Tag: nut-free

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup, 2 ways

January 24, 2013 by EmmaEats

We’re in the thick of it now. Winter. Absolutely-frigid-toes-frozen-huddled-under-a-blanket winter. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=137793&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] In my last post on fudge, foregoing all extravagances cold turkey as part of a New Year’s resolution was excessive. Moderation is the key and this sweet potato and carrot soup tastes indulgent, but really isn’t. G and I have been eating versions of this for years. My old favourite is made with butternut squash. After enjoying this version a few times, it’s climbed […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Butternut squash, Cinnamon, Cooking, dairy-free, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Sweet potato, Winter recipes

Candy Cane Fudge

January 17, 2013 by EmmaEats

New Year’s resolutions are so overrated. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=137759&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] This is the time of year where everyone feels the pressure to get fit, eat well and forego all extravagances after a month of indulgence. Many choose to go cold turkey – me, I prefer a more moderate approach. We eat more healthy foods, we work to get more active, we try to get more sleep and we still enjoy some treats. We’ve enjoyed a version of […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Candy cane, Chocolate, Cooking, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gift-giving, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Macaroons, Ginger Spice Cake and Crispy Mint Chocolate Bark

Homemade for the Holidays – Coconut Macaroons and Crispy Mint Chocolate Bark

December 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

Here’s a little gift to you – from our house to yours. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=13297065&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Hope you and your families are having a wonderful holiday filled with much love, health, happiness and joy! Coconut Snowballs adapted from Diamonds for Dessert: Frosty the Snowman (makes 24 1 1/2″ snowballs) 3 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup vanilla sugar pinch of ground kosher salt 3 egg whites (from large eggs) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract a few squares […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Candy cane, Chocolate, Christmas, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Rice Krispies

Family-friendly Christmas Fruitcake

December 20, 2012 by EmmaEats

Fruitcake snob = me. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=33623518&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] For the first 30+ years of my life, I did not like fruitcake. The thought of aged cake with glaceed fruits and almond paste that could be a year old or more was unfathomable. I was blissfully living a fruitcake-free existence when I realized that G loves it. I had no choice but to find a way to make this traditional cake palatable. Fruitcake has now become a family […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Christmas, Christmas cake, Dessert, Dried fruit, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Fruitcake, Gift-giving, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cherry Bites

December 6, 2012 by EmmaEats

It can’t be so. Cookies with no nuts, no butter and no eggs and entirely irresistible. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=7333703&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Well, it is indeed so. These incredibly flavourful cookies are definite crowd-pleasers and even diehard non-vegans won’t even notice that these tasty morsels are in fact without the butter, egg and nut triumvirate. Emma picked these for her school snack day awhile back and the platter came back clean. Empty. As were the bowls of them at […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks, Vegan • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cherry, Chocolate, Chocolate chip, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Dried fruit, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Vegan

Ginger and Spice Cake

November 29, 2012 by EmmaEats

Not all cakes have to be frilly, frosted and fantastical in nature to knock your socks off. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=28028389&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] We’re heading into the holiday season and this cake is the perfect way to kick it off. It doesn’t sparkle. It’s not iced. It isn’t fancy in any sense of the word. But what it lacks in wow factor at first sight, it makes up for with the first bite. We’ve been eating it ever since […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Brunch, Christmas, Cinnamon, coconut oil, Cooking, Dessert, desserts, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Ginger, Gingerbread, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Spice Cake, Whole wheat flour, Winter recipes

Chicken Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

November 22, 2012 by EmmaEats

Gumbo. Creole. Etouffee. Jambalaya. Mmmmmm. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=26712887&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Emma has a bit of a love affair with New Orleans. After reading some Princess and the Frog books (she hasn’t watched the movie yet — how will she react to the Shadow Man and his compatriots?!) and hearing about Princess Tiana enjoying her father’s gumbo, she became intrigued with it. Here we go again: she shows the interest and I’m all too happy to introduce her to […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Cooking, dairy-free, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gumbo, Homemade, Kid-friendly, New Orleans, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Winter recipes

Dairy-free Vanilla Birthday Cake with Rose Ombre Frosting

November 15, 2012 by EmmaEats

Another year has flown by in the blink of an eye. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=2464688&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Actually, the last five years have flown by in the blink of an eye. Yesterday, we celebrated Emma’s 5th birthday. How could it be five years already? What a wonderful young girl you’ve become, Emma! She wows us often with her inquisitiveness, her kind heart and cheerful nature. There are so many things we love about our Emma. She brings […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, coconut oil, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes, Stuart McLean, Vanilla

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

November 8, 2012 by EmmaEats

I’m not ready for cold weather but I am ready for more warm food. This kind of food. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=375739&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Emma’s first exposure to Moroccan food was at Epcot in the Moroccan pavilion. She loved the music and the dancing. G and I loved the food. She thought of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. We thought of warm complex spices, flavourful sweet dates and preserved lemons. With Emma’s love for “all things Moroccan”, we couldn’t let […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Brunch, Chicken Tagine, Cooking, dairy-free, Emile Henry, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Moroccan cuisine, nut-free, Olive, Olive oil, Preserved lemon, Princess Jasmine, Recipes, Tajine

Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Mushrooms

October 31, 2012 by EmmaEats

And so it begins. It’s the season where we’re all cold until Spring. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=22983375&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Whether it’s raining or snowing, windy or cloudy, or because the days are now so short, we all crave comfort and warmth at this time of year – deeply breathing in the hot steam rolling off of a morning coffee, pulling a scarf higher as you step outside or reaching for a warm blanket when tucking into that novel as the […]

Categories: Appetizers, Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Monthly Mingle, Recipes, Sides • Tags: Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Ein Prosit — Whole Wheat and Honey Dairy-Free Pretzel Bites

October 18, 2012 by EmmaEats

Oktoberfest is here. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”250″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=33404883&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Or at least it was here until earlier this month. Years ago, living in Waterloo, we celebrated with the locals at the second largest Oktoberfest celebration in the world. There was lots of warm, comforting and filling Bavarian food including bratwurst, sauerkraut, schnitzel and pretzels. Things have changed since then — now that we are parents, the only biergarten we occasionally see is the one at the German pavilion […]

Categories: Appetizers, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Sides, Super School Snacks • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Germany, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Oktoberfest, Pretzel, Recipes, Whole wheat flour

One-pot Mac ‘n Cheese with Ham ‘n Peas

October 11, 2012 by EmmaEats

Boxed macaroni and cheese is my shame food. There, I’ve said it. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=21876828&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Shame food = food one is embarrassed and ashamed to admit they really, really like. I’ve convinced myself that it isn’t so bad because I fancy it up with sour cream, smoked salmon and peas. To make matters worse, Emma has adopted my shame food as a favourite too. She doesn’t see it as a bad thing, but I know that […]

Categories: Recipes • Tags: Cheese, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Macaroni & Cheese, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

What have you got — Cheerios Cranberry and Granola Magic Wands (dairy-free)

October 4, 2012 by EmmaEats

Now here’s a snack fit for a princess. Or your superstar. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=35897410&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] In our household, we are currently going through very large quantities of Cheerios. Boxes of them. Are Cheerios something that your little ones enjoy a lot? Katie loves handfuls them. Emma loves bowlfuls them. Dry or in milk — it’s all very well-received and quickly consumed. This is why it is no surprise that a) Emma was flipping through a Cheerios cookbook; […]

Categories: Desserts, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Baking and Confections, Cheerios, coconut oil, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Dried cranberry, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gift-giving, Granola, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Marshmallow, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Winter is Coming — Apple Spice Layer Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting [Dairy-Free]

September 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. I am thankful that although winter is coming, it is not quite here. Thankfully, it’s still months away! [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=26123328&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] We’re just being greeted by Autumn — with her cool evenings, sunny days and breathtaking colours. It also means apple season is here and it’s time to take advantage of something else Autumn has brought us. Crisp, fresh and flavourful apples. This apple cake was inspired by many attempts to […]

Categories: Desserts, Recipes • Tags: apple season, Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cinnamon, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, royal gala apples, spelt, spelt flour

Whole Wheat Banana Flax Baked Pancakes on fresh fruit skewers

I can make it on time — Whole Wheat Banana Flax Baked Pancakes

September 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

There is no longer any reason to start your morning without pancakes. Even when you’re running late. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=10137481&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Like you, I try to do my best to provide a well-rounded healthy breakfast for my kids. Even though it only takes a few minutes to scramble an egg in the microwave/make toast/have a half a banana, somehow, that is too much to coordinate some mornings. Overhearing Emma’s teacher asking the children what they had for […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, banana bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Chocolate chip, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, Family-friendly, Flax, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, Pancake, quick and easy, Recipes, School Snacks, Whole wheat flour

Flank Steak Roulade on the Big Green Egg

Kiss of Fire — Flank Steak Roulade

September 20, 2012 by EmmaEats

Back when Katie was a mere 4 weeks old, an old friend came to stay with us for a few days. We hadn’t seen him in years and hoped it would be a good visit – one where we’d have an enjoyable time reconnecting. We also hoped we could somehow manage to feed, water and entertain our houseguest while simultaneously caring for our kids. And we really hoped we would not send him screaming after being exposed our new insanity. […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Monthly Mingle, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Barbecue, bbq, BGE, Big Green Egg, Cooking, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Flank steak, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Olive oil, quick and easy, Recipes

Here comes the sun – Granola and Berry Breakfast Parfaits

September 11, 2012 by EmmaEats

Some mornings, we’re in a rush. Maybe I should say many mornings we’re in a rush. Ok, perhaps most mornings. Are your mornings the same? [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=36405945&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] Happy back-to-school – hopefully it’s been a good start to the year for you all. We’ve had a fantastic start which means although it is a 3-minute walk door-to-door to Emma’s school, we’ve only had to run out the door to get there on time once. For us, […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Cranberry, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Granola, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Summer’s (Not Quite) Gone – Toasted Corn, Black Bean and Tomato Salad

September 4, 2012 by EmmaEats

The last few weeks of summer have been unusual at our house. The past week in particular has been barely-managing-to-nibble-white-toast-and-drink-chicken-soup unusual. [gigya src=”http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf” width=”204″ height=”40″ flashvars=”hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=35910204&style=metal&p=0″ allowScriptAccess=”always” wmode=”window”] At least one member of our family has been ill since we’ve been back from our holidays early in August. We’re usually a pretty hearty bunch but somehow, this just hasn’t been our time. Thankfully, we seem to be on the upswing now. September marks many things: a new season, back-to-school, new […]

Categories: Lunch, Recipes, Sides • Tags: Bell pepper, Cooking, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Salad, Tomato