Strawberries - in season for spring - are the perfect partner for my Dairy Free Lemon Ice Cream!
Even though there's still a chill in the air, the sunny skies and warmer temps of spring can't help but bring chilled bowls filled with frozen treats to mind! Of course, I want a recipe that comes together in a snap with a few simple, affordable ingredients. I know you do, too! My dairy-free ice cream fits the bill, but that's not all... This recipe is versatile enough to become our warm weather "go to" dessert - no oven required! So, this week, I'm sharing with you my recipe for Dairy Free Lemon Ice Cream along with several variations I've made! And I have so many more in mind... The possibilities for this simple ice cream seem nearly endless, and that's precisely the idea! I'm excited for you to take this recipe, check out my variations, try one (or more!) of them, then make your own custom flavors of rich, creamy dairy-free ice cream to keep you cool all spring and summer long! 7 Comments A Gluten Free Gigi How-To: Naturally Gluten Free Apple Fennel Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette 04/10/2012
Few things capture the taste of spring like a crisp, light salad that's simple to prepare and bursting with flavor! And this Spring week is a perfect one for my Naturally Gluten Free Apple Fennel Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette... Sweet apple and mild, anise-flavored fennel tossed in a light herb vinaigrette make a tantalizing combination! This dish is also a super-flexible time saver... You can make it a day in advance, so it's a perfect "take-along" dish! I even put it to the test for this year's Easter brunch. Saturday evening, I took about 15 minutes to put together this salad and then stored it in the fridge overnight. The next morning, off to Easter brunch I went with no worries of last-minute prep or cleanup! My salad was SUCH a big hit with everyone I had to write the recipe down for four people and left with an empty serving bowl! Everyone was so busy raving about the salad's flavor, I hardly had a chance to explain the OTHER great thing about my salad... By using fennel, I've made sure it also packs a powerful nutrition punch! If you haven’t used fennel before in your cooking, this salad is the ideal introduction to this healthy veggie! Fennel is a relative of carrots and dill. It is brimming with vitamin C, it's full of fiber, and it contains plant nutrients with anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Of course, it's understandable if fennel hasn't made its way into your kitchen. That big veggie looks a little intimidating and the bulb is a bit tough. And, truth be told, unless someone shows you, those feathery fronds, long stalks, and that big bulb can be tricky to prepare. That's why I made this short video showing you exactly how to prep fennel and use it! 
How about a 2-ingredient gluten free recipe so scrumptious you won't be able to resist?! What if I told you it's super-simple to make and GOOD FOR YOU, too? Sounds too good to be true, but I assure you, it's not. My Gluten Free Avocado Fries have all this and more! Gluten Free Butter Cups Candy 12/04/2011
Simple gluten free candy anyone can make! You can make it nut free dairy free & soy free too!
There's always room for an extra gluten free treat during the holidays! For the next several weeks on Sunday, I'll share a special Christmas yummy my family enjoys making during this festive time. Of course, all these treats will be gluten free. I'll provide alternative ingredients for other food sensitivities and allergies when possible. This week's treat is simple, affordable, and fun for the kids, so turn up those Christmas carols, light the tree, and come join me in the Christmas kitchen... We're making Gluten Free Butter Cups Candy! From Gluten Free Gigi's dairy free, soy free, nut free recipe box:  Add a green salad for the perfect gluten free meal! With so many other gluten free things to cook, why cook ordinary?! Sure, stuffed peppers are good. I love them as a comfort food. Growing up, I remember the crisp sweet Bells dad grew in our garden. Most of those found their way into salads and pasta sauce. A select few – those that were large and “perfect” enough – were reserved for stuffing to overflowing with a mixture of ground beef, rice, and spices. The peppers were so filling they were served alone. This week, as I thought about our little Pepper Party, I thought we deserved our own stuffed pepper... A lighter version of what I grew up with. Something not so, maybe, "stuffy"! As you'll see, I’ve changed the original recipe quite a bit. Dad would say it’s a “loose interpretation” of his traditional stuffed peppers. He might be right... Whatever the case, these stuffed peppers taste fantastic and are ridiculously simple to make. In less than one relaxing hour of easy cooking, you’ll have healthy Gluten Free Vegetarian Pasta Stuffed Peppers! It’s a Pepper Party ~ Gluten Free Gone Wild! 07/12/2011
From Gluten Free Gigi's dairy free, soy free, nut free recipe box:  Last week’s gluten free vegan pepper dish left me wanting more in terms of Caribbean island flavor and heat! All week long, a traditional Trinidad-style dish has been on my mind. That’s how it works... I contemplate food for a week or two before it ever makes it into the kitchen. Then, one day I find myself standing over a steamy stove stirring a spicy concoction that takes me to the Islands. Won’t you join me? Let’s Get Started! Rich with flavors as creative and explosive as Carnival, Gluten Free Vegan Trini-Style Corn & Pepper Soup will make you and your family or guests feel the pulse of the Islands!  From Gluten Free Gigi's dairy free, soy free, nut free recipe box:  Peppers are naturally gluten free! I hope you had a marvelous gluten free 4th of July! Reacquainting myself with Red Hot Momma (Do you Blendtec?!) and the rest of my kitchen was the order of the day for me. I was just back home from five days on the road. I was attending the 37th Annual Gluten Intolerance Group Conference where I had the pleasure of learning from speakers like Dr. Tom O’Bryan and nutritionist Julie Starkle. You can look forward to learning more about the information I gathered for you there in the coming weeks. Right now, though, I have something else for us... a PEPPER PARTY! Cocktails, Cookouts, & Cool Treats ~ This Week's BIG Trip and A Gluten Free Grand Finale! 06/28/2011
From Gluten Free Gigi's dairy free, soy free, nut free recipe box: My next big gluten free adventure away from home begins tomorrow! I’ll be out of my kitchen and on the road spending several days attending a special conference to learn the latest on gluten free living from the top researchers, dietitians, and authors. It's the 37th Annual Gluten Intolerance Group Education Conference. Of course, I’ll be seeking great-tasting, healthy gluten free meals along the way... The prospect of traveling and finding places to eat gluten free may be daunting for you. It was for me after I first learned I needed to be gluten free. Over time, though, I've found easy ways to do it. I'll be sharing those with you more and more on my website. Since starting my blog a year ago, I've already reviewed a few local restaurants and provided some pointers. (By the way, I can't believe I'm already almost upon my one-year blogaversary... we'll have to do something special for it!) Now I'm starting to review other locations and destinations near and far... and how I go about doing it gluten free. In fact, I'm in the process of putting together a special report about a MAJOR destination for you. I'm doing my research while I'm on this trip... With all the travel preparation for the conference and my special report, I’ve kept my meal planning even more simple than usual this week! ...On to Our CC&C Gluten Free Grand Finale!  I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone besides me make a meal before I post it. Until now. I wanted to grill-up some seafood for you this week and visited the market for inspiration. Somewhere between the Dover Sole and the Mahi Mahi, I zoned out considering possibilities from the sea. I would have lost my spot in line were it not for... Dale. The gentleman - so rare these days! - realized I was off in la-la land. "Um, excuse me, I think it's your turn." Dairy Free Custard Base for Ice Cream 06/07/2011
 You can use the same dairy free base for chocolate or vanilla. Use this simple custard base for the best dairy free ice cream! I made this marvelous chocolate treat to go with my Gluten Free Twist on the Backyard Burger. If you prefer vanilla, simply omit the chocolate (I'll point this out below). Dairy Free Custard Base for Ice Cream 1 cup coconut milk creamer (original) 2 cups rice milk 2/3 cup sugar Pinch salt 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Before you begin, have a whisk and a candy thermometer handy.  6 ingredients come togther for the best in dairy free cool treats! Combine coconut and rice milk in a bowl; give it a little stir. Set aside one cup of this milk mixture for the step coming up. Take the remaining two cups and put it in the fridge for the Cooling Step* at the end. Place egg yolks in a large bowl; set aside. Before we start with the heat, here’s a critical tip for custard: Never boil! Your custard will curdle and instead of a cool treat, you’ll have a hot mess. So be gentle with your custard!  Over medium-low heat in a 2-quart saucepan, stir together 1 cup of the milk mixture, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved and milk is hot. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and grab your whisk! It’s time to incorporate the egg yolks into our custard. To do this, we will temper the yolks. That simply means that we’ll be raising the yolk temperature a little at a time by gradually adding hot liquid (in this case, the milk mixture). Add 4 Tablespoons of the hot milk one tablespoon at a time to the yolks. Keep your whisk going the entire time so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs!  Tempered egg yolk success! Add this egg mixture to the milk in your saucepan and return it to the stovetop over low heat. Time for the thermometer!  A basic candy thermometer does the trick! You’re going for a temp of around 175 degrees here since we're using plant milk (coconut and rice). With cow’s milk, I’d go 160, but I find plant milk requires a few degrees more to get a custard thickness. By the way, plant milk custard will be much thinner and "normal" custard. Don’t worry. It’s awesome!  This is how the custard will appear when it's done. As the custard cooks and the temperature approaches 175, it will become a bit more yellow in color. You'll also notice a thin layer of foam form on the top. When your thermometer hits 175, remove the custard from the heat.  Dairy free custard very lightly coats the spoon. Here's how this custard will coat the back of a spoon when it's finished. You can see how it's not the same thickness as traditional custard... If you want vanilla, you can skip to the Cooling Step* below. I bet you want chocolate…  These chips are dairy free, soy free, nut free! Place approximately 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips in a large mixing bowl.  The hot custard will melt the chips perfectly! Slowly whisk in hot custard mixture to achieve this gorgeous dairy free concoction…  You will never believe it's dairy free! *Now, it’s time to cool things down during our Cooling Step.  Quick chilling saves you time! I fill my saucepan with ice and cold water, then place the warm bowl of custard right on top (a cold bain-marie!).  You can give the chocolate mixture a stir occassionally as it cools.  In about 45 minutes, you've got delish dairy free ice cream! In about half an hour, you’ll be ready to add the remaining 2 cups of milk (remember, we put that in the fridge earlier) and take it to the ice cream freezer. I use a Krups countertop model ice cream freezer (love!). I've found freezing takes about 45 minutes. If you have any leftovers, you know what to do... put them in an airtight container in your freezer. Another tip: If the ice cream freezes solid, let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature prior to scooping.  Only Miles of Chocolate can make this ice cream better! If you need a refresher about the ONLY chocolate worthy of my freezer, read my review of this life-changing gluten free chocolate dessert made by the former Marine named Miles. If you're tempted to order some... go for it. You won't believe how good it is. I couldn’t! Stay cool... xo, Gigi | 
 
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