Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yes, you read that right- DAIRY FREE Buffalo Chicken Dip. When I started my search for this dish, I came across a lot of variations. This recipe is the one that was the most like the original recipe. I found it at Adventures of a Minnesota Girl written by Melissa. This dip is cheesy, gooey, indulgent... everything a dairy free person misses. It tasted just like the original dairy full dish- just with a lot less grease and oil.

I first made this for our New Year's Eve party. The dip was a huge hit with everyone- and they were all dairy eaters except me. In fact, we finished off two of them! The ingredient list is short, the method is super easy, and it comes together beautifully.

Ingredients:
~Cooked and shredded *chicken. You can use leftover rotisserie or boil up a couple chicken breasts. I boil up two breasts for 1 dip.

~4 oz.of your favorite dairy free cheese plus a little more for the top. You can use cheddar or mozzarella- I used cheddar. I use Veggie Shreds because I do not have a casein allergy. I suggests using Daiya if you have an allergy instead of an intolerance.

~8 oz.dairy free cream cheese. I used Trader Joes brand.

~1/3 cup *mayo

~1/3 cup Franks Red Hot sauce. More if you want it hotter.

~1 Tablespoon lemon juice

~Salt and pepper to taste.


Directions:
1.If cooking the chicken, boil it until it is cooked through and easy to shred.

2.While the chicken is cooking mix up the Mayo, lemon juice, cheese, and salt and pepper.


Add the cream cheese, then the chicken and hot sauce.


3.I sprinkle the top with extra cheese as well.This is optional

4.Bake at 350F for about 15-20 minutes or until hot.


Melissa told me that you can also do this in a slow cooker. I have not tried it that way myself though. But I plan on trying it soon!

**You can make this Vegan by using tofu instead of chicken, and Veganese instead of mayo.

A HUGE thank you to Melissa at Adventures of a Minnesota Girl for sharing this recipe on her blog, and for allowing me to share it on mine. You should definitely head over to her blog and check it out!

For the Kids~Homemade Apple Chips

We belong to a Summer and a Fall CSA , and last week we got a huge bag of locally grown apples. Along with that we also got a bag of tangerines, sweet potatoes, broccoli, white potatoes, and a head of cabbage. If you aren't part of a CSA, I highly recommend finding one and joining.

Since we have so many apples right now, I decided to turn some of them into apple chips for the girls. My kids love dried fruit, and they love apples so this seems to be the perfect snack for them.
I originally saw this idea on Pinterest, then looked up several other recipes to see different variations. I put together a few different ideas and came up with my own:

Ingredients:
Apples
Ground Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to between 235F and 250F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Wash your apples. Core them but leave the skin on. Slice thinly if your corer doesn't do it for you.




Sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. I did not add any sugar at all- some recipes do, but apples are sweet enough in my opinion. Plus, these are for the kids and I want them to be a healthy snack, not loaded with sugar.


Let cook for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, take them out and flip them. Put back in the oven and cook for 1 more hour. Your total cooking time is 2 hours so not too bad at all. I put these in the oven before I started on dinner, and they were done in time for a pre-bedtime snack.



I have to make more today- the girls have already finished these off. Luckily we got another bag of apples with our delivery this week.

An added bonus- they made my house smell AMAZING!

Cooking with Cat- "Purple People Eater" Smoothie

I have been meaning to get Cat back in the kitchen but there hasn't been a good time to until last week. Since she does an online charter school now she's home all morning. She seems to be in a bit of a growth spurt again so she wants a mid morning snack by 10:30. The other day out of the blue, she asked me to make her a smoothie. She was feeling tired from her trip to Charlotte with my parents and needed something to help wake her up. She's turning into my little "health nut" (Just like her Mommy)so she knows that fruits and veggies are a necessary to feeling good, and she does eat a ton of both! I always keep frozen organic berries in the freezer so I had plenty of ingredients on hand to make just what she wanted.

Cat wanted to try and make hers and the Little One's on her own, so I let her. She picked out raspberries, blueberries, banana, spinach (Yes- she picked the spinach), and Vanilla soy milk. I offered her coconut milk but she wanted the soy. I let her put all the ingredients in food processor and work the button until she thought it was pureed enough.(still working on getting a blender- every time we're out I forget to pick one up! I used to have 2 but both got lost in a move.)

She had a great time getting to make a treat for her little sister, and an even better time drinking her own smoothie!

She's nicknamed this the "Purple People Eater" Smoothie:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic raspberries
1/2 cup organic blueberries
1 half of a ripe banana
small handful of fresh spinach
Vanilla soymilk (or non-dairy milk)



Put all the fruits and spinach in a the blender (or in our case food processor).




Cover with soy milk. The less you use, the thicker it will be, use more and it will be thinner. It's all up to your (or your child's) taste. Cat liked hers like a milkshake.

Blend until all the fruits and veggies are pureed.


Pour into a glass, or a sippy cup for the Little One.


It's the perfect healthy snack for kids! And they love it!

Product Review: Second Nature Wholesome Medley

When you can't (Or choose not to) eat dairy, it can be a challenge to find a satisfying snack. I usually snack on a handful of almonds, but I do get a craving for something sweet every now and then. When I was pregnant with our 3rd child I had a bit of a sweet tooth, but I was determined to eat healthy and not gain any unnecessary weight ( it's just so hard to lose!) One shopping trip to BJ's Wholesale Club we happened to come across the most perfect, tasty, and satisfying snack for me. The Second Nature Wholesome Medley is a mix of almonds, cashews, peanuts, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dark CHOCOLATE- So good! And it is completely dairy free! And even better- since we buy it from BJ's it comes in a large bag that is half the price of anything made by Planters (and so much better!)


The perfect afternoon snack: Half cup of the Wholesome Medley and a cup of Rooibos Tea.




**If you have a BJ's nearby, I really recommend trying them out. We've been shopping there since our 1st daughter was born 7 years ago. They offer a good selection of Organic products, and have a lot of variety They also have a great baby aisle- but we use Eco-friendly diapers and they don't sell those there.