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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.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin French Toast Bowls

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 https://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

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 https://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

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Pie

 (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.
don't miss dairy https://dontmissdairy.com/