Robin Robertson ~ During this hectic time of year, it can sometimes be a challenge to find time to make a nutritious dinner when we’re busy with a zillion other things. With a little planning, there are lots of ways to save time and get quick and easy meals ready. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Make a large batch of brown rice and portion and freeze it to use as you need it.

2. Keep your pantry stocked with a variety of canned beans, tomatoes, and other pantry staples and keep some frozen green peas, spinach, and other vegetables on hand as well.

3. Plan some one-dish meals to save clean-up and make extra so you have leftovers for lunch or another dinner.

Alisa Fleming ~ Have you ever had one of those special parties? The ones that "everyone" talks about for an entire year after. We had our first, a couple of years ago when living near our friends at Lake Tahoe. The scene was a few weeks before Christmas, and a horrendous blizzard had move in. Yet, every single guest arrived. We have some serious die-hard party friends.

My husband and I were fairly calm, certain that we had prepared enough food. Boy were we wrong. Apparently we have die-hard party friends with big appetites. For hot food, we had Roasted Veggies, Pulled Pork with Homemade Wheat Buns, From-Scratch Cheeseless Pizza (used the crust recipe in Go Dairy Free), Stuffed Mushrooms, Prosciutto-Wrapped Wild Prawns, and Chicken Satay (one peanut sauced and one more of a curry). Easily the most popular item was the stuffed mushrooms. All night long people kept asking, "So everything was dairy-free? Really? Even the mushrooms?" I didn't even bother telling them that they were also gluten-free, soy-free, and egg-free; I thought that might send some of them over the edge! I used 1.5 lbs of mushrooms and 1.5 lbs of filling, and they were still gone in minutes. (The recipe for those mushrooms will be in my next book!) Even the store-bought filler food we purchased (salsa, hummus, eggplant dip, tortilla chips, and blanched veggies) was completely devoured.

Fortunately, for those who still hadn't eaten there fill, there was dessert. After all, what would any holiday party be without a delicious assortment of homemade cookies and bars ...

Alisa Fleming ~ You didn't think I would leave you hanging did you? All of these amazing Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Recipes, and no creative ways to enjoy the leftovers? Not a chance. Waste not, want not is a saying that I truly live by, so below is a list of recipes to help prevent a single morsel of that holiday smorgesbord from heading to the trash.

Below you will find numerous delicious ways to use that leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, cornbread, pumpkin, tofurky ... yes, there are even recipes out there for using up extra faux meat. But, vegans and vegetarians need not feel shy about checking out the leftover turkey recipes too, several will work equally well with tofurky. Just like my Thanksgiving post, these recipes are already dairy-free (that is, no milk-based ingredients (no casein, lactose, whey, etc.)), so there is no need for alterations, unless you are feeling adventurous of course!

And you thought you were done cooking ...

November 2011 -Caribbean Rum Balls of St. Thomas, VI, is issuing this alert due to undeclared allergens, specifically: wheat, coconut, milk, eggs and sodium bisulfite (preservative). People who have allergies to any of these ingredients run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The “Rum Balls" were distributed locally in retail stores and through mail orders. The product comes in 4, 8 and 12 ounce, white packages with the Caribbean Rum Balls name and logo. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

The alert was initiated after it was discovered that the allergen-containing products were distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of allergens. Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company's production and packaging processes.