Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies

Our baby is here, and she does.not.like.dairy.  As in it gives her terrible gas, causing her to scream incessantly all night. We hate to see her in pain, so after a bunch of research and tips from helpful moms like the wonderful Megs Hylland I found ways to cut dairy and soy from my diet. 

My amazing mom took a regular sugar cookie recipe and made it dairy free for me this weekend.  She felt bad that I wouldn't be able to eat any sweets over Christmas because literally everything has dairy in it.  The desserts are my favorite part of Christmas, so I was really sad.  I was supposed to put these in the freezer and save them to bring down to the Tiemeier's house (again, so I'd have something to eat), but they are so delicious I can't keep my hands off of them and will be lucky if they last this week!

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2C powdered sugar
1C vegan butter
1tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 large egg
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
(mom added 1/4 C sugar to the dough too)

1. beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and egg in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or spray.

3. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4" thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes.

4. Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Frosting
(all quantities estimated, adjust accordingly)

1 stick vegan butter, softened
1/4 C vanilla almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2+ C powdered sugar (add to taste and consistency desired)

1. Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer.

2. Frost cookies

Pump up the Protein

Ever since I got pregnant my blood sugar has been funky, and I've been tasked with cutting carbs/sugar and adding protein to each meal.  This week one of Mark's co-workers gave him a free dozen organic, free-range eggs that she raises herself.  We've talked about buying them from her but don't eat eggs enough.  Well, she decided to give us a trial run for free!  They were delicious so I think we are going to start buying them regularly, since eggs are high in protein. 

The other night I was tired of protein and decided to spice it up a little.  Rather than plain old chicken, I tried frying it a little (healthily, of course) to change things up.  I'd also stopped at the farmers market and bought a huge bouquet of fresh basil, and decided to incorporate it. 

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (cut all extra fat off)
1 C panko bread crumbs
paprika
Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning
fresh basil, chopped
1 egg
1 T butter

Melt butter in a skillet until sizzling.  Chop the chicken breasts into chunks.  Scramble the eggs in one bowl.  In a 2nd bowl, mix Panko, seasonings, and basil.  Dip the chicken first in the egg then in the Panko mixture, then place in the skillet.  Cover and cook on medium for about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through (no pink in the center).

We finished off the meal with fresh green beans from the farmers market and a fresh home-baked baguette from Cub.  Delicous!

Lemon Fried Chicken with Quinoa

As I've been working through my protein quest, one of my co-workers, from Israel, has been helpful with finding recipes and creative ideas.  She mentioned a few ways to attempt making quinoa (chock full of protein) taste better.  Mark and I tried out this combo and really liked it!

Quinoa Ingredients:
1 T butter
1/4C onion
2 cloves garlic
chicken broth (amount depends on how much quinoa you use)
quinoa
diced orange, red, and yellow peppers (1/2 of each)

Lemon Chicken Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (or two, if they are small)
1 C panko
1 egg
1 lemon

Melt butter in a sauce pan and add diced onion and pressed garlic.  Cook until fragrant.  Add quinoa and chicken broth and cook per directions on quinoa package (generally about 15 minutes, or until you can see the "eye" of the quinoa.  Using the veggies and chicken broth will add flavor to the quinoa.  After the quinoa is cooked, drain water and add the chopped peppers.

In one bowl, scramble the egg.  Halve the chicken breastand dip first in the egg, then in the panko.  Melt another tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add the chicken once sizzling.  Cook about 5 minutes a side, or until cooked through.  There should be no pink left in the center.  Drizzle lemon over the chicken as it cooks for a light, refreshing taste.

Mango Salsa

I'm pretty sure I've posted a similar recipe to this before, but it's so good in the summer that I thought I'd put it up again.  Today I remembered that my handy-dandy Tupperware salad spinner also has a chopper attachment, so I tried that on my salsa for the first time.  Amazing!  It cut the prep time by 75%.  All you have to do is cut the ingredients into large chunks, toss it in the chopper, and spin.  Voila - instant salsa!!  Using the chopper made it nicely diced too, way better to fit more on a chip. It also goes well as a topping for pork or chicken, if you want to cut the carbs and up your protein. 

Ingredients:
1 Mango
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 tomato
1/2 white onion

Smoothies part 2

I've experimented with a few types of smoothies now. Since the blender is a pain to wash I started making a couple of batches then freezing them for later. Each night I eat one to get a boost of nutrients. Here are some combos. Post your own suggestions too! Blueberry, strawberry, banana, cucumber Strawberry, raspberry, cucumber Apple, pear, strawberry

Pulled Turkey Sandwiches

This is a really easy way to make a meal (and leftovers!).

1 Jenni-O turkey fillet - we used the apple wood flavor
1C organic chicken broth
Hawaiian rolls
BBQ sauce
shredded co-jack

Place the fillet (it will come in two pieces) and chicken broth in a crock pot on low.  Cook for 4-5 hours until cooked through.  Remove and cut or shred with a steak knife (this works best).  Put about 1 oz on each roll, top with 1/2T of BBQ sauce and a little cheese.  Total calorie count per sandwich?  Approximately 175.  Eat up!

Smoothies

One of my co-workers has been expounding on the benefits of home made smoothies.  Granted, hers smell "interesting" and look like swamp juice, but I get her point.  So today when I was craving something icy and sweet I decided to attempt a smoothie. 

1/4-1/2 C lemonade
1C raspberries
1C halved strawberries
ice

blend well until smooth.  add ice to create ideal thickness.  Use less lemonade and more fruit if you want it sweeter.  This made two large smoothies, so I stuck one in the freezer for later.