Dairy Free Chick

Living with a normal eater

Posted by Tash on April 18th, 2013

Many of us have dietary restrictions but live in families that can eat anything and everything. For some of us, our families embrace our eating style, but others don’t or can’t. I happen to be in the latter category.

I was on my way to being completely dairy free right as I met my husband. He encouraged me to go completely dairy free (probably because he was tired of my constant complaints of digestive distress) and has been super supportive of my lifestyle since the beginning. However, the man will NEVER give up his cheese. And that’s ok!

Day-to-day, that means we do have cheese, milk, cream cheese, and all kinds of things that my stomach doesn’t quite tolerate in the house/refrigerator. In all honesty, it does make it harder to abstain… and I stumble occasionally.

One thing that we have done for non-perishables that I shouldn’t consume is to put them in a separate storage place. We have a chest (with a lock) where lots of his snacks that aren’t good for my digestion are stored. Now, this may seem extreme to many of you, but there is a unique void felt in the diet when you must remove several food groups, which leads to strong cravings. Storing this food separately has helped me fight those cravings and eat them less often (which means I have a stomach ache less often)— so it’s all good.

One particularly challenging aspect of living with a normal eater is cooking for them. In my household, I mostly cook foods that I can eat and maybe make a side dish exclusively for the hubby, but I really don’t test my limits. Earlier in our marriage, I would try to make him pizza for dinner, but it was too much for me to handle because my self-control can only go so far. So now he eats pizza at restaurants or when I’m not around.

It’s those little changes that can make or break your adherence to a dietary lifestyle when living with someone who doesn’t eat in the same way as you do. I am fortunate to have a supportive partner who is not a picky eater, and who wants me to feel at my best all the time.

Salmon Cakes

Posted by Tash on April 15th, 2013

I have no words. This is fatty deliciousness… and not bad fats, mind you. Omega 3 deliciousness. I’ve been making these for lunch on Saturdays (I’m usually running low on groceries at that time because I go to the store Saturday afternoons). The crunchy exterior with the moist and tender richness of the salmon overjoys me. I obviously feel passionately about my food Happy Monday!

Salmon Cakes (4-5 cakes)

Ingredients

One 6 oz can salmon, drained (be very careful here because canned salmon can be quite yucky. I really enjoy the clean, pink tenderness of the 365 Whole Foods Wild Caught Skinless Boneless Salmon or the 365 Whole Foods Wild Caught Red Sockeye Salmon)
1 whole egg, 1 egg white
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
A pinch of red chili flakes
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup almond meal (be flexible here, you want a patty consistency)
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the drained salmon with the eggs, onion, cilantro, and spices
Once well combined, add almond meal
Form into 4-5 patties
In a skillet on medium heat, add the coconut oil and wait until it is visibly hot (the oil makes waves)
Add the patties and cook for ~3 minutes on each side
Serve with guacamole! Ole!

Tomato Basil Monte Cristo Sandwich

Posted by Tash on April 12th, 2013

Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! Did you even know that was a holiday? I sure didn’t until recently.

For today’s glorious holiday, I am not just bringing you a regular grilled cheese sandwich, I’m making you a whopping beauty monte cristo sandwich using Daiya cheddar shreds. I usually don’t buy alternative dairy products because I feel like they don’t measure up to the real thing… and honestly, if I’m dying for cheese, I’ll usually have some cheese and deal with the consequences. But that’s just me.

For those of you who are allergic or vegan, I understand that’s not a possibility, so you may be more inclined to go with an alternative. I made my husband this sandwich with the Daiya cheese and he (a tough critic and smeller outer of all things “fake”), actually liked it, although he could tell it wasn’t real cheese.

This sandwich is to die for. Eat one in honor of the holiday. With or without the cheese.

Tomato Basil Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients

2 thick slices of your favorite bread (I used crusty French loaf)
1 teaspoon mustard
3-4 ounces deli turkey
1/4 cup Daiya cheddar shreds
3 thin slices of tomato
3 leaves of fresh basil
1 egg
1/3 cup of unsweetened regular almond milk (make sure it’s not flavored)
2 teaspoons coconut oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Lather the mustard on to each slice of bread
Layer the turkey on each side
Add the shreds on one slice and top with tomatoes and basil
Close the sandwich
In a bowl big enough to dunk your sandwich, beat the egg and almond milk
Before dunking the sandwich, press it down with your hand to make sure it will stay closed
Quickly, submerge each side of the sandwich
Remove from the egg/milk mixture and place on a plate
Heat coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat
When the oil is hot, place the sandwich in the skillet
Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes
Remove the sandwich from the skillet and place on a baking sheet
Baking at 350 F for about 5-7 minutes, until the cheese “melts”
Slice in half and enjoy that sucker

Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Posted by Tash on April 3rd, 2013

I love ginger snaps! I love how hard and snappy they are, or alternatively how chewy and molassesey they are. I’d almost say they are my favorite cookie (but I really like chocolate/nut cookies). Here is a recipe for chewy (not snappy) ginger snaps. They are incredible.

Gluten Free Ginger Snaps

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons nondairy butter (you could try coconut oil)
1 heaping tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F
In a large bowl, mix the almond meal, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt
In a medium bowl, mix the honey, molasses, butter (or oil), and ginger.
Microwave the wet ingredients for about 30 seconds to make the sweeteners more runny
Add the wet to the dry and mix
Make small dough balls and slightly flatten them into the desired shape (these don’t spread when baked)
Bake for 8-10 minutes
Allow to cool before digging in because they are a bit fragile!

Declining Food at Work Meetings

Posted by Tash on March 17th, 2013

If you work in an office, you probably have to attend group meetings of some sort. At these meetings, there is often food to munch on… the food might be different depending on where you work, but everywhere I’ve worked, it’s usually been some kind of baked good: bagels and cream cheese, muffins, donuts, or the hardest to turn down, home-baked goods.

When your coworker tells you, “I made this banana bread from scratch yesterday, try a piece”… how in the world do you say ‘no thank you’? Or worse, what if it’s your boss? Hello, peer pressure! Or boss-pressure… Or “I-don’t-want-to-be-rude-pressure.”

So what’s an dairy free or gluten free person (or for that matter a person watching her weight) to do? These are three options that I’ve found to be helpful:

1. Take the food and leave it on the napkin. “I’m saving it for later.” Then, dispose of it or give it to someone else who would like to eat it.

2. Decline and explain your food intolerance or allergy. I find that the word “allergy” works best here. I’ve said, “I’m gluten sensitive” before… which is my actual diagnosis, but that usually leads to questions and a discussion about food that I don’t really want to have at a work meeting. Allergic usually solves the problem.

3. Be the one that brings something into the office. Bake something that you enjoy and that you can eat. People will ask you what it is and then you can segue into explaining how you eat (if you want). Even if you don’t explain, you look nice and can enjoy along with everyone else.