Gotta lose milk to make milk?

     As I mentioned earlier, I'm now dairy and soy free in an attempt to save the DB from terrible stomach discomforts possibly associated with a dairy protein sensitivity. "That's not so bad,"  you may think, "there are plenty of tasty foods out there that have no dairy or soy whatsoever". Well, you'd be right and wrong. There are plenty of delicious foods with none of the offending ingredients, but A. Dairy and soy products hide in the least likely places, especially in foods that are in the center of the grocery store and baked goods, and B. You want what you can't have. I was a big fan of dairy before, but since the verdict was read I've craved things I eat only rarely: pizza, ice cream, etc. So being the go getter that I am, I had a massive, whiny pity party, then I hit up every grocery that looked promising to find things I CAN eat. I'm also creating and modifying recipes to fit my new diet, and I'll share some of the better products and recipes with you here!

The pizza attempt was mediocre, I thought. The highlight of a pizza is the gooey cheese. The Hero had the kind audacity to tell me I could order a pizza sans cheese and it would probably be safe. I said some things that were not so nice. We made one instead, with some low-additive pepperoni, fabulous organic veggies (canned organics tend to have less additives, meaning less risk of allergens, but read carefully!) and a cheese substitute The Hero found at Roots Market, our local organic grocery. We put this onto a simple home made whole wheat pizza crust. The "cheese" is tapioca based, and it was just not pizza worthy, in my opinion. Upon melting, it turned rather creamy, not stretchy. While the pizza was just OK, the creamy texture of the cheese got me thinking what I could use it for that might be better suited. The answer wasn't far off, I wanted a cream pasta, so I got cracking on a recipe that would satisfy that craving, and I took inspiration from one of my favorite dishes.

In my family, you get to pick what you want for dinner on your birthday. I would usually always pick Chicken Joseph Florentine. It's a Parmesan and breadcrumb coated chicken cutlet on a bed of lemon wilted spinach, topped with sherry and butter mushroom slices and pimentos. It's really a fantastic meal. I combined the basic components of that dish with a creamy non-dairy pasta and this is what I got! I really enjoyed it, and I couldn't tell from taste or texture that it was dairy & soy free. Without the chicken cutlet, the recipe is vegan, so you can make changes to it to suit your dietary needs.

Creamy Penne in the style of Chicken Joseph Florentine

Crispy Baked Chicken

• Chicken breast piece(s), pounded very thin
• 2 T. Butter substitute like Earth Balance Soy Free Natural Buttery Spread
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 C. crisped rice cereal per serving of chicken
• Salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 400° F, and melt your butter substitute in a baking dish, either in your preheating oven, stove top, or microwave.  Pound out your chicken very thin. Place your rice cereal in a bag and roll it with a pin until the pieces are 1/4 to 1/2 of their original sizes. Place the crushed cereal on a plate and salt. Dip the pounded chicken in the cereal, then the beaten egg, then back in the cereal. Place the chicken in the baking dish, then flip it over, so there is butter substitute on both sides of the cutlet. Place the dish in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 180°F. While the chicken is baking, begin the pasta and sauce.

Creamy Florentine Sauce and Penne

•  1 package portobello mushrooms, sliced
•  Pasta of your choice, I used Barilla Plus Penne because it has legumes and whole grains (this type contains eggs and wheat, but a rice noodle would suit to be more allergen free)
• 5-7 oz. fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 T. Butter substitute (see above)
• 16 oz. carton of Mimiccreme (almond and cashew based cream substitute)
• 8 oz. package of Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds
•  Parsley
• 1/4 C. Dry Sherry
• Basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 Put your water on to boil for the pasta. In a large skillet with tall sides, melt your butter substitute over medium-high heat. Add your minced garlic and your mushrooms. As you chiffonade the spinach leaves, add them about a half-cup at a time, as they will wilt in the pan and there will eventually be room for all of them! stir this slowly, and when the spinach is all reduced in size but still a nice green color, don't kill them! Add the sherry and stir it around to de-glaze the pan and evenly coat the mushrooms and greens. Add your pasta to the boiling water. Add the Mimiccreme to the sherry and vegetables and reduce heat to medium-low. Heat through, stirring often, and then add the Daiya shreds and herbs, salt, and pepper according to taste. Simmer and stir often until the shreds are melted and well combined. Drain pasta after cooked according to package directions, and plate immediately, topped with sauce and chicken cutlets. 

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    I am really pleased with how this dish turned out, and will likely try to create a vodka sauce (my favorite) using the Mimiccreme/Daiya combo soon. If you try out the recipe, let me know how it goes for you!

  For dessert options, I love the cookie recipe from Dairy and Soy Free Mom's blog, also Turtle Mountain's Coconut "Ice cream" is tasty, along with their coconut yogurt, and the beverage in place of milk. Speaking of the coconut "milk", Hershey's Syrup is dairy and soy free and makes a great chocolate milk with Rice Dream or So Delicious Coconut. I'm digging into some of the Turtle Mountain chocolate ice cream right now, as a treat for putting DB to bed while he was in such a challenging mood! Do keep in mind that not ALL of their ice creams are soy free, so read carefully the labeling when purchasing! 

   I'm working on a couple other recipes, and I'll share them with you all as I am happy with them. If you have a dish you'd like me to try and convert to dairy and soy free, let me know! I'll do the best I can!