Dairy Free Friday

First off - today is an especially happy Friday because I am flying to DC this afternoon!!! I will finally get to see Becky & Charbelle in person! I won't say "meet" because after reading their blogs, emailing, chatting on the phone, and texting, I've already met these girls! But seeing them in person? It's going to be fabulous! And I've never been to DC so it will be fun to check out another city. And then there's that 10 mile race... which I feel a bit unprepared for, but oh well! I'll schlep through those 10 miles.

I've officially been dairy free for a month now. I can really tell the difference in my complexion and have had a good amount of people comment on it as well. I should have taken before and after pictures, but I didn't think to do that. These 2 pictures give you an idea though. The first was in mid-January. It's not super close up, but it gives you an idea of how bad my skin was, especially down my my jaw line (oh, and I am holding my beautiful faux-niece Elle).

And here is a horrible self-photo.

Is my skin perfect? No, but it's significantly better. I still have some redness from previous breakouts, but that's starting to heal as well. I have a follow up with my dermatologist in 2 weeks and I think I'll be able to go off one of the 3 medications I am currently on! Fingers crossed!

And this whole dairy free thing? It actually has not been that hard. There are so many great recipes out there! I never felt like I was depriving myself. What I miss the most is sour cream (I love baked potatoes with sour cream) and real cheese on my salads.

What I don't like is that being gluten free and dairy free makes me, well, a bit of a high maintenance dinner guest... But I think I will allow myself to have dairy occasionally so if someone invites me to dinner, that will just be my day for dairy, I guess!

So, now for this week's dairy free recipe! I made Mushroom risotto on Saturday night. I had previously made risotto for the Barrister back in December *shakes head in an attempt to erase memory* but that version was cheesy (and delicious) so I was worried this wouldn't compare.

Well, there was nothing to be worried about. This is probably the best recipe I've made all year - dairy or no dairy! So if you like mushrooms - I HIGHLY recommend it! It's a time intensive little recipe, but so worth every stir of your spoon!

Click over to Angela's lovely blog for the recipe! Here it is in photos!

All chopped up & ready to go! Look at all those mushrooms!

Saute the onions, then add the mushrooms! It looks like A LOT of mushrooms, but don't worry...

It totally cooks down!


Add a sprig of rosemary, salt & pepper, balsamic vinegar. Slowly add arborio rice and vegetable broth.

Cover and continue to stir every couple of minutes. Add more vegetable broth if need be. I used about 3 cups, I think? When it's done, stir in 1 T. of earth balance (or butter for the dairy eaters)

Serve up (preferably in a pretty bowl) and enjoy!

So there you have it! I think the crucial ingredient was balsamic vinegar! Or maybe the fresh rosemary? Mmm, it was so good! It's one of those recipes that makes me wish I had a dinner guest because it would have been nice to comment about it with someone. Instead I bbm'd about it with Amber - which was a good substitute!

Alright this blog is epically long! Time to wrap it up!! Question for you: Should I continue the dairy free posts? You won't hurt my feelings if you tell me to move on and talk about something more interesting/relevant/etc!

Happy weekend, everyone!