Vegan/Gluten Free Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients:  

2 cups Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Clove
1/4 tsp Ground AllSpice
2 C Granulated Sugar
2 Medium Bananas (mashed to replace egg)
1 1/2 C Applesauce
1/2 C Raisins
1 C Shredded Coconut
1/2 C Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
1 C Crushed Pineapple (in juice not syrup)
2 C Grated Carrots
1 tsp Vanilla 

Frosting:

1 C Vegan Butter (Earth Balance is great)
16 oz Vegan Cream Cheese (Kite Hill works well)
2 C Powdered Sugar
2 Tblsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla

To make Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix sugar, banana, and applesauce until combined

Add carrots, coconut, pineapple, raisins, pecans, and vanilla to the sugar mixture.

In separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and combine well

Pour into baking pan of your choosing (well greased 9x13 pan, 2 well greased 8x8 pans, 2 8 inch round pans, lined muffin tins, etc..)

Bake 35-40 min until edges start to brown and pull away from the sides of the pan. Insert a toothpick to assure complete cooking. Cake is very moist.

Cool completely before frosting

To make frosting:

Allow cream cheese and butter to soften completely and mix together on medium speed until smooth

Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth

Add lemon juice and vanilla, mix until combined

**If you plan to transfer from the baking pan, line the pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Vegan/Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

 Sauce:

1/2 C Vegan Butter
6 Tbsp Gluten Free Flour Blend
5 C. Coconut Milk
1 C. Vegetable Stock
3 Tbsp Mustard
1 C Nutritional Yeast
3 tsp Onion Powder
3 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Pepper
16 oz Gluten Free Elbow Noodles

Breadcrumb Topping:

1 C Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs
1/2 C Vegan Butter, melted

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Add butter to pot and melt, add flour and stir vigorously to mix with butter

Add Coconut Milk and Vegetable Stock, whisk until smooth, continue to whisk until boiling and begins to thicken considerably

Remove from heat and add mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.

Cook pasta according to package directions, rinse and drain

Mix pasta and sauce together and transfer to 9x13 pan

Prepare crumb topping by mixing bread crumbs and melted butter, spread evenly over pasta and sauce mixture

Bake 20 minutes until topping is browned and crispy and edges are bubbly

Loaded Potato Soup

 32 oz bag Frozen Hash browns, diced
1 large Onion, diced
1 C Carrots, Shredded (matchstick ones from the store hold up well)
4 C Broth/Stoke - Chicken or Veggie
3 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 C Butter, sliced (Vegan for Dairy Free)
2 tsp  Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Celery Salt
8 oz package ham, diced
1 1/2 C Heavy Cream (plant based-vegan heavy cream for non dairy)

Toppings:
Shredded Cheddar - (Omit or replace with vegan for allergy)
Bacon Bits
Sour Cream (Vegan or omit for allergy)

1- Add hash browns, onion, carrots, broth, garlic, butter, salt, pepper, celery salt, and ham to instant pot bowl
2-Cook 9 minutes on high and allow 10 min natural release
3- Add heavy cream and mix thoroughly
4- Top as desired and enjoy

TO FREEZE: Add all ingredients except toppings and heavy cream to a freezer baggie or container. Freeze.

To cook from frozen- add to instant pot and saute for a few minutes until there is 1/4 C or so of melted liquid on the bottom of the pot. Cover and cook high pressure for 10 min, allow 10 minute natural release. Add heavy cream, mix thoroughly, top as desired and enjoy

** if you defrost before cooking, follow the instruction above the same as freshly made

**If you prefer to use the CROCK POT -
FROM FROZEN- Dump frozen ingredients into crock pot, cook 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low, add heavy cream, mix thoroughly, top as desired and enjoy

Big Mac Salad

Salad: Amounts to your preference and family size

Lettuce of your choice - I use Iceberg or Hearts of Romaine
Ground Beef  or Turkey
Dill Pickles, diced 
Tomatoes, diced
Cheddar Cheese, shredded (Vegan for dairy free)
Onions, diced
Croutons - homemade is BEST but store bought is fine too (Omit for gluten free)

Dressing:
1 1/2 C Mayonnaise (Vegan for allergies or preference)
6 Tbsp/4ish large Baby Dill Pickles
6 tsp Mustard
3 tsp White Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 C Sugar (or erythritol or choice of sweetener) - adjust to taste preference

1- Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or Magic Bullet, blend thoroughly. Dressing can be used immediately but flavors blend better with a few hours or overnight in the fridge. CAN MAKE AHEAD

2- Chop Salad ingredients and set out in separate dishes for individual assembly

Thai Peanut Satay

 2 lbs Chicken (thighs are recommended but I dont like them so I use Breasts), cubed
14 oz can Coconut Milk
1/2 C Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Ginger (chopped, grated or whatever - I use the can of paste)
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Liquid Aminos or Gluten Free for allergies)
3 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tsp Garlic, minced
2 tsp Yellow Curry Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Chopped Peanuts- for topping

1- Cube and Trim Chicken
2- In chosen cooking container (instant pot, crock pot, or skillet) combine ALL remaining ingredients
3- Whisk together and add Chicken

To Freeze- Transfer sauce and chicken to a freezer baggie. Place small baggie of chopped peanuts inside the larger freezer baggie for topping after cooking. Freeze:)
**if you intend to cook on the stove top after freezing, I recommend freezing the sauce and chicken in separate baggies also. This allows the chicken to be sautéed first so the sauce doesn't over cook.

Cooking options:
Instant Pot - Cook 12 minutes on high and allow 10 min natural release
FROM FROZEN - add 1/4 C water or chicken broth to sauce and chicken, cook 15 min on high and allow for 10 min natural release.

Crock Pot - Cook on high 4 hours or low 6 hours
I've never done the crockpot from frozen so I don't know the timing

Stove Top- Sauté chicken in skillet until cooked through, add sauce and heat evenly

Whichever why you store or cook it - ENJOY!

Notes - We usually serve this over rice but it could be delish as a salad, in lettuce cups, or in a burrito.

Spam Fried Rice

 

4 tsp Oil of choice
12 oz can Spam, diced
1/2 C Onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 C Peas, frozen is fine
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Ginger, minced
2 eggs (Use JUST eggs or omit for allergies)
3 C Rice, cooked (leftovers are perfect)
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Gluten Free or Liquid Aminos for allergies)
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

1- Heat half of the oil in skillet over medium heat, sauté cubed Spam until browned (3-4 minutes) and set aside in a separate dish
2- Heat another tsp oil in the skillet, add onion and carrots, saute until tender (4-5 min) and season with salt and pepper to taste
3-Add garlic and ginger and heat for 30 seconds or so, add veggies to spam dish and set aside
4-Add remaining oil to the skillet and scramble the eggs, salt and pepper to taste
5-Add Spam and veggies back to the pan with the eggs
6- Add soy sauce and sesame oil, mix well and heat evenly - ENJOY!

Chicken Gnocchi

 4 Chicken Breasts, cut into cubes

1 C Flour (Almond Flour for Gluten Free)

1 tsp EACH Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Garlic Powder

3 Tbsp Oil (EVOO or Avocado)

3 Tbsp Butter (Vegan butter or margarine for Dairy Free)

3 Tbsp Garlic, minced

2 C Chicken Broth

2 C Heavy Cream (Plant based Heavy Cream or Creamer for Dairy Free) 

2 C Parmesan Cheese (Vegan Parmesan or OMIT for Dairy Free) 

1 tsp EACH Oregano, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes

2/3 C Sun Dried Tomatoes (OK to omit if you want)

1 Package Gnocchi (Gluten Free Gnocchi for Gluten Free)

1-Dice Chicken and set aside
2-Combine Salt, Pepper, Paprika, and Garlic Powder with Flour, toss chicken in flour mixture to coat.
3- Melt butter and oil together in skillet and sauté chicken cubes until cooked through and set aside (on separate plate, you'll need the skillet)
4- In the same skillet, sauté garlic until toasty, add Chicken broth and heavy cream
5-Once warmed and mixed together add Parmesan until melted and combined
6- Add Oregano, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes 
7 Add Sun Dried Tomatoes and Gnocchi, simmer until warmed through and Gnocchi is cooked (usually 5-7 minutes but you should check your package)

Serve and Enjoy!!

Notes: We enjoyed this with a side of streamed broccoli and it was delish. We don't always have the sun dried tomatoes and vegan parmesan is often out of stock near me so we omitted both and it was still AMAZING! 

My kids think the breaded chicken cubes are basically Chick-Fil-A nuggets so sometimes we just make the chicken!

If Gnocchi isn't your thing, it can easily be subbed for pasta (gluten free if you need it that way) or make the sauce and chicken without either gnocchi or pasta and serve over rice.