Time flies when you're having fun.....

Aaaaggghhhhh, when you think it's only  been a month or three since you blogged, only to find out it's been 2 years!?! Where have I been you ask?? Living life, traveling, working, all while being gluten free of course! I promise, I'm back for good with recipes to share! I hope you're ready to jump back in, because I am! See y'all soon!

Who needs turkey when you've got pie!

 Thanksgiving is upon us, well us Americans anyway, and as always my task is to bring a yummy dessert I will enjoy. Let's face it, if I don't bring dessert I won't be eating any...WAAAAA!! No worries for this girl, because I stumbled upon this amazing looking, gluten filled German Chocolate Pie. I know, I know, but it contains gluten and dairy.....not for long my friends, not for long! Betty crocker has an amazing recipe for German Chocolate Pie, so I used that and started subbing for the gluten and dairy. Seems like a lot of work, no not really. A little Earth Balance here, a little almond coconut milk there, allergy free chocolate chips and viola! Here is the link for the original recipe  http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/german-chocolate-pie/6de13dec-20bf-4f7f-bee0-97bed36d8916 and I will break it down below! The measurements are the same, it really is all about swapping ingredients, sooo easy! To top it off I whipped up some coconut whipped cream.( pun intended) 

 So now that I have your attention let's back up for a minute, I said gluten and dairy free. Yes, this is the newest lifestyle change I've taken on. After recent issues with pain, nausea, etc my gastroenterologist said enough with the dairy. "Are you freakin' kidding me, man!?" Yes those were my exact words to him. He ofcourse brings up the fact that this has been coming for a while, I reluctantly couldn't deny his facts. I had been slowly weaning off of dairy, first no milk, then no cheese, soon I was down to 1 yogurt a day. Ice cream was a treat of the past, how could I love ice cream when it was followed by such gastric distress? I couldn't, he was right, as much as I hated to admit it I had to cut the dairy out of my life. I'll be honest, I've struggled with this new way of eating. I hated it, why did I have to give this up too? Hadn't I given up enough? I felt like dairy and I were going through a bad breakup with no chance of reconciliation. If you noticed that I haven't posted in a while, this is the exact reason, I've been conflicted. Finally, I've come to a realization that life goes on, I understood the day my mother looked at me and said " Really?? You've worked so hard at being gluten free and succeeded, are you really not even going to try and conquer dairy free??" She was right, how could I have been so stubborn about this, honestly I owed it to myself to figure it out and move forward. With that said, I'm back, and ready to share some great recipes! Tonight was pie, tomorrow am is a wild rice stuffing. Wild and crazy stuff going on around here for Thanksgiving, nothing traditional this year! I hope you're being adventurous with your food as well! Most of all, enjoy the wonderful family you get to use as guinea pigs for all your gluten/dairy free goodies! :) 

Gluten free/dairy free German Chocolate pie 

Ingredients: 

1 Pillsbury gf pie crust ( my favorite but use your own favorite!) 

6oz Enjoy Life chocolate chips ( these are allergy free and delicious!) 

1/4c Earth Balance butter alternative (I like the soy free) 

1.5c Coconut almond milk 

1.5c sugar 

2tbs cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1/2tsp vanilla (be sure it's pure so it's gf!) 

1/4tsp almond extract (gf)

1c coconut flakes

1c pecans, chopped 

Directions:

Roll out pie crust as instructed in container, and place in 9-10" pie plate. Crimp the edges and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°, over medium heat melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir frequently until smooth and remove from heat. Slowly stir in milk. In a large bowl, mix together cornstarch and sugar, set aside. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extracts. Slowly add chocolate mix to eggs, whisking the entire time. Add the chocolate/egg mixture to cornstarch mix and whisk to combine. Pour filling into pie crust. In small bowl, combine coconut flakes and pecans. Evenly spread this mix over top of pie filling. Bake 45-50 min and allow to cool completely, at least 4 hours. 

**recipe notes pie will be soft at end if cooking time but will firm as it cools. 

Coconut whipped cream 

Ingredients:

2 cans coconut milk (full fat) 

2tsp vanilla

2tsp agave nectar

Directions:

Place cans of coconut milk in fridge over night, this allows the fat to seperate from the coconut water. Open cans and spoon out coconut fat, discard or save water for future smoothies! Add vanilla, agave to the coconut fat and blend until soft peaks form. Enjoy! 

I hope these recipes find their way to your table so you can enjoy them as well, Happy Thanksgiving! <3 Case

Note* all ingredients are my preference, I'm not affiliated with any of the brands. 

* the originally recipe coconut whipped cream 

 http://www.frugalfreebiesanddeals.com/coconut-whipped-cream/

Well played, guts, well played......

   I know I haven't posted here in a good month or two, I promise I have a good reason, dairy. What does that mean you say? I have always had issues with dairy, even as a child. The older I got, the less I ate of it, no milk, a daily yogurt and some cheese. A few months ago, I began developing hives after meals, so I reverted to the beginning Celiac days, and started a food journal. Low and behold I see a connection with dairy, so I start to cut back. This worked for a while, until I began developing abdomen/pelvic pain. After much testing, it was determined I was indeed reacting to the dairy in my system. Total bummer!! I spent the next few days trying to decide why I was so upset, did I love yogurt and cheese that much? YES....apparently so. I struggled, revolted, tested the waters, and still had not come to terms with needing to be dairy free. My gastro had suggested this back when this began, I didn't want to see it, denial De Nile a long river of lies to oneself, and I was drowning in it. Thankfully, my mother who is my biggest cheerleader said " Really, REALLY?? You've gone gluten free, been an inspiration to others, learned to cook anything you could want gluten free and you're going to just give in to dairy!?" That really brought me around, no I was not going to give in! So let the baking begin. 

  I started small but a simple homemade pizza with dairy free cheese got me into it. I then tried baking, gf/df cinnamon sugared pumpkin donut holes.....amazing. At that moment I realized, I can do this, I'll be fine! Luckily my local grocer was able to get me organic soy yogurt, I learned some new smoothie recipes with almond milk, and found a great butter alternative; a few simple changes and I was back in business. I now have pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in the oven at the moment, and can't wait to try them! If all goes well I'll get some recipes up ASAP! Can't wait to get back into this, I've been lost but now I'm found! 

<3 Case

Peace, love & gluten free 

Hmm is it Fall out there, or is it just me.....

 I'm avoiding the "it's fall" posts with soups and comfort food, but I can't deny the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. It's no longer 90° but 70° during nice days and 50° at night, it's been raining more often, and the trees are beginning to change color. No, there's no denying Fall is almost here, but I'm not willing to give up Summer yet! 

 So in honor of Fall crisp apples, how about a dip to go with them?  Mmm, yup I'll take that! I make this for baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, you name it; I take this dip everywhere because its so easy and delicious! It's a crowd pleaser for sure, and not just for taste but because its gluten free, and dairy free! Amongst my friends, that's a must have lol! There are so many apple dip recipes on Pinterest, but I stick to the basics. There's no need for all the added flavorings, especially if you're feeding gluten free/dairy free groups, keep it simple! 

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Apple Dip

Ingredients:

1 8oz container gluten free/dairy free cream cheese, softened

1/2 c brown sugar

1tsp gf vanilla  

4 apples or whatever fruit you like

Optional Heath bits (not dairy free, sorry!) 

Preparation: 

Mix first 3 ingredients together, add more brown sugar to taste. If using Heath bits, add them in now and sprinkle a few on top. Slice apples and serve! 

Now wasn't that easy? 

<3 Case

Ps. Below you'll find my summer motto, I must get in one last kayak before Summer is over! Then it's on to snowshoeing, but I can wait a bit for snow..... ;) 

Lemon Blueberry Chia Jam

   I love a fresh peanut butter and jelly/jam sandwich! There's nothing like fresh, homemade bread, with a slather of peanut butter and some homemade jam to top it off....I'm officially hungry lol :)

(You caught me, glass of milk which I rarely drink, half PB&J and half PB&F... Fluff should be illegal, just sayin' .....and a fly for added protein, awesome! )
 I was experimenting with a recipe I found on Pinterest, like anyone believes that (lol ) , and decided to change one up a bit. I found these recipes http://pinterest.com/pin/29625310021914028/ and started to think of what combos I would enjoy, the combinations could be endless, but I decided on a trial batch of Lemon Blueberry. I recently made that combination in a coffee cake and loved it, more on that in a later post lol I've got some recipe tweaking to do before that one's ready!
   This recipe is not only gluten free, but it is beyond healthy! All natural ingredients, depending on your vanilla and lemon extract, you could opt to leave those out and keep this a clean eating recipe. One thing I think we do need to talk about for a second, is the Chia seed. I know what you're thinking, why would I eat seeds I just spread all over my Chia pet!? No no no, same idea, different strain, so no you're not eating your Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia pet lol This seed is quite remarkable, they're very tiny but when in liquid they expand causing the substance to gel naturally. Many people eat Chia seeds in smoothies, yogurt, mixed in juices, mixed with water the Chia seed makes a great egg replacement in dairy free recipes,  but today we're using them to thicken our jam. Who needs that heavily processed gelatin when there's an all natural alternative that tastes delicious!
  So, I made a small batch, I only used a cup of berries to start and this gave me 1 4-6oz container, just enough to see what I thought. Note to self: if you're making this for PB&J's, the jam needs to set for at least an hour, so don't jump in at last minute thinking you're going to have jam  or you'll have a soggy PB&J, yuck!

Lemon Blueberry Chia Jam

Ingredients:

1 cup Blueberries              1tbs Chia Seeds
1tbs Honey.                        Zest 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp lemon extract.        1tsp vanilla
1tbs warm water or lemon juice

Directions:

In a small blender, add all ingredients and blend until well combined. Pour contents into container of your choice, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This will last for a few days in the refrigerator, I haven't attempted freezing this,  but I'm sure I will soon. Enjoy! (Seriously this is too easy!?)

<3 Case
**Note: Always be sure to use gluten free items when choosing ingredients.

Blueberry season in Northern Maine.....

   The summer fruit season has begun here in Northern Maine, strawberries, raspberries, and my favorite blueberries! There's no better berry than the one you've picked yourself, straight from the bush! There is a thriving farm in an adjacent town that has a great blueberry harvest every year. Mom and I usually go a few times throughout the season, to make sure we have collected enough berries to get us through the winter. (There's never enough for me, I always run out!? ): ) This year, I went gathering with my friend, Jamie and her little lovebug Grace, who is almost 2. We had thought we would get a box or two and Grace would become bored, not the case! Grace was having such a good time that we each got close to 6 lbs of berries, that'll fill the freezer! Haha 

   Now I don't know about you, but I love to add berries to almost anything! There's nothing like the old stand by of blueberries in milk with a sprinkle of sugar, blueberries in yogurt and granola, blueberry jam on homemade toast; which by the way I have a recipe coming soon for Blueberry Chia Jam. I also, love to bake with them, from cobblers to crisp, coffee cakes to my new favorite Creamy Blueberry Pie with Streusel Topping.  I KNOW, I couldn't believe how delicious that sounded either, until I read the recipe and realized it wasn't gluten free..$&$?!?.....pssh, I can fix that! Yup, so you know what I did, put on the thinking cap and started converting. The original recipe I found on Pinterest ( what did we do before Pinterest!?) The recipe can be found on http://pinterest.com/pin/357332551654921404/ I not only converted this but added a little here and there as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, I got the "mmmmmmm oh my word that's delicious" seal of approval from my guinea pigs, aka the parents. Jamie is my next guinea pig tomorrow, it's nice to have brave (when it comes to food) friends! Hopefully this turns out as well for you as it did me, good luck!! :)

Creamy Blueberry Pie with Streusel Topping

INGREDIENTS:
1gf pie crust.          3c blueberries 
1c white sugar.      1/3c gf flour
1/4c xanthum gum. 1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten                 1/2c sour cream
1tsp vanilla optional 
TOPPING:
1/2c brown sugar.   1/4c gf flour
1/4 gf oats.          1/4 c cold butter, cut in cubes 
ASSEMBLY:
Roll pie crust as directed on Pillsbury container, press into pie pan and crimp edges. Wash and dry 3c blueberries, add to pie crust. Preheat oven to 350°. 

In large bowl, combine 1c white sugar, 1/3c flour, 1/4tsp xanthum gum, stir. Beat 2 eggs and add to dry ingredients, next add sour cream. Whisk to custard consistency, do not over whisk. Add vanilla if wanted. Pour custard over berries, spread evenly.

 
TOPPING: 
In medium bowl, combine 1/2c brown sugar, 1/4c gf flour, 1/4c gf oats, stir. Cut in pieces of cold butter, 1/4c all together. Mix until coarse chunks are made and butter is combined in with dry ingredients to make crumble. Sprinkle crumble over custard/berries. 

Place pie on baking sheet, cover crust with tin foil, remove foil after 25 min. Bake 50-55 min at 350°. Cool on wire rack. Serve with vanilla ice cream or cool whip. 

Ps. I used Pillsbury GF Pie Crust ( no affiliation just my preference) it rolls nicely, just be sure to follow the instructions on container.  

Creamy Blueberry Pie with Streusel Topping 

<3 Case 
Adapted from allrecipes.com via Pinterest. 


Sent from my iPhone

Life's A Beach!

Happy Sunday Funday! A fabulous walk on the beach was pre cursed by an awesome meal at Federal Jacks in Kennebunkport, Maine! Who knew?! A fabulous meal and an awesome view all in one stop! We enjoyed lobstah rolls and cole slaw, yeah you heard me, lobstah ROLLS.....gluten free lobstah roll for me of course! This place has a dedicated gf kitchen, gf beer, and oh so amazing lobstah, what else would I get on the coast??? It's been 3 years since I've had a lobstah roll, so you can imagine my surprise when the waiter told me about them, my eyes, ears, and belly were in agreement-get that!!!! .....words can not describe the deliciousness that was all over my plate and is now in my belly, be sure to check this place out!!! Here's the link, check it out for yourselves! http://www.federaljacks.com/PDF/glutenfree.pdf  I know I'll be back and soon!! :)