A couple of days ago, I made pine nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free pesto. I used walnuts, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, basil from our garden, and dairy-free parmesan cheese. In order to keep our pesto from going bad, we freeze it in ice cubes trays.
This recipe is a great way to use the pesto.. The recipe is adapted from Cooking Light.

One more thing. I accidentally put a 1/4 cup of butter instead of 2 tablespoons. Woops. It still tasted very yummy, though, so if you want, you can add more butter to your dish.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta-
1 3/4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
16 oz gluten-free pasta
2 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 c rice milk
3 T almond all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 c pesto
3/4 c half-and-half (I melted some butter into dairy-free milk as a substitute)
2 c shredded Parmesan cheese (goats milk, if you can have it)
4 c halved grape tomatoes (optional - I didn't use any)
chopped basil


Spray and heat a grill (we used a George Forman grill) to medium high heat. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper over chicken. Place the chicken on the grill for about ten minutes (turn after six minutes). Remove and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into 1/2 in. cubes and keep warm. While the chicken is grilling, cook the pasta. Drain in a colander, but reserve 1/4 c of the liquid in the pot. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute while stirring. Whisk 1/2 c milk and the flour in a separate bowl. Add mixture to the pan while stirring constantly. Stir in the pesto and slowly add the remaining milk and half-and-half (or half-and-half substitute). Stir constantly with a whisk. Cook for about 8 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add the reserved water, remaining salt, remaining pepper, and 1 c cheese. Stir until the Parmesan cheese melts. Add the chicken to the pasta, and toss all together in a bowl. Garnish with tomatoes, basil, and 1 c of cheese.

The year has gone by so fast that I find it hard to believe it is fall.  Only two things remind me that no one is playing a mean trick on me.  The first would be the hours of shopping and preparation that have gone and are going into the costumes I am making this year.  I decided to be in charge of five people's costumes (I love doing group costumes).  I am swearing that this is the last year I will make and wear a costume, but I am pretty sure I will forget my promise the moment the work is done and the costume is put together.

The second reminder that it really is October is my deep desire to stay inside and bake.  Especially fall-ish foods.  Like caramel popcorn.  I made it the first excuse I had.  I would have felt sorry for Katie not being able to eat it (how can you make corn-free caramel popcorn?), but then she spilled my story about spicy food and my ears.  No matter how many years pass, I think my family will enjoy telling that story and teasing me about it.  Despite the fact that three of my siblings (including Katie) were doing it with me, I get blamed because I am the one who gets "hurt".  People look at me like I'm from another planet when I tell that story, so I prefer to keep it to myself.  Thank you, dear sister, for telling the world.

Anyway, back to autumn and caramel popcorn.  My mom has an old cookbook put together by a church she went to a long time ago.  The recipe is from there, and luckily I only had to change the butter to dairy-free margarine to make it so that I could eat it.  I fed it exclusively to people without food allergies, and they loved it.  Note:  This recipe is great for a party because it makes so much.  You may want to scale it down if baking only for personal enjoyment.


Caramel Popcorn

12 qts. freshly popped popcorn (make sure no kernels are left with the popcorn)
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. dairy-free margarine
1 c. corn syrup
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 c. peanuts (optional)

In 6 qt. saucepan, mix sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt.  Stir over medium heat until boiling.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda.  Put half of popcorn in large container (I use a roaster - you can also use a canner).  Mix in half of caramel mixture and half of peanuts (if using).  Pour in rest of popcorn and top with remaining caramel and peanuts.  Mix all together.  Stirring every 15 min., bake in oven at 250 degrees for 1 hr.  Make sure to scrape bottom of the pan when stirring.  Spread on cookie sheets (or paper towels) to cool.  Break apart clumps and store in airtight container.

Any of you dairy-free peoples out there remember what milk tastes like?  I think I do, but sometimes I wonder if I would even like it anymore.  There are many options for dairy-free milk (which I do believe is somewhat of an oxymoron).  In our house we have different uses for rice milk, coconut milk, almond milk, etc.  I prefer using unsweetened coconut milk for breakfasts, but Katie likes vanilla almond milk better (which is the best to drink straight up - I will giver her that).  We compromised with unsweetened almond milk.

I was at the store the other day picking up organic milk for the family for whom I work.  The particular store I was in lumps all their milks together.  One long row of every normal, organic, and dairy-free milk.  I quickly scanned the aisle as I looked for organic whole milk.  Gross-looking chocolate milk, rice milk, soymilk...

 *GASP*


Could you hear that?  You probably thought I was an idiot, but right then I didn't care.  Dark chocolate whoops any other chocolate's butt.  Put it in almond milk?  Hmmm... I think my sister and I finally found a "milk" we can agree upon.

Note:   I found out later that it was as amazing as it looked.  Unfortunately, my mom and brother thought it was good, too.  We'll definitely be getting some more.

We have been making this salad for a while, but this time we made it was the first time I actually liked it. My old, picky self turned my little nose up to it when Mom would make it. However, I bravely tried it again and....LOVED IT!!! It was so difficult to resist the temptation to pick at this delicious dish! Thanks to smittenkitchen.com for this absolutely amazing salad!





Mediterranean Pepper Salad:
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. cold water
1/ T. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 red onion (less if using a big onion)
3 bell peppers red, orange, or yellow (we used one of each)
1 kirby cucumber
1/4 lb. firm sheep's milk feta cheese
1/4 to 1/2 c. pitted kalmata olives
1 c. grape tomatoes
1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Stir together the red wine vinegar, water, kosher salt, and sugar in a small bowl until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Dice the red onion into 1/2 in. cubes. Add it to the vinegar mixture and set aside.
Core and seed the bell peppers, and chop them into 1/2 in. pieces. Cut the cucumber and feta into similarly-sized chunks. Put the peppers, cucumber, feta, olives, and grape tomatoes into a large bowl.
By now, the onions will have lightly pickled. Drain them (but don't throw out the vinegar mixture) and add to the other vegetables in the large bowl. Pour a quarter cup of the vinegar mixture over the salad, then drizzle with olive oil. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, or to taste. Toss evenly. Serve immediately, or let the flavors muddle together in the fridge for a couple of hours.

I swear that my mother's motto is "eat it all together and it will taste good."  Seriously. I distinctly remember a time when I was sitting at the table by myself. On my plate was a macaroni-beef-kidney bean-thingy-meal, and I HAD to eat it. (Its probably not as disgusting as I imagined it to be.) Guess what she told me?

When I told Mom about it, she laughed and put her hands in the air. "Hey, its true!" Oh goodness, I love my mother. If not for her, I would probably hate everything but ketchup and sweets.

Here is a recipe we've had for a while. We changed it to be allergy friendly. It is adapted from Cooking Light.







Penne with Corn, Roasted Poblanos, Avocados,
and Tomato

2 poblano peppers

2 red bell peppers

2 shucked corn (can be left out)

2 T fresh lime juice

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 garlic clove, minced

4 c hot cooked gluten free penne (this is about 8 oz uncooked pasta)

1 to 2 c halved grape tomatoes (depends on how much you like tomatoes)

1 c finely chopped onion

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

1 chopped peeled avocado

3/4 c (3 0z) sheep's milk feta



Preheat broiler. Cut the poblanos and pepper in half lengthwise, discarding the seeds and membranes. Set the halves with their skin sides up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Flatten them with your hand. Place the corn on the baking sheet. Broil in the oven for about 18 minutes or until the peppers are blackened and the corn is slightly brownish. Make sure you turn the corn occasionally in the oven. Place the peppers in a Ziploc plastic bag and seal. Set aside for 10 minutes. Peel the peppers and coarsely chop them up. Shave the kernels from the ears of corn.

Combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin, and garlic in a large bowl; stir. Add peppers, corn, pasta, and all of the remaining ingredients except for the feta. Toss. Garnish with the feta.

This dish makes 8 servings (serving size is 1 c pasta)



We're not done! This pasta can be served with a little chopped roasted chicken breast (toss to make it an entree), or you can add some grilled fish like we did. Oh gosh, this fish was divine. I could eat fish EVERY single day of my life! Here's the recipe:



Fresh Lime Tilapia Fillets:

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 tsp olive oil

2-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 c water

3 T fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil



Coat the tilapia fillets with the first three ingredients and coat with cooking spray. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic, thinly sliced. Stir in water, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Simmer for one minute and set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Cook the tilapia for two minutes on each side. Spoon the lime mixture over the fish and cook until done.

Also great in a salad or by itself.

Recipes have obviously changed a lot at our house.  Out with the frozen pizzas and mac and cheese, and in with random vegetables and quinoa.  Now, we do have pizza sometimes to please the boys and ease the whining, but I think we are finally winning them over.  We have had an excess of eggplant from our garden these past few weeks.  This time around we made eggplant parmesan.  My not-so-little brother came into the kitchen after we had made it and exclaimed, "Eggplant!  You made eggplant?  I LOVE eggplant."  I about died of shock and pleasure.

The recipe is adapted from the All You magazine (Feb. 2005).  My mom made an eggplant parmesan full of breading and normal cheese, and everyone thought the one I had made for Katie and I tasted better.  Supposedly now is the season for eggplant (our garden proves that), so go find some!

Eggplant Parmesan:

1 (1.5 lb.) eggplant
1 1/2 c.sheep's milk parmesan cheese (or vegan substitute)
1 3/4c. shredded Daiya mozzerella
2 c. spaghetti sauce
1 box cooked gluten-free spaghetti


Preheat oven to 375°. Peel eggplant, if desired, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a lightly greased 11-by-7-inch baking dish that's 1 1/2 inches deep. Layer 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese over eggplant, followed by 3/4 cup mozzarella and half of the spaghetti sauce. Repeat.

Cover dish and bake for 40 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Uncover, top with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan, and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.  Serve over spaghetti.

(Sorry about the bad photo.  The lighting wasn't great, plus I was shaking because I wasn't feeling well.  I finally gave up on the photo and ate the plate of parmesan.)