Wow, has it really been more than a month since my last post? That is totally unacceptable! Well, I hope you accept my deepest apologies for my long absence. It has been quite a crazy, busy last few weeks at work, which has been leaving me mentally (and physically) exhausted, not to mention my health has been a bit wacky.

My stomach issues are improving but I’m still under supervision by a gastroenterologist and I have a follow-up appointment on Monday to go over some additional tests after my colonoscopy last month. (You should be glad I was absent from blogging – I was thinking of live blogging the prep portion of the test…I figured that doesn’t go too well with a food blog…)

My appetite still isn’t 100 percent so I’ve been laying low recently. Brett and I haven’t been eating out as much as usual recently, although we did try a new breakfast spot in nearby Peabody, which I’ll post a review one of these days in the near future. I also still have a couple of brief updates from my quickie trip to Disney in early May.

If you’ve been following my blog for the last few months, you may have noticed an increase in gluten-free recipes. Well, that’s a hint as to why I’m seeing a GI specialist. There is a possibility that I may have Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. Even if my tests don’t come back positive, I more than likely in the next few months will be going gluten-free to help alleviate some of the painful migraines and fibromyalgia symptoms that I’ve been enduring recently.

Today, I wanted to share with you this gluten-free, dairy-free, potentially sugar-free recipe for a cookie dough dip that will have you begging for more. Surprisingly, it’s secret ingredient is (gasp!) – beans!

Yes, the recipe’s base is a whole can of chick peas or white beans (like cannellini), whatever you have on hand. Plus, your desired mix-ins – it can be nuts, chocolate chips, white chocolate, dried fruit or anything else. I served this up with some Nilla wafers but you could also use fresh fruit or any other sweet cookie treat. It’s perfect for any summer potlucks you may have coming up soon! (Note: If you need to make this gluten-free check the labels of your ingredients to make sure it meets your diet needs. Most cookies have gluten in them, so you’ll want to go to your supermarket’s organic or natural food section to see what products they have available, which are gluten-free. You’d be surprised how big these special sections have become lately! You also can find lots of gluten-free treats online through sites like Amazon.)

Gluten-free Cookie Dough Dip
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie’s original recipe found here

Ingredients

• 1 can, drained chickpeas or cannellini beans
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• smidge over 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or the nut butter of your choice)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (or whatever additional mix-ins you’d like – I used a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips)
• scant amount milk of your choice (I used almond milk but you could use soy if you have a dairy allergy, too)

How to Put It Together

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor (except the chocolate chips) until very smooth. Now, add in your mix-ins, like the chocolate chips. Serve.

You can keep this in the fridge for a few days. Even if you don’t serve it with cookies or fruit, you can eat this right up with a spoon – like I did one day at my desk. It didn’t even make me feel that guilty!

Enjoy!