Everything but the Cow: A Photo Journal in Dairy-Free Cooking

About a month before the wedding, I found out that I am VERY lactose intolerant. I've always had a bit of a belly, but I have been able to hide it well (aka, just suck it in or wear loose fitting clothes). But it got the point where I looked like I was 5 months preggers. At first I just blew it off as I have a tendency to gorge myself during meals. Jake equates me to a puppy that will eat any and all food placed in front of it.

I thought it was food related, so I went gluten free for 2 weeks, but that yielded null results. Then I met with a GI who was pretty sure that my problem was dairy. 60% of Asians are lactose intolerant, so it wasn't a far fetched idea. She told me to go on a dairy free diet for 2 weeks. Um…dairy free is nearly impossible unless all you a) cook all of your own foods, b) are a vegan, c) don’t go to Vegas for your bachelorette party during the diet, and d) schedule cake tastings during said diet. I checked in with my GI after 3 weeks and told her I was failing at the diet and asked if there was an actual test they could give me.

There is. I don't know why they didn't just administer the test in the first place. This is how the test goes:

• Fast for 12 hours before the test. You aren’t even allowed to drink water. I was dying by the time I got to the doc’s office.
• Gulp down the 'drink' they give you. I think it was glucose powder and water. Next, you blow into a machine that reads the level of hydrogen in your system. The theory is that if your body can’t breakdown lactose, it will create a lot of hydrogen. The first measurement is the baseline. Then they take measurements every 30 minutes for the next 2.5 hours. If you reach 30 points over your baseline (everyone’s is different) at the end of test, then you are lactose intolerant.
• My baseline at 9:30am - 10
• 10:00am - 13
• 10:30am – 84 (the nurse said ‘oh wow’)
• 10:50am – 94 (they decreased the time to 20 minutes and again, the nurse said ‘oh wow’)
• 11:15am – 92 (they meant to do it 10 min after the last test, but he took too much time in moving his car)
• 12:00pm – skipped because obviously the test was positive

Now that the wedding is all over, I can concentrate on controlling what I eat. Luck for me, this aligns with my goal to cook more. And lucky for you, I will keep a photo journal (along with the recipes) to share with you all. I decided to call it 'Everything but the Cow' even though it's a misnomer. It just has a nice ring to it. Let me know if you can think of something better.

Pumpkin Pancakes:
 

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
(Serves 2)

     1/2 cup plain soy milk

     1/3 cup pumpkin puree

     1 egg

     2 teaspoons vegetable oil

     2 teaspoons vinegar

     2/3 cup all-purpose flour

     1.5 tablespoon brown sugar

     3/4 teaspoon baking powder

     1/4 teaspoon baking soda

     1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

     1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

     1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

     pinch teaspoon salt

1. In a bowl, beat egg and brown sugar. Add milk, pumpkin, oil, and vinegar.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Batter will be thick.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Spread the batter out. Brown on both sides and serve hot. (I used a nonstick pan and did not grease it)

Chicken Salad Sandwich, Sweet Potato Chips, and a Brownie:

 

Chicken Salad recipe    

     Chopped chicken breast (I'm lazy and buy day old rotissery chicken from the super market. Costco has the best tasting chicken!)

     mayo

     dijon mustard

     sweet relish (adds a nice crunchy sweetness)

     pepper

     paprika

     toasted pine nuts (adds some texture)
     salt - optional (I omit since the chicken is already seasoned)

1. Combine all the ingredients to taste. I didn't specify how much of each as some people like more mayo, while others like less).
2. Spread it on whole wheat or multigrain bread with some greens. Alternatively, you could eat it by the spoonfuls, like Jake.

*The brownie was Betty Crocker box mix.
   

Turkey/Butternut Squash/Spinach Enchiladas:

Serves 4
     1 lb ground turkey
     1/2 lb butternut squash
     spinach
     2 c shredded cheese (I only used 1 c of pre-shredded cheddar)
     8 burrito sized tortillas
     1 package of enchilada mix (I imported Lawry's from Oregon)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Make the enchilada sauce, follow directions on the packaging. I usually had 1/2 c of water to mine to get a little more sauce out of it. I also noticed that mine was a little bland, next time I'll add to it.
3. Brown up ground turkey. Don't forget to lightly season your meat. It's all about layering flavors. Add butternut squash when turkey is just about done and continue cooking. Do not overcook the squash. You don't want mushyness. Strain (if needed).
4. Add enough enchilada sauce to meat/squash mixture to coat. You can add more to make it saucier, but it will leave you with less sauce to cover.
5. Coat bottom of 9x13 pan with enchilada sauce (~1/4-1/2 c). Grab a tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, handful of spinach, and turkey/squash. Roll it up, leaving the edges open. Place in pan, seam side down. Repeat for remaining 7 torillas. You might have to smash some of the enchilada's together. (I only made 7 the way I filled my enchiladas, plus my pan was pretty full).
6. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
7. Pop in oven for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!