Oh Fudge! I forgot the Dairy ;)

One of the things I thought that Savvy would have to miss out on with a dairy allergy is fudge.  I {Love} fudge!  We won't be able to go to a fudge shop to buy some but we can surely make some at home...and may have to get a batch in this holiday weekend!


I had a lovely woman by the name of Suzanne whose hubby also has a dairy allergy and she shared her recipe with us...Thank You!  We love to try out recipes!

Dairy Free Fudge

Ingredients:

Makes about 81 squares of fudge

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter alternative*  (We used Fleischmann's margarine) 
2/3 cup milk alternative**   (We used Silk PureAlmond milk)
1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips*** (We used Enjoy Life brand chips)
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts  (Optional - We did not use nuts)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

LINE 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter and milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

ADD chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until completely melted. Add walnuts and vanilla; mix well.

POUR immediately into prepared pan; spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature 4 hours or until completely cooled; cut into 1-inch squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Alternatives:  I’ve made different flavored fudge by adding peppermint extract and crushed peppermints to the mix and sprinkled on top.  I’ve made it with some caramel swirled in.  I’ve also made it with some dollops of peanut butter swirled in before the fudge fully cools. Coconut flakes are also a fun addition.  Lots of yummy varieties!

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{Savvilicious} Sushi!

It is time to make Sushi!

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(This is a recipe that sharp knives are a must! And no serrated edges or "forever sharp" knives- you will need a nice and sharp edge. Watch your fingers!)

The one special "tool" you will need is a small bamboo rolling mat- they are only a few dollars, and can be found in many grocery stores where they sell sushi or the Asian food, or you may find a "sushi making kit" at Marshall's or Home Goods type of store.

Ingredients:
Carrot- peeled and sliced into very thin sticks
Cucumber- peeled and sliced into thin sticks
Rice vinegar
Short grain rice - or sushi rice (more expensive). We use Mahatma Valencia rice, but I think that brand may only be available here in Florida. This is also called pearl rice or short grain rice.
1 pack of nori (seaweed sheets)
1 pack of cooked and ready to eat salmon - Teriyaki flavor works great
Soy sauce for dipping

Directions:
Cook the rice per directions, then when fully cooked, transfer to a large non-metal bowl and add 3-4 tablespoons of the rice vinegar and gently stir in the vinegar and spread out the rice to cool. You want to speed up the cooling of the rice, get the vinegar mixed in, but don't smash up the rice into a mush.
Take a nori sheet and place shiny side down on the bamboo mat, wide end towards you.
Take the rice and spread a thin but solid layer on the bottom 2/3 of the sheet. Take the carrots and cucumber and make a strip of a few sticks of each across the rice, about 1/2 way up. Then, take the salmon and make a thin layer on top of the veggies. Now- the tricky part and one that may take practice- rolling. Start by rolling the bottom edge up and over the veggies and salmon, and fold the mat back and away as the roll starts to form. You will now see the reason for leaving the top 1/3 with no rice- it seals the roll together. Your first few rolls won't be perfect, or maybe not even that round. Make the first cut right in the middle, then line up the two halve side by side and cut slices of approximately 1/4 inch in thickness. Dip in soy sauce and enjoy.

Savvilicious {Ropa Vieja} and a video review of the Soda Stream Machine...A Blogmania Sponsor!

Ropa Vieja literally translates to "Old Clothes"! I have no idea why but that is what this savvilicious dish is called!  This is a pretty fast dish to prep but it does take a long while for it to cook so it is the perfect weekend meal.  Your house will smell amazing and it will seem like you were slaving over the stove all day!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs of rump roast
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
4 tbls cumin
3 tbls basil
1/2 tbls of crushed red peppers (optional-omit if you don't like spicy foods)
1 jar of capers, drained
1 10 oz jar of pitted spanish olives, drained
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

You will need a pot with an oven-safe lid for this. The good part is that you will only have one pot to wash at the end.

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees.

Heat about 1 tbls of olive oil in the pot, and put the meat in, browning all sides of the meat. Once that is done, then pour in all of the ingredients over the meat. You want to make sure that there is liquid covering just to the top of the meat, so you can either add a little water, or add a few more tomatoes. Stir to mix, put on the lid and put in the oven.

Keep cooking until the meat is tender enough to just pull apart with two forks and be shredded without any problem. This will take about 2 ½ to 3 hours, maybe a little longer depending on how thick the meat was to start with.

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We had fresh Mango soda that we made on our Soda Stream Machine...they are one of my Blogmania sponsors...you could win one during Blogmania!

Disclosure:  We received the product for the purpose of the review for free.  All opinions are my own and of course your opinion may be different.  No other form of compensation was received.

{Savvilicious} Chick Pea Balls

"Yeah! Chick Peas!" is what Savvy always yells when we make Falafel (these are usually served in a pita) but Savvy loves them just the way they are! 

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Ingredients:

• 1 package of dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Between 4-6  tablespoons flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for frying

Directions:
Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans.

Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil.

Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour.

Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Combine chickpeas, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in food processor. Use low or pulse until everything is chopped up and looking like cornmeal. Add flour a table spoon at a time, and pulse after each, until the mixture starts pulling together into lumps.

Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.

Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Serve hot.

Let's Get {Grilling}!

This is a simple menu but one that is Savvilicious! So grab your ingredients, grab your enthusiasm and let's start grilling!

On the menu today is:

Savvilicious Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 pack of boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips about 3/4" wide. You will probably get about 4 strips from each breast.
• Skewers- you can use either the wooden ones or metal BBQ skewers. If you use the wood ones, soak them for a few minutes in water to slow down any burning. 
• Your favorite milk-free barbecue sauce (yes, you have to check the label- some do have milk listed)

Directions

Take your chicken strips and put them in a ziplock and pour 1/2 of the sauce in with them- shake to coat all the strips, then put the bag in the refrigerator for atleast 1 hour (it is even better to have them marinate overnight).   Take the strips, and thread them onto the skewers in a "S" shape.  Put the chicken skewers on the hit grill and baste with remaining sauce. Turn them over in 5 mins, and cook for another 5 mins, basting with the extra sauce. Depending on how thick your strips are, and just how hot your grill is, yours may take a few more minutes.

Grilled Pineapples

1 Pineapple is all you need

Cut most of the top leaves off the pineapple (if you don't get them off the leaves will just start to burn on the grill), and then cut the pineapple into quarters. Put one of the cut sides directly on the grill, and turn after about 8 minutes onto the other side. You are looking for some grill marks and browning, not charring. To serve, use a sharp knife to slice away the middle tough part, and serve.

Grilled Potatoes
Ingredients

• Potatoes (We have used the whole range of potatoes, and they all work, so use whatever is your favorite ... for us that means whatever potatoe was on sale). Russet potatoes will be the most firm, Reds will be softer and will fall apart easier, and Yukon Golds have a great flavor and are midway in firmness between the Russets and the Reds.
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Oregano
• Dill weed
• onions
• Heavy duty aluminum foil

Lay out a piece of the foil, and spray/wipe with the olive oil. Wash the potatoes, and slice into rounds about 1/4" thick. Peel your onions, and cut into wedges. Combine the potatoes and onions on the foil, and sprinkle with the seasonings and about 1 tablespoon of oil. Fold over the foil to make a sealed pouch and place it directly on the grill over medium heat. The potatoes will take about 20-30 minutes to cook. To check to see if they are done, just try poking one of the top potatoes through the foil. If the top slices are tender and soft, you can be assured the ones on the bottom closer to the heat are done.

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 This recipe has been linked to the Thursday Recipe Spree on Stockpilingmoms.

{No Moo For Me} Menu Idea

This meal is so easy that our 3 year old daughter, Savvy, made it along with the help of her Sous Chef, Super Papi.

Tonight's dish:  Savvilicious Pork

The breading for the pork is Progresso Panko Beadcrumbs. Panko is also called "Japanese" breadcrumbs they are a lot lighter and much crunchier than regular bread crumbs - the plain version of Progresso Panko Breadcrumbs is MILK FREE (for some unknown reason, most regular style breadcrumbs have milk). 

Sous Chef, Super Papi poured in the bread crumbs and Chef Savvy took care of the spices. The plain breadcrumbs need a little spicing up. We used dried basil and oregano (between 3 to 4 Savvy shakes worth), and 2 shakes worth of coriander.

Salt to taste (just a little- she got about 3 squeezes of the handle in)

Cover the pork with plastic wrap and pound away.  Normally, we tell Savvy not to hit things so in this case when we told her to pound away, she loved it!

When her little arms got tired then her sous chef stepped in and finished pounding the pork but only under careful scrutiny from Chef Savvy! Tip - using the smooth face of the hammer will flatten out the meat, and then use the spiked side when you are almost done to tenderize). The goal here is to get the meat flattened out to about 1/4 inch- its not as hard as it sounds, and makes cooking much faster.

Now Chef Savvy pours flour into the bowl so the pork can be breaded. (remember- we are dealing with raw  meats - make sure to wash hands and not use the same board or utensils for raw meat and your other foods)

 

Since Chef Savvy is not old enough to tie her own shoes yet we don't let her fry anything up but that is where her Sous Chef, Super Papi, comes in handy!

The side dishes are quick and easy.  Since we wanted this meal to be a quick meal we chose to go with already prepared side dishes that are dairy free.  Birds Eye Steamfresh Brocolli Florets are easy to prepare in the microwave.  The best thing about this product is the ingredient list is: Brocolli...that is it...nothing you can't pronounce.

 Alexia brand Sweet Potato Julienne fries are delicious and you can easily bake them as you are preparing the pork.

Dessert!!  This is always the favorite part of the meal.  I bet you would not guess we were going to have brownies and ice cream!  I thought that when we were told Savvy could not have cow's milk that she would never eat any type of chocolate, brownies, ice cream, etc. It is challenging to find her treats like this but not impossible.  Duncan Hines has brownies that are made without milk! Check out the ingredients below.

Again, Brownies from a mix are so easy that even Savvy can help make them.

There are several choices in the ice cream case for non-dairy ice cream!  Who knew?  But you do have to be careful and read the ingredient list.  I found some brands that clearly state Dairy Free such as the Purely Decadent we chose below but once I read the ingredient list it stated that it may have been processed in a factory that contains milk...this is enough to send Savvy into an allergic reaction.  So, always read, read, read!  Even if you purchased the item 100 times before read those labels because one never knows when the company will switch manufacturing plants, how they process ingredients, etc.

(My apologies...I just re-read what I posted and realized it may sound like Purely Decadent has dairy in it (through the manufacturing plant)..this is not the case and the ONLY reason Savvy can eat. To be clearer...I found ice creams that state dairy free but were manufactured in plants that may process dairy. Purely Decandent WAS NOT ONE that was made in such a facility...this product is Savvy friendly!  (Dairy free)).

Savvy is enjoying her brownies and ice cream after all of the hard work she put into preparing the meal!