The Very Best Vanilla Cupcakes

Tender, moist, and fluffy... what more could you ask for?! These cupcakes are so delicious on their own that you almost don't even need to frost them! No one will believe they are both gluten free and dairy free.

The Very Best Vanilla Cupcakes
Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2/3 cup plain dairy free yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream "butter" and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
4. Alternate additions of sifted flour mixture and yogurt, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
5. Using ice cream scoop, fill muffin liners about 2/3 full.
6. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Centers will spring back up when gently pressed.)
7. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then place cupcakes on wire rack to finish cooling.
8. Once completely cool, decorate cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles. Enjoy!

Notes

• For one 8-inch round cake: Prepare recipe as stated above.
• For two 8-inch round cakes: Double recipe.
• For three 8-inch round cakes: Triple recipe.
• To bake round cake layer(s), grease pan(s) and line bottom(s) with parchment paper. Cook about 25 minutes.
• For frosting, try my buttercream recipe, using Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks in place of butter to make dairy free.

Recipe adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring.

7 Layer Dip {Dairy Free}

This Mexican dip is the ultimate party food with all of the flavor and none of the dairy!

7 Layer Dip {Dairy Free}
Yield: 8x8 pan

Ingredients
Dip:

• 16 oz can refried beans
• 8 oz container guacamole (or 1 cup homemade)
• 1 cup cashew cream (recipe prepared with 1/2 cup water)
• 1/2 cup dairy free Daiya cheddar style shreds
• 1 small Roma tomato, chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives (optional)

Spices:

• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder

Directions

1. Spread refried beans in even layer on bottom of dish.
2. Spread even layer of guacamole over beans.
3. In small bowl, mix cashew cream with spices. (This can be made in advance to let flavors develop.) Spread evenly over guacamole, to edges of pan, to prevent avocado from browning.
4. Sprinkle cheddar shreds over spiced cashew cream.
5. Top with chopped tomato and sliced green onions. Add sliced black olives, if desired. (I just didn't have any in my pantry when I made it!)
6. Refrigerate at least a few hours, or overnight, before serving.
7. Scoop with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup

This soup is the very definition of comfort food: creamy, hearty, and flavorful! Here in the Midwest, it's the perfect dinner to warm you up during these long, cold winter months. You won't even miss the dairy, I promise!

Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw (unsalted) cashews, soaked in water overnight
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 whole medium onion, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 64 oz vegetable broth
• 1 cup wild rice (see "Tips" below)
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme, to taste
• 2 tsp salt, more to taste
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 15 oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans

Directions

1. Soak cashews overnight, if possible. If not, soak in boiling water immediately (the longer, the better).
2. Chop celery, carrots, onion, and garlic.
3. Chop mushrooms, set aside.
4. Reserve 1 cup (8 oz) of broth. Heat remaining vegetable broth in large pot over medium heat.
5. Rinse and drain wild rice.
6. Add wild rice, thyme, and salt to hot vegetable broth. Add veggies (celery, carrots, onion, and garlic), too.
7. Place lid on pot and set a timer for 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, drain soaked cashews and liquid from cannellini beans.
9. Place cashews and beans in Nutri Ninja (or Vitamix). Add reserved cup of vegetable broth. Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth.
10. When timer goes off, stir creamy mixture into the pot. Add chopped mushrooms.
11. Replace lid, lower heat, and set timer for additional 15 minutes.
12. When timer goes off, check if wild rice is done (should be a bit chewy).
13. Serve piping hot out of the pot. Enjoy!

Tips

• Save time by not sautéing the veggies first and just put them directly into the pot. It can be done either way and honestly comes down to personal preference! (My husband likes the vegetables to be a bit more tender, so the added step of cooking them first works best for us.)
• To ensure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, I stir occasionally to keep the ingredients evenly distributed.
• This soup is filling and rich. Before you ladle up a giant bowl, make yourself a mugs-worth. It catches up to you quick!
• Since so many wild rice products are cross-contaminated with wheat, I used this truRoots Sprouted Rice & Quinoa Medley which is certified gluten free.

Recipe adapted from Life Is No Yoke.

Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies

After the holidays are over, I love finding seasonal merchandise marked down to basement-level clearance prices. I found these Nestle Toll House Maple Morsels for only $1 per bag! The seasonal aroma of maple and cinnamon emanating from the warm oven made our home feel so cozy and comforting while the soft, fluffy texture delivered just what you'd expect from a traditional snickerdoodle cookie. These limited edition morsels will definitely be on my radar to buy again next fall/winter!

Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients
Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups (10 oz pkg) Nestle Toll House Maple Morsels

For Rolling:

• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In small bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
3. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.
6. In small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp sugar and cinnamon.
7. Roll dough into 1 1/4" balls (I used small cookie dough scoop) and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
8. Bake 11-12 minutes, or just until centers are set. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

(Recipe found on back of package. Pecans were omitted here.)

Cashew Cream

This versatile plant-based alternative to traditional dairy products (think: heavy cream, sour cream, and the like) can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. The cream takes on the flavor of the ingredients used to season it, and the consistency can be made as thick, or as thin, as a recipe calls for. Flexibility is the name of the game!

Cashew Cream
Yield: up to 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/3 to 3/4 cup water, depending on desired thickness

Directions

1. Place cashews in bowl and cover with water. Let soak at least 3 hours, or overnight.
2. Drain completely. Combine cashews with fresh water and blend until very smooth (about a minute in high-powered blender, such as Nutri Ninja).
3. For sweet cream: use 3/4 cup water and add 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, and 1-2 Tbsp sugar or maple syrup.
4. For savory cream: add pinch of salt and lemon juice, nutritional yeast, herbs and/or spices, to taste.
5. For homemade cashew milk: use 3 cups of water.
6. Cream lasts 3-4 days in refrigerator, or it can be frozen.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Pretzel M&M Kisses

My daughter's Christmas party for gymnastics was yesterday, so I made these simple, festive treats for her to share with her teammates! Unfortunately, instead of attending the party, she and I made a trip to urgent care where she was diagnosed with strep throat. Not the way either of us envisioned the weekend going, but now she and her siblings have all these sweet and salty snacks to enjoy themselves. (Just because *I* have to eat dairy/gluten free doesn't mean that my kids have to suffer, too!)

Pretzel M&M Kisses
Yield: as many/few as you like!

Ingredients

• twist pretzels
• milk chocolate Hershey's Kisses
• milk chocolate M&Ms

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
3. Place pretzels on lined baking sheet and top each with Hershey's Kiss.
4. Cook for 3 minutes, until chocolate looks shiny.
5. Press M&M into center of each Hershey's Kiss.
6. Cool on pan until chocolate sets back up.
7. Store in airtight container at room temperature (if there are any left!).

Recipe adapted from Shell's Kitchen.