Vegetables

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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.

Vegetables

Dairy Free Spinach Artichoke Dip

Snacks & Dips, , , , , , , , , , ,

Cheesy, gooey, hot spinach and artichoke dip with a little kick. It’s okay lactose intolerant person, this is for you. This recipe is made fresh and flavorful to taste better than your average restaurant style artichoke dip. I served it to a group of cheese-loving, dairy-eating ladies and they ate it all up! It’s a lot healthier than an average dish of the dairy version of this dip, as the soy cream cheese and dairy free shreds are low in saturated fat and cholesterol free. I even used light mayonnaise to make it healthier.

Just know, real mayonnaise is completely dairy free. I try to point this out as much as I can, because I’ve noticed a general misconception that mayo is associated with dairy. Either people associate eggs as being dairy, or just mayo as being made with cows milk, but real mayonnaise is made only with eggs–no cow products at all. The Best Foods mayonnaise I used contains the following simple ingredients: soybean oil, water, whole eggs, vinegar, salt, sugar, and lemon juice. No lactose whatsoever. It’s an important ingredient in most artichoke dip recipes.

The other dairy free ingredients I used were Trader Joe’s This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese, This is a Tub of Non-Dairy Spread, though I also recommend using either Tofutti Cream Cheese and/or Tofutti Sour Cream. I used Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds to substitute real cheese, but I recommend Trader Joe’s Soy Mozzarella as well. For the second cheese you can use real Parmigiano Reggiano, which is said to be completely lactose free due to the process it is made and aged. But to keep this dish completely dairy free, use Galaxy Foods Vegan Grated Parmesan or Parma! instead. Last but not least, in every recipe that calls for butter, I replace it with Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread, which is completely dairy free, yet still tastes amazingly like real butter.

Cooking all these non-dairy ingredients together really brings out their dairy flavor. Eating them all separately and cold makes you never want to buy them again-so don’t do it! Combine them by cooking with other ingredients and spices to get the same level of comfort food satisfaction. I absolutely love this spinach artichoke dip.

Ingredients:

1 large bag fresh baby spinach
2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped
1 medium size yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 6oz containers This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese
1 cup real mayonnaise
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano or Vegan Grated Parmesan
3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup Daiya Mozarella style shreds
3 tablespoons Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
 
1. Chop up your onion, artichokes, and garlic. Melt the Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Once melted, toss in the onions and cook until translucent, about five minutes. Throw in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds with the buttery onions.
3. Add red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper to the pan, immediately followed by all of the spinach. Spinach takes up a ton of space when first added, so it will be easier to add it to the pan in portions. It will cook down quickly. Cook spinach in butter, onion, and garlic mixture for 2-3 minutes once all added.

4. Remove pan temporarily from heat. With a slotted spoon, remove the spinach, onion, and garlic from the pan, leaving as much flavored butter behind as possible. Set spinach mixture aside.  I set my spinach on a cutting board and chopped it up to make it more manageable to eat.

5. Add the artichokes to the remaining flavored buttery liquid in the pan and return to heat. Cook until the liquid is cooked off and the artichokes begin to brown. Add more Smart Balance if needed.

6. While artichokes are cooking create the base for your dip. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Soften the tubs of non-dairy cream cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds. You want them to be easy to work with. Add the non-dairy cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.
7. Add mayonnaise to the non-dairy cream cheese and combine until smooth.
8. Next add 3/4 cup mozzarella shreds and 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan alternative, spinach mixture, and browned artichokes to the cream cheese and mayo mixture. Stir until well combined.
9. Transfer to a large baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cook for 15 minutes, or until mixture is hot and bubbly. Cooking these non-dairy ingredients together is the key to their delicious dairy taste. When I served this dish, no one could tell it was dairy free.

Dairy Free Turkey Taco Pie

Entrées, , , , , , ,

Eric and I love turkey tacos. We use a great recipe from the bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. It’s our go-to meal and we have it about once every two weeks because it’s so easy, incorporates all food groups in one dish, it’s healthy, and it’s the perfect comfort food. Turkey tacos are so easy because you can store all the ingredients in your kitchen without having to stop by the store to pick anything up. I keep ground turkey at the ready in the freezer, canned black beans and diced tomatoes in the pantry cupboard, buy rice in bulk, and store jarred salsa and Frank’s in the fridge. It’s a meal I don’t have to plan, I just get out all the ingredients.

The basic Frank’s taco recipe calls for 1 lb. cooked ground meat, 1 cup salsa, 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, and 2 teaspoons of chili powder. We build on the recipe and add diced tomatoes, then layer our tacos with black beans and brown rice. Occasionally Eric adds shredded cheese while I add guacamole if it’s in the fridge. Sometimes we don’t always have tortilla shells, and we will either eat it burrito bowl style like Chipotle, or eat with tortilla chips. I usually have some Tostitos Lime Tortilla chips on hand.

One week not too long ago I didn’t have any chips or tortilla shells, but I did have fresh tomatoes, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese shreds, and even guacamole. All the ingredients perfect for tacos! Rather than go to the store just for taco shells, I pulled out the cornmeal I use for dusting pizza crust and made a delicious Taco Pie. It’s so good and looks beautiful when it’s all put together. You don’t need sour cream or cheese to make this delicious. Add a dollop of guac to your pie when serving to get that creaminess you desire.

Ingredients:

Crust

1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
cooking spray

Filling

1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 cup salsa
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can black beans, drained (not rinsed)
1 cup three cheese soy cheese shreds or mixture of mozarella and cheddar Daiya Shreds
red pepper flakes (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup lettuce, shredded
Gaucamole or advacado (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 inch pie dish with cooking spray then sprinkle a light dusting of cornmeal on bottom and sides of dish to prevent crust from sticking.
                                           

2. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in almond milk and vegetable oil until a ball begins to form.

                                                

3. Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball, then, on a surface dusted with flour, use a rolling pin to roll out your dough into a 10 inch circle.

                                            

4. Place your rolled out dough onto the pie dish, molding to form a crust. Tuck extra dough underneath to make even. Poke a few fine holes in the bottom and sides with a fork to prevent crust from bubbling up.

                                                 

5. Place in oven and cook for five minutes, or until lightly browned and hardened like a tortilla shell.

6. Meanwhile, cook your ground turkey until browned. Drain any liquid fromt the pan, then add salsa, hot sauce, and chili powder. Simmer uncovered for ten minutes, allowing the tortilla crust to cool and the spices to seep into the turkey.

7. Add turkey and salsa mixture into tortilla crust. Follow with a thick layer of black beans, then top with cheddar cheese shreds. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for an added kick.

8. Bake for 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Remove pie from oven and immediately top with diced tomatoes and lettuce. Cut like a pie and serve with guacamole.

   

Roasted Potato Wedges

Veggies & Sides,

I made these crispy potato wedges to go with my Irish Bangers as an appetizer for St. Patrick’s Day. I used Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Salt Free Seasoning All Purpose Blend. I also recommend Mrs. Dash Salt Free Seasonings. I did add a little sea salt to bring out the flavor, but at least I can add the amount I want. I also used yellow fingerling potatoes because that’s what I had, but gold or russet potatoes will work well.

Be very careful when pulling out your potatoes from that dark, cool space in your kitchen. I had a near death experience when I lifted my bag of fingerling potatoes and a ugly brown spider was hanging from it. I almost had a heart attack along with my panic attack. Spiders are the scariest creatures on earth as far as I’m concerned. Eric knows me so well that as soon as he hears the involuntary scary spider sound coming out of my mouth (something between a scream and a yelp), it triggers his spider alert senses and he comes quickly with a fly swatter to save the day. Sigh…he is my hero.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of potatoes, washed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons salt-free all-purpose seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice potatoes into skinny wedges, like fry cuts.

2. In a large dish, add wedges and vegetable oil, then toss until wedges are completely covered in it. Sprinkle on some sea salt, then transfer wedges to a nonstick baking pan.

3. Bake wedges for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to brown all sides. Once wedges look browned and are crispy on the outside, remove them from the oven and sprinkle with all-purpose seasoning. You can place them in a paper towel lined tray or basket to absorb the excess oil and to serve less greasy wedges.