GF, DF Armenian Pizza (Lahmejun)

In the Armenian tradition there is a delicious dish known as Lahmejun.  It is often referred to as "Armenian Pizza" in this country, but it is actually quite different that the pizza you know and love.  There is never any cheese on it, and the meat and sauce are combined into a paste and cooked on top of the bread.

In the old country, this dish would be made by creating a bread dough from scratch, but today I'll share with you a shortcut that is not only simple but gluten-free as well!  GF tortillas from your local grocery serve perfectly as crust for these delicious meals.  Lahmejun is not only a fast and yummy lunch or dinner food, but it actually tastes better on the second day, so it makes wonderful leftovers for protein-rich snacks!  A food processor makes this recipe a snap, but you can certainly chop your veggies by hand if you prefer.


Armenian Pizza (Lahmejun)

2 packages gluten-free tortillas (12)
2 lbs ground beef
1 3/4 cups canned tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 green pepper
2 medium onions
1/2 cup fresh parsley or 1/4 cup dried parsley
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or Aleppo red pepper)
pinch of black pepper
1 - 3 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a food processor, combine green pepper (cored) and onions (peeled) and pulse until completely ground.  Add two types of tomatoes, parsley, salt and spices, and pulse again to mix.  Add ground beef in fist-sized clumps, and pulse gently to mix.  Do not pulverize.

Spread about 1/4 cup of meat filling onto each tortilla.  As you can see from my photo, the filling will shrink as it cooks, so spread the raw meat all the way to the edges of the tortilla.  Grease baking sheets with coconut oil or ghee, and cook two tortillas per sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until the meat has browned.

Notes:  This beef filling seems simple but can be tricky to execute.  If your filling seems to be separating and sitting in a pool of liquid, drain off any excess and blot your finished tortillas before baking.  Too much liquid will cause the filling to "weep" while it is baking, and cause the tortillas to stick to the baking sheet.  If you spread your filling too thick, it will not cook all the way through before the tortilla edges burn.   Cooking these on parchment will result in a soggy crust.

To eat these, fold in half and use your hands, not a knife and fork, to eat like a large piece of pizza.  The tortillas are too tough to cut easily!  They make great leftovers though - the filling tastes better on the second day.  Store with parchment in between each layer.

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Crabmeat (dairy free)

Missing your creamy soups while you're dairy free?  Coconut milk makes a great substitute.  This is a quick and easy broccoli soup, spiced up with a bit of Old Bay seasoning.  I added crabmeat on top for protein, and because I think broccoli soup can get boring :)

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Crabmeat

2 Tbsp oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions
2 16 oz. packages frozen broccoli
6 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 can coconut milk
3 Tbsp coconut butter
1 can crabmeat, drained

Soften the garlic in the oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Add the green onion and heat for another minute.  Drop in the broccoli, broth and Old Bay and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes, or until broccoli is soft.

Add the coconut milk and coconut butter and heat another five minutes. Blend with an immersion blender.  Ladle into bowls and top with crabmeat.


Shared with Allergy Free Wednesday.

I Tried It: Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins

Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins

by Gluten Free on a Shoestring

These muffins are absolutely delicious -- so sweet and moist, and without the overpowering eggy flavor many coconut flour baked goods have.  The method of cooking half the blueberries first with some honey takes a few extra minutes, but it's worth it.  These are best on the first day, while the sugar sprinkled on top is still crispy, but I've been known to eat these for breakfast, lunch and dinner for days.

Click HERE to jump to the original recipe at Gluten Free on a Shoestring.

Paleo Breakfast Pizza with Sunflower Seed Crust

This recipe might sound a little crazy, but boy was it good!  Inspired by a pizza crust recipe over at The Skinny Spice, I replaced the almond flour with ground sunflower seeds, and by golly it worked :)

Because of the number of elements involved, this recipe works best for a weekend morning.  Or, you can make the dough for the crust the night before, then keep it in a ball in the fridge wrapped in plastic until morning.  I also prepared my grilled onions and ground sausage ahead of time as well.

The crust is just a mixture of sunflower seed flour, tapioca flour (or garbanzo bean flour), coconut milk, olive oil, an egg and some seasonings.  You'll need to pre-cook this on a pizza stone, then add your toppings and bake again. 

To make this a breakfast pizza, we used a little bit of tomato sauce, ground pork that I had cooked earlier with a bit of sausage-y seasoning, lots of sautéed onions, and some shredded cheese.  To make this dairy-free, use Daiya cheese.  To make this completely Paleo, leave off the cheese altogether. 

The crust has a wonderful, nutty flavor, and the edges are nice and crispy.  The center can get a little soggy if you don't eat it immediately, but no one seemed to mind! 

Paleo Breakfast Pizza with Sunflower Seed Crust

2 1/2 cups ground sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tapioca or garbanzo bean flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
pinch of salt

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp each marjoram, sage, fennel seed
salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce (we used Rao's)
2 cups shredded cheese or substitute (optional)

For the crust, mix all the ingredients from sunflower seeds through pinch of salt in a stand mixer or food processor.  Roll into a ball, then roll out on a pizza stone.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the ground pork and spices in a large frying pan over medium heat until no pink remains.  In a separate pan, cook the onion slices in olive oil over medium-low heat, until softened and brown.

When the crust is baked, remove from the oven and add sauce, pork, onions, and cheese (if desired), then return to oven and bake 5 -10 minutes more, until heated through.  Makes one small pizza, approx 14" in diameter.  Can serve 5 for breakfast.

Shared with Healing with Food and Allergy Free Wednesday.

Allergy Friendly Virtual Christmas Breakfast

It's time for my favorite breakfast of the year -- Christmas morning!  We'll put on the Christmas carols, light up the tree, and sit back and smile at each other while the boys go bananas with the gifts :)  

When every last bit of wrapping paper has been shredded, every crummy little wire tie been wrenched off every toy, and every thank-you hug squeezed out of mom and dad, we'll retire to the kitchen to continue the party with some special, once-a-year breakfast treats.  Our tradition has been to eat cinnamon buns, the oranges that we found in our stockings, and hot chocolate with candy canes... what's yours?  Michelle at The Willing Cook just posted a great recipe for gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free Cinnamon Buns that I'm dying to try, but she doesn't include a photo so you'll have to settle for imagining how beautiful they are! 

When you're planning your Christmas morning breakfast this year, try some of these yummy recipes from some of my favorite allergy-free blogs.  Click onto the title of each photo to link to the original site for all the details.  Happy holidays!

*** * ***

Allergy Free Vintage Cookery's 

VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS MORNING BREAKFAST

*** * ***

*** BEVERAGES ***

Chai Thai Tea

from Paleo Parents

Chia Banana Orange Julius

from Raia's Recipes

*** WARM CEREALS ***

Anoushabour (Armenian Christmas Pudding)

from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen

Date Quinoa Porridge

from Free From The Three

*** BREADY THINGS ***

Christmas Morning Muffins

from Gluten Free Goes Vintage

Protein-Packed Pancakes

from Real Food Allergy Free

3 Ingredient Nutella (to put on your pancakes!)

from The Mommy Bowl

*** THE HOT STUFF ***

Butternut Squash Hash Browns

from Real Sustenance

*** THE HEALTHY STUFF ***

Crockpot Applesauce

from Elevate Wellness

*** BREAKFAST SWEETS ***

Vegan Fruitcake

from Go Dairy Free

*** I hope Santa is good to you! ***

Shared with Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different Act Normal and Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff and Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello and Seasonal Inspiration at Crumbs and Chaos and Once Upon a Weekend at Family Ever After and Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime and the Sunday Linky at Petit Hermine and the Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead.

Allergy Friendly Virtual Holiday Cocktail Party

*** * ***

Allergy Free Vintage Cookery's 

VIRTUAL HOLIDAY COCKTAIL PARTY

*** * ***

Vintage Holiday Serving Tray on Etsy

Happy Holidays everyone!  You are all invited to celebrate the season with a virtual party here at my place :)  I've searched the internet for delicious, allergy-free recipes for appetizers, desserts and drinks, and my favorites are listed on this menu.  Click the title of each dish to jump to the original website for all the details.  First, let's start with Barnivore, a site that lists the allergens in alcoholic drinks... did you know that some liquors are distilled or filtered through egg whites, fish, gelatin or seashells? Check here first before you compile your drink menu, then try some of these yummy options... these drinks are listed without alcohol, but you can certainly add some to your taste.

*** BEVERAGES ***

Cherry Velvet Limeade Mocktail

from Cooking Allergy Free

Honeydew Mojito

from Raw Food For Truth

Mulled Apple Cider

from Food Farm Health

*** APPETIZERS ***

Orange Cinnamon Ginger Toasted Almonds

from Heal Balance Live

Raw Carrot Hummus

from The Tasty Alternative

Chia Crusted Crackers with Tomatoes & Daiya Cheese

from Fresh4Five

Prosciutto-Wrapped Hearts of Palm

from The Willing Cook

Roasted Garlic with Thyme

from Recipes to Nourish

Toasted Ravioli

from Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

Pistachio Rosemary Spread

from Low Amine Recipes

*** DESSERTS ***

Frango Mint Truffles

from Tessa the Domestic Diva

Candied Orange Peels

from Raia's Recipes

Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters

from Lexie's Kitchen

You may also want to check out the Allergy-Free Cookie Exchange at The Art of Dessert.

Happy Holidays!

Shared with Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime and Once Upon a Weekend at Family Ever After and Nifty Thifty Sunday at Nifty Thrifty Things and Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello and Christmas in the Kitchen At The Picket Fence and Anything Goes at Bacon Time and Fusion Friday at Jane Deere and The Great Holiday Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans. 

It's a Linky Party!

Welcome to Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love on the week of December 13, 2013!  This weekly link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox.  While this blog features recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, soy-free, and mostly nut-free, your submissions don't need to be free of all of these.  As long as your recipe is free of at least one of the top 8 allergens, you're all set! 

Please link as many dishes as you like, or posts about putting together allergy-free lunches for your children.  We love to see gluten-free breads and muffins, dairy-free soups, soy-free salads, and your favorite healthy desserts (ice cream... not so much!)  Please share this link party with your bloggy friends and in your social media.  We all need some inspiration when it comes time to fill that lunchbox week after week!

Check out past Lunchbox Love parties by clicking the "Lunchbox Love" label at the right.

Also, you can follow our Pinterest Board to see all the past submissions.

Candy Cane Parfaits (GF, CF, Egg free)

The holiday season provides so many opportunities to make pretty food!  If red and green make you feel all warm and tingly inside, you are in luck today :)  I was lucky enough to receive a sample of Enjoy Life sugar cookies, and have been having a wonderful time incorporating them into all kinds of desserts.  We're big fans of the Enjoy Life brand around here... everything we've tried has tasted delicious, and the texture is just right, which can't be said about every allergy-free brand of food.

I know there is a large faction of cooks out there who are adamant about using only "real food" in their dishes, but I'd like to make a pitch for moderation on that point.  I completely agree that many processed and packaged foods contain unhealthy ingredients, but I'm finding that there is a real surge of new companies that are creating healthy and allergen-free foods that I would be a fool not to take advantage of.

Cooking absolutely everything from scratch is tiring.  Very tiring.  Burnout is a real possibility, and if your choices are use shortcuts or give up altogether, I vote for using the shortcuts.  There are certainly companies out there whose products I don't feel comfortable eating (gluten-free breads full of chemical substitutes, for example), but I was very happy when I read the ingredient list on the Enjoy Life cookies:  Brown and white rice flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour, palm oil, cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, honey, natural flavors, vanilla, salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, sodium acid pyrophosphate (the acid in baking soda), and rosemary extract.

Enjoy Life products are free of wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish, casein, potato, sesame and sulfites, and are made in a dedicated nut- and gluten-free bakery.  If they're made with healthy ingredients, are allergy-free, taste good and allow my family to eat a wider range of dishes, what's the problem?

And now, let's eat :)


Candy Cane Parfaits 

3 cups rice milk (or coconut milk)
1 cup sugar (your choice)
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 package GF sugar cookies (I used Enjoy Life vanilla honey grahams)
1 jar sour cherries (sugar should be the only other ingredient)
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp peppermint flavoring
red decorator sugar, if desired

To make the pudding layer, combine rice milk, sugar, arrowroot starch and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring often, then let cook one additional minute.  Remove from heat and add either vanilla or peppermint flavoring.  Set pot right in fridge to cool for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, crumble the cookies into fine crumbs.  When the pudding is cool, layer cookies, pudding and cherries in parfait glasses.  You may want to also add red decorator sugar, but remember that many of these contain harmful artificial colors (check your local health food stores for options).  Store in the fridge and serve cold.

Note:  Decorator sugar tends to bleed colors into your food, so if you do decide to use it, eat your parfaits right away before they turn all pink. 

Shared with Passionately Artistic and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Gluten Free Wednesday at The Gluten Free Homemaker and What's Cooking Wednesday at Turning Back the Clock and These Chicks Cooked at This Chick Cooks and Success U at The Stuff of Success and The Homemaking LinkUp at Raising Homemakers and Link and Bake Christmas Recipes at Joy of Desserts and The Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and This Week's Cravings at Mom's Crazy Cooking and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Crazy Sweet Tuesday at Crazy for Crust and Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans and Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma and Pennywise Platter at Nourishing Gourmet and Weekend Wander at While He Was Napping and Wellness Weekend at Diet Dessert and Dogs and Anything Goes at Bacon Time and Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnna's Vintage Home and Allergy Friendly Friday with Cybele Pascal and Seasonal Inspiration at Crumbs and Chaos and Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies and Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello and Christmas in the Kitchen At The Picket Fence and A Themed Baker's Sunday at Cupcake Apothecary and Fusion Friday at Jane Deere and Healing with Food Friday. and Allergy Free Wednesday.

It's a Linky Party!

Welcome to Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love on the week of December 6, 2013!  This weekly link party is specifically for your dishes that will travel well in a lunchbox.  While this blog features recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, soy-free, and mostly nut-free, your submissions don't need to be free of all of these.  As long as your recipe is free of at least one of the top 8 allergens, you're all set! 

Please link as many dishes as you like, or posts about putting together allergy-free lunches for your children.  We love to see gluten-free breads and muffins, dairy-free soups, soy-free salads, and your favorite healthy desserts (ice cream... not so much!)  Please share this link party with your bloggy friends and in your social media.  We all need some inspiration when it comes time to fill that lunchbox week after week!

Check out past Lunchbox Love parties by clicking the "Lunchbox Love" label at the right.

Also, you can follow our Pinterest Board to see all the past submissions.

Cranberry Eggnog Bread Pudding (no dairy, eggs or gluten)

While the boys and I were strolling through Whole Foods this week we hit the jackpot!  The So Delicious brand is offering a limited edition coconut milk in an eggnog flavor, just during the holiday season.  No dairy, no eggs, no bad stuff at all!  There were only four quarts on the shelf, and we got so excited we bought them all :)

I have a bunch of great ideas to use this new yummy seasonal ingredient, and today I'd like to introduce you to the gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free Cranberry Eggnog Bread Pudding.  Amazing, huh?  This little baby will make your house smell SO GOOD... I think I got a little tipsy on the aroma today :)

I used a combination of white rice bread and black rice bread, because that's what I had leftover from a week of lunches, but any flavor would work.  Bread puddings are often served with a warm sauce, but this recipe doesn't need one.  The eggnog pools a bit at the bottom of the dish and creates its own sauce; meanwhile, the top gets nice and crispy.  It's a fun dish to eat!

Fresh cranberries are preferable to dried, as the tartness is a necessary contrast to the thick, sweet bread. The demerara sugar works very well here, as it adds a nice crust to the top of the pudding.  A finer sugar wouldn't hold up as well in the oven.  Originally I baked this in a loaf pan, intending to slice it to serve, but that didn't work.  The rice bread is so firm it didn't soften up enough to create a solid mass.  No problem, though.  I just scooped it out and served it in a pile and it tasted just fine!  The bread at the bottom of the dish is soft, while the bread at the top is crunchy, and mixed together you get a little bit of everything.  I could eat the whole dish...(don't tell Santa).


Cranberry Eggnog Bread Pudding

1 loaf rice bread (white or black or both)
3 cups So Delicious Dairy Free Nog (coconut milk) - limited edition
1 cup demerara sugar, divided (or coconut sugar)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup fresh cranberries

In a large bowl, mix together the eggnog, 3/4 cup of sugar, nutmeg and vanilla.  Cube the bread into 1" square pieces and toss with the eggnog mixture.  Press and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Mix in cranberries and transfer to a greased loaf pan or 8x8" baking dish.  The bread will mound up over the top of the dish, but that's fine.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar on top.  Place the filled dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes.  Serve warm.

Shared with Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies and Jellybeans and Happiness Is at Rub Some Dirt on It and Allergy Friendly Friday with Cybele Pascal and Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnna's Vintage Home and Seasonal Inspiration at Crumbs and Chaos and Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different Act Normal and Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff and Creative Genius at The Creative Paige and Whatcha Got Weekend at Lolly Jane Boutique and Inspiration Friday at At The Picket Fence and Anything Goes at Bacon Time and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist and Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime and Sharing Sunday at Everyday Sisters and Sweet Indulgences Sunday at A Well Seasoned Life and Once Upon a Weekend at Family Ever After and Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies and Themed Bakers Sunday at The Cupcake Apothecary and Fusion Friday at Jane Deere and Teatime Treats at What Kate Baked and Cure For The Common Monday at Lines Across My Face and Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead and This Week's Cravings at Mom's Crazy Cooking and Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff and Joy of Desserts and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and Crazy Sweet Tuesday at Crazy for Crust and Gluten Free Wednesday at The Gluten Free Homemaker and These Chicks Cooked at This Chick Cooks and Creative Juice at Momnivore's Dilemma and the December Blog Hop at Fave Diets and A Gluten Free Holiday at She Let Them Eat Cake and Think Pink Sunday at FlamingoToes and Healing with Food Friday and Allergy Free Wednesday.