Cheryl

Several years ago, my 3 year old asked Santa for just one thing: a cookie he could eat. Santa delivered.

This super-simple summer recipe is a change of pace from the grilling we usually do at our house - and we find there's something super-comforting about a casserole in the middle of summer!

This simple applesauce cake was lovingly crafted for our heavily-restricted little bear, whose only safe grain is gluten-free oats. It's easy enough to make for a vegan breakfast bar or a not-too-sweet dessert - and around here it gives new meaning t

These delicate, surprisingly chocolate-y and crepe-like buckwheat pancakes started out as a challenge to myself - and turned into a family favorite. Equally at home under berries and savories, at our house they run the gambit from Sunday brunch to to

The nutty quinoa combined with the Moroccan-inspired combination of tart pomegranate seeds, fresh mint leaves and barrel-aged feta cheese makes this top-8 free, vegetarian side dish an easy way to add a little pop to your dinner.

We love pork tenderloin in the crockpot for how easy it is. We love apples and pears for how they bring out the sweetness in the pork, and we love fennel for how they bring out an interesting twist in so many recipes. Put it all together and it's an


A dairy-free ‘caramel corn’-style treat for cozy nights with friends & family.

This mild, creamy - yet dairy- and even top-8-free! - potato & leek soup was originally known with our kids as "Mashed Potato Soup".  For when you just need a little soup to warm you up!

It's broccoli - but with a Thanksgiving twist! Best of all, cooks up quick and easy enough to work for a weeknight veggie side as well!

This unexpected twist on a traditional Thanksgiving vegetable side brings together the sweet punch of caramelized orange peel with okra and a gentle pop of chipotle pepper - all roasted in a beautiful acorn squash 'bowl'. Better yet, it's top-8 free,

One of our favourite recipes - crockpot and overall! And it is MUCH tastier than it looks. :)

A lovely dish that fits the winter months just as well as the summer.

Sweet, nutritious, cozy -- half-way to a pilaf but with power-packing quinoa instead of rice, this top-8-free, vegan one-pot is an easy solution to chase away the hints of chill in a late summer evening and soften you up for fall!

We're used to thinking of beet stew as a winter favorite - or we were until this gorgeous team of summer vegetables practically leapt out of the fridge and into our Dutch oven!  An easy, weeknight dinner that's as beautiful as it is nutritious -

Farmers markets are bursting this time of year with gorgeous yellow zucchini blossoms. If like me you see their shining faces as challenges to shake the gluten, dairy and egg that so often cover them by the time they hit the table, check out this del

This three ingredient recipe is so simple to make we almost didn't write it up.  But wow - apples on the grill make any meal pop!

With frosty blue stars floating on top, this minted peach and cucumber soup is a refreshing summer treat that is far easier to make than its fancy looks would suggest.  This soup works best if left over night to chill so it's perfect for parties

This quick and easy kale salad has a refreshing, summery dressing but with the body to hold up equally well for dinner as for a picnic lunch - and it's top-8 free, too!

We call these "Chocolate Bird Seed Cookies" because they are chock full of seeds, berries and big, luscious, dairy-free and soy-free chocolate chunks. Rich and filling, they also happen to be free of 7 of the top food allergens (but you can also leav

Being dairy-, egg- and gluten-free means going out to brunch is a rather frustrating affair.  But that doesn't mean I don't miss all those yummy brunch classics!  Perhaps most of all I've missed the breakfast skillets -- veges, usually unde

These pumpkin pancakes started out, oddly enough, as an early spring craving that I just couldn't kick.  Experimenting with a small batch, I soon found myself in a friendly squabble to wrest them away from my son, who agreed that these pancakes

This recipe was inspired by a rather spectacular, 'pull-apart' Sesame Street cake pan that I found for our rather Elmo-obsessed two year old.  Alas, he has just 15 or so foods he can digest without incident so I'm always looking for some way to

It's sunny, it's spring and I wanna go out for brunch! On my diet, that goes a lot better in my patio than in a restaurant (sigh), but it always gives me an extra boost when I come up with a dish like this one to savor with my (rice milk) latte and m

So you really, really want to love kale - but just don't? Try this easy recipe -- all the nutrition, but with the sinful halo of bacon and brown sugar...

After months of listening to my son pine for the meatballs he could no longer have on his newly dairy-, gluten- and egg-free (among other things) diet, I finally pulled out the mixing bowl and got to work.  These meatballs are far heartier than

This easy recipe was inspired by the excellent borscht our landlord's babushka (Russian for 'grandmother') made for us the summer we lived in Crimea, Ukraine.  Although you could certainly make a vegetarian version, our babuschka was quite insis

This stew of tender veal and spring vegetables is as impressive-sounding as it is easy to prepare.  The perfect dish for entertaining, it comes together quickly and then bakes quietly in a dutch oven while your guests arrive.  And even bett

The holy grail!  A low-histamine, soy-free and gluten-free ribs recipe!  Not only that, some say pomegranate seeds actually have anti-histamine properties.  And oh - it's really good to boot!

This is a top 8 allergy-free version of the traditional dish - easy to prepare and we never have leftovers!

Roasted root vegetables make any fall or winter meal feel cozier.  Even better, they are simple to throw together and reheat well so it's an easy thing to make in bulk and have on-hand for later.  What's more, because they don't take any la

This is one of our favorite ways to enjoy summer fruits -- super easy to make, power-packed with vitamin C, and works just as well for brunch as for desert.  Oh - and it's totally gluten-, dairy- and egg-free besides, and a lovely way for those

Eager for a quick-and-easy, yet top-8 allergens free dessert, we stumbled into the perfect accompaniment to vanilla coconut milk ice cream.  Rather than fight the inevitable 'coconut-ness', we rolled it into a warmly comforting, tropics-meets-co

Of all the baked goods I miss on my by now ridiculously-restricted diet (low histamine, no gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nuts, safflower oil or most fresh fruits), scones are the worst.  So here it is, perhaps the concoction I'm most proud of: a crum

Thanksgiving at our house just wouldn't be the same without my mom's acorn squash - decadently sweet, and ridiculously simple to make. Although it takes a little while in the oven, it's easy enough to throw together that it works for workday dinner a

A fresh, super-easy alternative to cranberry relish for your holiday turkey, or to jazz up a lamb or other roast.

This easy recipe is great when you've got a crowd coming because the seeds and the carrots can be prepared in advance, and then the carrots can go in to bake while your guests arrive.  Serve your seeds on the side if you think one of your guests

We worked out this dairy-free, gluten-free stuffed turkey recipe to make sure our highly-restricted baby could be included in Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.  Best of all, it turned out to be a delicious meal for even our no-restriction frien

This chunky chicken salad makes a great side-dish, or you can put a scoop on top of salad greens and call it an entree.

With the brilliant pinks of the watermelon, the reds and whites of the radishes, and the bright greens of the kale and jalapeno, this salad is as colorful for the eyes as it is surprising for the tongue.  Combining the hot and sweet flavors of s

This is one of those salads that's so ridiculously easy to throw together that it works equally well for lunch on the run and a crowd-pleasing side dish.  Just don't forget to multiply the directions - it was devised as a working-from-home-lunch

Looking for a way to make a salmon salad 'fit in' to a harvest table, we found ourselves swapping out summer fruits for sweetly rich roasted butternut squash.  This salad takes a little time in the oven but very little hands-on prep is required

This rich dessert pizza was inspired by the fresh lavender that grew in my California front yard.  The pizza's whole-wheat crust is an earthy surprise under the rich sweetness of the toppings, but it would work equally well with a gluten-free cr

Hot cocoa - one of the most painful casualties of my dairy-free war.  This one is a rich, thick cocoa with a little bit of a bite thanks to the crystallized ginger - in the vein of Mexican hot cocoa.  Enjoy!

Some treats are too simple to call a recipe -- but too tasty to keep to ourselves.  Inspired by classic American smores, our gluten-free and dairy-free alternative is a toaster-oven treat the whole year round.

This hearty pilaf is a great way to give leftover lamb roast new life.  Modelled on a traditional rice dish, this variation has the nutty taste of red quinoa, and the surprising, wintery addition of sweet potato fries to give it bulk.

This super-sweet short ribs recipe is also super easy to make, does not use any top allergens -- and is lower histamine than traditional barbeque recipes.  Cooks up easily in a large Dutch oven, making it an easy one for entertaining as well.

Homemade spaghetti sauce is a decadent but usually out of reach treat.  This weeknight option is brought to life by cinnamon -- the secret ingredient in my (step-)sister Louisa's Italian grandmother's recipe.

We named this one "Golden Beef" after the rich yellow hue of the curry, still crispy yellow pepper and golden raisins.  A quick, easy-to-make curry that works on many restricted diets.

A striking and elegant presentation of a delicious light salad - especially when you happen to have over-sized cucumbers growing in your vegetable garden!

These lamb burgers taste almost like kofta kebabs - but without the allergens!  So tasty, a bun and ketchup would be a distraction so we like to serve them on a simple salad instead.

This is one of our favorite week-night side dishes.  Pulls together literally in minutes and complements a wide range of dishes.  Of course, you can also just eat it out of a bowl with a spoon!