DF Eggnog [RECIPE]

I have been on a hunt for good eggnog. This is like a life-long goal of mine, because I know good eggnog exists, I've had it and love it, but  it seems to be so hard to find. Many commercial eggnogs taste like bubble gum to me (something about the sweeteners, I believe), so even before dairy was out of my life this was an adventure. I was all ready to try SoDelicious after getting great reviews (including from personal friends), but I also ran into some bad reviews saying it basically tasted lke coconut milk with nutmeg...definitely not what I was looking for. So, I hop online and start searching for recipes, and many people in ti dairy free circle have almost identical recipes, so I decided if this many people had the same idea it must be good. So I give it a try, and it's ok but still not quite right. I found the recipes too thin, not eggy enough, and surprisingly over spiced. So back to Google I go, searching for real eggnog recipes, and even creme anglaise for comparison. Research in hand, I made my second attempt and I am in love. This is a custardy, rich, smooth drink and I want to share the recipe with you all.

Dairy-Free Eggnog
(also soy-free; include tree nuts & egg)

Ingredients:
8 eggs, separated
2 ¼ c unsweetened macadamia milk
14.5oz or 400ml can coconut cream
⅔ c sugar + 2 Tbsp
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
dash allspice

Instructions:
Bring macadamia milk, coconut cream, vanilla, and spices to a simmer.
While your milk mixture is heating up, whisk together eggs & sugar.
Slowly temper milk mixture into egg mixture, drizzling about 1 cup of the milk mixture into your eggs before you pour the entire egg mixture back into your pot, whisking to combine.
Continue whisking over a simmer for 4-5 minutes, keeping temp low.

For a frothy & silky drink (optional):
Chill eggnog to at least room temperature
Beat eggs whites with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar until stiff peaks form
Whisk egg whites into eggnog

You do want to be careful while combining your milk & egg mixtures. Eggnog is essentially a loose custard, so you can break it. Overheating your eggs, or not allowing them to temper properly, can cause a grainy consistency. This can be fixed with an immersion blender, but you are better of keeping things low and slow.

Likewise, if you don't wait long enough to mix in your egg whites, your drink will also get clumpy. This is less likely due to having broken the custard, and I even had some difficulty with cold eggnog. Again you can easily correct this with an immersion blender.

Whether you choose to use the egg whites or not (it still tastes wonderful without them), you may notice your eggnog separates over time in the refrigerator. Just give it a quick stir before serving.

DF Veggie "Cream Cheese" Spread [RECIPE]

I've been craving a bagel with cream cheese, but there are some obvious hurdles: dairy allergy, and lack of goof fluffy bagels. My favorite bagel & cream cheese combo is from a little place in Marquette, Michigan called Third Street Bagel. They have the best veggie cream cheese ever, and their bagels are so light & fluffy, so they don't sit like stone weights in your stomach ;)

Locally, I've found 2 very good options for equally good bagels, Jake's Bagels & Deli in Aurora, IL and County Farm Bagels in Winfield, IL & Wheaton, IL. I had even figured out how to duplicate Third Street's veggie spread, but now I had to translate it to a dairy-free version. So I found a few recipes online, combined different pieces that I liked, adn the result is pretty good! I'm not sure I would like this spread without the veggies added, but as a whole it is delicious! It also works well for crackers!

Dairy-Free Veggie Cream Cheese Spread
1 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1½ Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (or to taste)

1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper½ medium carrot, shredded
1 medium scallion (or small yellow onion), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ medium red bell pepper, diced
1 fresh dill sprig (or ½ Tbsp dried)


Soak cashews for at least 4 hours, or overnight. You could start with boiling water to speed up the soak time to 1-2 hours if you are in a rush. Rinse and gently dry cashews with paper towel  to remove excess water.

Using a high speed blender or food processor, blend the nuts, oils, lemon juice, and spices. This takes a while, and you will probably have to stop ans scrape down the sides of your blender or food processor a few times. Continue blending until you get a smooth consistency. Your mix may be a bit warm at this point, and personally I was not super impressed with the flavor, but don't be discouraged!

Add in your veggies. You can do this by hand or add to your blender/food processor (personally, I chopped everything up fine, but still added to my food processor). Allow to chill in refrigerator before eating, as the cold helps the texture set up and improves the flavor. The longer you can wait, the better it will taste as all those flavors meld together!

I've heard this type of mix lasts for about 1 week in the refrigerator. To be honest I'm moving into week 2 right now and have not notice any spoilage, but trust your instincts. This makes a hefty amount of spread, so you may want to cut the recipe down or freeze half of it for later (I haven't tested freezing it yet, but I've read some success stories & have frozen other cashew based creamy items such as mini cheesecakes).

Dairy Free French Toast Breakfast Casserole [RECIPE]

The BF wanted a breakfast casserole over our 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. When he says breakfast casserole, I immediately think bake french toast. Blueberries & pecans also immediately jumped to mind, but jst because that sounded yummy at the time. So I looked up a few recipes for guidance, then set to making my own dairy-free baked french toast/bread pudding type dish.

As per usual, he walks out while I'm prepping. Normally, he is all for supporting dairy-free options, but he also lives on milk so when he sees the lack of dairy he goes into the meal skeptical (never mind all the times I just don't tell or wait until after the fact, and he never noticed!).

DF French Toast Breakfast Casserole (Optionally TNF)
1 baguette, cubed
1 c blueberries
1/4 c chopped pecans (or walnuts)

For Custard:
8 eggs
2 c almond milk
1/4 white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For Crumble:
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 c rolled oats
1/4 c chopped pecans (or walnuts)
2 Tbsp Fleischmann's margarine

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish
Add cubed bread & blueberries
Top with chopped pecans
Whisk together custard ingredients and pour over bread mixture
Cover and let sit in refrigerator overnight
Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour before baking
Cut margarine into other crumble ingredients
Top casserole before baking
Bake 350F for approximately 45 minutes
Serve with maple syrup

I did not have any on hand, but I bet this would be delicious with some orange juice added to the custard. I'm thinking about 2 Tbsp (maybe up to 1/4 cup). There's just something about orange juice & blueberries that works so well.

For a nut-free option, simply leave out the pecans. They are completely unnecessary, but a favorite of mine. There's enough sweetness in the casserole & other textures in the crumble topping to make this delicious.

Dairy-Free, Nut-Free Pesto [RECIPE]

Did you know pesto has dairy in it? I didn't and it has been a go-to for me for a while now. I wanted to make my own with arugula (because I love it so), but all the recipes I found used parmesan! Then I started looking at the store brands, and they all had parmesan too (I know, I should have been doing that all along, but I was naive). SO I set off to do some experimenting, and since one of my best friends' little girl is allergic to nuts I decided to cut those out too. So without further ado, here is what I came up with:

DF, TNF Pesto

1 c fresh basil, tightly packed
1 c fresh arugula, tightly packed
4 cloves garlic
½ c sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ c olive oil (or enough to achieve desired consistency)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained (optional)

Combine basil, arugula, garlic, sunflower seeds, and lemon juice in food processor
If using capers, add them now
Pulse until well chopped
Keep pulsing and add olive oil until desired consistency
**Alternately, use pestle and mortar to make paste and stir in olive oil until desired consistency
Add salt and pepper to taste

Dairy-Free Potato Soup w/ Vegan Option [RECIPE]

It's been a while in the works, but I've finally translated my favorite potato soup recipe to be dairy-free. Reminiscent of a chowder, this creamy soup will be a hit in any home. It tastes just like a regular potato soup with cheese. This soup is so easy to make, you'll be wondering why you have't added it to your menu yet. I like to up the yum factor by making my own vegetable broth.

Ingredients
8-10 large yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cubed
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 c vegetable broth
3 Tbsp olive oil or butter substitute
¼ c flour
1 c veggemo or milk substitute
Salt, pepper, paprika, & parsley to taste

Optional:
1 lb bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (or to taste)

Directions
Cook bacon and drain off, reserving ¼ c grease (if not using bacon or opting for a vegan soup, use 1/4 c olive oil or butter substitute with 1/4 tsp pepper).
Cook celery, carrots, and onions in bacon grease with a pinch of salt until translucent, 5 min.
Add garlic and saute 1-2 min.
Add potatoes, toss to coat, saute 3-4 min.
Add broth to cover potatoes. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 min.

In separate pan melt olive oil over medium heat.
Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 min.
Whisk in Veggemo, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Stir mixture into potatoes.
Puree about ½ the soup (or not, if you like it chunky), then add nutritional yeast to taste.
Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley to taste.

Add bacon in at end, or my personal preference is to wait and sprinkle on top when serving so the bacon stays crispy.

Dairy-Free/Vegan Apple Pie [Recipe]

This year, I was tasked with making desserts for both Thanksgivings (mine & the boyfriend's families). Pie was requested, and to accommodate a couple different pallets I ended up going with apple, which is super traditional anyway ;) Now, I have *never* made an apple pie, or a double-crust pie, so this was going to be an adventure. Luckily, everything was delicious! So now I am sharing the recipe with you all.

Dairy-Free/Vegan Apple Pie

Crust

4 c flour

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c vegetable shortening

2 tsp white vinegar

1/2 - 3/4 c  cold water

Filling

6 large apples, peeled & sliced

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon/apple pie spice

2 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix together flour and salt; cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Gradually add vinegar and water, 1 Tbsp at a time until mixture will hold together. Divide dough into 2, pressing each half into a ball/disc lightly floured on each side, then wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Roll out between wax paper into circles 1/8 inch thick and press 1 crust into 9 inch pie pan.

Mix apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon or apple pie spice together. Sprinkle lemon juice and melted coconut oil over the top. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust and top with other crust (make sure to use a pie bird or cut vent slits into the top crust, or if you are feeling artistic go ahead and whip up a lattice top). If desired, brush an egg wash over the top of your pie. Bake in 350F preheated oven until the top is golden brown (about 40 min).

If you need to prep your pie in advance, there are a suggestions you can follow to avoid a soggy bottom. First, just wait to fill your pie until you are ready to bake. This is super simple, but may not really save you much time if you are doing an elaborate top crust. Your other options are to either blind bake the bottom crust or freeze the completed/unbaked pie (if using a glass or ceramic pie dish, make sure you let it defrost on a counter for at least 30 minutes to an hour before placing into the oven, and add another 20-30 minutes baking time).

Some other tips & tricks I've discovered when it comes to prepping in advance involve creating a barrier between your crust and wet filling (typically fruit pies), such as brushing some egg wash or shortening over the crust to create a fat layer between the crust and filling. I've also read that preheating a sheet with the oven and baking your pie on that helps with a crisp bottom crust (it also helps catch and spillage, which does happen with fruit pies, so why not?).

The other dessert we made was white chocolate mousse! I am still working on perfecting that recipe (we brought attempt #2, which was delicious and the texture was *almost* there, but it still needs a little bit of work). You can expect to see that recipe posted once I am done adjusting it.

Brownies [Recipe]

Today I made cheesecake bars for my boyfriend, because I am a good person. I did not have Daiya on hand (which I have not even tested out in a baked capacity yet), so he got real cream cheese. I had a hankering for something sweet after dinner and decided to make myself brownies. I adapted my favorite brownie recipe to remove the little bit of dairy and they turned out pretty delicious! I couldn't even tell the difference.

Brownies
1/2 c white sugar
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 c dairy-free chocolate chips*
2 eggs
1/3 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 F
Melt sugar, coconut oil, and water in saucepan over medium heat
Remove from heat & stir in chocolate chips until melted/smooth
Mix in eggs & vanilla
Combine remaining dry ingredients and stir in to chocolate mixture
Pour batter into greased and floured 8x8 inch baking pan
Bake 25-30 minutes

You can mix in anything you like, such as cocoa nibs, nuts, etc
You can also top or swirl in other additives (today I swirled in some peanut butter on the top)

*I used mostly Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips, but was just short of 1 1/2 cups, so had to sub Chatfield's carob chips to make up the rest.