Bring on the Red, White, & Blue

Fourth of July.  A day for family, picnics, hotdogs, and all things red, white, and blue.  And what better way to celebrate than to make one of America's favorite desserts: Jell-O.  Who could forget a tray of Jell-O chilling in the fridge on a hot day, pudding pop commercials featuring Bill Cosby, or the coveted rainbow layered Jell-O served at parties?

Such a mystery to my little hands, how they got all those colors to line up so perfectly in one little square of Jell-O.  And what was the white layer made of?

Well, Jenn at JustJenn Recipes seems to understand my childhood obsession, with a beautiful tutorial on how to make rainbow Jell-O.  I decided to try my hand at making a dairy-free version for the Fourth of July, using coconut milk instead of condensed milk.

Red, White, & Blue Jell-O
adapted from JustJenn Recipes

Add color and stripes to your Fourth of July party with Red, White, & Blue Jell-O.

1 6 oz. box red Jell-O
1 6 oz. box blue Jell-O
6 packages unflavored Knox gelatin
1 cup coconut milk
hot water
coconut oil (optional)*

1. Combine 1 cup of coconut milk with 1 cup of hot water and set aside.  If you prefer a sweeter white layer, you could probably add some sugar to this mixture.

2. Stir in 2 envelopes of unflavored Knox gelatin with 1 cup of hot water, then combine with coconut milk mixture and let cool to room temperature.

3. Mix together box of red Jell-O, 1 envelope of Knox gelatin, and 1-1/2 cups of hot water.  Pour about half the mixture into 9 x 13 Pyrex pan and let chill in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes.  If you are worried about sticking, grease bottom and sides of the pan with coconut oil*.

4. While the red layer is chilling, mix together box of blue Jell-O, 1 envelope of Knox gelatin, and 1-1/2 cups of hot water.  Let it cool to room temperature.

5. Once the red layer has set, add 1/3 of the milk mixture to the pan, and let chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or until set.

6. As each layer sets, add a new layer, alternating between red, white, and blue.  I added them in this order: red, white, blue, white, red, white, blue.  This way one side of each square is blue, one side is red.

7. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Slice Jello in half lengthwise and use a star-shaped cookie cutter for stars and stripes all in one treat!

For other festive Fourth of July treats, try Michelle's Red, White, & Blue Fruit Pops,




a simple star pasta dish,

fresh berries over soy or coconut ice cream or yogurt,

or a bowl of red, white, and blue tortilla chips with your favorite salsa.  Happy Fourth!!!