Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Allergy Free Recipes

Over the last few years I have been baking with carob more and more. While carob should not be expected to taste like chocolate, it does a good job replacing chocolate in things like cookies, cakes and drinks. The pictures at the end of this post show cookies the kids and I frosted with this recipe. The recipe for the cookies are stevia sweetened "sugar" cookies from nourishingmeals.com.

Carob powder is made only from the dried and roasted pod.

Carob, like any food, can be an acquired taste. It is naturally sweeter than cocoa but for many people the difference is offset by the radically different taste of carob. As with cocoa, carob is a different food entirely once it is sufficiently sweetened. While sugar is typically called upon for this job, I usually opt for pure stevia in my baking. I only add unrefined sugars when necessary for color, consistency, body, or distinct flavor.

In the following carob frosting recipe, you will notice that I use three different sweeteners: coconut sugar, coconut nectar, and liquid vanilla stevia. They all sweeten but they each play other parts as well. The coconut sugar helps build body and gives consistency to the frosting. The coconut nectar adds a nice glossy look to the finished product. The liquid stevia is the powerhouse sweetener in the recipe.

Feel free to add or subtract the sweeteners or their amounts. For me, the formula I arrived at here gives just the right flavor and sweetness. Let me know what you think!

Best Ever Carob Frosting





Ingredients:

• 1/4 C. Coconut Sugar
• 2 T. Carob Powder
• 2 T. Earth Balance Soy Free Margarine
• 1/4 C. Coconut or Almond Milk
• 1 T. Coconut Nectar
• 1/4 C. Arrowroot
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 16 drops Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia

Best Ever Carob Frosting

It is a never ending challenge to incorporate enough vegetables into our daily diet (and just to get kids to eat them). This recipe, however, is an easy and delicious way to incorporate cauliflower, a healthy and highly nutritious vegetable. 


Although using cauliflower to make Notatoes (or Fauxtatoes) is nothing new, this recipe has garnered the most raves from my in-house test team. While this dish probably cannot be passed off for actual mashed potatoes, it has a rich flavor and creamy texture that goes great with anything regular mashed potatoes would.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Head Cauliflower
• Enough Water to steam cauliflower
• 1 tsp. Crushed Garlic (optional)
• ¼ C Soy Free Vegannaise
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ½ C Shredded Daiya, Cheddar Cheese flavor
• Pepper to taste

Directions:

Dairy Free, Cheesy Notatoes

This is a great slow cooker chicken recipe that I find myself making every couple of weeks. It is simple and very easy to make but it tastes great.  

Ingredients: 

6-8 Skinless Chicken Thighs
1/2 Cup Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos (For lower sodium use 1/3 cup soy sauce plus enough water to equal 1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced 
2 Tbsp Fresh (or 1/2 tsp Ground) Ginger

Directions:

-Wash and dry chicken thighs and place them in the slow cooker.
-Mix together soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic and pour mixture over chicken
-Cover and cook on high setting for one hour
-Switch to low setting and cook for an additional 6-7 hours
-Serve over rice and use sauce from slow cooker for additional seasoning

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

• Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
• Using a double boiler or a glass bowl placed over simmering water inside a small sauce pan, melt shortening, carob and stevia powder while stirring constantly.
• Once above ingredients are combined, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour mixture into lined baking dish.
• Freeze until solid.
• Remove from freezer and cut or break into small pieces.
• Store chips in freezer.

Homemade Carob Chips