Creamy #Budget Mushroom Soup #DairyFree #Gluten Free

Ingredients

16 oz mushrooms. Sliced
1/2 Sweet Onion
1 cup chopped carrots
Optional: Diced raw chicken or sausage

1/2 can Coconut Milk (add after cooking)
1/2 TSP salt (add after cooking)
1 Egg Yolk

4 cups water
1 Bay leaf
1/2 TSP black pepper
1 TSP Coleman's powder mustard
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS light soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking sherry, white wine,
(or 1/2 cup beer or 1 cup chicken broth)

Optional if you have it
1 TBS Mrs Dash
1/4 TSP celery salt (or 1 stalk Diced celery)
1/4 TSP paprika
1/2 TSP nutmeg

Alfredo Sauce. Gluten and Dairy Free.

As someone who is completely dairy-free and gluten free, I still crave rich creamy comfort foods.

I found that most of the #Alfredo recipes relied on a roux to thicken the sauce rather than authentic egg yolks.

Also, I am not vegan, just dairy free, and since I raise my own pasture fed hens, I love recipes that use eggs. Egg yolks are a great binding agent, especially since they are a way to thicken sauces without flour. #glutenfree #dairyfree

Ingredients :

3 tbs oil

1 Clove garlic

salt and pepper

1/4 cup wine

1/2 cup dairy free milk

1 cup cashew cream

2 egg yolks

1 lemon

Directions:

1.  In the morning, put half a cup of raw cashews and 1 cup of water in your bullet blender (but don't blend yet). Let this sit till you are ready to cook tonight. Blend just before cooking.
2. If you want to make Broccoli Alfredo, start by sauteing onions in a little oil in a deep skillet. Once onions are translucent, add in your broccoli to the pan and stirfry till the color changes. Transfer to a bowl. (I used Cascadian Farms Frozen Broccoli - organic frozen vegetables go on sale frequently). Alternate: You could microwave the broccoli and omit the onions.
3. Separate 2 egg yolks into a dish. Beat.  (Put egg whites aside, so you can make your breakfast later). Then add 1/2 cup dairy free milk. Mix.
4. Add 3 tbs of mild oil to your deep skillet on medium heat. Use a garlic press to crush garlic into your pan. Fry 1 minute.
5. Add 1/4 cup white wine or sherry. Add juice of 1 lemon. Stir.
6.  Add cashew cream. Stir till heated.
7. Add egg yolk and milk mixture while stirring quickly. Sauce will thicken. Add salt and pepper. If needed add additional milk to adjust thickness.
8. Stir in Broccoli.
9. Stir in noodles of choice. I use gluten free.

Budget Saver: Canned Salmon Patties. Quick

Preheat Oven to 350.

Beat egg in mixing bowl then add all ingredients. Form into 4 patties and place on tinfoil lined baking tray that you have sprayed with oil. Bake aprox 20-25 minutes.

• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup Oatmeal (blend in bullet)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) salmon, drained
• 1 tsp dill

You can stretch this to make 6 patties by adding more oatmeal and additional vegetables like green peppers. Add olive oil and lemon if needed to provide moisture. 

Serve with roast vegetables that cook in the oven along with the patties. 

#CouponTip

Publix frequently puts coupons for .75 off canned salmon in their in-store coupon magazines. 

Inexpensive #DairyFree #GlutenFree Dinners

While I am a big couponer, I often find the most inexpensive meals come from whole foods. Here is a week of budget friendly menus that are both friendly to Gluten & Dairy Free diets.

Be sure to buy your veggies at a vegetable stand to save money. And remember make your meal plan for the week based on the sales that week;-).

1. Baked Tilapia, Yellow Grits in Rice Cooker , Roast vegetables. Cucumber salad. (Tilapia frequently goes BOGO).
Note: Simple homemade cucumber dressing is quick. Vinegar, Sugar, Oil, Salt, Pepper.

2. Salmon Patties (using canned salmon), Coleslaw with homemade dressing, Corn on the Cob.
Note: Throw oatmeal in your bullet blender for quick budget friendly yet Gluten-free bread crumb substitute. ( I personally can not bring myself to buy expensive Gluten-free flours.)
Note: Publix frequently has coupons for canned salmon.

3. Ham and bean soup. Cornbread. (Soup can be served over rice).
Note: An instapot pressure cooker allows me to cook with inexpensive dry beans that come out perfect everytime.
Note: Smithfield ham steaks are frequently BOGO, which work great in this recipe.
Note: Cornbread mixes often go BOGO. If you have an actual gluten allergy, there are Gluten free corn bread mixes too.

4. Venison or 1/2 lb Ground Meat Burritos/Tacos (Corn Tortillas) with leftover beans and leftover coleslaw.
Note: Pick up peppers for cheap at a Mexican grocery or Veggie stand. Sautee peppers and onions to add to ground meat to stretch half a pound for a full meal.
Note:  For big families, add potatoes to meat mixture to stretch it further. Potatoes are actually really good in burritos.
Note: I don't use taco seasoning packets but you can. But DIY Taco seasoning is very simple to make a big batch of. 

5. Spaghetti with 1/2 lb meat. I usually add veggies  to jarred sauce.
Note: Ground Breakfast sausage also works great in Spaghetti sauce for tight budgets.
Note: I fix gluten-free noodles only for myself if I have them.  In a pinch, I just eat the sauce over rice while my family eats regular noodles. Or I eat the sauce over Zucchini if I'm being xtra good).

Buy First Day Back to School Outfit while sales are on this week! Then wait till September for the rest!

It is always tempting to make a one stop shopping trip during the first week in August to get the back to school clothes shopping knocked out.

But for most kids, it makes more sense to get one new outfit, then let kids wear their summer clothes for the first few warm weeks of school. By the time the weather cools down, the prices will have cooled down as well.

Plus by waiting, you will know what other kids are wearing or if any knew trends come up in the fall.

The same goes for school supplies. Send your student to school with a pencil and paper the first day, then see what the teacher sends home for school supplies.  This is especially true for Middle School and High School where supplies will change from teacher to teacher.

Below my youngest daughter's first day of First Grade outfit. (Obviously I don't get to plan the high school student's outfits anymore!).

Bonnie Jean 6X purchased for $22 on sale.

Chill-icious Lunch Box from Thirty-One Gifts on sale for $9.

I am going to make one hair clip myself and let her wear some aqua leggings that we already have from the spring. After that, we will be getting some more wear out of those summer shorts outfits!