Posted by alisa on June 30, 2009 | 5 Comments
Today, I have two lucky winners to announce for the big Cookies for Everyone! giveaway. With a total of 217 comment entries and 21 tweet entries, the following commenters were chosen at random to receive a gift bag from Enjoy Life Foods, to include this fabulous new food allergy cookie-book:
- Comment #51 – Mary Anderson – Mary actually won on her additional entry, by mentioning the giveaway on her facebook. But in her main entry she states, “This is a must have for my family. My daughter, almost 17 months, has the following allergies (poor girl): peanuts, tree nuts, lupine, egg white and egg yolk, milk, soy, orange, peach, and various other legumes (beans, lentils). I must get this amazing book for her (and me so I have some ideas for cooking for her!) The best Enjoy Life product our whole family enjoys are the chocolate chips. I have a severe lactose intolerance–so I eat them by the huge handfuls because they are milk free. Mmmmmm, thanks Enjoy Life!”
- Comment #123 – CG the Foodie – “I have a number of students with allergies and I would love to be able to bring cookies in that can be shared with everyone in the class!”
Congratulations to both of you! Keep an eye on your inbox, as I will be emailing you soon so that you can collect your prize package!
As for the rest of you, don’t rush off! As promised, I do have Enjoy Life cookies (or at least cookie recipes), coupons, and more for everyone …
Posted by alisa on June 25, 2009 | 16 Comments
Though I have finally migrated from the “Lite Bites” section of Cookies for Everyone! to the “Drop Cookies,” I still went straight for the Hearty Chocolate Chippers. My cookie cravings lately seem to be intertwined with my body’s call for nutrition. But a cookie is a cookie after all, and still a worthy indulgence in my book.
As you can see, my cookies are a bit on the toasty side. Not burnt by any means, and still utterly delicious, but about 2 minutes past their prime. I believe there is a slight faux pas in the original recipe, which calls for too long of a cooking time (me thinks the 2′s should be 1′s). Luckily, I caught them before they turned into hockey pucks, and while they were still tender and delicious! I have adapted the recipe below to reflect the correct cooking time and any of my minor ingredient changes. Enjoy!
Hearty Oat Chocolate Chippers
Adapted from Cookies for Everyone! by Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso
This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free*, Egg-Free, Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Wheat-Free, and relatively Low Fat. See ingredient links and notes for best options to keeping this “free-from” profile.
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/4 Cup Grapeseed, Canola, or Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 Cup Water or Milk Alternative of choice (plain or vanilla)
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1/4 Cup Flax Meal
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup White or Brown Rice Flour [I used brown. keepin' them hearty!]
- 1/2 Cup Oat Flour* [original recipe calls for sorghum flour]
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Rolled Oats**, Quinoa, or Rice Flakes [I used oats]
- 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180°C, or gas mark 4).
With a mixer or by hand, cream together the brown sugar, oil, water or milk alternative, applesauce, flax, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the oats and chocolate chips, and mix until dough is well combined. Add the oats and mix again until all ingredients are combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Use a small ice cream/cookie scoop or drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto the baking sheet. Flatten slightly.
Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and semi-soft to the touch in the middle. Let cookies sit for a few minutes before removing from baking sheet. Remove from baking sheet to a flat surface (like a large plate) or wire rack to cool completely before enjoying.
* To make oat flour (gluten-free or regular), place some oats in your spice grinder and whiz for about 30 seconds, or until they are pulverized into a flour.
** To keep these cookies gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats or use the sorghum flour and choose quinoa or rice flakes over the oats.
Yields 3 dozen medium-sized chippers
Giveaways This Week:
Tags: baking, chocolate, cookies, dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy-friendly, gluten-free, milk-free, nut-free, oats, quick & easy, recipe, snack, soy-free, vegan, whole grain
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on June 24, 2009 | 8 Comments
It is time again for a Taste & Create feature. This fun event pairs allows you to pick a recipe from your assigned partner’s blog to create! For June, my partner was Dish it Up.
This new mom had lots of homestyle recipes to choose from, so it took me a while to make my final selection. But way back there in her 2007 archives I found a recipe for Pulled Pork Tenderloin. Both my husband and I enjoy ordering pulled pork sandwiches once in a blue moon, but we have never actually made this dish ourselves. To top it off, I had all ingredients on hand, and a crockpot that was begging to be used!
The dish turned out very flavorful, and I was impressed with how easy it was. I would definitely recommend using a less expensive cut of pork for an end product that is juicier, but for a nice lean meal, it was surprisingly tender. We didn’t have any buns on hand, so I served it with rice (please forgive the bad picture, it was late, and dark), and the only veggies I had left, frozen ones! Yes, time to hit the store.
Anyway … the pork tenderloin we had was very petite, and we only had one, so I modified the recipe. If you have more pork to cook, see the original recipe for ratios. Also, I used Organicville brand of BBQ Sauce and Ketchup (both agave sweetened) for this dish. They were a splurge, but awesome! I am in love with their salad dressings … if only they would go on sale more : )
Pulled Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from Dish it Up for Taste & Create
This recipe is Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Low Fat, Soy Protein-Free, and optionally Processed Sugar-Free
- 1 lb Pork Tenderloin or Pork Butt
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 to 3/4 Cup BBQ Sauce (your choice)
- 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Low-Sodium Soy Sauce (I used regular, but it was a bit too salty)
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1/8 to 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 Teaspoon Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Basil
- 1/2 Cup Water + More as Needed
Trim the meat as needed, and place it in your crockpot on the low setting. Sprinkle it very lightly with a pinch or so of salt and a few twists of fresh ground pepper. Combine all of the remaining ingredients, and pour them over top of the pork. Cover, and let it cook for 6-8 hours, depending on your crockpot and how fast it cooks. If the sauce dries out too much feel free to add a little more water. I didn’t need to add any, but you never know.
Shred the meat using two forks, and stir to make sure everthing is well combined. Serve sandwich style, atop rice, or however you like it.
Yields 3 to 4 servings
Posted by alisa on June 22, 2009 | 217 Comments
* Comments have been closed – winner to be announced in the next post! *
Okay, I am not actually giving snacks and cookies to all of you, but you do have the chance to win the new cookbook, Cookies for Everyone!, by Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso (Director of Research & Development at Enjoy Life Foods). Plus, the winners will receive 4 Free Product Coupons for Enjoy Life brand of foods (if Enjoy Life products are hard to find in your area, no worries, we will hook you up), and an Enjoy Life Grocery Tote to carry your newly purchased snacks and ingredients!
I have trialed Cookies for Everyone! myself, and I really do love it. Each of the 150 recipes within are gluten-free and allergy-friendly (NO: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, or soy), and the book is vegan-friendly (honey is used at times, but you can sub another liquid sweetener with ease). And yet, without ALL of these ingredients, there are enough yummy and kid-friendly recipes for cookies, bars, and bites to keep you busy all year!
I am not actually gluten-free, but because the book tends to use less expensive and easy to find gluten-free ingredients (no gums or add-ins needed that I could see), I had no problem in jumping right into the recipes. Plus, if you can deal with one or more of these allergens (such as gluten/wheat), substitutions (say with wheat flour) are super easy!
Truth be told I am a cookie-aholic. But, I showed some restraint and chose to trial out some of the healthy snacks and cookies from the book first (you can see my full review on Go Dairy Free). I stayed true to the recipes, keeping them gluten-free and allergen-free, and they were yummy …
Granola Bar One-Bites
Feel-Good Fruit ‘n Flax Cookies
To enter to win this wonderful gift package, simply:
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Leave a comment on this post, and let me know why you want to win!
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For another extra entry, mention and link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, or other social networking account, and leave a second comment to let me know you did.
The comments will close on Monday, June 29th, after which time TWO winners will be announced! This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada! So enter now!
Posted by alisa on June 18, 2009 | 23 Comments
Unless it is a burrito shop like Chipotle, my husband balks at the idea of going out for Mexican food. He just does not like it. But, he loves my homemade Mexican cuisine. Authentic or more likely, not, my homemade enchiladas, nachos, fajitas, and tacos hit his taste buds just right.
I love to make all of these dishes from scratch, including homemade dairy-free “cheese” for the nachos. However, when it comes to quick Mexican-inspired meals, I rely heavily on my good ol’ taco seasoning. In fact, over the past few weeks I have whipped up this taco seasoning about a half a dozen times. I will share the recipe for the meals I have made with it in upcoming posts, but for now, I thought that I should start out by sharing the taco seasoning from my guide and cookbook! You can of course use store-bought taco seasoning, but really, this tastes so much better, has no additives, and is a great frugal alternative to packaged and processed foods.
Flavorful Taco Seasoning
This recipe is from Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living
We use a mild chili powder, as we prefer to control the heat of our meals after the fact, with hot sauce or salsa to taste, but you can use a medium or hot one if you prefer. This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free, Sugar-Free, and Non-Fat.
- 1 Tablespoon Mild Chili Powder
- 1-1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Crushed Oregano
- 1/8 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (increase if you like spicier)
- 1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Salt (I use the full amount)
- Up to 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper (optional) [I often omit]
In a small bowl, stir all of the ingredients together. If not using immediately, store in an airtight container.
To Prepare: Add the full batch of this seasoning mix to 1 lb of almost cooked ground meat, cubed chicken, vegan “meat” crumbles, cubed tofu, or chopped vegetables. Finish cooking with the seasoning incorporated to help the flavors meld.
Yields 2-1/2 Tablespoons or the Equivalent of a 1/4-Ounce Packet of Store-Bought
Tags: dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy-friendly, Go Dairy Free, milk-free, nut-free, quick & easy, recipe, soy-free, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on June 17, 2009 | 4 Comments
We had 315 entries (wow!), but in the end, the winners of the Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chip Giveaway are:
- Comment #153 – Christine V – “love to try the Lime flavor”
- Comment #9 – VeggieGirl - ”My mom LOVES the yellow corn variety, but I’m intrigued by the cinnamon ones… nice! ”
- Comment #139 – Pat - ”The potato chive flavor sure sounds good.”
You will each receive a gift package to include full size bags of the new chip flavors from Food Should Taste Good! Are the rest of you still jonesing for some of these flavorful and healthy chippies? Print out a coupon, head to the store, and perhaps even enter their recipe contest! …
- Printable Coupon: Join the fan club on the Food Should Taste Good Website (under special offers-coupons), and they will email you a printable coupon for $1.00 off. I have already used mine.
- Recipe Contest: Once you have these crunchy snacks in hand, get creative and come up with a recipe. Submit your recipe on the contest page and if chosen for that month (one winner per month), you will receive a whole case of chips!
More recipes and good food coming up this week, so stay tuned! Oh yeah, and I am sure another giveaway or two will spring up on occasion!
Posted by alisa on June 14, 2009 | 17 Comments
Quick Reminder: Food Should Taste Good Gourmet Chip Giveaway Still Going on. Enter between now and Tuesday!
Yes, another salad dressing. It is summer after all, aaaaand they are just too easy and delicious not to share! Besides, fitting in that big bowl of greens is so much tastier when you have so many wonderful and healthy salad dressings to experiment with.
I discovered this fabulously flavorful dressing in the latest issue of Cooking Light. Their version seemed a bit too firey for our tastes, so I toned it down a bit, added some green onions (which melded nicely), thickened the dressing slightly, and doubled the recipe overall …
Sesame-Orange Salad Dressing
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, June 2009
This recipe is Low Fat, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy Protein-Free and optionally Gluten-Free
- 2/3 Cup Orange Juice (fresh squeezed if you’ve got them – about 2 to 3 medium oranges)
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 4 Teaspoons Soy Sauce or Wheat-Free Tamari (for gluten-free)
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil (the good, dark kind if you have it)
- 2 Teaspoons Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Chile Sauce (such as Sriracha)
- 2 Tablespoons Flax Meal / Ground Flaxseeds
- 1 to 2 Green Onions, minced (optional)
- Lightly Toasted Sesame Seeds
Whisk everything but the sesame seeds together and allow the dressing to sit for ten to fifteen minutes while you make the rest of your salad. After dousing your salads in this yummy dressing, sprinkle each salad with 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame seeds.
Yields about 1 cup dressing or 6 to 8 servings
Ideas for Serving:
Vegan / Vegetarian: The salad in Cooking Light sounded awesome, but I was lacking in the ingredients. They lightly sauteed some red bell pepper strips, carrot slices, and snap peas with a bit of orange rind and salt. Once cooled, they added the vegetable mixture to fresh baby spinach leaves and generously cut green onions.
Omnivorous: To prepare a large Asian-Style Orange-Sesame Chicken Salad, I coated 12 ounces of chicken (8 to 10 would be ideal for two people) with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon sherry, 3/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. I then sauteed the meat over medium-high heat in about 2 teaspoons of refined sesame oil. To prepare two salads, I chopped up one large romaine heart, topped the lettuce base with store-bought coleslaw cabbage mix for some crunch, sprinkled on a thinly sliced carrot, followed by the cooked chicken, the dressing, and finally the sesame seeds.
As a Marinade: I love orange marinades for large shrimp, and I think this one would be perfect. Use your imagination otherwise, chicken, tofu, etc. However, if using this as a marinade, omit the flaxseed.
Bloggy Events: I am submitting this recipe to Magazine Mondays hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice and Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.
Tags: carrots, chicken, dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy-friendly, gluten-free, milk-free, nut-free, quick & easy, recipe, salad, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on June 11, 2009 | 316 Comments
Healthy, gourmet, and all-natural are rarely terms we associate with the humble tortilla chip, but things are different at Food Should Taste Good. I had the chance to sample all of their completely delicious original flavors a while back … but, now they have four new flavors, and they want you to taste just how good they are! They will send a gift package to three of you (yes, that is 1 .. 2 .. 3 winners!) to include full-size bags of their four new tortilla chip flavors.
My good friend Hannah, author of My Sweet Vegan and blogger extraordinaire at Bittersweet, taste tested each of the new flavors, and I have some highlights and mini-photos from her review to get your taste buds ready:
- Yellow Corn – “refreshingly clean and crisp tasting”
- Lime – “the mellow, natural zest that met my tongue was a very pleasant surprise”
- Cinnamon – “very aromatic from the minute they’re released from the bag”
- Potato Chive - “these chips proved to have a very rich potato flavor, tasting earthy in the best way possible”
Special Diet Note: These chips are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan! Can’t beat that.
To enter to win, leave a comment on this post. You can just say hi, you can tell me how much you love this blog (brownie points are tallied), you can tell me which chip flavor you are most excited about, and/or you can put in a special request for a chip flavor you would love to see Food Should Taste Good come up with next.
To enter more than once, Tweet this giveaway via your twitter account, tell your friends on facebook, and/or link to this post from your blog. Be sure to leave a separate comment letting me know you did so! Two of last month’s winners were actually tweets, so every little bit helps!
Comment entries will be open through Tuesday, June 16th, after which time the three winners will be announced. Good luck!
Though I usually wait until after the giveaways to post up deals from the companies, I know that you will want these whether or not you win, so here goes …
- Printable Coupon: Join the fan club on the Food Should Taste Good Website (under special offers-coupons), and they will email you a printable coupon for $1.00 off. I have already used mine.
- Recipe Contest: Once you have these crunchy snacks in hand, get creative and come up with a recipe. Submit your recipe on the contest page and if chosen for that month (one winner per month), you will receive a whole case of chips!
Okay, comment away to enter …
Posted by alisa on June 11, 2009 | No Comments
Angela over at Oh She Glows is hosting Shop 4 A Cause, an online auction to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. There are books, food items, purses, and more up for auction from 8am EST until 10:30pm EST on Thursday June 11th. So hop on over to Oh She Glows and support the efforts of a fellow blogger while fulfilling your shopping cravings!
Posted by alisa on June 9, 2009 | 12 Comments
Faced with a full pantry and a bare-bones fridge, I had to do some quick thinking for our next meal that we were quickly growing hungry for. Most chefs would mock my version of puttanesca (hence my clever name, don’t you think?), but I still couldn’t think of a better label for this blend of flavors.
True, it lacks the salty anchovies (making it suitable for vegans / vegetarians), and I did allow some leeway on the olives you can use (pitted kalamata olives would be best, but when you only have cheap black ones on hand they will just have to do!), but this is still a nice, flavorful dish that can be dressed up or down, however you like.
Slightly Spicy Pasta Puttanesque-a
This recipe is Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Low-Fat, optionally Gluten-Free / Wheat-Free, and optionally Vegan / Vegetarian
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Crushed Garlic or 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 28-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes (no salt added) or 2 lbs of Tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more if you like)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt, more or less to taste
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste (optional)
- 1 Cup Olives, quartered (kalamata and/or green would be best, but my cheapo pantry version just used the black ones I had in the cupboard, and it was still tasty!)
- 3 Tablespoons Capers, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 Cup Dry White Wine (2-Buck Chuck will do)
- 8 oz Pasta (I used whole wheat penne, but go gluten-free if needed)
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-heat. Add the garlic, and saute for just a minute or two. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, onion powder, salt, and pepper (if using). Bring the sauce to a boil, promptly reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. While that is simmering, you can prepare any other additions (see notes below).
Your sauce should have thickened a bit, so now you can add the olives, capers, and wine, and allow it to keep warm over low heat while you prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Once the pasta is ready, dish up!
Optional Additions:
Chicken: I thinly sliced (1/4-inch thick) 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts. I sprinkled them with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper (I skipped the black pepper in the sauce). I then drizzled a little bit of wine over the top and stirred to coat the chicken with the cornstarch mixture. From there, I heated about 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet, and sauteed the chicken until it was cooked through (no pink!) but still tender. I added the chicken to my sauce just before serving.
Vegetarian-Style: In my opinion, this sauce is just begging for cauliflower. Cook 12 ounces of florets in the sauce, or lightly steam them, layer them atop your pasta, and pour the sauce on.
Yields 4 very flavorful servings
Bloggy Events: I am submitting this post to Presto Pasta Nights! The upcoming event is being hosted by Thyme for Cooking. It is also being submitted to Thrifty Thursdays over at Amanda’s Cookin’.
Tags: chicken, dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy-friendly, gluten-free, milk-free, nut-free, pasta, quick & easy, recipe, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free, whole grain
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
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