Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Hi Everyone! Hope you’re all having an awesome week and enjoying some down time outside (here in Toronto, it’s been in the high 20s/low 80s and sunny all week! Can’t ask for better than that.

I was a bit MIA last week, but did get a chance to check out your delectable entries to Wellness Weekend. From the Frosted Vanilla Cupcakes to the Raw Coconut Fudge to the Mexican Chili Salad Wraps to the Vegan Cheese Biscuits, I loved ‘em all! My “to make” list is just getting longer and longer. . . !

Continue reading Wellness Weekend. . .

Hi Everyone!  Welcome back to this week’s Wellness Weekend!

I’m popping in to say that I may be absent for a few more days on the blog. I hadn’t expected to be gone for a whole week this past week, but have been having some health challenges and I’m not sure when things will be resolved.  For now, I’m going to take a little hiatus until things are sorted out. I’m hoping that will be soon.

So, I apologize that there are no Newsy Tidbits this week. I hope to be back up and running by next week’s event.

In the meantime, thank you all as always for your support. And please do share all your wonderful recipes this week! I hope to peek in and see what you all have cooked up.

I look forward to chatting with you all again soon!

Hugs,

Ricki

Continue reading Wellness Weekend. . .

Hello there, Wellness Weekenders!

We had 38 mouth-watering entries last week, with everything from TWO Banana-Based pies to Earth Day Rice to Gingerbread Almond Butter (mmm!) to shakes, soups and sandwiches. As always, your recipes impressed me with how delicious and creative they are! Keep ‘em coming!   And now, for this week’s news. . . .

Continue reading Wellness Weekend. . .

Hi and welcome to this week’s Wellness Weekend!

I couldn’t start tonight without mentioning the horrific events that have touched so many people across the US this past week.  I’ve been walking around with a heavy heart and keep thinking about all the victims whose lives have been changed forever (and those whose lives have been taken away), both in Boston and in Texas. I don’t have any great wisdom to add to what’s already been said, but I wanted to share my love and positive thoughts for those who are dealing with the aftermath of such senseless violence. I’ll be hugging the HH and my Girls a little tighter today.

There haven’t been too many blog-related items amassed with the focus on Boston and Texas, but here are a few newsy tidbits for you this week. . .

 
Continue reading this week’s Wellness Weekend post. . .

Hi Everyone and happy Thursday! I’m still sulking because it isn’t *quite* spring yet here in Toronto (in fact, as I mentioned this morning, we had snow today!! SNOW. On April 11th! Yes, that was me you heard sobbing in the background on your way to work. . . . ).

Well, at least Wellness Weekend didn’t suffer any lingering effects of winter! Last week’s recipes were bright with the promise of spring. I loved all the colorful cakes, the Sweet Broccoli Juice, the pancakes and green naan (yep!), the homemade BBQ sauce and more. Check out the 35 entries from last week for yourself!

 
Continue reading this week’s Wellness Weekend post. . .

For those of you celebrating Easter, I hope you have a great long weekend and enjoy your holiday! There are some great last-minute recipes in a previous roundup post. 

For those of you celebrating Passover, I hope you had a great start to the holiday! If you’re looking for more Passover friendly recipes over the next few days, you’ll find a whole bunch in that roundup post as well.

As always, your recipes blew me away last week. Since I barely had time to sleep, let alone cook on my own, I just drooled over your dishes instead: Almond Butter No-Bake Bars, Better Than Nutella Cheesecake, Savory Cous Cous, Peanut-Free Tagalongs, Smoky Carrot and Cabbage Salad, and so many more! Check them all out (and 34 more!) here.

Now that major book work is done, I had time to lift my head from the keyboard and look around blogland a bit more. Here’s what’s been going on.

Newsy tidbits:

• Do you sometimes feel like sugar controls your life? I’ve been there (and sometimes, I’m still there). Could you go two weeks without sugar and see what happens? A new course from functional nutritionist Andrea Nakayama, “You’re Not the Boss of Me: Control Your Blood Sugar Before it Controls You,” examines issues of blood sugar, getting control of sweets cravings, and detoxing from sugar with a 2-week program with live support. I’m delighted to be part of this course (I developed all the recipes and will offer insights into the emotional and psychological aspects of sugar addiction). To listen to a free audiotape about Why Blood Sugar Matters, or to learn more about the course, check out Andrea’s website, here (early bird discount applies until April 1st).
  
• Sonnet from For the Love of Food is giving away a prize pack of savory teas! Totally intriguing, right? I hadn’t heard of these, either, but they sure do sound good. To read Sonnet’s description of the teas, learn more and enter the giveaway, check out Sonnet’s blog. Ends this Sunday.
• If you’re anything like me, mornings can be hectic, and it’s not always easy to prepare a good breakfast. Here are some of my best tips for breakfast on the go.
• The “Orange Foods” blog event continues over at The Blissful Chef with a month of orange recipes! If you love porridge but are trying to cut down on grains, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes for grain-free “porridge.” Head over to Christy’s blog to check out the recipe!
• There’s a great Dairy-Free Chocolate Easter Bunny (and more!) roundup over at Go Dairy Free. If you’re looking for allergy-friendly treats this Easter, check it out!
• I’m giving away a SIGNED, PERSONALLY INSCRIBED COPY of Nava Atlas’s Wild About Greens! For a sample recipe and to enter, see this post. Ends at midnight, Wednesday, April 3rd!
• Wellness Weekend has its own Pinterest board! Now you can find all your favorites in one place. Check it out here (and be sure to follow!)

Do you have a blog linky event or giveaway you’d like me to mention? I also will occasionally mention new courses that bloggers offer their readers. Send me an email with the details to dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom and I’ll include three or four each week. Please note that I cannot always accommodate all requests.

PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR GIVEAWAYS OR CONTESTS TO THE LINKYS BELOW–THEY ARE FOR RECIPES ONLY.

This Week’s Picks:

I’ve been blending like mad since I finally got my repaired Vitamix back from the company (did you know they will take it back, fix it, and then ship it back to you for free if it’s still under warranty? I love my Vitamix!!).  Naturally, this week’s picks all focus on the theme, “raw & blended recipes”:

Raw Spicy Garden Soup from Gluten-Free Cat. This would be a perfect first course for any meal, but especially with warmer weather coming up.

Fruit Tray Smoothie from Gluten Free Easily. Shirley shows us a great way to repurpose party leftovers!

Chocolate Cherry Basil Smoothie from Sweet. Smart. Vegan. Oooh. . . I’m drooling just at the thought of those flavors all melding together. Mmm!

And This Week’s Readers’ Choices:

Readers’ Choice, Savory:

Raw Sunflower Seed Butter from Small Footprint Family. I love making my own nut butters, and happy to see you all like the idea for seed butter, too!

Readers’ Choice, Sweet:

Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies from The Healthy Maven. These hardly need an introduction–I mean, they’re brownies! And fudgy! With sweet potato!

Thanks for joining in and sharing all your healthy, sugar-free and vegan recipes. I love seeing what you whip up each week! And I hope you’ll also share on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, too!

Here’s How to Participate:

The event occurs once a week, starting Thursdays at 8:00 PM my time and running until the following Monday at midnight.

1. Simply link up a vegan recipe you made (and posted about) that contains health-supporting ingredients. This means any good-for-you whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.)–but any fresh, real food is welcome! No-no’s include white flour or sugar, highly processed foods, or animal products. Definite no-no’s include: cane sugar (evaporated or otherwise), sweeteners ending in -itol, margarines, or faux meat products.Items like vegan protein powder, grain or bean flours, or coconut milk are fine even though they are technically “processed,” since they either contain a single ingredient, or could technically be made at home. Also, please note that this is a vegan recipe event. A minor ingredient with a vegan option is fine, but if the main ingredient is intended to be meat or other animal product, your recipe likely belongs in a different link up event. 
2. This is a recipe event. Your blog post must contain a recipe.
3. You may link up older posts from your archives as long as they contain a link to this post. Please do not link up any posts you have previously shared at an earlier Wellness Weekend event.
4. Please link the post with your recipe, NOT your blog’s home page or another event page. The post must contain a recipe.
5. You may submit up to three recipes, but please follow the guidelines for each one individually. ONLY ONE THUMBNAIL FROM EACH BLOG POST, PLEASE.If your post contains two suitable recipes, link up once and people will still see all your fabulous recipes when they click on the linky.
6. Please mention this event and include a link back to this post so that others can find all the recipes posted!
7. Feel free to use the blog badge, above (or see the left sidebar of this page–if you need the html code, let me know and I’ll send it to you). Many thanks to Adrienne of Whole New Mom for setting up the badge code for me!

PLEASE NOTE: In order to promote your posts and the event, I like to occasionally tweet, mention on Facebook, or pin your blog post(s). On occasion, I will repost your photos in the following week’s Wellness Weekend as well. If you prefer that I NOT use your photos or links, please let me know in the comments below, or send an email to me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!

I will reluctantly remove any links that don’t comply. I apologize, but I will no longer be able to leave a comment telling you that I’ve removed a non-compliant link. I hate to have to remove links! PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES BEFORE POSTING!

And now. . . what have you been cooking up lately? Please share!

Never miss a recipe–or a comment from The Girls! Click here to subscribe to Diet, Dessert and Dogs via email. (“We love subscribers, Mum. . . almost as much as we love treats!”).

Newsy Tidbits:

• Are you craving spring the way I am? Check out these 6 spring salad recipes, over at Fitalicious.
• Are you a fan of tahini? (For me, it was an acquired taste). Now I love it–and here’s a whole post comparing types of tahini, with lots of recipes. Thanks to Dreena Burton for the post.
• Get the book for free! My friend Stephanie has written an ebook, Golden Angels, about her experience losing her beloved Golden Retriever Buddy Girl. The book contains 13 essays and 13 accompanying recipes. It’s a great book for anyone who’s lost a loved one, and she’s donating 10% of all sales to the SPCA until May 31st.  And tomorrow, Friday, March 22, she is giving it away for free on amazon.com! Be sure to check it out then.

Do you have a blog linky event or giveaway you’d like me to mention? I also will occasionally mention new courses that bloggers offer their readers. Send me an email with the details to dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom and I’ll include three or four each week. Please note that I cannot always accommodate all requests.

PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR GIVEAWAYS OR CONTESTS TO THE LINKYS BELOW–THEY ARE FOR RECIPES ONLY.

This Week’s Picks:

This week’s picks all focus on the theme, “sweet stuff”:

Maple Glazed Nuts from Bit of the Good Stuff. A perfectly healthy sweet snack! And nuts contain so many good-for-you fats.

Very Berry Rhubarb Pie from My Munchable Musings. I love rhubarb! Combined with berries, this gives you a perfect level of sweetness in a healthy dessert.

Raw Chilli-Cinnamon-Sea Salt Chocolates from Bite-Sized Thoughts. How incredible do these look? And CHOCOLATE! (need I say more)?

And This Week’s Readers’ Choices:

Readers’ Choice, Savory:

Gluten Free Vegan Whole Grain English Muffins from Tessa the Domestic Diva. If you’ve been missing English Muffins, try these babies from Tessa.

Readers’ Choice, Sweet:

Raw Banana Coconut Cream Pie from The Tasty Alternative. I do miss bananas! If you can have them, this pie sounds spectacular.

Thanks for joining in and sharing all your healthy, sugar-free and vegan recipes. I love seeing what you whip up each week! And I hope you’ll also share on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, too!

Here’s How to Participate:

The event occurs once a week, starting Thursdays at 8:00 PM my time and running until the following Monday at midnight.

1. Simply link up a vegan recipe you made (and posted about) that contains health-supporting ingredients. This means any good-for-you whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.)–but any fresh, real food is welcome! No-no’s include white flour or sugar, highly processed foods, or animal products. Items like vegan protein powder, grain or bean flours, or coconut milk are fine even though they are technically “processed,” since they either contain a single ingredient, or could technically be made at home. Also, if you render a recipe vegan-friendly by adding a vegan option to your ingredients, your post will be good to go! Definite no-no’s include: cane sugar (evaporated or otherwise), sweeteners ending in -itol, margarines, or faux meat products.
2. This is a recipe event. Your blog post must contain a recipe.
3. You may link up older posts from your archives as long as they contain a link to this post. Please do not link up any posts you have previously shared at an earlier Wellness Weekend event.
4. Please link the post with your recipe, NOT your blog’s home page or another event page. The post must contain a recipe.
5. You may submit up to three recipes, but please follow the guidelines for each one individually. ONLY ONE THUMBNAIL FROM EACH BLOG POST, PLEASE.If your post contains two suitable recipes, link up once and people will still see all your fabulous recipes when they click on the linky.
6. Please mention this event and include a link back to this post so that others can find all the recipes posted!
7. Feel free to use the blog badge, above (or see the left sidebar of this page–if you need the html code, let me know and I’ll send it to you). Many thanks to Adrienne of Whole New Mom for setting up the badge code for me!

PLEASE NOTE: In order to promote your posts and the event, I like to occasionally tweet, mention on Facebook, or pin your blog post(s). On occasion, I will repost your photos in the following week’s Wellness Weekend as well. If you prefer that I NOT use your photos or links, please let me know in the comments below, or send an email to me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!

I will reluctantly remove any links that don’t comply. I apologize, but I will no longer be able to leave a comment telling you that I’ve removed a non-compliant link. I hate to have to remove links! PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES BEFORE POSTING!

And now. . . what have you been cooking up lately? Please share!

Never miss a recipe–or a comment from The Girls! Click here to subscribe to Diet, Dessert and Dogs via email. (“We love subscribers, Mum. . . almost as much as we love treats!”).

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service after clicking on the affiliate link, your purchase will help to support this blog via the small compensation I receive.

Hello everyone! Are you tired of winter yet? (Or, if you live in the antipodes, are you tired of summer?–nah, didn’t think so!).

As I count the days until the end of winter, one of the things that always perks me up is checking out your recipes for Wellness Weekend. Thanks, again, for a fabulous array of delectable choices last week!

Newsy Tidbits:

• Whoo hoo! I just found out that my ebook, Good Morning! Breakfasts, is nominated for Best Gluten Free Cookbook over at Triumph Dining’s “The Best of Gluten-Free” Awards. I’d love your vote for the book if you are so inclined! Just head over here and skip to “Stores and Reslources,” where you’ll find the category for cookbooks.
• I’m still working like mad on book edits, but you can find some of my new recipes on VegNews, where they’re featuring three sweet treats, all with a secret ingredient that you’d never expect. See the article here.
• For those of us on a special diet (and methinks that’s the majority these days!), here are Five Easy Ways to Serve Guests on a Special Diet from my friend Amy.
• Win a ticket to Canada’s largest Gluten-Free Expo! Gluten-Free Makeup Gal is giving one away, here. Ends March 16th.
• Bob’s Red Mill is giving away a four-package low-carb flour kit! Win four types of flours. Enter here, until March 19th.
• Another new recipe–one that will help chase away those winter blues–is this very green, very fresh Creamy Broccoli Salad with Garlic Crunch Topper over on the Attune Foods Blog. This is a salad that will remind you of spring even though it’s delicious all year round.

Do you have a blog linky event or giveaway you’d like me to mention? I also will occasionally mention new courses that bloggers offer their readers. Send me an email with the details to dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom and I’ll include three or four each week. Please note that I cannot always accommodate all requests.

PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR GIVEAWAYS OR CONTESTS TO THE LINKYS BELOW–THEY ARE FOR RECIPES ONLY.

This Week’s Picks:

I can’t wait for spring! As I mentioned this morning, I’ve been dreaming of green lately. So this week’s picks all focus on the theme, “Gimme some Green!”:

Santa Fe Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers from Practical-Stewardship. Love the mix of ingredients in the filling!

Roasted Acorn, Beet, and Satsuma Salad with Almond Sesame Dressing from Vegan Richa. Richa recommends baby kale for this salad–sounds perfect to me!

Suran (Yam) and Malabar Spinach Curry from Cooking with Siri. Such a great idea to include spinach in your curry–all in one flavor AND nutrition.

And This Week’s Readers’ Choices:

Readers’ Choice, Savory:

Five-Ingredient Sesame Nut Crackers from Food & Yoga for Life. Easy to make–and sound so good!

Readers’ Choice, Sweet:

Decadent Dark Chocolate Fudge from Healthy Life Lessons. I swooned a little when I read about this fudge. And it’s only got 4 ingredients.

Thanks for joining in and sharing all your healthy, sugar-free and vegan recipes. I love seeing what you whip up each week! And I hope you’ll also share on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, too!

Here’s How to Participate:

The event occurs once a week, starting Thursdays at 8:00 PM my time and running until the following Monday at midnight.

1. Simply link up a vegan recipe you made (and posted about) that contains health-supporting ingredients. This means any good-for-you whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.)–but any fresh, real food is welcome! No-no’s include white flour or sugar, highly processed foods, or animal products. Items like vegan protein powder, grain or bean flours, or coconut milk are fine even though they are technically “processed,” since they either contain a single ingredient, or could technically be made at home. Also, if you render a recipe vegan-friendly by adding a vegan option to your ingredients, your post will be good to go! Definite no-no’s include: cane sugar (evaporated or otherwise), sweeteners ending in -itol, margarines, or faux meat products.
2. This is a recipe event. Your blog post must contain a recipe.
3. You may link up older posts from your archives as long as they contain a link to this post. Please do not link up any posts you have previously shared at an earlier Wellness Weekend event.
4. Please link the post with your recipe, NOT your blog’s home page or another event page. The post must contain a recipe.
5. You may submit up to three recipes, but please follow the guidelines for each one individually. ONLY ONE THUMBNAIL FROM EACH BLOG POST, PLEASE.If your post contains two suitable recipes, link up once and people will still see all your fabulous recipes when they click on the linky.
6. Please mention this event and include a link back to this post so that others can find all the recipes posted!
7. Feel free to use the blog badge, above (or see the left sidebar of this page–if you need the html code, let me know and I’ll send it to you). Many thanks to Adrienne of Whole New Mom for setting up the badge code for me!

PLEASE NOTE: In order to promote your posts and the event, I like to occasionally tweet, mention on Facebook, or pin your blog post(s). On occasion, I will repost your photos in the following week’s Wellness Weekend as well. If you prefer that I NOT use your photos or links, please let me know in the comments below, or send an email to me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!

I will reluctantly remove any links that don’t comply. I apologize, but I will no longer be able to leave a comment telling you that I’ve removed a non-compliant link. I hate to have to remove links! PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES BEFORE POSTING!

And now. . . what have you been cooking up lately? Please share!

Never miss a recipe–or a comment from The Girls! Click here to subscribe to Diet, Dessert and Dogs via email. (“We love subscribers, Mum. . . almost as much as we love treats!”).

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service after clicking on the affiliate link, your purchase will help to support this blog via the small compensation I receive.

Hi Everyone! Once again, I can hardly believe how quickly the time is flying!

Just a heads up: I may not be around the blog as much as usual over the next three weeks while final book edits are in full swing. Given the number of comments and requests for changes from my editor (let’s just say it looks like she wrote more than I did!), it may be hectic in the DDD household until April. (But did you see the sneak peek at the cookbook photos I posted yesterday?).

But that won’t stop WellnessWeekend! As always, you all rose to the challenge with panache and creativity last week. I loved the Sexy Raw Maca Chocolates, Gluten-Free Pear Spice Cake, Kabocha Chickpea Fries and all your other marvelous recipes! Do keep ‘em coming.

Newsy Tidbits:

• I participated in a fun Q & A called The Next Big Thing, in which I answered questions about my upcoming book, what’s in my fridge, and who I’d like to play me and the HH in a movie of my life. In case you missed it yesterday, check it out here (and see the list of other participating cookbook authors at the bottom of the post).
• There’s still time to make comforting casseroles before winter’s over! This post on Blisstree.com features ten of them. See the Blisstree post here.
• Wondering whether you should still use agave nectar? I examine the pros and cons in my recent post on Fitalicious, here.
• Does intentional eating help control obesity and maintain weight loss? This article by my friend Cheryl Harris examines the topic from a dietician’s perspective, but I found it infinitely useful, too. Read it here.
• And finally, an alternative to hummus! Here’s my recipe for Byesar (fava bean dip) that’s just as delicious–and maybe even easier. See it on The Balanced Platter, here. 

Do you have a blog linky event or giveaway you’d like me to mention? I also will occasionally mention new courses that bloggers offer their readers. Send me an email with the details to dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom and I’ll include three or four each week. Please note that I cannot always accommodate all requests.

PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR GIVEAWAYS OR CONTESTS TO THE LINKYS BELOW–THEY ARE FOR RECIPES ONLY.

This Week’s Picks:

Here are this week’s picks on the superfood ingredient theme, “recipes with seeds”:

Creamy Vanilla Bean Chia Custard from Triumph of the Lentil. Vanilla + custard = irresistible dessert!

Carrot Hemp Seed Crackers from Cats in the Kitchen. These sounds super-simple and yet so delicious–almost a sweet treat!

Watermelon Curry from Green Gourmet Giraffe. I love how Johanna used this familiar ingredient in such a different way here. Intriguing, indeed!

And This Week’s Readers’ Choices:

Readers’ Choice, Savory:

Five-Ingredient Salad Dressing from Whole New Mom. Gotta love the simplicity of this yummy dressing!

Readers’ Choice, Sweet:

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies from Sift, Stir, & Savour. You won’t believe what’s in these!

Thanks for joining in and sharing all your healthy, sugar-free and vegan recipes. I love seeing what you whip up each week! And I hope you’ll also share on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, too!

Here’s How to Participate:

The event occurs once a week, starting Thursdays at 8:00 PM my time and running until the following Monday at midnight.

1. Simply link up a vegan recipe you made (and posted about) that contains health-supporting ingredients. This means any good-for-you whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.)–but any fresh, real food is welcome! No-no’s include white flour or sugar, highly processed foods, or animal products. Items like vegan protein powder, grain or bean flours, or coconut milk are fine even though they are technically “processed,” since they either contain a single ingredient, or could technically be made at home. Also, if you render a recipe vegan-friendly by adding a vegan option to your ingredients, your post will be good to go! Definite no-no’s include: cane sugar (evaporated or otherwise), sweeteners ending in -itol, margarines, or faux meat products.
2. This is a recipe event. Your blog post must contain a recipe.
3. You may link up older posts from your archives as long as they contain a link to this post. Please do not link up any posts you have previously shared at an earlier Wellness Weekend event.
4. Please link the post with your recipe, NOT your blog’s home page or another event page. The post must contain a recipe.
5. You may submit up to three recipes, but please follow the guidelines for each one individually. ONLY ONE THUMBNAIL FROM EACH BLOG POST, PLEASE.If your post contains two suitable recipes, link up once and people will still see all your fabulous recipes when they click on the linky.
6. Please mention this event and include a link back to this post so that others can find all the recipes posted!
7. Feel free to use the blog badge, above (or see the left sidebar of this page–if you need the html code, let me know and I’ll send it to you). Many thanks to Adrienne of Whole New Mom for setting up the badge code for me!

PLEASE NOTE: In order to promote your posts and the event, I like to occasionally tweet, mention on Facebook, or pin your blog post(s). On occasion, I will repost your photos in the following week’s Wellness Weekend as well. If you prefer that I NOT use your photos or links, please let me know in the comments below, or send an email to me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!

I will reluctantly remove any links that don’t comply. I apologize, but I will no longer be able to leave a comment telling you that I’ve removed a non-compliant link. I hate to have to remove links! PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES BEFORE POSTING!

And now. . . what have you been cooking up lately? Please share!

Never miss a recipe–or a comment from The Girls! Click here to subscribe to Diet, Dessert and Dogs via email. (“We love subscribers, Mum. . . almost as much as we love treats!”).

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service after clicking on the affiliate link, your purchase will help to support this blog via the small compensation I receive.

Hey Everyone! It’s that time again. . . . Wellness Weekend time! (Wait, does that sound like a beer commercial?!).

Well, no beer in last week’s event (that would not exactly count as a whole food, would it?), but there were 32 amazing creations, all filled with good-for-you ingredients and many suitable for the candida diet! Thanks so much to all of you who participate, and who visit/comment on all the entries, too. What an amazing virtual pot luck we create together each week!

Newsy Tidbits:

• I’m going to be a speaker at the Gluten Free Garage event in April! This is a popup event in Toronto that showcases all things gluten-free! And I’m very excited to know that my friend Maggie Savage is also on the roster! I’ll remind you all again, but if you’re looking to attend, here’s the basic info.
• The March-April issue of Simply Gluten-Free is out! It’s called Spring Fling and contains loads of the latest gluten-free news, information about kids, makeup and travel, and–of course–recipes! Here’s a peek at one of mine, a Savory Crepe with Caramelized Onion, Asparagus and Edamame and Cashew Cream Drizzle that I modeled after one I ate in New York City. Yum!

• My friend JL from JL Goes Vegan is giving away a copy of the new cookbook by Robin Robertson, Nut Butter Universe! That’s right: EVERY recipe contains nut butter!  Check out the details or enter the giveaway here. Until March 4th.
• Recipe Renovator is giving away a copy of The Artful Vegan as well as as well as a $50 gift certificate to Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco! Wish I lived there. . . . Details here. Runs until March 7th.
• Out to Lunch Creations is giving away the ebook Crash Course in Gluten Free Living by Kristin Rugg Dovbniak. The book is a primer for living gluten-free with lots of vegan recipes and info. To enter, go here. Ends March 9th.
• I had a little fun by posting this “teaser” pic on Facebook today of the amazing new snack I’ve been munching (the recipe will be up tomorrow on the blog). Well, I’m loving the guesses from everyone as to what these are made of! Want to add your opinion? “Like” DDD on Facebook and chime in here! (And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the reveal!).

Do you have a blog linky event or giveaway you’d like me to mention? I also will occasionally mention new courses that bloggers offer their readers. Send me an email with the details to dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom and I’ll include three or four each week. Please note that I cannot always accommodate all requests.

PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR GIVEAWAYS OR CONTESTS TO THE LINKYS BELOW–THEY ARE FOR RECIPES ONLY.

This Week’s Picks:

Here are this week’s picks on the theme, “the sweet stuff”:

Raw Orange Creamsicle Swirl Cheesecake from Sweet & Healthy Living. I’ve been able to consume oranges again once in a great while–my next one is going to this!.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins from Veggie V’s Vegan Adventure. Breakfast yum!

Date Paste from Gluten Free SCD and Veggie. I know lots of you use this in your sweet treats–SO versatile!

And This Week’s Readers’ Choices:

Readers’ Choice, Savory:

Bejeweled Brussels Sprouts from glutenfreehappytummy. I’m so glad you all loved this recipe as much as I did! Caralyn has a knack for making gorgeous, colorful veggie dishes–this one is no exception!

Readers’ Choice, Sweet:

Three-Ingredient Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies from Wayfaring Chocolate. How can you go wrong with “Three Ingredient”? And Peanut Butter? And COOKIES?!

Thanks for joining in and sharing all your healthy, sugar-free and vegan recipes. I love seeing what you whip up each week! And I hope you’ll also share on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, too!

Here’s How to Participate:

The event occurs once a week, starting Thursdays at 8:00 PM my time and running until the following Monday at midnight.

1. Simply link up a vegan recipe you made (and posted about) that contains health-supporting ingredients. This means any good-for-you whole foods, especially those with antioxidant properties or “functional foods” (ie, offering naturally medicinal or health-promoting qualities–such as garlic, coconut oil, all vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.)–but any fresh, real food is welcome! No-no’s include white flour or sugar, highly processed foods, or animal products. Items like vegan protein powder, grain or bean flours, or coconut milk are fine even though they are technically “processed,” since they either contain a single ingredient, or could technically be made at home. Also, if you render a recipe vegan-friendly by adding a vegan option to your ingredients, your post will be good to go! Definite no-no’s include: cane sugar (evaporated or otherwise), sweeteners ending in -itol, margarines, or faux meat products.
2. This is a recipe event. Your blog post must contain a recipe.
3. You may link up older posts from your archives as long as they contain a link to this post. Please do not link up any posts you have previously shared at an earlier Wellness Weekend event.
4. Please link the post with your recipe, NOT your blog’s home page or another event page. The post must contain a recipe.
5. You may submit up to three recipes, but please follow the guidelines for each one individually. ONLY ONE THUMBNAIL FROM EACH BLOG POST, PLEASE.If your post contains two suitable recipes, link up once and people will still see all your fabulous recipes when they click on the linky.
6. Please mention this event and include a link back to this post so that others can find all the recipes posted!
7. Feel free to use the blog badge, above (or see the left sidebar of this page–if you need the html code, let me know and I’ll send it to you). Many thanks to Adrienne of Whole New Mom for setting up the badge code for me!

PLEASE NOTE: In order to promote your posts and the event, I like to occasionally tweet, mention on Facebook, or pin your blog post(s). On occasion, I will repost your photos in the following week’s Wellness Weekend as well. If you prefer that I NOT use your photos or links, please let me know in the comments below, or send an email to me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!

I will reluctantly remove any links that don’t comply. I apologize, but I will no longer be able to leave a comment telling you that I’ve removed a non-compliant link. I hate to have to remove links! PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES BEFORE POSTING!

And now. . . what have you been cooking up lately? Please share!

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