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don't miss dairy

Emily Stokes
I'm a lady who loves cheese, sour cream, & ice cream, but I recently became lactose intolerant. My key focus in recreating dairy recipes is taste, but I try to be as health conscious as possible. Some of my recipes are low lactose rather than dairy free. I'm also a writer, teacher, nanny, dog mom, housewife, native Yinzer, current Californian, and social organizer extraordinaire.

Veggies & Sides

Dairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins

Dairy_Free Loaded Potato Skins from dontmissdairy.com

It’s game time. Whether you’re excited for the Superbowl or the Oscar’s, make these for your next party!

We were in Seattle last year in time for the big Seahawks vs. 49ers showdown. The atmosphere was tense and exciting, and it seemed like everyone in Seattle was a fan–which explains the 12th man. It was so different from the Bay Area’s reaction to football that I became a Seahawks fan in less than a week. 

Now, I’m not saying I’d root for Seattle over the Pittsburgh Steelers or anything, but when it comes down to it, I’ll be tense in those final moments, hoping for that miraculous touchdown or field goal to carry the Seahawks into victory. 

But mostly, I’ll be watching sappy Budweiser commercials and eating these loaded cheesy potato skins.

Dairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins from dontmissdairy.com

Crispy, buttery, cheesy, bacon-y, these pair perfectly with an ice cold beer on game day.

Even your dairy-loving friends will find these delicious! Just make sure to use a tried and trusted vegan cheese that you know performs well. I used Daiya, but I would also recommend soy cheese–it tastes the most authentic. I choose sweetened almond milk because it tastes closest to real milk, but feel free to experiment with other non-dairy milks and see what you come up with. Enjoy!

Dairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins
Serves 8
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Ingredients
  1. 8 russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
  2. 2 tablespoons vegan butter*
  3. Sea salt
  4. Black pepper
  5. 2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese**
  6. 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  7. fresh chives, chopped
White Cheese Sauce
  1. 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella cheese**
  2. 1/2 cup sweetened almond milk***
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Pierce each potato on each side with a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake for 50 minutes, until the skins are crisp and the potatoes tender enough to cut. Transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile make your cheese sauce and set aside.
  3. Set oven to broil on high.
  4. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch intact. Brush the insides of the potatoes with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes over, brush the skin sides with butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  5. Evenly space the potato halves skin-side up on a baking sheet and broil until the skins start to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes (keep a close watch so they don’t burn). Flip the potato halves over and broil until the top edges just start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
  6. Evenly fill each skin with vegan cheese and crumbled bacon. Place in the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from the broiler and drizzle with white cheese sauce then sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.
White Cheese Sauce
  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring almond milk to a simmer.
  2. Add vegan mozzarella and whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat.
Notes
  1. *I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread.
  2. **I used Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds for the filling and Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds for the cheese sauce.
  3. ***I used Almond Dream Original Almond Milk.
Adapted from Easy Potato Skins
Adapted from Easy Potato Skins
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
 Dairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins from dontmissdairy.comDairy-Free Loaded Potato Skins from dontmissdairy.com

Roasted “Buttery” Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted "Buttery" Fingerling Potatoes from dontmissdairy.com
Plants are amazing. 

I dabble in gardening over the course of each year. It’s hard to do much with a small patio, but I have three earth boxes and sundry pots.

I’d like to say I grew eight trees for Earth Day, as I have four grapefruit and four lemon seedlings at the moment. They are healthy and green little babies.

But I didn’t grow them for Earth Day, I just happened to be growing them on Earth Day.  For me, every day is Earth Day. I love plants, and I love helping them grow. I also love reaping the benefits of my hard work. 

Sometimes I barely do any work. Let’s take a look at my pot of baby potatoes, which inspired me to make this dish.

Roasted "Buttery" Fingerling Potatoes from dontmissdairy.com

I had a bag of sprouting red, gold, and purple potatoes last year, so I cut them up and buried them in a pot full of yummy soil (for the plants, that is).

It took awhile, but they eventually sprouted beautiful, green stems. These stems were yummy, too (for the snails, that is).

When we moved in to our new apartment in December, the potatoes weren’t ready yet, so I had to move them to my new patio. After a month or so of little progress, they were viciously eaten by an onslaught of hungry, slimy snails.

The green stems were completely gone. I considered my potatoes eliminated, finished.

This month, however, as I was getting that pot ready for replanting, I found buried treasure in the form of cute little colorful potatoes!

Roasted "Buttery" Fingerling Potatoes from dontmissdairy.com

I was absolutely amazed. They had been abandoned by me. How did these little potatoes not get eaten by insects, sprout, or decompose? They were full, healthy potatoes that had survived for months, just waiting to be dug up. Plants are truly amazing.

I didn’t quite have enough to make this full dish, but I supplemented with store-bought potatoes.

I was very much inspired by my garden to make this flavorful, buttery roasted potato dish–dairy free and yummy, too (for the humans, that is)!

Roasted "Buttery" Fingerling Potatoes from dontmissdairy.com

Roasted "Buttery" Fingerling Potatoes
Serves 5
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Ingredients
  1. 1 bag of organic fingerling potatoes (about 30)
  2. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  3. 3 tablespoons vegan butter such as Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
  4. 2 teaspoons black pepper
  5. 2 teaspoons basil
  6. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  7. 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Rinse potatoes and scrub if needed, lightly drying on a cloth or paper towel.
  3. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a large baking dish.
  4. Add potatoes and stir to coat in olive oil. Then add black pepper, basil, garlic powder, and sea salt. Stir to coat.
  5. Top with 3 tablespoons (dollops) vegan butter, evenly spaced to melt when baking.
  6. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

Roasted "Buttery" Fingerling Potatoes from dontmissdairy.com

Orange and Sunflower Salad with Hearts of Palm

Orange and Sunflower Salad with Hearts of Palm from dontmissdairy.com
Have you seen the beautiful citrus in the markets lately?

I know it’s harsh winter in many places, but where I am, there are trees everywhere absolutely bursting with oranges and lemons. In my excitement I bought a huge box of oranges. I need to eat them in everything!

Eating healthy is so easy when your food tastes amazing. That is this salad. I want to eat it over and over again. It’s healthy because the ingredients are fresh and simple: raw veggies, fruit, seeds, vinegar, and olive oil.

Orange and Sunflower Salad with Hearts of Palm from dontmissdairy.com

Has anyone noticed how obsessed I am with flavored olive oils? They make the simplest, healthiest, tastiest, and cleanest salad dressings. I can’t even buy bottled dressings anymore after topping salad after salad with delicious, light-tasting lemon and orange olive oils. Have you tried flavored olive oils, yet? You need to…right now!

The best way to find out your favorite oils? Go taste them! Sigona’s Farmers Market in Palo Alto is one of my favorite places to taste olive oils, but you can find them in many whole foods markets. You might be surprised, but citrus olive oils also make great marinades and even dipping oils for breads. Sourdough and lemon olive oil is a unique and tasty snack.

I need to get back to Jacuzzi Winery in Sonoma soon. They have one of the largest olive oil and vinegar tasting rooms I have ever seen. There are so many flavors and combinations, like lime olive oil and coconut balsamic.

I don’t miss dairy for a second in this salad. This is not a salad for dairy. 

If you are thinking that salads aren’t as good anymore since you’ve had to cut dairy, then it’s time to think outside the box! Citrus is the way to go for a flavorful, healthy salad. The sweet orange flavor is so tangy and crisp. It goes perfectly with the citrusy flavor of heart of palm. This is delicious, clean eating.

Orange and Sunflower Salad with Hearts of Palm
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cups raw spinach
  2. 1 navel orange, peeled and cut into 1 inch segments
  3. 2 hearts of palm, quartered lengthwise
  4. 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
  5. 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  6. 1 teaspoon orange juice
  7. 1 tablespoon orange infused olive oil
  8. 1 tablespoon fruit infused balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. Place spinach on a large salad plate. Drizzle orange juice on the spinach either by squeezing a piece of orange over the salad or by peeling orange pieces over the spinach. Little drops of juice will add flavor.
  2. Layer on orange segments, hearts of palm, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds.
  3. Drizzle orange olive oil* and vinegar over the salad and add more according to preference.
Notes
  1. *Don't have orange olive oil? Extra virgin olive oil tastes great with this salad as well.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

Orange and Sunflower Salad with Hearts of Palm from dontmissdairy.com

Orange and Sunflower Salad with Hearts of Palm from dontmissdairy.com