gluten-free, dairy-free recipe links

I had a totally crazy day today, with much unplanned time spent in limbo, so I will not be bringing you my usual lengthy photo filled blog post today. Instead, I'm going to share some links with you for stuff we've been eating lately.

As you know, we are still aclimating to the Little Dude's Wheat Free, Dairy Free lifestyle. He's been shockingly good about it. I think he still doesn't quite 'get' it, as I've not really sat down with him and said, "you can never eat wheat or dairy again. That means no more cheese and no more ice cream and and no more tortellini and no more cookies and no more cake." Because a) that would be cruel. b) that would blow his mind I think and c) its not entirely true. I'm just trying to cook really awesome things that don't have wheat and dairy, and am finding many good substitutes for old favourites.  Occasionally he does ask for things that have dairy in them (like cheese) or wheat in them (like pretzels) and I'll just tell him that he can't have those things because they have wheat and dairy in them and he is allergic to wheat and dairy, just like he's allergic to peanuts. He knows he's allergic, we just haven't presented it with doom and gloom and forever finality. Then he will ask me "tomorrow, can we go to the store and buy some cheese without dairy in it?" Oh honey, if only we could. I know there are some soy cheese like things, but I'm pretty skeptical that they will replace the soft semi-aged baby parmesan he loved, or the spiced gouda or the good old cheddar. We'll see. Ditto for ice cream. Though he really, really enjoys rainbow sherbert which has neither wheat, nor dairy and is produced in a peanut free factory. Triple score. But of course, I don't want him eating that every night of the week, as it is, like, sugar city. 

Anyhow, here is some stuff I have been baking and making and he has been loving. 

First and foremost: Rosemary Chickpea Oat Flatbread. This stuff is freakin' amazing. Great texture, done in 20 minutes, and full of protein. Smells like heaven too. The first time I made it, the Little Dude took a bite and said, "I LOVE this bread mom!" He loves it best hot out of the oven, and so do it. And its so easy to make that I often throw in a loaf as dinner is cooking, especially if is it soup or a crock pot or something. If you don't like rosemary its also good with chives instead, and I've been doing a southwest version with chives and half a chipotle pepper chopped into it. (Adults might like a whole one, but if its to spicy I get complaints from my littles.) Also, I've been making a nice 'sweet' version buy leaving out the onion powder and salt and rosemary and adding 2 tsp of sugar and 1.5 tsp of cinnamon and then sprinkling the top with cinnamon sugar. This goes over very, very well, and makes me feel good too because of the good, protein filled chickpea flour. I brought three loaves of this to our big family thanksgiving dinner and it all got eaten with requests for more. And that was from people who had no dietary restrictions, so just goes to show that good is good. 

And then, the Little Dude's new favourite candy treat are these Healthy Peppermint Patties. So freaking good. And totally worth buying coconut oil for. Though do yourself a favour and go to an asian grocery store and find it for waaaaaay cheaper than you would at a health food store. The only downside to these are that they are so good you will eat them all, way too fast. trust me. 

And another recipe with lots of honey and coconut oil, these healthy granola bars are a-MAH-zing. The only drawback is they have to stay refrigerated until you eat them, otherwise they get very, very melty. So not a good lunch snack. But they blog they come from is really good to. Have a look around there, its fun. 

This recipe for Quinoa Banana Bread was pretty good. It was a titch on the healthy-tasting side. I don't mind it, but next time I'll use a little less quinoa flour (it has a rather distinctive taste) and a bit more sugar or honey or something like that. I baked them as muffins instead of a loaf, and we did eat all of them, though the baby tended to abandon his about halfway through, and then drop it somewhere and then walk in it later. Very dirty socks that way. 

I know this is not news, but I do make these meatballs at least once a week. I just sub in rice milk and gluten free bread crumbs now. They are L.D's favourite meal, hands down. 

And here are some things I have not tried yet, but plan to soon.

Gluten Free Pita Bread recipe. I'm skeptical, but we really miss pitas. 

Chocolate Cake with Espresso Glaze. I'll probably leave the glaze off, as my kids don't need the caffeine. 

Slow-Cooker Bacon Wrapped Apple Chicken. You had me at Bacon.

The Most Awesome Raw Apple Snack. Sure, I'll try that. We like apples just fine as they are, but hey, why not. 

How about you? Have any good GF/DF recipes for me? Does anyone know a good one for mac and cheese? I know, sounds impossible, but there's got to be a good one out there. Share in the comments if you have any good ideas. 

Comments

[Marcia Van Drunen]

This one looks good: http://icanhasautism.blogspot.com/2009/10/gfcf-mac-cheese.html
:)
Not sure where you get "Teese" though. Haven't checked that.

[Marcia Van Drunen]

Teese:
http://www.chicagoveganfoods.com/teese_vegan_cheese/
Looks yummy, not sure of the price or locations.

[Karen]

Organic Karma Rice Divine is delicious-- you'd have to check the ingredients to make sure they jive with L.D.'s diet. It's a rice-based form of ice cream and because it's so yummy I seldom buy it. Coconut milk ice cream and yogurts are delicious too but they don't agree with my system. You win some, you lose some. As for cheese, there are some that are casein-free but I don't bother since I've been off dairy for ages and I don't miss it at all. The key to buying non-dairy cheese is to make sure that it's casein-free, 'cause that's a nasty dairy protein. Kids are resilient and adapt more easily than us grown-ups. =)

[Marcia Van Drunen]

I've been meaning to try that rosemary bread: had it bookmarked for ages. Glad to see it's a winner!

[Zonnah]

Thanks for the recipe links! The chickpea bread sounds yummy.

[Zonnah]

Oh and the raw apple snack is good. I have only had it with either lemon or lime. Now I will have to try it with orange.