Food Resources Help - Soy-Free/Dairy-Free (x-post in Lounge)

[lizzywednesday]

(x-posted in Lounge) With the holidays at hand, I've got a bit of a food dilemma.

I typically host an evening get-together so I can visit with my dad, brothers, sister, their SO's/spouses and, now, my nephews.

My go-to dish for this get-together is "Barilla box lasagna."

This year, I can't serve that because my SIL is on a dairy/soy elimination diet so she can continue to nurse my (preemie) nephew, who is allergic/sensitive to the aforementioned allergens.

I know a bit about cutting dairy from someone's diet and have considered cutting soy myself because of worry about phytoestrogens, but I've never considered cutting both.

Where do I go for resources on how to do this? I can re-imagine my menu but only after I learn a bit more about how to go soy and dairy free.

[marie]

I had to eliminate dairy and soy for a year while nursing DD1.

Olive and canola oils were my friends. (At the time - 7 years ago, egads! - none of the butter alternatives were soy-free.)

What would you like to serve? Obviously, cheese-heavy dishes like lasagna are just about impossible to alter.

Is SIL eliminating all soy (e.g. some people will eat soy lecithin)?

I was contending with a couple of other allergies (egg & beef - plus the docs wanted me to avoid peanuts, tree nuts & shellfish) so what I ate a lot of was:
oatmeal
chicken, fish, pork
freshly prepared veggies
salad with homemade vinaigrette
brown rice
pasta with olive oil/garlic or tomato sauce that is cheese-free
dairy/egg/soy-free cake (lots and lots of this!)

Baking/cooking from scratch was really key. It's hard to find prepared foods that don't contain dairy or soy.

There is a product out now that I would've died to have at the time - Coconut Bliss "ice cream" - made from coconut milk. It is delicious and I have served it to friends who are doing the dairy/soy-free thing.

Whole Foods was practically the only place I could shop - of course that has changed some in the last 7 years. Lots more options at regular grocery stores now but I find that the products at WF generally are better labeled for allergens (DD1 has a peanut allergy so I'm reading labels all.the.time!).

[lizzywednesday]

AFAIK, my SIL is avoiding soy but not soy lecithin.

Thanks again for the tips & tricks.

I'm near a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and a Wegman's. The Wegman's store brand products tend to have better labeling for allergens than brand name things.

I was thinking about doing something under the broiler. Chicken is a hit with the crowd, as is salmon (well, everybody except my husband), so I'm starting to think along the lines of those options.

I just found a neat recipe for a BLT salad, so I might actually make that instead of the salad I made last year (arugula mixed greens with blue cheese & pears) so I'm still thinking.

Dessert will be interesting if it's not from Whole Foods!!!