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I had a lot of coconut milk leftover so I decided to make steel cut oatmeal with coconut milk and have some to save for the next few days for breakfast. I think it makes a delicious dessert too. This is vegan and gluten-free. It only requires 5 ingredients with an optional 6th ingredient.

Ingredients:

• I used 80% of a can of Lite Coconut Milk as I had used a bit of it for a meal and these are leftover, but you can just use the whole can. (unsweetened) (I used field Day organic and a full can was 13.5 oz)
• 1 cup of steel cut instant oats (I used the Quaker Oats Brand)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1/4 of water to add when the oats are getting too dry
• Sprinkle cinnamon powder
• Sprinkle brown sugar (optional if you like sweeter)

Today, I tried a vegan and gluten free waffle recipe to use with my new Waffle Wow waffle maker Kawaii Snacks edition (Kawaii Fun Snacks Mini Waffle Maker - 7 Different Food Emoji Designs Featuring an Avocado, Pizza, Ramen, Taco & More) that I received as a Christmas gift this year by a family member. This waffle maker makes cute shapes that are so exciting for the kids!

I typically don't do anything extra when I am making waffles instead of pancakes, recipe wise, so I am going into this with the same approach for vegan and gluten-free pancakes/waffles.

I found two recipes that I wanted to use and came up with something taking inspiration from the two. Here were the recipes: https://delightfuladventures.com/easy-vegan-gluten-free-pancakes/ and https://www.zuckerjagdwurst.com/en/recipes/vegan-yeast-pancakes-with-apples. One of them used vegetable oil. I used olive oil instead because of a corn-allergy in the family. Another difference is: one of them used baking powder and soda while the other one uses dry active yeast. I'm using dry active yeast. 

My Ingredients List for these vegan and gluten-free waffles:

• 1.5 cups of Gluten Free 1 to 1 Bob Mill's Flour
• 1 packet of dry active yeast
• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar 
• 1 tablespoon of dark brown cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal
• .5 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of warm almond milk (unsweetened)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• Olive Oil (Vegetable Oil is better for texture but for corn allergies, I use olive oil) for greasing the waffle maker

We're ready for Christmas! This year, Santa is going to be served vegan cookies.

This year brought a lot of changes in our home: one of them is a family member started having health-related issues and we had to change and be mindful of what we bring to the dinner table.

Because of this new change, I've learned to bake and cook with more vegan products. Notably, we are not a vegan family but we're just bringing in more vegan meals and focusing more on a plant-based diet to help with a health issue. I hope Santa will like our vegan gluten-free cookies this year!

Here's the recipe that I'm using to make vegan gluten-free sugar cookies: https://delightfuladventures.com/vegan-gluten-free-sugar-cookies/. The main thing that I am doing differently is I am using yeast instead of baking powder. You can see the exact list of the ingredients that I used below.

More About Using Active Dry Yeast

We had some active dry yeast in our drawer. This is the exact brand I used: Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast. We like the single packets kind which made is easier for measuring.

The tricky thing about using active dry yeast instead of baking powder is that you have to use your best judgment because as you activate the yeast, there's no knowing the exact amount that's needed. It is like a science and an art. When you are using active dry yeast, you have to mix it in 1/4 cup of very specific warm water within a temperature range with 1 teaspoon of sugar. It took my yeast 15 minutes to activate. It's fun watching it rise. Whatever foamed up from this one package amount mixture, I scooped about 75% of it and put it into my dough mix. 

I followed the recipe and let the dough rest in the fridge for 3 hours and used my cookie cutter with my sons to make different shapes today. 

Ingredients that I used:

• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons of  Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22-ounce (I found this at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach)
• 1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch and I used this exact brand that I found at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach:  Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch / Flour, 16 Ounce (Pack of 1)
• 75% of what was activated from the active dry yeast of 1 packet of 1/4 oz. This was the exact brand I used:  Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast,0.25 Ounce, 9 Count. Note that although I used 75% of what was produced from my mixture, maybe yours will need be 50% or even more than mine. It is not an exact science with this one and the end results will never be the same.
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of vegan butter (I use Miyoko's Cultured Vegan Butter that I found at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 4 teaspoons of unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

There are beautiful Christmas light displays throughout San Luis Obispo County around the holiday season. Here are some of my experiences in the video shorts below. Just press the play button for any of them.

Christmas Light Sightings Around San Luis Obispo County:

Cambria Christmas Lights

Located in the northern coast of San Luis Obispo County, Cambria is a small beach town that has a very cool lodge called Cambria Pines Lodge. Every Christmas time, they put up millions of Christmas lights and decorate their property for all to come visit. They call it the Christmas Market and if you're not already staying there as a lodge guest, then you'd have to buy a ticket to be on property and see the lights.

See my short video of my Cambria Christmas Lights visit below from my past visit:
 Read about Cambria

Pismo Beach Pier Around of the Holidays

Pismo Beach is the most popular beach town in San Luis Obispo County and every Christmas time, they put up a big Christmas tree decoration at the end of the pier. You can see it from a good distance!

See my short video of the neon lights at Pismo Beach Pier and the Christmas Tree Lights in Pismo Beach:
 Read about Pismo Beach

Sensorio Paso Robles

Paso Robles is known for its amazing wine country and their light art at night at Sensorio! An artist put up these displays years ago and it's become a year-round display now. Their hours change from season to season but its worth the visit. I loved it so much, I've visited Sensorio twice! Read my full review for Sensorio with more pictures and video clips.

See my short video of the famous Sensorio Lights in Paso Robles. They are open past the Christmas season and year-round on limited dates:
 Read about Paso Robles.

To see all upcoming events in San Luis Obispo County, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php.

View my instagram to see my most recent adventures in San Luis Obispo County and the Central Coast.

Popular Things To Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo County

• Charles Paddock Zoo -- Read my blog review
• Hearst Castle -- Read my blog review
• The Ravine Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• Mustang Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• San Luis Obispo Children's Museum -- Read  my blog review
• Central Coast Aquarium -- Read my blog review
• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum -- Learn more
• Paso Robles Children's Museum -- Read my blog review
• Exploration Discovery Center -- Read my blog review
• Museum of Natural History -- Learn more
• Avila Valley Barn -- Read my blog review

As I'm getting more familiar with finding things that are gluten-free and dairy-free for a family member, I feel so fortunate that San Luis Obispo is so understanding on dietary needs at restaurants and grocery stores. I think if I were in a different town, in a different state, it would be a very different and difficult journey.

Here's a list of grocery stores that I've found to have gluten-free snacks in San Luis Obispo County so far:

1. Grocery Outlet - The Grocery Outlet that we frequent is in Arroyo Grande and they have a whole side of an aisle dedicated to gluten-free products! I was so amazed and everything was priced right. You can find almond flour and other special flours for the best deals here. There were really cool products that I've never heard before that were gluten-free.
   
   Currently there are several Grocery Outlet locations in San Luis Obispo County and they are located in the following cities: Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Los Osos, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo.
2. California Fresh Market - I feel that when I am looking up recipes for wheat substitutions, I can always rely on California Fresh Market to find random things like arrowroot powder and gluten-free pasta. These substitutions can be pricey here at California Fresh Market, however.
   
   They also carry a lot of vegan popular options like vegan butter, and other vegan snacks for those who are on a plant-based diet. Pro-tip: find more gluten free bread in their freezer section! At a couple of the non-freeze aisles, we enjoy looking through gluten-free snacks. Our favorite snacks there for our family member who has to stay away from gluten are cookies by a brand called Enjoy Life. There are currently two California Fresh Market locations in San Luis Obispo County: Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo City.
3. VONS - Amazingly, VONS offer an array of different gluten-free vegan snacks as well. Best of all, you can usually find one in many cities in San Luis Obispo County. The one I usually frequent has been putting their gluten-free options at the very top rack in the snack aisle. I'm so appreciative of this. A lot of the items under this area are also vegan.
   
4. CVS - I know this seems like such a random place here on my top places for gluten-free snacks but I've found this one particular brand called MADE GOOD that has these amazing granola snacks that are individually wrapped and I've always been able to find them at CVS. It's free from nuts, gluten-free and organic. These are great to carry on the go or on the plane. I find it very hard to find boxes of vegan or gluten-free snacks that have them individually wrapped inside. This is especially important if you want to make sure you're giving the correct snacks to kids who are allergic to particular food items.
   
5. Target - Target is a really great and reliable place to find gluten-free and vegan food products and a convenient place if you're looking for other things besides groceries. What I especially like about Target is you can find many of these products online and have them deliver to your home! This makes it very easy when you can't get to the store, especially with a busy schedule. No physically scavenging around a whole grocery store required! There are 2 Target locations: one is San Luis Obispo City and the other is located in Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.
6. Walmart -  The Walmart that I frequent also has an area where I was able to find gluten-free alternatives in one area. It was so helpful and easy to find. They even had gluten-free hamburger buns. There are two Walmart locations in San Luis Obispo County: one in Arroyo Grande and the other one is in Paso Robles.