Egg Free Dairy Free Crock Pot Meat and Hash Brown Potatoes

This casserole is definetely a keeper. My family absolutely loved it and I'm always happy to find a new crock pot recipe. This meal reminded me of a crock pot shepherd’s pie because the potatoes got soft like mashed potatoes. The top picture is made with ground beef and peas then the bottom picture is made with chicken and corn. This meal would be very good with almost any meat and vegetable combinations.

Crock Pot Meat and Hash Brown Potatoes

3-4 cups frozen hash brown fried potatoes, partially thawed
1 lb cooked meat such as ground beef, bulk sausage, diced kielbasa, diced ham, diced chicken, etc.
1 can vegetables such as peas, corn, mixed vegetables, etc.
1 can gravy
1 cup soy milk or water

Place the potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the meat over top followed by the vegetables. In a separate bowl, combine the gravy and soy milk. Pour the gravy mixture over top and do not stir. Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 hours.

Egg Free Dairy Free Nut Free Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries

This Baked Oatmeal recipe came from a good friend of mine that is a celiac. It is the best Baked Oatmeal that I have ever had. It is so moist and perfect, probably because the oats are ground first. I changed a few of the ingredients to make it safe for Jazlyn and to suit our family's tastes. This recipe is so good and easy to prepare that it would be perfect for breakfast, dessert or an anytime snack.

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups ground oats (I just put oats in the blender and ground them until they were powdery)
3/4 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3/4-1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Combine the brown sugar and applesauce. Add the oats, soy milk, baking powder, vanilla and salt then stir to thoroughly combine. Stir in the blueberries. Transfer to a sprayed 8x11 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean and the edges are just starting to become golden.
* Chopped frozen strawberries, peaches, pineapples, etc. can be used in place of the blueberries.

Shared with Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

This is our favorite ice cream recipe. The end result is so creamy and delicious that it is worth the little bit of extra effort. We turned this batch of ice cream into Mint Chocolate Chip.

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

1 package unflavored gelatin (I use Knox)
2 cups soy milk, divided use
3 tbsp oil
2 cups miniature marshmallows OR 20 large marshmallows
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the gelatin, 1 cup of soy milk and oil. Set the mixture aside until ready to use. Place the remaining 1 cup of soy milk, marshmallows and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring the marshmallow mixture to a slow boil until the sugar and marshmallows have dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature or in the fridge. Use an electric mixer to beat the gelatin mixture until foamy. Pour the gelatin mixture and vanilla into the cooled marshmallow mixture then beat again. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
*  Serve immediately as a soft serve ice cream or place in a tightly covered container in the freezer.
*  This is a wonderful vanilla ice cream. However, it also works great as a base for other flavors by adding one of the additions towards the end of the processing. Addition possibilities include crushed or diced strawberries, crushed pineapple, coconut, crushed cookies, frozen cookie dough, chopped brownies, chopped cake, chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc.
*  You can also add mint extract, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, Sunbutter, etc. when you add the vanilla.
*  You can also add food coloring in with the vanilla. It's fun to make the "wrong" color. For example, we like to make purple strawberry ice cream, pink mint chocolate chip ice cream, etc.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

My youngest daughter just celebrated her 5th birthday. She will be having a rainbow owl cut out cake, made from my family favorite chocolate cake recipe, for her birthday party so she wanted something different on her birthday. She chose to make these brownies to put her candles in. The great thing about this recipe is that she could make it with just a little help from me since it didn't require an electric mixer. She had so much fun mixing the ingredients and spreading it in the pan. To serve, we put out Pillsbury's spray vanilla and chocolate frosting and several different sprinkles so that the girls could decorate their own. It is a more cake like brownie, but the flavor is amazing. The girls prefer this brownie over the gooey brownie I made a little while back. Personally, I think the frosting had a lot to do with that too. My brownies stuck to the sprayed pan so next time I will prepare them in a sprayed and foil lined pan like I stated for you in the instructions.

Chocolate Chip Brownies


2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 cup oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or additional water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup safe chocolate chips

Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil, leaving a 2” overhang at the opposite ends for handles. Spray with a nonstick cooking spray. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add the water, oil, applesauce and vanilla then mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until the top is no longer shiny and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool before cutting into squares.
* If desired, you can omit the chocolate chips.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Biscuit Topped Chicken Pie

My family loves biscuits, so this was a perfect all in one meal. The leftovers reheat perfectly.

Biscuit Topped Chicken Pie

2 cans mixed vegetables or any desired
1 can gravy (I use campbell's pork or turkey because their chicken gravy is not safe)
2 cups cooked and diced chicken breast
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
2 1/2 cups all purpose baking mix (I use Bisquick)
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups soy milk

Combine the vegetables, gravy, chicken, Italian seasoning and dissolved bouillon in a 9x13 baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the baking mix and soy milk until the dough is a spreadable but thick consistency. Spread the biscuit mixture evenly over the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until the biscuit topping is cooked through.
*  You can bake this meal in an 8x8 baking dish, using the same amount of the bottom mixture. However, use only 1/2 the amount of the biscuit topping.
*  You can substitute the chicken with cooked ground beef, sausage, ham or any meat desired.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies

We took these wonderfully chocolate cookies to a family cookout and they were a huge hit.

Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies

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

Combine the margarine and cocoa. Add the sugar, vanilla and water-oil-baking powder mixture then stir to combine. Add the flour, baking soda and salt then stir until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be very moist, so place the mixing bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes so that the dough is easier to roll. Once the dough is chilled, roll it into 1" balls. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for a minute before removing to wax paper to cool completely.
*  If desired, you can roll the balls in colored sugar sprinkles or plain sugar before baking.
*  Safe chocolate chips or flaked coconut can be stirred into the batter.