Sausage and Peppers and Onions

1 lb Italian Sausage links
1 green pepper
1 onion
3 cups rigatoni pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat the oven to 350F.

First cut the sausage links into 1/4 inch pieces and add to a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Then thinly slice the onion and pepper and place on top of the cut sausage.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

Add the cooked pasta to the sausage, peppers, and onions mixture and blend in the spaghetti sauce.  Return to the oven for an additional 25 minutes.

Yummy accidental dip!

I was baking a cake today to celebrate Jesus' birthday (cheesy, I know but my big little bit was so excited to help!). The cake pan I have is shaped like a crown and I needed to use a little more than one box of cake.  Turns out, the batter was so delicious that I have saved some to use as a dip for our Christmas celebration tomorrow at the in-laws!  And since it's vegan, no one has to worry about raw eggs!

1 box of Spice cake
1 can of pumpkin

Mix and enjoy!  I have only eaten it with a spoon and with a club cracker, but I think I'll take graham crackers to the celebration. I also might throw in some diary free chocolate chips!

Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup!

In my last organic produce delivery I got a bunch of kale and some celery.  While I love kale, I was really looking to do something different!  So I researched and came up with this recipe.  I made a few changes and am really happy with the end result!

2T Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil

 1C diced onion
1C diced red pepper
1C diced celery
1/2C diced carrot
1/2C mushrooms
8oz diced smoked sausage
2 cloved minced garlic
1 bunch rinsed and chopped kale
4C chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can Great Northern Beans
1 can Cannelini Beans
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

In a large skillet heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, bell pepper, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and sausage.  Saute, stirring, until onion is tender.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add kale and garlic; cover and continue cooking for 2 minutes.  Add broth, tomatoes, and beans; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are tender.  Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

The ingredients in bold are the additions/changes I made.  Unfortunately, this is not a meal my family would even taste so I didn't have any guinea pigs to try it out on but I really enjoyed it!  The steaming bowl was perfect to enjoy on this semi-cold, rainy day!

Oatmeal (for those who don't like it)

Okay, so I am not an oatmeal person.  I do not like the texture or the flavor, so the idea of eating it regularly to help keep up my milk supply while nursing is not too appealing to me.  Prior to this recipe, I only ate oatmeal in the form of cookies (not too good for my waistline).  In my honest opinion - this oatmeal tastes like warm oatmeal raisin cookie dough, just slightly creamer.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup Instant Oatmeal
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• cinnamon to taste (I use about 1/8 of a teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• raisins (I tend to put in 2 or 3 handfuls)

Directions

1. Add almond milk, water, and oatmeal to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to medium - low and stir in applesauce and cinnamon.  Let simmer for 5 minutes (or until the oatmeal is at a good consistency for you). 
3. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
4. Remove oatmeal from heat and add in raisins.
5. Enjoy!

Serves 1

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Our family celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday with a delicious fried turkey, but we are now stuck with turkey leftovers.  Last night we ate a repeat of Saturday's meal, yet didn't make a dent in our turkey pile.  So I began to think of ways I could help to use up our turkey.  Typically in the past I made Turkey Pot Pie; however, the standard recipes are loaded with milk or cream and occasionally eggs.  None of which I can eat now, but these leftovers left me with quite the craving.  So this morning I was determined to figure out how to make a dairy and egg free Turkey Pot Pie, and I did it!!

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients 

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 2 large carrots, diced finely

• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed finely

• 1 1/2 tablespoon flour

• olive oil, as needed

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup peas

• 2 cups cooked turkey, cut into small pieces

• Pillsbury Pie Crust 

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Heat chicken broth in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add carrots and potatoes. Add flour and stir continuously until dissolved.

2. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil and spices until soft and transparent. Add onion mix to the chicken broth mix, then fold in the peas. Simmer for 15 minute until the vegetables are soft and the broth is thick. Add turkey.

3. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour chicken broth mixture over. Cover with top crust,  and seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

4. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

5. Remove from oven, let stand for 10 minutes. Serve. 

Looks gross but was yummy!

So this is not as healthy as meals I like to make but it sure was delicious!  It was burger night in our house but last minute I realized that I didn't have any hamburger buns!  What's a girl to do?!!?  Luckily I did remember that I had some hot dog buns in the freezer so I grabbed those and put them in the toaster oven.  Then I made my burger patties.  Instead of traditional round patties, I made them into hotdog shape! 

We like to marinate our burger meat and that is what I want to share with you!  We use ground beef or sometimes ground turkey.  I throw the meat in a ziploc bag and pour in some McCormick's burger seasoning, about 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, and about 2 tablespoons of A-1 steak sauce.  I mix all of that and, if I'm on my game and get things done in advance, I like to marinate it overnight, but a few hours is sufficient.  Make patties and grill!

Above does have hotdog chili on it but that was because we had leftovers from a block party.  Typically my burgers are topped with either: 1) mustard, ketchup, onion, spinach OR 2) avocado and barbeque sauce!  MMMM MMMM GOOD!

My official diagnosis!

After almost 6 months of meeting with an allergist and having skin pricks and blood drawn several times, the allergist is finally ready to admit that I am an adult who has developed an egg allergy. :-(  He was very skeptical when I first came into the office, and even admitted that at my last appointment.  It is very rare to develop an egg allergy as an adult.  90% of children with an egg allergy grow out of it in a few years.  My odds are not so good.

The tests showed that my allergy is mostly as a result of egg whites but I did have a small reaction to egg yolk as well.  That explains why I was fine eating coleslaw and ranch dressing (mayo is made with egg yolk).  The allergist did suggest that I completely eliminate both egg yolk and egg whites from my diet because there is no way to completely separate the two. 

He gave me the number of a woman who is involved in food allergy desensitization shots at UNC Chapel Hill.  It is possible that I could be a party of the egg testing but I'm not sure if that is something I would like to do depending on the time it would require, since I don't live in that area.

So where do I go from here?  Avoid egg and live my life.  No future appointments with the allergist scheduled.  Seems I'll be a vegan who eats meat indefinitely!

The crock pot is my best friend!

I am in love with my crock pot.  And I'm slowly learning that it can pretty much be used to make ANYTHING!  One of our other favorite go-to meals, especially when we have company over, is tacos!  It is great because despite the fact that I am egg and dairy free, tacos allow those who 'need' dairy at every meal to be satisfied!

Easy-peasy recipe:
Crock pot Taco Chicken

Put 4 frozen chicken breasts in crock pot.
Sprinkle with about half a packet of taco seasoning.
Pour half a small jar of salsa on top. (More if you use more chicken)

Turn crock pot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Shred the chicken and return to crock pot, stirring with the salsa.

Then set up your taco bar!  For my tacos I typically just use avocado, black olives, and onions.  And depending on my mood, either use soft whole wheat flour tortillas or hard corn taco shells.  (This recipe is gluten-free if you use the corn taco shells!) For company I put out cheese and sour cream as well.

It doesn't get much easier than this!

Our go-to meal!

This is a simple dish that was introduced to us the summer after we got married.  One of the hubs' best friends moved in with us for a few months while he was doing an internship.  I know it doesn't sound too nice, having a roommate when you're newlyweds but we had a blast!  Anyway, he was always cooking up this chicken dish so we've adapted it a little bit and made it our own.  Now we eat it weekly (except for when I'm pregnant and lose all taste for chicken!)

We use Harvestland chicken from BJs.  It comes frozen and is all-natural.  And you can't beat the price!  The hubs defrosts the chicken part way in the microwave and then cuts it up into bite size pieces.  The reason he only defrosts part way is that it is easier to handle and cut that way.  Plus, we don't have to worry about taking it out of the freezer the day before.

We usually use cut up red or orange pepper, zucchini or yellow squash, and onions.  The more colorful the better tasting and better for you!

Start with the chicken in a large pan over medium-high heat and pour in some Free Zesty Italian.  I unfortunately can't give you an exact measurement but I'd say 1/4 of a cup.  You don't want too much liquid in there.  After the chicken is almost cooked fully, throw in the veggies.  We do it this way because we want the veggies to stay crispy!  Once the chicken is fully cooked, I like to turn the burner to high and let the liquid burn down, then I pour in a little water and scrap off the sides and mix it with the chicken.  That helps add flavor and a nice brown color.

The hubs eats his just like that, in a bowl.  I like to add mine on top of a salad.  Sometimes I add a balsalmic dressing.  Because my eczema is only affected by cow's milk, not goat, I often will add goat's milk feta.  Yum!  (but make sure you read all labels because many 'goat cheeses' in the United States are actually made from cow's milk!  Yup, you read that right!  So make sure in the ingredients it says 'pasteurized goat's milk')

Enjoy!

Condensed Recipe without all of my blubbering!

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 onion, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 yellow squash, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4C Free Zesty Italian dressing
Spinach or mixed greens, optional
Feta cheese, optional

Cook chicken with dressing on medium-high heat.  Add veggies when chicken is almost done.  Turn to high and burn off liquid.  Add small amount of water (maybe 1/8C) and scrape sides and bottom of pan to help brown chicken.  Serve over greens or with feta if you chose.  Enjoy!

Banana pancakes

Breakfast for dinner, AKA Brinner, has always been a staple in our house.  And we like to keep it simple.  We're pancakes, eggs, and bacon kind of people.  Well, since my little little bit was born I have developed an egg allergy.  Totally lame but I am finding out ways to get around it.  While my husband still makes the egg-ful pancakes for himself and the big little bit, I was not willing to sit by and watch such scrumptiousness be devoured!  So I played around with some things and made my own!

Now I use 2 cups of Bisquick, a whole small banana, and enough Light Soy Milk to make it the consistency I want.  I used to use applesauce instead of the banana but I just absolutely love the sweetness that the banana brings.  Next I'm going to try coconut milk instead of the soy milk to make it more of an island-y flavor!  Hey mon!

Let me know what kind of vegan pancake variations you enjoy!

Honey Apple Pork Tenderloin

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  Don't you just love Pinterest?!!?  It is so addicting!

Anyway, I took the little bits apple picking this year at our local produce farm.  We had a great time and came home with a peck of apples!  Not knowing what to do with that many apples, I turned to the internet!  Most of the apples went into homemade applesauce for the little little bit but I reserved some for us bigger folk.

3 pounds porkloin
3 red delicious apples, sliced
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup red onion, sliced

 Lay several apples in the base of the slow cooker. Slice slits into porkloin horizontally about 3/4 inch deep. Drizzle honey into slits and fill each with an apple slice.

Transfer porkloin to slow cooker. Drizzle with any remaining honey and cover with apples and onions.
The onions help cut the flavor, otherwise this would be a huge mouthful of unrelenting sweetness. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cook on low for 7 hours.

I omitted the cinnamon because the hubs has a sensitivity but next time I will probably make one tenderloin with cinnamon and one without because I definitely missed that flavor.  The big little bit gobbled this dish up!  It will definitely become a fall staple!

It's my turn!

Hey everyone out there!  It's my turn to introduce myself!!  I am Emily, the mother of two fabulous daughters.  M is 2 1/2 years old and N is 8 months.  And I've been married to my oh-so-wonderful husband, T, for 5 years!

I first went dairy free a few months back when my youngest had a spot of eczema.  I have been plagued with eczema my whole life and wanted to avoid it for N as long as possible.  I had heard many people talking about cutting out dairy while nursing if your child had eczema so I thought I'd give it a try!  Turns out the dairy elimination had no effect on N (hers was gone in a few days and didn't come back when I tried reintroducing the dairy).  My eczema, however, all but cleared up!  It's not perfect but cutting out dairy has made a big difference in my skin.  I have found I can eat goat cheese but for the purpose of this blog, all recipes will be completely dairy free.

After N was born it seems I developed an allergy to eggs.  Over the course of several days, I had many different reactions when eating eggs, cooked in many different ways.  My reactions ranged from *TMI alert* vomiting and other stomach issues, as well as throat itching and tightening.  It is very uncommon to develop an egg allergy as an adult so I guess I should buy a lottery ticket!  Anyway, I've had some allergy testing done and will have to go back for more testing in December.

A few tidbits about me:  I absolutely love my family and being a mother.  I love to read.  Traveling is also a passion of mine but I haven't had much chance since having kids.  Prior to kids I did make it to every continent (that's right, including Antarctica!)  I enjoy working out and am trying to get into running.  I did a super sprint triathlon (meaning extra short, not extra fast!) when N was 6 months old and I am doing my first 5k this coming weekend!

I'm looking forward to enjoying and posting many dairy and egg free recipes!

WAFFLES

Okay, so one of my favorite meals is "brinner."  (A reference from Scrubs about when you have breakfast for dinner.)  As a child we'd always have waffles/pancakes, grits, eggs, and bacon. Unfortunately, the "brinner" meal that I make isn't quite so large.  Tonight's meal consisted of vegan waffles, sausage, and bacon (no, we don't love our meat that much - I was just trying to clean out my meat drawer).  And was quite delicious!!

(Vegan) Waffles
2 cups Bisquick
1 1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons oil

Stir all four ingredients together until the batter is smooth.  Pour into waffle iron and cook following your waffle iron's instructions.  (I did think mine needs just a few more seconds to cook than regular waffles - but waffle iron is also 30+ years old.)

**Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a picture of this meal tonight - I had a hungry husband and 2.5 year old.  

Introduction

I'm a mother of two and need this blog for my son.  He is currently 4.5 months and seems to have a milk protein, egg, peanut butter, and shellfish allergy/intolerance.  The doctors are hopeful that he will outgrow these allergies; however, I'm not holding my breath.  A lot of friends keep asking me why I choose to breastfeed him and limit my diet so much, instead of just switching to formula.  While I agree that this would be easier, I would only be avoiding a lifestyle change my family would need to make when my son began eating table food full time around 1 year.  By making this change now I am able to test foods and recipes now when my body still serves as a filter to my son.  Also, it is easier to fix a back up meal for 3 than it will be for 4.  :-)

A few random tidbits about me - I've been married to my husband for 6 years and prior to becoming a mom I taught 3rd grade.  I now enjoy running, but had never run more than a mile before giving birth to my daughter.  This enjoyment led to my first marathon in March of 2011 and I am currently training for a second one.  College football controls Saturday's in my house in the fall, while boating controls my weekends in the summer.  Although my life is currently slowly being take over by learning how to live egg and dairy free while also supporting my husband in his first half IronMan.

Welcome!!

This website's goal is to share delicious, family friendly recipes for those living a vegan lifestyle due to allergies or personal preference but also enjoy eating meat.  We will share personal cooking successes and failures during this journey of learning to live dairy and egg free.