Frito-Lay friendly

If you haven't yet realized that not all chips are gluten-free, or soy-free, etc., you might consider Frito-Lay chips. No, I don't get money for saying this. I'm very impressed with this company. They don't make you guess about what ingredients are in the chips you're buying. It's all on the label. And, if you have questions, their Website is extremely helpful. They have an entire section on ingredient concerns that plainly shows you which chips have gluten, which have dairy, which are kosher, which have soy, etc. You can find that page by clicking here.

My kids only can eat the plain Lays, Ruffles and Fritos chips. No Tostitos because of the soy oil used in those. Until now! Frito-Lay recently started selling a Natural Tostitos chip that has no soy. It's in the photo above.

I'll also mention one other thing. No chip is healthy for you. I've tried many to find a good one, including Garden of Eatin and Bearitos -- both very good chips (I prefer the Bearitos). I should also note Terra Chips here for those that are corn and/or potato challenged. But do your own checking. The fat and sodium contents of those health-store chips aren't much less than Frito-Lay chips. Sometimes, the difference is zero. So, for my money, and because of all the saturated-fat snacks my kids cannot eat, AND because Frito-Lay makes it soooo easy for a family like ours to check ingredients, I'll buy Frito-Lay. Support the companies that help us.

Peanut butterless cookies

I personally love this recipe. Why? Because the cookies are so good. And, it takes no time at all. My kids don't eat nuts. They're not allergic. But, our doc says to avoid them. But, he says, sunflower seeds are OK. And, you can buy sunflower seed nut butter. You can also buy pumpkin seed nut butter. So, experiment. I'll show you two ways to make this recipe. The original recipes tends to be crumbly. I added a little flour to firm it up. Both are good.

1 cup sunflower seed nut butter (Once Again makes this) or other nut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg (or 2 egg subs)
1/2 tsp salt

So, I made the egg subs, added sugar, baking soda and salt, then the sunflower seed butter. Then I mixed until well combined. I rolled into balls and onto cookie sheet. I flattened slighly with a fork, making the classic PB cookie indentation.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

I also made these by adding some flour and xanthan gum to hold them together. Can't tell you how much I used. But, what I'm trying to point out is that if yours fall apart, don't give up. Try adding your favorite flour mix and xanthan/guar to hold them together. I didn't use a lot, just enough to mix through. If it looks too dry, add water until you get that cookie dough texture while mixing.

Dairy free sorbet

I like this recipe because there's no concerns about trying to make ice cream out of a dairy alternative like rice milk or Darifree. And, it has a lighter taste. Plus, it's very easy to make. Here's how.

- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 3 large ice cubes
- 2 cups of fruit

Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add the ice cubes and stir until melted. Pull from heat.

Chop up fruit. Put in food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the gelatin mixture and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the gelatin mix and puree again until mixed.

Pour this into a 13x9 pan. Cover with foil or wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours.

Then, spoon the sorbet mix back into the blender and blend at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Pour into a loaf pan, cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Use any fruit. I tried peaches.