Pioneer Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas Dairy & Gluten Free (mostly)

This enchilada recipe from the Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite homemade dishes and now that we've eliminated dairy and gluten from our diets the challenge is to find great substitutes. 

Because this recipe has so much dairy in it, I was afraid to cut it ALL out for fear that it wouldn't have enough flavor but I think it's totally doable and I will definitely try it next time. 

Here's the two ingredients that I subbed. Pepper Jack Cashew Cheese from Whole Foods for the sour cream and full fat coconut milk (the canned kind) for the heavy cream (let the can rest for at least 30 mins and spoon out the top fat into your measuring cup). I use Native Forest because it's certified Non GMO, Organic, and BPA free. 

I wasn't sure if using the coconut milk would make the enchiladas taste coconut-ty but it didn't. 

We just discovered cashew cheese a few weeks ago. Ya'll, it's so good! We dip tortilla chips in it like queso. All that's in it is cashews and seasoning and it seems really easy to make at home if you have a good blender. I'm hoping to try that soon. 

Like I said, I did keep a few "naughty" ingredients in the mix for fear that it would turn out horrible for various reasons. I kept the butter & flour because it only called for a little and I didn't want to mess up the function of the flour as a binder.  I used 1/2 c monterey jack cheese in the sauce and 1/4c shredded on top (instead of 2 1/2 c the recipe calls for) but I don't think it was necessary. I think next time I would maybe add 1/2c more cashew cheese and possibly 1/4c - 1/2c extra chicken broth so the sauce doesn't get too thick.  

I omitted the jalapeño and only used 1 4oz can of green chiles because the flavor from the pepper jack cheese was just enough of a kick for our taste. Here's a visual of the ingredients I used:

*I don't fry the tortillas in oil. I just warm them in the microwave right before assembling them. So I only use 1 TBSP of oil, usually olive.

This recipe turned out so great! Much better than I expected though it is a little time consuming. You could use a rotisserie chicken to speed it up and use store bought chicken broth but the homemade broth & chicken do have a great taste. I also use some of the leftover broth and make this green rice to go with the enchiladas. It's so good and I also made it mostly dairy free by using rice milk instead of regular milk. I did use regular butter but might try coconut butter or ghee next time and coconut milk instead of rice milk maybe. 

Since it's usually just the two of us, I always cook half and freeze the rest. They last us about 4 meals so it's totally worth all the time to cook. 

This meal tasted great (Brent even agreed) and I had NO digestive issues which it's amazing that there's an enchilada recipe I can say that about. So Good! 

Oakland Illustrated

Some friends of ours are starting a little letterpress shop just across the bay in Oakland. To get the word out they've collaborated with a handful of designers, Brent being one, on a series of letterpress prints which they are selling on Kickstarter. 

 The theme for the series was Oakland so each designer selected a different landmark or idea centered around that. Brent did an oak tree (which is obviously what Oakland is named after). 

He's also collaborating with Nate on this 8 x 10 letterpress of California. 

 Hoping to sell Brents contributions on his web store at some point but if you're interested in the full set make sure to check out the Kickstarter for all the details. You can get the set of 10 for $55 or the full set including the 8 x 10 for $125 which is a good deal for that many prints. Only 21 days left to purchase them so get them while you can!

SoCal with the 'rents

It was so fun to spend several days with my parents in southern California! They stayed a few days after a work trip to hangout with us which was so perfect because we love an excuse to go down to SoCal. 

We met up with them in Santa Barbara, one of our favorite places, and stayed at the Bacara Resort with this view from our balcony. Great way to start the trip, right? 

We just love SB. It's so quiet and peaceful but not out in the boondocks. It has good food and is close to LA. (Someday I will post my suggestions for the ultimate SoCal vacation). We had a fun time taking the 'rents around to a few of our favorite restaurants in SB and then headed for L.A. 

No trip to L.A. is complete without a Diddy Reese ice cream sandwich. Mom's a superstar with her sunglasses on inside. When in Rome right...

Probably the most unique experience of the trip was visiting the Magic Castle. This place was so odd and really indescribable. I wish they allowed pics because I could do a better job of describing it that way. 

It is an exclusive magic club with an old school strict dress code (yes believe it or not we did not choose to dress this way). For example, men can share their jacket with a lady when seated but when walking around the castle men have to wear their jacket. Very specific right?

One of my dad's childhood friends performs at the castle from time to time and was able to get us in. Unfortunately he wasn't performing that night which is probably just as well because I'm almost certain he would have embarrassed me. 

My parents still love to talk about when I was his assistant as a kid and how funny it was to watch me try so hard to separate these metal rings. He would separate them like it was nothing then hand them to me and I tried so hard and couldn't do it.

Since you aren't allowed to take pics inside this was the last pic we got. The first 3 magic shows were amazing. The last one was terrifying because, once again, I was selected to be the assistant during the show...it was just like the old days. No rings this time just pure Linds stagefright. If you know me very well you know that being in front of an audience is about the worst thing that could happen to me. My only saving grace was that the other girls asked to assist was drunk and made me look a little better. I guess my calling in life is not to be a magicians assistant and I'm ok with that. 

After the Magic Castle we headed to our rental house about 45 minutes south of LA in Laguna Nigel. The house had lots of space to hangout and enjoy life. It was so peaceful and relaxing and perfect. 

Mom and Dad were in CA for a work trip and one of their events was a Great Gatsby themed party. Aren't they cute!

Our last meal was in Venice Beach at Baby Blues BBQ. Good BBQ and the best banana pudding I've ever had. 

We stayed a few extra days in LA after the 'rents left. We got lucky that the weekend we were in town was the same weekend as our friend Grace's art show. To make matters better it was in an ice cream shop. Sold!

And it's always fun to see these guys. Chris and Jared took us around LA and kept us entertained.

Also, they took pics for us so we didn't have to take selfies. 

Still no Kardashian sighting. What's up with that?  Maybe next time. 

30

Well it happened. I turned 30.

On the plus side we spent the day in Napa Valley. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Perfect weather to celebrate my birthday. 

If you're ever in Napa, I highly suggest checking out the donuts at Boon Fly Cafe. I haven't had a full meal there yet but I'm sure it's good too.

Might have had a cupcake or two as well...at the time it seemed like a good idea. The next day I realized it was a big mistake. This gluten free thing is not easy!

We didn't do any wine tasting. It's just not our thing. But had to take a vineyard pic.

There are so many Napa Valley restaurants that I want to try but decided on Bouchon's. It was good but not good enough to keep me from trying a new place next time we're out there. (My favorite Napa Valley restaurant is still Rutherford Grill. Sorry Bouchon.)

Loved seeing the sunshine and the warm weather. It's always nice to venture outside of the city. It certainly was a good way to start my 30's. 

OKC Couchmans

We had a great time visiting the OKC Couchmans earlier this year. It was our first trip to Oklahoma City so we tried all of Bryan & Jill's local favorites and had some good quality time with the fam. 

 I think everyone's tweeting about how much fun we were having. 

Bryan had a lucky night at the Casino. The rest of us were praying for the gamblers souls outside. 

We had some good ole' fashioned fun! You're never too old to play on the playground! 

 And, as a bonus, I got to meet Graham and see Kat! Graham is full of personality. He's such a calm and cool kid with style. He's way cooler than I am. Wish I had a daughter to prearrange their marriage. 

Only Read If Your Interested in Hippie Food Stuff. You've been warned.

This post is a follow up to my last post.

I'm still a noob but thought I'd pass along what I know. Maybe some of my fellow hippies out there (Cassie) can pass along their wealth of information as well:).

I will say, because of the large amount of food processing/blending that I've been doing lately, I did invest in a (reconditioned) Vitamix. I haven't gotten it in the mail yet (boo!) but I think it will be a game-changer.

Coconut Oil
I started my coconut oil obsession pre-diet. For reasons such as these: (check out the full article here)

The first, extra-virgin olive oil is the best monounsaturated fat and works great as a salad dressing. However, olive oil should not be used for cooking. Due to its chemical structure, heat makes olive oil susceptible to oxidative damage. So for cooking, I use coconut oil exclusively.

And polyunsaturated fats, which include common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to cook with.

I have tried many of these 101 uses. I won't even tell you some of the uses I've tried, but mostly I use it for cooking, night cream, eye make up remover, lotion, and to shave with. It can be pretty pricey but a friend recommended this site where you can buy in bulk at significantly cheaper prices. I was told to make sure you buy the pale opener if you buy a one or five gallon size.

Almond Flour
I just got my first package of almond flour last week. It is 100% pure skinless almonds so it has a lot of protein and the best part is it makes some delicious chocolate chip cookies THAT ARE DIET FRIENDLY (in moderation...boo). I keep them in the freezer and grab one when I want it. I made a few substitutions. I used melted coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil, honey instead of agave, and 85% dark chocolate just because I had it around. When I'm done testing foods I'd like to try it with melted organic butter at some point and see how that changes the taste. 

Elena's Pantry has been my go-to blog for almond flour cooking and other great recipes as well. She is gluten free and has many dairy free & egg free recipes too. She even has a cookbook about cooking with almond flour which looks good.

I made her fish stick recipe and it was very good. In the comments there are tips for baking them instead of frying.

Also made her Chocolate Cranberry Bars with almonds instead of pecans that are good.  And I really enjoyed her Brownie recipe. I made it pre-diet...it has eggs, but has pretty good ingredients, though a little pricey to make, mostly because it uses a jar of almond butter. Which brings me to my next point...

Almond Butter
This has been my go to snack mostly just on an apple. Brent also likes it on crackers with honey. I'm on the lookout to buy almonds in bulk and make my own almond butter in my Vitamix. Anyone know a good, cheap place to buy almonds in bulk?

Bananas
A staple around here. Mostly in frozen form. I've had the following green smoothie configuration for breakfast for nearly two months straight and am still not tired of it:

1 frozen banana, 1 cup spinach, 5-7 frozen organic strawberries, 1TBSP flaxseed, coconut milk (full fat from the can and/or kind out of the carton).

Desserts
3 desserts I've found that are diet approved (in moderation): banana ice cream, chocolate chia pudding, and the dairy free/gluten free chocolate chip cookies I mentioned above. These Chocolate Chip Cookies look good too and were recommended by a friend but have eggs.  I will be trying them at some point just not now.

Here are some Banana ice cream ideas. My faves right now are the banana + fresh strawberries combination and this one:

Vanilla Soft Serve
1.5 bananas
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (i didn't use this at first but finally bought some and really like it)
1 tsp organic vanilla
3 cubes of ice
2 TBSP water


Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
15 oz can organic full fat coconut milk (this is usually found in a can not carton. i use native forest from whole foods because they don't use bpa's in the can lining).
1 c organic frozen or fresh strawberries 
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/4 c honey
sea salt to fast
2/3c chia seeds (I bought them here for much cheaper than whole foods.)

Cooking Instructions

1. Place coconut milk, strawberries, vanilla, cacoa powder, honey, and salt in a blender. Blend until all ingredients are well blended. 2. Place the chia seeds in a bowl. Pour the chocolate milk over the chia seeds. Stir; allow to sit for 5 minutes, and then stir again. Make sure to break up any clumps that have formed. Cover. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving but overnight is ideal. Garnish: When you are ready to serve garnish with raw unsweetened cocoa nibs, sliced strawberries, and chopped toasted almonds.

Health Benefits of Chia seeds:

Come from the plant Salvia Hispanica which is a member of the mint family. Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain protein, antioxidants, vitamins B, C, and E, calcium, and fiber. A chia seed contains 34% fat, 20% protein, 25%fiber. 2 ounces of chia seeds contains 600mg of calcium, compared to 120mg for a cup of milk! 

So good! I also look forward to trying this Banana Cream Pie when I test egg. It looks SO good! Also want to make these diet friendly (in moderation) recipes: Chocolate Coconut Truffles and coconut ice cream (but need to get our ice cream maker repaired first). 

I've been looking for a good egg substitute and a friend recommended this site of helpful food substitutes.

A couple more sites that I haven't spent too much time on but I think are worth checking out for recipes:

http://nomnompaleo.com
http://www.thefoodee.com/tag/whole30/
http://chowstalker.com/whole30/

Lastly, here is my gluten free/dairy free pinterest board. It's mostly desserts...go figure:) and it's pretty short for now but hopefully will be growing soon.  

I think that's about all I know. Would love to hear your ideas. 

Big Changes Around Here (Not pregnant)

I'll keep the suspense to a minimum and just come out and say that I'm gluten intolerant.

I realize this probably isn't interesting to anyone except my mom (love you mom!) but at the very very least maybe I won't have to answer questions of why I've lost weight when I'm in Texas next time:).

I'd been having mostly mild stomach pains for years and years (I don't even know when it started...pre-high school probably) and finally Brent and Amy convinced me to see a professional about it. It's been quite a process and a pretty big change for me and Brent. Brent has been such a trooper! Love him!

I've been doing a lot of research. Mostly trying to find recipes I can eat. I'm on an even stricter diet for the time being (overseen by a nutritionist). I can't eat: processed foods, added sugar, gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nuts (almonds are allowed), corn, citrus fruit, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant)....so you can see why I'm scouring the internet for recipes. Luckily there are some really delicious recipes out there even with all these restrictions, it just takes time to find them. I'm on these restrictions until I test each food one-by-one to see how my stomach reacts to them. (I've tested gluten and dairy so far)

Most of the recipe blogs I end up reading mention something or other that divert my attention from finding recipes to reading about food and how they effect our bodies. Just thought I'd sharing some of the interesting articles I've come across that have helped educate me a little more (or confuse me a little more:).

The jury's still out for me on a lot of topics although I can say for me I feel better than ever and have noticed improvement in my skin, hair, energy level, and obviously for me my stomach feels so much better. But as far as the research goes there are a lot of different ideas and opinions and even contradicting studies that make it hard to decide what's true. I do know I will need to avoid gluten, though I do cheat for special occasions.

Just saw this one today...
14 Foods You Should Never Eat. A few of these are obvious like McDonald's or diet soda but some might surprise you.

The New York Times article last Sunday about Breeding the Nutrition Out of Our Food gives an interesting perspective about the produce in our grocery stores. "The United States Department of Agriculture exerts far more effort developing disease-resistant fruits and vegetables than creating new varieties to enhance the disease resistance of consumers."

This one's for my doctor who told me that dairy is the devil. Haha. Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at All Cost or Why Following the USDA Food Pyramid Guidelines is Bad for Your Health.

I particularly enjoyed the authors sense of humor while challenging the age old idea that dairy prevents bone fractures, his encouragement to get calcium from foods other than milk, and this quote about the USDA food pyramid:  

"Some of the "experts" who helped create the pyramid actually work for the dairy industry, which makes the US Department of agriculture's recommendations reflect industry interests, not science or our best interests." 

I love a good conspiracy theory and how hard is it to believe that there are greedy and powerful people out there trying to keep us consuming their product?...milk is tasty though. 

Man, you guys are gonna think I'm such a hippie! Hope all you're tummies are well! Mine's getting there!