Enjoy Each Bite

I have enjoyed the Krusteaz brand of cornbread mix so many times that I just wanted to share it with my favorite milk substitute, Almond/Coconut milk blend, unsweetened. The photos tell it all. Follow the box instructions substituting out for the milk and enjoy cornbread with little preparations.

Crispy Onions: A crunchy alternative to croutons. We just discovered them and tried them out. Also, one of our favorite non-dairy dressings, Ken's Sweet Vidalia Onion. 

Since it's birth, this blog has been all recipes and ideas of how to cook and bake delicious foods without milk products. Although my husband can't eat dairy foods, the rest of us in the family can, so I often make a meal that includes some dairy for us and another dairy-free variety for him.  Such as pizza... His and Hers Pizzas: Bacon Pineapple and Olives. Because his pizza doesn't include any cheese, it gets more yummy toppings piled on to compensate.  So, if you are cooking for a family, not everyone has to go without dairy. There are ways to split up the meal and make special accommodations for the non-dairy types in the group.  And I have to mention that the pizza shown above was the MOST AMAZING PIZZA I have made so far. And that is thanks to some recent adjustments to my Focaccia bread recipe that I use for the crust. It is so full of flavor, soft and thick. Perfect! More about making your own pizza sauce here.

I use certain ingredients over and over, nearly every meal, when I cook. Here are my favorite ingredients and the must-haves in my kitchen and pantry. Olive Oil - I am not picky with olive oil. I don't really understand the difference in taste between Extra Virgin and just plain old olive oil. I buy name brands if they are on sale, otherwise, store brands work for me. I use olive oil when I make nearly anything on the stove. Olive oil is often a great substitute for butter. Garlic Salt - Garlic salt adds such a great full flavor to many foods. Mrs. Dash seasoning blends - I guess when I am cooking without any dairy, I compensate by adding awesome seasonings to the foods I make. It needs to be flavorful and I have learned to love these blends of seasonings. Cinnamon - Cinnamon is a great spice that provides food with a distinct full flavor without requiring much sugar. For example, I love adding cinnamon to applesauce instead of sugar. No sugar needed when cinnamon does its...

I have found that baking and cooking recipes work using non-dairy substitutes most often. The major differences will be texture and lack of creaminess. Using soy, rice and almond milk instead of milk in recipes is often an unnoticable difference. The major difference in taste and texture has occured for me when replacing butter with margarine. I believe the main reason for this is that margarine often has water in it. This means that cookies spread thinner when cooking, so I have learned to add a little extra flour to the dough. Also, when I make rolls, I choose not to brush them with melted margarine before or after cooking because it has resulted in soggy rolls. When using a substitute, use the same amount as directed in the original recipe or use your best judgement. Experiment with new recipes and find the substitutes that you prefer.

Great Dairy Subsitute Options: Cheese - Rice cheese is the best for taste and texture. Soy cheese is also available. Milk - Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk. All work great in baking. Butter -  A margarine that has very little or no dairy (usually says "less than 2% whey). We have used Smart Balance original blend (minimal dairy), but I learned that Smart Balance Light with Flax has ZERO dairy. This is a great substitute. Butter flavored or plain shortning are also great options in baking. Icecream - Fruit Sorbet , rice or soy icecreams Cream Cheese - Trader Joe's sells a plain dairy-free cream cheese that tastes pretty good. Pizza - Cheese-less pizza  or special order from a pizza place (be sure to ask about their pizza dough). Frostings - Homemade using margarine or shortning, some storebought frostings have no dairy (example: Pillsbury Cream Cheese Flavor... slightly ironic.)

So, when we are avoiding dairy products, it means anything that is made using any product of milk is off the list. The initial realization of what this includes may seem overwhelming, but do not dismay, your life is not over! There are so many substitutes that make life ok again. Dairy products include: milk (including powdered milk) cheese (including cottage cheese and cream cheese) yogurt sour cream whipped cream butter (including many margarines) Dairy products do NOT include: mayonaise eggs marshmallows or marshmallow cream peanut butter cream corn If you haven't already, become very aware and accustomed to looking at ingredients in all foods before assuming they are dairy-free. Especially check crackers, croutons, chips, cereals, soups (dry and prepared), breads, pancake mixes, frozen meals, sauces, pre-seasoned meats, dressing, cake/brownie mixes, etc. Look for words like " whey " or " casein " in the ingredients along with those more obvious. Once you get...