Dairy-Free Recipes

I have never before experimented with baking.  All the chemistry just about has me at wits end. Actually, I take that back: I once tried a loaf of wheat bread without a recipe… it was ugly.  So I took this recipe for dairy-free chocolate chip cookies and modified it heavily to come up with Orange Cranberry Cookies.  I would like for the orange flavor to be more pronounced and the texture to be a little stiffer, but over all these were an incredible success 🙂

Orange Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients

• 1/2 C orange juice
• 4-6 oz craisins
• 1/2 C Earth Balance Spread (or similiar non-dairy margarine)
• 1/2 C Earth Balance Shortening (I think any non-dairy shortening would work fine)
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Sugar
• 1/2 C Orange juice
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1 1/2 C old fashioned oats
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• (1/2-1 Cup walnuts, almonds or pecans might be lovely too)
• (1/2-1 tsp orange zest would probably make them delightfully orangey)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350
2. Soak craisins in OJ until plump.  (If you’re in a pinch, you can microwave the craisins/oj in short bursts until the craisins the liquid is absorbed, but you should refrigerate the dough for a little while before baking)
3. Beat margarine/shortening and sugars until fluffy.
4. In a separate mix bowl, milk flour, oats, salt, and baking soda (and orange zest).
5. Alternate adding the flour mixture and remaining 1/2 cup of OJ to the cookies.
6. Stir in craisins (and nuts)
7. Bake for 9-12 minutes until the middle is slightly set and comes clean when a toothpick is inserted into them.
8. Let cool on the baking sheets.

I love fish.  It’s kind of ironic since I was raised by a man who cares for fish in a aquariums for a living.  It’s an obsession that is like eating away your fathers life’s work, but that’s a thought for another post 😉 

Salmon cakes and other things like meatloaf have been a mental challenge for me.  They all contain bread crumbs and most purchased bread crumbs contain either cheese or whey.  I wouldn’t mind making my own bread crumbs because it’s simple enough (stale or toasted bread spun through a food processor), but we go through bread at an incredible rate. I think I eat an entire loaf in about a 5 day span without my hubby’s help. So, in short,  I have a hard time keeping enough bread on hand to make bread crumbs with. Sigh.

Last night I had a break through in this dilemma: why not use oatmeal instead?  I’m happy to say that everything turned out well and yummy.  I’m imagining so many possibilities for these salmon cakes: On a bun with a tomato and some bacon, on a bed of lettuce with some spicy cocktail sauce, as I served them last night with butternut squash pasta, or even as a finger food for the girls in a couple months.  Mmm.

Salmon Cakes
Ingredients

• 1 Can of Salmon, mashed with a fork so that the bones aren’t as noticeable (this is a fantastic source of calcium for the dairy free momma)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• a couple handfuls of old fashioned oats (I think instant might work just as well but you may have to use more)
• About 1 tsp Old Bay blackening seasoning (or regular) 

Instructions

1. Add enough oats to the beaten egg to make a kind of runny oatmeal texture.   
2. Stir in the Old Bay seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)
3. Mash in the salmon and form into flat cakes with your hands.
4. Fry in oil over medium heat until both sides are slightly crispy and the cake is warm throughout. 

While I was totally rocking the dairy-free lifestyle during the winter due to a bunch of soups and stews, Spring has brought a new challenge to eating dairy free.  It’s far too hot for soups and stews down here in South Carolina!  Usually, during the warmer months Derek and I enjoy a bunch of cheesy pasta dishes and our famous on the deck crackers, lunch meat, exotic cheeses, and fruit meal.  My brain is warped with trying to adapt dairy free into this new season, but I think it’s mainly because I’m too lazy or too busy with tired girls to want to make more than a one dish meal.  Slowly, I think I’ll get into a dairy-free summer groove.

Here’s our dinner from a few nights ago.

Grilled kielbasa, Jiffy Corn Muffins (made with water), and Spicy Okra and Tomatoes.

Spicy Okra and Tomatoes
I like things pretty hot, but mixing the okra with the muffins mellows this dish out just a we bit.  If you don’t like hot, you can substitute a regular can of tomatoes.
Ingredients

• One Onion, sliced thinly
• 5 cloves of Garlic, minced
• Cooking Oil (I think I used Canola… but it might have been Olive)
• about a pound of Okra, cut into coins
• a small can of diced tomatoes with green chilis

Directions

1. Saute the onions and garlic in oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the okra and saute until they are warm.
3. Add the can of Tomatoes and green chilis and let simmer until most of the juices are absorbed.

Easy Taco Seasoning Recipe (I usually double it):

• 1 Tbs Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or Crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp pepper

Directions
After cooking your meat dump the seasoning in the pan with a 1/4 cup water and simmer until the water is absorbed.


Chicken Azteca
The president of our local Moms of Multiples club shared this recipe with me while we were at our traditional after meeting outing 😉 It’s in our club cookbook apparently, but I just made it as I remembered her reciting it to me (with a little addition of my own, I’m sure). We’ve been loving this as a change to our normal lunch menu of sandwiches, fruit, and crackers. And it makes a ton to freeze for later!
Ingredients

• 2 15oz cans of black beans
• 2lb skinless chicken
• a jar of salsa
• a can or two of corn
• a single recipe of Taco Seasoning (above)
• 2 C. cooked Rice
• Tortillas

Directions

1. Dump Beans, Corn, and 1/2 of the salsa in the bottom of your crock pot.
2. Place chicken on top of salsa mixture.
3. Sprinkle Taco seasoning on the chicken and dump remaining salsa on top.
4. Cook on Low 8hrs or High 4 hours.
5. Shred (and debone) Chicken and stir in the rice.
6. Serve in tortillas

With the loss of yogurt (soy is weird… coconut is waaaaay too expensive) and the death of my blender (it was junk anyhow), I thought I would never make a good smoothie again.  I was wrong. I constantly snack on my dairy-free smoothies. Derek even begs me to make them for him when he’s finished working in the yard.

Smoothie Base

• Frozen Bananas (or Homemade Coconut Ice Cream for a more dessert like creation)
• Honey to taste
• Almond milk

Directions

1. Whir the bananas in your food processor
2. Add almond milk until it’s either a drinkable or spoonable smoothie (your choice)
3. Add honey as desired for sweetness

Variations

• Peanut Butter Banana (my personal favorite afternoon pick-me-up): Add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter.
• Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter and a good shake of cocoa powder
• Berry: Add a heaping hand full of your favorite berries.
• Tropical: Add a heaping hand full of Dole’s Frozen Mixed Fruit avoiding all strawberries
• Mango Blueberry: Omit the banana.  Add frozen Blueberries and Mango.  Go heavier on the mango than the blueberries.
• Mango: Add some Mango.
• Green Machine: Add an Avocado

I’m sure you can come up with tons of your own variations.  Enjoy!