Tomato Soup (Soy, Fish, Wheat, Nut and Egg-Free, Can Be Milk-Free)

This is an altered recipe of one that my sister-in-law pointed me to from Foodie With Family.  I contacted the blog/websites author and asked her if I could use her recipes on my blog with any needed allergen-friendly substitutions (if applicable), and she so graciously said that I could (giving her proper credit of course). :)  I highly recommend her site in that a lot of her recipes fit the "natural and free" guidelines or can easily be adapted to be so.  Besides all of that, (as my sister-in-law says and I wholeheartedly agree) she is an amazing cook and her recipes are fantastic!  Thanks again, Rebecca, for trusting me with your amazing recipes! :)

Please note that this recipe is soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), fish, wheat, nut and egg-free, and can be milk-free.

Tomato Soup

48 oz. tomato puree (I recommend Classico)

3 3/4 Cups plus 1/4 Cup (4 Cups total) water

1 teaspoon salt

up to 3/4 teaspoon garlic (fresh, dehydrated or powder) (optional)

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

pinch of Italian seasoning (I recommend McCormick's Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

heavy whipping cream, half and half or milk (whole preferred) (optional)

1. Mix tomato puree, 3 3/4 Cup water, salt, garlic (if using), celery salt and Italian seasoning in a large soup pot and bring to a simmer. (You will find that most tomato purees, like Classico, come in cans that are over 24 oz. each, giving you extra puree.  You can go ahead and use the 2 full cans in the soup without consequence so you don't have leftover puree, or you can eyeball the 48 oz. and save the rest of the puree for another time.)

2. In a separate, small bowl mix the cornstarch and 1/4 Cup water until smooth.

3. Stir starch mixture into the tomato mixture and simmer until desired thickness.

4. Serve as is or add a dollop of the cream, half and half or milk to each bowl of soup and stir in before serving.

This soup is by far the best tomato soup I've ever had.  The Italian seasoning gives it just a hint of that wonderful Italian flavor that so many love without making the soup taste like you're eating spaghetti sauce instead of soup.  My kids (who can be picky when it comes to soup) love it, including my 2 year old!

Substitutions/Notes:

• Milk and Garlic-Free: Though I strongly recommend the addition of the cream/milk (cream is by far better, but milk works in a pinch) and the use of the garlic, the soup is great without either if you have issues with garlic or are allergic to milk. 
• Corn-Free: If you have a corn allergy but not a wheat allergy, you can substitute flour for the cornstarch. 
• Corn and Wheat-Free: I have not tried it, but a gluten-free flour should work to thicken the soup if you have trouble with wheat and corn.  You could try making the soup without the cornstarch/flour entirely, and I'm sure it would still be delicious, just not as thick.
  
  
  

  (This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)

Soft Molasses Cookies (Soy, Fish and Nut-Free)

I am a big fan of molasses cookies, but had never made them before, so I decided to scour the web and find one to make.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com submitted by sal and decided to modify it some according to my personal preferences.  The results were a wonderful molasses cookie that was not too spicy, soft and chewy and overall delicious.  I hope you enjoy it!

Please note that this recipe is fish and nut-free and only soy-free if you use all soy-free ingredients.

Soft Molasses Cookies

1 Cup full-fat, salted butter

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 Cup molasses

3 Cups soy-free flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and egg until well blended.

2. Stir in molasses.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger (if using) and salt.

4. Stir dry ingredients into the molasses mixture until well blended.

5. At this point you can either cover the dough with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour or move onto the next step.

6. Preheat oven to 350^oF.

7. Grease cookie sheets.

8. Roll the dough into walnut (smaller or larger depending on preference) sized balls.

9. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

10. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (If you made the cookies smaller, check them at about 6 minutes, and note that you may need additional time if you made the cookies larger than walnut-sized.).

11. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack, waxed paper, aluminum foil or brown paper to cool completely.

 (This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)

Brown Sugar No-Bakes (Fish, Soy, Egg and Wheat-Free)

This is a recipe that I came up with one day when I was wondering what the No-Bake cookies would taste like if you cut out the cocoa and made them with brown sugar instead of white.   The answer?  Yummy! :)  They taste a little bit like butterscotch mixed with peanut butter, but not quite like a Mary Jane candy, if you know what that is. :)  I had seen a similar type of cookie before, and I know there are cookies similar to this out there, but this is my version. :)  At any rate, I hope you enjoy it.

This recipe is fish, egg and wheat-free (it can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats, but I know there is a debate out there on whether or not oats are really gluten-free, so use your best judgment if you have Celiacs or are especially sensitive), and are only soy-free if you use all soy-free ingredients.

Brown Sugar No-Bakes

2 Cups brown sugar

1/2 Cup full-fat, salted butter

1/2 Cup milk

Dash of salt

1/3 to 1/2 Cup smooth, natural peanut butter (I recommend Smucker's)

(I recommend using the 1/2 Cup amount, but it's purely preference)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

3 Cups quick or old-fashioned oats

1. Combine brown sugar, butter, milk and salt in a large pot (think soup pot or spaghetti pot, not sauce pan).

2. Bring contents to a rolling boil under medium heat, stirring constantly.

3. Boil and stir for 1 minute.

4. Stir in peanut butter, and keep stirring until it is melted.

5. Remove from heat and add vanilla and/or cinnamon if using.

6. Stir in oats.

7. Quickly spoon out by tablespoons (larger or smaller based on preference) onto wax paper or aluminum foil and allow to cool completely.

There are days that these cookies just don't seem to want to set up for whatever reason.  If this happens you can do one of 3 things:

1. Stick them in the freezer.  They'll still be soft, but at least you can eat them with your fingers. :)

2. Eat them with a spoon as is.

3. Scrap them into a bowl and use them as a thick ice cream topping. :)

Any way you decide to eat them, they are delicious, and I hope you enjoy them! :)

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)