I just wanted to write out a quick list of dinner ideas that are easy to make that are dairy-free. I know that when I first had to cook without dairy, I was stumped as to what I could make. The more I've done it, the easier it became:)
Here goes:
Spaghetti and marinara sauce
Lemon Pepper Chicken with rice and steamed veggies
Teriyaki Chicken
Chili
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken 'n rice soup
Vegetable soup
(Multiple soups and rolls/breadsticks)
BBQ chicken or pork
Grilled salmon
Many varieties of salads with vinaigrette dressing (minus the parmesan or romano cheese -- READ LABELS!)
Shepherd's Pie
Multiple stir-fry dishes
Fresh fruit
Fresh vegetables, raw, steamed, or cooked
Desserts made with dairy-free margarine and soymilk
Baked potatoes topped with chili, salsa, broccoli, vegetable soup, etc.
Steak or roast with vegetables
Hawaiian Haystacks (using cornstarch and chicken broth as base)
Taco Salad (you may have to make your own taco seasoning mix (see recipe below) as many mixes have dairy in them)
Pancakes and muffins made from scratch with soymilk or rice milk
Grilled meat and veggies
Tabbouleh (A yummy Lebanese salad made with cracked wheat or couscous)
Chicken Fajitas or Chicken Tacos (using Italian dressing as marinade, minus the cheese and sour cream)
Snack ideas without milk (ALWAYS double check the label):
nuts
Triscuits
Wheat Thins
air-popped or oil popped popcorn (most microwave contains dairy)
fruit & veggies (can use Russian or Catalina dressing to dip veggies in)
juice
Oreos
Nutter Butters
Teddy Grahams
Tortilla Chips & Salsa or Refried Beans
Cold cereal with Rice or Soymilk (Like Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Corn Chex, Rice Krispies, Crispex, Corn Pops, etc.)
Moonpie Cookies
Skittles, Starburst, Gummy Candy, etc.
Earth Balance dairy-free margarine (sold at Weis and health food stores in my area...this is BY FAR the best dairy-free margarine I've tried yet)
Prego Spaghetti Sauces (check label)
Fritos
Jello
Graham Crackers (check labels)
Kaiser rolls and hoagie rolls
Frozen fries
Pringles
Regular Potato Chips
Pretzels (check label)
Twizlers
Tyson's chicken nuggets (check label)
***When I had to do egg-free baking, I liked using EnerG Egg Replacer sold at most health food stores***
TACO SEASONING MIX RECIPE (DAIRY-FREE)
In a blender, mix together:
1/4 cup dried minced onion flakes
4 teaspoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons salt
4 Tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 teaspoons dried minced garlic
3 teaspoons hot crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons beef bouillon (THIS NEEDS TO BE DAIRY-FREE!!! SOME SODIUM FREE BEEF BOUILLON IS DAIRY-FREE. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL!!!)
Blend all ingredients together until spices well mixed and ground up. Store taco seasoning mix in tight container. 2 Tablespoons equals one commercial package. Use as directed in recipes. To add to hamburger meat, brown one pound ground beef, add 1 Tablespoons taco mix, 1 cup water. Simmer 5 minutes.
2 comments:
I developed my dairy allergy as an adult (about age 19). Luckily, dairy only causes me horrible intestinal issues, not rashes, mucus, or airway-blocking reactions. I react to casein. It did take me six years of misery to figure out what was causing my problem, so I can understand your struggle with your children. The gas-filled intestines ER story sounds familiar--milk causes me so much pain it is worse than natural childbirth. Anyway, I wanted to share my experience with cooking dairy-free delicious food. Honestly, I haven't found it very hard. You just have to break your previous habits in meal preparation and the types of dishes you prepare. Nix the processed stuff; you know that it mostly has added dairy. Don't expect to get to eat lasagna or cheesecake, etc. Cooking Light magazine has been wonderful. Many of the meal recipes (not the desserts) are dairy free or are easily made that way (use only olive oil when sauteeing, don't add the cheese, etc.). If something is based on dairy, I don't make it, obviously. Still, I make most of my meals from this magazine and they are delicious. I also purchased a bread machine, because most commercial bread has added milk (so do crackers, with a few exceptions). Baking my own bread in the machine is easy, cheap, and tastes better than store bread anyway.
Thanks for sharing your allergy experiences. My brother-in-law actually has similar reactions. He would get SEVERE cramping and gas for years. They were finally able to link it to a dairy-allergy. One day he ate a Creme Saver not really thinking about it since it was a hard candy and sure enough all his symptoms came back.
Thanks also for the tips about quick and yummy meals. It doesn't have to be hard, just a lifestyle change. I'd love to look into that magazine:) Sounds yummy.
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