There were no left overs last night!

I seriously am so happy to discover that Mrs. Dash is GFCF and all natural. Here is what I made last night and Andy was pretty upset that Dan had seconds and there are no leftovers for his lunch today.
I cut two chicken breasts into bite size pieces and cooked them in just a little bit of olive oil. I sprinkled Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb on them as they were cooking. I also cooked up a half of a box of corn macaroni. When the chicken was done cooking I added 4 small tomatoes from my garden cut up along with the pasta. I sprinkled a little more Mrs. Dash on top. It was so simple and yet so tasty.

Roasted Squash and Apple Soup

Cut up one squash, 2 yellow onions, 5 cloves garlic and 2 apples. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in a 425 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil.

Add roasted veggies and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.

Puree using a hand held mixer.

Add more water or broth until it is the consistency you desire.

Here's the complete recipe:

Roasted Squash and Apple Soup

1 winter squash – peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (I used an acorn squash)
2 yellow onions – peeled and cut into chunks
2 apples - peeled, cored and cut into chunks (I used Cortland)
5 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Pepper
2 to 3 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon curry powder

Place squash, onions and apples in a roasting pan – drizzle with olive oil – I probably used 2 to 3 tablespoons. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir. Roast in a 425 degree F oven about 45 minutes.

Heat the chicken broth to boiling. Add the roasted ingredients and curry powder. Using a hand held blender, puree. Add more chicken broth or water to get to the thickness you desire. Adjust seasonings.

GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are so yummy! Making them healthier has not hurt the taste one bit!

GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) GFCF Margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 ½ cups Rapadura (trying to go healthier on the sugar – you could use sugar in the raw or a combination of white and brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag GFCF (2 cups) chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease your cookie sheets.
Beat margarine, rapadura (sugar) and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour, Xanthan Gum, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in chocolate chips
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

Makes between 4 and 5 dozen

Mrs. Dash Seasonings and Marinades

Gluten free does not have to be bland. I'm so excited to discover that Mrs. Dash is gluten free. I have been wary of spices and spice blends because I know that many times they contain hidden gluten. When Bzz Agent offered me a campaign for Mrs. Dash I did what I always do when it is a food product - I sent an e-mail to the manufacturer to check on it's gfcf status.

Here was the response I received:

Dear Ms. Fischbach,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Alberto Culver regarding your interest in Mrs. Dash. It is always a pleasure to hear from our consumers and we are happy to respond.Mrs. Dash products do not contain gluten or dairy. However, they are not manufactured in a gluten free and dairy free facility.

Thank you again for contacting Alberto Culver.
Sincerely,
Jessie West
Consumer Relations Manager



I don't worry too much about it not being in a dedicated facility - if we get a reaction then I worry - but for now I will try it.

I used to use the marinades and loved them - so I will be trying them again.

Bzz Agent has provided me with some packets that contain recipes a couple of small samples and a coupon - if you want one, e-mail me with your mailing address and I'll be glad to put one in the mail for you.

Mrs. Dash is also salt and msg free so it is better for you. Check out the Mrs. Dash website for lots of great recipes.

GFCF Raspberry Swirl Muffins

Andy and I made muffins tonight.


Here's Andy whisking the dry ingredients together


And here he is spooning the jam in the middle. This is homemade jam that I just made yesterday and I put it through a food mill before making it so it is almost seedless - but any commercial jam should do fine in these.


This is what they looked like going into the oven


And here they are coming out.

The recipe -

GFCF Raspberry Swirl Muffins

2 cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
1 ½ teaspoons Xanthan Gum
¼ cup sugar (I used Rapadura – trying to go more natural)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk substitute (I used Dari Free)
¼ cup cf margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Grated zest of 1 small orange (make sure it’s organic or you’ll be adding a lot of icky chemicals)
Raspberry Jam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin pan with muffin papers.

Thoroughly mix flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

In small bowl, whisk eggs, milk substitute, margarine, vanilla and orange zest until blended.

Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and fold in until just combined – do not over mix muffins ever!!!!

Fill muffin cups with a little less than ½ full with batter. Add about a teaspoon or so of jam (Andy did this part so I think we got a little more than that in ours). Top with the remaining batter. Using a knife, swirl the jam into the muffin.

I sprinkled a little sugar (rapadura) on top of each muffin before baking.

Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before eating. Makes 12 muffins (we made 16 because I like to make smaller ones that Andy can finish – but if you like your muffins to raise up above the pan, then it will make 12.

Hansen's Organic Juice Slam

I try to limit the amount of juice we drink - but these are nice for the lunch box. They come in several flavors and are all organic and 100% juice - and they don't look too different from what the other kids are drinking.

Barbara's Brown Rice Crisps

A substitute for Rice Krispies. They are very tasty.

Dari Free

Dari Free has changed their packaging. It comes in this nice canister now - much easier to use.

Vegan Cheese Slices

I couldn't find the Tofutti brand that we usually buy, so I bought these. No one would eat them - so the dog gets them. What a waste. They totally do not taste like cheese!

Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

This is the margarine that I am using these days. I like the taste so much better than what I was using.

Vegan Grated Topping

This is really a bad picture - this product is not blue, a lavender color! This is what we use in place of parmesan cheese these days. I'm not sure if it is a different product from the one I posted before or if it is just different packaging - but at any rate, it looks different so I thought a picture was warranted so you know what to look for in the store.

Applegate Farms Uncured Chicken Hot Dogs

Sorry about the bad picture - I really have to get a better camera. These are the current hot dogs that we are buying. Andy will only eat Chicken Hot Dogs - when I occasionally buy the beef, he won't eat them - I, however, like the beef variety - I think it's just that chicken the beef is a little spicier. You really want to try and avoid nitrates with your child if they are on the autism spectrum. I keep these in the freezer and just take them out and use them one at a time so they don't spoil. When I get home from the grocery store, I open the package and spread the hot dogs out on a cookie sheet so they are not touching and put them in the freezer to freeze - that way they freeze individually and you can just take one out of the freezer without chizeling one out of a package or thawing a whole package and having part of it go to waste. If you eat a whole package of hot dogs at a time, then that isn't necessary. Just make sure that once they are frozen you pack them in a freezer container - don't leave them open in the freezer or they will get freezer burn.

Ricera Rice Yogurt

Here's a yogurt for those of you who also are avoiding soy. I just picked these up and haven't tasted them yet. I only bought these 3 - following my old rule of not buying more of one (or one of each flavor) until you know if you like it. I haven't tried it yet - after we have tried it I will come back and edit this post and give you my opinion. This is the first non-soy gfcf yogurt I've seen.

Ian's Cookie Buttons

This is a new product out. Only the Crunchy Cinnamon is GFCF. They come in individual bags so they are great for lunch boxes and for snacks on the go. Andy loves them but he also thinks they look like Molly's (our dog) food (she eats Iam's mini nuggets) and so he pretends to be a dog when he eats them. They are small crunchy cookies.