As many of my readers know I have a pretty strong intolerance to soy and soy derivatives – I’m okay with small amounts now and then but if I allow it to build up in my system it takes its toll on me physically and emotionally. I get bitchy; I get more headaches, my IBS acts up and overall I just feel crappy all the time.



It’s harder than it may seem to some to eradicate it from a diet – soy is in nearly everything including certain comfort foods, drinks and candies. Of course a lot of soy is mixed into highly processed foods – which we are all learning can be addictive too. Add all this to my compulsion to eat when I’m stressed or depressed and — you guessed it – I fall off the soy-free wagon, so to speak.

Even my above picture isn’t quite accurate – only because there wasn’t really enough room to write: “Soy-free dark chocolate is okay – but is really hard to find and pretty expensive” and admittedly, chocolate is a hard treat for me to pass up. Most soy – free chocolate runs between 2 and 5 dollars a bar. Bars that are usually smaller than your average Hersey bar, I might add.

A few months, okay, 6 months back I guess, I fell off the soy-free wagon and fell hard and with the fall came, weight gain, the little headaches, etcetera and so forth and here I am once again climbing back onto the wagon and purging my body of soy. It’s a tough climb but luckily I’ve done it before, so I no longer break down crying as I grocery shop, reading label after label to find “safe” foods to eat – foods which are often more expensive than their soy-filled counterparts.

I know I’m not alone here and soy isn’t the only offender – wheat and gluten intolerances are running rampant and there has been an increase in the diagnosis of nut tree allergies and food preservative allergies. The good news is that the market is being flooded with alternatives to chemical laden foods as people are becoming more aware and focused on what they put in their bodies. The downside is we still have to figure out what our own bodies need and then adapt to those needs (and figure out how to pay for them), which brings me back to going soy-free, again.

My usual approach, the one that kept me totally soy free for nearly two years, is to allow myself to eat or drink pretty much anything I wish, so long as it’s soy-free, while I’m getting back into the habit of making sure soy does not cross these lips. This means that I don’t pay attention too much to fat intake and I allow myself soda and candy (in moderation). I have a few go-to foods that help me endure, such as Tuna in the pouch (as canned tuna in water has soy) and  V-8 juice which I chug like it’s made out of  ground up rainbows and crack and I mow down on high protein foods like a champion eater at a cupcake contest.

My latest addiction has been dip. Yes, dip – but not just any dip. Nooooo, it’s a new dip. It’s my dip – but I love you people and decided it was time to share the dippy-goodness with others. Spread the joy, as it were. Now, some may not like this dip, much as some people don’t like bacon or chocolate. I’m not saying people like this can’t be trusted, but I do suggest caution when interacting with such folks.

The dip of tastiness is pretty fast to make and doesn’t cost a lot. It is, at least for me, addictive so I do urge caution. For those allergic to cow’s milk, I’m sorry – that sucks as bad as no soy, I’m guessing.

Okay,

Tasty dip of awesomeness –

Ingredients

2 8-ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup non-fat sour cream

8 ounces Herdez (or other) Salsa Verde

4.5 ounces of sliced black olives with jalapenos – well drained

2 Tablespoons cracked black pepper (or a little less if you prefer, I like peppery)

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 Tablespoon fresh minced cilantro (optional – and I wouldn’t suggest dried cilantro).

Using a food processor or hand mixer, mix ingredients until homogenous and fluffy.

Serve with your favorite chip, be it potato, corn or my new current favorite – baked lentil chips. Enjoy.