Non-Dairy Premade Chocolate Syrup - AH!LASKA

So creamy and good!

This non-dairy chocolate syrup tastes great over our raw, vegan (non) ice cream as a special treat.

We found it at our local health food store.

Dairy Free

Gluten Free

Kosher

Natural or Organic Ingredients

Vegan

Wheat Free

Click here to visit the website for Ah Laska

Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Premade Cookies - Lucy's

A yummy find...

My son and I have many food allergies but were thrilled to find cookies that actually taste good and that fit within our dietary guidelines.

This company has other flavors but these are our favorites.

Wonderful dunked in rice milk...

Give them a try!

Vegan Caesar Dressing - Recipe

We visit a veg cafe (Native Foods in Palm Desert, CA) while visiting my parents and one time they had this recipe in their newsletter menu.

We tried it and LOVED it!!

Thought I would pass it along.

Click here to visit the Native Foods website

Let me know what you think...

Enjoy!

Righteously Raw Chololate Bars

I choose not to partake in conventional dessert...loaded with fat, dairy, refined sugars, bad oils, etc...but I do enjoy raw, live treats, made with real food.

A raw foods chef and teacher (Kristen Suzanne) turned me on to these beautiful raw chocolate bars and I wanted to pass along the gift.

I tried the Righteously Raw Caramel...which I LOVED

and the Righteously Raw Maca...which I really liked

I found them at Whole Foods and a local natural foods market while visiting my parents in Palm Desert, CA.

I visited their website and was really inspired by their mission and story. Check it out...

Enjoy!

http://www.earthsourceorganics.com/index.php

Juice Recipe - Valentine's Fruit Punch

A happy accident...

Last Valentine's Day Steve whipped up this random juice.

We simply used what felt good and what we had in the fridge.

The result tasted like sweet fruit punch and was very pretty.

The perfect color for Valentine's Day.

This recipe makes a lot...

about 4 large glasses to share!

Valentine's Fruit Punch

1-2 heads of romaine lettuce

1 lemon

3 red beets

5 or 6 apples

1 pear

1 inch of ginger

half a cabbage (we used napa)

half a cantaloupe

wash well and then run all through a juicer...

Pour and enjoy!

Let me know what you think.

Sun Butter Cups - Recipe

OMG!

These were so good!

I waited to post this recipe until I had made it a few times...

thinking it was a fluke that they tasted so good.

No way could these be "safe" for us.

They were actually better each time!

This is our altered recipe, due to our food allergies.

Try it...see what you think.

They are super easy and can be ready for a party or special event in a short amount of time.

We have plans to try different fillings...

Raw caramel? Mint? Berries?

Sun Butter Cups

This recipe looks long but it is so easy!

Once you do it once you might not even need to look at this again.

1 to 1 1/2 cups of sunflower seed butter

1/3 cup organic powdered sugar

2 to 2 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

10-14 paper or tin muffin cups

Melt about 1 1/4 cups of the vegan chocolate chips...90 seconds - 2 minutes on half power in the microwave or use a pot on the stove top. Stir. Be sure not to burn the chocolate.

Using the back of a spoon, press a thin layer of chocolate into the muffin cups... along the bottom and into the groves of the sides, stopping about half way up. If you want taller cups bring the chocolate higher up the sides. We preferred a thinner layer of chocolate to a thick one.

Don't expect them to be "perfect"...have fun, get messy.

They will taste good and some of the rouge chocolate will break away later, when you remove the muffin cups.

I placed my muffin cups on a cookie sheet or platter for easy transport in and out of the freezer or fridge.

Place the chocolate muffin cups into the freezer or fridge to harden.

In a bowl mix the sunflower seed butter and salt.

Fold in the the powdered sugar, breaking up the clumps as you go.

Make sure the chocolate cups have hardened. If they have, move on to the next step...

Warm the sun butter filling in a pot on the stove or in the microwave for about a minute. Let the filling sit for a minute.

Spoon the sun butter filling into the hardened chocolate cups, leaving room for the top layer of chocolate.

Place the filled cups back into the freezer or fridge while you prepare the rest of the melted chocolate.

Repeat what you did in step 1...melting the remaining chocolate.

Spoon the melted chocolate over the filled cups, gently working the melted chocolate into all edges.

Place the completed cups back in the freezer or fridge and wait (if you can) for them to set and harden.

Once set, peel the muffin cups off and enjoy!

After, I stored mine in the refrigerator and they kept for several days.

We couldn't tell for exactly how long because everyone ate them!

Spreading the Word!

New calling cards are on the way...Yea!

I am so excited to be able to share what we have learned.

Posting on a blog will be much easier than responding to individual recipe requests via email!

Having everything in one place where people can visit, at their convenience, is a wonderful thing.

My wish is that this blog helps others to not feel so helpless when it comes to food issues.

I also hope that we enable people to feel empowered and grateful for the abundance they have.

Semi Raw Vegan Homemade Brownies

Treats we make to share with friends...

no wheat, no eggs, no dairy, no peanuts.

They always get a big "thumbs up"!

I think this is a great recipe to start out with...

tastes amazing and begins introducing you to the wonderful world of "raw foods".

I can't remember which books

some of this came out of..

so I apologize that I can't give an accurate reference.

Vegan Black and White Brownies:

* 2 cups pecans (or any nuts you like)

* 2 cups dates pitted and soaked in water for 5-10 min.

* 2/3 cup raw cacao powder (available at Whole Foods or health foods stores)

* 2 tsp vanilla extract

* pinch of sea salt

Blend dates in a food processor or high speed blender till a paste.

Separately grind nuts in a blender or chopper. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with your hands and press in a glass pan. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to set up.

When set, cut into squares, remove from pan and place on a platter, top with the frosting below and drizzle with the chocolate syrup below.

The chocolate syrup turns into a shell when refrigerated! yum

Frosting:

“Pamela’s Products” Vanilla Frosting Mix (available at natural food stores or Whole Foods)

I use Earth Balance in place of the butter to eliminate the dairy.

Just follow the package directions.

Chocolate Sauce:

½ cup Raw Cacao Powder (available at Whole Foods or health foods stores)

¼ cup Coconut Oil

¼ cup Agave syrup

mix by hand in a small bowl till smooth

* great on any dessert!

* Note: I did non create these individual recipes

but I did combine them to make these yummy treats.

Food Safe Allergy Testing - Finding Hidden Food Allergies

So this is what I received last year,

telling me that I was mildly allergic to most of the foods I ate on a regular basis.

Good news, because my symptoms finally had an explanation.

Bad news, because I was going to have to completely change the way I eat, think, plan, cook, etc...

It has been interesting, to say the least...

and a bit of a blessing too.

You can have this test done through your doctor

or by contacting the company directly.

They send you a kit and you send back a blood sample. Very simple.

If you think you might be sensitive to certain foods,

or if you have unexplained symptoms,

you might want to see if it's what you are eating.

From what I have learned, there are over 200 possible symptoms that stem from this kind of delayed food allergy. Way too many to piece together on your own without doing an elimination diet.

This was a gift...not to think I was going crazy, or imagining my symptoms.

Knowing that it wasn't something that was going to be solved with more prescription meds and creams.

I had to be proactive...I had to keep asking questions, search for a doctor that understood a more natural approach, read, etc...

It was totally worth it!

Let me know what you find.

Building a Blog

I am very busy organizing information, taking pictures and compiling tips and products to share. I have learned a lot over the past 8 years or so and it really brings me joy to pass that information on.

There are so many options for healthier versions of favorite foods and small daily choices add up to significant change.

Be back soon,
Pam

Welcome

As a labor of love, I created this blog to help others move easily along the path of food choices, based on dietary restrictions...due to medical needs or personal choice.

A little over a year ago, my then 9 year old son and I were both diagnosed with multiple delayed reaction food allergies, and while not life threatening at this moment, they have caused us to alter our lifestyle and food choices dramatically.

Everything is different.

Traveling, parties, events, celebrations, picnics, school lunches, snacks...everything.

In our case, it has been, for the most part, a blessing in disguise. It has caused us to look at our eating patterns and change our bad habits. It has also filtered into the rest of our family and beyond.

I hope to share our discoveries and knowledge in an effort to help others in our situation.

It's not the end of the world...and we are not alone!

Till next time...
Pam

Coming Soon!

Resources and information to help you navigate through the confusing and sometimes frustrating world of food!

Stay tuned...