Bananas Foster Cobbler

As usual, I saw an interesting-looking recipe and changed all but the basic idea.  This is best served warm with a scoop of your favorite version of vanilla ice cream.  I bet Butter Pecan would be good, too!

Ingredients:

Cobbler Base:
1 cup self-rising flour, separated
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk  (or increase sugar to 1 cup, use unsweetened original almond milk,  and add 1 tsp vanilla)
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine, melted

Banana Mixture:
4 medium bananas, pureed (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp gold rum

Topping:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine

**Note: if, like me, you don't have self-rising flour on hand you can make a batch for this recipe by using 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and 3/8 tsp {1/4 plus 1/8 tsp, if you're like me and fail at fractions : ) } baking soda. Use 1 cup of mixture for the base and the remaining 1/2 cup for the topping.**

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13x9 glass baking dish.

For the cobbler base, combine the 1 cup of flour and white sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the milk and melted margarine and stir until smooth.  Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly.

For the banana mixture, simply stir together the pureed bananas and rum into a creamy, rummy goodness.  Pour onto the cobbler base.  It will sink in, like a marble cake; distribute it evenly but don't worry about mixing them together.

For the topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, and flour in a large bowl.  Use a pastry cutter or large fork to cut the butter into the dry mixture until it's crumbly.  Sprinkle the topping over the bananas and cobbler base evenly.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until browned and set.  A toothpick will not come out completely clean because of the banana mixture so judge by whether or not the center of the cobbler jiggles like jello.  If it does--bake it another few minutes.  It should be pretty firm when jiggled and the edges will brown and start to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Let cool a bit and serve topped with ice cream.  Enjoy!

Note about baking with almond milk

I've noticed that when I make pancakes or other baked goods using almond milk that the batter is always extra thick and often the resulting baked item is not as fluffy as I would like.  Because almond milk is thicker than cow's milk, it is necessary to use a little bit more to achieve the desired result.  For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of milk I usually use more like 1-1/4 cups of almond milk.  My recipes here take that into consideration and can be followed as written.  But  I thought I would mention this for those who are also converting traditional recipes to dairy-free.

Cinnamon Apple Oven Pancake

I've made oven pancakes for years but only stumbled across the idea for the cinnamon apple topping out of desperation last weekend!  As they say, "Necessity breeds invention!"

Cinnamon Apple Oven Pancake

Ingredients:

For pancake:
1/2 cup flour
just under 2/3 cup unsweetened original almond milk
dash salt
2 eggs
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup Earth Balance spread

For topping:
1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Earth Balance spread
1/4 cup loosely measured brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A sprinkle of powdered sugar, if desired

Instructions:

Pancake:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place margarine in a glass pie plate and place in oven to melt.  Meanwhile, combine the flour and milk with a fork; it will be lumpy and that's okay.  Then add the dash of salt and eggs, mixing until a nice batter forms.

When margarine has melted, remove pie plate from oven and pour pancake batter over the margarine.  Replace in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are light brown.  The pancake will rise up around the sides, forming a canyon and be very puffy.  When it's removed from the oven the center will fall and you will still have a bit of a bowl shape, just perfect for holding all that yummy topping!

Fresh from the oven

Topping:

While the pancake is baking, put the diced apples in a microwave-safe bowl and top with the margarine, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until apples are soft and covered in thick, syrupy goodness.  Set aside and wait for your pancake to be ready.

Assembly:

Use a large, flexible spatula to get the pancake out of the pie plate and onto a plate.  It might be stuck a little bit--gently nudge with the spatula to loosen.  There will be a lot of melted margarine on the pancake.  I always let that drain off but if you're into it, go ahead and take it all.  Spoon the topping onto the pancake, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enter into tastebud heaven!

Pancake is ready!

***Note: You can top the oven pancake many other ways.  Lemon juice, sliced strawberries (really any fruit), chocolate chips, etc.

Ratatouille

I had forgotten about this recipe until I got a request for it yesterday.  This recipe was researched and developed after watching Disney's Ratatouille a bazillion times with my kids.  And because I'm visually driven, I have to arrange my veggies in the dish like Remi does in the movie.  My husband, a real meat and potatoes kind of guy, looks forward to this all-veggie dish each summer; the bulk of the ingredients come fresh from my father-in-law's garden.  

Ratatouille

2 Yellow squash, cut into thin rounds
3 Zucchinis, cut into thin rounds
1 Eggplant, cut into thin slices (it will need to be cut in half first, or use 2 Japanese eggplants)
1 Medium yellow onion, cut into thin slices
4-5 Small tomatoes, cut into thin slices
***Note: I use my mandoline slicer and it takes no time at all. You don't want your veggies paper-thin or else they'll disappear in the oven.***
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Can tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp basil
1 tsp dill
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of oregano
Sprinkling of red pepper flakes (more if you like things hot and spicy)
1 Big or 2 medium tomatoes

In a food processor, combine all ingredients other than the sliced veggies at top. Blend into a fresh, zesty tomato sauce. 

Wet the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Place the sliced veggies in dish in whatever order you would like (I placed mine like in the movie--with the veggies on their sides, forming a ring around the dish and then a column in the center).

Pour the rest of the sauce over the veggies. Do not add extra water; the veggies will release more than necessary.

Cover the dish with foil or parchment paper and bake at 375 for about an hour.

Serve over rice as a main dish or alone as a side item. 

French Toast Upside-Down Bake

If you like french toast you will love this!  All the yumminess of french toast without the time it takes to end up with half-soggy, half-burned french toast-like squares (or maybe I just suck at making french toast the old-fashioned way).  : )

***You can either make this dish the night before and refrigerate or make it and bake it at once.  I've included baking directions for both cases.

French Toast Upside-Down Bake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted non-dairy margarine
1/4-1/2 cup loosely scooped brown sugar
1 loaf of Texas Toast
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup unsweetened original almond milk (or use vanilla flavor and skip the vanilla below)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
white sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

Mix the melted margarine and brown sugar until combined.  Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan and spread to cover the bottom.  Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Lay a single layer of Texas toast on the brown sugar mixture in the pan.  Spoon half of the egg mixture over the bread, making sure to cover all top surfaces.  Sprinkle lightly with white sugar.  Add a second layer of Texas toast and spoon the remaining egg mixture over the top, covering all top surfaces.  Sprinkle lightly with white sugar (and cinnamon, if desired).

Now, you can either cover the dish and stick it in the fridge overnight or go ahead and bake it.

Baking instructions:

Immediate baking: bake 35 minutes at 300-325 degrees.

Refrigerated: bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

Serve brown sugar-side up with syrup or powdered sugar!

Coffee Smoothie

Forget Starbucks!  Make yourself a fabulous and nutritious coffee smoothie at home!

I use OrganoGold Latte, which is the only coffee my body can handle.  It also helps keep me from getting bloated and helps me lose weight.  LOVE.IT.  If you haven't tried it, look into it.

**My recipe uses a packet of the OrganoGold Latte (or Mocha) but you should be able to substitute regular coffee.

Ingredients:

1 packet OrganoGold Latte
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
chocolate syrup to taste
1 banana
5 medium strawberries without tops
6-8 ice cubes

Put coffee granules in blender carafe and add hot water, swishing to dissolve coffee.  Or just put 1/2 cup brewed coffee of your choice in blender carafe.  Add remaining ingredients and blend at high speed for about 15-30 seconds, depending on the power of your blender.

Voila!  You have energy, protein, calcium, and 2 servings of fruit in one on-the-go breakfast!

These are just as good with only banana or only strawberries, or use a tbsp of peanut butter and a banana for a different taste and to add protein.

Breakfast Sandwiches

I whipped a couple of these up this morning and they were delicious!

Ingredients:
1 slice canadian bacon or ham
1 egg, scrambled with salt and cooked in non-dairy margarine (or you can use butter flavor nonstick spray--it's actually dairy free!)
Garlic aioli (from the steak sandwich recipe)
Ciabatta or other crusty bread

Lightly toast the bread.  Fry the bacon first and then cook the egg in the same pan to soak up the leftover bacon flavor.  Spread aioli to taste on the bread and then add the eggs and bacon.  Mmm...

Steak Sandwiches

OMG!  These are wonderful!  I just made up the recipe based on a few things I've had at restaurants.

I used leftover roast from this recipe that has been floating around on Pinterest: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/high-temperature-eye-of-round-roast/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=eye%20round%20roast&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

I made the roast last night and it was great but I wondered what to do with the leftovers.  Then it hit me: Steak Sandwiches!

These are served on bread of your choice (I used the French Hamburger Rolls from Publix) and topped with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and garlic aioli.  If you don't have leftover roast beef lying around, you can use thin slices of ribeye or NY strip.  Cook the meat as you wish, in a skillet or on the grill.  I left mine in a single slab but my husband sliced his up like fajita meat.

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp sugar

Cut your onion into lengthwise slices, as thick or thin as you desire.  They cook down A LOT so don't go paper-thin or you'll have nothing left.  Put sliced onions in a dish with about a teaspoon of water and microwave for 5 minutes.  Now heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Slowly cook the onions, adding the sugar as they start to turn brown.  Keep cooking, stirring occasionally and adding the remaining olive oil as needed to keep the onions from burning, sticking, and becoming dehydrated.  This process will take 10-20 minutes.

Sauteed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 8 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp non-dairy margarine
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

Heat oil and margarine over medium heat and add mushrooms.  As they begin to soften, add the white wine vinegar.  Cook to desired consistency (I like mine pretty soft).

Garlic Aioli

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise made with olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed (or about 1/2 tsp dried minced garlic, rehydrated in 1/2 tsp water)
1/2 tsp lemon or lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes for flavors to blend.

My husband says he wants me to keep a tub of garlic aioli on hand at all times because he'll put it on everything!  We actually taste-tested it on raw mushrooms before I cooked them.

My favorite ready-to-eat dairy-free foods

I have found some great pre-packaged snacks and whatnot to keep on hand.

Frozen Meals:

Michael Angelo's Vegan Eggplant Medallions--so yummy!  Tastes like eggplant parmigiana but without the cheese

Amy's Baked Ziti Bowl--ziti with marinara, peas, and a touch of soy cheeze on top

Amy's Veggie Loaf Whole Meal--I was skeptical about veggie loaf but it's actually pretty good, the mashed potatoes are yummy, and the veggies are fresh-tasting.

Sweet Treats:

So Delicious ice cream--drool.  I have to say that I like the soy version better than the coconut milk variety.  The coconut flavor leaks through the ice cream flavor (which isn't always a good thing), whereas the soy version just tastes like regular ice cream.

Almond Dream ice cream bites

Amy's Chocolate Cake (in the freezer aisle)

Tofutti frozen treats--any variety, but especially the kind that's a non-dairy version of Drumstick cones

Chocolate Dream chocolate bars--I've tried other brands and they just didn't do it for me.  These taste like the real thing and they even have a version that tastes like milk chocolate!  My favorite, though, is the dark chocolate with almonds.

Foods I was happy to discover don't contain milk:

Oreos
Cracker Jack
some flavors of Sara Lee's Simple Sweets pies
Junior Mints
those place and bake holiday sugar cookies from Pillsbury
Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie mix or Dark Chocolate Brownie mix
most boxed cake mixes and canned frostings

Copycat Meatloaf

I love the meatloaf at Ted's Montana Grill but, alas, it contains half & half.  So I found a copycat recipe online and tweaked it.  The leftovers make great meatloaf sandwiches!  This is another great freezer recipe.  If you use a disposable loaf pan you can wrap the whole thing for the freezer or remove it from the pan to freeze otherwise.  If you're going to freeze your meatloaf, then only bake it for the 30 minutes and then let it cool.  Freeze the glaze separately.

**NOTE: If you didn't already know, you can buy frozen diced onions and green peppers.  I always have a bag of each on hand because so many recipes use them and it's such a time-saver!

**OOPS!  I just made this and realized that the salt and pepper were WAY off.  My meatloaf came out way spicy (which hubby loved).  If you like spicy, use the 1/2 Tbsp of pepper like before.  Otherwise, I've corrected the measurements below.

Copycat Meatloaf
Ingredients:

2 tbsp non-dairy margarine
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 eggs
3/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp ketchup
1 lb ground beef or bison
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 325.  Saute the onions, peppers, and garlic in the margarine until soft.  Set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, combine the eggs, seasonings, almond milk, and ketchup in a small bowl and whisk together.  Place the meat in a large bowl and add the veggies and egg/spice mixture.  You can mix by hand if you're not squeamish (or if, like my aunt, you enjoy the feel of raw meat) but I find that a plastic "wooden"-style spoon works well.  Add the bread crumbs and mix well. Spray a loaf pan lightly with cooking spray and press meat mush into it.  Bake for about 30 minutes--the temperature should be 140 degrees.  Spread the glaze over the top and continue baking until the temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 10-15 minutes).  Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Amazing Glaze
Ingredients:

1/2 cup chili sauce (I like Heinz)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Put all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and mix until fully combined.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Set aside until ready to glaze the meatloaf.

Southwestern Eggrolls with Avocado Ranch Dip

Eureka!  I have found a meal that I can keep on hand in the freezer and have for a quick snack or meal!  These tasty little tidbits are amazing!  I found the idea on Pinterest and then promptly ignored most of the ingredients and made my own recipe.  My husband went bananas for them!  I omitted the cheese, of course, and he liked them just the same (even though he is a big cheese lover!).  I also surprised him with stealth brussel sprouts--don't let that scare you!  You really don't taste them but you do get the nutritional benefits!

These freeze with no problem and the recipe yields a huge batch.  They're great to keep on hand and just heat a few as needed.  How awesome is that?!  I used to LOVE Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls and these are just as tasty (and dairy-free!).

Southwestern Eggrolls
Ingredients:

1-1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, tenders, thin-sliced, etc.--whichever you'd like (or 1 lg can of chunk chicken)
1/4 cup thinly sliced and diced onion
1 pkg taco seasoning
7-8 frozen brussel sprouts, thawed and chopped up in a food processor
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or one can, drained)
1 can black beans, drained
wonton wrappers, eggroll wrappers, or tortillas
cooking spray


     Saute chicken in a smidge of olive oil until not quite browned.  Chop or shred into tiny pieces and return to pan with onions and cook until onions are tender.  Add taco seasoning and mix thoroughly.  Now add the brussel sprout shreds, corn, and black beans and cook over medium heat for a few minutes to let the flavors combine.
     Place a small amount onto the middle of a wrapper and begin to roll.  Tuck in sides and finish rolling.  Dab a finger in water and spread on the seam to seal it.  Place on a baking sheet coated in cooking spray.  Once the tray is full, spray lightly with cooking spray and bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Let cool before freezing.

**NOTE: The original recipe called for the wonton or eggroll wrappers but I ran out of wonton wrappers and ended up trying the tortillas on a whim.  They are a little tougher to roll but we both preferred the tortilla-wrapped variety for taste and texture.


Avocado Ranch Dip
Ingredients:

1/2 avocado
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise (I like the Kraft Olive Oil variety)
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp dill
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
squeeze of lemon juice
pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and adjust spices to taste. Even though this dip contains avocado it can be saved for a couple of days in the fridge (if it lasts long enough!) without getting all dark and gross like guacamole can do.

Chicken Chop Suey

I'm going to start with a family recipe that doesn't have dairy, is low-fat, quick, and super easy.  This is a great meal to keep ingredients on hand for since they're all non-perishables.  Then if you're desperate for a quick fix you have a meal to be ready in 20 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 can Chop Suey Vegetables
1 can Bean Sprouts
1 large can chicken (white meat, breast, chunk--it's your choice!)
2 cups chicken broth (I use bouillon cubes and make my own)
Soy Sauce to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tbsp water

4 cups cooked rice
1 can/bag crunchy chinese noodles


Open all the cans and dump contents into a large pan/skillet.  Add the chicken broth and soy sauce.  Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until veggies are desired tenderness. I like mine completely soft and that's about 15-20 minutes.  If desired, add cornstarch mixture, bring to boil, and cook for a few minutes until thickened.

Serve over rice with crunchy noodles.

This is major comfort food for me.  A little salty, a little crunchy, and veggies that don't really taste like veggies! : )  It makes great leftovers, too.  Just store the chop suey and rice separately.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I want to preface all future posts by explaining my preferred dairy substitutes.  I use almond milk because I like it best.  I find rice milk too thin and soy milk too thick.  Almond milk is just right!  Oh, I wasn't crazy about coconut milk but I don't remember why.

For cereal, smoothies, etc: sweetened vanilla almond milk
Milk for cooking: unsweetened original almond milk
Butter substitute: Earth Balance original
Sour cream: Tofutti
Cream cheese: Tofutti

I have not found an edible cheese substitute so I just don't do cheese.

The sour cream and cream cheese mentioned above are actually quite good.  I use the sour cream in a biscuit recipe and when I made the recipe with real sour cream my husband admitted to liking the dairy-free version better!

Mommy Moo

What I'm all about

        I decided to start this blog today while I was cooking.  I have a self-diagnosed milk allergy.  I don't break out in hives or have trouble  breathing--I break out in eczema and acne and my digestive system gets messed up.  So it's not life-threatening but it is a culinary challenge!  I only discovered this problem a couple of years ago and I still struggle with how to cook and eat while avoiding all the delicious foods that milk makes possible.  I won't pretend that I don't stare longingly at the boxes of mac'n'cheese in my pantry or fantasize about the creamy deliciousness of a pudding cup.  I have been brought to tears of frustration by the lack of quick and easy dairy-free entrees.  I am a rehabilitated dairy addict, though not by choice.
       So I have made it a mission to find recipes I like that can be adapted for my needs.  I love to cook!  I am not a cook of the Food Network ilk by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I claim to be gifted with amazing culinary skills.  I am not a fancy food-eater; I prefer good, old-fashioned home cooking.  I am the kind of cook who works under the most extreme conditions--life and parenthood.  I bravely enter the kitchen and attempt to ply my craft amid the tumult created by my two sons, two cats, and a husband.  I dodge cats, toys, and kids, block out the endless barrage of Spongebob episodes, and shoo my husband out of the kitchen in an attempt to produce edible food that my kids will never touch but will provide my husband and myself with the energy to do battle in parenthood for a few more hours.
       But I digress.  My point is that I need an outlet for my culinary creativity.  I rarely follow a recipe to the letter and most of my recipes have notes written in the margins so that I can remember what I did the next time.   If nothing else, this blog will be a compilation of recipes I enjoy so that I may find them time and again.  You know, without digging through the giant pile of schoolwork and art projects that my recipes inevitably end up in.  At best, I hope to inspire other dairy-free sufferers, I mean, eaters/cooks with a variety of easy and delicious meals.  Sometimes it's as simple as a dairy substitution but not always.

Mommy Moo