5 Dairy Free Smoothie Recipes

A Vitamix found itself delivered to my front porch. I don't really know how or why, but it did. My loving husband (my sweet, kind, wonderful husband) ordered it without really telling me so it was a big surprise. Our stick blender died and our food processor was on it's last leg. Instead of buying another $100 blender or food processor that is just going to die on us in a couple years he went ahead and invested in a Vitamix.

 I saw the UPS truck pull up and I assumed my husband had ordered something from Amazon as he is fond of doing. But as the UPS driver emerged from his truck I saw that he was holding a large cardboard box with big bold letters spelling out "Vitamix". What a surprise! Initially I scoffed at the idea of spending so much on one kitchen appliance but I really do love it. I have been experimenting with it as much as possible. I've been making homemade almond milk, smoothies, pureed soups and sauces. I still have more I want to try, like peanut butter, hummus, and dairy free Nutella. I have collected 5 of my favorite smoothie recipes plus a bonuse vegetable juice. I love that I can make vegetable juice without a juicer in my Vitamix.





  Whole Fruit Smoothie - Orange, banana, blueberries and spinach

Mango and Coconut Smoothie - Mango, coconut cream, and coconut milk with a hint of lime

Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie - Strawberries, almond milk and vegan vanilla ice cream

Pina Colada Smoothie - Almond milk, coconut cream, pineapple and banana, garnish with shredded coconut

Shamrock Shake - Sweet creamy peppermint shake with a surprise ingredient

Molasses Cookie Recipe

I used to have marathon cookie baking sessions with my friend Matt.  He made a great molasses cookie and he was kind enough to share his recipe with me.  It's chewy, spicy, and always comes out great.  I know some people will sub out the shortening for butter but to get the best texture shortening is the way to go.



Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shortening melted
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

Mix together dry ingredients
Cream together shortening and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time then add the molasses.  Stir in dry ingredients.  Dough will be stiff.  Scoop with a cookie scoop or portion out dough into walnut size balls.  Roll dough in you hands to form smooth balls.  Roll balls in sugar, place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Press the dough balls with the bottom of a glass to flatten slightly.  Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  The cookies will puff up then shrink back down to a crinkly chewy cookie as they cool.

Check out all the great recipes all Cookie Week long!

Mini Spice Cakes Recipe

When I saw the Harvest Bites pan by Nordic Ware at William Sonoma I had to pick it up.  Seasonal or novelty kitchen items are rare in my kitchen.  I try to stick with multipurpose items, the basics, but this pan was just too much to pass up.

This basic spice cake recipe was printed on the packaging for the pan, I adjusted the cake to be dairy free as well as up the spice flavor.  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Coconut Macaroons

These are a favorite in my house.  I always make them at Christmas time to add to cookie platters because they are quick, easy, and budget friendly.  If you like coconut, you will love these cookies.


You only need 4 ingredients
8 ounces sweetened flake coconut (about 2 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 egg whites
pinch of salt

Smoked Deviled Eggs

When my brother told me about smoked deviled eggs he made, I knew I had to try them for myself.  I was planning on smoking a chicken anyway so I added a half dozen hard-boiled and peeled eggs to the smoker.  I smoked them at 225 degrees F for about 30 minutes.  I used apple chips but you can use any wood you like.

Once the eggs were smoked and cooled you proceed just like normal deviled eggs.  To make the filling I mixed the yolks with a couple tablespoons of mayo, a teaspoon or so of yellow mustard, a tablespoon of pickled diced jalapenos (with a splash of the vinegar brine from the jar) and salt and pepper.  I topped each egg with crumbled bacon and paprika.  If you have a favorite deviled egg recipe you can substitute that filling in these smoked eggs.

The eggs were so amazing.  They are satisfying on so many levels, creamy, smokey, spicy, savory.  They are not much more work than regular deviled eggs but they are so unexpected and different.  Give them a try, I'm sure they will be a hit at your next cookout or party.

Flattened Dried Bananas

Dried bananas are a great snack and really easy to make with a dehydrator.  Dried banana you make at home will never taste like the banana chips you can buy at the store, thats because those banana chips are not dried, they are deep fried.  Instead of trying (and failing) to replicate those crispy crunchy fried banana chips, why not try making flattened bananas.

You will want to use fully ripened, or even over ripened bananas.  The more black the skin becomes, the sweeter the banana.  Just smash the banana onto the fruit leather tray of your dehydrator and dry them at 135 degrees for about 12 hours.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels (Dairy-Free)

After a little tweaking I came up with a perfect whole wheat soft pretzel recipe.  These pretzels are soft and chewy, slightly sweet and completely delicious.  They are awesome served warm with spicy brown mustard.


I based the recipe on Alton Brown's recipe but I needed to make it dairy free and I wanted to make it whole wheat.  In my opinion, the egg wash is unnecessary and a silicone mat is a better option that greasing the pan.  Upping the yeast to a full tablespoon helps the whole wheat dough rise to its full potential.

 Below is the recipe as I made it.

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T Sugar
2 t salt
1T yeast
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 stick Earth Balance vegan margarine
10 cups water with 2/3 cup baking soda

Combine the 1 1/2 cup warm water, sugar, salt and yeast.  Stir to dissolve.  At this point you can proof the yeast.  If you know your yeast is viable (fresh and stored properly), you can skip this step, it will still work perfectly fine.

Add the melted and cooled Earth Balance.  Be sure your margarine is not too hot or it may kill your yeast.

Stir in the whole wheat flour and add enough of the all purpose flour to form a dough.  I start with the whole wheat flour, then add the all purpose flour.  The atmosphere and weather can affect how much flour you will ultimately need, and I want to make sure I will have the full amount of the whole wheat flour in my final product.

Knead the dough 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.  (see below for the best way I have found to proof the dough)

Punch down the dough and divide into 12-14 pieces.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap while you are working so that it doesn't dry out.  Roll the dough into long ropes and shape the pretzels.  Alternately, you can cut the rope into 2 inch segments to make pop-able pretzel nuggets.

Meanwhile, mix the 10 cups of water and baking soda in a wide shallow pan.  Make sure you add the baking soda before the water heats. If the water is hot when you add baking soda it will bubble over and make a big mess.  Once the baking soda is dissolved, bring it to a slow simmer.  Using a slotted spatula carefully lower the shaped pretzels into the simmering baking soda solution.  Only put 2-3 pretzels in at a time.

Remove the pretzels after about 30 seconds and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  While they are still damp, sprinkle each pretzel with pretzel salt.  Regular coarse salt can be used, but the crumbly pretzel salt really makes them awesome.

Bake in a oven preheated to 450 degrees (F) for about 10 minutes until they are dark brown all over.


Notes:
Proofing:
The best way I have found to proof yeast dough is in the microwave.  You don't heat the dough with the microwave, but you create a warm steamy environment.  Place 2 mugs of warm water in the microwave and cook them for 1-2 minutes until they are hot and steamy.  Place your bowl of dough in the microwave and quickly close the microwave door to prevent too much temperature loss.  The heat helps the dough rise and the steam keeps it from drying out or forming a skin.

Storage:
Store the baked pretzels in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  For pretzels you want to store, omit the pretzel salt sprinkled before baking, it will just melt off.  Add the salt before reheating (See reheating instructions below).

Reheating:
brush each pretzel with a scant amount of water then sprinkle the salt all over.  Warm the pretzel in the microwave for 15-20 seconds then toast them in a toaster oven.  It seems like a complicated reheating process but its the best way to get the crunchy outside and warm chewy inside.

Pretzel Dogs:
This is the best part of this post.  My reward for those of you that read all the way to the end.  These pretzels (or any soft pretzel recipe) wrapped around a hot dog make an amazing treat.  Simmer in the baking soda solution and bake as previously described.

Seasoned Almonds

I had a bunch of raw almonds and needed a snack, like a snack attack came down upon me in a real way.  This is what I came up with.

Seasoned Almonds
1 egg white + a drizzle of water
3.5 cups raw almonds
1 teaspoon salt

Variation #1 - Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Variation #2
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 300 F. Beat the egg whites and water until foamy. This isnt anywhere near peaks of any kind but there is alot of air incorporated so there is a significant increase in volume. I beat mine with a fork (by hand) for about 2 minutes. Dump the almonds and egg white fluff into a large bowl and mix to completely coat all the almonds. Sprinkle the salt and whichever seasonings you choose and toss well with a fork to get even coverage. Pour out onto a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes. They turned out perfectly roasted but I think the spicy version could have had a little bit more kick. Perhaps I will increase the cayenne to a full tablespoon next time. I may try other variations (spicy mustard?!). Im sure this would work for other nuts as well (adjusting roasting time to best suit the nut)