Sesmark Rice Thins

How many times have I been excited to try a cracker, only to find that it has whey or cheese in the ingredients? And now that I've been limiting my wheat intake, finding a cracker that works for me seems literally impossible! Almost...

"Sesmark" puts out a cracker called Rice Thins that is rice-based and both dairy and wheat-free. They are very tasty (I've tried Teriyaki and Sesame), light on weight, and have a great crunch, much like a chip.

You can eat these rice thins without much guilt. 15 crackers gives you 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat and 0 sugar. I've seen these EVERYWHERE: Rainbow Foods, Lunds, Whole Foods, Wedge Coop, etc. Now you can relax, knowing your guacamole, hummus or soup will have a friend again :)

Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage

Sometimes its nice to take a break from soy...so I went out and bought the Vanilla Coconut Milk beverage, the final piece to the dairy milk alternative puzzle. In this case, "save the best for last" really sums up my experience. Without a doubt, this milk alternative is the winner.

Coconut milk is often thought of as a fattening, high in calorie liquid. This milk, however, has only 90 calories for an entire cup of it. And don't get frazzled when you see that there are 5 grams of fat...remember, this fat is a medium-chain fatty acid, which means that it is stored as energy in the body, not as fat. In addition, there are only 7 grams of sugar, whereas my packet of soy milk had 11.

I've tried the coconut milk with cereal as well as in my chai tea. It worked splendidly in both and I will do it again today. The coconut flavor is pretty subtle which makes it a completely viable option for an everyday milk alternative, not just a "once in a while treat" when you want something really sweet.

I found it, as well as the coconut milk kefir (also great!), at Whole Foods in St. Paul. For a half gallon, it cost a little over $4.

Coconut Milk Kefir coming!

Coconuts seem to be all the rage these days! First it was the initial talk about coconut oil and all of its healing, energizing, weight-loss promoting properties. I have jumped on this band wagon and can attest to the added energy I have after literally adding only 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil into my daily smoothie. I have added 2 miles to my running route, increased weight in my lifting and overall feel more energized and awake every day.

Then I spied the coconut milk ice cream in the freezer section at Whole Foods. This is a DELICIOUS alternative to regular ice cream. Coconut milk has now been made into a new dairy milk alternative and surprisingly low in calories (80 calories per cup). That is definitely on my to-do list and will post on it as soon as I've sampled the stuff.

Today, I became aware of yet another new product that is made with coconut milk...and it looks very promising! Posted on the "hungry vegan" blog, they announced that there is now a Coconut Milk Kefir coming to the grocery store! Check out this posting which includes a delicious sounding smoothie recipe: Hungry Vegan

Recipe: Scott's Green Bean Dream

Another delicious side dish brought to the 4th of July party... This time, we've got "Scott's Green Bean Dream". There were two bowls of it at the party - one with the feta and one without. It was a hit with BOTH the cheese eaters and those avoiding dairy. The dressing was TO DIE FOR! Everyone commented on how wonderful of a flavor the mint was in the mix.

To recreate this dream of a dish, see the recipe below...and of course omit the feta if you want to remain lactose-free.

1 ½ pounds steamed green beans

Mix with…

1 cup toasted chopped walnuts

2/3 cup crumbled feta

½ cup finely chopped red onion

and mix with the dressing…

½ cup chopped mint

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

2 cloves chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Recipe: Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

This year at our 4th of July party, the food that came along with our guests was just to die for! Many of the guests came prepared to make a separate dairy-free version of the dish they brought. I have some very thoughtful friends and family!!!

The following recipe is a salad that my sister brought (found on the food network), which was devoured before the grilled food was even ready! For those of you looking to eat dairy-free, omit the mozzarella. You won't even miss it...

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 1/2 cups packed fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

• 4 ears corn, kernels removed (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes, halved (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, diced
• 2 medium avocados, diced

Directions

Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender, using 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste; process until smooth. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Nutritional Yeast Adds Flavor and Nutrition But NOT the Fat!

Nutritional Yeast is a secret gem. It is a wonderful ingredient that many vegans have discovered during their pursuit of finding a butter or cheese replacement in their meals. This ingredient can often be found in vegan dishes that are suppose to taste cheesy. I have found it in vegan recipes for Mac and Cheese, Pasta Premavera or as a butter replacement on top of popcorn or corn on the cob.

Now, many people who aren't vegan but are health-conscious are taking advantage of the wonderful flavor and benefits of nutritional yeast and ditching the calories and fat associated with cheese and butter. So what are these benefits I speak of?

1. Nutritional yeast contains 18 amino acids which means it is considered a complete protein and also contains 15 different minerals. For those on a low cholesterol diet, vegetarians or those looking to boost protein levels, nutritional yeast makes a great addition or substitution to meats, dairy and other high fat proteins.

2. This ingredient helps reduce stress and a boost in nutrition. Yeast is rich in B-complex vitamins, the most common vitamin deficiencies, which among other great benefits, help to regulate mood.

3. Do you have diabetes? Nutritional yeast contains chromium, a trace mineral known as the Glucose Tolerance Factor. If you have fluctuating blood sugar levels or a tendency towards low blood pressure, regular intake of nutritional yeast may help.

4. Substituting nutritional yeast in your recipes makes for healthier meals. Sprinkling it in soup creates a creamy consistency without adding milk. You can use it as a topping for popcorn instead of fattening butter or salt. Yeast mixed with vinegar and oil makes a delicious and healthy salad dressing. You can even sprinkle yeast on sandwiches to add a cheesy flavor.

Recipe: Mashed Indian-style Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are healthier for you than white potatoes so why not use them in your potato salads or mashed potato sides? Here is a recipe you can try to change things up.

You will need:

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, chopped into small pieces
  
• 2 TBS fresh orange juice
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt and white pepper to taste

How to prepare:

Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a steamer with a tight fitting lid and steam the diced sweet potato pieces in the steamer for about 10 minutes or until they are tender. When tender, mash the pieces with a potato masher (or fork if you don't have one) and then add the rest of the ingredients and mash together until well mixed.

Its a nice change and healthy one too!

A Comparison Review of Vegan Cheeses in the Market

Cheese. It is the one thing that people say they miss most when they can no longer consume dairy. Thank god there are many scientists out there working hard to make a replacement that is comparable. One thing you will notice if you look closely is that the dairy-free cheese is often much healthier for you in that they do not usually contain the long-chain saturated fats that regular cheese has. Some people are choosing the vegan cheeses for health reasons even when they can digest cheese with no problem!

I found this article on the "Go Dairy Free" blog which does an analysis of all the substitute cheeses out there in the stores. Makes life a little easier!

http://www.godairyfree.org/Alisa-s-Blog/Alisa-s-Milk-Free-Blog/Vegan-Pizza-Cheese-Face-off-Teese-Sheese-Follow-Your-Heart-and-Cheezly.html

Organic Food Bar

When I'm afraid I'm going to be stuck without food to eat, whether that means at an event without food my stomach can handle or a day away from my house, I usually carry around something that will help me get by JUST in case. A few months ago, I came across this organic food bar at Whole Foods that is both lactose-free and gluten-free and full of ingredients that are extremely good for you. It is also cold-processed which I'm reading is very important in maintaining the product's nutrients and avoiding oil rancidity (which leads to free radicals in the body, therefore, an aging body).

My immediate reaction to the nutrition info was "Whoa, that's a lot of fat!" 12 grams....but after closer inspection, I saw that only 2 of those grams were saturated. The fat is coming from almond butter...which has a lot of good things to offer as far as nutrition goes.

So I was at the Saints baseball game last week and I was in one of those situations where I couldn't find something to eat, so I took this food bar out of my purse and had it for dinner. Hey, there may be 12 grams of fat, but I was FULL afterward...so full I didn't have dessert that night! (and I never skip dessert...) so in the end, I probably ended up eating less calories than normal.

For a food bar, this wasn't bad. It was sweet and having something for dinner that was sweet wasn't exactly ideal, but it was tasty enough with the strongest flavors being almond butter and raisins. There are several other flavors: original, vegan, chocolate chip, omega-3 flax, active greens, wild blueberry, cranberry, protein and several "raw vegan" versions. I've seen these at Whole Foods, most co-ops and Trader Joes. I have pasted the ingredients and nutritional information below. If you would like to visit the website, click here.

Ingredients: Organic Almond Butter, organic date paste, organic agave nectar, organic brown rice protein, organic bio sprouts - flax, organic raisins, organic bio sprouts - quinoa, organic sesame seeds

Nutritional Information:
Calories - 300
Total Fat - 12g (2g saturated)
Total Carbohydrates - 34g (20g sugars, 6g dietary fiber)
Protein - 14g
Sodium - 25mg (1% daily value)
Cholesterol - 0mg

Lactose in Medications and Supplements?!

A few weeks back, I was having some severe allergy symptoms after the cottonwood tree let go of all the cotton here in Minneapolis. I went and bought a box of Claritin since that is the allergy medication that everyone seems to use. I took a pill and waited. I was relieved to see my allergy symptoms go away, but horrified to see my lactose intolerance symptoms appear. How could this be? I hadn't ingested any dairy whatsoever....so I thought!

On the back of the box in the ingredient section, the FIRST ingredient in my generic Claritin pills from Target was LACTOSE!!! I was completely shocked! WHY would they decide to add lactose to a pill? So I made my way back to Target in search of an allergy pill that did not include lactose. You would not believe how hard it was to find one that was free of this "poison"! The only adult dosage with non-drowsy listed on the box was Alavert. I am happy I can now say I have a pill that not only works and leaves my digestive tract alone, but one that dissolves in your mouth as a mint!

If you are avoiding dairy, be sure to check the ingredients of all supplements and medications you take. It is in a lot of them! To date, I've seen it in probiotics, antacids, dietary supplements, etc.