Yeast Free Living

Archive for the ‘Mexican’ Category

One of my favorite fast food lunches/dinners is Wendy’s Southwest Taco Salad.  I am always full after eating this salad which comes equipped with a bed of iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cheddar cheese, tortilla chip strips, sour cream and small cup of chili.  It sounds very simplistic but I really do enjoy it.  I do prefer the taco salads at Qdoba to the ones at Wendy’s but Wendy’s is usually the more convenient option.  I know that neither of these taco salad are yeast free and are probably filled with a ton of ingredients prohibited on the candida diet and that is why have not indulged in one in quite a while.  I have however developed my own yeast free taco salad.  It is so easy to make and it taste just as good as both of the fast food ones that I mentioned.  To be honest I do miss topping the salad with sour cream but plain unsweetened yogurt is a great yeast free sour cream substitute and seems to be okay for many on the candida diet. 

I used my favorite ingredients in this recipe but there is a lot of room for experimentation here.  I encourage you to experiment with different types of beans, add corn, add peppers or any other yeast free ingredients that you would like to try so that you can this your favorite taco salad.  As for salad dressing I use yeast free creamy herb salad dressing.        

Yeast Free Taco Salad Ingredients
1 pound ground meat browned, drained and seasoned with yeast free taco seasoning mix  
1 head iceberg lettuce finely cut
12 ounces unsweetened chopped tomatoes ( I use Pomi Chopped Tomatoes which contains no citric acid)
1 can black beans (I use Nature’s Promise from Stop & Shop which are organic and contain no preservatives)
1 avocado sliced
plain unsweetened yogurt (optional)
7 ounces tortilla chips (I use Sage Valley which contain all candida friendly ingredients)

Yeast Free Taco Salad Directions
In a large bowl mix together first 5 ingredients
Top salad with yogurt and tortilla chips and serve

We used to enjoy tacos frequently in my house prior to the kids being diagnosed with several food allergies and my going on the candida diet.  Tacos are so easy to make, fun to eat and oh so tasty.  Our taco night took a bit of a hiatus mostly because I could not for the life of me figure out where to buy or how to make a tasty wheat free, gluten free, corn free, soy free, yeast free wrapping for our tacos.   I tried brown rice tortillas for this task but they would just crumble under the weight of the taco filings and they made eating tacos significantly less enjoyable.  I really thought that we would have to get use to naked tacos but then I stumbled across a terrific recipe for Gluten Free Flour Tortillas at Gluten Free Cooking School.  This recipe is nothing short of spectacular and very easy to make.  I use my own yeast free gluten free flour mix to avoid using soy, as my children are allergic to it, but if soy is not an issue for you feel free to use the suggested gluten free flour mix in the original recipe.  I did have a little difficulty rolling out the tortillas but this tutorial on how to role out gluten free flour tortillas helped with that.  Gluten free cooking school is a terrific resource and I am looking forward to making other recipes from this site in the near future. 

So now that we finally have an acceptable candida diet taco wrapping what can we put in our yeast free tacos?  Well seasoned yeast free taco meat is the first thing you need and then there are numerous possibilities for yeast free taco fillings.  The following are a few of the fillings that we use to make our yeast free taco night spectacular:

Lettuce
Fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes without preservatives
Homemade salsa of store bought salsa without preservatives
Plain unsweetened yogurt
Organic canned beans
Avocado
Guacamole

Believe it or not tacos can actually be a great yeast free meal.  We have been making candida diet friendly tacos in my house for quite a while now and ”Taco Night” is something that we all look forward to.  It does take a little creativity and time to create tasty tacos that are yeast free but I feel that it is well worth the time and effort. 

The first thing that we have to do in order to make yeast free tacos is to find or create a taco seasoning mix that contains ingredients that are okay for the candida diet.  Most taco seasoning mixes that you will find in the supermarket are not appropriate for this task.  Common ingredients in store bought taco seasoning mixes include sugar, citric acid and yeast extract, all of which are prohibited on the candida diet.  There may be a commercially available taco seasoning mix that is okay for the candida diet but to be honest I stopped looking  when I stumbled upon a recipe to create my own taco seasoning mix on All Recipes. 

This recipe was easy to adapt for the candida diet.  I omitted only 2 ingredients from the originally recipe, dried oregano and red pepper flakes.  I did this because most candida diet guidelines suggest that you stay clear of dried herbs due to possible mold contamination of the leaves.  The recipe still came out great without these 2 ingredients but you can easily add some fresh oregano and maybe a bit of a chopped red bell pepper to the taco meat when you add the seasoning.  This recipe yields about 1.25 ounces of seasoning which is equivalent to the taco seasoning packets that you will find in the supermarket.  All that will be left to do after you make the mix is brown and drain 1 pound of ground meat as usual, add 2/3 cup water and your taco seasoning mix.  Stir and let heat for a few minutes on low heat and you are done.   Voila!  Now you have well seasoned taco meat for your yeast free tacos. 

Yeast Free Taco Seasoning Mix Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Yeast Free Taco Seasoning Mix Directions
In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper
Use immediately or store in an airtight container for later use
I often quadruple this recipe and store in a spice jar for quick use.   

Recipe adapted from Taco Seasoning I by Bill Echols on All Recipes

Salsa is one of my favorite condiments probably because I am a huge fan of Mexican food.  I used to reserve using salsa only when I was making tacos or fajitas but I can honestly say that I now eat it weekly despite whether or not anything Mexican is on the menu.  I often use it to add moisture to a quick turkey and rice cake sandwich. It adds such good flavor and then there is no need for tomatoes.  My Brown Rice Tortilla Chips and Sage Valley Corn Tortilla Chips would not be nearly as satisfying without salsa. 

When I first went on the candida diet it was very frustrating to discover that most commercially available brands of salsa contained vinegar, citric acid and/or sugar.  I was certain I would just have to learn how to make salsa on my own.  I would always by the ingredients for salsa with the intention on making it right away but this never happened.  I would always put it off and let all the produce designated for this task go to waste.   Although I never found an appropriate brand in regular supermarkets I did however discover 365 Organic Salsa in Whole Foods and it almost candida diet friendly.  I say almost because it does contain regular salt which is not allowed on the candida diet.  Regular salt contains trace amounts of dextrose which can cause problems for candida sufferers.  Fortunately, I have used 365 Organic Salsa with no adverse effects and felt that this little cheat was okay for me.  This may not work for everyone though.  If you are going to purchase this brand choose the smaller size because the larger one does contain citric acid.  As always read labels to make sure as things do change from time to time. 

Although I do buy the 365 Organic Salsa often I wanted to learn how to make my own salsa.  Fortunately I found a very easy recipe that had been right under my nose for over a year now.  On the back of the Sage Valley Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips bag is a recipe for Garden Fresh Salsa.  If my family hadn’t been devouring these so quickly maybe I would have noticed sooner.  These are good chips and they are candida diet friendly. I tried the recipe and I have to say that homemade salsa is really good.  It felt like I was in a authentic Mexican restaurant enjoying.  I am really going to try to make the effort to make this weekly.  For all those candida dieters out there that love salsa I hope this recipe helps. 

Garden Fresh Salsa Ingredients
3 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and cored
1 handful cilantro, stems trimmed
1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 pack stevia
dash cumin, paprika and chili powder to taste

Garden Fresh Salsa Directions
Process garlic, chili, onion, cilantro, and lemon or lime juice in food processor for 10 – 20 seconds.  Add tomatoes and process until chunky consistency, stopping occasionally to scrape sides and rearrange any large tomato chunks.  Add salt, cumin, stevia, paprika, and chili powder to taste.  Refrigerate at least one hour to allow flavors to blend. 

Recipe from Sage Valley (Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips Back of the Bag) St. Augustine, FL 1800-223-2910

I love Mexican food and chicken fajitas are something that I frequently order when out.  I am not sure why I never thought to make them at home prior to me stumbling across a recipe for them recently.  They are pretty simple to make and very candida diet friendly.  The time consuming part of the process is thinly slicing the peppers onions and chicken.  You can find thinly sliced chicken in the store this may help save the chicken slicing step.  I think that there are also sliced bell peppers in the frozen vegetable section but I prefer the fresh ones.  You can also make beef fajitas by using the strips of beef for stir-frying found in the supermarket.  If you are up to it you can actually do make a both beef and chicken.  This may be a hit at your house as you are offering a a variety of tastes.  I would have done this but we have a beef allergy so I left it to chicken.  These fajitas came out good but unfortunately my oldest daughter did not like them.  She has become such a picky eater.  She used to eat anything and everything.   My youngest loved these but I am not sure if I will be making them anytime soon because I do not have the time to prepare and alternate dinner for my oldest.  If you like fajitas give this recipe a try I really did enjoy them.  Remember to serve with candida friendly fixins such as salsa without vinegar, homemade guacamole and mock sour cream. 

Chicken Fajitas – Ingredients
1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon or Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 each yellow, red and green peppers
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoons ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Cooking Spray (I use the Stop and Shop spray for grilling as we have a soy allergy and this one does not contain soy.  Most cooking sprays for grilling do not contain soy but most others do) 
6 brown rice Tortillas or 12 corn tortillas

Chicken Fajitas Directions
Cut peppers, onions and chicken into thin strips
Mince the garlic
In a medium bowl, stir together the lemon or lime juice, chicken broth, cumin and cayenne pepper. 
Add the chicken to the marinade and toss until coated. 
Lightly spray an large unheated skillet with cooking spray. 
Heat over medium-high heat. 
Add the chicken mixture to pan and allow to cook until the chiken is no longer pink
Add peppers, onions, garlic and black pepper. 
Cover and cook stirring occassionally for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are crisp-tender. 
Serve the warm vegetable mixture with either brown rice or corn tortillas.
Serve with candida friendly salsa, mock sour cream and guacamole

Recipe adapted from Healthy Homestyle Cooking by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD

Avocados are a bit of a new obsession for me as I have just started eating them in the past year or so.  The reason I stayed away from avocados for so long is that I could never figure out how to choose a ripe avocado.  I usually would pick ones that were entirely too hard.  I would wait for them to ripen but usually would forget about them until they were rotten.  This was extremely frustrating for me and I felt like I was just wasting money by buying them. 

Everything changed when my friend Dominique and I started shopping together.  Dominique loves avocados and we started to frequent the farmer’s market together.  He taught me how to pick out the perfect avocado and I am happy to report that I am now a pro.  I am delighted that avocados are okay to eat on the candida diet.   I usually just slice an avocado to have in my salad or with my turkey and rice cake sandwich.  On occasion I do like to make guacamole with my avocados.  It was actually very easy to find a yeast free guacamole recipe.  This particular guacamole includes raw garlic and onions which are great for the candida diet due to their anti-fungal properties.  This is a simple, yet tasty guacamole that should appeal to a variety of guacamole fans.  The guacamole will start to turn brown when exposed to the air.  Place an avocado pit in the guacamole and cover the bowl until ready to serve to delay this reaction.

Yeast Free Guacamole Ingredients
3 avocados mashed
1 lime juiced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Roma plum tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

Yeast Free Guacamole Directions
In a bowl with cover mix together avocados, lime juice and sea salt
Mix in cilantro, tomatoes, garlic, onion and cayenne pepper
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to mix

Guacamole recipe by Bob Cody from All Recipes

Chicken Tostadas Ingredients
1 cup salsa (no vinegar or citric acid)
1 medium avocado peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2 chopped onions
3 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups canned refried beans
8 corn tortillas
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 onion sliced

Chicken Tostadas Directions
Preheat the oven 400F
In a medium saucepan, combine water, sliced onions salt and bay leaves
Bring to a boil then add the chicken
Reduce the heat to medium
Cover and Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chickent is very tender
Remove the chicken and shred using forks
While chicken is cooking spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray
Lightly spray corn tortillas with cooking spray
Cook for 5 minutes on one side and turn
Bake 4 minutes on other side
Place tortillas aside
Spread 2 teaspoons of beans on each tortilla
top with chicken, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and avocado
Top with salsa