May, 2012 | Real Food. Real Deals.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

May 30, 2012 by Annemarie 23 Comments

Nothing says “summer” quite like an ice cream sandwich. These iconic treats are readily available in the grocery store, and they’re on sale week after week. The only problem is that the ingredient lists are lengthy and full of chemicals. If you’re a fan of ice cream sandwiches and real food, you are in luck! Homemade ice cream sandwiches are quick and easy to make, they taste far superior to the store-bought version, and they are less expensive. What more could you ask for?

Ingredients for Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted from Ben and Jerry’s recipe)
2 egg yolks
½ cup maple syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Once they are well-combined, transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and mix according to the manufacturer’s directions. I use the ice cream attachment that goes with my Kitchen Aid mixer. After churning the ice cream, place it in the freezer to solidify it. (Note: You will only need about 2/3 of this ice cream for the sandwiches. You can store the rest in the freezer in an air-tight container or snack on it as you’re working.)

Ingredients for the Chocolate Sandwich Base (adapted from Joy of Baking)
½ cup melted butter
½ cup maple syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 8×8 inch pans. Place a piece of parchment paper in each pan.
Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine well.
Transfer the mixture onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the sandwich base is set and the edges are pulling away from the sides a bit.
Cool completely on a wire rack.

To assemble:

Soften the ice cream slightly so that you can spread it. Don’t let it get runny.
Place one of the sandwich bases (top side down) on a piece of plastic wrap and spread 2/3 of the ice cream evenly on it. You can save the rest of the ice cream in the freezer for another time.
Put the other sandwich base on top of the ice cream (top side up) and wrap the whole thing with plastic wrap.
Freeze for at least 2 hours to let it solidify. Remove from the freezer and cut it in half. Then, cut each section into 6 sandwiches for a total of 12 sandwiches. Enjoy immediately or wrap the sandwiches individually and return them to the freezer.

Price breakdown:

Besides the delicious taste, the best thing about these gourmet-quality ice cream sandwiches is the price. The cost of the ice cream is $3.02 and the cost of the sandwich base is $2.74, for a total of $5.76. The recipe makes 12 ice cream sandwiches, for a total cost of $.48 per sandwich. I couldn’t find any real food ice cream sandwiches to compare this to, but Julie’s Organic ice cream sandwiches, which are healthier than most, retail for $.83 per sandwich. And Julie’s sandwiches contain palm oil, caramel color, and soy lecithin. Do yourself a favor and try this recipe – you won’t be disappointed!

Here’s my recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free ice cream sandwiches.

Linking to Recipe of the Week, Monday Mania, Make Your Own Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mix it Up Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesdays, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fit and Fabulous Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Frugal Fridays.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: dessert, healthy, Recipe

Giveaway Winner

May 30, 2012 by Annemarie 1 Comment

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my first giveaway! Frito-Lay is giving a gluten-free prize pack to one lucky winner who commented on one of two blog posts this past week. I used random.org to select the winner. Congratulations to. . .

Seasonsgirl

I hope you enjoy this great prize pack!

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Tagged With: Frito Lay, gluten-free prize

Upside Down Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

May 29, 2012 by Annemarie 2 Comments

As we continue through Little League season here in New England, I continue to look for new ways to put together single-serve meals that are appealing to the children and adults in my house. One of our favorites is turkey shepherd’s pie, which includes vegetables, starch, and meat all in one dish. I was inspired by Justafrugalfoodie’s potato crust in this recipe, but I used ramekins to make larger servings.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ lb. red potatoes, peeled
2 egg whites
1 small head broccoli
2 carrots
1 cup corn
½ lb. ground turkey breast
½ tsp. parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Potato Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 8 ramekins (mine are 3 3/4 inches in diameter and 2 inches high).
Grate the potatoes and place them on a clean dish towel. Put another clean towel on top of them and press down to soak up the liquid.
Transfer the dried, grated potato into a large bowl and stir in the two egg whites. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the potato among the ramekins. Press the potato along the bottom and up the sides to form a crust.
Bake for 40 minutes, until the crust is set.

For the Filling:

Chop the broccoli and carrots. Steam them until just tender.
In a cast iron skillet, cook the turkey over medium heat. Season with parsley, salt, and pepper.
Stir the corn into the meat. Add the broccoli and carrots.
To assemble, fill each potato crust with the meat/veggie filling. Serve immediately.

Price Breakdown
The ingredients for this meal cost a total of $4.91. This comes out to $.62 per ramekin. Two ramekins make a hearty, filling meal for an adult appetite. At $1.24 per adult serving and $.62 per child serving, this meal is a steal!

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: cooking, dairy free, food, gluten free, Recipe

Free Kind Bars (Available Again)

May 28, 2012 by Annemarie 2 Comments

The Kind Bar company is offering free Kind Bars again! These fruit and nut bars are delicious and healthy, so I love having a few on hand when I can find a good deal for them. You can get 2 free bars for your friends by doing the following:

Watch this short video.

Accept the mission to do something positive for the environment, such as participating in a park clean up, recycling something, or biking to work instead of driving.

After accepting the mission, you can invite 2 friends to accept the mission, too. These friends will each receive a free Kind Bar in the mail. It’s that simple!

Thanks, Hip2Save!

Filed Under: Deals Tagged With: deals, free kind bar, frugal

Chipotle Tortilla Soup

May 27, 2012 by Annemarie 9 Comments

Tortilla soup is a delicious, affordable meal that we enjoy often in our house. This is a great use of leftover grilled chicken, and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. The chipotle gives it a nice kick.

Ingredients:
1 tbs. olive oil
¼ cup shallots, diced
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup corn kernels
8 oz. grilled chicken breast, chopped
½ tsp. chipotle in adobo sauce
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. tortilla chips, broken up into bite-sized pieces
2 scallions, chopped for garnish
2 tbs. cilantro, chopped for garnish

In a soup pot, sauté the shallots in the olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes, until tender but not brown.
Add the carrots, corn, chicken, and chipotle in adobo sauce. Stir together and sauté for a minute.
Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper and simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and add the tortilla chips. Stir them into the soup until they have wilted.
Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately.

As a member of Recipe Redux, I have the opportunity to develop gluten-free recipes for Frito-Lay’s website. Frito-Lay has a number of naturally gluten-free products, and they are in the process of developing more online resources for the growing gluten-free community. As someone who has eaten a primarily gluten-free diet over the past few years, I know how important it is to have easy access to gluten-free recipes and ingredients.

Frito-Lay is offering a giveaway in conjunction with this contest. There are several ways for you to be entered into this giveaway for a gluten-free prize pack. You can follow my blog, like Real Food, Real Deals on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest. If you didn’t leave a comment on my chipotle chicken taco salad post, you can leave a comment below letting me know how you follow my blog, and you’ll have a chance to win. For an additional entry, you can leave a comment here about this recipe (even if you already commented on the taco salad post). The prize includes a serving tray for chips and dip, a copy of Nicole Hunn’s Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, and one bag each of Lay’s Classic potato chips and Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips. The giveaway ends at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on May 30, 2012.

Disclosure: I received free samples from Frito-Lay of the products mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Frito-Lay and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

This post is part of Sunday Night Soup Night.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: cooking, dairy free, food, Frito Lay, gluten free, Recipe, tortilla soup, Tostitos

Strawberry Cupcakes

May 25, 2012 by Annemarie 9 Comments

These gluten-free, vegan cupcakes are absolutely delicious. I love using fresh, seasonal fruit in my dessert, and this treat will please any audience. They look so pretty on the plate, too!

Ingredients for the cupcakes:
2 cups gluten-free flour*
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 cup rice milk or other unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients with an electric mixer. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. For full-sized cupcakes, bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For mini-cupcakes, bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ingredients for the frosting:
2/3 cup sliced strawberries
2/3 cup Spectrum Organic shortening (one ingredient is palm oil)
2 ¼ cup confectioners sugar (this is a rare use of processed sugar in my kitchen)

Puree the strawberries in a food processor.
Using an electric mixer, combine all three ingredients to form a smooth frosting. If it seems a bit too wet, add a little more shortening and confectioners sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

Price Breakdown

Store-bought gluten-free desserts tend to be very expensive, and the quality isn’t always very good. These cupcakes, on the other hand, are affordable and delicious! This recipe makes 12 full-sized cupcakes, and the total cost is $7.61. This comes out to $.64 per cupcake. I don’t spend a lot of time in those fancy cupcake shops, but I do know that they’re charging a lot more than 64 cents for a beautiful, delicious, gluten-free, vegan cupcake. If they even make one.

Don’t miss my gluten-free giveaway! Details can be found here.

*My gluten-free flour mix consists of 4 parts brown rice flour, 2 parts tapioca flour, 1 part potato starch, and ½ tsp. xanthan gum for every cup of flour in the recipe.

Note: If you’re not avoiding gluten or dairy, you can use white whole wheat flour and cow’s milk for the cupcakes and butter or cream cheese for the frosting. They’re delicious either way!

This is part of Make Your Own Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Make it Gluten-Free Tuesdays, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, What’s in the Box, Fit and Fabulous Fridays, and Allergy-Free Wednesday.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: cooking, cupcake, dairy free, food, gluten free, Recipe, vegan

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad and a Giveaway

May 24, 2012 by Annemarie 22 Comments

I’m happy to be able to offer my first giveaway! As a member of Recipe Redux, I have the opportunity to help develop gluten-free recipes for Frito-Lay’s website. Frito-Lay has a number of naturally gluten-free products, and they are in the process of developing more online resources for the growing gluten-free community. As someone who has eaten a primarily gluten-free diet over the past few years, I know how important it is to have easy access to gluten-free recipes and affordable ingredients.

Frito-Lay is giving away a free gluten-free prize pack to one of my readers, and there are several ways to enter. You can follow my blog, follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, or like Real Food, Real Deals on Facebook. Leave a comment below letting me know which one(s) of these you have done, and you’ll have a chance to win. If you’re already following my blog in one of these ways, just mention it in a comment and that will be your entry. You can also enter by simply leaving a comment about the recipe. The prize pack includes a serving tray for chips and dip, a copy of Nicole Hunn’s Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, and one bag each of Lay’s Classic potato chips and Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips. The giveaway ends at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

This is the perfect summertime salad. The chipotle lime chicken and the tortilla chips are a wonderful complement to this colorful spread of vegetables and mango.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients for chicken:
1 lb. chicken breast
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. chipotle in adobo sauce
1 tbs. lime juice
2 tbs. honey
1 tsp. salt

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken breast in a bowl to make a marinade.
Place the chicken in a zipper bag and pour the marinade in the bag over the chicken. Close the bag securely and then shake it up. Put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Grill the chicken. Let it cool, and then cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Ingredients for Dressing:
2 tbs. lime juice
1/4 cup salsa verde
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbs. honey

Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake well to mix the dressing.
This may be more dressing than you need, so dress according to your taste.

Additional Ingredients for Salad:
1 head Boston lettuce
1 ear of corn
2 scallions
1 avocado
1 red pepper
2 carrots
1 mango
1 ½ cups cooked red or black beans
1 cup crushed Tostitos Restaurant Style tortilla chips
Cilantro for garnish

Cut the corn off the cob and cook it in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until it just starts to brown.
Chop the lettuce, scallions, avocado, red pepper, carrots, and mango. Place them in a large salad bowl.
Add the corns, beans, chicken, tortilla chips, and dressing to taste. Toss the salad. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with cilantro.

This post is included in Mix it Up Monday, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, and Fresh Bites Friday.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: cooking, dairy free, food, gluten free, Recipe, taco salad, Tostitos

Santa Cruz Organic Apple Sauce and McCann’s Irish Oatmeal Coupons

May 23, 2012 by Annemarie Leave a Comment

Check out Mambo Sprouts for some healthy food and eco-friendly coupons. Not all of their coupons are for real food products, but whenever I check their site I usually find something good.

At the moment, there is a coupon for $1.00 off any McCann’s Irish Oatmeal product. Also, they are offering a coupon for $.75 off any Santa Cruz Organic Apple Sauce product. This is a great coupon, especially if you can find it on sale or if your store doubles coupons.

If you’re interested, print them now because they won’t last long. And while you’re at it, sign up for their newsletter so you can receive offers right in your inbox.

Filed Under: Deals, Strategies for Saving Money Tagged With: coupon, food, frugal, mambo sprouts

Coconut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle

May 22, 2012 by Annemarie 16 Comments

These bars are the perfect combination of chocolate and coconut. I’ve been tinkering with a coconut bar recipe from Elana’s Pantry for the last few months. My husband and I both agreed that chocolate needed to find its way into the recipe somehow, and Elana’s bars came out a bit more custard-like than we wanted. This version is a delicious, healthy treat that tastes decadent.

Ingredients for the bars:
3 eggs
¼ cup coconut oil
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour, gluten-free flour, or white whole wheat flour
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the almond flour and coconut to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is set and the top begins to brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 16 bars.

Ingredients for the chocolate drizzle:
1 tbs. coconut oil
3 tbs. maple syrup
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I use Baker’s Chocolate)

Coursely chop the unsweetened chocolate.
In a double boiler, combine all three ingredients and heat until melted. Stir them until well combined.
Let the chocolate cool and solidify a bit. With a spoon, drizzle the chocolate onto the cooled bars.

Price Breakdown:

This recipe makes 16 bars (1 inch x 4 inch). It contains some pricier ingredients, including maple syrup ($2.56 per cup), almond flour ($.80 per cup), and shredded coconut ($1.25 per cup). Making this with white sugar and some white flour would bring down the price, but also the quality.

Even with these higher-end ingredients, the total cost of this recipe is $6.96, or $.44 per bar. When compared to a Larabar, with its shelf price of $1.25, these bars are actually a bargain!

This is part of Real Food Free for All, Traditional Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesdays, Day2Day Joys, Fight Back Friday, Allergy Friendly Friday, Simple Lives Thursday, Make Your Own Monday, Monday Mania, Ingredient Spotlight.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: coconut bars, cooking, dairy free, food, gluten free, Recipe

Chipotle Bean Dip with Kombu

May 21, 2012 by Annemarie 20 Comments

I am happy to be participating in my first Recipe Redux challenge. This month’s challenge is to develop a recipe using small sea creatures or sea vegetables. I’ve been interested in learning more about using sea vegetables in cooking, so this presented a great project for me. We eat a lot of chili, tacos, and other Mexican specialties in our house, so I decided to zero in on kombu. This is a valuable seaweed product that improves digestion of beans when the beans are cooked with a small piece of kombu. It also infuses minerals into the beans, including iodine, calcium, magnesium, and iron. This bean dip is a little spicy, very flavorful, and startlingly addictive. Fortunately, you can eat as much as you want without unpleasant side effects thanks to the kombu!

Ingredients for cooking the beans:
2 cups dry small red beans
6 cups water
4 cups homemade chicken broth
1 inch by 2 inch piece of kombu
Salt to taste

Put the beans, the piece of kombu, and the 6 cups of water in a pot. Soak overnight for at least 12 hours.
In the morning, remove the kombu and drain and rinse the beans. Place the beans and the kombu in a crock pot and add the chicken broth and salt. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, checking periodically to see if the beans are tender. Turn the crock pot to high if the beans aren’t beginning to soften after 6 hours.
Drain the beans and remove the kombu.

Ingredients for the dip:
2 cups cooked red beans (you will have a few cups of cooked beans left over for another recipe)
1 tbs. sundried tomatoes
1 tbs. chopped shallot or other onion
2 tbs. olive oil
½ tsp. chipotle in adobo sauce
½ tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. water

Saute the shallot in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, until tender.
In the bowl of a food processor, place the beans, sundried tomatoes, shallot, chipotle, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and salt. Mix until well combined, but leave a few specs of color from the sundried tomatoes.
If it seems too dry, add water one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Serve with tortilla chips, vegetable sticks, or as a filling for tacos.

Dry beans are so easy to prepare, and they are much more affordable and tasty than their canned counterparts. At my Stop and Shop, I can buy a package of dry red beans for $1.39, and this package yields 10 cups of cooked beans. A can of cooked red beans costs $1.19, and this is for 2 cups of beans.

Dry beans cost $.14 per cup of cooked beans.
Cooked canned beans cost $.60 for a cup.
Cooked beans in a can cost more than four times as much as dry beans.

With numbers like that, it makes a lot of sense to cook your own beans. And with a little piece of kombu, you won’t have to deal with the digestive issues that beans typically present. Sounds like a win-win to me!

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, the Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Click below to see what recipes other people have created with little sea creatures and sea vegetables.