So, how do you get a family that doesn't like fish to eat it?  Well... I put this together the other day and it was really different for us, and super delicious.  Not at all "fishy" and got us some Omega3 fatty acids.  Dairy free, Corn free, easily wheat free, and about 1 Carb (15grams carbohydrate) per serving.   Served it with sweet potato and green salad.

I think that every household with little kids should have a go-to pizza recipe.  We make ours 2 different ways:  traditional crust, and yeast-free "crispy" crust.   Today I'm going to share my crispy do-it-yourself  in under 30 minutes recipe.  It's whole grain, dairy-free, corn-free, and ends up being about 2 Carbs per slice.

I like to serve this with a nice big salad.

Never a dull moment around here. The development of my husband becoming an insulin-dependant diabetic over the last 2 months has been what's led me to slow down in my blogging... or, at least has been a cause for some re-direction and introspection. More whole foods, more exercise, less sugar.  I know how to do healthy.  I even know, from experience, how to control ( my own gestational variety) diabetes through carb counting and diet.  This is not a foreign topic to me.  It is, nevertheless, life-altering.  And certainly routine/recipe altering.  We are hoping that this will not be a permanent state of affairs, but until things settle down a bit around here we'll be cooking and eating with these guidelines in mind, and the blog is going to reflect it. Dairy and Corn free, of course.

Stay tuned!

Here's some artwork while you're waiting:

When my husband and I started dating (roughly 1 million years ago), one of the first things he made for me was stuffed shells.  Dairy free, vegan, and completely delicious.   So this recipe is actually his, but it is a beautiful example of making something with predominant cheesy characteristics dairy-free.

When it comes to chocolate, I don't screw around.  You might say I have a bad habit... but hey, I can think of much worse things. 

I'm going to take this opportunity to put in a plug for the BEST chocolate I've ever had. Taza makes their small batch (each batch has a number and you can watch your chocolate batch be made online!), fair trade, traditionally stone ground chocolate in a plant that does not use dairy or corn at all (and i'm pretty sure it's gluten free too).    It's also expensive, and hard to find and comes in a few different shades of SUPER-DARK.  They also make these amazing chocolate discs that are meant for use as drinking chocolate.  Flavors include dark chocolate, vanilla, and chili.  All are amazing, and luckily for my usual Valentines day indulgence, all are available for purchase online at their website.


For all other hot cocoa/chocolate craving  purposes I use Wegmans brand or Sunspire brand chocolate chips.  These can be melted into drinkable chocolate, baked with, eaten as-is, or melted and then poured into candy molds for seasonal treats (I actually do Easter Bunnies this way too... thinking a little ahead).

As promised, the best hot cocoa you've ever had:

This is one of my favorites this time of year.  Comfort food, with a little color meditation.  Potatoes start out white as the (still accumulating) snow and end up round and golden as the slowly strengthening sun.   I also like to cut my leeks into little round "sun" shapes.

Chi-chi-chi-Chia!  Yep, same seeds... different project.  Although, I DO miss those green fuzzy Chia-pets!

We needed a snack this week and we've been trying to cut back on cane sugar and white flour... So, we got a little inventive. Chia seed pudding is a lot like tapioca pudding: same consistency, and same ability to take on the flavors of whatever you put in it. I, of course, made our pudding dairy-free.  Also, as an added bonus, Chia is loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids and is high in fiber, so it fills you up.
I decided on adding Vanilla and Maple Syrup as for flavor.  So, in honor of the season, I present to you seeds, milk, and maple all in one pudding!

It's really simple to make:

Since I'm on a "traditional early Spring" theme lately (despite the fact that there is about 6 new inches of snow on the ground right now and 4-6 more scheduled for this evening... and MORE due to arrive later this week), February marks the beginning of the season where farm animals (sheep in particular) begin to lactate.  This means milk, and lots of it.  Traditional dishes from this particular season often include a milk, cheese, or cream-base.  Yep. My arch nemesis.  
But there are SO many alternatives out there to dairy milk and they lend beautifully to all sorts of cheesy and creamy recipes.  And so, this month's theme will be strongly rooted in nothing other than MILK.

I decided to start out with a rich and creamy New England Clam Chowder with Bay Scallops.  My own invention because, while I LOVE clam chowder, I always find myself wanting the clam bits to be... well... the texture and size of scallops.  So, here we go: