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.

recipe of the week: guacamole salad

so i watched ina garten, the barefoot contessa, for the first time on food network last week when we were in las vegas visiting family. there is just something calming and comfortable about her. i would love to sit at her table and eat her food and just chat with her. no wonder she has her own show on food network.

this recipe comes from her kitchen. it was amazing. i was skeptical, but the dinner was an easy 9 in both my husband and i's books. i served it with a piece of grilled chicken and some plain brown rice on the side. it was an absolutely perfect meal.

guacamole salad
modified slightly from ina garten, here
6 servings

3 good-size roma tomatoes, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced (i left this out, but it sounded yummy to include!)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1/2 cup small diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (2 peppers)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
chopped cilantro, to your liking
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes) (i used 1/2 fresh 1/2 not)
a little less than 1/4 cup good olive oil (more like 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, corn, red onion, jalapeno peppers, cilantro and lime zest in a large bowl. whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. toss well.

just before you're ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

chicken gyros: world's stinkiest breath and totally worth it

these chicken gyros were amazing. i love love love greek food, so it was really fun to make the sauce and soft wrap bread from scratch on these. this one isn't quick, but it's more than worth it. and beware of the garlic breath you'll have afterward. it was pretty scary. don't make them for your anniversary. :) but the thoughts of the gyros i enjoyed while obtaining it made it again - more than worth it.

chicken gyros
i found and slightly adapted them from my kitchen cafe (she adapted them slightly from Annie's Eats, originally from Elly Says Opa!)
8 gyros

**keep in mind this recipe requires straining yogurt which may take overnight and marinating chicken which will take 1-2 hours so plan ahead!**

for the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (i used fat free wal-mart brand and it worked great!)
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil

for the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (original recipe called for 1 1/4 lbs, i used more like 1 1/2+)

to assemble:
soft wrap bread (or pita bread)
fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
red onion, sliced thin

to make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl (see http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekcookingtips/ht/strainyogurt.htm for more details on this). let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. (you won't believe how much liquid drains from the yogurt - it makes the yogurt much thicker and creamier.)

shred the cucumber. wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. drizzle lightly with olive oil. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

to prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. whisk together until mixed well. add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I sauted them in a hot skillet.) once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

heat pitas or soft wrap bread. top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. serve immediately.

enjoy!!!

accepting pumpkin donations: toasted pumpkin seeds

are you carving pumpkins this year? are you throwing out your seeds? please don't. give them to me. i will toast them and enjoy them instead of letting them go to waste. see method below (thanks to elise at simply recipes with a few minor modifications of course).

my cute husband and daughter getting ready to carve our pumpkin

toasted pumpkin seeds
modified from simply recipes

one medium sized pumpkin
salt
cooking spray

1. preheat oven to 400°F. cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. separate the seeds from the stringy core. rinse the seeds.

2. in a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. add a half tablespoon of salt for every cup of water (more if you like your seeds saltier). bring to a boil. let simmer for 10 minutes. remove from heat and drain.

3. spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer, then spray the top with cooking spray. sprinkle with a bit more salt (i used sea salt). bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, 10-20 minutes. when browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. let the seeds cool all the way down before eating. enjoy!

delicious pitas ala mom and a baby

i'm back. i have a beautiful baby boy and i'm feeling great. here he is. i love him.


my mom was here all week spoiling us and playing with my daughter while we were at the hospital. she was amazing. she spoiled me with feta cheese the other night with the most delicious pitas. they were fabulous, so here's the [approximate] recipe. they are a little on the pricey side, so have a splurge night! i should have taken a picture, but i ate them too fast.

sun dried tomato pesto and veggie pitas

whole wheat pita breads
sun dried tomato pesto (the classico brand at my wal-mart is $1.96)
fresh spinach
portabello mushrooms, sliced
roma tomatoes, sliced
sliced black olives
feta cheese
parmesan cheese

spread the pesto on the pitas. cover with spinach and then the other veggies. top with the cheeses. heat in the oven at 350 until veggies cook flat, cheese melts and pita is slightly crispy.

i definitely loved my return to eating feta after being pregnant. thanks for the treat mom!!

recipe of the week: fusilli alla caprese

okay, this was ridiculously good and ridiculously easy. i made a few changes to make it cheaper and less greasy and it was still fabulous. i used whole wheat pasta, too (since i got it for $0.20 a box last week, thank you coupons). try it soon!

fusilli alla caprese
4 servings

modified from giada de laurentiis (found on my kitchen cafe)

i used mozzarella like the original recipe the night i made it, but when i ate it for lunch the next day i used parmesan and liked it lots better!

1 pound fusilli pasta (i used a little less than a pound of rotini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chopped roma tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves (grow your own!), chopped (or about 5 tablespoons dried basil - this seems like a lot, so maybe add it a little bit at a time)
fresh parmesan cheese, for topping

cook pasta as directed.

in a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. as the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them. continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. toss to combine. add the basil leaves (if you're using dry, i'd add them to the tomatoes in the skillet) and stir to combine. serve topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

what's in my post-partum freezer?

yes, i realize this is a strange name for a post, but i've been sooooo in over my head with freezer meals this week i had to post something about it. for those of you who maybe didn't know, i'm having a baby boy soon! i'm due in less than 2 weeks, but we're saying that he'll be here "some time in october" so when he doesn't make it until the 25th we aren't disappointed. here's my belly about two weeks ago:


i'd say i look about the same today - though maybe my belly is a bit bigger. i can say this with some assurance because apparently i haven't gained any weight in the last 2 weeks - despite the fact that i'm eating dessert every night. oops. definitely different than with my daughter - i steadily gained over a pound a week right up to delivery with her. then again, this pregnancy has been completely different in every way, so why not with weight gain too??

on to the freezer meals! so nice to have on those days after having a baby when you look at the clock and think - "it's 6:30? oh crud." i'm making my favorites (links to recipes provided), regardless of healthiness and even slightly disregarded budget on one. but it's my favorite. and YES, i'll give you the recipe. just don't make it once a week, okay??

what's in my post-partum freezer:

• sour cream chicken enchiladas
• three cheese chicken and spinach stuffed shells
• parmesan corn chowder
• a creamy sausage and wild rice soup (italian sausage, wild rice, milk, chicken broth, garlic, veggies... not sure what all i put in it but it tasted delicious before i put it in the freezer.)
• a bag of shredded beef intended for enchiladas
• a bag of shredded beef intended for bbq beef sandwiches
• beef stroganoff (recipe below - i repeat: do not cook every week!)

beef stroganoff
my family's recipe - the best!
4 servings

1-2 lbs round steak, cut into cubes or strips (bite size) (1 lb is plenty for 1 batch - 2 lbs or a little more for 2 batches works great!)
flour, salt and pepper (about 1 cup flour is enough)
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
1 can tomato soup
2 cups sour cream (the real stuff - no fat free)
1 overflowing tablespoon worchestershire sauce
6 drops tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
garlic salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons)

put flour, salt and pepper in a baggie; add the meat a little at a time to cover with flour mixture. brown the meat in hot oil in batches small enough to fit in a skillet and be able to turn to brown on both sides. as the meat gets done, you can put it on paper towels while you do the next batch. when all the meat is browned, saute the onion in the same skillet. in a separate bowl, mix soup, sour cream, worchestershire, tabasco, salt, pepper and garlic salt. put meat, sauce and onions in a skillet or dutch oven large enough to hold it all. bring to a boil. turn down heat and simmer slowly for 3-4 hours, stirring frequently so it will not stick or burn.

note: if you like mushrooms, you can add canned or sauteed! (i prefer it without)

serve over egg noodles or rice.