... Levana Cooks Dairy-Free! is all about good food ...  Levana cuts to the chase, heading straight into the recipes on page one.  Tips, notes, and substitutions are generously and strategically placed within the cookbook to offer ideas and assistance while actually creating each recipe ...  As I slowly worked my way through, earmarking numerous recipes to trial, I felt as though Levana was personally inviting me to think like a chef, pairing shitakes and portobellos with thyme and tarragon in a rich mushroom sauce and laying the apples just so to create an easily elegant apple tart.  Yet, she still recognized my cravings for comfort food with simplistic recipes for homemade crepes, chocolate chip cookies, roasted tomato soup, and really, what would a dairy-free cookbook be without lasagna? ... Read Full Review

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 ...

A popular summer camp in the Kansas City area called Wildwood is trialing a new week-long camp catering to special diets.  Wildwood is unique, in almost every aspect of being an outdoor education center and a residential camp setting. For one week the camp's kitchen will be dedicated dairy-free, gluten-free, and peanut-free, and the menu will focus on a plant based diet, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, beans, and gluten-free grains.  Though it is currently a girls only camp, if successful, they plan to open the special diet camp to boys.  The following letter details the concept and how to contact the camp ...

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 …