Dairy-Free Recipes

Why is it that I always have the ingredients for chocolate cake in my house?  This depression era vegan chocolate cake is fantastic!  Moist and crumbly and oh so tasty.  I sadly have yet to have the time to find a dairy-free margarine in the stores so I just made up a chocolate-peanut butter frosting with ingredients I did have. This frosting is just slightly peanut buttery.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

• 3 squares Bakers Chocolate
• 2 Tbs Dutch Process Cocoa
• 4 Tbs oil
• 2 generous Tbs natural Peanut butter
• powdered sugar to taste
• approximately 1/2 cup Almond milk

Instructions

1. Melt the Bakers chocolate over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. Add Dutch Process Cocoa, oil, and peanut butter.
3. Add powdered sugar to taste (I estimate that I used about 1/2 cup)
4. Whisk in almond milk.
5. Pour and spread over finished cake when still warm.

I love breakfast foods. Unfortunately so many of my favorite breakfast foods contain dairy: biscuits, muffins, pancakes, waffles, cheesy scrambled eggs, omelets , egg casserole…  A lot of these foods just aren’t the same without dairy. Last weekend I wanted pancakes and I flipped through my favorite recipes in frustration: butter, milk, buttermilk, and yogurt were all required and sometimes multiple items in the same recipe!  I found one recipe in my box that looked promising and I switched out the milk for almond milk. Perfect!

Oatmeal and Wheat Flour Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Wheat Flour
• 2 Tbs Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbs Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups Instant/Quick Cooking Oats
• 2 Cups Almond Milk
• 3 Eggs Beaten
• 1/4 Cup Oil
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla or Almond Extract (I prefer almond!)
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries, Nuts, or Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Directions

1. Preheat a lightly oiled griddle over Medium Heat
2. In a medium bowl, mix oats and milk.
3. In a large bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients.
4. Whisk eggs, oil, and extract into the oat/milk mixture.
5. Fold in berries, nuts, or chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter on griddle. Cook 1-2 minutes until bubbly. Flip and continue cooking until lightly browned.

Budget meals are my best friend right now and this one is easy, cheap, and makes a TON!  Seriously, I froze 3 more meals from this.   This would be great for lunch throughout the week.

Veggie Beef Soup

• Ground Beef
• Onion, chopped
• Large can of beans, rinsed and drained (your choice or omit)
• Family size bag of frozen mixed veggies
• Can of chili sauce (Hunts brand, by your canned tomatoes)
• 28 oz Can of diced tomatoes
• 8 cups beef broth (I used McCormick Beef Base)
• 2 cups cooked rice (or omit)

Ingredients

1. Brown ground beef with the chopped onion.
2. Dump meat and remaining ingredients in crock pot.  Cook on high or low (depending on when you want to serve it) until warmed through.
3. Easy peasy! Enjoy!

This was an effort to make something out of what I had in my refrigerator and cabinets so I didn’t have to run to the store.  Honestly, it tasted like something served at a gourmet restaurant!  And it was so easy!  It would be equally as good with beef or any other veggies that are in need of leaving your crisper.

Balsamic Chicken 

•  Canola Oil
• 2 Onions, sliced thinly
• 2 Green Bell peppers, sliced thinly
• 1 lb Chicken (I used tenderloins)
• 3 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 5 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 Tablespoons Corn or Arrowroot Starch

Instructions

1.  Caramelize onions over low heat.  When they become translucent, add the green peppers.
2. Add Chicken and cook until chicken is browned.
3. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
4. Combine Vinegar, Sugar, Garlic, and Cornstarch.
5. Pour Vinegar Mixture into pan while stirring.  
6. Cook until thickened.
7. Serve over rice, pasta, or non-dairy mashed potatoes since it makes a lot of sauce.

I needed chocolate today and I was all out of dairy-free chocolate chips (and a Whole Foods trip with two babies is beyond my comfort zone), so I modified a recipe for Chocolate Pudding from The Joy of Cooking.  It turned out great!

Chocolate Pudding

• 2 1 oz squares semisweet Bakers chocolate (dairy free!)
• 0 to 1/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like chocolate)
• 2 Cups milk substitute of your choice (I used almond)
• 3 Tablespoons Corn or Arrowroot Starch

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate squares over low heat
2. Whisk in sugar if using.
3. Whisk in 1 3/4 cup milk and turn up the heat slightly.
4. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup milk with 3 Tablespoons corn starch
5. When the chocolate mixture starts to get hot, add milk/starch mixture.
6. Stir frequently until the mixture reaches your desired pudding texture.
7. Pour into cups and chill in the refrigerator.