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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

i'm back -- dairy-free and fabulous

it's been a slightly busy 2 months around our house. want to know what we've been up to? visit our family blog - here. thanksgiving, beach vacation, moving to las vegas, sick, three weeks in orem, utah for christmas, hubby's 1st real job... it's been crazy, but wonderful and we're thrilled to be back and be getting settled.

right before all of the excitement began, i realized that my cranky baby boy was only cranky because he is dairy intolerant. so this nursing mommy is officially off cheese, butter, milk, etc, etc, etc. considering i spend just over 10% of our yearly food budget on cheese (and it's my favorite food) this has been quite a challenge, but let me tell you - WAY worth it to have my little boy so happy! he's like a different kid. a really cute one. look at this face. do you love him? i do.

i'm starting to overcome the challenges of cooking dairy-free and have made some pretty delicious dairy-free dishes lately. stay tuned.

we'll start with this one. it was delicious!

quick and easy black bean soup
modified from allrecipes.com
4 servings

  • 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1-2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (the right way - remember?)
  • 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ground black pepper to taste
  1. heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. stir in the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. mix in 1 can black beans and chicken broth.
  2. in a blender, puree remaining can of beans until smooth. mix into the pot. bring soup to a boil. reduce heat to low. mix in chicken, cumin, salt, and pepper. simmer at least 30 minutes.
top with nothing at all (dairy-free style) or with cheese and sour cream!

stay tuned for more dairy-free deliciousness,including some more fun with avocados. my wal-mart has them for 25c a piece a lot right now so i'm basically inhaling them.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hooray! Welcome back to the kitchen. :)

Super Angie said...

Steve and I love black beans! And, I cannot believe your avocados are so CHEAP!!!!! I would go nuts with guacamole if I could get them for a quarter... Enjoy a few for me! :)

Alisa said...

OMG, 25 cents for avocados, I am in envy. That soup looks delicious!

Meghan said...

Welcome back!!! Your little guy is SOOO cute!!!!!! I'm sure it is totally worth it like you said, but dairy free is tough. I tried it for a few weeks in November. Black bean soup is great. I'm amazed that you can get avocados for so cheap too - that's awesome!

Sharon said...

Aww, he is such a CUTIE! Looking forward to your dairy free recipes. I'm not lactose intolerant though it does cause me troubles from time to time. It'd be great to cut down...but difficult!

Lindsay said...

Hi Britt! I'm probably one of those people you're surprised to know follows your blog, and I've missed your posts! :o) I'm glad you're back! Congratulations on all the exciting new things happening in your life! We miss you here in the BYU 29th ward!

Jenny said...

YEESSS! You're back! keep bringing us these healthy, inexpensive recipes!! :)

Jenni S. said...

So jealous that you can buy cheap produce. Everything costs an arm and a leg in NY. Best of luck with everything!

Jen and Ky said...

oh man, i had to go off dairy for my baby too. not easy.
i'm so impressed with you and your grocery shopping skills. i wish i could shop like that.
glad to hear that life is going well, your kiddos are so cute!

healthy cooking on a budget

disclaimer: i don't claim to be an expert on cooking, weight loss or even healthy eating, but i do love to cook, find healthy, taste bud-friendly tricks and most of all, i love to eat!

qualifications: what qualifies me to blog on cooking healthy on a small budget? well, as my husband is still a student, my budget is not what you'd call large. and as for the healthy part, when i was 10 i was diagnosed with pancreatitus - a disease that doesn't effect me much anymore unless i eat food that is too greasy or has too much fat (in which case, well, let's just say i get really sick). this had steered my experience and limited cooking expertise in a health-conscious direction.

please feel free to comment, criticise, rate recipes, try ideas and make requests for future posts!