I decided to do a series of looking at different food allergies which is often called Free From. There is gluten, dairy, meat and various other food types that some of us can’t eat. Following on from last month’s sugar-free recipes, this month I look at dairy-free which was in our family for a while. Interestingly, my daughter in law strangely became dairy intolerant after the birth of her first child. The Doctor said it might correct itself and sure enough, some three years later after the birth of her second child, it did. I remember the problems we had cooking and worse, eating out.
Nowadays vegan cheese, butter, coconut milk and many others are easily available so you can just substitute in your recipe or why not try some dairy free recipes below?
Buen Apetito
Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls
For the sauce
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1/3 cup Vinegar – rice or white
- 1/2 cup Brown and White Sugars
- 3 cups Cold Water or Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
- 3 tsp Cornstarch
For the Chicken Balls
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour and Cornstarch – The combo gives the chicken that phenomenal crunch
- 1 cup Baking Powder and Baking Soda – For a light and airy coating
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder – Add as much or as little to suit your taste
- 2 tsp Granulated Sugar – Adds a bit of sweetness to flavour the chicken
- 1 and 1/3 cups Cold Water – To saturate the dry ingredients. Cold water makes a lump-free batter
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil – Optional, but highly recommended for that unique Asian flavour
- Oil – For deep frying. Use oil with a high smoking point such as canola or peanut oil
- 8 Chicken Breasts – Stick to boneless, skinless chicken, so it’s easier to cut. Slice it into even, bite-sized pieces for faster cooking
- Salt
Make the sweet and sour sauce: stir together ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown and white sugars in a saucepan until combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together cold water or pineapple juice with cornstarch until blended. Pour the mixture into the saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let it cool at room temperature.
While the sauce cools, make the chicken balls: combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and garlic powder in a large bowl. Pour in cold water and sesame oil, if using, and whisk until smooth.
Coat the chicken evenly with the batter.
Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven to 375 Fahrenheit (or 190 °C).
Using a pair of tongs, carefully place the balls in the oil. Deep-fry the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the balls. Let them rest on a serving plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Serve hot with sweet and sour sauce. Enjoy!
Pulled Pork
- 4 to 5 pounds of pork roast (shoulder or butt)
- 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
- 2 teaspoons chopped onion
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (Optional but gives a great smokiness)
- 1 litre Coca-Cola (or other cola brands)
- 20 ounces barbecue sauce
Place pork roast in a 5-quart Crockpot. Season the pork with garlic, onion, and black and cayenne peppers. Pour in the liquid smoke and Coke until they cover the roast.
Set the Crockpot to low heat and cook for 8 to 10 hours.
Transfer the roast on to a serving platter. Discard the bones and trim the fat. Shred the pork into thin strands with 2 forks. Coat with barbecue sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Dairy Free Pizza
- 1 small head broccoli florets chopped in to small pieces, top of stalk diced (½ cup)
- 1/3 Cup halved cherry tomatoes
- Kernels from 1 ear fresh corn
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped red onion
- ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling and brushing
- Few scoops of cashew cream
- 1 (16-ounce) ball of pizza dough or a Pizza Base
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- Pinches of red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 Fahrenheit (or 230 °C). In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, tomatoes, corn, onion, jalapeño, and sun-dried tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and taste. The vegetables should be well-seasoned and well-coated with the olive oil so that the vegetables are flavourful throughout the pizza.
Stretch the pizza dough on to a 14-inch pizza pan. Brush the outer edges of the dough lightly with olive oil and spoon a few scoops of cashew cream on to the centre of the dough, just enough to spread it into a thin layer. Distribute the vegetables onto the dough.
Bake 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden, cooked through, and the broccoli is tender and roasted. Remove from the oven and drizzle generously with a little cashew cream (if your cashew cream is too thick to drizzle, stir in a little water). Top with the fresh basil, fresh thyme, and pinches of red pepper flakes.
Easy Meatloaf
- 1lb lean ground beef mince
- 1lb sausage meat
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit or (175 °C)
Combine the beef, sausage meat, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and onion in a large bowl. Blend in a stand mixer just until combined.
Form the mixture into two loaves and place them in a 9x3x2-inch baking pan
Bake the loaves for an hour or until brown.
Transfer the loaves on to serving plates right away. Let them cool slightly to firm up.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Salmon Pasta
- 8oz Pasta (any)
- 4 Salmon Fillets
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- ½ cup Almond flour
- 1½ cup Almond Milk
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta according to directions, drain, and set aside.
Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and set aside.
Cook the salmon fillets with 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat for about 4-6 minutes on each side (or until it feels firm to the touch and is fully cooked).
While the salmon is cooking, whisk together the almond milk, garlic powder, and salt/pepper (to taste) in a mixing bowl until smooth.
Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Add in the almond flour and whisk to create a paste.
Add in the almond milk to the mixture and whisk, bringing to a simmer.
Continue to simmer and whisk continuously for about 7-10 minutes as the sauce heats up, reduces, and thickens.
Remove from heat and let the sauce sit for about 3 minutes.
Add in the pasta and stir, coating it evenly in the creamy sauce.
Cut the salmon into small pieces and lightly mix it into the pasta and sauce.
Serve and enjoy!