A note about lactose

I am not going to claim that I am an expert on lactose, because I am NOT! I have only had to deal with lactose intolerance with my children. So, with that being said, if I post something that you believe to be wrong, PLEASE let me know.

Little/Low lactose foods

Cheese's As long as it is a hard cheese you should be fine. The important thing is to look for "0 grams of sugar" on the label examples: Mozzarella, Cheddar,Swiss, Parmesan

Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup
Yogurt, with active and live cultures, plain, low-fat, vitamin D-fortified, 1 cup

Chicken and Bacon Roulades

I don't say this about many meals. But, this was fantastic! Even the sauce was great. This is going to be a keeper in my book. Easy & simple, great meal to make if you are gong to try to impress someone. I changed 2 things in this recipe. I used onion instead of shallots & just used pepper (we don't like lemon pepper). The only thing I might do different next time is that instead of pounding out the chicken, I might just make a slit in the breast & stuff the ingredients inside.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 shallots, thinly sliced (I used 1 small onion)
10 bacon slices (about 1/2 pound)
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Lemon pepper seasoning to taste (or ground black pepper with a little lemon zest)
6 Tbsp grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
1 Tbps olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

Working in batches, cook the bacon over medium heat in an ovenproof heavy skillet, until lightly brown but still flexible (not crisp). Place the bacon on paper towels to drain. Cook the shallots/onions in the remaining bacon fat over low heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer shallots/onions with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and leave any fat remaining in skillet. Preheat oven to 300°F.



Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. With smooth side of a meat pounder pound each breast to 1/8-inch thickness. Discard plastic from boned side of each breast. Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper (or ground black pepper and a little lemon zest) and salt. Place 2 1/2 slices of bacon lengthwise (parallel with grain of flesh) along middle of each breast. Top with shallots and Parmesan. Using plastic wrap to help you, tightly roll up each breast lengthwise, tucking in the ends to enclose the filling. Secure seams with wooden toothpicks.




Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to reserved fat in skillet and heat over medium high heat. Brown roulades on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to middle of oven and bake roulades until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. (Note: we found that our skillet didn't fit in our oven, so we transfered the roulades to a smaller pan.)

Transfer chicken to a plate with tongs and keep warm, covered with aluminum foil. Pour off fat from skillet. (Careful! The handle is hot, use an oven mitt.) Add wine to the skillet and deglaze over medium high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil wine until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add garlic and butter. Cook mixture over medium low heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook roux, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth and cream and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer the sauce, whisking, 2 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Keep sauce warm. Remove the wooden toothpicks from roulades and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon some sauce in center of each of 4 plates and arrange roulade slices decoratively on sauce.

French Onion Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe sounded to good not to try. It was pretty good. I think it tasted even better the second day. Don't want to make the pot pie version, just make the soup. It is super yummy with or without the chicken. I did not have the ramekins, so I just used my skillet & made it a one pot meal.

Servings 4-6

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used breasts)
2 large onions, halved, then thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups give or take wine (I like to use white)
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups beef broth
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated original biscuits (8 biscuits)
6oz Gruyère/swiss cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8 (10-oz) ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Place ramekins on large cookie sheet with sides. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken from skillet; discard chicken juices.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add onions; cook about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Pour wine over onions (just enough to cover)& simmer until the wine has reduced by 3/4. Add booth broths.
For the ramekins- Spoon chicken into ramekins (about 1/2 cup each. Spoon onion mixture over chicken (about 2/3 cup each). Sprinkle with pepper. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each ramekin.
For Skillet method- Place chicken into skillet with the onion mixture. Stir. Place biscuits on top.
Bake about 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Carefully remove from oven. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons cheese over each biscuit. Bake 4 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Beer Cheese Soup

Sounds really good right? Well this simple recipe is defiantly a keeper. I served it with brats. I think I am going to buy some soft pretzels to dunk into the leftover soup.

For lactose free- you can substitute your milk (goat, rice etc) for the milk. As far as I can tell the bisquick is dairy free.

Serves 6

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 medium carrots, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium stalk celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 lb)
1/2 cup regular or nonalcoholic beer

In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.
In large bowl, mix broth, Bisquick mix, pepper and red pepper until smooth. Gradually stir into vegetable mixture. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Stir in milk and cheese. Heat until cheese is melted. Stir in beer.

Scalloped Potatoes

I hate the boxed scalloped/Au Gratin potatoes. But these are super yummy & quick & easy. You can peel the skins off the baked potatoes or leave them on.

Serves 4

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or swiss or whatever you have
4 medium sized potatoes baked & sliced
4 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled (optional)
Sliced green onion (optional)


Directions

Melt butter in saucepan; blend in flour.
Add milk gradually and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add garlic powder and 1/2 cup cheese.
Combine potatoes and sauce in 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese & bacon.
Bake at 375°F, 25 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

Shepherds Pie

Well, I have to say that, well I had never made shepherds pie before last night. This recipe was pretty simple. I liked the flavor combination of the veggies. I did think it needed more salt & pepper. I'm not one to salt & pepper my food after it is made, but this needed it. Jon did not add hot sauce to it, so he must have liked it. I bet with the leftovers though he will be adding some spicy mustard to it. Next time I make this, I'll be putting cheesy mashed potatoes on top. Or I might put some frenchs fried onions on top. Lactose free- use lactose free milk.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 lbs ground beef (ground turkey or chicken would be good also)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped or 1 tablespoon minced
1-2 cups vegetables - examples- chopped carrots, corn, peas, green beans, celery
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
Butter
Milk

Directions
Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

In another pan, add ground beef and onion & garlic sauté until no longer pink. Drain. Add salt and pepper & worcesterchire sauce.

In the same skillet that you browned your meat in, add you veggies. Sauteing in a little of the fat from the meat (about 5 minutes), or you can use olive oil or butter. If adding corn, add towards end of the sauteing of veggies.

Mash potatoes in bowl with butter & milk

Place beef and veggies in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.

Cook in 350 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Note- if using canned corn or green beans, you will need about 1/2 a can of each. Just remember to drain it first.