Dairy- Free Egg-Free Yellow Squash Muffins (repost)

I thought I'd repost this recipe as we've got a plethora of yellow squash about to come in and I figure you probably do to! :)
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This recipe is featured on Allergy Sense and


I found the original hand-written recipe on a piece of notebook paper in a cookbook that I purchased at a yard sale. Because Witt is allergic to eggs, I substituted 1/4 c applesauce for each egg and they turned out great! (and without apple flavor)

(For a healthier version of these muffins, click here.)



2 lb Yellow Squash (about 8)
1/2 c Applesauce
1 c melted DF Margarine
1 c White Sugar
3 c AP Flour
1 Tbs + 2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Boil squash until tender. Drain. Return to pot and mash.

Measure 2 cups of squash into another bowl. Add applesauce and margarine. Mix. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Fill ungreased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 350 until lightly golden brown; about 15 - 20 minutes.

Kale Chips

I started making these at the end of last summer. In fact, I think it was the first time I had ever tried kale. I HAD BEEN MISSING OUT!!! Oh wow... kale ranks high on my favorite greens list. :)

I started out with this recipe at We Like It Raw and also enjoyed this vlog at Making Love in the Kitchen. There are also recipes that add other flavors, like these "cheesy" ones I still want to try. :)


Ingredients

kale
olive oil
lemon
sea salt (I use Celtic)
honey


Wash and dry the kale. I don't like the stems in mine (they are really hard to chew and take away from the crispiness of the leaf in my opinion), so I tear the leaves into large pieces and compost the stem. However, another option is to leave the stem and just eat around them. Leaving the stem in seems to help the leaf not stick so badly to the tray. That honey can be a pain sometimes! LOL!


I massage in each ingredient one at a time to make sure each leaf is covered. After massaging in the ingredients, you should be able to notice that the kale has reduced in size. If not, you need to massage some more. :)

Now, take a bite of it. If you enjoy the kale now, you'll really like it with the crispiness. Add more of whatever twang you want: sweet, sour, or lemon. You get them all in this recipe! :)

I've made these in the dehydrator and the oven. I don't really have a preference as to which does a better job, so I'll just tell you how I've done it and let you choose.

Option 1: Dehydrate. My dehydrator doesn't have a temperature control. I opened the vent all the way and turn it on. If memory served me correctly, they were done in 6 - 8 hours.

Option 2: Oven. The lowest temp on my oven is 170. I generally preheat my oven to this and stick the kale in for about 30 min - 1 hour. Then I turn off the heat and turn my oven light on. Let them sit over night. By morning there should be a gentle crispiness to them. Turn them over and let them sit longer for more crisp or eat for breakfast. :)

Option 2: Oven. You can also toast them for a quick treat, but you're gonna have to watch them. Heat to 350 for 10 - 15 minutes. (This would not be a raw version, btw.)


Enjoy!! I don't know how long these last as I usually end up eating the whole batch in a day. The kids don't really care for them, but I LOVE THEM!!! So they are MINE... ALL MINE!!!! :)

Green Bean Casserole

I created this recipe because I was tired of not having any "popular" potluck items to bring to family functions.  Everyone loves green bean casserole, however, it is hard to find a recipe that doesn't call for some type of creamy soup.  I brought this to a family get-together a few years ago and everyone loved it.  In fact, they asked me to bring it back the next year.  No more cream of mushroom casseroles!!

Ingredients:

• 2 c. wild rice
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 t. rosemary
• 1 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1 lb. steamed green beans
• Wheat germ

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cook rice in broth until done.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Top with a layer of wheat germ.  Place in a casserole dish and bake until the wheat germ is toasty (approximately 30 minutes).

To make into a main dish add 2 cups of diced chicken to the casserole before baking.

*Healthier* Yellow Squash Muffins

I'm still working toward converting my recipes to healthier ingredients (ie more whole wheat flour, less refined sugar, less trans-fat margarine, etc.) I'm sure this recipe would taste just fine with all whole wheat flour, but for now I'm happy with the progress to half WW and half AP. For my original version with "normal" ingredients, click here.

2 lbs. yellow squash (about 8)
1/2 c applesauce (unsweetened)
3/4 c coconut oil
1 c sucanat
1 1/2 c AP unbleached flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 Tbs + 2 tsp baking powder (non-aluminum)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Boil squash until tender. Drain well. Return to pot and mash.

Measure 2 cups mashed squash into a large bowl. Add applesauce and coconut oil. Mix. (Much of the coconut oil will melt from the heat of the squash.)

Mix remaining ingredients in another bowl. Then mix both the dry ingredients and the squash mixture together.

Fill non-greased muffin cups 3/4 c full. Bake 350 until lightly golden brown, about 18-23 minutes.


Note: The coconut flavor will increase as the muffins sit, so if they happen to last a few days, you may begin to notice more hints of coconut.

Fried Zucchini

I love this recipe because the batter doesn't require egg or milk. Allowing the dry ingredients to settle into the sliced zucchini is the key to a good "batter". The lard not only adds flavor, but some vitamin D, too!


2 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika)
2 tsp nutritional yeast
3/4 - 1 cup lard for frying (of course you could also use vegetable oil if you prefer)

Place zucchini in a medium sized bowl. Mix all dry ingredients together in another bowl and then pour over the zucchini. Toss zucchini to cover well with dry ingredients. Let sit for 30 minutes to allow the dry mixture to "cling" to the zucchini slices.

In a large skillet, heat lard over medium heat. When hot, add slices in a single layer. Cook 3 - 5 minutes on each side to brown evenly.

Sorry... no picture. They were gone too quickly. {big grin}

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

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This month's Daring Baker's Challenge was a bit of a stretch for me. The original flourless cake recipe they gave us had 5 eggs in it! I almost opted out, until a recipe link was posted for a flourless chocolate cake that used black eyed peas and tofu!


I used her recipe, and received similar results... an extremely moist cake with a sunken middle.


Granted this isn't a recipe I would normally choose and probably won't make again, but it was a challenge and I worked with some ingredients I wouldn't normally pair together. As for taste, I could certainly taste the black eyed peas and although I do like BEP's, I'd rather have them as a side dish than a dessert. :)

Now, my BEP-loving son (who will drink the BEP juice!) enjoyed the crusty outside of the cake; he didn't like the moist inside.

As a secondary part of the challenge, we were to pair it with homemade whipped topping, ice cream, or a fruit puree. I chose a berry fruit sorbet... YUM!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

I have tried many ways of cooking these and finally decided on one I like... crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and oh so yummy! :)

Ingredients

sweet potatoes (scrubbed or peeled)
coconut oil, melted
salt
pepper


Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges about 2 -3 inches long. Place on a cookie sheet.

You'll need just enough melted coconut oil to coat the potatoes. Pour the coconut oil over the potatoes and toss to coat. Generously salt & pepper; toss again.

Arrange wedges on the cookie sheet so that they are not touching and that one of the cut edges is face down.

Bake until cut side of the sweet potatoes touching the baking sheet is crusty and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and carefully turn sweet potatoes with a thin metal spatula. Bake until the second cut side of the wedge now touching the pan is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Use the metal spatula to transfer the sweet potatoes to a platter and serve the oven-fried potatoes immediately.

adapted from Perfect Vegetables

Frizzled Cabbage

Taken directly from here with only adjusting to dairy free margarine. Very simple and tasty!


1/4 medium green cabbage
2 tablespoons dairy free margarine (or more if you are feeling decadent)
salt and pepper

Core and very thinly slice the cabbage. Melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is bubbling, add the cabbage. Salt and pepper the cabbage. Stir occasionally and cook until mostly wilted, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let cook, stirring frequently, until cabbage is starting to caramelize (brown), about 10 minutes. Do not let burn. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve immediately.

Okra and Tomatoes

I borrowed this recipe from Recipezaar.com

Oh, this was so good. (But I'm sure you have to like okra and tomatoes to begin with... LOL!)

8 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 (16 ounce) bags frozen cut okra (or 2lb. fresh okra, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
salt and pepper

Original instructions:

1. Fry bacon in a large skillet that can be covered, until crisp. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Saute onion in bacon drippings until tender. Add okra and tomatoes, stir to blend. Cover, reduce to low heat. Cook for about an hour, or until okra is tender, stirring occasionally. Do not stir too much or too briskly, because the okra will fall apart. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. **Note: Nanny diced the bacon and fried it and the onion together. My family doesn't like the bacon cooked into it because the bacon becomes soft. If you do it my way, you can sprinkle the bacon on right before serving.

I diced the bacon and fried it with the onion together leaving large chunks of soft bacon mixed in with the okra and tomatoes. I thought it was great and the bowl was empty at the end of our get-together.

Non-Refried Refried Beans

I just made some refried beans that were excellent! Unfortunately, I didn't keep track of how much of anything I put in it. As a reminder to myself, here's what I did:

INGREDIENTS
Pinto Beans
Water
Bacon
Cumin
Garlic, minced
salt


Soaked dried pinto beans 1 hour. Drained.

Put pinto beans, water, salt, and some cut up raw bacon in the crockpot. Cook on LOW about 8 hours. Add cumin and garlic to taste (and more salt if needed). Cook on HIGH 1 hour.

Drain beans, reserving liquid. Mash beans and bacon with potato masher. Add liquid back into the mashed beans until desired consistency is reached.

Dairy-Free Egg-Free Okra Patties

I don't fry much at all, but these are really good and this time of year we have lots of okra!

Original recipe from allrecipes.com

• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 pound okra, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• Ener-G egg replacer prepared for 1 egg
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cornmeal

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the okra, onion, salt, pepper, water and egg replacer. Combine the flour, baking powder and cornmeal; and stir that into the okra mixture.
3. Carefully drop spoonfuls of the okra batter into the hot oil, and fry on each side until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.

Dairy-Free Egg-Free Yellow Squash Muffins

(This recipe is featured on Allergy Sense)

I found the original hand-written recipe on a piece of notebook paper in a cookbook that I purchased at a yard sale. Because Witt is allergic to eggs, I substituted 1/4 c applesauce for each egg and they turned out great! (without apple flavor)

(For a healthier version of these muffins, click here.)



2 lb Yellow Squash (about 8)
1/2 c Applesauce
1 c melted DF Margarine
1 c White Sugar
3 c AP Flour
1 Tbs + 2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Boil squash until tender. Drain. Return to pot and mash.

Measure 2 cups of squash into another bowl. Add applesauce and margarine. Mix. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Fill ungreased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 350 until lightly golden brown; about 15 - 20 minutes.

Green Smoothies

There's no "real" recipe for these, it's just a hodgepodge of veggies and fruits. However, I have learned that I like the veggies to be liquefied, so I generally add them first with about 2 - 4 cups of water and blend. Then I add my fruits and other ingredients. Blend again. (I love the liquefy button!) I like to drink mine with a straw especially when I'm adding more greens and removing some fruit.

Here are the foods I've used in my green smoothies (not all at the same time... different combinations each day):

Veggies
Spinach
Kale
Mustard Greens (don't like)
Collard Greens
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Snow peas
Snap peas
carrots
avocado

Fruits (fresh or frozen)
apples
pears
bananas
peaches
pineapple
mango
kiwi
strawberries
oranges
blueberries
raspberries/blackberries (don't like because the seeds never really go away)

Other
Milled Flax Seed
Wheat germ (very little... I don't like the taste)
Hemp seed
Stevia
Frozen orange concentrate
Vanilla
Cinnamon (just a little... too much will numb your tongue... trust me.)
Vanilla Soy/Rice Milk


Basically anything will do. Fruits and veggies don't have a chance to go bad around here anymore!

I haven't tried a savory green smoothie yet (garlic, onion, other veggies, no fruit).
Have you?

Dairy Free Faux-Tatoes

Ok, if you like cauliflower... this is an AWESOME dish!!!

1 head of cauliflower (I used just the florets)
3 Tbsp Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp dairy-free margarine
splash of plain soy milk
salt
pepper
(you might also like to add: garlic, onions, chives, etc.)


Place about an inch of water and the florets in a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until cauliflower is tender (easily mashed with a fork), stirring occasionally.

Drain. Transfer back to saucepan. Mash florets. (Like for mashed potatoes, but the constancy will be lumpier).

Place saucepan with mashed florets on the stove eye while off, but still warm. Stir in cream cheese, margarine, and soy milk until mixed throughout.

My mom says: "DEE-LICIOUS!" and I concur. :)

Aunt Glenda's Sweet Potato Casserole (Dairy Free)

2 big sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 box light brown sugar
1/2 cup dairy free margarine (softened)
1/2 cup flour
chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel, slice, and boil potatoes until soft. Mix potatoes with eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.

Combine all topping ingredients in a separate bowl using a fork to mix until crumbly. Pour on top of potatoes.

Bake 45 minutes - 1 hour watching for even spreading of topping.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
SUBMITTED BY: SHELLERY at www.allrecipes.com

The original recipe calls for grated Parmesan cheese, but I think it is great without it. Here is my dairy free version:

2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Place the olive oil and garlic in a small casserole dish. Add cauliflower and mix. [ Important: The dish needs to be small enough so that the cauliflower covers the entire bottom with no "blank spaces" or the garlic will burn to the dish and you'll have a lot of scrubbing to do later.]

Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.


(The garlic does burn a little, but I think it tastes great that way!)

Dairy Free Spinach Salad with Dressing

I believe I got this recipe from a Taste of Home magazine. I don't know which issue, though. Sorry.

8 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
4 green onions
1/2 jar Real Bacon (or you can make your own bacon pieces)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
3 hard-cooked eggs cut into wedges


Combine spinach, mushrooms, and onions in salad bow. Heat lemon juice, water, mustard, and pepper until heated through. Add bacon to heated mixture, pour over salad immediately. Toss salad. Top with eggs.

Dairy-free Sheppard's Pie

1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 c dairy-free cream of mushroom soup
Dairy-free mashed potatoes
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained

In a 9x12 casserole dish, mix the cooked ground beef and dairy-free mushroom soup. Top with mashed potatoes and then top with corn. Heat 350 for about 25 minutes until warm throughout.

Corn doesn't agree with Jeff, so I usually serve the corn and other veggies on the side.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

5 - 8 medium baking potatoes
1/2 stick dairy-free margarine
salt and pepper to taste
plain soy milk

Boil salted water in a medium to large pot. Peel potatoes and slice into chunks. Boil potatoes until tender (about 20 minutes or so). When potatoes are tender (can be broken easily with a fork) drain potatoes. Mix boiled potatoes with 1/2 stick of dairy-free margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Add plain soy milk slowly after margarine has melted into potatoes. Add more plain soy milk until potatoes are fluffy the way you like them.