Dairy Freed

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Bowl

No matter what the cuisine, noodle soups are always comforting.  Inspired by a dish I always get at a little Thai restaurant around the corner from my office, this is great served as a soup or reduce the broth by half and serve as a pasta dish.  Try adding some grilled chicken, pork or tofu for a more robust meal. 

 

Spring Pea Oven Risotto

This classic Italian rice dish usually takes anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour to prepare and requires you to stir it the entire time.  With a few modifications I was able to make a great tasting version with about 20 minutes actual hands-on time.  I know I'll probably get a few people giving me grief that this isn't a true risotto, but for a quick springtime dinner I think it's pretty damn good. 

Lyle's Golden Syrup Marshmallows

While visiting the Ferry Building last Saturday with our friend Laurie, we stopped in Recchiuti Confections to get a few pieces of amazing chocolates and candies. I ended up getting a vanilla bean marshmallow, to which Laurie asked how they were made.  Anyone who knows me knows this is all the incentive I need.  Yup, we came home and made marshmallows.  

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Chocolate Silk

One of the hardest things about going dairy-free is you end up constantly comparing what you're eating with it's dairy counterpart.  Sometimes it's better than the original while other times you end up being disappointed.

Tofu-based puddings always fell in the disappointment category for me.  I've tried a number of versions and not one of them was even remotely close to dairy-based puddings. My solution...stop comparing the two. 

Almond Milk Pudding with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Syrup

Even after switching to soy milk a number of years ago, I still can't say I'm totally in love with it.  I long for the days when things didn't have that 'toasted marshmallow' flavor I typically associate with soy.  So I was happy to see almond milk recently show up in my local store. It's still fairly new on the market and may not be available everywhere so if you can't find it bug your grocery manager. 

I was surprised how good it was in my morning latte but the true test came when I tried to make it into pudding.  In making a pudding or custard you want a nice, rich mouth feel when you're eating it.  Since almond milk is pretty thin, the texture of the first batch was also thin.