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.

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.

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Dip

I'm going to a Halloween party tonight and wanted to bring a sweet treat I could enjoy (I've also got a friend w/ Crohn's going and one of the hosts is lactose-intolerant). So I did some digging around for DF recipes, but in the end adapted one I've used in the past with DF subs. It turned out great, and nobody could tell there was no dairy!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Dip
1 c pureed pumpkin (not pie filling)
8 oz df cream cheese (I used Daiya regular)
½ c powdered sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
8 oz df whipped topping (I used So Delicious cocowhip, regular not lite)

Let cream cheese and whipped topping soften before making the dip.
Beat together cream cheese, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.
Fold/stir in whipped topping.
Keep refrigerated.

Serve with graham crackers or ginger snaps (I used the TJ brand GF ginger snaps). Alternately, you could crush up the crackers/cookies and do a traditional graham cracker style crust using your favorite DF butter sub and some sugar. I thought about doing this and making mini pumpkin cream pies in a muffin tin, but I am lazy and have leftover pumpkin puree to use up (I'm thinking granola!).

*You can buy pre made pumpkin pie spice or mix up your own. I use the same spices in a variety of other things (including apple pie spice), so I just use this recipe:

Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ tsp allspice
½ tsp ground cloves

So Delicious Cashew Milk Ice Cream & Coco Whip

I meant to start trying out my new purchases last night, but alas we got caught up in game night and I had a burger with regular American cheese. I was looking for a sweet treat before lunch and decided to try out the So Delicious cashew milk ice cream. I grabbed the vanilla, because who doesn't like a good vanilla (although watch out, as they basically have an unflavored version which I almost mistook for vanilla).

Disclaimer: My trip took longer than intended yesterday so things did get a bit melty.

Taste: Pretty good. This was like your standard French vanilla, so a little buttery without a super strong vanilla flavor. Some hints of cashew, but much less than the almond in Ben & Jerry's. I definitely want to check out some of the other flavors.

Texture: Much better than the coconut milk! Maybe even better than almond milk? Or at least comparable. There was that obvious refrozen texture though, so I may update this as I get farther into the pint or when I try a new flavor. That aside, this was a very thick and creamy ice cream.

Overall: I think this is m favorite so far. I am really looking forward to trying some of the other flavors, and to see what new ones So Delicious comes out with.

Update: So I made a bowl tonight and topped it with coco whip. I stand by my previous thoughts. Very thick and creamy (closer to frozen custard actually), and the cashew flavor does come through a bit. It was not jarring though, and I think in other flavors it will be left in the background. As I got farther in the texture was definitely better but still thicker and heavier than expected (this was not due to melting though as I hit the middle of the pint)

As for the coco whip...this is great! I am a little disappointed it's more like cool whip than whipped cream, but from what I've read coconut whipped cream lasts about 2 days in the refrigerator. That being said it's got a great creamy texture, even better than cool whip. It definitely tastes like coconut though (although not as strongly as I anticipated), so if you don't like coconut flavor this is not for you. I love coconut and was very pleased. This was a great topping to my cashew ice cream, and actually melts better than regular whipped cream.



I'm sure I'll review other brands/types over time, but this concludes a pretty good summary of my experiences. I'm not sure if I'll give soy ice cream try...my brother also has dairy problems, is allergic to soy, and there is a small correlation between the 2 so I am not planning to up my intake drastically. I may attempt rice milk, and others as they become available. I am also planning to do some experimenting on making my own and will share those results on the blog.

Ben & Jerry Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Based off the recommendation of many friends, and given that it is the only other dairy-free option at my Jewel, I picked up a pint of Ben & Jerry's The chunky monkey came highly recommended, but I'm not a banana person so I went for Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

Taste: Holy crap, this tastes just like brownie batter. It's thick and succulent. There is a hint of almond flavor (given that this is made with an almond milk base), so that may catch you off guard at first. However, going in knowing that it should not deter from your enjoyment.

Texture: This is creamier and softer than the So Delicious coconut milk ice cream. When it melted, the texture was as expected. This was definitely closer to ice cream.

Overall: Highly recommended. The almond flavor definitely comes through, so if this is something you dislike stay away. Otherwise the flavors they are offering are good and the texture is wonderful. I will definitely be buying more and trying more flavors as they become available (minus the Chunky Monkey lol).

Dole Whip

I've come across this recipe in the past, but it popped up again on my feed today and in light of my new adventure I decided I wanted to give it a try.

First of all, if you attempt this I highly recommend a food processor. I've tried this in both a large blender (although maybe not high power enough? also I only did 1/4 of the recipe for a single serving), and a small personal sized blender (16 oz). I was not able to get the pineapple fully processed, so those chunks were rather jarring in terms of both texture and flavor.

That being said, I love this! Oh so smooth and creamy. The pineapple is such a subtle flavor, which surprised me given the 4:1. This is so light and refreshing, and reminded me of a sherbet. I'm seriously considering attempting this with other fruits (especially lime...man, do I miss lime sherbet). Also, for those of you who don't like or can't have pineapple, I think it would be worth attempting with other fruits. I'm sure you could use any non-dairy milk of your choice, as Gemma even says she's used the light coconut milk so you know fat content isn't make or break.

I'm getting a suspicion that most of what you will be reading about here will be ice cream related...Over time hopefully that will change! Then again, nothing wrong with a dairy-free dessert blog, right?

Update 9/16/16: If you have a stick/hand/immersion blender, I have found that works rather well when making a single serving. If it came with a vessel, pour everything into there, otherwise use a tall/narrow container large enough for your blender to fit into.