Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Coconut Ice Cream Recipe Review

Coconut Ice Cream Recipe Review

WARNING: Deliciousness ahead!

I recently tried this recipe for dairy-free, gluten-free coconut ice cream from Sandi's Allergy Free Recipes, and--WOW--am I glad I did. It was easy-to-make, required few ingredients, and tasted oh-so-good. If you have the double-whammy of a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, it is definitely worth checking out.

Click here to view the full recipe at Sandi's Allergy Free Recipes

The ingredients:

• canned coconut milk
• honey (or desired sweetener)
• vanilla extract
• egg yolks
• sea salt

And a few notes:

1. The recipe directs you to refrigerate the canned coconut milk overnight before using it. Make sure the cans are unopened when you do this, or the milk won't set up correctly (FYI: This is also true if you are looking to make the "coconut whipped cream" that is all over Pinterest). Personally, I used one unopened chilled can and one open chilled can, and it turned out just fine.
2. I used regular old sugar rather than honey. I am too cheap (and lazy?) for any fancy sweeteners, and I don't mind refined sugar.
3. I completely forgot to add vanilla extract and sea salt. Oops. It still tasted great.
4. The recipe calls calls for egg yolks, and I immediately wondered why you couldn't just use whole eggs. I did a quick Google search, and the short answers are a) It's tradition b) Egg whites taste "eggy" c) Egg whites contain water, which may lead to ice crystals in your ice cream.

Enjoy!

I know my pint-sized sous chef and I certainly did!

Gluten-Free Spicy Vegetable Soup

Gluten-Free Spicy Vegetable Soup

tasty, hearty, & easy-to-make

This is probably one of my all-time favorite recipes--gluten-free or not. My mom shared it with me roughly ten years ago, and my family never gets sick of it. The list of ingredients is fairly short, but the finished product is filled with a variety of vegetables, just the right amount of spice, and a decent helping of protein. While the process is quite simple, the results are amazing! And the best part of all--it provides a well-balanced dinner while dirtying just one pot. If you ever have to bring a dish to a church potluck, this is a winner.

First, the ingredients: 

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef or turkey
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 diced red or green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large jar (approx. 30 oz.) Chunky Garden Style spaghetti sauce*
• 1 large can (approx. 10 oz.) diced tomatoes, partially drained
• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes**

*I use Prego Fresh Muschroom or Tomatoes & Garlic. Both are labeled gluten-free.

**You can substitute chili powder, but you will need to increase the amount.

Don't forget--Add at end to taste:

• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (optional--helps cut acidity)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Now, the instructions:

Cook the ground beef or turkey in a large pot, stirring until browned and broken up. Drain fat if needed. 

Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook until limp. FYI: The celery usually takes the longest.

Add spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, and crushed red pepper. 

Cover and cook at least 10-15 minutes or until the frozen vegetables are thawed and thoroughly cooked. 

Add sugar, salt, and pepper if needed.

Bon appetit!

P.S.

This soup pairs wonderfully with my Simple Gluten-Free Cornbread. 
Click below for the recipe.

Simple Gluten-Free Cornbread

Simple Gluten-Free Cornbread

No specialty flours or ingredients required!

Yields nine 3x3 inch squares

(Source: The Allergic Gourmet by June Roth (c) 1983)

What? Two gluten-free recipes in one month? That's right--you've hit The Everyday Celiac jackpot! Honestly, though, I have been wanting to share this recipe for a while, and making a batch of my family's favorite cornbread made for some excellent mother-son bonding time. Pint-sized sous-chef is my son's favorite job, after all. The bread is a little crumbly, but it tastes delicious. Trust me!

I mean, seriously, if you think gluten-free baking isn't worth it, stare at this photo for a few minutes.You'll change your mind.

Is there anything that beats homemade bread, still warm from the oven and smeared with delicious butter (or non-dairy margarine) and jam? Yum!

Enjoy! 

Click here for printer-friendly version.

(Right-click in new window & select print.)

A few final tips...

• If you prefer warm bread like me, nuke room-temperature cornbread for about 10 seconds before scarfing it down eating it
• It's shelf life can be a little short, so you may want to consider refrigerating it.

Other uses & serving options...

• Use as a base for gluten-free stuffing come Thanksgiving
• Save & freeze crumbs for use in recipes calling for gluten-free breadcrumbs
• Make a double-batch & freeze individual portions for later use

Update 6.20.13: 

I used this recipe to make cornbread muffins this morning, and it worked perfectly! Reduce the cooking time to about 18 minutes, grease your muffin tin well, and fill up each cup about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with uncooked batter. Yields 1 dozen standard-size muffins.

Update 7.12.14: 

If you are concerned about texture, try using a combination of 1 1/2 cups cornmeal and 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend like those produced by Bob's Red Mill, Bisquick or Namaste Foods. While the recipe works fine with just cornmeal, the combination makes for a lighter, fluffier cornbread.

Toastabags?

If you read any of the cross-contamination articles on my previous post, Keeping Your Kitchen Safe, you are probably as curious as I am about Toastabags. Essentially, they are a reusable, Teflon bag you slide your bread into before you put it in the toaster. The bread toasts as normal, but without coming in contact with all of those gluten-containing crumbs!

source

Here is a testimonial from the folks at Glutenfreeda

Here is a link to the US supplier's website (the bags are manufactured in the UK)

If you are brave enough to try it out--let me know how it goes. They aren't very expensive, so I may give them a whirl myself.

Keeping Your Kitchen Safe

Keeping Your Kitchen Safe

some easy tips to avoid cross-contamination at home

If your significant other is anything like my husband, he (or she) makes many sacrifices to help you stay gluten-free without losing all interest in eating. And if you are anything like me, the last thing you want to do is ask him (or her) to make one more sacrifice and make your kitchen entirely gluten-free. The good news? You may not have to. Implementing a few simple ideas may be enough to keep your kitchen safe and everyone in your house happy.

PROBLEM: Keeping gluten-free and traditional pasta separate Look at the picture below. Can you tell which pasta is gluten-free and which is made from traditional wheat flour? Neither can I.

Two are gluten-free, but which two?

SOLUTIONS: 1) Buy gluten-free pasta in unique shapes or colors For a unique shape, try penne (shown above), shells or fusili. For a stand-out color, look for spinach- or squash-flavored pastas, which will be naturally tinted green or orange. A new shape or unusual color may not impact taste, but it will give you confidence the next time you serve spaghetti. 2) Use an easy labeling system To help tell our pasta jars apart, I simply tied a colored ribbon to the ones containing gluten-free pasta. Simple, elegant, and easy.

An orange ribbon indicates "gluten-free,"
while clear glass containers keep me organized 

PROBLEM: Gluten sticks to my colander when I drain gluten-containing pasta

SOLUTIONS: 1) Always drain the gluten-free pasta first & scrub thoroughly I drain my gluten-free pasta and plate it up, and then I drain the gluten-containing stuff for my husband and son. When it is time to clean up, I submerge the colander in a pot or sinkful of hot water, and then scrub and rinse repeatedly. 2) Buy a gluten-free-only colander and make sure the rest of the family knows it's off-limits While you are at it, you may also want to consider buying a dedicated toaster and try to stick to non-porous utensils, like plastic. 

PROBLEM: Gluten-containing crumbs in my otherwise gluten-free margarine or jam

Which one would you dip your knife into?

SOLUTION: Buy one brand (or flavor) of margarine and jam for yourself and one for your gluten-eating loved ones When it comes to cross-contamination, it is always best to play it safe. While the above problem could also be solved by teaching every member of the household how to butter their toast without smearing whole-wheat crumbs into the container, it is a lot easier to say, "This is mine. Don't touch it." 

This seems to work best when the "hands-on" product is something the rest of the family loves (e.g. I eat peach and apricot jam, while my husband and sun revel in strawberry). As an added perk, I get to experiment with different flavors, and my husband never has a reason to complain.

Who says you have to share?

Hungry for More?

Check out these links to gluten-free cross-contamination articles

Keeping a Safe Gluten-Free Kitchen (Suzy Schurr, Celiac Central)
Cross-Contamination (Canadian Celiac Association)
Cross Contamination (Coeliac UK)
Ask the Celiac Expert: Q & A (Shelley Case, RD, Gluten Free Diet)

Have a great cross-contamination prevention tip? Leave a comment and pass it on!

Concerned about cross-contamination and looking for advice? Leave a comment and let me know how I can help. I'm here for you!