Tag Archives: Dairy free

Coconut cream pops Expo West

Expo West is simply the best and the largest natural foods event in the United States. Each year the event grows in exhibitors and attendees and shows no signs of slowing down. One of the trends noted this year was the surge of vegan/gluten-free products, like bread, cheese, cheesecake, cookies, frozen desserts, macaroni and cheese, salad dressings, yogurt, etc.

Here are this Examiner’s top 20 gluten, dairy, and vegan product finds:

• CoYo’s coconut milk yogurt hails from Australia and is made from coconut cream and natural flavors in four varieties: Natural, Mango, Mixed Berry, and Raw Chocolate. The berry and mango are incredibly creamy without a funny taste or texture and taste fantastic. This product debuted at Expo West 2014, but this was my first time trying it and color me impressed. Availability: In stores

• Cosmo’s Dairy-Free Spicy Ranch is thick, rich, and mildly spicy. Made from coconuts, it works as a salad dressing, dip, and sandwich spread adding a nice kick to what would be ordinary. It does contain eggs, but is soy and nut free. Availability: Online for now

• Daiya Foods, Inc. gets a nod for their new Cheezecakes and Cheezy Mac kits that are soy free and vegan. Available in three flavors, Deluxe Alfredo, Deluxe Cheddar, and Deluxe White Cheddar Veggie Medley, each kit comes with a bag of liquid cheezy sauce ready to be combined with cooked brown rice pasta.Their cheezecakes are also available in four flavors: New York, Chocolate, Key Lime, and Strawberry. Availability: Rolling into stores now

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Back in the day it was impossible to keep a tub of Cool Whip in the house because it was irresistible to me plain (on the end of my finger) or on top of pudding, cake, pie, and ice cream. It wasn’t until later in life that ingredient choices became an issue and my beloved Cool Whip was deemed unsuitable. Tears were shed as a chapter of my life came to a close and desserts were no longer topped until So Delicious Dairy Free introduced CocoWhip.

CocoWhip, available in Original and Light, is made from organic coconut milk, it is naturally sweetened, and contains no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors. It is certified gluten free, vegan, and kosher parve, and Non-GMO Verified. CocoWhip ingredients are: Read More »

Paleo quiche with a nut-free, grain-free crust. Filled with roasted organic asparagus, organic leek and free-range eggs. Pure, simple, good.

Eating Style: Candida Friendly, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Low Carb, Nut-free, Paleo, Refined Sugar-free, Soy-free, Sugar-free, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 Read More »

This cake is soft and reminiscent of the filling in pumpkin pie.  Not surprising really, when it has mashed sweet potato as its main ingredient.

To do ahead of time

Cook sweet potatoes in the microwave (or oven if you have it running for something else) until they are soft.  Mine took about eight minutes – four small sweet potatoes. Leave to cool then remove the peel and mash.  I found it easiest to cut an end off and scoop the sweet potato out with a circular action with a fork.  Do this ahead of time so you don’t be tempted to work with them while they are very hot and burn yourself.   Keep the peel and spritz with oil, put on a baking sheet, and cook for 20-30 minutes in the oven for a crisp scoop for spicy salsa.
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Ahhh, ice cream. Even better: salty and sweet ice cream. The combination of salty and sweet is one of my favorites. I love taking a bite and not knowing exactly what it will taste like.

Also, in case you were wondering, I use this Kitchenaid ice cream attachment for my stand mixer. It works great – during the summer, I keep the bowl frozen in the freezer so that any time I’m in the mood for ice cream, I can grab it and make a refreshingly cool treat immediately.  

I finally ate the last of this last night, and I’m really sad that it’s gone. It was the perfect ending to the last weeks’ worth of dinners.

I guess I’ll just have to make some more. 

I am a firm believer that ice cream is appropriate at any time of year, even when it’s -20′ outside (although it never gets quite that cold here in the Pacific Northwest), but it is especially precious and fulfilling when the sun is blaring and you’ve been playing outside all day.

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If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you may have noticed that we were featured on San Diego Living again on Monday. We always have so much fun doing that! Click here to watch if you missed us.

We made three different kinds of lunchables as part of a back to school segment and they were a hit. We did not let them go to waste and took them for lunch, just like the kids.

These were delicious, light, and healthy homemade lunchables that included Read More »

It’s been a hot summer these past few days in NY. When the heat is beaming, one of my favorite kinds of meals to enjoy is fish on the grill because it doesn’t leave me feeling heavy.

To me, summer is all about enjoying fresh ingredients. Fruit and veggies are at their prime and I always look forward to the first long island corn on the cob. I think my family would honestly be happy eating watermelon every night for dinner; this being a summer tradition I also love.

Regardless of the season, I truly believe in trying to eat clean. My body is living proof that you are what you eat, and with my active lifestyle I believe Read More »

gluten free nutella recipe

Everyone has different reasons for making food (like Nutella) at home which they can buy off of the shelf; it might be economic or for health reasons. Since the first time I tried Nutella, I never had the desire to make it. But, when the day came that my darling dairy-free daughter could no longer partake because of the milk in it, I considered it.

I had seen a recipe for the hazelnut spread in my high-powered blender but assumed it was hard. I decided one day to take a look and was very happy to find that 1. it was not that hard (1 hour start to finish with time in between when you don’t have to do anything), 2. I had most of the ingredients in my cabinet with the exception of the hazelnuts (aka filberts), and 3. the recipe did not have any dairy in it. Ok, time to shift the paradigm again. Read More »

Whether you make your own gluten-free flour mix or buy one like Auntie’s Flour Blend, it’s easy to make really tasty muffins. You just need a fool-proof recipe!

I’ve been making these muffins for about 5 years. When my daughter was first diagnosed with a gluten and dairy sensitivity, I put my best foot forward and figured out the perfect combination of ingredients to create a moist and flavorful end product. There are a few rules, though, that are important to follow. Here are my suggestions:

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Better4U Foods Roasted Vegetable Pizza
Credits: Better4U Foods

Every Wednesday I look forward to watching the weekly video of new product reviews from Phil Lempert, The Supermarket Guru, because usually at least one gluten-free product is included in each episode. After scoring a hit (85 and above) of an 88, this Examiner was very interested to sample the gluten-free pizza from Better 4U Foods.

Unfortunately I cannot tolerate dairy or soy and it is quite difficult to find a dairy/soy-free, gluten-free pizza. In steps Better 4U Foods with their dairy/soy free roasted vegetable pizza made with Daiya cheese and a multi-grain crust made with Read More »