Dairy Free's The Way For Me.

...not really. I'm just trying to psych myself out so I don't feel as defeated and forlorn as I do right now, looking down the barrel of a dairy-free future.

OK, OK, so maybe that's a bit dramatic, but if you think so, YOU try abstaining from all dairy for the past nearly four months, with no end in sight.

Not only can I not have dairy, but I just read this entire article (and many more afterwards that said the same thing) saying that I should avoid peanuts and peanut butter since A has a dairy allergy, so as not to predispose her to a peanut allergy. WHAT?!?!?! First off, that's news to me, and as such I've been stuffing my face with peanut butter for the past six months. Seriously, I cannot get enough of the stuff. Second, WTF. How am I going to live without dairy OR peanut butter? Geeeeeeeeeeeez.

OK, done crying now. I'm getting over it. It's the best thing for her so that I can continue to breastfeed and give her every advantage of breastmilk, which is important to me. More important than ice cream, or chocolate, or apples and peanut butter. Kind of.

Anyhow, seeing as how I'm stuck in this dairy-free lifestyle until I (or A, really) choose to discontinue breastfeeding, which isn't in the foreseeable future, it's time to stop whining and start making some fantastic dairy-free food.

Here is a dish that has been a favorite around this house of late:

Stuffed Bell Peppers (serves 2)
2 large bell peppers, shaped well for standing and being stuffed
1/2 lb. ground beef, give or take
1-2 cups rice (your preference - I like more)
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 diced white or yellow onion
1 clove garlic, diced
A splash of Worchestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain. Add onion and garlic to the pan with the meat, cook on medium heat until fragrant.

In a medium bowl, combine meat mixture, tomato sauce, worchestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Add rice. Mix until moistened.

Slice a straight, clean line into the tops of the peppers. Set the tops aside. Remove hull and seeds, and set pepper "shells" into an 8x8 pan. Fill with an inch of water. Scoop filling from bowl and stuff into peppers, packing tightly. Place tops back onto peppers, and place into your preheated oven for one hour. Enjoy!

Here's our finished product:



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