COTTON CANDY NICE CREAM!

Oh my goodness...HELLO!

Here we are. 2018. It has been a hot. minute! Scratch that. It has been a hot TWO YEARS!

Can you believe it?! I've missed you!

So much has happened. SO. MUCH.

Just to recap the time we've been apart in 100 words or less:

I am still acting in New York City! But I am now splitting my time between NY and Cincinnati. Christmas of 2016 (so not last Christmas, but the year before) - my mom had a stroke. She's doing amazing now - she's my hero - but I ended up moving home to Ohio for that entire year to help her recover.

But I'm back in NYC now, and I go back to Ohio at least once a month just to check in and also for  some commercial work! (Gotta love the Proctor & Gamble commercial market!)

Other highlights -- I went to Iceland in summer of 2017 with my best friends.

It was an incredible adventure, and I highly suggest traveling there! And if you'd like me to do a specific blog post about it, let me know! (Teaser: We went snorkeling in 34 degree glacial water between 2 active tectonic plates!!)

And this past summer, my mom and I walked the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage for 80 miles along the coast of Spain and Portugal in gratitude and celebration of her healing! 

It was truly amazing. We made stops in Fatima and Madrid, too. It was the trip of a lifetime!

I was hoping to meet my future husband, casually along the trail, in a "meet cute" worthy of its own chick flick, but alas, no dice. 

So there you have my life in a nutshell! I'm still following the Specific Carb Diet - and my Ulcerative Colitis has STAYED IN REMISSION ever since I started this blog, 8 years ago! So praise God for that!

OK - onto tonight's recipe!

Do I have a treat for you!!

I have recently found a new favorite food. My fondness for it has reached a level of, well -- let's just say I eat this about 4x a week. It is THAT good!

I'm talking, y'all, about NICE CREAM.

But not just any nice cream ... I'm talking COTTON CANDY NICE CREAM.

First of all - what the heck is nice cream?

Well, it stand for Banana (aka Nana) Ice Cream!

In other words, it's non-dairy "ice cream" that is made out of frozen bananas!

And let me tell you - it is slap-yo'-mama good!

And this particular recipe uses cotton candy grapes. And OHMYGOODNESS, if you haven't tried these sweet little poppers yet, do yourself a favor and RUN - don't walk - RUN to the store and get you some!!

They legitimately taste like cotton candy! And I know, you're probably thinking: how the heck do they make a stinkin' grape taste like cotton candy...well they do!

Even my dad thought they were delicious.

So there ya go.

And they're the star of this recipe.

And oh yeah -- this healthy dessert is gluten free, vegan, paleo AND Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here's What You Need: (Serves 1 gigantic portion)

4 frozen strawberries

1 1/2 frozen bananas

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1/2 cup (not frozen) cotton candy grapes

2 Tbsp cashew butter

3 drops coconut stevia

Tools:

Food Processor

Ziptop freezer bags

Spatula

Directions:

Blend in food processor until smooth. Add more grapes if you need more liquid. You will need to scrape down the sides several times.

I do believe that when we get to Heaven, this frozen treat will be available by the bucket-full. I mean, it's mama from Heaven!

It is hard to describe the fabulous consistency of this blissful treat: it is like whipped ice cream. Truly. It is silky and slurpy and melty and exactly what you need when your sweet tooth is barking.

The flavor is out of this world with the cotton candy sweetness and the sweet pineapple and rich banana.

I honestly could eat this for the rest of my life. No joke.

JOY IN A BOWL, people. Joy in a bowl!

And the best part, is that you can pretty much customize this dessert to whatever fruit you have lying around. Just pop it in the freezer for a couple hours, and then blend away! Just make sure you have at least one banana in the mix to give it some body!

Friends, I hope you jump off the computer and make you some of this delightful dessert!

Have an awesome night!

OH YEAH! One more thing!! I'M NOW ON INSTAGRAM!!!!

In addition to my Facebook Page, I just started an Instagram profile! So hop on over there and let's be friends! My handle is @glutenfreehappytummy

Lastly...I have to fill you in on my new favorite thing in the whole world: FabFitFun Boxes! Beauty, wellness, fashion, and fitness products for only 39.99? YES. PLEASE. The Fall box is valued at over $300, and has products from Vince Camuto, Beauty Blender and Glam Glow! You can get $10 off when you use my code FALLINLOVE at check out too :)

Peach-Banana Swirl (N)Ice Cream! GF, V, Paleo & SCD

Hey Happy Tummies!

I'm ALIVEEEE!!!

Haha. I know, I know. Way. Too. Long.

Labor Day is upon us, people. But honestly, I love it. It's a fresh start. The summer is coming to a close, fall TV is back (Hello, Bachelor!) and it's the tail end of peach season :)

So I wanted to share this little beauty that I whipped up!

PEACH-NANA SWIRL NICE CREAM!

What is Nice Cream? Well - It stands for Banana (Nana) Ice Cream = NIce Cream! 

It's ice cream that is made entirely out of FROZEN BANANAS!

It's gluten free, vegan, paleo AND Specific Carb Diet friendly! 

And SUPPPER EASY!

Here's what you need: 

1 Banana - sliced into coins and frozen > 3 hours
2 Peaches - sliced or cubed and frozen (I got store bought)

Step 1: Put frozen banana coins into the food processor. Blend until creamy. You'll need to scrape the sides several times. (Warning: This makes a loud noise!)

Step 2: Transfer banana ice cream to a bowl and put in freezer while you make the peach ice cream. 

Step 3: Put frozen peach cubes into the food processor. (No need to rinse). Blend until creamy. You'll need to scrape the sides several times.

Step 4: Take banana ice cream out of the freezer, and put your peach ice cream in the same bowl. Swirl together. 

Step 5: STUFF YOUR FACE!

You guys. I cannot begin to express how freaking incredible this was. 

Now, I know what you may be thinking....it's just bananas?

But. My friends. There is magic that occurs when you blend a frozen banana. It truly becomes like soft serve. It is outrageously creamy and smooth, and it melts just like ice cream! 

I even got one of my guy friends to make it. So there's the proof, people. 

This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite NYC treats: Nice Cream from Chloe's Fruit! I always get their banana nice cream smothered with peanut butter! It is SO GOOD! I mean...come on :) 

Alright, be on the look out for another recipe this week!

SO happy to be back blogging again!

Sending massive hugs and love!

Caralyn xox

Also: stay tuned for some exciting news next week! :D eek!!

*******Find GFHT on Facebook so you don't miss a recipe! 

Pumpkinut Bread Puddin'! GF & DF!

Hey Happy Tummies!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I just love when the family is all together:)

So we had a treat this weekend. We had the AMAZING Anna May come to our house and take family photos.

She is seriously the most talented photographer ever.

She's based out of Louisville, but will travel to capture beautiful moments for your family, or engagement or wedding.

So thank you Anna May Photography for such gorgeous photos!

Look at that little goober:)

Light and shadows with yours truly :)

Alright...now onto a show stopping recipe!

I made this for my family for breakfast on Thanksgiving, but it could also be dessert. :)

Here's the secret: it's actually pretty doggone healthy!

It's made with Gluten and Dairy Free ingredients, and can easily be made sugar-free by subbing agave or honey for the sugar in the recipe!

I call it: Pumpkinut Bread Pudding! (get it -- pumpkin and coconut :) )

Here's what you need:

1 loaf (14 slices) of Udi's gluten free bread

Custard:
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1 can of pure pumpkin puree
1 cup coconut milk

Garnish:
coconut milk
sprinkle of cinnamon
pecans

Preheat oven to 250. Place your bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes per side, until the bread is dry and toasty.

Turn up the oven to 350.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Then, stir in your pumpkin and coconut milk. ((This all can be done the night before, and refrigerated overnight.))

About 2 hours before you plan on eating, assemble and bake your bread pudding.

Thoroughly spray a deep casserole dish with coconut oil spray. Spread a layer of the custard mixture on the bottom of the pan.

Break your toast slices in half, and arrange in a shingle pattern in the casserole dish, like so.

Then, spoon the custard over the toast shingles until everything is thoroughly smothered in the custard.

Let the dish sit for about 10-15 minutes, allowing the bread to absorb the custard. (If you let it absorb and soak overnight, the gluten free bread will become gummy.)

Bake for 1 hour - 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the custard sets. Rotate the pan if any dark spots develop.

Before you serve, mix some coconut milk with a dash of cinnamon. You can also add some honey, stevia or sugar if desired to taste.

Also, chop some pecans or other nut of choice for a garnish.

Serve warm, and liberally drizzle with the coconut milk.

OK, you guys. This was a winner.

To be completely transparent, I could not eat this, because I can't have the ingredients in the gluten free bread, but it gave me so much joy to prepare a dish that my family loved. And boy, did they love it! My entire family (G-Free'ers and gluten-full-er's alike) polished it off!

I can attest to the custard and WOW, the flavor was amazing. Rich and creamy, and perfectly sweet -- not too sweet, but juuust right.

And the texture was great. The bread was wonderfully spongey and light. Gluten Free bread can become notoriously gummy when soaked for casseroles or bread puddings. But the trick is to really dry it out, and then soak it shortly RIGHT BEFORE you cook and eat it.

My sister-in-law said that it tasted so light, yet decadent. "Light, airy, comforting, and warm, with soft palate flavors -- not overwhelming at all. SO GOOD!" -- and this is coming from a woman that's NOT gluten free!!

And my dad (also not gluten free) loved the coconut drizzle. He said it made the dish so luxurious and moist. I think he had three helpings ;)

So there you have it, folks - the proof is in the pudding :) hehe

And one last thing -- look at how sweet my bro and his wife are: They know I don't eat turkey for Thanksgiving, so he made me a veggie turkey!! Isn't that so sweet?! And look closely at the feet -- he even used celery tops for the "toes" haha!! I'm a spoiled baby sister :) hehe

Alright, until next time! :D

Tangy Ginger Lime Apple Ribbon Salad! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

I hope everyone is staying warm with these plummeting temps around the country!!

I have to admit: I love getting all snuggled up and watching a movie, knowing that it's blustery and freezing outside:)

Speaking of movies, I cannot WAIT for the new Hunger Games movie to come out on Friday!

I'm going to see it with my fam when I go home next week for Thanksgiving.

I can't wait to see my little niece!! Isn't she just the cutest ever?!

And I guessss I'm excited to see this little princess too :) haha

SO tonight, I made a particularly delicious and colorful meal.

I used my fave gadget...the spiralizer! (You can make this without a spiralizer, just chop the veggies into small pieces and it'll be a chopped salad!)

I call this colorful pile of deliciousness the Tangy Ginger Lime Apple Ribbon Salad!

Now friends, don't take the word "salad" lightly --- this dish PACKS. A. PUNCH!

"Noodles" of carrots, beets, zucchini, and cucumber smothered in a nutty ginger lime sauce, and kissed with cilantro and honey crisp apples!

Now, if you've been following my blog, you'll know the special place honey crisp apples have in my heart:) I mean, I love them, like woah.

I even made an entire post about them a while back :) haha

And let me tell you, those sweet little nuggets of honey crisp glory really shine in this dish.

And it's gluten and Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side)

1/2 zucchini, made into noodles
1/2 cucumber, made into noodles
1 carrot, made into noodles
1/2 beet, made into noodles
1/2 honey crisp apple, diced
1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced

Sauce:
1/3 - 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated on a micro plane
3 Tbsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
8 drops pure liquid stevia alcohol-free (SCD use 1/2 tsp honey)
2-3 Tbsp water

Spiralize (or chop) your veggies and put them in a large bowl.

After you slice your onions, let them soak in a bowl of ice water for about 5-10 minutes. (This gets rid of that harsh, onion-y bite that raw onions have)

Combine your sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add enough water to thin out the sauce until it is "drizzly" - about 2 - 3 Tbsp.

Toss your veggie noodles, onions, cashews, and cilantro with the sauce until evenly coated.

Garnish with cashews and cilantro.

My goodness, you guys. This was SO GOOD! This dressing. I'm serious, I could drink it it was so delicious! Tangy, fresh, a little gingery, nutty, sweet -- AMAZING!!

It pairs so wonderfully with the subtly sweet veggie noodles, the buttery cashews, and the bright and fresh cilantro.

And it's so crunchy and fabulous. My favorite part was the honey crisp apple bits -- super sweet and juicy.

Finally, it really is a beautiful dish with all the colors. Red, Orange, Green, Purple -- it's a rainbow of nutritious goodness!

With this cilantro and lime action, all I need is a margarita! :D

Do you like trilogy movies like the Hunger Games, or Twilight, or Lord of the Rings?

Until next time!

Also -- be sure to follow GlutenFreeHappyTummy on Facebook or Twitter for instant updates!!