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.

Zucchini Salad

Veggies & Sides, , , , ,

Coming up with some fresh ways to use the zucchini and herbs in my garden, I put this quick salad together. It works best with very thin slices.  It would probably taste great with some sliced tomatoes as well! Though my zucchini plant is barely producing anymore fruit, I have an abundance of tomatoes.

This recipe requires lemon olive oil. It’s amazing as a salad dressing or dip for Italian bread. I haven’t found it in a supermarket, but you should be able to find it at a specialty food market or Italian deli (or online). I’ve found it in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy–Bloomfield, and California’s farmer’s markets. Sigona’s has a wide selection of flavored olive oils that you can taste at their store.

This was a special treat just for me since my husband hates vinegar. I love it! Pickles, dressing, beets,  olives, chips–I’ll pretty much eat anything vinegary.

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, thinly sliced
20-30 whole parsley leaves, stems removed
4 basil leaves, sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions:

1. In a large shallow bowl or baking dish, mix all ingredients and spread out in an even layer.

2. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least three hours. Best if left overnight. Make at night and enjoy for lunch the next day 🙂

Lemon Olive Oil from Il Fornaio

                                            

Honey Fruit Salad

Veggies & Sides, , ,

I made up this fruit salad for one reason alone: to use up fruit leftover from entertaining visitors. It was so amazing that I made it again for a ladies shopping party. There were no leftovers, so I figured it was a hit!

Ingredients:

2 navel oranges, cubed
2 small baskets strawberries (20-24 berries), tops removed and halved
2 bunches red grapes
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons blackberry honey
2 teaspoons white sugar or SPLENDA
1 lemon
1 teaspoon lime juice
8 fresh mint leaves, sliced

Directions:

1. Rinse all your fruit. In a large bowl, add the fresh squeezed juice of 1 lemon.

2. Chop your apples first, tossing them in the bowl with the lemon juice so they do not brown. Add the rest of your fruit: peeled and cubed oranges, sliced strawberries, and whole grapes.

3. Add the lime juice. Toss all fruit with the lemon and lime juice to mix and coat.

3. Warm your honey in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, until thinned. Drizzle over fruit and toss to coat. Sprinkle white sugar or SPLENDA over fruit and toss to coat until desired sweetness–just a couple of teaspoons is enough. You do not want to overpower the other flavors.

My favorite honey from the Mountain View Farmer’s Market.

4. Finally, add sliced mint leaves and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve 🙂

                                        

Delicious Dairy Free Ice Cream

Desserts, , , ,

Smooth, sweet, and creamy–it’s as good as the real thing! I love this combination of full fat coconut milk and vanilla soy milk. It makes a rich ice cream that doesn’t make me miss the dairy. I’ve tried a few combinations, and there are alternatives with fewer calories, but this recipe is the best tasting. Using just soy milk gives the ice cream a grainy, icy texture, but add the thick, sweet, full fat coconut milk and you have an instant substitute for heavy cream.

Any non-dairy milk will do for this recipe, but I love the thick texture and sweetness of Silk Very Vanilla soymilk. Homemade ice cream has the added benefit of being able to add your own amount of sugar. Agave syrup is a healthier option as it is metabolized slower than sugar. Besides being easy to mix in it also has a mild flavor that compliments vanilla quite well.

This recipe requires an electric ice cream maker. If you don’t have one, I suggest getting one. They are perfect for making ice cold homemade treats in twenty minutes or less. Frozen yogurt, sorbet, frozen drinks, and slushies are other great ideas to make with this tool.

You can easily add mix ins to make other flavors. Eight ounces of melted chocolate added to this recipe will give you a delectable chocolate ice cream. I’ve also added crushed chocolate and cream (dairy free) cookies in the last five minutes of mixing for cookies and cream ice cream. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled at least two hours in the fridge
1 1/4 cups refrigerated Silk Very Vanilla soymilk
1/2 cup agave syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use 1 tablespoon if using non-vanilla soymilk)

My pretty red ice cream maker…not much bigger than a coffee maker!

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.

2. Pour into your frozen ice cream bowl and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions. It should be ready to eat in 15-20 minutes. It will be soft, so if you want harder ice cream, put in the freezer for at least 1 hour prior to enjoying.

Full fat coconut milk and Silk Very Vanilla soymilk.

Agave Syrup.

Adding the vanilla.

Churning process.
Finished product 🙂