Most of the time I survive on my usual gluten and dairy free recipes at home, but sometimes I get worn out. There are only so many times I can take baking quinoa crust pizzas with vegan mozzarella, frying copycat Panda Express orange chicken, or whipping up some dairy free alfredo before I want to scream “This. Is. Not. The. Same! I need the real thing!” It is at those times that my brain begins to bargain with my stomach. My brain seems to take on some sort of Ursula voice from The Little Mermaid. What is the worst that could happen if you had a small bite of pizza? Even just to savor it and remember what it’s like? You don’t have plans this weekend … just do it! You can stomach the consequences—and they can’t be that bad! Would it really be a big deal if you just had a little bit of dairy? You’ve been feeling great recently—you can handle it! Just buy the farmer’s market gluten free hand pie even though you know it has potato starch in it—it’s going to be so good! Your potato reaction is nothing compared to a gluten or dairy reaction!
None of these thoughts are worse than my biggest nightmare: What if your body somehow fixed itself so that you can now eat gluten and dairy, but you never eat it, so you’ll never know!
Though I know these thoughts will linger until my next moment of weakness, I always stay strong. I know that avoiding those specific foods is better than having stomach problems for a week (and possibly more long-term effects!).
Don’t worry, I got my jasmine green tea boba with soy milk eventually.
Ironically, I have had two dairy-related food incidents recently. First, I had gotten a boba milk tea with soy milk and just had a gut feeling that the worker hadn’t paid close enough attention to my order. I took one sip and knew it wasn’t right (and suffered for two days just from that one sip!). Second, I was buying ingredients for this recipe and was so excited because the deli counter had prosciutto and I could get a lot more meat for the same amount money as the pre-packaged stuff. I bought half a pound because I was planning on eating it every day of that week. I had already had four slices while driving home before I casually decided to peruse the ingredients list on the bag. Lo and behold, that specific prosciutto had lactic acid starter culture in it. Though I have now recovered from my mishaps, I need to remind myself yet again that I need “CONSTANT VIGILANCE!” about ingredients like Mad-Eye Moody had about Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Fun Fact: Lactic acid starter culture is often in fermented meats like prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni. It can be derived from vegetable sources, but it is safe to assume that unless the ingredient says lactic acid starter culture (plant-based), it might give you a reaction if you normally cannot consume dairy products.
All of the websites I’ve looked at has facts that contradict one another. Some say that there is no dairy in lactic acid whatsoever and some say to stay far away. Regardless, I know from trial and error that the lactic acid gives me a reaction, so I don’t eat it! Do what’s right for your body.
Okay! 
Not okay.
This was one of my very first posts on Instagram in 2012! The 6 1/2!
With that being said, I finally located the correct prosciutto and was able to make my Prosciutto Pesto Sandwich. This sandwich idea is adapted from a place in Walnut Creek, California called Morucci’s. Morucci’s is a fresh Italian deli with the most delectable sandwich combos. They make their own mozzarella, import a bunch of Italian meats and cheeses, and use the best balsamic vinegar I have ever had. This place is the real deal.
My order was always a number 6 1/2 with no tomato (I didn’t like tomatoes back then): fresh mozzarella drizzled with olive oil, balsamic, and Italian herbs with imported prosciutto, roasted red bell peppers, and pesto served on ciabatta. Sometimes I would get the dutch crunch roll instead of ciabatta that … well … had an amazing crusty crunch to it. It would usually tear up the top of my mouth, but it was absolutely worth it.
Needless to say, this sandwich is my favorite of all time. In this dairy and gluten free take on it, I really only had to make a few edits to the sandwich. For the bread, I used a multigrain GF bread from Trader Joe’s, but I’d also recommend Udi’s brand French baguette—though it’s frozen and needs to be baked. I’ll post my homemade pesto recipe eventually, but for this sandwich, I used Trader Joe’s Kale, Cashew, and Basil Pesto. This pesto has just the right amount of basil, salt, and garlic, and makes me feel slightly healthier because it has the word “kale” in the title (though you cannot taste any trace of kale). Replacing the mozzarella (sniff), we have Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese. This is my go-to vegan cream cheese brand and adds a creamy balance to the sandwich. Finally, I had just gotten some green bean sprouts from the farmer’s market and was dying to use them. These sprouts added an extra health component and some welcome color. For more information about substitutions, see my substitutions post called “So … what can you eat?”.
Now go enjoy my take on the #6 1/2 and make all your friends at work jealous with your fancy deli sandwich!
Dairy Free Prosciutto Pesto Sandwich
Servings: 1
Time: 7 minutes
2 slices Gluten Free Bread
2 tablespoons Cream Cheese (Dairy Free)
1/2 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons Pesto (Dairy Free)
4 slices Prosciutto (Lactic-Acid Starter Culture Free)
1/4 Roasted Red Bell Pepper (from a jar)
1 handful of Sprouts (optional)
- Lightly toast the gluten free bread and lay the slices out on a small cutting board. Generously apply the dairy free cream cheese with a butter knife to both slices of bread before drizzling both sides with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on both slices.
- Using the same butter knife (if you dare), gently spread the pesto on both sides of bread, making sure to cover the surface of the bread all the way to the edges (this is very important).
- Fold two slices of prosciutto and place on one side of the sandwich, then fold two more slices and place on the other side. Feel free to add more prosciutto as you see fit.
- Take the roasted red pepper from the jar and gently pat off any excess liquid with a paper towel before placing it on one side of your sandwich.
- If you are adding sprouts or any other greens, place that on top of the roasted red pepper.
- Last, flip the less ingredient-heavy side of your sandwich on top of the other and cut diagonally (it must be diagonally) with a chef’s knife. Devour.
Si mangia bene! You eat well!
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