Granted, this post is a little late. I made this when mulberry ‘season’ was just finishing up and strawberries were still in full swing. But as with a lot of my recipes, I don’t feel like I’m sharing anything ground breaking. My goals with this blog continue to be the same; I want to share what fun I’m having but I also want to inspire (if at all possible.) So yes, I’m sorry this isn’t directly applicable at the moment, as these fruits are locally long gone.

That doesn’t take away the fact that I have mulberry and strawberry jam at the ready in my fridge right now though :D

I got the mulberries myself, which wasn’t that hard. I took a large bowl outside and shook the tree branches above it. I did loose some on the ground that way, but it didn’t take much to load up the bowl. Just watch out for spiders and other fun creatures! I also didn’t take the time to remove the small green stem that is attached to the fruit. You can’t tell in this jam. (Sometimes being lazy is okay, right?)

Sugar Free Mulberry (or Strawberry) Jam

Ingredients:

1 cup berries
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup of water
3 to 4 tbsp honey (to taste – can be optional)

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, add the water and unflavored gelatin. Turn to medium heat once the gelatin is dissolved and mixed well with the water.

While the water and gelatin are heating up, mash the cup of berries. I used my salsa express and basically ended up with a puree.

Once the water starts to boil on the stove, add the honey. Once you get a rolling boil going, stir continually for about 5 minutes. Then add the fruit puree and stir continually for another 5 minutes. Pour into jars and let them cool for about an hour before moving them to the fridge or before officially canning them.

You can probably guess that I did a couple batches from the images, although I suggest doing each batch separately so that the gelatin sets properly. I tried one double batch and it didn’t set as well as two batches done separately.

I highly recommend eating the mulberry jam with peanut butter. Tasty :)

(Yes, this is a gluten free bagel :))

This recipe is linked to Just Another Meatless Monday, My Meatless Mondays, Mouthwatering Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, Gluten Free Wednesday, Wholesome Whole Foods, Foodie Friday, Grocery Cart Recipe Challenge, Food on Friday, Fight Back Friday, I’m Lovin’ It, and Vegetarian Foodie Friday.

Part 1 – The Dressing

This dressing is unique from other dressings that I’ve made in this… I really like it! (In fact, you’ve never seen me post about a dressing, because my past attempts have been ‘eeehhhhh *shrug*’)

Seriously, I’ve made some BAD tasting dressings. Too oily, too clunky, to sweet, too bland, to salty, etc etc etc. But this one… this one is juuuuust right :) Nothing like a little (A LOT!) of trial and error to make you appreciate a good thing.

This dressing is perfect because it blends a strong savory flavor with a natural subtle sweetness. I loved salads anyway, but now I gobble them down a lot more often!

Cranberry Poppy-seed Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped onion (not sweet)
1 tsp poppy seeds
3 tablespoons dried cranberries (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients together for about 6 or 7 minutes on high. Pour out the mix and you’ll notice some of the cranberries didn’t want to puree! So leave just a small bit of the dressing in the bottom and blend the remaining cranberries. And that’s it!

This dressing is so fun! I know whats a weird way to describe a salad dressing, but its true. The strong flavor of the onion mixes so smoothly with the natural sweetness of the cranberries. The poppy seeds are another smooth addition and really tie the contrasting sweet and savory together.

Ready to go on to Part 2?

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This recipe is linked to Meatless Mondays, Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap, Foodie Friday, and Friday Favorites.

Of all the breakfast foods I used to gorge on, I miss biscuits and gravy the most :D

This isn’t exactly how I remember it, but it hit the spot! I also didn’t have any sausage around so I used turkey bacon. It ended up being a really nice substitute. The biscuits weren’t the white, buttery, melt in your mouth that gluten laden flour used to afford, but they was still light, slightly fluffy, and very tasty!

Turkey Bacon Gravy for Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 cups of plain unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
6 to 10 slices turkey bacon

Instructions:

Heat 2 1/2 cups of almond milk in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk occasionally and bring to boil. Add the seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder) and whisk in well. Take the remaining almond milk (1/2 cup) and whisk in both the tapioca flour and arrowroot powder. Add them to the saucepan and continue the whisk mixture.

Chop up the turkey bacon and add it to the separate frying pan with oil. Cook to your own preference. Once they’re finished, add to gravy and continue to whisk. It should be well thickened at this point.

Pour over warm biscuits and gorge away! (I’m such a gluten free glutton… :D)

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This recipe is linked to Food on Fridays.

Okay, so here’s a weird one… dairy free sour cream? Kind of an oxi-moron if you ask me. But I’ll say one thing… its definitely creamy and its definitely sour! :)

I would never eat this plain. Its just not that good. But, its great for using in dishes as a sour cream substitute because it has the same general properties of sour cream. Just not that tasty as a topping on a potato or as a garnish on soup… (but hey, that’s just my opinion.)

Dairy Free Sour Cream

Ingredients:
1/3 package of silken soft tofu (12 oz box)
1/3 package of silken firm tofu (12 oz box)
1 tablespoon lemon juice concentrate
1 teaspoon Briggs amino acids (soy sauce could be used instead)

Instructions:
Cut the tofu into chucks and place in the bottom of a blender. Add the lemon juice and Briggs amino acid. Blend. Push the edges of the mix back into the center of the blender as you blend. It took a little bit of effort to have everything mix together without my blender acting up.

Its just over 1 cup of sour cream. Perfect for baking! (Check out my Potato Casserole recipe, the reason I made this sour cream.)

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