Grandma's Gingersnaps- Vegan Cookie Recipe

We have a lot of allergies at our house.  It is a pain, but over the last 18 years I have become quite good at adapting recipes to make them suitable for my family while still retaining the yuminess of the recipe.

I have adapted this recipe to account for my kids who are dairy free (one of them at least) and egg free (two kids).  We are vegans who eat meat.  I know it isn't really Vegan but it makes me laugh.

Gingersnaps are some of my favorite cookies!  I love fall and Christmas and this recipe is perfect for either occasion.....or let's be honest, any time you have a hankering for something delicious.

My favorite things about this recipe.

#1.  It makes a TON of cookies.  This is nice when you have to bring cookies to a party or cookie exchange because you get a lot of bang for your buck (or more importantly your time).

#2.  These cookies always come out really soft....and stay soft!  

#3.  Everyone in my family can eat these cookies and everyone loves them!

So here you go....from my Grandma (with some LiLo tweaking) to you.

Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies

1 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter (or butter substitute) 

1/3 cup molasses

1 2/3 cup sugar (plus some to roll the cookies in)

1/4 cup applesauce---one of those little cups (or 2 eggs if you are not vegan)

4 cups flour

3 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt shortening and butter over low heat.  Cool 15 minutes (or if you are impatient like me, just let it cool while you are assembling the rest of the ingredients and then have at it).  Mix shortening/butter mixture with molasses, sugar and applesauce until blended.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  It will be pretty dry.  That is okay.  Grab little bits of the dough and roll into a ball.  Roll the balls in granulated sugar until coated.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  

I like to form a bunch of balls and then roll them all at once.  I feel like it is faster, more efficient and makes your hands less messy.  But do as you will!

Bake 7-9 minutes until they start to crack open.  Don't wait for them to get brown.  They are already brown and if you wait for them to get browner (it is a word....at least in my world) then they will be over cooked and crunchy and not good.  Better to err on the side of underdone than over done.

If you REALLY want to be a rock star, then take the cooled cookies and dip it half way into a bowl of melted white chocolate and watch this recipe go from amazing, to out of this world!  I opt not to do this very often because I have yet to have found a dairy free white chocolate and I don't want my dairy free boy to feel left out.

Store in a ziploc bag or airtight container to keep them soft and fresh.  Makes about 3-3 1/2 dozen depending on how big you form the balls.

Enjoy!!

If you want more recipes or pretty pictures, follow me on Instagram, Facebook or visit www.photolilo.com.

Campfire Pizzas

Summer is winding to a close and while I am a little bit sad and I will miss the schedule-free time I am ready for routine.  Especially because I work from home and while my kids are pretty self sufficient, it still makes it really hard for me to get much work done during the day.  So I am thankful that all three kids will be in school full time tomorrow and I will be a full-time photographer!

That being said, I have to share with you one of our all-time favorite summer time meals.  This meal works well for camping or if you have a fire pit in the backyard.

A few weeks ago, I had a bit of the summer time blues.  It seemed like everyone around me was having fun, going on vacation and all around having a wonderful summer.  I was sitting at home trying to nag my kids to pick up the house and try to work for a few hours a day in the midst of chaos (read: 3 children) on a daily basis.  I finally had enough and decided we needed to get away.  My oldest still had swim practice leading up to state and my husband had to work so they had to stay home.  Meanwhile, I packed a few quick things, a tiny bit of food and put the younger two kids in the car and headed for the hills.

We are lucky enough to have family cabin up in Fairplay and no one was using it so we headed up there.  On the way up, we decided to have an adventure and we pulled off the main road and followed a dirt road up to a lake that I didn't even know existed.  It was wonderful.  We walked around.  Took pictures.  Skipped rocks and had absolutely no agenda.  It was one of the most fun and freeing times I have ever had.  A memory for a lifetime.  I will have to share the rest of those pictures later!

I was only planning to stay one night, but we were having such a good time and I had a meeting get cancelled so we decided to stay another night.  We went into the "Family Dollar" to try to find something for dinner and came across ingredients for pizzas so naturally that is what we made.

These have become a family favorite and we love to make these whenever we have friends up to the cabin.  We made them again last weekend when we were up there!  You can't go wrong with these.  

It is especially nice if you have picky eaters or allergy kids like I do.

Here is what you need.

A camp cooker, pizza sauce, bread (lots because you need 2 slices per pizza and usually people want seconds so figure 4 pieces per person), pizza fixings, cheese, butter, knife and spoon.  

I like the squeeze "butter" because it isn't messy and my dairy free kid can have it because it doesn't actually contain butter (don't judge).

I also like the squeeze pizza sauce (yes it is a thing) because it is easier to spread than the jar kind but at the Family Dollar we were limited in our choice of pizza sauce.

This time I didn't have any of the shredded cheese and was going to "make do" with the provolone slices I had left over from french dip sandwiches the night before.  And now I won't do it any other way.  So much less messy than shredded cheese.  But you are free to chose your cheese at will.

Here is a step-by-step for you.  Just for fun because they are pretty self explanatory.

1.  Start the fire. (we have even done it over the gas stove when there was an unexpected fire ban and it worked like a charm).

2.  Take the bread and butter it. 

3.  Put the butter side down toward the inside of the cooker.  Do this to both pieces of bread.  Similar to how you cook a grilled cheese sandwich.

4.  Spread pizza sauce on one or both of the non-buttered side (the inside of the pizza).

5.  Add the toppings.  Note: if you add toppings to both sides it can be tricky to sandwich them together without spillage.  So take it from me when I say, load up one side as much as you want and then put the blank bread on top when you sandwich them together. #experiencetalking

6.  Put your beautiful creation into the fire.  Turn it often and check it often.  It browns quicker than you think and no one wants a burnt pizza.  #experiencetalkingagain

7.  Put a plate on the ground.  Trust me.  

8.  Open the sandwich cooker over the plate and let that toasty goodness fall onto the plate.  Let the cooker sit open on the ground so it can cool.  Because in a few minutes you are going to want to make a second pizza.

9.  Let it sit.  Trust me.  I know you want to eat it right away.  But that thing is hotter than the sun and you don't want hot cheese burning a hole in your tongue.  #againwiththeexperience

10.  Finally it is time to enjoy.  

11.  Repeat.  Be careful as those cookers stay hot for a REALLY long time and it can be a little tricky making seconds.  

We decided to go the s'mores route for our dessert but you can repeat the process above with canned pie filling for an amazing dessert.  It is a perfect meal for camping!  Easy supplies, cheap, everyone makes it to their own liking, yummy and best of all, NO CLEAN UP.   Just let those cookers mellow.  I have never cleaned mine (all 5 of them) and even with all of our allergies we have never had an issue.  The "butter" helps everything to slide right off.  Note: the outside of the cookers get soot on them.  So if you might want to wipe down the outside once they cool down to avoid ash/soot on things they might come in contact with.

What is your favorite go-to camping meal?

For more photos and fun, follow me on Instagram, Facebook or visit www.photolilo.com.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes God can take something difficult and turn it into something you grow to love.

I am a #allergymom.  My kids have a lot of food allergies.  Which means that every time we go to someone's house....I have to make sure they know about all of the allergies.  I hate going to potlucks because it means I have to be super sensitive and make sure that I know what is in all of the dishes everyone brings.  And every time my kids have a party, I have to make sure I bring them something they can eat.

While it is annoying and causes me worry and anxiety every time my kids are at someone else's house...I have learned to be grateful.  I am grateful that my kids are mostly healthy and that they don't have a difficult disease.  I have a friend from my childhood neighborhood whose son is going through Chemo treatment right now.  I can't even imagine how difficult and heart-wrenching that must be.  And while it is annoying that I feel like I need to be at all of the parties at school and volunteer to bring food EVERYWHERE I go....I love that I get to be at all of the parties!  And even more so....my kids LOVE that I am at all of their parties.

It also has forced me to become more of a cook and baker.  I have always enjoyed cooking, but the last 13 years has made me get out of my comfort zone.  I have figured out some great recipes that are safe for my kids and are delicious!  In fact, I like them even better than the originals.  So I am thankful that I GET to make cookies for my kids often and that I am constantly baking and making yummy food.  We eat so much healthier than we would if we didn't have allergies (except for the cookies).

Baking and cooking has become my way to show love.  Just had a baby...I will shower you with wine cake and home-made chicken pot pie.  Have a birthday???  I will make you a blackberry sour cream pie.  Going on winter retreat with the youth group...I will make cookies.

That is what prompted today's batch of cookies.  My oldest is off to Winter Camp with his youth group!  And while I am a little nervous that he will struggle with getting enough to eat (he is 13 and CONSTANTLY hungry and he is allergic to Eggs...which are in SO many things), my way of showering him with love today as he walked out the door was to hand him a gigantic bag of warm, freshly baked cookies that I know he can safely eat.

Eggs aren't the only dietary restriction we have.  Poor Jameson.  He can't have eggs or dairy (or peanuts but those are easier to avoid).  Just when I had kind of figured out how to bake without eggs, dairy is thrown into the mix!  Do you know that dairy is in EVERYTHING...including McDonald's french fries????

I like to joke that we are vegans who eat meat.  We can't have dairy or eggs, but we can have meat. Funny....right?

So if you are vegan, or out of eggs, or just want to eat cookie dough without worrying about getting salmonella...then this recipe is for you!

This is mom's famous cookie recipe with Lisa's allergy adjustments.

1 cup shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce (this is my egg replacement)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 package dairy free chocolate chips (Thank heavens for Trader Joe's chocolate chips.  No dairy and only $1.99 per package)

Mix together.  If you have time and inclination you can mix the dry ingredients and then add them to the wet ingredients....but let's be honest....I ain't got time for that.  So I just mix it all together.

Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes.  Or if you make giant cookies (my favorite), use 1/4 cup dough per cookie and bake for 10-11 minutes.

These cookies bake up so deliciously and are nice and soft with a crispy outside.  Perfection.

Anyone else have kids with allergies?  Want more recipes?  Let me know!

Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins

I love baked goods.  There.  I said it. 

I love to bake them almost as much as I love to eat them.  I cringe now to think about how I only used to use boxed muffin mix.  I didn't know any better.  Now that I have kids with tons of allergies, it has forced me to do more baking from scratch.  And you know what?  I have come up with some pretty amazing recipes!  I can't even remember the last time I bought an overpriced, full of processed crap muffin mix.

It doesn't take that much longer to make muffins from scratch.  You should try it.  They are so much better (and better for you-sort of).

I bought some blackberries the other day with the intentions of making my hubby his favorite Blackberry Sour Cream pie.  However, we are both trying to eat healthier so I didn't make it.  Now I have a ton of blackberries that I have been trying to use up.  I don't really love blackberries (I buy them mostly for the hubby who is the Blackberry King) so I needed to find a way to hide them in something.  I have also been craving some muffins...so today I made up a new recipe. 

I did some hunting on Pinterest and I couldn't find a recipe that fit the needs of my high maintenance allergy family.  So I adapted this recipe that I have used in the past that we LOVE.  And Voila!  I came up with this.  They are delicious!

Here you go:

1 1/4 c. Oats
1 1/4 c. milk (I use rice milk, but you can use any kind)
1/2 applesauce (I use this in place of 1 egg)
1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder (and a dash of baking soda)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Blackberries (about a pint)

Topping Recipe- (Combine these 3 ingredients)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oats
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine oats and milk and let stand for 10 minutes or so.  Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients.  Combine the dry ingredients and add to the liquid mixture.

Put batter into muffin tins.  Put 3 blackberries on top of the batter.  Add a bit of topping to each muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Enjoy!  These muffins are moist and delicious with just a hint of sweetness.   Only 120 calories per muffin!

Gratitude: Day Four

Today I am thankful for allergies.  Say what?    We have a LOT of food allergies at our house (thanks Chris).  It sucks and I hate it, but I have learned to live with it and have come up with some great allergy free recipes!  One of the only things that gets me through the days when I am frustrated is that it could be worse.  I have some friends that I grew up with whose son is battling cancer for the second time in his short 13 years of age.  My heart just aches for them and I say to myself......you can deal with the stupid allergies.   Just be thankful that you have healthy active kids (even if I have to read every label in the grocery store).  I am also thankful for all of our supportive friends and that they are so accommodating to our boys.  I know it is a pain and I appreciate it!

So today when I took Makai and Jameson to get their flu shots at the allergist.  I had to keep reminding myself to be thankful.  All through the 2 hour appointment.  Through the 30 skin pricks on their backs.  All through the 30 minutes after the injection to make sure the egg cultured in the flu shot didn't react with their bodies.  And through the news from the doctor that Makai has now developed a severe allergy to tree nuts like his dad and that chances are slim that he will outgrow that allergy.

Gratefulness and thankfulness get you through.  Otherwise you become resentful and bitter.

So thank you Lord for allergies.  And thank you even more for Benedryl, Epi Pens, modern medicine and little boys who have great attitudes and hardly complained today!

Day 5 Challenge

Okay, so I am consistently a day behind. 

Yesterday I was an over achiever and did TWO new recipes.  I was short on time last night before I had to get T to baseball at 6.  Evening practices are so hard.  You are either eating really early dinners, or really late dinners.  I usually opt for the early dinners because my crew tends to get hangry (hungry+angry= hangry) and if they are hangry ain't nobody happy!

So at 4:45 I started to make dinner and I still was rushing around like a crazy woman and shoving food down throats (including my own) to get us out the door on time.  I didn't have a whole lot on hand, so I went with a recipe that I have been wanting to try and that sounded good.  The only meat that wasn't frozen was....bacon.  So I went with the Brinner (breakfast for dinner) theme.

For the adults, we had avocado with bacon and egg inside.

Sorry for the blurry pictures.  This is how it copied from Pinterest.

 This recipe was Delicious!  However, I had a few problems making it.  First of all, my avocados weren't quite ripe.  This made it difficult to scoop out the insides and create a large area for the egg.  Problem #2- the avocados are round (duh) and when I put them on the cookie sheet, they didn't lay flat and when I poured in the egg mixture half of it went onto the cookie sheet.  So, I cut a tiny bit off of the bottom of the avocado skin and they laid flat and filled nicely.  Thankfully I put down tin foil, so it wasn't too big of an issue.  I used 4 egg whites and 1 egg with the yolk.  Too many!  I think 3-4 eggs would have done the trick.  I just wanted to be a little healthier and use egg whites.  I also added some sea salt and pepper.  They were really good!  I would totally make them again.  They were pretty filling and super healthy!

Here are my pics:

Meet Whitey.  He is my egg white separator.

Don't you love how he spews out the egg whites without breaking the yolks?

This is the only way to make bacon if you are in a hurry.  425 for 15 minutes.  Be sure to line the pan with tin foil.  Easy clean up too!

See my mess? 

 Sadly, there is no "after" picture as I was 10 minutes late getting to baseball because these took longer than I thought to cook.  I ate mine in the car.  That is how I roll.  Better than eating french fries, but much more difficult.

For the boys, I decided to go with pancakes and bacon (since I had to cook it for our special dish anyway).  I knew I had a few pancake recipes on Pinterest so I picked on and went with it.

This one was nice because it doesn't have eggs in it which is nice for the 2 boys who are allergic to eggs.  Again, it was pretty easy to follow and turned out really well.  The boys could taste the banana in it, but the flavor wasn't too strong as I used one banana (and some applesauce) instead of 2 bananas.  I also added chocolate chips to entice the boys into eating them.  NO problems.  They gobbled them right up.  The only downside is that they are a little dense and the consistency isn't the same as quick and easy Bisquick, bot bad for a vegan recipe.  I also used Rice milk instead of almond or soy milk so that my dairy free boy .

I was skeptical of making it in the blender but it was easy!

They look normal, right?

Another great day of Pinterest!  You can find both of these on my "recipe" board.

8 Years in the Making

Have you heard the song "Allergies" by  Bare Naked Ladies?  If not, you should take a listen and get a little glimpse into my life.    Here are some of the lyrics:


My little brother is allergic to meat
My friend's mother is allergic to wheat
Allergic to meat?
Allergic to wheat?
Gotta be tricky finding something to eat

That song was made for our family (except me).  My kids and husband have a lot of food allergies.  I am used to it now, after dealing with it for 12 years of marriage and 8 years of motherhood.  Although, nothing prepared me to see my extremely swollen husband with fluid coming out of every orifice in his body in the ER during our first year of marriage.  It was my first time seeing him so severe while he was still in the hospital.  I had seen the after effects, but never to that extent.  Think Martin Short in the movie "Pure Luck".   I knew when we had kids there would be a good chance that they would have some food allergies and boy was I right!  At 6 months, we found out that Makai was allergic to eggs and peanuts.  Cooking without eggs...is that possible.  Now, eight years later, I can say "Yes it is!".  Tanner came along and was allergic to peanuts.  No big deal, easy to avoid.  But then came the big Kahuna, Jameson.  From the time he was 6 weeks old and I found blood in his stool, I had to avoid ALL dairy in my diet while I was nursing.  Can you say difficult?  But I managed.  Everyone told me he would grow out of it by the time he was two years old.  He is now three and just as severe as ever with his dairy, egg and peanut allergies!

People always ask me "what do you cook"?  It seems like such a strange question to be because I just adapt and I am used to it.  I will say that Jameson eats WAY too many dino nuggets, but they are his favorite and are easy to microwave while the rest of us are enjoying our pizza.

However, I finally reached my crowning achievement recently.  Dairy free, egg free chocolate chip cookies.  I have tried many different ways to make them with no success.  They were too hard, called for strange ingredients, cooked funny, tasted funny, etc.  But I finally got it!  Here is the delicious Allergy Chocolate Chip cookies.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce (in place of 2 eggs)
1/2 tsp. water
3/4 of a package of Ghiradelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips (gold package- no dairy in them!!)

Combine everything but the first three ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Add the dry ingredients together and mix.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips to the other mixture.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

ALL of my kids love these and it is so nice to have a sweet treat that everyone can enjoy.  I hope you enjoy them as well!