Dairy-free recipe

Peanut-free Zoodle Pad Thai

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Want comforting flavor but lots of nutrition? Want Pad Thai but not the peanuts? Want to sneak veggies into your kids (or yourself) without the battle? This is your dish.

Peanut-free Zoodle Pad Thai

Peanut-free Zoodle Pad Thai

Peanut-free Zoodle Pad Thai

Ingredients

– 4Tbl sesame oil

– 3 large eggs

– 1 garlic clove, minced

– 1 fresh lime, juiced

– 1 Tbl low sodium soy sauce

– 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

– 3 Tbl honey

– 1 Tbl mirin

– 1 Tbl powdered ginger

– 1/4 cup crunchy Sunbutter

– 1 10oz bag broccoli slaw

– 1 10oz bag shredded red cabbage

– 1 red bell pepper, julienned

– 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned

– 2 medium-large zucchini, spiralized

– 1 handful uncooked angel hair pasta

Directions:

– Boil water and cook angel hair pasta according to instructions.

– While pasta cooks, add 2 Tbl sesame oil to wok over medium heat.

– Whisk the garlic, lime juice, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, honey, mirin, and ginger together in a bowl.

– Once the wok is hot, pour in the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens.

– Stir the Sunbutter and remaining 2 Tbl of sesame oil into the sauce.

– Toss the slaw and cabbage in the sauce

– Add the spiralized zucchini to the pasta water for the last few minutes of cook time.

– Once the pasta is ready, transfer the pasta and zucchini to the wok with tongs, allowing some of the starchy pasta water to enter the wok.

– Add the bell pepper to the wok and toss to mix.

– Crack the eggs into the wok and toss with the veggies and noodles until thoroughly mixed.

– Serve and enjoy!

 

Dairy-free Sub Salad

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It’s Father’s Day weekend, so I wanted to make a dinner that appealed to Hubs’ tastes — burgers, barbecue, hoagies, etc. — but stay on the healthier side. So, I made a Dairy-free Sub Salad. A hoagie in a bowl!

I topped green leaf lettuce with Vidalia onions, cherry tomatoes, and mild banana peppers. Then came the deli meats: no-salt-added turkey breast, low-fat ham, and Genoa salami. (If you’re concerned about cross-contamination, kindly ask the employee at your deli counter to switch to a fresh deli slicer blade before he or she slices your meats. Asking him or her to wipe down the machine would be an additional safety measure.) A simple dairy-free adjustment — Chao Creamy Original Slices instead of Muenster –made this sandwich-turned-salad safe for all of us to eat. Drizzled over top: a dijon, hoagie oil, and mayo dressing. It was a hit!

DAIRY-FREE SUB SALAD 

Dairy-free Sub Salad

Dairy-free Sub Salad

Ingredients

Dressing:

2 Tbl mayonnaise

2 Tbl Hoagie oil

1 Tbl Prepared dijon mustard

Salad:

1/2 Head of green leaf lettuce (torn into bite-size pieces)

1 cup mild banana peppers  (drained)

3-4 handfuls cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup Vidalia onion (chopped)

1/4lb no-salt-added turkey (torn into bite-size pieces)

1/4lb low-fat ham (torn into bite-size pieces)

4 slices Genoa salami (torn into bite-size pieces)

Directions

Place the salad ingredients in a large salad or mixing bowl.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a separate container.

Drizzle the dressing over the sald.

Toss the ingredients together thoroughly.

Plate and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Healthy, Dairy-free Packable Kid-friendly Lunch

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Hummus dippers are a hit around here. The kids, Hubs, and I all love them. Heavy on the veggies and light on fat, it’s a healthy packable option.

You can use whatever raw veggies you like best. Sugar snap peas, broccoli, fennel, green beans, asparagus, romaine leaves, mushrooms, and radishes are fun. The kids were anti-bell-peppers because… I have no idea why. A unicorn farted and the wind changed… your guess is as good as mine. So we did cucumber, carrot, and cherry tomatoes alongside the grilled chicken and Doctor Kracker Seeded Spelt Crispbreads. You could easily substitute pita chips or pita bread for the crispbreads. Triscuits and Wasa crackers are tasty too.

Here’s how you throw together this easy, healthy, portable lunch:

Hummus Dippers

Hummus Dippers

HUMMUS DIPPERS

Ingredients

– Grilled chicken strips (we used homemade from a large batch of chicken breasts we grilled, sliced, and froze, but packaged grilled chicken strips are also an option)

– Carrot sticks

– Cucumber slices

– Cherry tomatoes

– Dairy-free whole grain crackers/crispbreads

– Hummus (Sabra makes individual to-go portions but we just scooped from the tub this time)

Directions

– Place the chicken and veggies into a sealable container.

– Pack the crackers separately to avoid sogginess.

– Scoop hummus into an individual portion size container or throw in a prepackaged individual serving of hummus.

– Add a beverage, a freezer pack, and a side of fruit for a healthy, portable lunch.

A Day of (Dairy-free) Galactagogues

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Galactagogues are foods that boost breastmilk production. Some people swear by them, others see no impact. Either way, the foods are generally healthy, filling options.

Here’s an example of what a day full of dairy-free lactogenic foods looks like:

AM Pumping Fuel:

A mug of green tea and an apple help me start the day. (If you want to really amp up the milk supply, you could substitute fenugreek tea for the green tea.)

Green Tea and an Apple

Green Tea and an Apple

Breakfast: 

A big serving of water along side a bowl of quinoa and flax hot cereal, topped with blueberries, a touch of vanilla extract, a drizzle of honey, and a hearty dash of cinnamon is a nice start on days I don’t feel like having my usual smoothie.

Quinoa & Flax Hot Cereal with Water

Quinoa & Flax Hot Cereal with Water

Snack on the Go: 

A Dark Chocolate Chunk KIND bar with water is easy, portable, tasty, filling, and (importantly for me) dairy-free.

Dark Chocolate KIND Bar and Water

Dark Chocolate KIND Bar and Water

Lunch:

Lots of water with roasted portobello mushroom stuffed with a veggie-packed grain salad topped with hummus (Veggie-ful Grain Salad ingredients: dressing- oil from the drained artichoke hearts mixed with balsamic vinegar; salad- raw chopped fennel; raw chopped English cucumber; drained, rinsed, and chopped canned beets; drained and rinsed canned chickpeas sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, tumeric, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; julienned jarred roasted red peppers; drained (oil reserved for dressing) and chopped jarred artichoke hearts; a dollop of olive spread; Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Sunrise Blend (wheat bulgur, buckwheat groats, quinoa flakes, and red rice) prepared according to package instructions with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf in the boiling water)

Roasted Portabello Mushroom Stuffed with Veggie-ful Grain Salad Topped with Hummus

Roasted Portobello Mushroom Stuffed with Veggie-ful Grain Salad Topped with Hummus

PM Pumping Fuel:

A mug of green tea, two pieces of Bark Thins Dark Chocolate Coconut, and water, because everyone deserves a treat.

Bark Thins Dark Chocolate Coconut and Green Tea

Bark Thins Dark Chocolate Coconut and Green Tea

 

Snack:

More water and half a sandwich (extra virgin olive oil, avocado, tomato, salt, pepper, nutrional yeast, and sprouts on one slice of Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread) is a satisfying, healthy snack. Make sure to throw back some water too!

Half of an Avocado-Sprout Sandwich

Half of an Avocado-Sprout Sandwich

Dinner:

Lots of water and smoked chicken with roasted veggie pasta (Roasted Veggie Pasta Recipe: chopped fresh fennel, red onion, zucchini, baby bella mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, and bell pepper are drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, basil, and fennel seeds. The veggies are roasted then stirred together with cooked pasta. The mixture is drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of the startchy pasta water, then seasoned with fresh minced garlic, as well as garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, brewers yeast, and nutritional yeast.)

Smoked Chicken with Roasted Veggie Pasta

Smoked Chicken with Roasted Veggie Pasta

Dairy-free Make Ahead Kid Breakfasts

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I am a planner. On Sunday evening, I set out the kids’ clothes for the week. Each evening after dinner clean-up, as the kids squabble over their last few bites, I prepare their breakfasts, my breakfast, set up the electric tea kettle, and make their lunches.

Sunny apple sandwich

Sunny apple sandwich

Here are some breakfasts I often make the kids:

Smoothies: #1 and #2’s favorite is frozen mixed berries, frozen banana, frozen spinach, a dollop of sunflower butter, and apple juice. They also like frozen berries, Almond Dream Almond Non-Dairy Unsweetend Vanilla Yogurt, frozen spinach, and cranberry juice. I throw all of the ingredients in the blender cup, pop it in the fridge, and blend it the next morning. Easy!

Sunny Apple Sandwich: I core an apple then cut it horizontally into four slices (the apple core hole should be in the center of each slice, like a bagel.) Spread sunflower butter on one side of two of the apple slices and top each smothered slice with a naked apple slice, so you have apple sunflower butter sandwiches. Cover, refrigerate, and, in the morning, serve with your favorite dairy-free cereal and dairy-free milk (we lIke cashewmilk.)

Dairy-free Parfait: SoDelicious Non-Dairy Coconut Yogurt (#1 and #2 love the strawberry flavor) topped with fresh berries and pumpkin seeds is a tasty breakfast. If I’m using the Almond Dream Almond Non-Dairy Unsweetened Vanilla Yogurt, I’ll add a drizzle of honey. I cover the small bowls and refrigerate. In the morning I top each with dry bran cereal.

Sunny-banana Sandwich: a sunflower butter and banana sandwich on dairy-free bread served with a side of orange slices or pineapple is a fun and easy make-ahead. I just prepare it all, cover it, refrigerate, and serve in the morning.

 

Easy Dairy-free Cake

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#2 is turning 3, so #1 and #2 helped me make a cake, while #3 provided moral support. Here’s what we used:

20160406_143825.jpg(We don’t drink soda, so this was all we had on hand. I would have preferred a non-diet soda had it been on hand.)

1. Empty Duncan Hines cake mix (Duncan Hines cake mix is generally dairy-free, but be sure to double-check the ingredients list of your desired flavor before purchasing) into a mixing bowl.

2. Add a can of soda to the bowl.

2. Mix and bake per the cake mix’s instructions.

3. Cool thoroughly, then frost with your preferred dairy-free icing  (most pre-packaged icings are dairy-free, but be sure to double-check your desired flavor before purchasing.)

Enjoy!