In response to the original poster's statement: you do not *need* an enormous amount of protein to start your day. In fact, one does not require a large amount of protein per day at all. Rather, this is a gross exaggeration on the part of various "how to get fit" diet books. What you need to kick start your day is a lot of vitamins and micronutrients with some good sugars. To do this, I usually mix about 1/3 of a pineapple with 1/2 a mango in some orange juice, then embellish with a variety of other fruits or berries such as banana, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, kiwi, or really any fruit that would taste good with the pineapple/mango base. The fruits are a good kick start (especially the banana and pineapple) because they are natural "feel good" fruits that contain a little bit of caffeine (*dramatically* less than in coffee, and far far less than even in green tea, but present and functional!). They will literally make you feel awake, aware, and alert. If you are a busy-body and don't get around to lunch often, it's important to add some healthy fats in with this shake either in the form of a splash of olive oil, or more ideally, a heaped tablespoon of coconut milk (preferably with no preservatives, but that's a rare find these days). Mix this all up in a blender until smooth (or you could eat it all raw, but that takes a long time and you're looking for a quick fix). "But what about protein?" Well, first of all, fruit has more protein per calorie than meat or beans do. That's because a lot of what's in a fruit is water or calorie-free minerals and the like. As such, your body is packing on fewer pounds per unit of protein it is extracting. Secondly, you don't WANT a bunch of *excess* protein, because this negatively impacts your overall health and has been linked with heart disease, early stage diabetes, and a variety of dermatological pathologies, most notably acne and cellulite. Moreover, you can add a raw egg yolk or two (be sure to mix the min with a fork rather than the blender as the friction with the blades is sufficient to cause heat denaturation of the fragile amino acids in an egg yolk) to your drink. Egg yolks are loaded with natural amino acids as well as good HEALTHY cholesterol (as opposed to 7-ketocholesterol). On days when I do not work out and have a light schedule, I have found that this one meal keeps me full for basically the full day without making me feel bloated or 'stuffed.' For a creamy alternative to coconut milk or olive oil, try peeling and pitting an avocado and sticking it in with all the other fruit. It sounds gross, probably, since avocados have such a thick texture on their own, but blended in with fruit it makes the whole smoothie taste like you added a shot of cream or ice cream to thicken it, and is one of the most pleasant add-ons to a recipe I've ever tried! In closing, let me say that I have drawn all this information from an authoritative source which is available online at www.freeacnebook.com. The first link on the page takes you directly to the book which is a few hundred pages of information about dermatopathologies and their link to diet as well as an explanation of why the diet this book recommends will work. It is well-researched, and cites all the major assertions the author makes. As a research biologist, I loved that this work cited its sources, since many diets are content to say "The FDA said so," and leave it at that! Finally, I have been on this diet for around 2/3 of a year and have lost 60 pounds (I'm convinced I would have lost more if I had been more overweight, but I'm now at an ideal weight for my height, build, age, etc.). More importantly, my level of energy has increased, my attention span (which was not bad to begin with) has improved, my IQ is measurably higher, and I feel more alert and oriented than I ever have in my life. I should note that when I was younger I was an athlete, and I feel more fit than I did as an NCAA division 1 rower. As such, I can't see any draw backs to this diet, as it has done nothing but make me healthier, happier, and keener. It's done the same for friends and family who have tried it. Up to you what you want to do with it, but either way I applaud you on your decision to eschew grains or dairy as they are addictive, noxious substances that cause you to eat 10% extra calories, resulting in obesity or chronic health conditions. Sincerely, Dave Stratton

Jessy, here's what I found with Google: Coconut cream - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coconut cream is very similar to coconut milk but contains less water. The difference is mainly consistency. It has a thicker, more paste-like consistency, ... www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_cream Homemade Coconut Cream Recipe Do not confuse coconut milk with coconut cream. It is easy to make your own coconut cream at home. Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 1 coconut, shell removed and flesh grated (or 2.5 ounces fresh grated coconut), coconut water reserved Reserved coconut water, plus enough cream or milk to measure 1 quart Preparation: In a heavy saucepan, cover the grated coconut with the coconut water and cream. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring often. Cover with a lid and let cool to room temperature. Place a sieve or strainer over a large bowl. Line it with a double layer of cheesecloth. Pour the soaked coconut with its liquid into the lined strainer. Lift the cheesecloth, pull the edges together, and squeeze out the coconut cream. The remaining coconut flesh may be air-dryed and/or toasted for other uses. Refrigerate the coconut cream and use within 5 days. Use coconut cream in savory dishes, desserts, and drinks. Yield: About 1 quart www.homecooking.about.com/od/fruitrecipes/r/blfruit18.htm

Lemon Panna Cotta (America's Test Kitchen) 1 cup whole milk 2 3/4 teaspoons gelatin 3 cups heavy cream 2 inch piece vanilla bean, slit lengthwise with paring knife (or substitute 2 teaspoons extract) 4 pieces lemon zest (about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide), cut into julienne strips 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from 2 medium lemons 6 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch table salt Pour milk into medium saucepan; sprinkle surface evenly with gelatin and let stand 10 minutes to hydrate gelatin. Meanwhile, turn contents of two ice cube trays (about 32 cubes) into large bowl; add 4 cups cold water. Measure cream into large measuring cup or pitcher. With paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds into cream. Place pod in cream along with seeds, add julienne lemon peel, and set mixture aside. Set eight wine glasses or 4-ounce ramekins on baking sheet. Heat milk and gelatin mixture over high heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture registers 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 minutes. Off heat, add sugar and salt; stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. Stirring constantly, slowly pour cream mixture into saucepan containing milk, then transfer mixture to medium bowl and set bowl over ice water bath. Stir frequently until thickened to consistency of eggnog and mixture registers 50 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes. Strain mixture into large measuring cup or pitcher, stir in lemon juice, then distribute evenly among wine glasses or ramekins. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure that plastic does not mar surface of cream; refrigerate until just set (mixture should wobble when shaken gently), 4 hours.~~

Well, despite my good intentions, I didn't get any baking done because my son-in-law awoke before everyone else yesterday, and used all the eggs to make us Mother's Day breakfast. Who could complain about that? ;) I spoke to my brother (nephew's father) who does most of the cooking for their family; he said they'd made spaghetti using the gluten-free product we'd given my nephew. They all, including the two teenagers, liked it, and brother said he couldn't tell any difference in taste from semolina pasta. Most of the time, I try to tailor recipes to my family's tastes, or convenience, so I appreciate the discussions of different methods and substitutions of ingredients. Thanks again to all of you who have shared real life experiences and advice about gluten-free/vegan cooking and medical issues. My SIL (nephew's mother) shares a practice with a local internist, so I think they have the medical issues covered. I'm just trying to help out with my specialty--as the family baker.