I never thought pizza would happen for me again after I gave up dairy last November. As I browsed through my recipe list, I sadly scratched pizza off the meals I could still enjoy. I’d been making pretty darn good gluten-free pizza for a few years now, but pizza with no cheese, I mean, come one, what’s the point? Well, turns out I was wrong. I changed my mind a few months ago when my brother and sister in law (Me Gusta Mentequila!) made this delicious gluten-free, dairy-free pizza while I was visiting them for my birthday. It was amazing, and I haven’t been able to get enough. Since then I’ve made it a few times myself and honed in what works best for me. The secret ingredient for this pizza is pesto. Dairy-free, delicious, creamy pesto. Here’s how: Pesto Ingredients 1/3 cup of almonds 1/4 cup of avocado oil, find […]
I don’t deal well with change. I’m rarely on board with a new move or opportunity, and frequently I worry how it would affect us financially. Sometimes, this causes me to become anxious, and I start panicking, which usually means I become more controlling with my environment and my husband. I turn into someone else, and it’s not pretty. For the last few years I’ve been trying to process my past more and figure out what made me so fearful of change. Its not as easy of an answer as I’d have hoped for. Some of it is just the way my brain is wired, some of it has to do with my family dynamic growing up, and some if it has to do with my country and the time in history I was born in. Watching the Moldovan economy collapse and destroy my parent’s savings helped create a neurotic […]
The day I had to give up my precious stick of grass-fed butter was a sad day. I hope to bring it back to my plate soon, but for now, while my gut is healing, I am dairy free. Unfortunately, this also means giving up my main cooking oil – butter. So, I’ve taken to using coconut oil and clarified lard instead. Although I love both of these fats, let’s face it, they both have a pretty overwhelming flavor for most cooking applications. I don’t mind cooking meat in clarified lard or tallow, but with veggies, it tends to get gross. I’ve tried coconut oil for this, but it’s was just too sweet and, for lack of a better word, coconutty. I felt like I was eating coconut with every meal. About three months of experimenting with different butter substitutes, I finally discovered avocado oil. At first I was apprehensive […]
“I am going to marry you” he says, and his hand tightens around mine. “I know it will be tough with me still being in school, but we can do it.” As he continues to explains logistics, my twenty-two year old mind turns into lead. I am trying hard to listen, but all I hear is the sound of my heart pounding hard in my ears. “What do you think?” he inquires and turns to face me. My sweet 6’6″ nineteen year old boy’s face looks serious and concerned, trying to find the answer in my lowered gaze counting the buttons on his shirt. “Um… I am not sure. You know what that means… I just can’t think about this yet… I really don’t know…”, I stammer, trying to loosen my hand from his tight grip. Clayton wraps his arms around me and we stand there on the sidewalk as […]
One of these statements is false. Guess which one. A) Over one billion pesticides are used in one product or another every year in the US. Source B) Out of 84,000 chemicals on the market today, many of which are in objects that people come into contact with on a daily basis, only 50% have been studied for safety. Source C) The average newborn baby, according to the Environmental Working Group, has 287 known toxins in his or her umbilical cord blood. Source If you click on the sources you will quickly figure out which one is false, but I’ll save you some time and give you the answer. If you don’t believe me you can go back and read the article. The false statement is B. Only 1% of the 84 chemicals on the market today have been tested for safety, not 50%! Are you horrified? Me too. If a […]
Tomorrow is the Superbowl and although I am not a huge fan of professional sports (at all, really) I absolute love the food and the fellowship that often forms around it. Lately, things have been tough at gatherings like these, since I have been both dairy and gluten free. Fortunately, there are a lot of great cooks out there with similar needs, and the list of amazing recipes out there you can use to create wonderful healthy spread that avoids the gluten and diary just keeps growing. Not only are these snacks gluten and dairy free, but they are also made out of wholesome delicious ingredients. So this year toss the dorritos and give these real food options a chance. I promise you wont regret it. First things first, lets talk about main courses. Don’t worry there are some lightweight veggie dips coming too. Here is a low carb twist […]
