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

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese

Snacks & Dips, , , , , , , , ,

A snack I am always missing at baseball games is nachos and cheese, piled high with jalapeños. It’s a serious craving.

I’ve been wanting to create this recipe for a while now, and it’s become one of my new favorite things. I thought it would be a long shot to recreate the taste of nacho cheese using non-dairy products, but I totally surprised myself. It was very simple.

The key is to use sweetened almond milk (without flavoring) and a soy cheese.

If you are looking for a good cheese to use, I really enjoy the soy cheddar from Milk Pail market in Los Altos, CA. This is what I can get locally. I love the taste, the only problem is that it doesn’t stretch or melt as well as other brands. Check out your local whole foods market or specialty food store to see if they make their own and give it a try! I also recommend Trader Joe’s Three Cheese Soy Blend and Daiya Cheddar Shreds, which are soy-free and probably the best for you.

Remember, don’t base your opinion on dairy-free cheese by what it tastes like out of the wrapping.

Cheese alternatives always taste better cooked and with other ingredients added–like hot sauce! This is great with chopped peppers added in, but I usually eat mine like stadium nachos: tortilla chips covered in cheese then piled with jalapeños.

There is no good picture of this because I was busy eating it and watching football.

I especially created this nacho cheese to accompany the first Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game. It was almost perfect, but only because the Stillers lost. They proceeded to lose each following preseason game as well, which is not a good sign for the upcoming season. So sad. At times like those, the only comforting part of the game is the food.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were still going strong for a while, but who knows? My husband and I were at AT&T Park to see the Pirates play the Giants last weekend and the Pirates also lost. That was a bummer.

The comforting thing there was not just the awesome stadium food, but that we were not the only Pirates fans! We met up with a few members of Eric’s family who were also at the game, and we saw some people with Pirates gear on. There were probably more in secret. I don’t blame them–it was Giants territory. Anyway, I hope to be making this nacho cheese for the Pirates World Series games. Let’s go bucs!

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup sweetened almond milk
  2. 1 cup shredded soy or vegan cheese
  3. 1 tsp hot sauce (I use Frank's)
  4. 1/4-1/2 cup pickled jalapeños, finely chopped*
  5. salt and pepper to taste**
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring the almond milk to a simmer.
  2. Add in shredded soy cheese, stirring frequently until melted. The last unmelted bits may require vigorous stirring for up to 10 minutes, but they will melt and the sauce will thicken considerably. Don't give up! If you are having trouble, try using a whisk.
  3. After all the soy cheese is melted add hot sauce, salt, and pepper if desired and to your taste. Remove nacho "cheese" from heat and add jalapeños the way you like them.
Notes
  1. *Amount of jalapeños depends on how much you like them and how hot you want your cheese sauce to be.
  2. **Amount of salt added will depend on the vegan cheese you use and how salty it is. Taste test before adding. Black pepper can be added according to your tastes.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Dip Made with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Dip Made with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Dip Made with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Dip Made with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com
Did you try it out? Please let me know what type of cheese you used, how it turned out, and how you ate it!

Chicken and Rice Casserole with Almond Milk

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I’m still waiting for Campbell’s to come out with a soy or almond milk based cream canned soup. I’d be able to make all of my favorite comfort food recipes in a cinch. Although, making it yourself is probably healthier and more delicious, even if it’s a bit more time consuming.
 
I love this chicken and rice casserole dish because it’s basic and simple. The almond and broth base is just what I use in my Dairy Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Green Bean Casserole recipes, and it’s applicable to any recipe that calls for a cream based condensed soup.
 
I usually stick with the simplest form of this recipe since I am a busy working girl and have little patience for vegetable peeling and chopping, but you can add other vegetables to this dish to make it colorful. Chopped celery is an easy one, but I also thought of using frozen mixed veggies, broccoli, kale, and even sun dried tomatoes. Mixing in some fresh chopped herbs makes it fragrant and pretty. The recipe I used here is the most basic way I would make it. 
 
The most important aspect is the flavoring and thickening of the almond milk, to give it the consistency and taste of a cream of chicken soup. I definitely recommend almond milk over another dairy free milk for it’s flavor. I used short grain brown rice in this recipe. Long grain may require more liquid.
 

What you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
*Optional: chopped carrots, chopped celery

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika and cook for about five minutes or until onions are tender. This is also where you should add any other vegetables you wish to include in the dish. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the onion and spices mixture, stirring quickly to combine. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, and then slowly whisk in chicken broth until well combined.

Next, stir in almond milk and 1 cup of uncooked brown rice. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a large casserole dish.

In a nonstick pan, heat additional olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and a dash of chicken broth and sear until lightly browned, about 2 minutes each side. Remove from heat and place chicken breasts on top of rice mixture in casserole dish. 

Cover the casserole dish in foil and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Cooking time will depend on what rice you use. White rice will cook much faster than brown if you’d like a quicker meal. Rice will be fluffy and chicken moist. Top with fresh parsley.

Chicken and Rice Casserole with Almond Milk
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  3. 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  4. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  5. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  6. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  7. 1 yellow onion, chopped
  8. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  9. 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, quartered
  10. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  11. 1 cup uncooked brown rice
  12. 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  13. 1 cup sweetened almond milk
  14. 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika and cook for about five minutes or until onions are tender. This is also where you should add any other vegetables you wish to include in the dish. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the onion and spices mixture, stirring quickly to combine. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, and then slowly whisk in chicken broth until well combined.
  3. Next, stir in almond milk and 1 cup of uncooked brown rice. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a large casserole dish.
  4. In a nonstick pan, heat additional olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and a dash of chicken broth and sear until lightly browned, about 2 minutes each side. Remove from heat and place chicken breasts on top of rice mixture in casserole dish.
  5. Cover the casserole dish in foil and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Cooking time will depend on what rice you use. White rice will cook much faster than brown if you'd like a quicker meal. Rice will be fluffy and chicken moist. Top with fresh parsley.
Notes
  1. Optional add-ins: chopped carrots, chopped celery.
  2. This recipe is also great in the slow cooker! No need to pre-thicken the almond milk. Just whisk flour with cold almond milk and pour into crockpot with other ingredients. Make sure to stir everything together before placing chicken on top. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
 
 
 

 

Dairy Free Turkey Taco Pie

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Eric and I love turkey tacos. We use a great recipe from the bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. It’s our go-to meal and we have it about once every two weeks because it’s so easy, incorporates all food groups in one dish, it’s healthy, and it’s the perfect comfort food. Turkey tacos are so easy because you can store all the ingredients in your kitchen without having to stop by the store to pick anything up. I keep ground turkey at the ready in the freezer, canned black beans and diced tomatoes in the pantry cupboard, buy rice in bulk, and store jarred salsa and Frank’s in the fridge. It’s a meal I don’t have to plan, I just get out all the ingredients.

The basic Frank’s taco recipe calls for 1 lb. cooked ground meat, 1 cup salsa, 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, and 2 teaspoons of chili powder. We build on the recipe and add diced tomatoes, then layer our tacos with black beans and brown rice. Occasionally Eric adds shredded cheese while I add guacamole if it’s in the fridge. Sometimes we don’t always have tortilla shells, and we will either eat it burrito bowl style like Chipotle, or eat with tortilla chips. I usually have some Tostitos Lime Tortilla chips on hand.

One week not too long ago I didn’t have any chips or tortilla shells, but I did have fresh tomatoes, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese shreds, and even guacamole. All the ingredients perfect for tacos! Rather than go to the store just for taco shells, I pulled out the cornmeal I use for dusting pizza crust and made a delicious Taco Pie. It’s so good and looks beautiful when it’s all put together. You don’t need sour cream or cheese to make this delicious. Add a dollop of guac to your pie when serving to get that creaminess you desire.

Ingredients:

Crust

1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
cooking spray

Filling

1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 cup salsa
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can black beans, drained (not rinsed)
1 cup three cheese soy cheese shreds or mixture of mozarella and cheddar Daiya Shreds
red pepper flakes (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup lettuce, shredded
Gaucamole or advacado (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 inch pie dish with cooking spray then sprinkle a light dusting of cornmeal on bottom and sides of dish to prevent crust from sticking.
                                           

2. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in almond milk and vegetable oil until a ball begins to form.

                                                

3. Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball, then, on a surface dusted with flour, use a rolling pin to roll out your dough into a 10 inch circle.

                                            

4. Place your rolled out dough onto the pie dish, molding to form a crust. Tuck extra dough underneath to make even. Poke a few fine holes in the bottom and sides with a fork to prevent crust from bubbling up.

                                                 

5. Place in oven and cook for five minutes, or until lightly browned and hardened like a tortilla shell.

6. Meanwhile, cook your ground turkey until browned. Drain any liquid fromt the pan, then add salsa, hot sauce, and chili powder. Simmer uncovered for ten minutes, allowing the tortilla crust to cool and the spices to seep into the turkey.

7. Add turkey and salsa mixture into tortilla crust. Follow with a thick layer of black beans, then top with cheddar cheese shreds. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for an added kick.

8. Bake for 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Remove pie from oven and immediately top with diced tomatoes and lettuce. Cut like a pie and serve with guacamole.