Down with Gluten for me!

Well, it happened.  I finally realized that (or maybe came to grips with) my ongoing skin and tummy issues are likely the result of an underlying gluten intolerance.  It could be the basis for my fibromyalgia, too.  I always said that I'd just die if I had to give up both dairy and wheat but so far I've found it very easy to put down the bread and back away.  I'm not giving up all grains because I personally believe they have benefits.  I have found some great GF items so far and am getting great advice through friends and Google.  The withdrawal is crazy but I can see the positives already.  Here are a few of the awesome things I've discovered so far:

*A lot of my dairy substitutes are GF--almond milk, coconut milk yogurt and ice cream, Earth Balance margarine, etc.  Yay!

* Pamela's brand stuff.  I'm loving the chocolate cookies but I've gotten good reviews from others about the whole line.


*Snapea Crisps: I ate an entire bag of the Lightly Salted variety yesterday.  I was skeptical because, really?  Baked peapods don't sound readily edible but they are a great crunchy/salty treat.

*Hummus: with veggies or GF crackers

*I'm snacking on a lot of fruit and hard-boiled eggs now, too.

Ambrosia!

You know that fluffy, brightly colored, jello-based confection seen at potluck dinners?  Yeah, that's Ambrosia.  It is, as the name indicates, heavenly.  I've seen it made with cottage cheese and that's just wrong, but it's typically made with Cool Whip.  Here is my version, milk-free.

Ambrosia

Ingredients:

1 box Cherry Jello
2 cans full-fat coconut milk, chilled in fridge overnight (Do not use light!  You need the fat to get the right texture.)
3 Tbsp powdered sugar (can be adjusted to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 small can crushed pineapple

Directions:

Make the Jello according to the speed-set instructions and leave in fridge for 30 minutes for a soft set.  Meanwhile, get your cans of coconut milk out of the fridge, being careful not to shake them up.  Open them and scoop out the hardened fatty milk that has gathered at the top of the can and put into a medium-sized bowl.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Beat the heck out of it with an electric mixer until it is fluffy, you know--like whipped cream.  Now open your can of pineapple and drain it (into a glass and drink the juice while you wait on the jello).  When the jello is ready, add the whipped coconut cream and crushed pineapple and mix thoroughly.  Chill it for another 20 minutes or so to let the jello finish setting.  Enjoy!

*This will not be as fluffy as the Cool Whip version but is way tasty!

**You can get creative and change up your jello flavors and fruit choices.  I bed orange jello with pineapple would be good; or strawberry jello and bananas.