News for Those Who Are Lactose Intolerant

     Thanks to an article my son-in-law Mike found, a whole new world of cheese has been opened up to me.  What he found was an online article by Melanie Pinola. (http://melaniepinola.kinja.com).  In the article she explains that lactose in dairy products is found in sugar which you can check by looking at the nutrition label.  For instance this past week I tried chicken Marsala with Parmesan cheese on it and made a pizza with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on it.  I followed this up with a trip to the grocery store to check the nutrition labels of  romano, feta, gouda, mascarpone, gruyere, parmigiano regiano, cheddar, fontina, and brie cheeses and found they were all listed with zero sugar.  I checked ricotta and found it does have sugar so it remains on the list of cheeses lactose intolerant people can't eat.
     Everyone is different so go slowly with this and make sure each cheese agrees with you before going on to the next.  I also have a small serving the first time I try a new cheese to make sure it will agree with me.
     I'm really happy that a whole new world of cheese has been opened up to me.  This significantly expands the number of recipes I can now make.
     For those who want to read the entire article it can be found at http://lifehacker.com/the-best-cheese-to-eat-if-youre-lactose-intolerant-1563386663
     I hope this opens a world for you that you didn't know was available and makes eating so much more enjoyable.
     Next week I will be sharing tips on how to make a grilled pizza.  My daughter and her husband spent a summer experimenting on how to do this and then shared what they had learned with us.  They like a thicker crust than my husband and I do so I will share ideas on how to do both thick and thin. See you next time.

Caramel Almond Milk Shake

     This is my second in a series of milk shakes.  While it won't help when you are out with family and friends and they all order a milk shake, at least you know you can make one when you get home.  The recipe has some similarites to the chocolate milk shake and you can see between the two that you can be very creative and add different flavorings, ground nuts, fruit, etc.  I have tried making the milk shakes in the blender and with a stick blender and I like the stick blender better because the ingredients are combined and the ice cream hasn't completely melted giving it more the consistency of a milk shake.

                                                         Caramel Almond Milk Shake

3 tblsp. caramel flavored syrup for coffee
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups lactose free vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup lactose free milk
1/4 cup non-dairy whipped topping

     Put all ingredients except non-dairy whipped topping in a deep mixing bowl and blend with a stick blender or put ingredients in a blender and blend just until combined.  Gently fold in the whipped topping and pour into a tall glass.  Garnish with extra whipped topping, a cherry, and almonds if desired.  Makes one large or two small servings.
     Next week I will share some research my son-in-law Mike has been doing for me.  He is always on the lookout for food I can eat and is currently expanding the types of cheeses lactose intolerant people can eat.  I must say that so far it has had a possitive impact on my life and I hope it does for yours as well.  See you next time.

Chocolate Milk Shake

     Since I can't have tea or coffee I don't spend much time in that part of the grocery store.  What changed my mind were some advertisements for products you could add to coffee.  You only use a small amount for a cup of coffee so the flavor is concentrated which is perfect to make your own milk shake.  I will be experimenting with various flavors and sharing the recipes as I go.  I hope you enjoy them and that as the warm summer months come they give you some cool relief when everyone else has a cool drink.

                                                       Chocolate Milk Shake

3 tblsp. liquid favored syrup for coffee
1 1/2 cups lactose free vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1/4 cup lactose free milk
1/4 cup non-dairy whipped topping

     Place all ingredients except non-dairy whipped topping in a blender or a container you can use a stick blender in.  Blend together on lowest speed until just combined.  Gently fold in the non-dairy whipped topping.  Pour in a tall glass.  Serve with more non-dairy whipped topping, a cherry, non-dairy chocolate chips, or nuts.  You can alter this recipe by adding a small amount of extracts for a different flavor also.
     Next week I will continue in my series for milk shakes with caramel almond.  See you then.

Cheese Enchiladas

     I knew that when I began having digestive problems Mexican food would be difficult for me but it was going to be a challenge I was going to have to meet head on because I love it too much to do without it.  Now that I have found some regular cheeses that are lactose free a whole new world has opened up to me.  I was having such a craving for a cheese enchilada and this really satisfied that craving.  You can make these with corn or flour tortillas.  I made mine with corn and the best corn tortillas I have found are at Whole Foods and are the sprouted corn tortillas.  They really made the difference in the taste of my enchiladas.

                                                                Cheese Enchiladas
                                       

Sauce
10 3/4 oz. can tomato soup and
   1 can of water
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

12 corn or flour tortillas
2 2.5 oz. cans sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup soy cheddar, jack, mozzarella style cheese
3 slices each muenster and Swiss lactose free slices
(If you can't find the cheese slices, increase the soy cheese amount)

     Put all the sauce ingredients in a pan and simmer over low heat about 15 minutes.  When you are finished making the enchiladas you will probably have about 2/3 cup left to make enchiladadas the next time.
     Prepare a 9-inch baking dish by spraying with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Heat two tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them flexible.  I like to wrap them in a damp paper towel first to keep them from drying out.  Spoon some sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.  Take out the first tortilla and lay it in the baking dish.  Spoon a little sauce in it, a little soy cheese, 1/4 slice each of the lactose free slices and some black olives and roll up.  Push the enchilada to the side and continue until all the tortillas have been filled.  Spoon some sauce over the top, sprinkle on the remaining cheese and olives.  Bake 20-30 minutes until bubbling and heated through.
     Next week I will be sharing my recipe for an easy chocolate milk shake.  Until then.

Seasoned Oven Fries

     Everyone likes fries but not the calories and frequently how hard they are to digest for delicate digestive systems.  My solution was to make my own fries and bake them.  I could put seasoning on them and control the amount of spiciness.  I could also make them out of white potatoes or yams.  My husband who is watching his weight enjoyed these as much as I did.

                                                          Seasoned Oven Fries

                                          

1 large yam
2 medium white potatoes
4 tblsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

     Preheat oven to 450F.  Peel the yam and wash the white potatoes.  Cut potatoes into the size fries you want.  Wash the white potatoes and dry them.  Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl.  Pour them together with the olive oil into a large zip bag.  Add the potatoes and mix them until the potatoes are completely covered with oil and seasoning.  Put the fries on a cookie rack that is on top of a cookie sheet.  This will allow heat to get all around the potatoes.  Depending on how large your fries are cut it can take from 15 to 30 minutes for them to bake.  Check to make sure that yours are done but not burned.  If you prefer more seasoning you can always sprinkle on more.
     Next week I will be sharing my recipe for cheese enchiladas.  I have been craving and found a way to make them that I'm very happy about.  In the coming weeks there will be more recipes for mug cakes and with summer coming more milk shake recipes.  See you next time.