"Off-Balance Sheet: Pass the Lactaid, Altria's Spinning Off Kraft" - When looking through the investment news yesterday, this amusing article not surprisingly caught my eye.  The author reports that Lou Camilleri, the CEO of Altria (the parent company of Kraft Foods), is lactose intolerant.  Though I am certain his claims that this is the real reason that Altria may spin-off the Velveeta peddler are not true, it is possible that the LI assertion is.  If so, that would be quite an interesting twist for a company that represents cheese in virtually every processed form possible.  As for cheese-less manufactured foods that I might recommend to Mr. Camilleri...

I was on a product reviewing rampage yesterday and may have found a few.  I would say my favorite trials were the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, Clif Nectar Bar (I picked the cinnamon pecan flavor), and Foods Alive Flax Oils (more like salad dressing).  Talk about timing, as I was writiing this a news alert came in with this insanely simple chocolate truffle recipe using the Tofutti.  Yes, I actually have news alerts on "dairy-free."  Anyway, it looks like a great one for Valentine's Day.  My Valentine is a bit intolerant of soy unfortunately, but perhaps I will make a mini-batch for myself!  Let me know how they are if you try them.

Health Valley’s Chili scored very poorly in our household, but since tomatoes are out right now, I think it was a blessing in disguise.  We will stick to Amy's for now.

On the personal front I am happily honing my cooking and baking skills for wheat, corn, tomato, and of course dairy-free cooking.  Yesterday I altered my favorite banana bread recipe to make wheat-free banana muffins.  I used oat flour (oats do not seem to be a problem) rather than wheat flour, oats rather than wheat germ, and maple syrup in place of the honey.  They aren’t bad, not stellar, but not bad.  The oat flour seems to impart a bit of a flat, chalky taste compared to the wheat flour.  Regardless, my husband is just pleased to have some sweet baked foods around the house.  It has been a few weeks since I last baked, and I think he was having withdrawals.

Last night I attempted the Oven Roasted Tandoori Chicken Strips (sans Lentils) recipe from the gluten-free, dairy-free (berry-free?) ladies at Rachel’s Recipe Box (a.k.a. Our Gaggle of Girls)  .  It took a bit longer to cook than their estimates (probably due to the thickness of my chicken strips), but in the end, it was a tasty dish.  Next time, I will likely up the salt by another pinch or two to bring out more of the flavor.  I roasted some onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to accompany the dish, and steamed a cup of jasmine rice.  All in all a hearty but healthy meal.

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