For fifteen years I lived a dairy-free life and a gluten-free life for five of those years. Those were challenging years, to say the least. Those were the days where you had to travel to large cities and specialty shops to find pre-packaged goodies and staples. Oftentimes it was a crapshoot on whether that $6.00 teeny tiny bag of pasta was actually going to taste anything like pasta… or disintegrate in the boiling water.
While I am no longer gluten-free or dairy free (read the story on nwafoodie) , ninety percent of the time I still gravitate towards gluten-free dishes. All those years proved to me that eating with limitations has merit. You learn to cook, for instance, because no longer can you mindlessly dial the pizza delivery guy or make something quick, easy, and simple as sandwiches or reach for the pint of ice cream if you had a sweet craving.
For those of you who are still living a gluten-free or dairy-free lifestyle or have a loved one who is, this recipe is for you. Actually, scratch that. This recipe is for all of us, including myself. It’s delicious and deliciousness knows no boundaries.
½ cup So Delicious dairy free coconut milk creamer
¼ cup Toffuti milk free Better Than Cream Cheese imitation cream cheese
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces gluten-free spaghetti or fettuccini
Instructions
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, creamer, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir approximately five minutes until bubbles appear and turn off heat. Cover.
In a large pot, cook the pasta according to directions in boiling water for approximately twenty minutes until cooked al dente and turn off heat.
Reheat alfredo sauce and add one tablespoon of the pasta water and stir.
Using tongs, remove pasta from water and add to the alfredo sauce and mix until pasta is thoroughly coated with sauce.
Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.
I’ve been dreaming about this salad for weeks. Seriously. As I filled out my content calendar for the January, I typed in this post title. You see, several months ago I came up with the title and giggled at writing the word “hearty.” It was going to be January and super frigid and figured we would all want something hearty right about now.
The winter descriptive meant that I had to come up with something wintery. Which means one thing to me when it comes to salads… root vegetables. These are the things I dream about. How about you?
The intention was to add a can of black beans to this salad to add a pop of interest. But them I happened upon our very own community member’s salsa with black beans and corn… well, let’s just say that mixing that delicious salsa with ranch dressing takes this salad to the next level. The next atmosphere. The next galaxy.
Thanks for the idea, Helen.
May you all have a big bowl of hearty winter black bean salad and be filled with joy.
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
7 radishes, sliced into quarters
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8th teaspoon sea salt
1 cup My Brothers Salsa™ black bean and corn salsa
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup crumbled feta
4 tablespoons ranch dressing
2 heads of romaine lettuce
Instructions
Preheat oven to bake 375 degrees.
Place sweet potatoes and radishes on sheet plan and drizzle olive oil and salt and mix. Bake for 30 minutes.
While root vegetables are baking, combine the following ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and toss: salsa, cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta, and ranch dressing.
Shred romaine and place in large bowl.
Add roasted sweet potatoes and radishes to mixing bowl and toss. Pour over romaine lettuce.
Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.
It is a perfect snapshot of someone who lives in an idealist-thinking world with dreams of how things SHOULD be and a head full of sunshine, happy aspirations, and an imagination of butterflies singing throughout the hills and saying, “hey, come over here, this garden is magnificent! This garden is the Garden of Eden all over again!”
I am that dreamer.
That ridiculous photo captures good intentions and good will. I HAD good intentions to install raised garden beds in our backyard this year… after the deck was repaired… and a lower deck was built… plus a new sidewalk constructed… and then I would know EXACTLY where to put those buggers. I HAD good intentions to use these tomato plants as good will. How? They were going to be a gift of love for those friends and family members who weren’t able to pull it all together this year. Our Foodie Friday gal pal Debbie Arnold was the one who shared those awesome seeds in the first place. I couldn’t let her down, right?
Instead… they grew and grew and grew and grew some more. Every day they are stretching their wings and reaching for the sky. And every day I think, “man… I should put them in the car and bring them to someone before it is too late.”
Reality check.
It’s too late.
But it is NOT too late for us to share our community gardens with each other. I love seeing your instagram photos of your kids holding that giant squash and your proud blog posts of freshly created recipes with YOUR bounty. I am so proud of you!
And then I got to thinking… we have a community garden of sorts, a virtual community garden.
So, keep sharing.
Keep growing.
Keep reading and commenting and reaching for the sky.
May your garden be blessed with a zillion butterflies.
Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well inspired by life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and- honey. She doesn’t think you have to live in the big city to be a foodie. All you have to do is explore your own backyard. Light-hearted and approachable, nwafoodie is conversational with a healthy and simplistic approach to eating well.
What’s holding you back from entertaining more? Opening up your home? Planning a brunch date? On your porch? In your living room? Or, in your backyard?
What’s holding you back from picking up the phone, sending out an invite, texting, or sending a message? Is it too much effort? Too much money? Too much pre-cleaning? Or, post-cleaning? Too much to even think about?
These are questions I often ask myself. I mentally kick myself when another week goes by and seven days skip along without breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/coffee and dessert guests. Excuses? Oh, I’ve got them. Tons of them. Some of them are perfectly legit.
Yet.
Yet… I still hold back.
One way to ease back into entertaining mode with friends and family is to just pull that Band-Aid off. Pick up that phone, get your fingers typing, and just do it.
Taco night is a family favorite of ours. Whether at our home, my in-laws, or my brother and sister in-laws house, tacos are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Everyone knows what to expect and everyone can find a combination that fits his or her dietary needs.
Ready to jump in with me and get this party started?
Let’s talk through the logistics. Taco night is a great get-together where everyone can jump in at the level they feel most comfortable with.
Not sure where to start?
Here are my seven tips on hosting a multi-family taco night.
1. Identify your foodies. Do you have a family member or friend that likes food exploration? Great, they will be the one who will bring that extra-special touch. Assign them salsa. Yes, salsa is also great for the bachelor in the group, but trust me, a foodie is the one who will make their own salsa or shop to find just.the.right.one.with.the.great.story. Don’t have a foodie friend? Okay, give the task to your bachelor friend. He’ll know what to do.
2. Moms. Got a mom on the invitation list? She is going to be your shredded cheese hero. And sour cream. Check and mate. She’s going to bring the Sams Club size, guaranteed.
3. Veggie Prep. Ouch, this one is not everyone’s favorite. Save the messy tomato job for you, no one wants that job. Besides, tomatoes and avocados are the two things you want to save for last due to juiciness and spoilage. Ask for volunteers for lettuce shredders, onion mincers, jalapenos slicers, and cilantro choppers. If you have a mid-life no-children couple, they will take this challenge on with relish. Relax, they’ve got this covered.
4.Beef. This is where you come in. Make the event easy and pre-cook these an hour before guests arrive and keep it in the warmer or crock-pot. No one will complain and that’s more time for margaritas. Speaking of….
5. Margaritas. Seems about the right time to mention this. Set up a station and let it work for itself. Assign the first person that walks through the door to get their blender on. Just make sure they are twenty-one. And eager to help.
6. Chips and Dip. You’ll want some chips and dip with that margarita. Cue your bachelor friend. Generic salsa will work just fine for this. If your foodie person wants more on their to-do list, assign them this. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up with sweet potato/chili/lime/vinegar/cilantro flavored tortilla chips.
7. The Tortilla Station. Last but not least… the most dreaded assignment of them all… the tortilla station. If you are a purist, plan for an hour at the stovetop cooking corn and flour tortillas over the stovetop with olive oil. Plan half that time grilling tortillas on the grill. Do these two hours before and wrap them in tin foil and place in the warmer. That way all you have to do is when guests arrive is to kick back, enjoy chips and salsa, and let that eager beaver first-arriving-guest make you a margarita. See how easy this is?
You see, the moral of this story is simple… humans need other humans. We want, no we need, each other. We need to connect, to laugh, to eat, to drink, and to just goof off a little bit. We don’t need to worry about complicating everything.We can do this.
You in?
Happy taco night.
Lyndi Fultz, nwafoodie
Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.
It is quite possible that indeed we have sometime over twitter, facebook, meet-ups, tweet-ups, or the Arkansas Women Bloggers (ARWB) Unplugged conference last summer.
I fondly remember my first meet-up with Beth Stephens and together fervently declaring: “the ARWB website is a goldmine! It could be so much more!”
And more, it is. The goldmine of ARWB is the discovery journey. Simply because of the ARWB resource, I am enjoying getting to know… you.
When the ladies of ARWB approached me about writing a bio for the “Miss January” slot, I thought okay, no problem, I can do that. Then I thought about my ‘about’ page on my blog, nwafoodie, and pondered, well, what else is there to say that I haven’t already said?
Silly me.
We’re bloggers and we love to over-share.
For those of us who haven’t met yet, let me introduce myself…from my refrigerator’s perspective.
15 things my refrigerator reveals about me
1.I am an organizer and a planner. It is a powerful feeling to be one step ahead. Why not have a lemon sliced up and ready-to-go? Or, why not buy Parmesan cheese or nuts in bulk and store the excess?
2.I like adding that extra touch. Why store your cherries in a pre-packaged container? Why not wash them for easy snacking and store them in a beautiful colander?
3.I never stray far from the egg. Quite possibly the most perfect ingredient in the world (we can debate that later). Besides the practicality of the multitude of uses that an egg presents, eggs were the first cooking experiment I conquered as a wee child. Sick of waking up early in the morning to runny scrambled eggs, I quickly learned that if I took over the skillet, I could prepare it any way I would like. I introduce to you master omelet maker, circa age 5.
4.I like being prepared. It doesn’t cost anything to have (reusable) bottled waters waiting for when you need it. It makes me feel, well, pulled-together.
5.I love thinking of others. Me? Red wine drinker, all the way. However, I will always have a bottle of white wine chilled and waiting for my family and friends who don’t see red.
6.I believe that quality counts (sometimes quantity, too)! My husband and I love chicken tortilla soup. This time of the year it is a repeat visitor several times a week. There is nothing easier than SmartChicken™ chicken pieces slow-cooked during the day and then stripped and ready for several meals. It’s inexpensive and the flavor will blow you away. How easy is that?
7.I wasn’t born a chef. Eating out is one of the extreme joys of life. I relish in what a chef can do. If there are leftovers, score!
8.I like to splurge. Ingredients like horseradish and olives are everyday. But what about oil-brined olives from France? Or, plum sauce from the Asian supermarket, or Indian green-curry sauce? You may not use these everyday, but they are there, waiting. I know that I am just fingertips away from an amazing food event.
9.I am impressed when an ingredient serves double-duty. Remember that slow-cooker chicken? Guess what happens when you strip the meat off the bones? Put the bones back in the cooker and add water and make broth. Viola! Store them in reusable spaghetti sauce jars.
10.I know how to seduce with food. Our house is currently for sale. When a potential buyer is scheduled for a showing, I heat up apple cider vinegar to scent the air. As we head out the door, we have a tasty treat.
11.I am always on the lookout for the unexpected. See that Gerbers™ pear juice? It is not for a baby, it is for me. Besides its tastiness, it has health benefits (new-year/new-you tip, you’re welcome).
12. I love to make the ordinary less ordinary. Glass containers rock. You can take something ordinary that comes in a plastic shrink-wrap package and transform it. Each time I open my crisper, it is extra special to pull out a block of parmesan cheese or gruyere that is in a pretty container. It makes me feel like I’m on a Food Network television set. Like Giadia.
13.I am constantly on the search for long-term healthy improvements. Several months ago my doctor informed me that I had high levels of styrene (aka plastic) in my body. One of the first improvements was to replace the plastic produce bags with breathable and reusable vegetable bags for storage. Just like glass containers, each time I open my vegetable crisper, it is an extra special (and healthier) event.
14.There are essentials, as a foodie that I will always have on hand. Buttermilk? Check. Olive tapenade? Check. Capers? Check. Heavy cream? Check. Balsamic glaze? Check.
15.There are essentials, like everyone else that I will always have on hand. Mustard? Check. Mayo? Check. Lemon juice? Check. Simple syrup? Check. The moral of this point? Being a foodie does not mean snobby gourmand. It just means you have a love of all things food related: ingredients, gadgets, dinnerware, spices, restaurants, and an overwhelming urge to talk about it.
So there you have it.
I’m a foodie who just happens to live in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. It’s a gem of a place, overflowing with the proverbial milk-and-honey abundance that is begging me to share what I have learned. Pop on over and check out my blog, nwafoodie, and drop by.
Lyndi Fultz, nwafoodie
