Ahhhh, the Holidays

As the holiday's approach, we are faced with so many dinners
out with family and friends.  Not knowing if there will be
food you can eat or just the embarrassment of having to ask
what is in every dish you see can be enough stress to just make
you want to forget it!  I know, I am depressed already and I'm sure
many of you are too.  The one thing I can suggest, is, to talk with
your host/hostess at the time of invitation and let them know
your food needs.  Many meals are 'potluck' and can really be
a hazard.  Make your own dish to bring, so you know there will
be at least something you can share.

I am really not looking forward to get-togethers this year since
it is the first real holiday season that I can't eat what I want I will be
 making a few dishes that everyone can eat.
Our family has dairy free, gluten free, diabetic, vegetarian
and vegan eaters, so you can just imagine THAT!

Experimenting with making a vegan cream of mushroom soup to make
my usual green bean cassarole with.  The Better Than Bouillion
chicken base I use also comes with a 'not chicken' vegetarian base
that I will be trying out.(see yummy soups again post)
Also making my own fried onions to top it with.


As always, if you have any recipes to share or just want to vent,
feel free to reply!

The Not hamburger Burger

My husband is the most amazing man.  I know, I've said it before, but he is.  Being allergic to all things cow, I have been missing things like cheese, chocolate and his dad's famous Back Yard Burgers.  This week, he came up with an  awesome recipe for burgers that go great on the grill so I am not left out at family cook outs anymore.  Straight ground pork just doesn't seem to ever get enough flavor from seasonings, so he's added a 'secret ingredient'.  He bought a package of hickory smoked bacon!  After putting it through the food pro, he added it to 2 lb of plain ground pork.  The bacon gave it a very nice smoky, (almost bbq) flavor and I completely forgot about beef at that point!  Trust me, saying that, from a former Texan point of view, is not something you will normally hear.  My favorite food on earth has always been a nice bit of beef and potato in most any form.


1 pkg bacon (your favorite)
2 lbs plain ground pork
no extra seasonings (doesn't need anything at all)

This recipe makes 8-12 burgers depending on how thick you make them.  Dad's Backyard Burgers are thick, so it made 8 for us.

Non Dairy Cream Cheese!

Now,  you know, I don't like to post about 'regular' products, but I found one this week I just  have to rave about!

One thing I have truly missed being Dairy Free has been Cream Cheese.  I have tried a lot of other cheeses and out of them all, this one stands out as my choice of a superb replacement!

It is Go Veggie Cream Cheese Alternative.  Dairy free, gluten free, lactose free, casein free!  

Ok, so at first glance, it looks like putty.  But....it is amazing!  Tastes just like cream cheese (even my dairy loving husband will eat it!)

Our first attempt at cooking with it was a pork stroganoff using the cream cheese as a replacement for sour cream in the sauce (use your favorite noodles and meat)  and it was wonderful!  

I don't particularly care for their mainstream cheeses (but I am picky picky picky about my cheese) but this one I do love.  

We found it at our local Publix Market and being in a food adventuring mood, we decided to try it and have since kept it in the fridge constantly.  

It also comes in a Strawberry and a Chive and Garlic blend that I have yet to find anywhere locally, so if you've tried it, let me know how you like it!

Taco Bell Update

Hi all!  Thank you all for the comments!  I am really glad this is helping out.  I have updated the Taco Bell page to now include a link to their nutritional info page.

Rough few weeks

Actually, its been a rough month or more and I haven't felt much like posting anything.  I will update and add new restaurants this week though.

New Restaurants wanted!

I am still looking for new places to add to the list.  If you have one you'd like to see here, just let me know and I"ll do my best to get it on here fast!

Taco Bell

Added

Yummy soups again!

One of the foods I missed the most being dairy free was cream of chicken.  It was my base soup in so many of our  favorite recipies, I got  depressed thinking about it.  However, I happen to be blessed with an amazing husband who researched until he found a replacement for everything!

One thing he found was Better Than bouillon  Organic Chicken Base.
It is gluten free and dairy free and also comes in a Vegan chicken base that is pretty darn good.

I have also found that Campbell's makes a gluten free/dairy free Chicken Stock (honestly, you would be surprised at the  amount of stock/broth/bouillon that have wheat and dairy  products in them!)

EASY CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

2 cups chicken stock
2 cups Almond Milk  (unsweetened, original)
1 can diced chicken (or your favorite type)
1 cup of either Bisquick for our dairy free or
    1 cup of your favorite baking mix for gluten free
     You may need to add a pinch or so of Xanthan Gum to
     make it thicken if you use plain rice flour
add to taste
onion powder
garlic powder
celery salt
pepper

Mix your dry with the milk to a smooth texture
bring your stock to a low boil and slowly pour in
the milk mix, wisk to keep it smooth (too slow and you will
end up with dumplings instead)

add in your chicken and let simmer until the broth thickens to
the texture you prefer

serve and enjoy!


you can do this with broccoli, mushrooms (use veggie bouillon) ham (trust me, not as crazy as it sounds!  makes a great gravy over your favorite biscuits for breakfast.)  We've used this for sausage gravy and cream gravy when you start missing something to have with your baked potatoes or over turkey dinner.


A quick word on the sausage I mentioned above.
There are a couple of good brands that make a gluten/dairy free  breakfast sausage that you can find in your regular grocery store.
Just read the label to make sure.

Pizza and you

No, no no and no.

Well....I take that back.  There are some amazingly delicious gluten free pizza crusts and mixes out on the market today.  You'll have to check each brand, but most seem to be both gluten and dairy free.  For those of us who are dairy free, use your favorite non dairy cheese (one word of caution:  I am allergic to Casein also and quite a few companies use it in their cheeses, so read, read, read)

Perkins

I have updated their menu today.

Over the counter meds and you

After being diagnosed allergic to milk, I was told that I could take Benadryl if I accidentally ate something with dairy in it.  Me being the saving money type, I bought the store brand instead.  Bad mistake!  My husband bought some Allegra for his summer allergies, and reading the label, he said that I could not take them.  Then he said, (grrr)  wouldn't that be funny if you were allergic to your allergy meds?  *me...not so amused* So, I went to read the label.  Turns out, I AM allergic to my allergy meds!  It has a milk product used as a binding agent.  Checking alot of other labels in the house, turns out there are alot of things in your over the counter meds you need to be aware of.  If you are gluten free, be aware that some companies use modified food starch, pregelatinized starch (usually from an unnamed food source) as a filler/binding agent.  The same with Dairy free.  Many companies use Lactose Monohydrate which is a milk sugar and if you are severely allergic WILL cause you problems.

So, READ, read, read your labels!  

I will be attaching a list of over the counter meds that are gluten and dairy free soon!


Advil
200 mg tablets
caplets
gel caplets
Liqui-gels
Advil Migraine

Tylenol
Everything that is currently available(not every product
is available due to changes in their manufacturing plants)
is gluten/dairy free (as of June, 10, 2013)

Tums
Everything they sell is fine except the Tums Dual Action
Berry Flavor. Gluten free can have them, Dairy free can not

Vicks
includes Nyquil, Nature Fusion, Sinex, Formula 44

Benadryl
All products

Claritin
Reditabs
Liquigels
Tablets are gluten free, not dairy free

Claritin D
12 hr is not dairy free
24 hr is dairy and gluten free

Claritin Childrens
Chewables
Syrup
Reditabs
Sudafed
Sudafed 12 Pressure and Pain  (not dairy free)
Sudafed PE Pressure and Pain (contains pregelatinized starch no source)
Sudafed Congestion (contains pregelatinized starch no source)
Sudafed PE Congestion (same as above)
Sudafed PE Day and Night Congestion(same as above)
Sudafed PE non drying sinus (same as above)
Sudafed 12 hour good for both
Sudafed 24 hour good also
Sudafed PE Sinus and Allergy (pregelatinized starch)
Sudafed PE Cold and Cough  (same as above)
Sudafed PE Severe Cold good for both
Sudafed Triple Action (pregelatinized starch)
Sudafed PE Triple Action (same as above)
Children's Sudafed Nasal Decongestant Grape Good for both
Children's Sudafed PE nasal decon, Raspberry  good for both
Childrens Sudafed PE Cold and Cough Grape  good for both

Pediacare
all products are gluten/dairy free

Goody's
Extra Strenght headache powder  (not dairy free)
Extra strenght caplets good for both
migraine releif caplets good for both
PM Powder (not dairy free)
Body Pain Powder  (not dairy free)
Cool Orange Powder good for both


Alka-Seltzer
Fruit Chews (not gluten free)
Original  good for both
Extra Strength
Lemon-Lime
Heartburn Relief
Gold

St. Joseph's
Aspirin  all types are not gluten free
Maximum Strenght Flu good for both
Cough and Cold HBP  good for both
Chest congestion and cough HBP  good for both

New Restaurants

If you have any restaurant you would like to see on my blog, please post a comment and I'll put it on there.  I will also do Dairy Free listings for you.  I am still in the works of updating the current list with dairy free.

No Milk for Me!

After 6 months of being gluten free, I was talking with my Dr about the problems I am still having, so he sent me for allergy testing.  Turns out, I've been severely allergic to milk all this time not the wheat!

I will be keeping up the Gluten Free Dining and adding a separate menu for each place for Dairy Free.

1 week off of ANYTHING dairy, I am feeling much better, but slightly depressed when I think of everything I can't eat now.  I will get over it.  He says I am also slightly allergic to beef and caesin.  So  just keep the cows away from me and I'll be alright!

Updating Menu's

As of this post, I have made a few changes to some of the Menu's listed here.  I will be trying to contact each company about their menu's (and possibly making some suggestions).

If you are worried about anything anywhere,  just ask your server or manager.

French Fries

If you are addicted to French Fries (like me)  you really need to be careful when ordering them anywhere.  Chris took me out to eat this week at Applebee's.  I was happy to see fries on their gluten free menu.  However, after questioning the waitress, I found that they are fried in the same oil as everything else in the restaurant.  I mean EVERYTHING!  Fried Chicken, onion slices, shrimp, anything that is 'fried' on their menu is fried in the same vat of oil.  It is actually frightening to me.  Imagine if you have a shellfish allergy and it says you can eat these?  I am especially sensitive to wheat and can not eat foods that have been fried in the same oil as flour coated foods. So be aware that not all that is listed is golden.  ASK, ask, ask and if the waiter/waitress doesn't know, ask for the manager.  One small slip on a menu can mean bad days of suffering!