All posts by Emily Stokes

About 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.

Spicy Roasted Almonds, Pecans, &Walnuts

Snacks & Dips, , , ,

This was one of the first recipes my husband and I ever made together in our first kitchen. Since then it’s been a favorite. It goes great as a snack to munch on before holiday dinners, and we usually make it for Thanksgiving. It’s not my recipe, but since I’m making it this Thanksgiving, I’d like to share it with everyone. You’ll get a big batch out of this, so it’s great to share with a lot of guests. Use raw nuts that are unseasoned. I used dried oregano from my own garden. Smoked paprika is best and can be bought at Whole Foods, but if it’s too hard to find, regular paprika can also be used. They are addicting!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole almonds
2 cups pecan halves
1 cup walnut halves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine almonds, pecans, and walnuts. Adding 1 tablespoon at a time, toss the nuts with olive oil.

2. In a small bowl, combine red pepper, rosemary, oregano, smoked paprika, black pepper, and sea salt. Slowly sprinkle the mixture over the nuts, tossing to coat.

3. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool before serving them in your favorite holiday dish.

Simple Cranberry Sauce

Veggies & Sides, , , , , ,

Cranberries are beautiful to photograph. The rich red color reminds me of Christmas decorations like holly berries and poinsettias, complete with pine trees and snow. It’s not snowing in California, but we are still getting into the holidays. Thanksgiving is almost here, and cranberry sauce’s tart, yet sweet flavor goes great with turkey. Eat it on hot sliced turkey, or cold on a leftover turkey sandwich. It stays for weeks in the fridge. I spiced mine up a bit and added some orange zest for a citrusy flavor. Cranberry sauce is so easy to make out of fresh cranberries, I won’t buy the canned stuff ever again.

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp allspice
Directions:
1. Mix water and sugar together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.

2. Add cranberries, return liquid to a boil and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Skins will pop and it will begin to convert to a jam consistency.

3. Remove from heat and add zest and allspice. Cool to room temperature to serve. The sauce will thicken upon standing.

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Pie

Desserts, , , , , ,
 (Updated from original post on November 8, 2013)
 

This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe.

I’ve made it with white sugar, agave syrup, and even sugar free (using Splenda); it turns out incredible every time! 

It has a beautiful light orange color that turns into a deep, creamy orange when cooked, just a teeny bit lighter than a pumpkin pie made with condensed milk. Previous pumpkin pies that I’ve made with soy milk tend to have a much darker color than a dairy pumpkin pie. Not to mention, it’s texture is light and fluffy when compared to a denser soy milk pumpkin pie.

It’s all about the coconut milk.

The full fat canned coconut milk has the same consistency as cream,  so there’s no need to thicken in it any way. Just make sure your canned coconut milk is full fat and at room temperature.

I hope you enjoy this very simple and absolutely delicious coconut pumpkin pie. I make it every year and dairy-eaters love it.

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Pie
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Ingredients
  1. 1 refrigerated pie crust
  2. 3/4 cup sweetener (white sugar, stevia, maple syrup**, or Agave syrup**)
  3. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  5. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  6. 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  7. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  8. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
  9. 2 large eggs
  10. 15oz can pumpkin
  11. 12 oz full fat canned coconut milk, shaken
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Mold the pie crust into a 9 inch pie dish. Fold excess under and flute or cut and use as a garnish.
  3. Mix sugar, salt, and spices in a small bowl until thoroughly blended.
  4. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in the pumpkin, vanilla, and then the sugar and spice mixture.
  5. Gradually add full fat coconut milk while stirring and continue to stir until just blended. Pour into pie crust.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes to set, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 40 minutes. To check if the pie is done, stick a knife through the middle and see if it comes up clean. If there is a layer of pumpkin on it, you may need to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Allow pie to cool before cutting.
Notes
  1. *Updated
  2. **If using all maple syrup to sweeten, you only need 1/2 cup, rather than 3/4 cup. If using liquid sweetener, the pie will also cook better if you reduce the coconut milk by one tablespoon.
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