Vegan soup

Easy Dairy-free Kids Dinner

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Yesterday was an I-donn’t-wanna-cook kind of day. However, I still wanted to give my kids a healthy, produce-heavy, dairy-free dinner.

Fortunately, LAJ Foods LLC had provided me with a few soups to sample and review. (Just to be clear, I am in no way being paid for my insights.) Creamy Cauliflower Soup to the resue!

I partnered the simple yet flavorful, dairy-free soup with Natural Sea’s Premium Cod Sticks and cherry tomatoes from a friend’s garden.

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LAJ Foods’ Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Natural Sea’s Premium Cod Sticks and Cherry Tomatoes

I was so excited to find these dairy-free, responsibly fished, simply made, tasty fish sticks at Wegmans. The kids polished them off!

The soup, though, that’s where my focus rested. My 5-year-old is open to some serious flavor so the vegan soup’s jalapeño kick didn’t bother her. I’m a total spice wuss — to an embarrassing degree — and it even struck me as no more than a comfortable heat. However, my 3-year-old found the soup spicy. A drizzle of honey and a splash of cashewmilk tamed the soup’s flame, and he readily slurped it down.

Verdict: LAJ Foods’ Creamy Cauliflower Soup was a win. Just add a little sweetness and creaminess for novice palates.

Pickle Discovery & Vegan Soup Find

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I have been wasting my life until now! All of the grilled cheese — and “cheese” — sandwiches I’ve eaten and I only now thought to put dill pickle slices in between the goo-ified, crispiness? I haven’t LIVED! Believe me, it’s a must-try.

I also found a delicious, vegan soup at my local farmer’s market made by LAJ Foods. As the kids and I happily sampled the soup, the owner told me her own son has a dairy allergy and that spurred their dairy-free journey. Dairy-allergic, myself, I was hooked. I knew allergen safety would not be a concern with this vendor. I ordered a big container of the creamy kale soup on the spot.

I read the ingredients on the soup container and fell in love with the simplicity: kale, stock (celery, carrot, onion, lemon, kale, garlic), water, onion, coconut milk, nooch, parsley, salt. (For the dairy-free newbies, “nooch” is nutritional yeast, a vitamin-packed vegan powder often used to mimic a cheese flavor.)

After a jam-packed busy day capped off by late afternoon pool fun, an easy dinner was welcome. Our meal: Grilled Chao “Cheese” and Dill Pickle Sandwiches with Creamy Kale Soup. So yum!

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