Three Hole Chocolate Cake

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe... she had just discovered it and fallen in love with it a couple of days before we found out about Audrey's allergies, and this was MIL's contribution to keeping me sane.

Preparation time: 20 minutes; Baking time: 30 minutes

• 2 C. sugar
• 3 C. flour
• 1/4 C. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 scant C. canola oil
• 2 C. water
• 1 egg

 Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Make three holes in dry ingredients and put vanilla in one, vinegar in another and oil in the last one.  Pour water and egg over all and stir until combined.  Pour in greased and floured 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cake tests done with a toothpick.  For high altitudes, use 1 tsp. baking soda, add 2 Tbsp. of flour, and bake at 325.

Dairy Free Cornbread

• 1 C. Rice Dream
• 1/4 C. Canola oil
• 1-2 eggs, slightly beaten (I need to use 2 because I am at a high altitude and it won't hold together otherwise)
  
• 1 1/4 C. cornmeal
• 1/2 C. all purpose flour
• 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  

Heat oven to 400.  Grease (I used olive oil) bottom and sides of 9 inch round cake pan or 8x9 square pan.  Beat Rice Dream, oil, and eggs together with a wire whip.  Mix dry ingredients separately and add all at once to wet ingredients. stirring until the flour mixture is moistened through.  Do not over stir; batter should be lumpy.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Southern Style Rice & Beans

Preparation time: Beans = 6-10 hours cooking time in crockpot, 1/2 hour hands-on; Rice = 45 minutes cooking time

• 2 C. dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
• 2 - 4 slices bacon (optional)
  
• 4 - 6 C. water
• 1/8 C. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 head fresh greens (kale, collard greens, spinach, etc.), chopped
  
• 4 tsp. minced garlic
  
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. thyme
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 C. chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 C. brown rice
• water to cook rice

 Place beans and bacon in a crockpot with 4-6 C. of water; cook on low for 6 - 10 hours, until beans are soft and cooked through.  Drain excess liquid, remove bacon strips, and set aside.  Prepare rice according to package directions.  In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onions and saute for ~5 minutes, then add greens, garlic, and seasonings.  Stir in broth and beans and bring to a low simmer.  Cook until greens are tender.  Serve over rice.

Menu: October 17, 2009

Here is what I ate/will be eating today!

Breakfast:

• Multigrain Cheerios & Rice Dream
• Scrambled eggs with diced ham

Lunch:  

• Wheat Thins "Tuscan Herb" Flatbread crackers with smoked ham slices and brown mustard
• a tangerine
  

Afternoon Snack:

• Store brand frozen fruit bar

Supper:

• Southern Style Rice & Beans
• Dairy free Cornbread

Before Bed Snack:

• Act II Kettle Corn (this flavor uses palm oil; from what I saw at my grocery store, all of the other microwave popcorn brands and other Act II flavors use soybean oil and/or contain dairy.)

              

What happens next?

One week ago today, I rushed my just-turned-one-month-old daughter to the emergency room after finding blood in her diaper.  After five hours of tests and waiting, the pediatrician on call decided that the bloody stools were most likely caused by a dairy allergy and, since Audrey is exclusively breastfed, the best treatment at this time would be for me to completely eliminate dairy from my own diet.  The written discharge instructions from the ER said to eliminate dairy for a month, and then gradually reintroduce it and see how the baby tolerates it at that point.  "A whole month without dairy?!" I said to my husband, "This is going to be rough!" Little did I know....

At Audrey's follow up appointment with her pediatrician this Tuesday, the ball really dropped; my sweet girl is allergic to both dairy AND soy, and I can either give both up entirely and continue nursing, or switch her to a formula which she may or may not tolerate well.  I'm firmly committed to breastfeeding my babies until they are at least a year old - things would have to be pretty dire in order for me to willingly switch to formula - so I told the doctor that I would give up dairy and soy.  And then the doctor told me that this change will have to last at least until Audrey's first birthday....

And then I went to the grocery store....

I quickly discovered that it is virtually impossible to find any prepackaged foods that do not contain milk derivatives or some type of soy based something.  And by prepackaged, I don't just mean foods like Hamburger Helper and Oreos, I mean absolutely any type of "finished" food (crackers, bread, cereal, salad dressing, etc.).  If somebody else put it together and wrapped it up in plastic, it is pretty much off limits.  I've never relied hugely on prepackaged foods, but with a newborn and a rambunctious 2 1/2 year old, I do prefer to buy certain staples (like bread) rather than making them myself.  Not to mention the fact that the majority of my recipes call for milk and cheese.  I have a large collection of vegetarian/vegan cookbooks, and they include tofu or soy milk in almost every recipe as well, so even if I can avoid soy and dairy in my shopping, when I get home with my ingredients, what on earth am I supposed to do with them next?

I was completely overwhelmed and discouraged by my "shopping" trip (I didn't buy a whole lot), and when I came home I spent some quality Google time looking for help.  And I found it!  I am so thankful for the internet... I felt much less alone in this situation after looking at some other blogs and getting some recommendations for various dairy/soy free products that will make life much easier, ideas for substitutions in recipes I already have, and recipes and meal suggestions.  I even found a recipe for dairy free pumpkin pie!

So this is my humble contribution to the world of blogs dedicated to living soy & dairy free.  It isn't going to be an easy year, but I know that we can do it, and if you have found yourself in this unexpected and difficult situation, know that you can too!