I recently had a babe and find that she does not tolerate dairy AT ALL. and my bigger kids dont take kindly to it either. You have recipes that dont require dairy but many of the desserts and sauces include it. Do you have alternatives to dairy that work well in these recipes? Oh and that are not soy alternatives? If you do i would love to see them featured. It seems like so many of the budget food ideas include or are heavy on the dairy group.
A from Linda: Thanks so much for your kind words and enthusiasm! We are actually cutting down on dairy in our household and I'm looking for non-dairy desserts, so you will see more recipes that work for your family in the coming months. The cheese-sauce recipe was actually just a response to the canned-soup casseroles of Thanksgiving.
Here are some recipes you might enjoy:
Lemon-Walnut Sauce
Hummus
just the sauce for Potato-Peanut Curry
Bean-Broth Gravy made with corn oil
Oooo, Mama! Gravy
Applesauce with Raisins
Minted Cantaloupe Sorbet (not in season now, alas!)
And I'll put non-dairy desserts on the front burner for January. I haven't tested any recipes with almond milk or other nut milks, but many cooks say they work fine. I used to use soy milk before we gave up soy. We often have plain fruit for dessert, but I'm sure you've already thought of that.
Does anyone out there have good non-dairy dessert suggestions suitable for vegans or people who can't tolerate milk?
Here's our non-dairy version of Cocoa Pudding. If you're going vegan, you can omit the egg yolk, but the pudding won't gell as well. If you prefer a firmer pudding, substitute a teaspoon of vegan gelatin dissolved in 1/4c boiling water.
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1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c cocoa (best with non-dutched dark cocoa!)
2 1/4 c rice milk
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp guar gum
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk dry mix with 1 cup of the rice milk; when it's smooth add the remaining milk. Heat over medium-high until boiling, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add 1 cup of pudding to the egg yolk, whisk smooth, add back to pot and boil 1 minute longer. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir smooth, then pour into bowls or cups to refrigerate.
Notes:
1. You add 1 cup of the mixture to the egg yolk in order to prevent it from cooking too quickly and forming egg-yolk chunks. It _may_ work to add the yolk directly to the pot, but in my experience it's safer to start with a smaller portion and add back once it's mixed.
2. A truly delicious variation, if you can afford a bit of a splurge, is to get a can of coconut milk and substitute that for 1 3/4 cups of the rice milk (1 can coconut milk + 1/2 cup rice milk). Coconut cocoa pudding is...just heavenly!
3. We prefer a firm pudding; if you prefer a softer one, omit the guar gum. You could also substitute xanthan gum for the guar gum.