Had some company for dinner, and found out last night that one of the people coming was allergic to dairy. The relief on this person's face when I said my son was allergic too and not to worry about it was priceless!!! I made breakfast for dinner tonight for everyone, and everything turned out perfectly! No one could tell what was dairy and what was dairy-free... the only thing in the entire meal that had any dairy in it was buttermilk pancakes (and I had some buttermilk-less buttermilk pancakes as well). Tonight's menu was:
*French Toast
*Buttermilk-less Buttermilk Pancakes
*Traditional Buttermilk Pancakes
*Scrambled Eggs
*Hash Browns
*Bacon
*Fried Apples
*Assorted jams and jellies (made by my amazing mother-in-law!)
*Orange Juice & Raspberry Lemonade
*4 different 'milks': Dairy milk, rice milk, plain almond milk, and chocolate almond milk (my son's favorite!). I wasn't sure which non-dairy option my guest would prefer, so I put several out.
Dinner was fabulous, and no one could tell anything was different!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
It's starting to cool off, and I'm excited for soup weather!!!
4 Tbsp canola oil
1 very large onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
4 Tbsp flour
2 to 3 qts MSPI safe chicken broth
2 cups fresh (or frozen) corn kernals
1 seeded jalapeno, very finely chopped
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup wild rice blend (raw)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots & celery, and saute until vegetables begin to soften. Sprinkle flour over veggies and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two (not to brown the flour, just cook off the raw taste). Add 2 qts broth, stirring constantly, along with the corn and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the broth thickens very slightly. Add chicken, rice blend and nutmeg. Simmer until rice is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a little more broth if the soup gets a little too thick.
*Optional* When serving, people not allergic to dairy can pour a spoonful of heavy cream over their individual bowl.
**To make a 'cream' soup, add some non-dairy coffee creamer (plain flavor) at the end of cooking (1 to 2 cups). I originally ate this as a dairy cream soup (with 1 c heavy cream stirred in at the end). It's good both without the cream or with non-dairy creamer subbed instead.
Yields 8 generous servings
4 Tbsp canola oil
1 very large onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
4 Tbsp flour
2 to 3 qts MSPI safe chicken broth
2 cups fresh (or frozen) corn kernals
1 seeded jalapeno, very finely chopped
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup wild rice blend (raw)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots & celery, and saute until vegetables begin to soften. Sprinkle flour over veggies and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two (not to brown the flour, just cook off the raw taste). Add 2 qts broth, stirring constantly, along with the corn and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the broth thickens very slightly. Add chicken, rice blend and nutmeg. Simmer until rice is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a little more broth if the soup gets a little too thick.
*Optional* When serving, people not allergic to dairy can pour a spoonful of heavy cream over their individual bowl.
**To make a 'cream' soup, add some non-dairy coffee creamer (plain flavor) at the end of cooking (1 to 2 cups). I originally ate this as a dairy cream soup (with 1 c heavy cream stirred in at the end). It's good both without the cream or with non-dairy creamer subbed instead.
Yields 8 generous servings
Sunday, October 23, 2011
School is kicking my trash...again
It's been a month since I posted. So sorry about that! Things have been nutso around here. I get home from work, get something on the table for dinner, supervise homework, then get kids to bed, then collapse from exhaustion 10 minutes after the kidlets are in bed, only to wake up and do it all over again the next day. The Husband is working a different shift (one he hasn't worked in several years), so I fly solo on weeknights, and it's been a difficult transition. This week is going to be killer, but then I should be in a good place for a few weeks (possibly???). lol Then again, it will calm down just enough to start the craziness of the holiday season. Maybe I won't breathe until after Christmas. That sounds like a better idea anyway!
In other news, Child #2 had a birthday in the past month, and Child #1 will be having a birthday soon. No rest for the weary, I suppose.
I'll be posting more soon as the holiday season begins. This is our first holiday season dairy and soy free... I have some ideas floating in my head and have seen some great recipes out there that I'm anxious to try. Namely df/sf pumpkin pie! There will be one thing though on my holiday table that's NOT df/sf...my mother's Chocolate Marbled Rum Pie. Hello chocolate...hello heavy cream...hello 6 billion calories! Haven't been able to make it df/sf and keep the taste and texture okay.
In other news, Child #2 had a birthday in the past month, and Child #1 will be having a birthday soon. No rest for the weary, I suppose.
I'll be posting more soon as the holiday season begins. This is our first holiday season dairy and soy free... I have some ideas floating in my head and have seen some great recipes out there that I'm anxious to try. Namely df/sf pumpkin pie! There will be one thing though on my holiday table that's NOT df/sf...my mother's Chocolate Marbled Rum Pie. Hello chocolate...hello heavy cream...hello 6 billion calories! Haven't been able to make it df/sf and keep the taste and texture okay.
Orange Rosemary Chicken
One of my favorite dinners as of late... you can use breasts or thighs.
1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1 large onion, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-5 smallish potatoes
1-2 orange sweet potatoes
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 tsp grated orange zest (from about half the orange)
1/4 c MSPI safe chicken broth
3/4 c water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
Cut chicken thighs in half or chicken breasts in fourths. Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and saute until onions begin to turn translucent. Add chicken and sprinkle about 1 tsp salt over all and brown on both sides (takes about 10-15 minutes). Remove chicken & onion to a plate. Meanwhile, as chicken is browning, cut potatoes & sweet potatoes into roughly 1" chunks. Mix juice, zest, broth, water, brown sugar, flour, 1/4 tsp salt, rosemary, and pepper until smooth. Add potatoes to pan along with sauce mixture, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken & onions (along with any drippings collected in the plate) back to the pan. Stir. Recover and allow to heat for 5-10 minutes, until chicken is heated through (may need to add a little more water (maybe 1/4 cup) if it goes too dry). Serve with other vegetables and/or a salad. Yield: 4 generous servings or 6 smaller ones
1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1 large onion, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-5 smallish potatoes
1-2 orange sweet potatoes
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 tsp grated orange zest (from about half the orange)
1/4 c MSPI safe chicken broth
3/4 c water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
Cut chicken thighs in half or chicken breasts in fourths. Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and saute until onions begin to turn translucent. Add chicken and sprinkle about 1 tsp salt over all and brown on both sides (takes about 10-15 minutes). Remove chicken & onion to a plate. Meanwhile, as chicken is browning, cut potatoes & sweet potatoes into roughly 1" chunks. Mix juice, zest, broth, water, brown sugar, flour, 1/4 tsp salt, rosemary, and pepper until smooth. Add potatoes to pan along with sauce mixture, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken & onions (along with any drippings collected in the plate) back to the pan. Stir. Recover and allow to heat for 5-10 minutes, until chicken is heated through (may need to add a little more water (maybe 1/4 cup) if it goes too dry). Serve with other vegetables and/or a salad. Yield: 4 generous servings or 6 smaller ones
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