Foods I’ve tried-Foods I Use – Page 2 – Vegan with a Side of Beef

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Frozen Pot Pie

I take my lunch to work everyday. I’m not a sandwich kind of gal. Never have been. I like a warm lunch. I’m pretty sure my dislike of sandwiches could be a direct result of my not having to take a lunch to elementary school. Growing up, our house was on the same street as St. Mary Elementary, one block down. Every school day, I (along with my siblings) ran home to eat lunch with Mama. (Lunch was an hour long, giving us plenty of time to eat and the remainder of our lunch hour could be spent back at school on the playground or if it was really cold, we stayed home and watched the Young and The Restless. (How funny is that?!?) It was great.

Junior high, high school, and college, I choked down many a cold sandwich. I started to work and I reverted back to warm lunches. To this day, my lunches at work rarely consist of a sandwich. I’m a leftovers fan. (Thank God for microwaves.) When I don’t have leftovers, I hope I have something convenient and ready to go in the freezer. That doesn’t happen often. As many of you know, it’s a bit of a pain finding quick frozen food that meets all of your allergy criteria, so when I do find something, I’m pretty pumped. With that being said, let me introduce, the ‘Blake’s Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie”. (Link at bottom of this post.)

My chicken pot pie lunch: I made it in the microwave. Follow the instructions on the box. (Go with the minimum time suggested for microwaving, you can always add another minute.) They recommend, putting something under it. I used a paper plate.

I opened the microwave. It smelled great. The crust browned up, a little. It had bubbled over a bit, so I’m glad they recommended placing something under it. There was just one unusual thing, the center of the pie. It looked like it had 5 rows of 1/4 inch dots in a grid. After taking it out of the microwave, I attempted to punch a hole in it’s center, to release some heat. I was unable to punch a hole in it with my plastic fork. (Okay, maybe a ‘real’ fork could have. Remember, I’m at work and I use plastic silverware.) Anyway, after I busted through the crust, off to the side, and let it cool; I dug in. It had great flavor! I liked the crust, nice texture. I just wish it would have been stuffed with a little more chicken, veggies and gravy, I wasn’t ready for my lunch to be over.

The dots are kind of crazy, right? (And you can see it bubbled over a bit, but nothing terrible.)

I will pick up a couple more of these and keep them in the freezer, for those days I need something to pack for lunch or one of those nights Kevin and I want something quick for supper.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

https://www.blakesallnatural.com/all-natural-meals/gluten-free-chicken-pot-pie

Good Eats in Traverse City

I’ve heard the fall colors up in the northern part of lower Michigan are at their peak. That means many of you may be heading north for a fall color tour. If you’re heading in the Traverse City direction, I’ve got a couple of food suggestions for you.

The ‘Red Mesa Grill’, offering Latin American Food & Fun. (With locations in both Traverse City and Boyne City.) We went to their Traverse City location on US 31, ½ mile from the state park.

I ordered their ‘Tacos – Create your own combo’. I got 3 tacos with the corn tortilla, no cheese: I chose 3 different tacos, the Shredded Ancho Chicken, the Spiced Ground Beef and the Shredded Beef. The combo comes with Panama red rice and refried smoked pintos. The manager came out and said they wouldn’t be able to serve me the rice because it contains butter (nice catch Mr. Manager), but that they would instead give me a double batch of the refried smoked pintos. Win!

I don’t have a picture of my food. Sorry about that. It really was a very nice presentation and oh, so delicious. I literally inhaled all 3 tacos and devoured the pintos, then looked at Kevin and said, “I should’ve taken a picture.” So, you’re just going to have to take my word for it that the food is great.

We stopped at each of the next two places on two separate occasions. Once last year and again this year.

‘Milk & Honey Café & Ice Creamery’, offering both dairy ice cream and vegan ice cream options. Seven vegan options to be exact, in a nice variety of flavors. If you’re ordering vegan ice cream because you are allergic to dairy, please tell your server. Your server can then get your ice cream from the back to avoid cross contamination with the dairy ice cream.

Round 1: Chunky Monkey – Vegan chocolate ice cream with banana, Oreos and roasted salted pecans. They didn’t have the gluten free Oreos, so I just had the bananas and salted pecans. I can’t even tell you how enjoyable it was, for Kevin and I to be able to walk into an ice cream shop, both place an order for ice cream and each eat our dish of ice cream together. (Over the years, I’ve watched Kevin eat lots of ice cream as I drank a lemonade or Coke.) My review: Yummy, even without the Oreos.

Round 2: Vegan Rocky Road – Vegan chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and roasted almonds. My review: Yum! And again, so fun to go out and eat ice cream with Kevin.

“Third Coast Bakery’, a gluten free, dairy free, soy free and vegan bakery. How wild is that? Baked goods are so tasty and both times we were there, the place was hopping. Bonus: They also sell many of their baked goods in the freezer section of grocery stores up north.

Round 1: I was a little hesitant to order, still seemed a little too good to be true, also, I was kind of full. (This is where I should mention we’d already picked up some Third Coast Bakery items at the grocery store near the campground we were at. A two pack of chocolate cupcakes, a gingersnap cookie and a lemon/lavender cookie.) I don’t even eat baked goods once a week and now I’d been grazing on them several times a day. That being said, in the name of research, we forged ahead and ordered a chocolate donut and a chocolate chip cookie. My reviews:

Chocolate Cupcakes: They were divine.

Gingersnap cookie: Good – if you like ginger. I like ginger, Kevin not so much.

Lemon/lavender cookie: I’ve discovered while I enjoy the scent of lavender, I don’t like eating it. (Kevin, Brent and Jamie echoed my sentiments.) Cookie had good texture. The lemon flavor came through nicely, but I just couldn’t get past the lavender taste.

Chocolate Donut: I like chocolate, and the flavor was good, but it just wasn’t a doughnut; which is what I’ve been craving for 10 plus years. (But we still definitely ate it.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie: Nice hearty cookie, great taste. Something I enjoyed sinking my teeth into!

Round 2: Feeling emboldened by our previous experience, I ordered an almond milk vanilla latte, Kevin a latte with caramel and we both went with a beautiful, thick slice of lemon blueberry cake. (A slice as thick as any self-respecting grandma would serve to her grandchild. Now that’s a slice of cake!) My reviews:

Almond Milk Vanilla Latte: Very good, I enjoy a good, hot latte.

Lemon/blueberry cake: Oh my, it was SOOOO good. It had just the right balance of lemon and blueberry and the lemony icy on top was just what was needed to top off perfection. Coupled with my latte, eaten at our campsite, well, it just doesn’t get much better than that.

What’d I tell ya? That’s a slice of cake!

Ok, I’ve regaled you with tales of eating, lots of eating and nothing about where to find this year’s best fall colors. I’ll let you figure out the color tour, I’ve covered the food for you.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Home

Red Mesa Grill link

https://www.milkandhoneytc.com/

https://thirdcoastbakery.com/

Aunt Elsie’s Banana Cake (Wheat Free and Vegan) with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

I could’ve sworn I’d told you about this cake, and yet I don’t find any mention of it. So, I hope this isn’t a rerun for you.

Aunt Elsie’s Banana Cake has been a family favorite at our house for well over twenty years. I made it all the time, so, when I had to start baking wheat/gluten free, I knew this was the first cake I would try. It baked beautifully.

A few years later, I had to tweak the recipe again, this time using almond milk to replace the dairy milk and applesauce instead of eggs. The cake took each of these changes in stride, I can’t seem to go wrong with it. It still is my go-to cake when I want to bake something that I know will actually turn out. Back in the day, when the kids all lived at home, I baked it in a 9×13 pan. Now that it’s just Kevin and I, I bake it in 2 – 8×8 pans. We eat one, freeze the other. (Cake recipe below.)

Last time I baked this cake, instead of making up my usual frosting, I opted for the vegan “Miss Jones Baking Co. Cream Cheese Flavored Frosting” which Bradley and I found at Whole Foods.

I opened the container. It looked and smelled like cream cheese frosting. Stirred it up – kinda dry. The texture actually reminded me of spackling. (Check out pic below.)

Definitely needed to be warmed up just a bit in the microwave.
Then it spread on the cake smooth as butter.

It said on the container that I might want to microwave it for 5-10 seconds. I did 9 seconds, then another 6. That softened it up and it frosted the cake nicely. The flavor works great with the banana cake. While it doesn’t taste, exactly, like cream cheese frosting, I’d say it’s close; especially when you consider there is no cream cheese, milk or butter in it! All in all, it is good, very good, and very sweet. Tastes a lot like something you’d get at a bakery. I will definitely buy this again… for my banana cake and I think I want to try it in a pumpkin roll.

Aunt Elsie’s Banana Cake (wheat free and vegan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 ½ c. sugar

½ c. shortening

½ c. applesauce

1 c. mashed bananas (about 3)

½ c. sour milk (Add ½ tsp. vinegar to your milk alternative, let it set for awhile before using.)

2 c. flour alternative*

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum (Unless if your flour alternative is a pre-made mixture already containing xanthan gum.)

Cream sugar and shortening. Then add applesauce and bananas. Stir. Add milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, soda and xanthan gum. Stir to mix. Pour batter in greased pan(s) & bake at 350 degrees.

Bake for 35-45 minutes in 2- 8×8 pans or 1- 9×13 pan, 25 minutes in layers or 50-55 minutes in loaf pan. Check if done with either a knife or toothpick, which should come out clean.

Cool before frosting.

Top with walnuts, if desired.

*(I used the flour mixture I blogged about in my 2^nd post “In the Beginning: Our First Encounter with Food Allergies”. If you’re interested, the recipe for the mixture can be found at:

In the beginning: Our first encounter with food allergies.

Miss Jones Baking Company Cream Cheese Flavored Frosting link:

https://missjones.co/

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!

Tourists in a City Near Us

Bradley’s home from out of state. Recently, I asked him how long it had been since he’d been to the downtown shopping district in St. Johns. He said, probably a couple of years. Time to be tourists in a city near us!

The weather was mild that day, mid 30’s with no wind. We parked the car near the old railroad tracks and set off on foot. We didn’t have to walk far to get to our first stop, the Waypoint Coffee Company. (Hot coffee while walking outdoors in January, was going to be just what we needed.) I got a Vanilla Bean Latte with almond milk and Bradley, the Cardamom Latte.

We walked along the side streets and found “Cupcakes and Kisses”. Inside, it smelled glorious. We asked the salesperson if they carried any foods specific to our food allergies. (It’s always worth a try, you never know just when someone may surprise you.) While we weren’t able to find anything either of us could eat, the place was definitely full of everything Kevin could. We picked him up a treat and headed on our way.

Along Clinton Avenue we window shopped and browsed in some of the open stores. We ran into a couple of “around the section” neighbors who had also stopped downtown for coffee. (Their coffee shop of choice was the Global Coffee Company, located on Clinton Ave., which apparently carries some awesome lemon poppy seed muffins.) At the Clinton County Arts Council Art Gallery, I found some pretty handmade greeting cards and a perfect stocking stuffer for Kevin.

Finally, we arrived at “Oh Mi Organics”. I’d been talking this place up to Bradley for years and I was glad I could finally get him there. Megen and Brent Hurst, owners of Oh Mi, both greeted us as we came in; letting us know they were available to answer questions or to just talk about their products. Walking around their shop, I let Bradley take it all in. (After years of dealing with and eating for your food allergies, it really is hard to wrap your head around being in a shop, particularly a confectionary shop, where you can eat everything they carry.) More than once, he’d point and ask, “I can eat this too?” It was fun to watch him. We also spent a fair amount of time talking with both Megen and Brent, learning not just more about their products, but about the other small businesses that have started to come to the downtown shopping district, the “Eat Healthy, Eat Local Foundation” (founded in 2018) and the plans they have for the shopping district over the coming years. Our visit was finished off with buying a flavored hummus, 2 No Bake Dream Bars (If you haven’t tried them, you have no idea what you’re missing.) and a 6 pack of gourmet chocolates; Neopolitan (a favorite ice cream flavor for both of us), Samoa Cookie (like the Girl Scout cookie), Mint (Yum!), Rose, Baklava and Bavarian Cream. You really can’t go wrong with any of their gourmet chocolates. Before we left, Brent asked Bradley to try their iced coffee; asking how it compared to some of the iced coffees he’s had living in both Chicago and New York City. Bradley said it definitely rivaled those he’d had in both cities.

Bradley and I after out visit to Oh Mi Organics. (Look at those happy faces!)

Our Oh Mi Organics purchases. Obviously, we didn’t wait to start eating them before we got home to take a pic.

We’d now spent several hours on our tour and we were hungry. At the time of our “tour”, dine-in still wasn’t an option; so we had to do take-out. We placed an order with the St. Johns Brewing Company. Our food choices, Prime Rib Burnt Ends and the Classic Burger did not disappoint. In fact, they smelled so good, we didn’t wait to eat until we got home; we ate in the car.

This pic doesn’t do our food justice, but we we’re starving at this point and ate in the car.

The afternoon was great. Time spent outdoors, visits to local small businesses and good food.

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

https://www.waypointcoffee.com/

WELCOME TO THE CCAC

https://www.ohmiorganics.com/

https://www.eathealthyeatlocal.com/

https://www.stjohnsbrew.com/

Flora Plant Butter (This was on my Facebook)

I’ve discovered the St. John’s Kroger has started carrying a fair amount of new allergy friendly foods. I’ve been picking some of them up and I’ll be posting pics and a short review of them over the next few weeks.

This plant butter caught my eye, not just because it’s another dairy free “butter” option, but it’s been years since I’ve been able to use my butter dish! (The butter dish is hand painted Polish pottery that Kevin and I picked up on a trip to Germany in 2006. So it was very cool to get to take it out of the cupboard again.) The butter spreads nicely and tastes pretty good. I’ve even enjoyed it on a slice of my Schaar multigrain bread (which hasn’t always been the case when it come to butter substitutes).

Megan, with Oh Mi Organics, commented on my FB post that she loves this “butter” and that they do their baking with it. If you’ve tried any of their baked goods, then you know this is high praise for “Flora Plant Butter”!

https://www.flora.com/en-us/floraplant/our-products/salted-plant-butter

https://www.ohmiorganics.com/

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

My “My/Mo” Mochi Experience (Now that’s a mouthful, literally and figuratively!)

For those of you that follow me on my Facebook page, I apologize. This post was on my FB page last week, but I like to put some of my FB posts here too. (But, perhaps you find my writing entertaining enough to want to read again, so this is not a problem for you??? lol)

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 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.
Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping.
Brenda

Home

This is the link for mymochi.com. I don’t know why it just says home. I right clicked and opened it in a new tab.

Disclaimer:

Gluten Free Oreos

On Friday I got the big news: Gluten Free Oreos are coming to a store near you! A store… near ME!!! The next day, we were shopping in Kroger and as I rounded a corner, I saw it. I’d hit the mother lode! Nabisco had delivered on their promise – their Gluten Free Oreos were here… in MY Kroger! Oh happy day! I grabbed a package, tossed it in the cart and pointed it out to Bradley. He responded by grabbing a package of the Double Stuf Gluten Free Oreos, telling me we needed to try both – all in the name of research.

We cracked open one of the packages in the car on the drive home. Wow! and Wow! Seriously. For anyone that’s tried store bought gluten free cookies, you’ll understand this. I mean these Gluten Free Oreos are good. Great flavor with a satisfying crunch as you bite into it. They are not crumbling in our hands as we motor down M-21. There’s no gritty texture and don’t leave an odd aftertaste behind. These are REALLY good! They taste like regular Oreos. (Here’s an added note: I did not enjoy the Gluten Free Double Stuf Oreos. For me personally, I’ve never been a Double Stuf Oreo fan – just not necessary. Bradley and Kevin, on the other hand, enjoyed them immensely.)

At home we found 2 more willing test subjects, in Abby and Kevin. And while we didn’t have any original Oreos on hand for them to use for comparison; I can assure you that they have both eaten enough Oreos over the years that making a comparison was no problem for them. They both gave the Gluten Free Oreos a big “Thumbs Up”. So, at our house, Gluten Free Oreos are a clear winner.

How cool is this? It says Gluten Free on both sides. This is such a good idea. What a comfort to anyone at a party or event, to be able to look at the cookie and know, it truly is the gluten free product they’d been told was available.

I hope you’re able to enjoy the new Gluten Free Oreos, but I do want to mention this. I googled Nabisco’s list of ingredients in Oreo cookies (Gluten Free or not) and it shows no dairy. They have even been touted, by some, as being a vegan product. But when I did a little digging, I discovered multiple articles mentioning that there can be some cross-contamination with milk during production. (This is not mentioned on the package.) So, keep that in mind as you consider trying the Gluten Free Oreos and your food allergies, sensitivities and/or food choices. Below, I have two of the links I read discussing the vegan or not position. They’re both informative and a quick read.

And, if you would like to read about a more in-depth taste test, I’ve got a link below that is a fun read. I found it after we’d done our own taste tests and was researching for this post.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

https://www.eatthis.com/oreo-filling/

https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/oreo-cookies-aren-t-as-vegan-as-you-ve-been-told

https://www.thrillist.com/amphtml/news/nation/gluten-free-oreos-taste-test

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Gettin’ Hot In the Kitchen #4

Kevin and Bradley made supper tonight, meatloaf and roasted potatoes, YUM! Kevin was in charge of the meatloaf, which was very good, Bradley the potatoes. Bradley used the Sur La Table “Fines Herbes Potatoes Seasoning Blend”. Oh! Were those good.

This is how it was done: He covered a cookie sheet in foil and chunked up a little over 1 lb. of golden potatoes, to about 1″ in size and placed the potatoes on the cookie sheet. Next he drizzled olive oil over the potatoes, then he shook about a tablespoon of the Sur La Table seasoning blend (directly from the bag) over the top of the potatoes. Lastly he hand tossed the potatoes, oil, and herbs to coat evenly. He baked them in a 425 degree oven for 50 minutes – with the meatloaf. If you take a look at the last picture I placed in this post; you will see that Bradley did not, even remotely, follow the directions on the back of the package… I mentioned that fact to him. He responded with, “I cook like my mama, throw it all together and call it supper.” (That is the way I’ve always cooked. lol) At any rate, these potatoes were marvelous (even if he didn’t follow the damn recipe).

I know not everyone is, necessarily, that adventurous when cooking; but the good thing is, with the “Sur La Table Seasoning Blend” you don’t have to be.

So, what can you do? Pick up the seasoning packet, follow their simple directions (or Bradley’s version or your own) and you to can serve up some delectable potatoes for dinner, with minimal effort.

This is the package after Bradley used roughly one tablespoon. We’re going to get lots more of these herbed potatoes out of this one package!

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:

Gettin’ Hot In the Kitchen #3

A few months back, I was out of bread. I ran into Kroger, in St. Johns, looking for a loaf of Schaar multi-grain bread. They were out. I decided to take a leap of faith and try a different brand.

I picked up a loaf of BFree Soft White Loaf. A gluten free, dairy free, vegan friendly bread. So far so good.

I was anxious to try it. I made a sandwich, right when I got home. Sadly, I was disappointed. I can tell you, it was soft, but it had an odd texture to it; maybe kind of grainy/gritty. It also had an odd aftertaste. I really can’t put my finger on it, almost like a baking powder taste. This was NOT my Schaar bread. And it was not going to work and yet I’d just spent between $5 and $6 on it. I tossed it in the freezer, not wanting to throw it away.

Fast forward to October and colder weather. Time to throw a turkey breast in the crockpot and make a pan of stuffing. I pulled the BFree Soft White Loaf out of the freezer, toasted it and made my stuffing. It did the job, although Kevin commented that he thought the texture was just a little different than the stuffing I usually make with my Schaar bread. I had noticed it too, but had hoped maybe he wouldn’t. While the texture was different, all in all, it still tasted good. (At the end of this post, I’ve got a link to my post that has my stuffing recipe.)

I don’t plan to buy this particular bread again. I rarely eat bread, except for the occasional sandwich or maybe a piece of toast; and if I’m eating bread, I want it to taste good. I would buy this bread is if I was planning to make stuffing and I couldn’t find any Schaar bread. So, at least I have that as an option.

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Click below, for the link to my post with my recipe for stuffing. The recipe is at the end of the post.

Surviving the Minefield of Holiday Party Food.

Link for BFree down below, just in case you want to check it out.

https://bfreefoods.us /product-category/our-products/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6qWYn8P-7AIViLzACh0-zAovEAAYAiAAEgJPv_D_BwE

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Gettin’ Hot In the Kitchen #2

I know I’ve sung the praises of Daiya Foods gluten free, vegan pizzas before, but this pizza is NEW!

It’s a vegetable pizza crust and it’s vegan, which means there’s no egg (or cheese for that matter) being used as a binder for the crust!!

I know the vegetable crust has been all the rage for the last few years and I’ve wanted to try it. Many of the gluten free foods I eat (ie: breads, pasta) are fairly high in carbs. I mean, who isn’t interested in finding the occasional alternative to carbs every once in a while?

Vegetable Pizza Crust: I’ve looked online, in magazines and found many veggie pizza crust recipes, which contain egg. And who hasn’t seen the cauliflower pizza crust recipes on Facebook at least a million times? Guess what? Egg. Same goes for the dairy free, gluten free frozen pizzas I’ve been able to find – egg. So, imagine my surprise when I recently found this!

If you already like the daiya gluten free, vegan pizzas; you’re going to be thrilled with the vegetable crust options! Had I been doing a blind taste test, I don’t believe I would have known the difference between their usual gluten free crust and this vegetable version. It’s that good!!

After baking… Did I mention I ALWAYS add pepperoni to my pizza?

Looks good, doesn’t it? Slices hold together great.

I haven’t tried this one yet, but wanted you to see I’d found a couple options.

I’ve found these in Kroger, Meijer, Whole Foods and Walmart.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Home

That blue HOME up above is the link for Daiya Foods. Right click to open in new tab.

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