Tuesday, August 31, 2010
All over the place...
I don't think mother nature got my memo from yesterday...it was HOT on our walk today. Hello lady, I am ready for fall! Apparently Em is too with all her list of fall goodies she can't wait for.  Me too Em!

I ran out the door this afternoon to get to the bank and go to he store since the illustrator had a phone interview about a book he drew that is coming out in September. I figured that was the perfect time to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. It took me forever at the store because I was reading the labels of -get this-...dishwashing detergent. I know exciting right?! Oh well, everyday can't be that exciting. My dishes don't seem to be getting as clean as I would like them, so I am trying a new brand. We shall see. I know you are all on the edge of your seats! You will have to be patient...I will let you know tomorrow.

Last night was leftover night! Well, making leftovers something else. Oh, so get this, I dropped Max off at home after I picked him up from school yesterday and I headed over to get Jay. Don't get freaked out, Tony was home working (did I mention Tony's butt is starting to glue to his chair - thank goodness for morning walks). I was in the pick up line for Jay and I got a phone call. It was Max wanting to know where the mezzaluna was. Keep in mind, Tony is home and Max has called me and got to work in the kitchen on some dinner for himself. I know where this is going...he wants these...


gluten free mini corn dog muffins! I was impressed that he was starting his own dinner, but a little freaked out since he was using a knife. Luckily, it is a double sided knife so both hands have to be on it for it to work. He waited for me to get home (thank goodness), but I knew what was on the menu for him!


He tossed in the brussels sprouts (his doing, not mine) so I was happy to help out his craving. We all know that you can't fight a craving! In other news, he also rotated laundry by himself for the first time. Back off ladies, he is mine for 9 more years!


For me, I was all about the peas and carrots (and rice and chickpea patties)!


All dressed up (with cheater spicy mustard) and going straight to my belly! Perfect combo if I do say so myself!

It was a night of revelations when it comes to the boys. Max is extremely independent, while Jay would be more than happy for you to take care of him.

Oh and don't worry, I won't forget to tell you how that dishwashing detergent works!

Oh one more thing...Tony = the illustrator (I was being lazy).

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:59 PM   14 comments
Monday, August 30, 2010
Peas and Carrots!
I am not gonna lie, I got a little giddy this morning when we went on our morning walk today when I got chill bumps from the chill in the air. Come on fall! My workout felt so good this morning. I got up on time at 5:50am, got going with some boot camp, then muscle toning (where I focused on my inner thighs and shoulders - weird, but felt good), got the boys out the door, ate some apple cinnamon oats and then off we went for our walk around the park. Yep that about covers it. Not too bad...


I made a big Sunday dinner last night. Not that I don't cook every night, but last night was a treat...there was roasting, baking and sauteing involved. I know I have talked about it before, but we are really working on lowering our food budget and eating a little more earth friendly, so when meat is involved it is a "treat" for the boys. They are actually really good with this plan. Thank goodness!


In fact, we are making a lot of food compromises lately. You see, I am not a huge fan of rice. However, I like brown rice. So, the illustrator and I have been talking a lot about how we eat and how to incorporate more of our (our meaning everyone's) favorites and how to improve things so we all like what we are eating.


I also feel it's important for our meals to have the same basic components. I thought the brussels sprouts were going to be the best part of dinner last night, but really the whole thing made us ALL happy!


The menu last night was oven roasted chicken (boys), chickpea patties (me), sauteed brussels sprouts and "not" chick'n flavored rice with peas and carrots. YUM!


Have you tried the Not-Chick'n broth yet? Oh my gosh, it is the best I have ever tasted before! The illustrator will back me on this too! Every time we run out of it, he tells me it needs to be a new staple. The man is all about his staples. We LOVE it!

The other part that made the rice so good...frozen peas and carrots! Jay meet vegetables...vegetables meet Jay. This morning, he actually told me that it was the best chicken flavored rice he ever had. I realize he is 12, but I will take that. I was afraid the peas and carrots would get mushy, but I added them in the last 20 minutes to the top of the rice so they essentially steamed and they were perfect!

Oh and just for HEAB...the boys' brussel sprouts were sauteed with rendered bacon fat.  Mine were sauteed with delicious coconut butter!

I am off to enjoy the leftovers!

Does it feel like fall where you are?

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:24 PM   15 comments
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Feeling Lucky
I want to start with thanking everyone for saying such nice things about Max's day! It was definitely a memory maker day!

On another note...my poor husband has worked 26 days straight and he still has 15 days to go. He is really my hero. I feel so lucky to have him! I will stop gushing about the illustrator, cause I really could go on for hours about how good he is and how much I appreciate everything he does for us. Thanks babe for all you do!

Luckily we were able to get out of the house for about 3 hours yesterday to have lunch with some of our friends. The boys "needed" wings so we went to a wings place. I brought contraband (hummus & some veggies) so I could eat with them.  I stole some of their celery along with my friend's celery for my dipping pleasure. Honestly, calling what I took hummus is kind of a stretch...I took some chickpeas and mashed them up with salt, pepper and hot sauce.  It was really good and super quick. The company was great, but we unfortunately had to come home so the man could work more. This is not an always thing, he just has a super tight deadline going right now.


The weather is getting cooler now, so we actually took our walk around 11:30am. It worked out well because even though we did not sleep so well last night, we laid in bed a little longer and missed our early morning walk time. I have a window between the time I have my coffee and eat my oatmeal. Otherwise...I am not a happy camper. Yes, my stomach thinks it is a 2 year old and can't be late for a snack or a meal. After our walk, it was shower and lunch time. The second thing I felt lucky about today...leftovers! I know, pretty lame, but as much as I hated leftovers as a kid, I LOVE them now.


After having the fried rice lettuce wraps the other day, we decided that it would be fun to do tacos that way too. The boys are loving the interactive meals and we like them too. These were loaded with pintos, fresh salsa, hot sauce, cilantro and crushed Falafel Chips all in a crisp iceburg lettuce cup. I am not normally a fan of iceburg lettuce, but I love it filled with goodies!

I am really trying to focus on positives right now. I think it is so easy to let the negatives get to you. So, how about you...got any positives you want to share?

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 5:27 PM   16 comments
Friday, August 27, 2010
Making Memories

We will just call this day "Max Day"!  I have a friend who works at Georgia Tech. The department she works in was doing a film and needed a 10 year old boy to play the grandson of an alumni from Georgia Tech. She thought of Max and asked if he would be interested in playing the part. He was so excited!  Ever since he played Prince Charming in the school play last year, he has really been into learning more about acting so I thought this would be a good opportunity for him to feel what it was like in front of a camera and surrounded by people he did not know. It was not a speaking part, so he had to actually act this out. This was the start of his day...riding to the location in a golf cart.  Let the fun begin!


The campus was so active with everyone moving in for the start of school!


The weather was perfect in the morning especially since it was an outside shoot!  The last time we were here was when Jay had his Lego Robotics competition.  Since Tony and I went to The Art Institute of Atlanta, we never really got a true "college" experience and we have no school preferences, but I have to say that after both of the boys have done something at Georgia Tech, they are both pretty fond of it!


While Max worked, I stayed back and let him do his thing. The director told him what he was looking for and Max got in there and did it!


Did I mention how beautiful the gardens are there?


I love Japanese maples...they are just incredible trees. I love how they change to a bright red.



This was the hat that the grandfather gave the grandson at the end of the scene.  Oh my gosh, I know I am a proud mama, but he just looked so sweet in it.  The RAT hats have a long tradition for freshmen. I don't know what came over me, but I started feeling this weird sense of my kids getting older and things for them to look forward to in the future.


After the shoot was over, Stephanie, my friend that set this all up, was nice enough to take us to lunch.  Seriously, Max was treated like a star that day and he was loving it. Stephanie was nice enough to look around for a good healthy place for us to go. She found this great place called 5 Seasons. The have a few locations around the Atlanta area and they focus on getting there food from small, local organic farms. 


Even though they brew their own beer (and have gluten free...I am so taking the illustrator there!) we stuck with water since we had been outside for hours.



Stephanie ordered a starter salad with pork belly and grilled peaches. It smelled incredible! The Georgia peaches are so delicious right now.



Max chose not to order from the kid's menu.  He has gotten weird about that lately. He wants to make it clear that he is not a little kid. So, he ordered a double mushroom, onion and rosemary flat bread pizza. They also have gluten free crust available upon request!


I thought mushrooms sounded perfect so I ordered the field green salad with grilled portabello mushroom. This shot is not so great, but the mushroom was incredibly juicy! This completely hit the spot with the mixed greens, tomato and radishes. Perfect!



Stephanie got the fish tacos with a side of black beans and rice. The service was great and the food was all fresh and tasty! I was really impressed by 5 Seasons and really can't wait to go back!



As you can see, Max had a pretty great day and I was so happy that he had the opportunity to make some memories like this. The shirt and pin he is wearing were a gift for helping out and he was so proud, he put them on before we left Georgia Tech. Now he has the acting bug...he wants more.

Do you have a day that you remember from your youth that was completely out of the ordinary and made an impression on you?

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 1:44 PM   25 comments
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Early Bird Special and Mistaken Identities
Yesterday was just weird. I knew it was going to be a rushed afternoon since I had curriculum night for Max, so we decided to make it an easy dinner night.


I blame Kelsey for the extreme muffin cravings I have had lately. So, since there was a banana that wanted to be baked sitting on the counter (yes, my food talks to me) and a few in the freezer that were just hanging out for the right moment, I decided gluten free banana muffins were going to be made to go along with the easy dinner. Max could not wait for them to cool before he was staking claim on his muffins. He is just like his mama, he likes those crispy edges!


Dinner was so delicious and totally hit the spot! While I was in charge of baking, the illustrator was in charge of cooking. I did not plan to have him cook for me, but he wanted to and since I had to run out the door at 5:45 for school, I was not complaining. This was his creation from a month ago and he has been dying to make it for me.


He made an egg white omelet with sauteed mung bean sprouts, peppers, onions and hummus (with a muffin on the side)! I am not sure he could have figured out another way to get protein in this without actually putting meat in it. You have to try hummus in your omelets or tofu scrambles (whatever you prefer). It really is a perfect compliment to the eggs and veggies. You will not be disappointed!

Mistaken Identity Moment:
So, I got this email yesterday from one of Jay's teachers. She said that he had been given detention for being late to class 3 times (remember school has only been on for 2 weeks now). I asked if he told her why he had been late. She said that he was coming from band and that he needed to get quicker. Now, I know where Jay's classes are (on the 2nd floor of the school and at the very end) and the band room is seriously on the complete opposite side of the school on the first floor. So, I was a little upset that they would start to get on to the kids this soon. I asked Jay when he got home from school, if he had anything he wanted to tell me. He looked at me like I was crazy. Then I asked if he was having a hard time getting to this teachers class after band. He said "no" and that he didn't even have that class after band, he said he has that class 2 periods before band. So, I emailed the teacher...come to find out there is another kid in a different class with the same first name and last initial as Jay. Um, yeah, that was kind of a big mistake. Luckily, I talk to my kids. So, lesson here...everybody makes mistakes. It still bugs me that she didn't make sure which parent she was emailing. She did apologize to me and Jay...and then she gave Jay candy.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:10 PM   22 comments
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
This morning started out so much better! Not to mention there was actually a cool breeze out for our morning walk. Could fall really be right around the corner? I hope so!  I need me some sweaters and everything pumpkin!


So, last night was bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich night. Um, no, not for me, but for the boys. When I mentioned that I actually had what it took to make these and then asked if they were interested, the response was, "well, yeah, you said bacon". I am not really sure that they heard anything other than bacon. This was the illustrator's sandwich on Nature's Own Gluten Free Bread. Please, if you live in Atlanta, go buy this bread. We want them to continue making it and they are only selling it here for now.  


Anyway, I was not having this so I started to look at what we have in the fridge. Turns out I had steamed cauliflower and chickpeas just hanging out. I really wanted some sort of sandwich (and yes, I could eat the gluten free bread, but it is expensive, so I made a savory waffle).  I know that people have used cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, so I thought maybe it would make a good binder for a chickpea salad. Just so you know...I HATE mayo. It disgusts me...the smell, the texture, the flavor...yuck. On the other hand, I am a true mustard LOVER! I just high fived all you mustard lovers out there!


So, this crazy little concoction turned out perfect for a chickpea salad on my waffle toast with fresh tomato and lettuce. The illustrator tasted it and said it reminded him of a mustard based potato salad (I wanted a second opinion). I thought the same thing, only this was not as heavy and it is loaded with vegetables and beans (for protein). I was kind of surprised that something I just through together from random stuff in the fridge turned out so well. I would actually make this again.

Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup steamed cauliflower
1 tsp mustard
celery salt
onion powder
cracked black pepper

Blend in a food processor, but keep it chunky.

Do ever shock yourself in the kitchen when you throw random things together? Do you then actually buy the stuff to make this creation again.

Also, do you ever ask someone to try something so you know if it is good or not? Tony looked at me like I was crazy when I asked him to taste something I totally made for myself. 

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:02 PM   22 comments
Monday, August 23, 2010
Soy Free Fried Rice
I don't know about everyone else, but I have a serious case of the Mondays today. I finally got some sleep on Saturday night, but I think we are just in some dire need of a vacation here. Unfortunately, there is not one in sight. Is it sad that we are going to consider a business trip to New York a vacation? Well, hopefully there will be some down time there to enjoy the city. That is our hope anyway.

I think the most frustrating part about this morning was getting Max to move. I would be proud at the willpower he has if he didn't use it to frustrate me. Have you ever tried to get a 65lb rock to move on its own, yeah that was what it was like to get him to get ready this morning. I am thinking I was not the only one in the house with a case of the Mondays! I guess I can't blame him...


Let's just go back to last night, shall we? It's kind of funny, everyone always assumes that I am the only one that cooks here, but the illustrator is really such an incredible cook! Since we are on our adventure with more veggies and eating more of the same things, he decided to make a vegetable soy free fried rice for us last night. He was determined to get me to love fried rice. Well, he won me over! This was so delicious!


I did the chopping while he did the cooking. I have to say that I have so much fun in the kitchen with him. Sometimes it is nice just to be the chopper and cleaner! We both have our own way of doing things in the kitchen, but we are definitely coming together on these things. He used to be a "throw" things in kinda guy. I hate not being able to repeat a great meal, so I like to measure things out. That way you don't have those moments of "this isn't as good as last time". Besides, with kids, you want it to be the way they expect it every time or they won't eat it.


The illustrator suggested that we do lettuce wraps with the fried rice and you know I was on board with that. Max was too since that boy can't get enough lettuce either (again, he is my son). Surprisingly, Jay is doing really well with vegetables now. He said last night that he didn't even miss the meat in this meal. That shocked everyone at the table. However, when you add enough other flavors...it really does not taste like vegetables (note: he did still pick the mushrooms out even though they were chopped and there were only a few).


On our walk this morning, I was doing the math in my head for this meal. I think we made all of this for maybe $5 at the most. Granted we had the sesame oil and ginger here already, but even still, this was extremely inexpensive, really easy to make and so good. I can't believe I am saying this, but I am already looking forward to making more fried rice!

Soy Free Fried Rice
(Makes 16 cups)

2 cups egg whites (or 8 eggs)

Spray a nonstick electric skillet with cooking spray and scramble the egg whites. Remove from the pan when done and set aside.

1 cup sliced onions
4 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP sesame oil

Heat the oil in the electric skillet and then add the onions and garlic.  Cook for a couple of minutes until just translucent. Then add...

1 12 oz bag of frozen Asian vegetables (mine had green beans, broccoli, onion and mushrooms)
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
2 cups mung bean sprouts chopped
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt (I needed more to my servings, but the boys used gluten free soy sauce)

Cover with lid to steam and then remove lid to saute.  When done, remove from pan.

8 cups cooked brown rice
3 TBSP sesame oil

Heat the oil in the skillet and then add the rice. Fry the rice stirring occasionally until browned.  Add everything back to reheat and enjoy!

Ok, I know this makes a lot, but I have 2 growing boys in the house that I can't keep full! So, you would probably need to make a smaller batch when you do this...unless you have growing boys too!

I HATE how greasy fried rice is out in restaurants and there are never enough vegetables for my taste. I think the fact that this one is loaded with vegetables and is low in oil made it so good for me.  Is there something that you make at home that you prefer over eating out in restaurants?


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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 4:43 PM   14 comments
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sous Chef

I will share this recipe tomorrow, but I thought I would just drop in to say "hi" and that I had the best time in the kitchen with my husband tonight being his sous chef.  I know I have said before that I am not a fan of fried rice, but tonight everything changed for me! This is soy free and loaded with vegetables. My boys even ate it and said they didn't miss the meat!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Tomorrow is back to the grind! Please let this be a good one!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:59 PM   5 comments
Friday, August 20, 2010
Quinoa Pizza Bake

Today was a busy day full of good food and great people. Once I get all the photos and my thoughts together, I will definitely share. I woke up at 5:50am, worked out, cut Max's hair for his day of being in front of the camera, got everyone showered and fed...and we were out the door. Since it was a day out, I decided on an easy dinner tonight.  It was raining this afternoon and since it was a busy day, we all wanted something hot for dinner. So, it was a pasta bake for the boys and a quinoa bake for me!


I used to love eating pasta, but I think I ate too much of it and am now kind of over it.  I LOVE quinoa!  It works so well like this too, plus I get a great dose of protein!  This bowl was loaded with cooked quinoa, peppers, onions, cauliflower, pasta sauce and covered in Daiya.  After I mixed it all together and topped it, I broiled it to melt up the cheesy topping.  Perfect!

Now, I am off to watch the illustrator's chosen movie about something post apocalyptic...should be really uplifting (note sarcasm). Don't get me wrong, I love post apocalyptic, just not in the mood tonight. Let's just say I could use something a little more "fun".

Oh, and if you are in to art or do anything in a creative field, he wrote a great post today about style. I can totally relate to it with food and cooking styles too.

Have a great weekend!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:15 PM   18 comments
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Adding to my collection...
Who needs a nap? Seriously, I am t-i-r-e-d tonight! When I went to bed last night, I got the beginnings of a pinched nerve in my neck. I could feel it coming on. This is going to sound strange, but ever since I was pregnant with Max, I get pinched nerves all the time. I try to stretch my shoulders and neck often to keep things loose. So, when this happens, I roll up my pillow and sleep with it under my neck. Well, it got rid of the pinching, but did not help with the sleeping. So, apparently, my alarm went off and I hit the off button.  Oops! So, up 30 minutes late = not good. I have to work out early or it just does not get done. Oh well, I got my cardio done and I will make up the strength training this weekend. No biggy. Well, it was actually a major biggy until I had my coffee and my brain was functioning at some capacity.


On a different subject, I am completely in love again! This my friends lit me up and made me so happy! Others collect varieties of nut butters...I collect hot sauce!


Is it weird that the Doors' "Come On Baby Light My Fire" was playing in my head the entire time I ate dinner last night? Weird or not, my face was on fire and I loved it! Dinner was an egg white omelette with sauteed Japanese mixed vegetables (the frozen bag) and savory toasted waffles. This meal completely hit the spot! If you haven't tried savory waffles, you are missing out. They are perfect when you are looking for a great whole grain toast and you don't have bread. They take no time to put together too!


Savory Oatmeal Flax Waffles

1/2 cup quick oats
1 TBSP flax meal
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water

Mix the dry ingredients together and then add the hot water. Cook in your waffle iron. Keep it in there longer than a regular waffle so it is toasted.


I really needed the savory meal after having apple dumplings with brown sugar flax oatmeal ice cream for dinner the night before. I know, this would have been a bad choice, however you know me...low fat and low sugar, oh and gluten free! They were a request from the illustrator, so you know I had to.

Who's ready for Friday?

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:53 PM   29 comments
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
My Inner Hippie...

I am getting in touch with my inner hippie lately or at least that is what everybody I know thinks when I mention hemp seeds or protein. The seeds are incredible on a salad! This one completely hit the spot with homemade garlicky hummus, home grown mung bean sprouts, romaine lettuce (sadly, not home grown) and Spicy Falafel Chips!


They give a great texture and nutty flavor to my roasted veggies.


They also give a great nutritional boost to anything you put them on.  The flavor is a lot like sunflower seeds to me, so the flavor was very complementary to the banana bread pancakes. I am now putting them in and on everything!


I don't typically do the protein powder thing. I just haven't really gone down that road yet, but after trying some vanilla hemp protein from Trader Joe's not too long ago, I thought I would give the Nutiva Hemp Protein a try. This one is very different. Not sweet at all. VERY earthy! What? I like earthy!


I am impressed with the nutritional breakdown on this, so I figured I would play around with it. I don't do smoothies either. I am not big on drinking my calories and it always leaves me missing something without being able to chew on my food. After making a fudge topping for my overnight oats with the vanilla powder, I got an idea to try this one in a little chocolate treat.


Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a huge fan of chocolate. However, I have really fallen in love with these little chocolate bites. They are not super sweet, but they are rich and have the texture of fudge!   I also like getting a good dose of amino acids, protein, vitamins and fiber in my treats! The antioxidants in these little treats is pretty impressive too thanks to all the cocoa extract! Hello healthy immune system!



Hemp Chocolate Fudge Bites

1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup Nutiva Hemp Protein Powder
3 TBSP Nutiva Hemp Seeds
7 TBSP water
80 drops NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract

Stir everything together until combined. Then scoop it into individual bites and refrigerate.

I do splurge on sugar and junk occasionally, but I do like being able to have sneaky treats. You know things that look bad for you, but are really so good for you (and tasty too)!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:18 PM   22 comments
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Gluten Free Monkey Bread!
I want to preface this post with an apology. You see, I have a list from the boys stuck on the fridge of things I must make for them. This was on the top and I had to make it gluten free because it would be cruel to bake something like this that we all could not enjoy. I now have a happy family!


Now, let's go back to being a kid again. If you asked me to pick one childhood favorite food memory, it is definitely monkey bread. We cut the biscuits up , shook them in cinnamon and sugar (a few may have been eaten just like that-shhh don't tell), then poured melted butter all over it...heaven! Definitely not health food, but everything in moderation in our house. Trust me, we ate our vegetables too!


The unfortunate part about moderation with monkey bread is that you can never get the thing even. You see these little dough balls leave a space next to the others that needs to be evened out every time you walk by the bread.


Sorry for the blurry picture, but I just needed to warn you, before you make it...it will never even out.


When I was a kid, we used canned biscuits.  So when we had our biscuit brunch a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had found the base to "our" monkey bread.  Some people make it with yeast dough, but I wanted to make like the illustrator and I remember it! It was seriously the best feeling being able to grab one of those buttery cinnamon sugar balls and eat it! All the boys looked at me in amazement that I could eat it too!


Truth be told, I could have done this years ago with my dairy free biscuit recipe, but for those of you out there with food allergies and intolerances, you know that at some point you just don't want to make anyone "suffer" eating for your food issues. I got to the point where even if I made something that I could eat (vegan or dairy free) people (not my boys-they always welcomed my dairy free versions of food) would gobble it up until they saw me eat it and then they would immediately ask what I did to it. I got tired of being judge like that. So, I just stopped cooking for me all the time. The boys have gotten to the point now where they want to eat what I am eating and since the illustrator can't have gluten and he is going easy on dairy, cooking and baking for all of us has made me feel so much more open about food! I am loving all these old favorites!


This version is a little denser than the fluffy gluten filled biscuits, but it is a perfect gluten free version of our old family favorite!


I let it sit in the pan for a few minutes like I did my old recipe, but realized that it was not necessary when a quarter of it stuck to the bundt pan. So the evening out issue continued!

Gluten Free Monkey Bread

369 grams (about 2 1/2 cups) Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit Mix***
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Smart Balance Light
1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/2 cup water

Combine the biscuit mix and the baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Next, using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the Smart Balance into the biscuit mix until it looks like little pebbles. Then add the coconut milk and stir until combined. Add the water a little bit at a time if you need it until the dough comes together. It should be sticky, but not wet.

3/4 cup sugar
5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup Smart Balance Light (melted)

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a tupperware with a lid.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.

Scoop the dough into tablespoon sized balls and put them in the sugar mixture a few at a time.  I used a small cookie scoop to scoop the dough to make it really easy. Shake the dough balls around to coat them in sugar and then put them in the prepared pan.  Do this with all of the dough.  Next pour the melted Smart Balance evenly over the dough.  Place it in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Here is the tricky part...I would wait maybe 2 minutes to let it set and then flip it out on a serving dish.

***I did the biscuit mix by weight since the gluten free flours are a little heavier. For non gluten free, I use the small four pack of biscuits in the refrigerator section at the grocery store.

Alisa at One Frugal Foodie is putting together an e-book for healthy back to school foods. If you would like to participate, go check out her site!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:01 AM   31 comments

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Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
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