Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread

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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.

Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread

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

Ketchup Haters Best Meatloaf Ever

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My husband hates ketchup. I love ketchup, and I love meatloaf. So I concocted this recipe to make us both happy. After trial and error it is perfected. He also hates carrots. Along with the ketchup, he won’t even guess these ingredients are in here! Instead of empty carbs, aka breadcrumbs, use oats and toasted wheat germ–they are full of whole grains, vitamin e, folic acid, and fiber. You can find both in the cereal aisle. Make the switch to hearty grains; they are delicious when you cook with them in a great recipe like this one. The title says it all!

Ingredients:

1lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 small zucchini or carrot, grated
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup quick cook or regular oats
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 Heinz Ketchup
1 tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce, plus a little extra for brushing.
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large saucepan, melt Smart Balance over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper and cook for at least two minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook for thirty seconds. Stir in Worcestershire Sauce, oregano, ketchup, and Frank’s until well combined. Cook for one more minute.

3. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, eggs, oats, wheat germ, and cooked veggie mixture. Mix well. It’s easier to use your hands.

4. Form mixture into a lightly oiled nonstick loaf pan. Brush the top with a thin layer of Frank’s Hot Sauce.

5. Bake meatloaf 50-60 minutes. Goes great with roasted potatoes!

Summer Plums

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The family I work for gave me a huge bag of red plums from their backyard tree last week, so over the weekend I found some delicious plum recipes on the internet.

I discovered plum bread. I never knew there was such a thing as this and I was skeptical about how it would turn out, but I’m glad I tried it. Forget pumpkin and zucchini bread, this sweet bread is my new favorite.

It’s easy to make it dairy free by using Smart Balance Light and soy yogurt. You can also substitute applesauce for the yogurt. If you use greek yogurt (I did), there is much less lactose in it so it shouldn’t be bothersome unless you are highly sensitive. I’m sensitive to lactose but I can eat about a cup of greek yogurt with a lactaid pill and be okay.

You can also cut the sugar by using half sugar and half SPLENDA, or use all SPLENDA. I recommend using a sweetener even if your plums are very sweet, but this would still be a good bread with less sugar.

I also made a balsamic plum reduction sauce to go with a pork tenderloin. Since my husband hates anything with vinegar, I reduced the two tablespoons of vinegar the recipe called for with a teaspoon of vinegar. It smelled just right and tasted amazing to me, so I didn’t want to add any more than that.

Eric and I took some pictures of our dinner with our new camera. I’ll get better and more creative with it as I keep practicing!

Plum Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pitted, chopped plums–keep the skins on!
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup Smart Balance Buttery Spread Light, softened
1 cup sugar–I used 1/2 SPLENDA, 1/2 white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs–you can use 4 eggs whites, or a combination, for less fat
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup of plain or vanilla soy yogurt–actually, any fruity flavor will do!
Sprinkle of brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan with olive oil spray or Smart Balance.

2. After chopping your plums, sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of flour and toss to coat then set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter, vanilla, and eggs with a wire whisk until smooth. Add the yogurt and mix until well combined.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly stir the dry mixture into the egg and sugar mixture.

5. Once smooth, fold in the chopped plums and pour batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Let cool for another 30 minutes before slicing, but enjoy that first warm slice before it cools completely. Bet the taste will surprise you!

What it looks like right before the oven.

Pork Tenderloin with a Balsamic Plum Reduction

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin
sea salt and black peper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 small plums, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons blueberry juice–I think a berry jam would work here. I used the blueberry fruit and syrup from the fruit on the bottom yogurt.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Rinse the pork tenderloin then pat dry and season each side with sea salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet until hot, then sear the tenderloin for three minutes on each side before transferring the pork to the lined baking sheet. 

3. Roast the tenderloin for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. Once cooked, let stand for five minutes before slicing.

4. While the pork is cooking, begin the reduction sauce. Add the plums, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, and juice or syrup into a small saucepan and cook over medium low heat, until ingredients are well blended and plums are soft, about 5-10 minutes.

5. Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to the saucepan and simmer until reduced and thickened, another 5-10 minutes depending on how much liquid you have added. Spoon the plum sauce over the sliced pork medallions and enjoy with Herby Quinoa. Share with your hungry Chihuahua!

Mia’s favorite spot–right by the stove.

Balsamic Plum Reduction