I love cooking with dairy products. In my house we watch our carb intake, and try not to eat a lot of processed foods. Processing can occasionally be good. In some cases it’s used to kill bacterias to insure a safe product, but the starting point can sometimes be completely different from its ending point. We stay away from white flours, white breads, white pastas and white rice… basically anything that’s been bleached.

Cooking with whole grains & veggies for Dairy Month

.My husband was diagnosed with pre diabetes a few years back. When we were in the doctor’s office, the doctor said, “no breads, no pastas and no rice,” I was shocked. I proceed to ask what could he eat? He laughed and said, “what? you can’t cook anything!?”

.
I immediately went to Barnes & Noble and searched for diabetes cookbooks, I bought two. After I studied them I decided that one of them was not going to work; though the other book, Ultimate Diabetes Meal Planner was perfect (I still use it). It talks about eating natural foods and grains – I learned a lot from it.

.

After finding out about my husband’s condition, I was very conscious about my cooking and baking. I remember a time when I had five different flours in my pantry, white flour, wheat flour, pastry flour, soy flour, and oat flour. One afternoon while online, I found a new recipe that looked so yummy that required gram flour. I went to two different stores and no luck. I got so frustrated that I decided to make something else.

My ideas have changed since then. I really believe you can cook everything with what you have (like using mozzarella instead of feta, or using dried herbs instead of fresh ones). You can alter the recipes to use the pasta, flour, or sugar of your choice. Once you feel ready to start experimenting with what you have, it’s liberating knowing you can cook or bake anything. For this post I would like to share FIVE recipes for Dairy Month that I have made, love, and others that I wish to make.

#1 Let’s start the list with this delicious Tomato Feta Pasta Salad from Food Network star, Ina Garten. The recipe requires fusilli (spirals) pasta, which I’ve replaced with whole wheat spiral pasta, and a sun-dried tomatoes pesto that I love. Overall, I give this recipe 5 stars!

________________________________________________________

#2 Overnight Oatmeal:
Recently I’ve been eating a lot of traditional oatmeal. Its nutritious, low in calories, filling, and a well balanced breakfast. With the morning rush in mind, I like to drink mine, so I add extra milk and water. I recommend you make this oatmeal the night before and eat it cold. I tried it for the first time last week and it was great. My hubby said it was amazing!! This recipe by Dairy Max deserves an A+!!

________________________________________________________

#3 Sweet Potato Cheesecake:
I have to say, I love Martha! This mouthwatering cheesecake recipe comes from Martha Stewart’s blog. I’ve never made this scrumptious looking pie, but I plan to. Sweet potatoes are very healthy and cheesecakes don’t require any type of flour, perfect for my little family. Yes, I will have to change up the crust and sugar…but, I can’t wait to have it baking in my oven. Now, if you make this before me, you will have to let me know how it turns out!

________________________________________________________

#4 Coffee Milkshake:
I’ve been making something similar to the drink since I was a child. Its soooo good. Coffee is my main vice. I actually did not have any today : ( I will just blame my headache on that… )

________________________________________________________

#5 Greek Yogurt Puree (one of my family’s favorite):
Items needed:
-Plain Greek Yogurt
-Fruit of choice
-Sugar of choice (Truvia or Splenda)
-Whipping Cream

Add the fruit of your choice to the blender (I add a small amount of water so the fruit will mix well) then add sugar. In a bowl I add two generous helpings of greek yogurt, some sugar then the puree. I fold the two together so you can see the streaks of fresh puree. I spoon the mixture into glasses or bowls and add a small layer of fruit puree and top it off with whip cream.
*I make a big batch of fruit puree and keep it in the fridge for about a week, that way I have it when I’m ready to make this tasty yogurt mix.*

If you love food like me and want to see more of the blog post I have created on food, click here. And tell me your favorite dishes in the comments below.