Divinely Rich Hot Cocoa

This is my favorite hot cocoa recipe, rich chocolaty goodness with a hint of sweetness, so much better than the store bought powder kind. Once you have tried it you will never go back! The best part it is dairy & soy free and so simple to make! Perfect for a cold, snowy night wrapped up in a blanket reading a book by the fireplace!

Makes 2 cups or one large mug full!

Ingredients:

2-teaspoons pure cocoa powder

4-teaspoons agave (I like to use agave but you could use regular sugar or honey and it would tastes just fine)

2-cups rice milk

How to Make It:

{    In a small saucepan combine, cocoa powder, agave and milk.

{    Warm on medium heat, stirring with a whisk. (The cocoa powder will mix into the milk once it has heated up a bit.)

{    Cook on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes or until heated to your desired temperature, stirring with the whisk.

{    Pour into a mug and enjoy!

I suppose you could warm the milk up in a mug in the microwave and then stir in the cocoa powder and agave but as we don’t own a microwave the conventional saucepan method works perfect and only takes a few minutes. It is your choice; to me things always taste better right off the stovetop!

**For a variation you could stir in a dash of flavored extract after removing the hot cocoa from the stove such as cherry, vanilla, almond or even orange to add a hint of flavor!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 5:27 PM 2 comments

Cashless Man

"Cashless Man" – Lives without Money for a Year!

Here is a great blog post I ran across the other day. It is about a man named Mark Boyle who lives without money. He decided to give up money for a year. I like the way this guy thinks. His message of connecting with what we consume is key to changing our ways in every aspect of our lives. It’s refreshing and inspiring to read about what he has given up and how it has affected his life. Please take a quick minute to read about him and his experiences.

This is a link to his original blog post.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/oct/28/live-without-money

Also here is a link to his blog post responding to a few comments he received from his first post. Very interesting!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/nov/02/cashless-man-responds

I will end with my favorite quote from his response blog post. "Paul McCartney once said: "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarians". Well, if people could see the state of war-torn Iraq, we'd all be cyclists." -Mark Boyle.

What do you think about what he is doing?  Do you agree? Disagree? Please comment below!

Mark Boyle is the founder of the Freeconomy Community. http://www.justfortheloveofit.org/

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 5:30 PM 0 comments

Earth Overshoot Day

Earth Overshoot Day: On Saturday, We Exceed Nature's Budget

Have you heard?  Humanity is going into debt this Saturday, August 21, 2010. Every thing we collectively do past this date depletes environmental capital, putting us into ecological debt. In other words humanity is using resources beyond the capacity of the planet to sustainable regenerate them.  Humanity now uses 150% of the resources the Earth can generate annually.

Global Footprint Network explains it like so:

The fact that we are using (or "spending" natural capital) faster than it can replenish is similar to having expenditures that continually exceed income. In planetary terms, the results of our ecological overspending are becoming more clear by the day. Climate change - a result of carbon being emitted faster than it can be reabsorbed by the forests and seas - is the most obvious and arguably pressing result. But there are others as well: shrinking forests, species loss, fisheries collapse and freshwater stress to name a few. "If you spent your entire annual income in nine months, you would probably be extremely concerned," said Global Footprint Network President Mathis Wackernagel. "The situation is no less dire when it comes to our ecological budget. Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, water and food shortages--these are all clear signs that we can no longer finance our consumption on credit. Nature is foreclosing."

What do you think should we be concerned?

Website: www.footprintnetwork.org/earthovershootday

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 1:32 PM 0 comments

Easy Vanilla Pudding!

This super simple pudding tastes better than box pudding and best of all its dairy & egg free!  It’s so quick to make you can whip up a batch (or two) anytime!

***For the chocolate lovers out there, to make this recipe into chocolate pudding simply add 2 heaping teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the sugar and milk mixture and omit the vanilla extract at the end!

Makes 2 1/2-cups

Ingredients:

2 1/2-tablespoons arrowroot starch

1 1/3-cups rice milk

1 egg yolk equivalent (I used Ener-G egg replacer)

1/2-cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1-teaspoon vanilla

How to make It:

{    Dissolve starch in 1/3-cup milk, whisk in egg yolk replacer.

{    In a saucepan, mix together sugar, salt and remaining 1 cup milk. Bring to boil.

{    Slowly whisk 1/4-cup hot milk mixture to the starch mixture. Then slowly whisk this mixture into remaining sweetened hot milk in the saucepan.

{    Over medium heat continue whisking pudding until it thickens. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

{    Pour pudding into cups or bowl and refrigerate until cool.

{    Enjoy!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 1:22 PM 0 comments

Yummy Pizza Crust!

This delicious pizza dough is so easy to make you will want to make pizza for every meal! There are so many options for toppings and sauces, let your imagination run wild! And of course the best part is the crust is gluten, dairy, egg & soy free!

Makes 1 large pizza or two small individual pizzas.

Dry Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dry yeast granules

2/3-cup sorghum flour

1/2-cup tapioca flour

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1/2-teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

Liquid Ingredients:

2/3-cup warm rice milk

1/2-teaspoon agave nectar

1-teaspoon olive oil

1-teaspoon cider vinegar

How to Make It:

{    Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

{    You have two options here, if you have a pizza stone*, place it in the oven on the bottom rack, leaving the main rack free. If not just preheat the oven.

{    Combine all dry ingredients in the mixer, including yeast.

{    Mix on low briefly then add in the liquid ingredients.

{    Beat the ingredients for two minutes on medium speed.

{    If the dough bounces around the mixer, it is too dry, add a little extra rice milk until it mixes smoothly.

{    Prepare a metal pizza pan or your pizza stone* by greasing it with a little olive oil.

{    Scoop out your mixed dough with a spatula and place it in the middle of your pizza pan. You can either make one large pizza or split the dough in two to make two smaller individual pizzas.

{    Put a little bit of olive oil on your hand and press out the dough into your desired pizza shape, round, rectangle, whatever you would like. Leave a little rim around the edge for the crust to hold the toppings.

{    Bake crust for 15 minutes, watching it to make sure it doesn’t over brown**.

{    Remove from the oven and cover your pizza(s) with toppings then either pop it back in the oven or move it onto the pizza stone and bake it for at least another 10 minutes or until the pizza is done.

{    That’s it!  How Simple! Enjoy your yummy pizza!

*Cooking the pizza crust on a metal pizza pan and then moving it onto a warmed pizza stone helps cook the crust and makes for a bit of a crispier crust. However, if I am in a hurry I usually just cook it straight on the pizza stone from the get go!

**If you would like you can wrap your precooked pizza dough in some freezer wrap and freeze. Just take out the frozen pizza dough in the morning and it will be thawed and ready to add toppings to by the time dinner rolls around! What could be easier than that?

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 5:18 PM 0 comments

Creamy Rice Pudding

This creamy rice pudding is delicious, vegan and super simple to make. Eat it as a dessert or re-warm it for a quick yummy breakfast.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1-cup white basmati rice

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

3 1/2 cups rice milk

1/2-cup organic cane sugar

1 slightly heaping tablespoon arrowroot

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon if you don’t have cardamom hanging around!

Pinch of fine sea salt

How to Make It:

{    Combine 1 1/2 cups water, the rice, and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

{    Cover and simmer over very low heat 8 to 9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. Check frequently and stir to make sure it doesn't stick.

{    Add 2 1/2 cups of the rice milk and the sugar. Continue simmering on low heat for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is soft and most of the milk is absorbed. You want a spongy texture, with no bite. Remove the rice from the heat.

{    Pour 1/4 cup of the remaining rice milk into a bowl and whisk in the arrowroot to dissolve. Add the vanilla extract and cardamom.

{    Pour the arrowroot-milk mixture along with the remaining 3/4-cup rice milk into the hot pudding and stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. If it seems a little runny put the mixture back on low heat and warm until it thickens up a bit.

{    Enjoy!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 5:30 PM 0 comments