About two weeks ago we hosted a little giveaway here on Go Dairy Free and One Frugal Foodie called "A Recipe for Recipes." Readers were asked to submit up to three of their favorite dairy-free recipes for the chance to win the cookbook of their choosing. So many wonderful recipes were submitted, but in the end, we had nine books to give away, and nine winning recipes!

All of the recipes are dairy-free, but several meet other dietary requirements, such as vegan, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, or low in fat. Wherever possible (and when it won't effect the end result negatively), I have added notes to the recipes to accomodate special diets ... but feel free to experiment on your own, or simply enjoy these wonderful recipes specifically as written ...

For years foodie blog followers have eagerly awaited a cookbook from Lauren Ulm of Vegan Yum Yum. A wrench in the plans delayed its release a couple of years ago, but at last it has arrived.

Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday is inching its way toward the Amazon best seller list, and for good reason ... it contains inviting recipes like Blueberry Waffles with Lemon Icing, Baked Mac and Cheeze, Caramelized Leek and Spaghetti Squash Polenta with White Sauce, Creamy Tomato Barley Risotto, British Lemon Maple Scones with Mock Clotted Cream, and Hurry Up Alfredo (recipe below) in addition to gorgeous recipe photography taken by Lauren Ulm herself.

At twenty-six, Lauren Ulm has already appeared on the The Martha Stewart Show, and created four new doughnut flavors exclusively for Vegetarian Times magazine. She writes the popular blog Vegan Yum Yum that won the 2008 VegNews magazine Veggie Award, and the 2008 Veg Blog Award. To further entice your taste buds, Lauren has shared the following three (dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian) recipes from her new cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum:

Perhaps you missed the news about Gluten-Free Deliciously, a new gluten-free/wheat-free cookbook that offers many dairy-free and egg-free options, or maybe you were just waiting for a little sample of what's inside? For the latter, I am here to oblige ... or should I say the author, Jennifer Cinquepalmi, was more than happy to provide a teaser recipe. She promptly submitted this dairy-free sample (and photo) from the cookie department of Gluten-Free Deliciously, with the following recipe notes:

"This recipe boasts of having no butter, shortening, or margarine, making it a tasty treat without the fat of most cookies. It is also egg-free and gluten-free.  Be sure to measure the ingredients accurately."

Two weeks ago, I was in the kitchen, experimenting yet again. I have been in constant pursuit of the perfect Thai Lettuce Wraps. It was my fifth round of attempts (yes, I said fifth). All prior recipes were okay, but not quite there, so I decided to go with a different inspiration, one with a tomato-y base.  I used a recipe as my general guide, and all seemed to be going well, until I added the coconut milk. Way, way too much. The seasonings were so diluted in the sauce that I knew the remaining chunks of veggies and meat wouldn't be flavorful enough on their own.

I was about to give in, serve them in the lettuce wraps, and chalk it up as another mediocre attempt when something compelled me to just give the sauce a little taste to see if it was worth salvaging in some other way. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I seriously impressed myself. Not wanting to waste a drop, I added more light coconut milk and served it up as a chunky soup / stew. We licked our bowls clean within mere minutes. Needless to say, I have already made this Creamy Thai Tomato Soup again, and again. You can view the full recipe (with vegan option) on One Frugal Foodie.

While we are all well aware of the physical effects food allergies have on so many people's lives, it is easy to over look the emotional and even social implications. Family gatherings, friendly meet-ups, and events more often than not revolve around food. But it isn't just the food allergic who are put in an awkward situation. Caring friends usually want to help, but when you don't live with something yourself, it can be hard to properly accomodate. Thinking of everything, as usual, the founder of Allergy Sense was happy to share with us her tips for friends of the food allergic community:

"It appears there are many misconceptions about food allergies and unless you live with them everyday, you may not be aware of many potential “triggers”. As a friend to someone who has food allergies, you need to be both understanding and accomodating. Remember, you friend didn’t choose to have food allergies he/she was either born with them or grew into them. Here are some tips/suggestions for non-allergic individuals to help minimize any uncomfortable situations: