Gluten/Dairy Free Chocolate Gravy

Chocolate Gravy. Enough said.

I can remember having chocolate gravy a few times during my childhood. I remember the first time my Grandma Jo made it and I thought "eww gross" before even tasting it. Ya know...how most kids do with something new. But, she and my Mom convinced me to taste it....and that first taste still sticks with me to this day.

My husband told me he's never had chocolate gravy. :Mouth dropped: Yes, he's from the south and has NEVER had chocolate gravy. He also never had a banana split until we met...yeah, that shocked me too! I told him he would love it because it's like dessert for breakfast and my hubby is a dessert kind of man!

I don't know why, but I have been craving chocolate gravy lately. And since the hubs has never had it, I decided to give it a try. For the most part we are gluten/dairy free because of our son, so that's how I made this batch. Oh my yumminess....so good.

Here's what you need:

5 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter
3 Tbsp Bob's Red Mill - Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 Tbsp Dagoba Organic Chocolate - Cocoa Powder
4 Tbsp Organic Cane Sugar
1 Cup of Almond Milk
1/2 tsp Organic Pure Vanilla Extract

How to make it:

Melt butter is skillet/pot (I used a pot) on low heat. Stir in flour, cocoa powder and sugar. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add milk a little bit at a time, stirring to mix it fully. Once all your milk has been added, cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

That's it. You're done. I served our chocolate gravy over Pamela's Products - Biscuit & Scone Mix, which is also gluten/dairy free and so delicious. There is an option to add honey in your biscuit mix and in my opinion (and the hubs), they turn out amazing!! :)

Enjoy your Chocolate Gravy Y'all!! God Bless!!

Gluten/Dairy Free Sugar Cookie Donuts

Sugar Cookie Donuts? Yeah, that's right. Oh they are SO yummy! They are so fluffy, almost like cake. I didn't make a topping for these, personally it tasted great as is...plus my son isn't big on stickiness on his hands. :sensory:  My son is on the gluten/dairy free diet and he LOVED them!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cup of Pamela's Sugar Cookie Mix
*Get the Sugar Cookie Mix here: Lucky Vitamin
2 Eggs
4 Tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter - melted
1 Tablespoon of Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Teaspoon Organic Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup of Honey
1/3 Cup of Almond Milk

*Update: Add Chocolate Chips to these....AMAZING! Find them here: Lucky Vitamin

Ready?

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In mixing bowl (I used my electric mixer), mix 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 cup of honey and vanilla extract. After that is mixed together, add your 1 3/4 cup of sugar cookie mix and 1/3 cup of almond milk. Mix well.

Place batter in donut pan and bake 10-14 mins. I checked mine at 10 mins. and ended up doing 14 mins. total. My recipe made 9 donuts.

This little guy enjoyed 4 donuts. :)

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did! :)

Gluten/Dairy Free Mac and Cheese

Our son has been on a gluten/dairy free diet for quite some time. And for quite some time I've been on the hunt for a yummy mac and cheese recipe. In the past we tried some various brands, out of the box. And while it was gluten/dairy free....sadly, it tasted and smelled like tires. No joke.

My husband is currently stationed overseas and I told him that while he was away I WOULD find or make a recipe that was yummy. Our son has Autism, so he's extremely picky when it comes to food, certain textures or smells he just can't do. So receiving two thumbs up was the Ronnie stamp of approval.

That's the face I was hoping to see after he tasted it! 

Ingredients Needed:

Gluten Free Noodles - I used a 12 oz package - will include picture.
1 1/2 Cups of Soy Milk
1 - 8 oz Package of Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds Cheese - you can use cheddar instead if you want.
3 Tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Power
1/4 teaspoon Ground Mustard
1/4 teaspoon Salt - add more if needed.

His noodles, which by the way I picked up at Walmart, are little ducks. Ducks! How cute is that? And he was SO excited about it too!

Ready to Cook?

Cook pasta as instructed on package. I used the entire 12 oz package.  After noodles are done cooking, drain and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, on low heat, melt your 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk garlic powder and ground mustard in with butter. Add your package of cheese and milk. Stir occasionally, cook for about 15 mins. Mix cheese sauce and pasta until well combined.

He had TWO helpings and another bowl for an after bath snack. This is :HUGE: for him! :)

I hope you enjoy as much as we did! :)

Crock Pot Spicy Chicken Broccoli Slaw

I made this a few days ago and I have more cooking in the crock pot as I type this blog entry. It's cold and snowy outside today, so this is the perfect dish for dinner. Super easy to make, super yummy and who doesn't love a good crock pot recipe?

Ingredients Needed:
2 Cans of Mild Diced Tomatoes & Chilies (do NOT drain your juice)
1 Yellow Onion - Chopped (I did big chunks)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (I used frozen)
McCormick Mesquite Seasoning
Less Sodium Soy Sauce (amount used is based on preference, I used about 1 tablespoon)
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance Butter
1 12 oz bag of Broccoli Slaw

Ready?

Chop your onion, I did big chunks. Pour 2 cans of tomatoes & chilies (juice included) in crock pot, top with your chopped onion. Place frozen boneless skinless chicken breast on top. I did not use a specific amount of mesquite seasoning, just enough to cover my chicken. The juice from the tomatoes and chilies makes this :almost: soup like. Not quite a soup, but juicy. Ah yummy. (although I'm sure you could add a can of broth to make this soup)

Cook on high for 4 hours, stir occasionally. After 3 hours I used two forks to start shredding my chicken. Once shredded, add your bag of broccoli slaw, tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of soy sauce. Let cook for remaining hour.

Done. I think this would also taste really good with maybe some corn and black beans added to it. So delish! I hope you enjoy as much as I did! :)

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Are you a lover of mashed potatoes like me? Do you want a healthier and just as tasty alternative? Then you'll LOVE this new recipe! This is super easy to make and so yummy!

Ingredients Needed:

1 Head of Cauliflower - break down to bite size pieces, check out this helpful tutorial if you haven't worked with cauliflower before.
1 bulb of Garlic - peeled
2 Tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

Ready to Cook?

Once you have your cauliflower broke down and garlic peeled, place in steamer basket over boiling water, cover and steam until very tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

 After it's cooked, place in food processor. I used my Ninja Kitchen System Pulse. Add your butter and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to serving bowl.
Serve hot.

I had chicken and corn with my garlic mashed cauliflower, topped with a bit of pepper! Yummy!
Hope you enjoy as much as I did! :)