Chex Muddy Buddies

Muddy Buddies are a wonderful holiday treat, and making a few changes to the recipe Chex provides makes them yeast-free. If you have an aversion to peanut butter, any nut or soy butter will do!  I do recommend using the name brand cereal, as the generic is not as tasty.

I like to use my Muddy Buddies in holiday packages to make "Reindeer Chow" in which I mix the treats with M&M candies and yeast free pretzel pieces.

Zombie (Chicken) Chili

This chili has beans.  If you don’t tolerate them well, omit them.  What makes it zombie chili?  The word zombie in front of it.  And the cooked white meat chicken looks a little like brainz!

Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

I created this recipe to use up leftover grilled burgers my husband had made.  The smoked paprika gives it a great barbecue flavor. I can’t wait to make it again!

Turkey Club Meatloaf

Served with a simple salad of lettuce and tomato, this makes a warm and filling recreation of the classic club sandwich.

Zucchini Latkes

After a friend of mine online posted pictures of her zucchini pasta, I had a craving for fried zucchini.  Instead of starting up my deep fryer, I opted to adapt my latke recipe to make these delicious zucchini pancakes.  The result is a crispy creamy pancake that will have people requesting this recipe often.

Remember to peel the zucchini to get rid of the yeast!

Quick Sausage Ragu

This is not a true Italian ragu, but a quick version with a cream base.  This can be cooked up in about 20 minutes total and makes a hearty meal in a flash. Here it is served over paperadelli pasta.  Notice that the recipe calls for pasta water.  After your pasta has cooked for a while, ladle out about a half a cup to reserve.
This allows you to control the consistency, for those who prefer a thinner sauce on their pasta.

Crawfish Bisque

The cream in this soup really mutes the salt and it takes quite a bit to season it properly, as it should be slightly salty in flavor.  Tasting as you go is really important to get it right. The crawfish can be replaced with crab or lobster if you prefer.

Spinach Alfredo Pizza

I created this for the challenge at Double Take. The ingredients for this time were Spinach and Cheese.  I just happened to have some fancy pizza dough in my house I have been meaning to use that is yeast free ( I used a Great Value brand, but it also comes in that Pillsbury brand I have mentioned before that is leavened with Glucono Delta Lactone and Baking Soda), so a delicious white pizza sounded great.  If the fancy strikes you, you can butter the crust when it comes out of the oven and sprinkle it with parmesan.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie - For Mikey

This morning, I read about "Peanut Butter Pie Friday" and it broke my heart.  After crying for a bit, I decided that I needed to participate.  Two years ago, my husband woke up unable to walk, having suffered a stroke during the night, and it was one of the most terrifying events in my life.  I was so scared I would lose him, and I still am, though he has healed completely, and is well medicated and closely watched now.  My heart goes out to Jennie of "In Jennie's Kitchen," and her family, and though I don't know her and had never visited her food blog before today, I wanted to add to Mikey's memory, for my Mike.  So here is my version of Mikey's favorite Creamy Peanut Butter Pie. The loss of a loved one is a great fear of so many, but we must also remember that we need to live, as fully as we can, every day.

Old Fashioned Fudge

Fudge is so very delicious but so expensive when other people make it for you, which seems silly when one understands how easy it is.  Of course, there is the chance of burns and the fear of not getting the temperature just right, but, with how cheap the ingredients are, you can always start again, or enjoy some chocolate caramels. This recipe is an old-fashioned fudge.  Simple, salty, sweet and delicious. If you want to add nuts or  marshmallows, or anything else to it, go for it... just add it towards the end of the last stirring stage.

Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

This is a delicious slightly tangy cookie.  It is not too sweet and stands up to decorating well.  Make sure the dough is still chilled before you put them in the oven or they tend to spread and make you shapes look a little mutated. Great with Royal Icing!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Since I no longer eat hamburgers on rolls, I make a big deal about dressing them up. During the summer, my husband loves to grill and loves to grow a garden full of herbs and veggies.  That gives me a great opportunity to make a southern favorite, Fried Green Tomatoes.  While I pretty much abhor fully ripened tomatoes, unless they are finely pureed in a sauce, green tomatoes have a wonderful tangy taste and a firm texture that I really enjoy.
Here, the fried green tomatoes are paired with thick cut bacon, a cheddar cheese sauce, and homemade ranch dressing, which suits them best!

French Onion Soup

This classically fancy soup is most impressive served in a traditional crock. If you are crockless, any oven proof bowl with a rim that is smaller than your cheese slices is acceptable. In a pinch, cheese slices can be replaced with shredded cheese and broiling can be skipped all together.

Key Lime Pie

This just happens to be gluten-free thanks to the rice check cereal crust.  And furthermore it is delicious.
It makes a BIG pie, so you can easily half the recipe and make it in an 8" pie pan.

L & L Style Macaroni Salad

Ever since I first tried the macaroni salad at L& L Hawaiian Barbecue, I have wanted more.  And I am not a fan of macaroni salad.  Unfortunately, I had it when visiting my sister in San Diego, CA and I haven't been anywhere, since, that had one.  I finally, after years of looking, found a lead, and from that information, created a recipe that approximates the salad pretty well.

Of course, if you are not trying to clone L & L's recipe, you can always add diced ham, finely chopped shallots, or anything else you fancy. 

Ginger Lemon Cremes

This is one of my favorite cookies.  They are the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, and tart.  They can be made without the ammonium bicarbonate, which can be bought from specialty cooking stores, or the internet, but they will not be as snappy and you need to roll them quite thin.  You can also substitute baking powder if you handle it well.

A note about ammonium bicarbonate:  It smells awful… terrible! Like ammonia, because it is… but it dissipates once it is baked and makes a wonderful crispy cookie.  This means you should not taste your dough before it is cooked, even though it is totally food safe, it just doesn’t taste very good.  Also, you have to make sure it is tightly covered when stored or it will literally just evaporate into the air.

Chicken Française

This is another of my favorites dishes growing up.  It originally had white wine added, however, since wine is made with yeast, this recipe forgoes the wine for sparkling cider. It is still just as tasty! I made this one with a cranberry apple cider and it had a great wine-like flavor.
Wonderful served with pasta of any sort and a fresh salad.

S.O.S.

S.O.S is not the prettiest dish (which is how it got its name) but it  can be made fast, is fairly easy, and quite delicious. Usually you can use a can of cream of mushroom soup, which really cuts down the prep time, but in case you cannot find any, the recipe below is easy enough.

This can also be made with ground turkey or chicken.

Always great served on a baked potato or egg noodles!

Carrot and Feta Salad

This is great for summer picnics.  Light and crisp and tangy!


3 large carrots, peeled
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Place a medium pot, half filled with water, over medium heat to bring  to a simmer.
Slice carrots into wafer thin medallions and place in simmering water with a generous pinch of salt.
Simmer carrots for 5 minutes or until slightly tender but not mushy.
Shock carrots by placing cooked carrot slices in ice water for a few moments, until cooled.
In a medium bowl, whisk together maple syrup, canola oil, dill, salt and pepper.
Add cooled carrots and feta to maple dill dressing and toss to coat.
Store refrigerated in a covered container and serve chilled or room temperature.

Pepperoni Bread

Pillsbury makes a pizza dough that is leavened with baking soda and Glucono delta-lactone that I have found to be tolerable and quite useful.  Tonight, I made pepperoni bread out of it, that I served with a side of tomato sauce for dipping.  It's easy and delicious.

Salted Hot Chocolate for One

If you wanted to make it for more than one,just multiply the recipe as needed.

You'll need:
Milk (and cream if you wish)
Chocolate Chips
Kosher or Sea Salt
Vanilla (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)
A whisk

Fill the mug you plan on using up, most of the way, with milk (or a mixture of 75% milk and 25% cream if you want it really rich).
Pour measured milk into a small sauce pan, over medium heat.
Measure out a handful of chocolate chips (about 1/4 cup).
Place chocolate chips into heating milk.
Add a large pinch of kosher salt and whisk.
If you have vanilla powder handy, add a pinch and continue to whisk until the milk just begins to boil, turn off the heat.
Pour into cup, garnish with whipped cream, and an additional sprinkle of salt.
Enjoy, but don't burn your mouth (Sorry, I always need this advice because I always do!).

Chocolate Covered Salted Toffee Almond Matzo

I was looking for matzo cookie recipes and came across this recipe from about.com and adapted it to create a super delicious treat.  I'm even posting it early to give you a chance to make it before Passover is over, because it is really amazing.  It tastes very much like a Skor bar, which is one of my favorite candies ever. It is relatively easy to make and I hope you will!

Matzo Brie

It's Passover and that means there is a bounty of yeast-free products to be bought.  Passover lasts for a week, so after it is over, you can buy discounted Matzo (a big cracker made of just flour and water) and use it throughout the rest of the year (as long as it lasts) to make all sorts of safe goodies including thin-crust pizzas, stuffing, and Matzo brie, which is the Passover equivalence of French toast, only it can be made sweet or savory, and it is one of my favorite applications for Matzo. 

Although the pancake shape of this is easier, as pictured, it can also be agitated like scrambled eggs for a loose brie (pronounced so it rhymes with try).

Cream Puffs

Pate a Choux (pronounced patty-shoo) is the French name for cream puff dough. Cream puffs are one of the quintessential French desserts.  Using this recipe you can make eclairs and cream puffs, as well as funnel cakes (by simply deep frying the piped batter in hot oil).  Fillings can vary from sweet, like the banana foster variation in the picture, made by mixing mashed banana and caramel syrup with whipped topping and freezing, and covering with a caramel sauce thickened with powdered sugar or a traditional ice cream and chocolate topping, to savory, by filling with cream cheese mixtures or even chicken or tuna salad.   Whatever, they are delicious and a great bread-like option.


Should your puffed shells have a habit of falling, poke the side of them with a tooth pick as they are removed from the oven to allow the air inside to cool more quickly.

Kinda Mom's Thai Noodles

This is my version of my mom’s Thai Noodles.  They are a favorite of mine.  I always make more than I need because the leftovers make a great lunch.  Wonderful with grilled shrimp or chicken satay.

Meringue Cookies

The are great for holidays and are perfectly suited for Passover, which comes up in mid-April because it is mostly egg whites and sugar and love.  You can always add in extras.  The ones above have crushed peppermint sticks sprinkled over before baking, but you can add chocolate chips, cocoa, flavorings... anything you fancy, just add them in after all the sugar has been added.

One word of advice though, since you are not using cream of tartar which stabilizes egg whites (because it is made of grape skins a.k.a yeast central) make these on a day with low humidity (rainy days and meringues don't mix) and make sure your mixing bowl is absolutely free of all grease, or the egg whites won't inflate.

Product Recommendation- CJ's Mini Wontons

They had a sample of these delicious Chicken and Cilantro Mini Wantons at my local Costco and I was ecstatic to find that they were a safe food.  It comes in a large bag that has about 120 one inch potstickers for about $13 bucks. They are cute, and ity bity, and delicious as can be.  Somewhat reminiscent of a Vietnamese spring roll.
Looking at their website, I hope to taste other flavors in the future! http://www.cjomni.com/

Asian Plum Marinade

This is good for beef, pork, chicken, seafood, or tofu. Makes enough for 2 lbs of meat.  Here it is shown with  ribeye steak that was sliced after grilling.

Soy sauce can be a problem for some people.  Check the ingredients to make sure there is no miso or fermented ingredients listed. You can also substitute the soy sauce with 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of water.

Mini Deep Dish Apple Pies

This makes 6 mini pies but can easily be doubled to make a full tray. You can use excess scraps of the dough to create cute decorations for the top of the pies if you are feeling creative.  Be sure to peel the apples thoroughly and rinse them as the skin has quite a bit of yeast.

Product Recommendation- Handi-Snacks

Yay! Another pretzel product!

I love pretzels, I love cheese, I love dipping things- this is a perfect snack for me.  They are great to shove into your purse, or bag, or stash in your drawer at work, if you have a job, of course.  I got the Oreo and pretzel kinds, but I do believe the cracker version is safe too.  These make me really happy!

Kraft Handi-Snacks Pretzels 'n Cheese Dip, Mister Salty,5.25oz, (pack of 2)

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

This would be great on a bed of  butter lettuce with bacon crumbled over.  Using mustard powder avoids the issue of prepared mustard that contains vinegar, which can have traces of yeast, or wine. Here it is pictured on a puff pastry roll.

Product Recommendation- Haagen Dazs Raspberry Sorbet

Haagen Dazs Rasberry sorbet is a great dairy-free sweet treat.  It comes in little single serves for about a dollar.  They are quite convenient when you don't want to clean a bowl, or a spoon, or eat directly out of the big carton because it makes you feel like there might be something emotionally wrong with you.  I like it a lot, and it causes no ill effects.

photo by random letters 

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

My sister wrote me an email asking for a peanut butter cookie recipe.  She doesn’t like cooking like I do, and so I gave her this recipe and she replied that I knew her well.  With just 4 ingredients, it cannot get much easier. If you like, you can use just one kind of sugar, bringing it down to just 3 ingredients, but I like the variety of the two sugars. This can also be done by hand, if you do not have an electric mixer, or don't feel like cleaning it. It can also be halved easily for a smaller batch.

Product Recommendation- Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica

I love this stuff, can't get enough. Romano's Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica- al dente' pasta with a savory rosemary Parmesan cream sauce with sauted chicken, shrimp, and salty aged prosciutto.


 When ordering, I usually get it without the roasted red peppers on top in case it has skin on it still.  If you tell them you are yeast intolerant, they should clean off the area before preparing your food to avoid cross contamination.

And of course, skip the bread. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

This takes all the goodness of Chicken Cordon Bleu and turns it into an easy pasta dish.  It goes great paired with a fresh salad tossed in a lemony dressing.
Tyson's Frozen Crispy Chicken Strips can be substituted for fresh chicken preparation.  Be sure to check the package as only the crispy strips variety are yeast free as the rest have yeast for some unknown reason. Cook per package directions.

Product Recommendations- Arby's Chocolate Turnover

When I want a rich delicious dessert treat while out and about, one of my favorite safe goodies is Arby's Chocolate Turnover. There is no yeast, no leavening, just light flaky puff-pastry and creamy rich chocolate. In fact, I just devoured one before remembering that I intended to take a picture of the next one I got, so I have this stock googled picture.

At just a dollar, it is a wonderful deal and so tasty!

For the record, although Arby's makes two other flavors of turnovers, this is the only one that is yeast free.

Perfect Waffles

It is important to give the eggs enough time to inflate and to fold them carefully, as that is what leavens this sweet fluffy waffle. Top with strawberries, sliced and macerated with sugar over night, and whipped cream for a special breakfast, or your favorite syrup for every day. Extras can be frozen and reheated later.

Barbecue Steak Tacos

This recipe can be done with chicken or steak. Using the breast of a rotisserie chicken (sliced) makes it much quicker.  The barbecue sauce is not a traditional tomato based sauce, but is a sweet and hot glaze made in the pan.

*If you want to use rotisserie chicken instead of steak, simply warm up the chicken over medium high heat and start at the third step (where you add the spices to the pan).

Product Recommendation- Nutella

Nutella is a great treat made of cocoa and hazelnuts. It is wonderful by the spoonful, or on a cookie, or piece of pound cake, or even with ice cream. It can also be used to make chocolate turnovers using pre-made pie crust or a chocolate hazelnut croissant by rolling it in puff pastry!

I used to eat Nutella as a kid and am glad I can still enjoy it. 

And here is a link to a dollar off coupon for it!

Chocolate Sponge Cake

This recipe requires folding. Folding means cutting through the batter with a large rubber-type spatula to gently mix one ingredient into another, usually whipped egg whites or whipped cream. You have to be very careful when you do this or it will deflate the batter and you end up with something quite flat and uncake-like. If you are too timid though, and don't fold in the dry ingredients completely, you get big gross chunks of unsweetened cocoa powder, which, I know from experience, is not very enjoyable. Take the time and care and it really makes a delicious naturally leavened cake.  And yes, it really does cook completely in 10-12 minutes!

When preparing a pan with parchment, you can spray the pan lightly with non-stick spray to make the parchment cling to the pan. Take care not to get any of the spray on the top side of the parchment as the cake needs the be able to hold on to the paper to bake correctly.

The Sample

I was in our local Giant Discount Shopping Warehouse today, and while my mom and nephew happily tasted samples of everything from the stands these sorts of places have, I was standing to the side reading ingredients before trying anything.  I've come to a point, after almost a year of following this diet, that the word YEAST jumps out at me like a terrifying capuchin monkey the moment I look at an ingredient list.  It takes me split seconds to find it usually, and then I set the product down with a "Meh, can't have it..."
Today, however, after walking over and checking the label on the amazing looking Belgian waffles that were being sampled and performing the... "Ug, yeast, phooey!" ritual, the sample woman just kept on hassling me to try them while my family stood there munching them. I have to wonder if she was getting some amazing commission for selling some. Maybe they were having a contest for Superbowl week off, because she was REALLY trying to sell some.
Anyway, I politely, as I always do, expressed that they looked delicious but that I couldn't try them because they had yeast, to which I was allergic.  Now, I know I am not allergic in the medical sense of the word, but since I can never put it in my body again because my body won't tolerate it, and it makes people stop trying to force things on me, I use "allergic." Sue me.
And then she looks at me and says "The waffles I MAKE don't have yeast..."
"Well, they're Belgian... maybe that is where the deliciousness comes from.."
And she proceeds to get very snooty towards me and haughtily picks up the package and narrows her eyes and says, "I don't see yeast in the ingredients!" What the hell am I supposed to say to that?  Like I am trying to trick her so I don't have to eat something delicious?
And so I said, "Really, it is there, at the bottom," and she glared at me as I turned and walked away leaving her to look for the yeast, annoyed that she was trying to get me eat something I wanted but couldn't have, and was being a butt about it too.

Basic Yeast- Free Pizza

The recipe below is the general methodology for plain yeast-free pizza, it is meant to be a base for customization.  This is in NO way low-calorie, but it is great when the craving for pizza overtakes you and you can't take one more pizza delivery commercial without losing your mind. The pizza pictured above was a sausage and bacon with provolone, mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.  The toppings are only limited  by your imagination, and your food intolerances.

Since pizzas are such a fun and personal thing, all toppings are estimated for this recipe instead of using specific measurements. Cater it to your tastes.  Just remember, a well covered pizza is good, but adding too many topping can interfere with baking all the way through.  

Product Recommendation- SerraGold

SerraGold made by Enzymedica consists of  an enzyme called serrapeptase, which was originally found in the stomach of the silk worm and was the enzyme that helped it to get out of its cocoon unharmed. The capsule also contains several other vitamins.  


Serrapeptase is supposed to digest non-living tissue in the body and is said to be beneficial to those with high cholesterol, arterial plaque, and scar tissue. It also, supposedly, digests yeast.  Now, I don't know if it actually works in these ways, but I find that I am able to eat some fast food (like one Taco Bell burrito) with autolyzed yeast while taking SerraGold and it does not cause pain or other IBS/IBD symptoms. It also seems to work like fiber is described as working, at least on me.  I've tried other brands and they did nothing.  Point is, while taking this, I feel even more healthy, and as such I highly recommend it!

Caramel Fudgy Brownies

This is a basic leavening-free brownie recipe.  It is very rich and fudge-like.  Of course, you can add toasted nut, candy bits, or different flavored chips in these.  I've made them with white chocolate chips, with heath bar pieces, and with a vanilla coffee frosting.  The yeast content of your additions is the only thing that should limit the many ways this can be personalized to your taste!

Product Recommendation- Mini Croccantini

Made by La Panzanella (http://www.lapanzanella.com/), I first found these delicious gourmet unleavened crackers while visiting in Spokane, WA.  I bought the large size croccantini and carefully portioned them to make them last until my next visit, though they didn't quite make it.

I was thrilled to find them in the deli area of our Super Walmart in their mini version. They cost $3.98, which is slightly expensive for crackers, but they really are convenient and delicious.  I use them for all sorts of mini open face sandwiches, from smoked turkey, bacon, and cheddar, to brie and fruit.

I've also found their large rosemary croccantini at Costco for about 8 dollars for 3 packages.  All the varieties I have tried are wonderful, and as an added bonus, they can be ground to use as breadcrumbs for meatballs and meatloafs, as well as for coating chicken or pork for pan frying or baking.

Seafood Pot Pie

The meat in this can be substituted with lobster, or any of your other favorite seafood.  This can also be made with chicken if you don't like seafood! Simply replace the called for seafood with an equal amount of cooked cubed chicken. To make it family style use a large oven proof dish instead of separate bowls and place the four single portions of puff pastry over the top to make serving easier- cooking time may need to be increased. 

Product Recommendation- Pretzel Crisps

One of my favorite snacks before discovering my yeast intolerance was pretzels.  I knew there were flat pretzels on the market (remember Mr. Phipp's Pretzel Chips from the early 90s?) and so I went on the search for ones that truly had no yeast and no additional ingredients that would make me sick.

I found Snack Factory's Pretzel Crisps.  They come in several different flavors but several have powdered flavors with yeast extract (darn you delicious sounding but so unsafe Buffalo Wing Pretzels, darn you! *shakes fist*) so check the ingredients (that will quickly become a mantra for anyone with food issues).

And then, with the recent holidays, I found these:

I actually found the White Chocolate and Peppermint before Christmas and sat out a bowl of them for my guests, but today at Walmart, I found these two additional varieties, Peanut Butter Crunch and Dark Chocolate Crunch. They were $2.78 each, for a 5 oz bag, which isn't the greatest value ever, but they are quite delicious (I popped open the peanut butter crunch to snack on and they are really quite nice, the white chocolate and peppermint are just divine! Haven't gotten to the dark chocolate yet, but I an not the greatest fan of dark chocolate-- I have to be in the mood).

So if you like your salty with some sweet, look around for these delicious safe treats.

You can see more at: http://pretzelcrisps.com/

*This recommendation was not sponsored or paid for.  If that is ever the case, I will most certainly make it very clear in the review. I just want to share things I find that make life easier and more delicious for my fellow yeast-free brethren!