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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.

Entrées

Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole

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Here’s an easy, dairy free way to use up leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, and vegetables. If you used the recipe for Dairy Free, Fat Free Mashed Potatoes, you’re already set to make this recipe dairy free.

Reheat your leftover mashed potatoes using a few splashes of vegetable broth or chicken broth at a time, microwaving in 1 minute intervals, then mashing with a fork until soft again and easy to spread.

My gravy was just turkey drippings thickened with cornstarch, but it solidifies when refrigerated  so I microwaved about a cup of this until liquified again.

I used green beans and carrots in this recipe, but you can use any leftover vegetables, especially peas, corn, carrots, and green beans. If they are large just chop them up before adding them to the dish.

The measurements can be adjusted depending on how much leftovers you have. Just judge it as 1 part turkey, 1 part gravy, 2 parts vegetables, and 3 parts mashed potatoes. I added the paprika mostly for color, and the thyme to flavor the vegetables which were not cooked. If your vegetables are already flavored, you may not need any spices, salt, or pepper. It’s like a Thanksgiving version of Shepherd’s pie!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked turkey, chopped
2 cups mixed vegetables
1/2 cup-1 cup turkey gravy
3 cups mashed potatoes or more
1/4 tsp paprika (optional)
1/4 tsp thyme (optional)
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Reheat your mashed potatoes and gravy until potatoes are soft to spread and gravy can be poured. Add chopped turkey, vegetables, salt, pepper, and thyme to a deep 8×8 casserole dish and mix together.

2. Pour half the gravy into the vegetables and mix. Then pour remaining gravy to fill in the space until turkey and vegetables are just covered.

3. Dollop mashed potatoes on top of the gravy mixture, and spread until fully covered and flat. The thickness of the mashed potatoes really depends on how much you want to use, and how deep your dish is. Once spread until smooth, you want to fluff the potatoes so that the tops get a little crispy in the oven. You can use a fork to rough it up or make a pretty design by carving into the smooth potato surface. Sprinkle with paprika.

4. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until hot. Set the oven to broil, and broil for 3 minutes or until the tips of the potatoes get a little bit browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then serve.

For dessert, leftover cranberry sauce mixed with cool whip–yum!

How to Make a Delicious Grilled (Fake) Cheese Sandwich

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I made this particular grilled cheese using Trader Joe’s Soy Blend of Mozzarella, Jack, and Cheddar Flavors.

Grilled cheese is one of those comfort foods you don’t have to lose with lactose intolerance. Fake cheese works surprisingly well as a substitute. The trick is to blend it with other flavors. Some fake cheese options are better than others. I’ve tried many different kinds of soy cheese or vegan/dairy free cheese alternatives.

One version of sliced cheese singles I can recommend are Veggie Slices. These are soy based, but they do contain milk protein so watch out if you are allergic. They taste terrible on their own but make a great grilled cheese sandwich. I’ve used them for cold sandwiches but I’d honestly rather do without the fake cheese. This stuff tastes best cooked in something or melted.

If you are looking for vegan and completely dairy free, I always recommend Daiya Shreds. Although for taste, I prefer soy blend cheeses. Two other types I like are Trader Joe’s soy mozzarella and shredded soy blend. These are sometimes hard to find in the cheese aisles so look thoroughly. I always find Daiya Shreds and Veggie Slices at Whole Foods.

Other pluses to lactose free cheeses: no cholesterol, less saturated fat, less sodium, and easy to digest.

Adding another filler in your sandwich blends with the fake cheese, making it taste more authentic. I like to add pickles, tomatoes, bacon, or all three to perfectly replicate a dairy grilled cheese sandwich. Get a nice, thick bread, like sourdough, spread on the SmartBalance Light, and honestly, it’s hard to tell the difference.

Dairy Free Mac’n’Cheese

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Cheese lovers: do you think your body really enjoys all that grease, cholesterol, and hard to digest lactose? Of course not! I know it tastes amazing, but so does my lactose free mac’n’cheese.

Well, I didn’t actually use macaroni, but I did use hearty whole wheat penne! Unsweetened almond milk brings this dish to life, along with vegan butter and lactose-free cheese. It has a couple of secret ingredients that you would never have guessed: egg and dry mustard. Topped off with flavorful french fried onions! It will make you wonder if this isn’t the real thing. How can I ever miss mac’n’cheese again?

I can recommend a few lactose-free cheeses to choose from. Trader Joe’s has a shredded soy cheese that’s a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, and jack flavors. I used that for this dish. It’s not vegan and has milk protein in it, so beware if you are allergic to milk protein. It’s great if you are just lactose intolerant. If you are looking for dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan, then I recommend using Daiya Shreds in cheddar.

Parmesan is an aged cheese and has very little lactose. If you can tolerate this, use the real thing. If not, I recommend a product called Parma!, or use nutritional yeast instead. GO Veggie also makes a soy-based parmesan topping.

Follow the directions according to pictures or scroll to the bottom for an easy to follow printable recipe.

What you need:
1 pound pasta 
1 egg
4 tablespoons vegan butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese alternative
1/3 cup parmesan cheese alternative
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Topping:
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese alternative
1/2 cup to 1 cup french fried onions, alternatively you can use breadcrumbs

Directions:
Cook pasta until firm but not done. Knock off about 2 minutes of cook time. Drain and keep in warm, covered pot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Beat egg in small bowl and set aside.

Melt vegan butter  in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour, whisking constantly. Cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Pour in almond milk. Add mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened.

To temper egg, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the almond milk sauce into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg.

Slowly pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking until smooth. This will create a nice, thick mac’n’cheese.

Add lactose free cheese and 1/3 cup of parmesan alternative, stir until melted.

 
  

Mmm creamy, cheesy goodness.

Add sea salt and pepper plus more to taste. You can also add any other spices at this point.

Pour cooked pasta into sauce and stir to combine.

In a large casserole dish sprayed with cooking oil, add pasta and cheese mixture.

Top with french fried onions and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese alternative.

Bake 5-10 minutes or until the surface is lightly browned. Taste approved by cheese lovers!

Dairy-Free Mac'n'Cheese
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound pasta*
  2. 1 egg
  3. 4 tablespoons vegan butter**
  4. 1/4 cup all purpose flour***
  5. 2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  6. 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  7. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese alternative
  8. 1/3 cup parmesan cheese alternative****
  9. 1 teaspoon sea salt
  10. 1 teaspoon black pepper
For topping
  1. 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese alternative
  2. 1/2 cup-1 cup french fried onions or breadcrumbs
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta until firm but not done. Knock off 2-3 minutes of cook time. Drain and keep in warm, covered pot.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Beat egg in small bowl then set aside.
  4. Melt vegan butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour, whisking constantly. Cook for 2-3 minutes, careful not to burn.
  5. Whisk in almond milk. Add dry mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low.
  6. To temper egg, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the hot almond milk sauce into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg.
  7. Slowly pour egg and almond milk mixture into sauce, whisking until smooth. This will create a nice, thick mac'n'cheese.
  8. Add dairy-free cheese and 1/3 cup of parmesan alternative, stir until melted.
  9. Add sea salt and pepper plus more to taste. You can also add any other desired spices at this point.
  10. Pour cooked pasta into sauce and stir to combine.
  11. In a large casserole dish sprayed with cooking oil, add pasta and cheese mixture.
  12. Top with french fried onions and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese alternative.
  13. Bake 10 minutes or until the surface is lightly browned. Taste approved by cheese lovers!
Notes
  1. *I used whole wheat penne, but macaroni works of course! I also recommend Tinkyada's gluten-free brown rice elbows.
  2. **I used Smart Balance Light.
  3. ***Use cornstarch to keep this gluten-free.
  4. ****You can also use nutritional yeast.
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese
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