The temperatures are still cool in many parts of the Northern hemisphere, yet the new season of crops has begun to emerge with spring vegetables suddenly appearing in perfect form.  In particular, I have been eyeing the beautifully thin stalks of asparagus with their tightly closed tips. Asparagus is a powerhouse of nutrition, loaded with Vitamin K, folate, potassium, you name it.  But never mind that, it is a vegetable that my husband actually enjoys (!!) so I have eagerly stocked up.  Plus, while asparagus may signal spring, it still lends itself perfectly to warm winter dishes.  While I know I will be tempted to roast every last bunch, I am determined to make room on my culinary agenda to try this lovely Asparagus Soup.

Traditional French bread is by nature, dairy-free.*  Essentially nothing more than yeast, flour, water, and maybe a touch of salt, it should be perfect for nearly every special diet short of gluten-free. Yet mastering that loaf can be tricky.  Professional bakers have a one up, with special ovens to maximize the texture of each baguette.  But.... this month the Daring Bakers took on the recipe for Pain Francais (French Bread) from Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume Two by Julia Child and Simone Beck.  Intimidating to look at, this recipe spans numerous pages.  Yet, it is more a guide of tips and techniques, with the recipe at its core being really, quite simple ...

One of my favorite brands of baking mixes, gluten-free or not, is Namaste Foods.  Their desserts and breads produce flawless results that easily fool my wheat-loving husband … and their pasta mixes are  devoured in minutes, literally.  Luckily, it seems as though the Namaste staff is in love with their products as much as I am. They have produced Simple Pleasures, a cookbook with over 60 recipes utilizing Namaste mixes.  The cookbook is entirely gluten-free, but some dairy does sneak on occasion.  Nonetheless, they were kind enough to give us a glimpse of the contents by sharing the following gluten-free, dairy-free recipes a blackberry streusel crisp and hearty minestrone soup …

... Though it didn’t greet me as I opened the package, the familiar scent of Captain Crunch Berry cereal emerged when I poured these flakes into my breakfast bowl.  True, I haven't even come within close range of Captain Crunch in decades (scarily true, decades), and even then I only tasted it a few times, but that scent is unmistakable. It instantly shocked my senses to attention. Luckily, this cereal tasted not a thing like that over-sugared candy, which is often confused with breakfast. The thick flakes packed a nice crunch that bought me a good amount of time, not allowing the almond milk to turn my breakfast to mush while I scrounged around for a spoon ... Read the full review

Hannah Kaminsky, Bittersweet and My Sweet Vegan ~ Talk about irony. A few short years ago, you wouldn’t have been able to get me to touch a block of white chocolate with a 10-foot pole, and now? Now it’s become an incredible luxury, a culinary diamond in my eyes, and I’ve become completely enamored with its simple existence. Simple indeed ... the white stuff has no actual cocoa solids, and thus remains pale as freshly fallen snow. Most manufacturers add dry milk powder, trans-fatty hydrogenated oils, and other undesirable elements to their white chips and chunks, to increase shelf stability and augment their supplies of pricey cocoa butter...

Erika Waz, Kids Cuisine and Tummy Treasure - I have tried many a pancake recipe over the last few years. It seems like I am always trying to find new ways to squeeze extra vitamins and nutrients into my kids, and pancakes are such an easy thing to change up on a whim. I’ve been playing around a bit with the perfect oatmeal pancake, because oatmeal by itself is a favorite in our household. This one, I daresay, is the hands down winner so far. We all love these pancakes — the lovely nutty-oat flavor combined with the sweetness of the banana makes it a perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack.