Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten, dairy, egg, and refined sugar free)

In fact, these cookies have no flour in them at all. Here’s what you can do with the chickpeas you have left over when you use the agua fava (or aquafaba; bean water) in a recipe. These are pretty good although not as chewy as the high calorie version and they can be quite soft. Adding a nut butter, I use tahini since I’m allergic to nuts, gives them a great flavor. I like to freeze them because they taste really good frozen; it adds the chewiness that you get in regular chocolate chip cookies.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with a non-stick spray.

Put in your food processor

12 oz can of garbonzo beans drained
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup nut butter or tahini
2 scoops protein powder (I really like the Garden of Eden Vanilla in this recipe)
1/2 cup chopped dates (Whole Foods has a store brand of chopped dates that are coated in oat flour instead of the traditional sugar)*
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons of baking powder

Blend until the garbonzo beans and dates are pureed into the mixture. I watch until I don’t see any more lumps and then blend it for several more minutes since its not the most pleasant experience to bite into a large chunk of chickpea when eating a cookie!

Stir into mixture 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use Chatfield Carob Chips) [be sure to check the package for allergens such as dairy and sugar]. Drop by tablespoons (or 1/4 cup measure) onto the prepared cookie sheet and then, with the back of a wet spoon, flatten cookies. Bake for approximately 12-18 minutes depending on how large or small you make the cookies. Makes between 10 to 20 cookies depending on size.

*If you don’t like the taste of dates or they have too much sugar content, you can use 1/4 cup of agave, honey, or coconut nectar in this recipe or 1 tablespoon stevia. If you add one of the nectars, be sure to decrease the water to 1/4 cup.

Tip: I’m really bad about flattening cookies; these work as bars just as well so I usually spread the batter in a 9×9 or 8×10 greased pan and increase the baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Potato Salad 2 Ways (dairy-free, egg-free)

German style Potato salad. I like to use the small multi-color potatoes because they make the salad more interesting. And you don’t have to peel them, just cut them into quarters and cook. For this recipe,

Use a half-pound of these potatoes.
While they cook, dice up a couple of stalks of celery and some scallion (I use scallion instead of onion because it adds the flavor of onion but doesn’t give me the digestive issues that raw onions give me).
Cook 2-3 slices of bacon, chopped.
If you don’t have a vinaigrette already made, mix up one of your favorites or use a bottled vinaigrette.
Put about 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette in a medium sized bowl, add the celery and scallion along with the crumbled bacon.
When the potatoes are cooked. drain and put them directly into the mixture. Adding them when they are hot helps the potatoes absorb the dressing.
Salt and pepper to taste.
You can serve this hot but I prefer to let it sit overnight and let the flavors meld. I often leave the bacon bits out until I’m ready to serve this so that they stay crispy.
Makes 2-3 servings.

Traditional Potato Salad.

One of my favorite parts of the potato salad my mother made was the hard boiled eggs. Since I can’t eat eggs any longer, I simply

mix together cooked potatoes (1/2 pound of the small potatoes and perhaps, if I’m feeling like it, a diced small sweet potato),
diced celery and scallions, along with some crumbled bacon. Dressing consists of:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (see my recipe for vegan mayonnaise under dressings)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon of my favorite herb blend (McCormicks or Mrs. Dash)
Salt and pepper to taste.

If you can still eat eggs, by all means add 1-2 diced hard-boiled eggs. This makes 2-3 servings.

Egg-Free Mayonnaise

Its been quite a few years since I was able to use mayonnaise products since I became allergic to eggs. Most mass-produced mayonnaise also includes oils that I can’t have like canola or soybean. About three years ago, I learned about agua fava, the liquid that you drain off the can of beans, like garbanzo or kidney, which can be used as an egg substitute. I resisted this for quite a while since I didn’t relish the idea of using this liquid — really turned me off in fact. Last year, I really wanted some cole slaw and was tired of my vinaigrette version. It tasted like the Cain’s mayonnaise I grew up with! I was thrilled. So, with summer approaching and the time for cooler foods, here’s my recipe for egg-free mayonnaise using agua fava and some salad recipes to go with it. And the great thing about it is that you don’t have to worry about it spoiling like you do egg-based mayos.

Put in a blender:

1/3 cup agua fava
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar (I like the rice vinegar but feel free to use your favorite, or lemon juice if you like)

Start blender on a low setting and begin slowly, and I mean really slowly, drizzling in oil. You’ll add 1 cup of oil total for a thick mayonnaise, or 1 1/4 cup for a thinner dressing. I like to use 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup avocado oil. Makes me feel less guilty using oils that are actually good for us.

Makes a little over 1 cup of mayonnaise. Use in your favorite recipes. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference between this and the mayo you buy.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (dairy-free, gluten-free)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 8×10 pan. To make biscuits blend:

1/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon guar gum

Add and blend using a pastry cutter or fork

1/4 cup softened margarine

Mix in

1/3 to 1/2 cup rice milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk), should be thick and a little sticky but not too dry
1 teaspoon vinegar

Spoon into pan; makes 6 medium sized biscuits. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

To make sausage gravy, fry in a non-stick skillet

1 pound lean turkey sausage (if you use pork sausage, drain off fat before proceeding)

When cooked, add

2 cups of your favorite non-dairy milk (DO NOT USE SOY MILK)

Whisk until smooth

1 tablespoon gluten-free all purpose flour (depending on the milk you use, you might need to use more than 1 tablespoon but no more than 2 TBS should work)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk, except soy

Add to pan; whisk until smooth and thickened; this should only take about 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

Pasta and Cheese (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)

Doesn’t everyone love a good pasta and cheese? For those of us who are allergic or sensitive to dairy this is one comfort food we thought we’d have to give up forever. However, today with all the non-dairy cheeses that are available, making a pasta and cheese dish is quite easy to do. And if you want to lighten it up, substitute cauliflower rice for half the pasta. You could also use chopped broccoli. This one is very creamy and luscious. Here’s how I make it.

You’ll need:

2 cups of non-dairy milk
Ground pepper to taste
12 ounces of cheese (Daiya, Kite Hill, etc.)
8 ounces of pasta
Topping of cheese or gluten-free breadcrumbs mixed with a fat such as olive oil or your favorite margarine

In a 2 qt saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups of your favorite milk (I use Tempt hemp milk; its strong flavor holds up to the cheese). Add 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper and 12 ounces of Daiya Classic Cheese blend or your favorite non-dairy cheese (you want to use grated cheese here). When milk gets hot, reduce heat to low. Stir frequently to blend as the cheese melts.

Heat 4 qts water in a large pot. When its boiling, add 8 oz of your favorite pasta (I used Ancient Grains Supergrain rotini but I often use Lensi Chickpea pasta, or POW) along with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook according to package directions, drain.

Grease a 2 qt casserole pan, add cooked pasta and about two-thirds of your cheese sauce. Stir to mix. I top it with a couple of slices of Daiya Provolone but you could also use a mixture of margarine (or oil) and gluten-free bread crumbs (my husband’s favorite). Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

Turkey Veggie Meatloaf (gluten-free, egg-free)

I’ve always loved meatloaf. After growing up on a dairy farm, it was a shock in my early forties to become allergic to everything from a cow. No more meatloaf! I was devastated. So I’ve developed a recipe for a beef-free meatloaf that will please any meatloaf lover, and even those who don’t like meatloaf.

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees. In your food processor, grind up:

8 oz portabello mushrooms (I like to use either the baby or sliced)
3/4 cup shredded carrots
and 1 medium onion cut in wedges.

Once ground, place in a large mixing bowl. Add

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 lb ground pork (or if you don’t want to use pork, use 2 lbs ground turkey, not breast)
1/2 cup Organicville Ketchup made with agave or 1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon of your favorite herb mixture (i.e., Mrs. Dash or McCormicks)
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon ground flax

Mix (using your hands is the easiest way) until blended. Don’t overblend. Spray an 8×10 or 9×12 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place mixture in pan and shape into a loaf. You can either spread the top with more ketchup or cover with bacon strips. Add a 1/2 cup water to the pan so that the bottom of your meatloaf doesn’t burn. Bake for approximately 1 hour until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Orange Chocolate Chip Donuts (gluten, dairy, and egg-free)

I have a great many food allergies which makes it impossible for me to consume pre-made foods, mixes, etc. Everything I eat, I have to make from scratch. This started about 25 years ago. Since then, I have put together a large library of delicious recipes that are free from many of the most common food allergens such as dairy products, eggs, gluten, sugar, alcohol, nuts, soy or corn. Here is one of my favorites:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baked donut pan (if you don’t have one but you have a pan that makes six small Bundt cakes, that will work as well).*

Mix 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour with 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Sweet Sorghum flour
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon guar gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest from one orange (I really like to use the Cara Cara oranges)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I actually use the Chatfield Carob Chips since I also can’t have chocolate) depending on how many chips you want in your donuts.
1/4 cup granulated fructose or 1 tablespoon stevia powder (you can also use 1/4 cup agave or honey**; if you want a slightly sweeter donut, add 1/3 cup of the fructose).
Mix until blended and make a well in the middle.
Add 2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil), 1 teaspoon vanilla***
2 tablespoons vinegar (I use rice vinegar since its one of the mildest in flavors so your baked good doesn’t taste like vinegar)
the juice from the orange which should measure between 1/3 and 1/2 cup, and
club soda so that you have a total of 1 cup of liquid including the OJ.
Mix until well blended.
Spoon mixture into a piping bag (I don’t go to the trouble of buying piping bags — I use one gallon storage bags and cut off one bottom corner AFTER I fill it).
Pipe mixture into the donut or Bundt cake pan until circles are well filled and bake for 10-12 minutes until donut is springs back when you touch it.

* Another option is to fry: in that case, add only 3/4 cup of liquid to keep the dough from getting sticky so that you can roll it out and cut out the donuts. Or, keep the liquid and drop from a spoon into the fat. Fry them at 375 degrees.

**Add with the wet ingredients.

***I use the alcohol free vanilla found at Trader Joe’s.

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