Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Banana Muffins

My girls love these banana muffins for breakfast or as a snack. I always double or triple this recipe so that there are plenty to freeze.

Easy Banana Muffins

2 mashed bananas
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour

Combine the bananas, sugar and oil. Add the baking powder, baking soda and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour and stir to thoroughly combine. Fill lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
*  These muffins keep very well in the freezer and reheat in the microwave. I place the cooled muffins in their lining on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until frozen. Then I remove the lining and place them in a large Ziploc bag. Microwave the frozen muffins to reheat.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Noodle Casserole with Sausage Topping

Jazzy loves noodles and sausage and this is another way that we like to prepare them.

Noodle Casserole with Sausage Topping

8 oz noodles, uncooked
1 can condensed tomato soup (I use Campbell's)
1 tbsp corn starch
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1 lb sausage (I use Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage)

Cook the noodles as directed on the package, drain and remove the noodles from the pot. In the same pot, combine the tomato soup, corn starch, salt, pepper and water then simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Add the noodles back to the pot and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Arrange the sausages over the noodle mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until the sausage is thoroughly cooked and the mixture is hot and bubbly.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Krispy Sunbutter Balls

This is the perfect recipe for to make with the kids or have them try by themselves. My 6 year old daughter, Tayana, made these all by herself. She had so much fun measuring the ingredients, stirring then rolling the mixture into balls. These treats are very good for a snack or quick breakfast.

Krispy Sunbutter Balls

1 cup Sunbutter

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/2-2 cups crips rice cereal (I use Rice Krispies)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ, optional

Thoroughly combine the Sunbutter, honey and corn syrup. Add the cereal and wheat germ then stir until all of the cereal is coated. Roll the mixture into bite-sized balls. Place the balls on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Once all of the mixture is used, place the baking sheet in the fridge for 2 hours. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

*  If desired, you can use 1/2 cup of honey or 1/2 cup of corn syrup.
*  The mixture will be slightly sticky. However, if the mixture is too sticky to roll, stir in a little more cereal.
*  The balls can be left plain, coated with safe melted chocolate, crushed graham crackers, shredded coconut, wheat germ, etc.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Beef and Rice Casserole

An easy to prepare all in one meal.

Beef and Rice Casserole

1 cup cooked ground beef
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 can condensed tomato soup (I use Campbells)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 can creamed corn

Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low then simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquids are mostly absorbed.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Jell-O Poke Cupcakes

I loved Jell-O poke cakes when I was a child. I decided I would try to recreate that recipe with a safe white cake and whipped cream. They turned out so good and just like I remembered them.

Jell-O Poke Cupcakes

18-24 prepared vanilla cupcakes
3 oz box Jell-O, any flavor desired
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
Prepared safe whipped cream (I used Rich's Whip beaten very stiff)

Cool the cupcakes for 15 minutes. Prick the cupcakes with a fork at least 4 times. Place the Jell-O in a bowl and pour the boiling water over top. Whisk until all of the Jell-O crystals have dissolved. Add the cold water and whisk to combine. Spoon the Jell-O mixture over the poked cupcakes, allowing the excess liquid to drip back into the bowl. Use a paper towel to wipe the bottoms of the wrappers. Place the cupcakes in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours. Top with the whipped cream. Store covered in the fridge.
*  A prepared 8x11 or 9x13 white cake can be substituted for the cupcakes. Simply pour the Jell-O mixture over the poked cake.
*  I used the Amazing Vanilla Cupcakes recipe I posted on 5/28/10.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Zucchini Bread

This bread is amazing and moist. It is by far the best zucchini bread I've ever had, allergies or not. You can keep the bread at room temperature or in the fridge. When I make the zucchini bread, I like to make a variety of flavors. To make this process easier, I prepare all of the batter at one time (at least a triple batch). Then I place 1 portion of the batter into a separate mixing bowl and stir in the flavors we want to use. I repeat this until all of the batter is used. We love this bread plain, but after the recipe I have included our other favorite varieties.

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4-1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, zucchini, oil and applesauce. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until just moistened. Transfer the batter to a sprayed 8 1/2x4 1/2 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan. Cool completely on the wire rack before slicing. Store wrapped in foil or plastic wrap.
* You can substitute 1 cup of finely shredded apple for the zucchini.
* You can substitute 1 cup of mashed banana for the zucchini.

Pineapple Coconut Zucchini Bread - stir flaked coconut and drained crushed pineapple into the batter.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread- stir flaked coconut and safe chocolate chips into the batter. We also like this bread without the chocolate chips and use extra coconut.
Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread - stir cocoa powder and safe chocolate chips into the batter.
Blueberry Zucchini Bread - stir frozen blueberries into the batter.
Cinnamon Zucchini Bread - stir cinnamon sugar into the batter then generously sprinkle additional cinnamon sugar over the top before baking.
*  Vary the amounts of these ingredients to suit your family's taste.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chocolate Pudding and Pie Filling

Jazzy only likes the boxed pudding mix turned into ice cream or mousse, not as actual pudding. This homemade chocolate pudding is so rich and thick and wonderful that Jazzy just couldn't get enough.  My girls and I love this pudding so much that a single batch is just too small. Below the recipe, I posted the amounts if you want to triple this recipe like we do.

Chocolate Pudding and Pie Filling

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups soy milk
2 tbsp dairy free margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup safe chocolate chips, optional

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, corn starch and salt in a large saucepan. Add the soy milk and whisk until thoroughly combined. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a slow boil then stir constantly for 1 more minute until thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat then stir in the margarine, vanilla and chocolate chips. Serve warm or chilled.
*  To use as a pie filling, fill the pie shell then chill until cool.

Triple Batch Chocolate Pudding and Pie Filling

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp corn starch
3/4 tsp salt
5 cups soy milk
6 tbsp dairy free margarine
3 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 - 1 1/2 cups safe chocolate chips, optional

Follow the instructions listed above.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chocolate Fingers

This has been one of Jazzy's favorite cookies since she was very little and all of my girls request them quite often. These cookies stay fresh for a lot longer than most cookies, but my girls finish them too fast to let you know exactly how long.

Chocolate Fingers

2/3 cup dairy-free margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp water, 3 tbsp oil and 2 tsp baking powder - mixed together
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together the margarine, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the water-oil-baking powder mixture and cream again. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix again until thoroughly blended. Roll a small amount of the dough between your hands to form strips. Place these strips on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Leave a little space between each strip for them to expand. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the cookies are cooked through and slightly golden on the bottoms.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Taco Salad

The most requested meal for birthdays or anytime at my mom's house is taco salads. Here is a list of the topping that we like, but feel free to use any toppings your family enjoys. What we love the most is that everyone can have it exactly how they like it. I included a picture of the shell and a picture of what Jazzy's taco salad looked like.

Taco Salad

Large tortilla shells (we use Mission)
Cooked ground beef
Baked beans or refried beans
Chopped onions
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced black olives
Lettuce
Safe salad dressing (we use Kraft Creamy Italian - this is in place of sour cream)
Salsa

Shape the tortilla shell inside an oven safe bowl. Place about 3 aluminum foil balls inside the shell. Use smaller aluminum foil balls between the pinched shell and bowl to help it hold its shape. Bake at 350 or 16-18 minutes or until golden. Wrap each shell individually in plastic wrap until ready to use. Fill with any toppings desired.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Guilt Free Microwave Potato Chips

Potato Chips are one of my family's favorite snacks. I decided to try and make my own without all of the oil so that we could have a healthier potato chip. I made them in the microwave using Pam cooking spray and any seasonings the girls like. They were so fast and easy to make and they were crispy and delicious.

Guilt Free Microwave Potato Chips

Potatoes
Safe cooking spray (I use Pam original)
Seasonings desired - Old Bay, garlic salt, seasoning salt, Mrs. Dash flavors, sea salt, etc.

Peel the potatoes then slice them as thin as possible with a potato mandolin slicer, a regular potato peeler or sharp knife. Place the slices in a single layer on a microwave safe dish. Spray with the cooking spray then sprinkle on any seasonings desired. Microwave until the potatoes start to brown like in the above picture. My batches each took 4 minutes, but the time will vary depending on your microwave and how thin your potato slices are. Be careful, because once they start to brown, they can get over done very quickly.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Simple Banana Ice Cream

Jazlyn has been on a banana kick lately and when I asked her what ice cream she would like me to make for her cousin's birthday party, of course she said banana. I came up with this recipe and we were so pleased because it is so creamy and delicious. It's also a great way to use up leftover bananas. The 1st picture is soft serve right out of the ice cream maker and the 2nd picture is after being frozen for a day.

Simple Banana Ice Cream

2 cups soy milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
3 ripe bananas, sliced

Puree all of the ingredients in the blender. Transfer to the ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chocolate Graduation Hats

I made up this fun dessert a few years ago for Jazzy's kindergarten graduation party. They were such a big hit and so good that I wanted to share them in case anyone needs some ideas for a graduation party dessert.

Chocolate Graduation Hats

Graham cracker sheets, broken in half
Large marshmallows
Safe chocolate chips, melted
Fruit Roll-Ups, cut in long strips

Coat the graham crackers and marshmallows in the melted chocolate chips. Place the coated graham cracker on top of the coated marshmallow then place them on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Take two of the Fruit Roll-Ups strips and twist them at the top to connect them. Use a little of the melted chocolate to attach them to the center of the graham cracker. Place in the fridge until set. Store any leftover in the fridge.

Quick Tip for Meats

One thing I do to make making supper easier is to precook a large amount of the meats (ground beef, chicken, ground sausage, etc.) and place enough for each meal in Ziploc bags. Then when I ready to make our supper I just microwave (or allow to thaw) 1 or 2 baggies of the meat. It saves a lot of time since I don't have to cook the meat for each meal.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Tater Tot Casserole

My family loves this easy to prepare meal.

Tater Tot Casserole

28 oz package tater tots (I used Ore-Ida)
1 lb ground beef, browned
1 can beef gravy (I used Campbell's)
1 can corn

Spread the tater tots evenly in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake uncovered at 400 for 10 minutes. Combine the ground beef, gravy and corn then spread the mixture evenly over the tater tots. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.