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.

Coconut Bliss & Butterscotch Malts [Recipe]

I keep coming back to ice cream...seriously this is one of the hardest parts of going dairy-free. Well, that and cheese. Anyway I came across Coconut Bliss at my local Jewel (very limited flavor selection, but I believe you can most if not all their flavors at Whole Foods), and decided to give it a try. You guys, this is it! This is seriously the best ice cream sub I have found. The texture and melt are perfect! The only downside is you will definitely get that hint of coconut, it does not go away. I haven't tried every flavor, but of the 6 I've tried so far this has only been off-putting in their Vanilla Island. And in all honesty, it was only an issue for me when eaten plain; I loved topping apple pie with this flavor! If you can have, and like the taste of, coconut, then definitely try this stuff out. They even have ice cream bars and other treats.

Now... ever since I was little, I've loved butterscotch malts. They were a special thing I shared with my dad. Ever since I've been dairy free, I knew this was something I would probably have to give up. However, now that I found an ice cream I like, I was on the hunt to make my own malt!

Butterscotch Malt

2 scoops Coconut Bliss vanilla island
1 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp non-diastatic barley malt powder
3 Tbsp Jello instant butterscotch pudding mix*

* I plan to replace this with a home-made dairy-free butterscotch syrup next time, but was way too impatient once my malt arrived n_~

My next adventure will be converting a garlic cream sauce to dairy-free. The guys love when I make it with chicken (or sometimes I even make a sort of chicken alfredo), and honestly I love it too. If that is successful, you can expect a new post soon!

Gluten Free and More (Living Without)

Let's talk about magazines and recipe sites. I don't have many dairy-free friends, but between those few as well as the handful of gluten-free/Crohn's, I've got a decent circle of people who are all looking for safe foods. Vegan foods are usually a win for all of us, but I was on the hunt for a good magazine or monthly mailing resource. My one friend subscribes to Gluten Free and More (previously known as Living Without) and told me they offer a lot of recipes that are usually free of other top allergens or offer substitutes. I checked them out, and ended up subscribing for 2 years (they had a great deal going).

I am very happy with this decision. First of all, of the 3 magazines I've received (1 every 2 months), easily half of the recipes are naturally dairy-free, and the remaining recipes have dairy subs. I have yet to see a recipe that did not have a dairy-free option, and most other top allergens are accommodated as well (some more so than others). The other thing I really like is that most of the dairy subs are very easy, like milk and butter alternatives. When it comes to cheese, yogurt, etc some recipes are very helpful with specific suggestions while a handful just say "alternative" which can be disappointing as there are some alternatives that will work better than others, especially when it comes to cooking and baking. A lot of recipes offer a shopping list though, so while a specific alternative that is known to work may not be provided in the recipe itself, you have an idea of possible alternatives to explore. Overall, it has been quite helpful and inspiring.

The other great benefit is that by subscribing you get online access to their entire archive, so you are not only limited to your magazine information. The site is not super easy to navigate for dairy-free, as their focus certainly seems to be gluten-free, but again the recipes all seem to either be dairy-free or easily adapted. I have yet to find a recipe I could not use. Definitely worth a shot, and I would say to check it out. They've got a free mailing list and you can access a good portion of the current magazine without an account. If you are interested in subscribing, you can save some cash by choosing online only. So for a resource whose focus is not dairy-free, they are still very helpful.