Sugar Free and Unrefined Sugar Cranberry Sauce

Oh how I love cranberry sauce; especially around the holidays!  But since I kicked refined sugars out the door I had to come up with a sugar free or unrefined sugar way to cook it.     The first time I cooked it completely sugar free was with xylitol, a natural occurring sugar alcohol which has a low glycemic index because it is slowly digested.  Xylitol does not promote tooth decay and is...

Banana Nut Pancakes With Thick Sugar Free Blueberry Topping – Gluten Free and Vegan With Nut Free Option

I don’t know about you, but I seem to get overrun with overripe bananas.  My freezer door is full of them.  So I created this Banana Nut Pancake With Thick Sugar Free Blueberry Topping.  (This recipe can easily be made without the nuts).  They are so good, I only ever had one (or none) pancake leftover to take a picture of.    These are easy to make, and are gluten free, milk free, egg...

Chocolate and Peppermint Rice Crispy Treats

Every year at this time, peppermint marshmallows start gracing the grocery store shelves.  Last year, after the Christmas holiday, they went on clearance and my husband thought we needed some.  Jumbo ones! Although we did eat some by themselves while playing games with friends on New Year’s Eve, they really are not that great to just chow down.  So I came up with this recipe to use up the...

Fabulous Roasted Pearl Onions

If you have not tried pearl onions you are missing out.  These little delectable onions are fabulous!  They are SWEET!  Seriously, even the biggest onion hater would like these.   Roasted pearl onions would make a great side dish for Christmas dinner or even an appetizer.  Well, any meal any time of the year for that matter!  Let’s not limit this to holidays!  (I even ate some for a...

Life With Food Allergies – Part 2

Realizing that your food allergies is a blessing was discussed in part one.  However, even though we are feeling better, we still have to deal with something; something unpleasant, something that can actually be very trying for a person with food allergies and sensitivities.  And that is the uninformed people.  The annoying ones who think they have all the answers, think you are fanatical, or...

Fun Finds Friday – Hot Chocolate Surprise – Dairy Free and Sugar Free

Are you a Black Friday shopper?  I am not.  Large, crazy crowds and I are not friends.  I do love a good hot chocolate though!  Being dairy free means making your own hot chocolate, not ripping open a package and adding hot water.  I’ve learned to be okay with that.  I found an interesting twist on hot chocolate for today’s Fun Finds Friday.   It has a secret ingredient.  I did not...

Life With Food Allergies – Part 1

Living with food allergies can be a hassle.  It can be daunting and time consuming.  It can be scary.  Living with food allergies is expensive. HOWEVER, living with food allergies can also be a blessing. First, why is life with food allergies all that and more?  Well, life with food allergies can be a hassle because we always have to “think” about our food.  We cannot just jump in the...

Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs

We love this simple entrée.  Chicken thighs spiced just so and roasted to perfection; it is pure comfort food.    I find that using fresh, never frozen chicken thighs works best simply because they roast so much faster.  Even after defrosting 24 hours, it always seems to take longer to reach internal temp of 180 F. when I use previously frozen thighs. These chicken thighs are never dry,...

Rice Milk Powder

Have you ever seen recipes that call for soy milk powder?  I have seen a lot of those recipes.  While we do not have allergies to soy, we like to avoid it most of the time (it mimics estrogen way too much).  For whatever reason, I have never seen it stated anywhere that one could use rice milk powder.  I did not even know there was such a thing until I was dairy free for over a year.  So...

Fun Finds Friday – GlutenFree And Vegan Bread

I have not made gluten free bread until a few months ago.  And I still do not very often.  But I did find this one loaf that is really good.  Welcome to Fun Finds Friday! Do you see the steam coming off the 'fresh from the oven' bread? Can't you just smell it? Like I said earlier, this is a good loaf of bread, but it is also a lot of work to put together. The recipe has a lot of ingredients...