Beachside Bliss

Today for lunch, we decided to try a beach club right on the water. In addition to the spectacular views and the great music, the food was absolutely delicious! Everything on the menu was fresh, and it was insanely difficult to try to decide what to get.

We decided to start with the mussels in a white wine and oil sauce.

 Simple and savory the mussels were better than any shellfish we have ever tasted. Even Niki, who most of the time won't even touch mussels, had a few. They were so good that we could have finished the entire bowl, but we knew we had some tasty main course dishes on the way! 

As a gluten and dairy free option, Niki chose the warm shrimp in a olive oil and basil sauce. Simply prepared and cut in half, the shrimp were a perfect lunch.

Usually Eri sticks to the more simply prepared options, but feeling a little daring she tried the aztec inspired chicken salad. Although not for gluten-free eaters (as the chicken was marinated in a vinegar sauce), the dish was a perfect mix of shredded chicken, fennel, sesame seeds, pine nuts and some fresh basil! 

Finally, my dad (always up for trying something new) decided on the gluten-free pasta in a hot sauce. The spaghetti was incredible, and a little al dente, which made for a great consistency when mixed with a perfect blend of spices and a light oil. Definitely a top choice!

We have a lot more delicious meals to come as we continue to explore the amazing restaurants in St. Tropez! 

Love, 

The Dishing Duo

Sweet Sorbet

Now that we are in France for our graduation gift and to give our blog readers a little more international feel, we decided to start with something a little less healthy and nutritious! It's still gluten and dairy free though! 

Our first stop in France is St. Tropez. A beautiful town on the water, the fish is fresh, the vegetables are local and the sorbet is AMAZING! 

After trying out many places we decided that the mango and strawberry sorbet (Niki's Two favorites) were best at a small walk-in shop by the port called Giovanni Gelateria. 

 

Made with only fresh fruit, ice and sugar the sorbet wasn't too sweet and satisfied my sweet tooth! 

Even though Niki stuck with the sorbet, Eri tried something with milk and ended up choosing from a variety of flavors. Her picks were specaloos (sort of like a cinnamon gingerbread taste) and caramel. Although unexpected flavors for a girl who loves hazelnut and coffee flavors, she enjoyed every bite of it!

Stay tuned for more French sweets and delicious gourmet meals!
Love,
The Dishing Duo

Brownie Blast

Ever since Niki learned she had allergies we have tried to find a dessert mix that was as good as a normal gluten and dairy filled recipe. Finally after months of searching, we found reallygreatfoods.com's brownie mix.

At first we were skeptical, because usually no substitute mix is even close to the taste of a normal brownie, but we ordered 2 boxes just to try it out. To our complete shock the brownies were fudgy, chocolatey and absolutely AMAZING!

Now we only make gluten-free dairy-free brownies, and they have become a staple at every birthday, family gathering and bake sale. They taste so good they are always the first things eaten at a party or sold at the bake sale.

Even though we are only posting the standard recipe, we have added many things to the brownies (sprinkles, chocolate chips, gluten free oreos,  etc) and sometimes even make a cake with frosting and fondant! So don't be afraid to be creative and try this fantastic treat!


Ingredients:
1 box of Aunt Tootsie's Brownie Mix
4 Eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
(sprinkles, enjoy life dark chocolate chocolate chips)

1) Set the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the oven hits the temperature BEFORE you put the brownies in the oven.

2) Put the mix in a mixing bowl with 4 eggs and 2/3 cup of canola oil. (We mix it all at once to get a better consistency even though the box gives specific directions)

3) Use a large fork or  wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together. We never use a hand blender, just make sure that no batter is left on the bottom of the bowl and that the batter is mixed enough so that it doesn't stick to the bowl.

4) Take an 8 inch round pan or a square non-stick pan.
If you use the 8-inch pan use aluminum foil around all the sides, spray with non-stick cooking       spray around all the sides and the bottom.
If you are using a square non-stick pan than just spray with non-stick spray.

5) Pour the batter into the pan so that it is evenly spread.

6) Now here's the strange part. Usually when you bake you place the pan on the top or second rack. However, with these brownies we have found it better to place on the second to bottom rack for about 35 minutes and then 5-10 minutes on the second rack. This way the brownie is gooey on the inside and crispy on top.

7) Watch the brownies after you place them on the second rack. Stick a toothpick in every couple of  minutes. Their should be some batter on the toothpick but the brownies should not be raw enough that when you shake the pan they move.
REMEMBER: the brownies will cook out of the oven so even if you think they need 5 more minutes take them out if the batter is solid.

8) Get creative! In the picture above we placed chocolate chips on the brownies as soon as they came out of the oven so they melted on top. In the picture below, we baked in a round pan and added Pillsbury vanilla frosting and colored sprinkles for Niki's birthday cake.

Enjoy!
Love,
The Dishing Duo 

Sugar Cookie Heaven!

As most of you know, its hard to find the perfect gluten-free, dairy-free cookie. It's even harder to find Niki's old favorite treat, sugar cookies. Unable to find the perfect recipe, she has tried to find ANYTHING that even tastes like sugar cookies: cake batter ices, sprinkles and melted marshmellows, etc. But the other day we FINALLY found the greatest gluten-free, dairy-free sugar cookies out there. The batter is even amazing! So follow these directions and you will have a tasty allergy free cookie!

Ingredients:
1 Package of the pure pantry organic sugar cookie (you can purchase these online at thepurepantry.com)
1 egg
About 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter- substitute (the recipe on the back calls for more but we think it tastes too buttery and not enough like a cookie)
           -- we use benecol lite because it is the most healthy and tasty brand
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1) Set the oven to 350 degrees.
2) Add all the ingredients together in a medium-size mixing bowl. It might be easier to blend the butter eggs and vanilla together as the recipe calls. You will get a better texture if you do that first and then add slowly to the mix. 

3) Slowly add water and batter to the mixture while blending with a hand mixer. We added water until it became almost like a cake batter. This came in handy when we made the cookie balls. It also helped the ingredients stick together and not fall apart. 

4) Place the mixture in a bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Leaving it in for a closer to an hour will just help with the texture and the consistency. We left it in for about an hour and a half.

5) Take the batter out and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place as shown below. The cookies do not expand that much, so making larger balls will be okay if you want larger cookies. (We had some extra batter left over so we placed a large ball of a cookie dough with sprinkles in a cake pan) 

6) Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes. Check to see if they are cooked and put in about 5 minutes more if they still need time.

(The one on the right has colored sprinkles! It was amazing and next time we are going to put them on all of the cookies!)

Enjoy this allergy free treat! And don't be scared to experiment.. adding small things like sprinkles only makes it better!

Love,
The Dishing Duo

Sweet Apple Treat

Ever want a sweet and healthy dessert that leaves you feeling guilt-free? Well we have the perfect idea.Apples and Blueberries! After months of watching my older sister eat the amazing combination, we finally decided to try. And now were obsessed. This simple and easy dessert is satisfying and doubles as a great late night treat! We hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 Fuji Apples
2 large containers of blueberries
2 Sticks Cinnamon
1 or 2 Packets of Stevia (nustevia is the sweetest ad what we use)

Directions:
1. Peel the 8 apples so that there is no skin left.

 2. Cut the apple into eighths and cut out the core so there are no seeds left.

3. Wash the two containers of blueberries with room temperature water. DO NOT DRY THE BLUEBERRIES. The liquid will be useful to the texture.

 

 4. Place all of the cut- up apples in a large pot. Turn the stove on high.

5. Add the wet blueberries to the pot with the two cinnamon sticks. Then add the packet of NuStevia.

6. Place a top on the pot and wait for it to boil. (It takes about 5 minutes on our stove) When it begins to boil, lower to medium heat and stir so the apples turn a light-pink/blue color.

7. Allow the apples to sit in the pan on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes so that the water produced from the apples and blueberries is spread throughout. When the apples are very soft, and can be split easily with a spoon, remove from the stove. Place in a container and either eat hot or save in the refrigerator for a later day!

We hope you enjoy our nutritional and savory treat!
Love,
The Dishing Duo

Bonanza Stand Delicious Ices

So to start off our blog we decided to post about our absolute FAVORITE ices place.. Bonanza Stand!
This small shack in the middle of Oyster Bay is a hidden treasure. Started in the early 1900s in Brooklyn,  their first store opened with only one flavor, Lemon. But whether you want a creamy chocolate oreo or a crazy peanut butter and jelly, this place is the ultimate sweet satisfier. The best part of it all.. most flavors are dairy free! All you have to do is ask the manager and he'll let you know which flavors do not have milk products. And even though there is no cream base in the ices, there are extremely creamy with a great texture!

After many visits to this little store, and after trying almost all of the flavors, we have decided on our top three:
1) Green Mint Chip
2) Chocolate Oreo (this is not gluten free, but the chocolate is!)
3) Cookie Dough (Also not gluten free, but you can always get the vanilla chip)
Also worth a try are reeses, snickers, and of course their famous Lemon.
And don't be scared to add some sprinkles, or even Erica's favorite whipped cream on top!

So if your in Oyster Bay and have a serious sweet tooth, stop by this small stand!
Love,
The Dishing Duo 

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG!
We are so excited to share  our recipes with all of you! Whether its a yummy allergy-free sweet, a healthy and nutritious meal, a great restaurant or ices place, or just a simply amazing dessert, we aim to bring out the best chef in you!
Love,
The Dishing Duo