Almond Milk

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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.

Almond Milk

Morning Boost Smoothie

Morning Boost Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com

 I am loving smoothies this year.  

So many friends and family members have been on big smoothie kicks, and thanks to my mom, I am now the proud owner of a Nutribullet Pro. It makes incredibly smoothe smoothies.

I prefer my smoothie concoctions to be as simple as possible, so I’ve been using frozen fruit–that way I don’t need to go to the grocery store twice a week. My favorites are organic wild blueberries, pineapple, bananas, and whole frozen strawberries. 

I love experimenting with different dairy-free milks like almond milk and rice milk and add-ins like whole grains and nuts, raw cacao powder, and almond butter.

But the best part about this smoothie is the chia seeds: 

Morning Boost Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com 
I get an extra large bag of them at Costco and they go surprisingly fast. Did you know how many ways you can use chia seeds?

These teeny tiny seeds are a great source of omega 3s and contain protein, which makes them the perfect add-in for smoothies and protein shakes.

Besides that, I always sprinkle a tablespoon of chia seeds over my salads. They can be gelatinized and used in place of eggs or added to baked goods. You can also mix them with coconut milk and cocoa powder and make a yummy dairy-free pudding.

Morning Boost Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com

This is an easy, high-fiber, high-protein, filling recipe to replace your morning juice and jumpstart your metabolism. I’ll have this before a morning workout or to hold me over until brunch.  

It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and low-FODMAP.

Notes about this smoothie:

Use fresh or frozen fruit. I add fresh bananas to my smoothies usually, but when they start to get too ripe, I peel them, quarter them, and put them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. You can use frozen bananas for more than just smoothies, like banana bread and banana ice cream.

I used Blue Diamond sweetened almond milk and Growing Naturals brown rice protein powder. 

Keep in mind when making this smoothie, a 1/4 scoop of rice protein powder is not a lot of protein, but rice protein powder tends to be chalky and can overwhelm the flavor of smoothies. If I want protein after a work out, I would rather drink a plain protein shake than ruin the taste of my fruit smoothie, but if you’d like to add more of your favorite protein powder, this is a good recipe to do so. There are about 10 grams of protein in this smoothie.

Follow me on Instagram for more dairy-free smoothie recipes!

Morning Boost Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com

Morning Boost Smoothie
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 banana
  2. 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  3. 1/4 cup oats (gluten free)
  4. 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  5. 1/4 scoop brown rice protein powder
  6. 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
  7. Almond milk
Instructions
  1. In a blender, combine fruit, oats, chia seeds, protein powder, and coconut oil. Pour almond milk over ingredients until just covered. Blend on high until smooth. Add more almond milk to thin if necessary.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
Morning Boost Smoothie from dontmissdairy.com

Simple Quinoa Egg Bake

Simple Quinoa Egg Bake from dontmissdairy.com.

Say hello to one easy and healthy breakfast bake!

I meant to get this posted weeks ago, but I’ve been behind on everything due to some health issues.

Basically, I’ve been having problems falling asleep…BIG time. I am taking steps to figure out the problem, but pretty much all aspects of my life will suffer for a time while I lie low and recover. Unfortunately, this is not something that will linger for a few weeks and pass, like a cold.

Needless to say, the overachieving lifestyle does not work for me right now.  And not getting sleep has been affecting my desire to cook in general and certainly my blogging. I’ve been struggling with it for about a month, and while the problem is better, I am still working to get back to normal. So I do apologize for my infrequent posts.

I am also more motivated to make meals healthier than ever, so expect a healthy menu! I am avoiding alcohol, wheat, and sugar, and anything else that might make my hormone levels spike and keep me up at night. Here’s a recipe that combines all my needs into one! It’s a hearty and simple breakfast bake that’s dairy-free and gluten-free.

Simple Quinoa Egg Bake from dontmissdairy.com.
This quinoa egg bake is very much like a quiche, but with a healthier crust–it’s the quinoa, of course! The idea of this recipe is that the veggies are supposed to float towards the top while the quinoa sinks to the bottom. Make sure to chop your veggies finely to achieve this. 

Once you pour the egg mixture into the baking dish, you will start to see the quinoa sinking to the bottom. Shake the dish a little bit to help the process along. Some quinoa will probably sit on top of the veggies. Using a spoon, lightly push that quinoa back into the egg mixture. It’s okay if all the quinoa doesn’t get to the bottom.

You might find that the quinoa has sunk to one side. Just manipulate it by stirring some back to the other side of the dish and letting it sink to get an even crust.

This recipe is very versatile. You can omit the onions and peppers and only use spinach, or you can add finely chopped sausage or bacon and shredded potatoes. Another idea would be to drop in dollops of goat cheese along with tomato and basil (make sure you squeeze the liquid out of your tomatoes). You can adjust the seasonings as well to fit your needs. Try sage and rosemary in place of the granulated garlic. Vegan cheese would also be a great addition to this dish, although I recommend reducing the salt to half a teaspoon if you will be using a high salt content cheese.

This Quinoa Egg Bake showcases the flavor of your eggs. Fresh, great tasting eggs will greatly add to the overall flavor. I used Egglands Best, but if you can afford it, organic pastured eggs add so much more yum.

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website, tried it dairy-free, and loved it so much I decided to make it my own. It’s easy to make, super healthy, and high in protein. I just love how you throw everything in, shake, and bake! Simple!

Simple Quinoa Egg Bake
Serves 6
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
50 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
50 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 tablespoon vegan butter*
  2. 8 large eggs
  3. 1 1/4 cup sweetened almond milk**
  4. 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  5. 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  6. 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  7. 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  8. 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  9. 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
  10. 1/4 bell pepper, finely chopped
  11. 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish (you may want to use a nonstick pan for easy removal, but is not necessary). Sprinkle a small amount of black pepper, sea salt, and granulated garlic on the bottom of the dish. This will aid in flavoring the crust; set aside.
  2. Rinse your quinoa if the packaging calls for it.***In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk, garlic, thyme, black pepper, sea salt, and quinoa.
  3. Stir in chopped spinach, onion, and pepper, then pour the mixture into the buttered baking dish.
  4. Shake the dish slightly to make sure all quinoa has sunk to the bottom in an even layer. If you are using a glass dish you will be able to see it and make adjustments. Cover tightly with foil and bake until just set, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool for five minutes before serving.
Notes
  1. *I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread.
  2. **I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original.
  3. ***I buy pre-rinsed quinoa.
Adapted from Quinoa Egg Bake with Garlic and Thyme from Whole Foods Market
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

Simple Quinoa Egg Bake from dontmissdairy.com.

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com
What better time to make potato soup than St. Patrick’s Day weekend?

I just love having an excuse to make something creamy and delicious.

Potatoes are naturally creamy when boiled and mashed, so adding dairy is just a creamy bonus. Add light tasting and sweetened almond milk instead for a cream of potato soup that is out of this world!

This simple soup has the same chowder-like texture and color of a dairy potato soup, plus a savory taste that rivals the dairy version. You won’t be able to tell there’s almond milk in it. Trust me.

Campbell’s Cream of Potato used to be my favorite lunch time soup as a kid. My mom would buy it just for me and make it on the stove top with regular milk. And if a restaurant was serving potato soup, you better believe I was ordering it. Sadly, I haven’t had it in a long time because of my lactose intolerance. 

It is possible to find delicious creamy soups at the local grocery store that are dairy free. Safeway carries Pacific brand soups, some of which are dairy free, like their Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup and their Butternut Squash Soup, which is made with soy milk. I’m still waiting for stores to sell almond milk based cream soups…maybe Pacific will take it on? I will definitely buy it! Until then, it’s not much work to make this recipe.

The best part about this creamy potato soup? No blender or food processor required! I adapted this recipe from “Unbelievably Easy Potato Soup” on food.com. 
Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk
Serves 4
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Total Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  2. 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  3. 1 teaspoon sea salt
  4. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  5. 4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  6. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  7. Unsalted chicken or vegetable stock to cover vegetables (about 1 cup)
  8. 2 1/2- 3 cups of almond milk* (sweetened but unflavored)
Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot, melt vegan butter over medium heat. Add onions, sea salt, and pepper and cook for two minutes.
  2. Add diced potatoes and garlic to pot and cook for 1 minute more.
  3. Pour unsalted chicken stock over vegetables until just covered and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
  4. Lightly crush the potatoes with potato masher or fork (don't over mash).
  5. Stir in 2 1/2 cups or more almond milk until desired consistency. Start with 1 cup of milk, then add a second cup. Thin out the soup by adding 1/2 a cup at a time.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh chives or parsley.
Notes
  1. *I used Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond Milk.
Adapted from Unbelievably Easy Potato Soup from food.com
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com