Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk

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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.

Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk

Creamy Candy Cane Cocktail

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Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail from dontmissdairy.com

The holidays are the best time to try those creamy cocktail recipes. I haven’t been able to find a dairy-free creamy liquor, so I concocted my own.

With a crushed candy cane rim, vanilla soy milk, vodka, and schnapps, this pepperminty cocktail is a sweet and satisfying after dinner treat.

Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail from dontmissdairy.com

I hope you enjoy it this holiday, maybe with some vegan whipped cream and a candy cane dipped in your glass.

This Christmas we are staying in California, rather than joining the travel craze and venturing to the cold east coast. Though I’m not going to lie, I miss the winter season around the holidays. There is something about Christmas and cold weather and snow that goes so well together. 

I’ll miss the cozy fires my dad makes and the excitement of opening presents with my family. It will be sad not to be able to see their faces when they unwrap my gifts.

But Eric and I have created our own little traditions out here in sunny California over the years. We still put up a live tree (although I wouldn’t exactly call our current tree alive), hang up stockings decorated with puff paints, and wrap presents for each other to have surprises on Christmas morning.

Christmas Tree

We wrap little bones and treats for Mia, who loves opening gifts, especially if there’s something chicken flavored inside.

The best part of the day is the time to relax, to enjoy the time together without the stress of work and daily demands. Christmas is a time for giving and spending time with the people we love. And I love my little family.

Merry Christmas!

Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail from dontmissdairy.com

Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 1 candy cane, crushed
  2. 3 oz sweetened vanilla soy milk
  3. 1 oz peppermint schnapps
  4. 1 oz vanilla vodka
  5. 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
  6. ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Unwrap candy cane and place in a ziploc bag. Crush with a mallet or rolling pin and pour candy cane bits onto a small plate. On a second small plate, pour a little bit of vanilla vodka. Dip rim of martini glass in the vodka and then in the crushed candy canes to line.
  2. In a martini shaker, add soy milk, schnapps, vodka, vanilla syrup, and a few ice cubes. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into martini glass.
Notes
  1. I used Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk and Torani Vanilla Syrup.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail from dontmissdairy.com

Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail from dontmissdairy.com

Creamy Dairy-Free Candy Cane Cocktail from dontmissdairy.com

Pumpkin French Toast Bowls

Breakfast, , , ,

Pumpkin French Toast in a bowl.

Did you ever make a recipe based on random ingredients you had in the fridge?

I rarely go out of my way to buy ingredients for a specific recipe. Usually I browse the ingredients I have in my kitchen and make something up. Sometimes for inspiration, I dig up a recipe from a cookbook or my Pinterest account.

This was one of those recipes.

Some days I just wake up wanting to cook something! Being eager to post recipes on my brand new blog is also highly motivational.

So on this particular morning when I checked my fridge, I found leftover pumpkin puree and half a loaf of French bread. I plunged into my endless collection of fall recipes on Pinterest and found one for pumpkin french toast by Minimalist Baker. This was a large recipe, but I only needed two servings—one for me, one for my husband. My new single serving size ceramic baking bowls inspired me to make individual servings. I also adapted it to be dairy free, of course.

Pumpkin French Toast Bowls

This French toast recipe is so yummy. I poured agave nectar on mine for a tasty syrup, but my husband ate his up without anything added.  He doesn’t usually use condiments, but this tells me it was pretty good.

You can play around with this recipe to make it your own. Let the bread soak up the liquid longer if you like. Try a different type of bread, like sweet cinnamon raisin bread. Add extra pumpkin, or add some powdered sugar on top after baking. Try using some different non-dairy milks as well.

While you can use any type of non-dairy milk in this recipe, I recommend one that contains vanilla and spices. I used Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk, but some other good options would be Silk Vanilla Almondmilk, SoDelicious Coconut Nog, or Rice Dream Vanilla Rice Milk.

I just made an amazing homemade oat milk recipe from ohsheglows.com. This oat milk would be great to use in any French toast recipe because of its vanilla and cinnamon flavors. I hope you use your favorite dairy-free ingredients and enjoy!

Pumpkin French Toast Bowls
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 loaf French Bread (about 10 slices)
  2. 3 eggs
  3. 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
  4. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  5. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  6. 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  7. 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  8. dash sea salt
  9. 1/8 cup pumpkin puree
  10. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  11. 2 tablespoons agave nectar
  12. 2 teaspoons vegan butter
Instructions
  1. Cut bread into cubes. I made mine thin, about 1/2 an inch.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except bread and butter alternative, and whisk until combined.
  3. Add bread cubes into bowl. Using a mixing spoon, gently fold bread into mixture until just coated and allow cubes to soak up liquid for 10 minutes or longer.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 1 teaspoon of melted butter alternative into each individual oven safe bowl, or 2 teaspoons into the bottom of a nonstick loaf pan. This is important so the French Toast doesn't stick.
  5. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Drizzle with melted butter alternative and your favorite syrup.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
Baked French Toast bowls

Cooked French Toast with agave nectar.

A bite of pumpkin french toast.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Did you try any variations, and how did it turn out?

Pumpkin Spice Café Au Lait

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Dairy free pumpkin spice latte from dontmissdairy.com

Everyone is drinking pumpkin spice lattes now! I see pictures of them on instagram, facebook, Google+, and Pinterest…absolutely everywhere.

It’s been hard not to stop at every Starbucks I drive past (there’s one about every block), and march in and buy one.

I do love Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, especially with half the syrup and soy milk. They are perfect that way. Even if you can drink dairy milk, I encourage you to order a tall pumpkin spice latte with soy and half the syrup next time you go to Starbucks. It’s not overly sweet that way and the soy gives it a malty taste. Delicious.

The problem with Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes is that the pumpkin spice syrup contains dairy. If I order half the syrup with soy and no whip, the small amount of dairy in the pump of syrup doesn’t bother me much. But if you want to avoid dairy completely then this is not the drink for you.

Isn’t that sad, especially when the whole world is broadcasting their Pumpkin Spice Lattes all over social media?

To satisfy my Pumpkin Spice Latte craving (and to save $5) I made my own pumpkin spice café au lait at home.
Keurig Coffee Brewer
One of my favorite toys is my handy dandy Keurig coffee brewer. I’ve bought dairy free pumpkin spice kcups in the past, but I haven’t seen them this year yet. So I just decided to brew a perfect steaming cup of medium roast coffee and then add my own pumpkin spice soy milk concoction.

I used Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk because it’s so thick, sweet, and creamy, though you can use any vanilla soy milk brand. I know some people don’t like to use Silk Soymilk because it contains carrageenan. I use it because I think it has the best taste.

Any coffee you brew will do (see what I did there?), but since Starbucks uses espresso, why not get a 1lb bag of Starbucks Espresso beans, grind some, and brew the fresh grounds in your regular coffee maker? Even better if you have an espresso machine. It will give you the more authentic taste of a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Want to know something even more exciting? Whole Foods sells a wonderful product called Rice Whip by the company Soyatoo. It’s vegan and soy free.

Soyatoo Rice Whipped Cream
The ingredients are organic rice milk, organic rice syrup, rice starch, rice flour, coconut oil, thickeners, and sea salt. Together these ingredients make an awesome whipped cream. It’s even in a propellant canister so you get that beautiful coffee shop whipped cream look and texture. It’s delicious and I highly recommend trying it. The only problem is how fast it goes when you are using it on all of your desserts and beverages.

Pumpkin Spice Café Au Lait
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
  2. 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  3. 2 tablespoons agave nectar
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  5. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  6. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  7. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  8. 1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee
  9. rice milk whipped cream (optional)
  10. ground nutmeg for topping
Instructions
  1. In a 2 quart saucepan over medium low heat, combine soy milk, pumpkin puree, agave nectar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
  2. Whisk vigorously until blended. Let heat for five minutes. While milk is heating brew your coffee.
  3. When milk is good and hot but not yet simmering, transfer to a blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds to make it smooth and frothy.
  4. To serve, pour half of a cup full of brewed coffee in a mug, then add the pumpkin spice milk mixture. Top with rice whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Thick, creamy, and delicious fall in a cup.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

Dairy free pumpkin spice latte from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy free pumpkin spice latte from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy free pumpkin spice latte from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy free pumpkin spice latte from dontmissdairy.com

Dairy free pumpkin spice latte from dontmissdairy.com