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don't miss dairy

Emily Stokes
I'm a lady who loves cheese, sour cream, & ice cream, but I recently became lactose intolerant. My key focus in recreating dairy recipes is taste, but I try to be as health conscious as possible. Some of my recipes are low lactose rather than dairy free. I'm also a writer, teacher, nanny, dog mom, housewife, native Yinzer, current Californian, and social organizer extraordinaire.

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon

Rainbow Swiss Chard with bacon from dontmissdairy.com
 

This summer I planted my garden very late, because I was traveling for most of June. I had to choose some late summer vegetables like cucumbers and peppers. I did research and read that chard is a perfect vegetable to grow in July in California, so I grew some beautiful Rainbow Swiss Chard in an earth box right on my patio.

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com

Isn’t it pretty?

My chard quickly flourished, so I needed to cook some before the leaves got too big and bitter tasting. I didn’t have much to cut–about 12 stems–but it seemed like enough for a side dish for two. I cut the larger leaves from the outside of the plants and put them in a bowl of water. I let them soak for 15 minutes to get nice and clean and plump.

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com
The portion was almost perfect, but it turned out so amazing that I really wanted another helping! If you are cooking for one follow this recipe, but double it for two or three people.

The chard cooks quickly, so I cut off the stems and cooked them in olive oil before adding anything else to the pan. While the colorful stems were sautéing, I chopped up the leaves and some precooked, cooled bacon strips (uncured is the healthiest). The bacon could also be crumbled up into bacon bits.

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com
Rainbow Swiss Chards with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com

This has been deemed the best Swiss chard recipe of all time by my husband. He joked that he married me because he knew in three years, I was going to make the best chard he’s ever had, so it would all be worth it. I think it was really just the bacon. Maybe I need to start using more bacon.

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon
Serves 2
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Ingredients
  1. 12 leaves rainbow Swiss chard with stems
  2. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  3. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  4. 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (a dash or two)
  5. dash sea salt
  6. dash black pepper
  7. splash red wine vinegar
  8. 2 pieces uncured bacon, cooked to desired crispiness
Instructions
  1. Soak your chard in water for a few minutes, then rinse well and shake dry or use a salad spinner. Cut off the stems to cook first.
  2. Over medium heat, add olive oil to a nonstick pan. Once the oil gets hot, add the chard stems and cook for 3-5 minutes until they become translucent but not too soft. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the chard leaves and bacon.
  3. Add red pepper flakes (according to your heat tolerance) and minced garlic to the pan, cooking for no more than 1 minute.
  4. Add chard leaves, sea salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar, tossing quickly to coat and allow to cook for one minute. Add bacon. Cook chard for a few minutes until liquid absorbs and leaves wilt. Serve hot and fresh!
don't miss dairy https://dontmissdairy.com/

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com

Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com
 
Rainbow Swiss Chard with Bacon from dontmissdairy.com
 

Leave me a comment if you like it!

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com

Here’s a delicious summer fruit smoothie to enjoy for breakfast or as a midday snack. Smoothies are great ways to use up all that fruit in your fridge! I’m still too afraid to progress to the vegetable smoothie. Don’t get me wrong, I love my vegetables, I’d just rather eat them sautéed, steamed, baked, or raw. I don’t really want to drink them.

I made this fruit smoothie twice, using two different milk ingredients. I’m very sensitive to lactose and can handle digesting good greek yogurt, like FAGE brand. I first made this using strawberry FAGE yogurt and it was perfect. Very thick, very creamy, 0 grams of fat, plus added protein. I made it again using Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk, and it was still delicious, obviously just not as creamy. The soy milk also added 2 grams of fat and not as much protein. You could try making this with strawberry soy yogurt or vanilla almond milk as well, according to your preference.

I also wanted less added sugar, but I didn’t want it to be too tart. So I added a little honey plus some stevia. You could skip the honey altogether or add more. Overall, a very balanced smoothie.

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 6-8 strawberries, stems removed
  2. 1 small apple, peeled and sliced
  3. 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
  4. 3 ice cubes
  5. 1/2 cup Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk, or yogurt
  6. 1 teaspoon honey
  7. 1 teaspoon Stevia or white sugar
Instructions
  1. Add ice cubes, strawberries, apple slices, kiwis, milk or yogurt, honey, and stevia to the blender. Crush ice first then blend for about 1 minute. Add more or less sweetener to taste. Serve with a slice of kiwi.
don't miss dairy https://dontmissdairy.com/
Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com 

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com 

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com 

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com 

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com 

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com

Simple Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Kale

I just came back from a month long trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I was born and raised. We have an amazing soup there called Italian Wedding Soup, which, I just found out, is not actually Italian.

At any Italian restaurant (or often any restaurant) in Pittsburgh, you can order a bowl of Italian Wedding Soup. My favorite kind is the light version served at the chain restaurant Olive Garden. Since I was not very cultured and didn’t travel much before moving out of Pittsburgh, when I went to the Olive Garden in California I tried ordering Wedding Soup. It’s not usually on the menu in Pittsburgh because it’s such a popular item and everyone knows it’s there–you just have to ask for it. But the California waiter had no idea what I was talking about.

I always thought Italian Wedding Soup was an Italian tradition. Though, apparently, Italian Wedding Soup is a Western Pennsylvania tradition started by immigrants to the area. According to my quick research, Italian Wedding Soup is a mistranslation of a soup called “marriage soup,” which is actually Spanish.

Here is a quick version to make in the crock pot using kale instead of the traditional spinach. Italian Wedding Soup is usually made with really tiny meatballs and pasta. Unless you make the meatballs yourself, you might not be able to find them small enough, but you can always cut slightly thawed frozen Italian meatballs into quarters before putting in the crock pot.

Ingredients:

1 small package frozen italian meatballs (15-20)
5 oz can low sodium chicken, rinsed and drained
32 oz chicken broth
2 cups kale, stems removed and chopped (can also use spinach)
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup-1/2 cup pastina pasta
parmesan reggiano for serving

Directions:

1. Add meatballs, chicken, broth, spices, and onion to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3 hours.

2. Add pasta and kale (or spinach) to the pot, and cook for an additional hour on high. Serve
topped with parmesan reggiano if desired.