Pretty tempting, right? I gotta ‘fess up right here, it’s not my recipe. It’s Kevin’s. He loves to cook and he’s oh so good at it! So on the days I work, he has dinner on the table for us when I get home. Yay!
Recently we’ve made some changes in our eating habits: Less carbs, a little more meat and a lot more vegetables.
Kevin (a total fan of all things potato) has stepped up to the plate beautifully. He’s eliminated the potatoes and is sometimes serving 2 different veggies for dinner along with our meat entree.
This is his most recent creation, served alongside meatballs. I don’t know if this is exactly the way some might envision eating more vegetables, but it works for both of us. It was fabulous and we were still eating asparagus!
Deliciousness at its’ finest!
Pretty simple recipe:
Preheat oven to 400.
Line baking sheet with foil.
Wrap bacon around asparagus and place on baking sheet. Give it a little dusting of that cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 15 minutes. You’re going to have to just keep an eye on it from there, checking if the asparagus is done and how you like your bacon. Kevin said once the asparagus is done, he turns up the oven to 425 degrees to crisp up the bacon a little. (That’s for my benefit.😊)
Serve right out of the oven.
We’ve since made this again, this time with a dusting of brown sugar and chili powder. Yummers!
Five or six years ago my sister Bethany gave me a Keurig. I decided to spoil myself and keep it at work. It would be my reward for going into the office, splurging on a daily K-cup of coffee for putting in my time. (It’s the simple things.)
Choosing which coffee K-cups to buy was easy. Finding a dairy free coffee creamer, not so much. Kroger and Walmart in St. Johns offer a very limited pallet of choices. I’ve tried some bad and then some really bad dairy free coffee creamers. I’ve dumped many a bottle of coffee creamer (not to mention money) down the drain. I don’t know who’s making this stuff, but they need to up their game.
I’d finally settled on Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Almond Creamer Plant Based Vanilla, something I can usually find at St. John’s Kroger. It’s not fabulous, but it’s good.
But recently. my friend’s daughter, Rae, mentioned she drinks Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Oat Creamer Plant Based Brown Sugar. She said it was a game changer.
Ding! Ding! We have a winner. This is really good coffee creamer! And the sugar content is a mere four grams, that’s actually one less gram than the vanilla creamer I’ve been using. (As you know I’m a label reader. I don’t even know if four grams is that good, but it’s lower than five! I’m calling it a win.)
I’m a pretty happy girl right now! Now if I can just get someone in the St. Johns/Fowler area to carry the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Plant Based Oat Brown Sugar Coffee Creamer it would save me from having to make a trip into Lansing for it.
Woke up this morning feeling ambitious and hungry. Today is a good day for Monte Cristo breakfast sandwiches!
What you need:
Gluten free bread (Schar)
Sliced ham
Non-dairy cheese (Violife)
Just Egg (liquid in carton)
Hellman’s Vegan Mayo
Mustard
Optional: powdered sugar, strawberries, strawberry jam and CoCo Whip
Set out two slices of bread. Put mayo on one slice and mustard on the other. Next put cheese on the mustard side and several ham slices on the mayo side. Put your sandwich together.
Pour the Just Egg liquid in a bowl that’s large enough for you to be able to dip your sandwich (both sides) in it. Hold tight to your sandwich as you dip it in the Just Egg mixture.
Place your sandwich in a skillet on the stove – same temp. as you’d use for French toast or grilled cheese. (While cooking, I covered the pan so any of the egg mixture that may have gotten inside the sandwich would cook while toasting the bread.) Flip bread when first side is toasted and toast the other side. (I used a tongs to flip, holding everything together.) Remove the sandwich when done cooking and place on a plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with fresh strawberries and a dollop of Coco Whip whipped cream. (Kevin also added a little strawberry jam to his.)
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Links for the products I used are below my disclaimer.
I’ve had a couple requests for this recipe as Thanksgiving approaches.
This recipe was SO easy – zero problems. And the best part is: It looks like a regular pumpkin pie. It holds its’ shape like a regular pumpkin pie. It tastes like a regular pumpkin pie!
The recipe I’ve typed below has a couple of tweaks from the original recipe. I definitely can’t claim this as my own, it came from the Minimalist Baker, but I will be baking it again and again. (You’ll find the link for the original recipe, from the Minimalist Baker, at the end of this post, below my disclaimer.)
My recipe is right below my list of tweaks.
My tweaks:
I didn’t make the gluten free pie crust. Gluten free pie crust and I don’t get along. Wholly Gluten Free Pie Shells make me happy.
I used a food processor, not a blender.
I used potato starch, not corn starch.
I used table salt, not sea salt.
My thoughts:
While I didn’t make milk or oil substitutions, I’m thinking you could probably substitute your favorite, non-dairy milk in place of the almond milk. Same goes for the oil – I suspect you could use vegetable oil. But, I can’t say for sure.
Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
CRUST
I used a Wholly Gluten Free 9” Pie Shell (Take shell out of freezer 3 hours before adding filling.) Gluten free pie crust recipe can be found beneath my disclaimer at the end of this post.
FILLING
2 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 ½ Tbsp potato starch
1 ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mixture of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves)
¼ tsp salt
Add all pie filling ingredients to food processor, blend until smooth. Scrape sides as needed. Pour filling into unbaked crust.
Bake for 58-63 minutes. The crust should be light brown and the filling just a bit jiggly with some cracks on top. Remove from oven and let cool completely before loosely covering. Place in refrigerator to fully set for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
That’s it. It’s that easy.
There it is! I gotta say, I’ve never had a vegan, gluten free pumpkin pie look so good.I’ve never had a vegan, gluten free pumpkin pie hold it’s shape like this!Look at that – it’s firm…and oh, so good!I mean, seriously, have you ever??? I’m in awe.
Shout out to Mitch Klein for sending me this recipe. Thank you!!
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!
Every time we get into New York City, Bradley has a couple new gluten free/vegan places for us to check out and, once again, he did not disappoint.
We flew in late Wednesday night and had thin crust gluten free/vegan pizza delivered to his place. (We were famished and forgot to take pics. Trust me, it was good.)
The next morning we headed for the Lower East Side of Manhattan. First stop: Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC, where everything is gluten free and vegan. It’s a cute little shop with a lineup of people inside. If you can’t make up your mind, step aside, everyone else seems to know exactly what they want. But don’t dawdle or they may sell out of something you were eyeing. Everything smelled and looked amazing. So many choices!
Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming. It just felt so wonderful being able to walk into a bakery, and know I had options. Good options. Tasty options. More than one or two options. I’m not saying I have to have fabulous baked goods available to me every day, but more than once or twice a year would be nice. This was nice.
Check out the pics!
There were just TOO MANY options! Cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, Tiramisu, brownie bites and cinnamon cake. We ate well for a couple days. (The box was so heavy.) The anticipation is half the fun. Yum! Next, the brownie bite. Oh yeah, I’ll be back!
Thanks for stopping!
Enjoy!
Brenda
Link for Erin McKenna Bakery below the disclaimer.
Not sure what’s going on at my Kroger in St. Johns, but they can’t seem to keep gluten free tortillas on their shelves. This is the third time I’ve found bare shelves. Frustrating.
This is my 2nd visit. I didn’t take a pic the 1st time, hadn’t hoped I’d be finding a pattern. 3rd visit.
I looked closely and saw 2 packages of a new gluten free Mission brand tortilla – cauliflower. Everybody’s making pizza crust with it, so I guess they may as well make tortillas too. Which means I will be trying cauliflower tortillas. I left the other for another brave soul to try. I’ll let you know what I think.
Last week’s Facebook post: My hubby stopped at my office this morning and dropped off an early wedding anniversary gift – treats from OhMi Organics! He definitely knows the way to my heart. Dream Bar and a salted chocolate caramel truffle.
Check out OhMi Organics for a sweet treat. www.ohmiorganics.com
Stopped at Whole Foods today and discovered a new vegan AND gluten free ice cream treat you can hold in your hand! (This is a cool concept for someone who loved ice cream bars and the whole notion of just picking it up with your hand. The things I miss…lol) It’s called My/Mo Cashew Cream Frozen Dessert. It’s ice cream wrapped in a “sweet pillowy dough”. They’re called “Mochi”. Apparently these are not something new. Bradley said in New York you can go to a store and build your own variety pack of Mochi. (I really need to get out more.) So, we tried them tonight. Bradley really liked them. Kevin said one was enough – for forever. And, while the ice cream was soooo good, I just couldn’t quite get past the texture of the “sweet pillowy dough”. I don’t know if I’ll get these again, but I’m glad I gave them a try.
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer: These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!
So I did the farmer’s market in town tonight and I wanted to say thank you to everyone that stopped out tonight! What a great crowd, again. And thank you to those of you that stopped to see me and ask some questions, talk a little about food allergies and make a purchase.
I’m not sure when I’ll be setting up a booth at the Village Farmer’s Market again, but I will let everyone know. (Also thanks to my kids for making me do the market. lol Abby for the sign, and Kevin and my sister Wanda for helping package everything individually. We pulled this all together in 4 days, so it was a bit of a whirlwind.)
Thumbprint cookies and mini loaves of banana bread. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Bites!I loved the look of these cupcake boxes.
Okay, so I’m posting this on New Years Eve, mid-evening. I apologize if you’re reading it tonight, because my big intro is kind of set up for those that will be reading this in the morning.
So, are you still in bed reading this? In a bit of a haze? Maybe a little too much New Year’s Eve last night? Need a little of the “hair of the dog that bit you”?
I can’t help you there, but I can point you in the right
direction for a good gluten free beer.
Awhile back, Bradley sent me a link to the “Ultimate Gluten
Free Beer List” (link below). Armed with
this list, I started my quest: Find 8-10 gluten free beers I could use to
conduct a taste test.
First stop: Theis BP in Fowler, just a couple miles from
home. I found “Anheuser Busch Redbridge
Sorghum Beer”. (Ok, to be perfectly
transparent, Redbridge is my go-to beer.
I’ve been buying it here for years.)
Next, I headed 9 miles east to the Cork & Bottle in St.
Johns. They had two listed beers, “Glutenberg
India Pale Ale” & “Glutenberg Red Ale”.
Last stop, about 25 miles from home, was Horrocks in Lansing
where I found “Greens Quest gluten free Tripel Ale” & “Greens Endeavour gluten
free dubble ale”.
Five beers were going to have to be enough. Now all I had to do was find four willing
subjects. If you’ve ever tried gluten
free beer, you know that this wasn’t going to be easy. They have some really bad ones out there and
I was going to be asking people to go into this blind. I called around looking for guinea pigs
“taste testers”. I needed an impartial
group: beer drinkers, wine devotees, gals that like the hard stuff… anyone with
a pulse that would indulge me in an evening that would most likely be filled
with drinking some really bad gluten free beer; and if we were lucky, one or
two good ones.
I found four victims individuals willing to help me in my search for a really good gluten free beer. A beer that anyone would find appealing. A beer they would be willing to drink without me coaxing them into it with “Really, it’s not that bad.” and “Well, yes, I guess you could say it is an acquired taste.” or “Putting it on ice, wow, that makes a huge difference!” You get the idea. These women were good sports and even better friends!
My Unbiased Panel
Me (before my wheat allergy), I enjoyed domestic beer, red beer and the occasional honey ale.
Janet, who enjoys an ice cold domestic beer as much as me.
Darlene, a fan of flavored beers; think fruity – citrus, cherry, blueberry. She likes to mix
it up a little.
Julie, my wine devotee, who also isn’t afraid to throw back
the occasional beer.
Sally, who didn’t hesitate when I invited her over for an
evening of gluten free beer taste testing.
She marched through my front door that night and announced, “Brenda, I
don’t even LIKE beer!”
Ah yes, diversity at its’ finest.
The Test
The beer was packed on ice, setting in a cooler on the
dining room floor. Everyone was given
five plastic cups (In hindsight, I think I should have used glass, not
plastic. I always prefer my beer either
out of a glass bottle or in a glass.), a pen and paper. I’d thought about blindfolding them also, but
then I remembered that one night when a group of us sat drinking beer
blindfolded and… I digress.
One by one, we cracked open each beer. Everyone got a ¼ cup of beer. (Trust me, with
some of these beers, that was more than enough.) They were encouraged to look at the color of
the beer, take in it’s aroma, reflect on its’ taste. After finishing each beer, they were given
Glutino Gluten Free Pretzels to clean their pallet before pressing on to the
next. We burned through those five beers
in no time. These women were machines, real troopers – all in the name of
finding me a really good gluten free beer.
The Results
#5 – The Loser: “Glutenberg
India Pale Ale”: I really can’t say much
more than what one of our panelists wrote on her piece of paper, aptly describing
this beer – “Smells and tastes like dirty socks.”
#4 – “Glutenberg Red Ale”:
Again, I’ll let one of the ladies speak for me, “It’s better than that
nasty India Pale Ale.” High praises
indeed.
#3 – “Anheuser Busch Redbridge Sorghum Beer”: No one really had an opinion on this beer,
which pretty much sums it up. Not
horrible, not great, just okay.
#2 – “Greens Quest gluten free Tripel Ale”: Note from a panelist – “Crisp, bubbly, kind
of like it’s carbonated.” Carbonated
booze does seem to be in vogue these days.
#1 – The Winner: “Greens Endeavour gluten free dubbel ale”: Notes from the ladies – “This is by far the best!” and “These top three beers could make me a beer drinker!” (Hhhmm, I wonder who wrote that?)
I think the girls had just as much fun setting up this “photo shoot” as they did drinking the beer. Maybe the two go hand in hand? Nah.
Well, that’s it; our little, unbiased, taste test. I would have liked to had a few more beers to try, but I kind of draw a line at driving more than 30 minutes in search of beer, I have standards. We had a great time and lots of laughs. I appreciated the girls coming over and trying the new beers with me. Thank you ladies!
It’s been requested that I do this with gluten free liquor. That just may be in the future.
That’s me, confirming our results. That’s the #1 beer.
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or
be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each
individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your
safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid
your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta
cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!
