it usually means extra flavor and deliciousness. I developed this recipe recently because boneless chicken breasts can be juicy and flavorful when done right, and anything but boring! I hope you try these, they are nutritious and so festive!

Cranberry Apricot Stuffed Chicken Breasts

You can prep these up to a day in advance and store them in the refrigerator for a super fast dinner. I served them with a tarragon cream sauce, but they are great without it. The sauce bumps it up to extra fancy.

Cranberry Apricot Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Filling:

6 Dried Apricots, unsulphured organic is best

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries, sweetened with juice

1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds

2 Tablespoons Sunflower Seed Butter or Almond Butter, no sugar added

2 Scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced

1 Teaspoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Coating:

1 Egg

3/4 Cup Almond Flour, fine

Himalayan Pink Salt

Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:

Soak the dried apricots 30 minutes in very hot water to soften. Set aside and while they are soaking gather the rest of your ingredients. In a small blender or food processor, puree the apricots after draining off the soaking water. Add Sunflower Seed Butter, Salt, Pepper and Lemon Juice and fully incorporate. Stir in by hand the cranberries, sliced almonds and scallions.

Slice your boneless chicken breasts in the center to make a pocket for stuffing, but don’t slice all the way through. Like this:

Cranberry Apricot Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Once they are stuffed, you are ready to coat them. It is simple. Crack the egg into a shallow dish, put the almond flour in another shallow dish, and dip the chicken into the egg on both sides, then roll in the almond flour. Repeat for all four breasts. Then season them with salt and pepper as you would like. You can at this point cover then and refrigerate until you are ready to cook them.

Pre-heat your oven 375º degrees. Heat an oven proof pan over medium high heat on your stove top and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and brown on both sides. This will take approximately 3 minutes a side. After browning, they will not be completely cooked. Slide your oven proof pan with the chicken into the pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked all the way through, 365º degrees in the center.

Cranberry Almond Stuffed Chicken Breasts Ready for the Oven

Serve with Tarragon Sauce found here. (optional)

Eat Your Nutrients!

Tarragon Cream Sauce

Here is a quick and easy cream sauce that pairs nicely with chicken or vegetables.

It is dairy free! It is shown here with my Cranberry Apricot Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Tarragon Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk, no additives

1 Teaspoon Yellow Mustard

1 Teaspoon Horseradish, no sugar added

1 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon

1/2 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Simmer all the ingredients until reduced by half! That’s it, and it is a delicious, dairy free, accompaniment to chicken or vegetables.

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Real Pumpkin Spice Creamer Cups

Real Pumpkin Spice Beverage Flavor Drop-Ins

Real Pumpkin Spice Creamer Drop-In Cups

One of the best Fall traditions is pumpkins! There has been a lot in the media lately about some of the pumpkin spice beverages out there and the less than healthy ingredients they contain, even though the are deliciously addictive. I have a figure friendly, healthy, real food solution to a pumpkin spice beverage craving that will leave you feeling great with no sugar crashes or slumps.

These individual Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamers are only 65 calories, contain all natural ingredients, including real pumpkin, and are frozen individually for convenience and freshness. The recipe makes twelve. They have a true, delicious pumpkin spice flavor, are dairy free, and sweetened with just 1/2 teaspoon of honey per serving. If you like yours sweeter, you can add more. You also get 15% of your RDA of vitamin A from the real pumpkin each beverage contains along with beneficial spices. You can use these all-in-one flavor drop-ins creamers for coffee, lattes, tea or steamers.

Real Pumpkin Spice Matcha Latte

Real Pumpkin Spice Individual Portion Creamer

Recipe Ingredients:

Real Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer Cups

1 1/2 Cups Canned Pumpkin (this one is organic and SCD Diet legal)

1 1/2 Cups of Full Fat Coconut Milk, room temperature (this is my favorite and SCD Diet Legal)

3 Tablespoons of Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons Clear Honey, warmed in the microwave more or less to taste (you can substitute Maple Syrup)

1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

Line a muffin pan with good quality natural unbleached muffin papers. They have a non-stick coating on the inside for easy removal. Add your pumpkin to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk the warmed honey into the pumpkin. I like mine just slightly sweetened. You can add more or less honey depending on your taste. Whisk in the room temperature coconut milk and vanilla extract. Finally, whisk in all your spices. Using a level Muffin size scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop 1/4 cup of the pumpkin beverage drop-ins mixture into each muffin cup. Level by tapping the bottom of the pan on the counter top to flatten and place the pan in the freezer until they are frozen solid. After they are frozen, remove them from the muffin pan and store in a gallon zip bag in the freezer. When you need a pumpkin spice beverage, take one serving from the freezer and add it to your coffee, latte, tea or steamer. It is good to have the beverage slightly hotter than normal because the pumpkin spice drop-in is frozen. I like to put everything in a shaker and shake it up then pour it into a mug, but you could also use a whisk in your mug. This is the shaker I use (It is Awesome to get a frothy beverage!)

I hope you are enjoying Fall and pumpkin season!!! I look forward to having one of these every day!

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Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Crackers

Sometimes I just gotta have something crunchy! Crackers are especially nice, because I like something to go with the crunch, if I am not eating them plain for a quick crunch fix. You can dress up a cracker with toppings. I personally like to pile them with meat and veggies or eat them with a salad. Some of the benefits of pumpkin seeds are healthy fat, magnesium, zinc, tryptophan, and studies also show they aid in hair growth. Sunflower seeds contain many beneficial vitamins as well, including B vitamins and vitamin E.

This recipe for crackers is free of all major allergens, no nuts, dairy, soy, gluten, grain, and they are easy and fast.

Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Crackers

You will need a high speed blender or food processor to grind the nuts into flour, two parchment lined cooking sheets, and a rolling pin if you want them thin.

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds (I bought sprouted ones, but optional)

3/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds (optional sprouted)

1 Pastured Egg or 1 Flax Egg, See Here for good directions on How to Make One

2 Tablespoons Tahini

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted or Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions: Pulse the seeds in a blender or food processor until you have a very fine flour consistency. Transfer the ground seeds to a bowl. and add the salt. Next Whisk egg and incorporate it into the nut flour mixture. Melt the coconut oil and tahini in the microwave together for ten seconds then whisk to incorporate, whisk in the lemon juice to the coconut oil mixture. Add the liquid ingredients to the nut flour, egg mixture and stir vigorously until a ball forms and the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Divide dough in half, form into balls and place on two separate pieces of parchment paper. Top each sheet with another piece of parchment paper to roll them thin and keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Roll or pat each cracker round out until 1/4 inch thick. Take off the top parchment paper and bake in the oven 325º degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown. After they cool, break into pieces. Store cooled in an airtight container.

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Lavender Sugar Cookies

There are so many ways to use lavender in cooking. Here I have used it in a “sugar” cookie. It is sweetened with SCD Legal honey and uses almond flour. I have rolled and cut them out. You could also make the recipe by scooping the cookies if you are short on time. They will be softer that way instead of crunchy as a rolled cut out cookie.

Lavender Sugar Cookie

Preheat Oven 350°. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Organic Palm Shortening, Melted

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Teaspoon Dried Culinary Grade Lavender Buds, minced or placed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle

1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

1 1/2 Teaspoons SCD Legal Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients and add to the bowl of dry ingredients stirring with a fork until a ball forms. Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to about 1/4″ thickness. Refrigerate on a cookie sheet for fifteen minutes, then cut out using a cookie cutter and place on your parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until starting to brown around the edges.

Makes approximately 12 cookies depending on the size of your cutter.

Lavender Sugar Cookies

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Fresh Basil Pesto

The local basil is gorgeous right now, and making pesto with it is like sunshine in a jar! I put it on everything….meat, veggies, paleo crackers. If you are eating Low FodMap, you can make amazing pesto with garlic infused olive oil. Basil has antibacterial properties, flavonoids, is high in Vitamin K and Magnesium.

Low FodMap Dairy Free Basil Pesto

Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Fresh Basil, packed tight to measure

2 Tablespoons Raw Walnuts

2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts

6 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano (optional)

Low FodMap Dairy Free Basil Pesto

Place all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until desired consistency. Spoon liberally onto everything! It is amazing, savory, deliciousness and so good for you!

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Brazilian Black Cherry Ice Cream

The local fruit is gorgeous this summer, and black cherries just started ripening this week! Roadside stands are popping up everywhere with local washed cherries. The temperatures are on the cooler side, so they were a few weeks behind, but it was worth the wait! In this Black Cherry Ice Cream recipe, I included toasted brazil nuts. Their flavor is enhanced with toasting, and they add a nice crunch, plus the added benefit of selenium. Cherries are one of the few known food sources of melatonin, which can help you get a good nights sleep and are anti-inflammatory. If you are just beginning a Low FodMap diet, cherries are at the higher end of the FodMap spectrum, but still allowed, so stick to one serving of ice cream. This recipe comes together fast with only six ingredients.

Brazilian Black Cherry Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 Cups Black Cherries, pitted and chopped

1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk (no additives if SCD Diet – Aroy-D is superior to Natural Value in flavor and consistency)

1/2 Cup Clear Honey

1/2 Cup Raw Brazil Nuts

2 Tablespoon Coconut Oil, Melted

1 Tablespoon SCD Legal Pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven 350°. Coarsely chop the brazil nuts and toast in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes until starting to brown. Set aside to cool.

With a blender, puree the Coconut Milk, Honey, Melted Coconut Oil, Vanilla Extract and 1 Cup of the Black Cherries. Stir in the remaining Black Cherries and refrigerate for 4 hours. Churn in ice cream maker and stir in the Brazil Nuts during the last five minutes.

Makes 8 Servings.

Cherry Stand

Local Cherry Sign

Brazilian Black Cherry Ice Cream

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Lavender Ice Cream with Candied Pecans

The Lavender is at it’s peak in Northern Michigan, and I took a trip to Lavender Hill Farms to stroll through the lavender fields and purchase some culinary lavender called Violet Intrigue. Culinary lavender is different than others. Lavender identified as “angustifolia’ is used in cooking and will not taste bitter. You can purchase it at some health food stores or directly from a grower.

Lavender Ice Cream with Honeyed Pecans

In this ice cream I infused full fat coconut milk with lavender buds for a delicate flavor paired with toasted, honeyed pecans.

Look at the beautiful lavender fields! There was a delicate scent of lavender in the air and the bees were working the flowers. The little gift shop sells lavender honey from their hives as well as homemade soaps and beauty products made from their other varieties of lavender.

Lavender Buds

Lavender Fields

Lavender Ice Cream with Candied Pecans

Preheat your oven 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 Cans (28 oz.) Full Fat Coconut Milk (Aroy-D is the best!)

1/4 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon of Clear Honey

1/2 Cup Raw Pecans

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon Dried Lavender Buds

1 Tablespoon SCD Legal Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

Toast the pecans in a 350 degree oven for five minutes, then remove, place in a small bowl with 1 Tablespoon of Honey and 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon and toss to coat. Place back on a parchment lined cookie sheet and continue to toast tossing every five minutes until dried and candied. Set aside to cool. Then coarsely chop them.

Meanwhile, place 1/2 cup coconut milk in a small sauce pan with 1 Tablespoon Lavender Buds and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat just before it boils and let the buds infuse for 30 minutes, then strain and discard the buds. Stir in the remaining Coconut Milk, Vanilla, 1/4 Cup Honey, 2 Tablespoons melted Coconut Oil and a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt. Chill for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Churn in an ice cream maker, stirring in the chopped, candied pecans the last five minutes. Serve this delicate, fancy, refreshing treat!

Lavender Ice Cream with Honeyed Pecans

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Banana Almond Swirl Cookies

Here is a moist drop cookie, that I am so excited to share! It is egg free, sugar free and dairy free. They are soft and cake-like. I am an ex-cake addict. They are tasty and moist!

Banana Almond Swirl Cookies

There are two batters that you swirl together and then scoop and drop.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

Batter One:

1 Ripe Banana with Black Spots (this makes them sweet with no sugar and SCD Legal)

1 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (softened but not melted. (If it is a warm day it will be soft of a few seconds in the microwave)

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (just vanilla and alcohol)

1/4 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Gluten Free Baking Soda

Puree the banana, then in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, mix in the remaining ingredients. Set aside.

Batter Two:

1 Ripe Banana with Black Spots (this makes them sweet with no sugar and SCD Legal)

1 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (softened but not melted. (If it is a warm day it will be soft of a few seconds in the microwave)

1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/2 Teaspoon Pure Almond Extract (No additives, SCD Legal)

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Puree the banana. With a hand mixer in a medium bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.

Add the Cinnamon Batter to the top of the almond batter and swirl with a knife until you get a nice marbled effect. Scoop onto two parchment lined baking sheets with a cookie scoop. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. If you have any left after the first day, store them in the refrigerator.