I have to follow a dairy-free (and soy-free) diet b/c my DS is allergic to them both. To say the least, it has been a challenge! We're on a limited income so eating meat every night isn't viable, but I'd love to compile a list of recipes that are dairy/soy free yet still are creative and taste good.

Wow! That's a tall order. Does dairy include eggs or just milk products? Dairy products are used so widely in foods that I can only think how difficult it is to avoid them in foods.

I once worked at a place that had a lot of vegan staff and had several vegan dishes with them. Most of the foods were okay, but the pasta sorta fell apart. The noodles would look good when they first arrived, but as they were scooped out became shorter and shorter until they were about 1 inch long. I came to the conclusion that egg is needed to bind the flour together and keep the noodles in one piece.

Vegans usually substitute tofu for the protein, and that's out too. Is it unusual to be allergic to both daiy and soy? I ask because I think soy milk is used by vegetarians to replace cow milk.

I'll keep my eye out for sources of dairy free recipes for you.

I can have eggs (thankfully! at least french toast is an option b/c i make it w/rice milk). But butter, yogurt, milk, cheese, 'whey', and 'casein' are all out.

It is very common to be allergic to both dairy and soy as their proteins are similar, especially common in babies and they often outgrow it. (Lactose intolerant people typically don't have this issue as they're sensitive to the milk *sugar* vs. the milk protein which is what we're dealing with).

I love tofu too, i wish i could use it as a protein. Beans and such are ok. I'd love to find a few good mexican recipes, especially a casserole, that i can make.

Dairy Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Veg

2 Onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
350g/12oz Mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tbsp Paprika
1 teasp Cayenne Pepper
600ml/1pt Fresh Vegetable Stock
Salt
225g/8oz Soft or Medium Tofu
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Lemon Juice

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan then add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes .

2. Add the mushrooms together with the paprika and cayenne and stir to blend. Reduce the heat, cover and continue to cook gently for 9-10 minutes.

3. Stir in the stock, salt and pepper, bring to the boil, and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place the tofu, vegetable oil and lemon juice in a liquidizer or food processor and blend until smooth.

5. Stir this mixture into the saucepan, and heat gently, without allowing it to boil. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately.

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Eggless Homemade Pasta

350g/12oz Semolina Flour
Salt
120ml/4fl.oz. Warm Water (approx)


1. Mix together the flour and about 1 teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the warm water and mix to make a stiff dough, adding a little more water if the dough seems dry.

3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Cover with clingfilm and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

4. Divide the dough into 4 and, working with one piece at a time (keeping the remainder covered) roll out very thinly and form the pasta into desired shapes.

5. Cook in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.


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Dairy Free Rice Flour Noodles

75g/3oz Rice Flour
75g/3oz Potato Flour
25g/1oz Cornflour
1/2 teasp Salt
1-2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
60ml/2fl.oz Water, approx


1. Sift the dry ingredients together 3 or 4 times to ensure they are evenly mixed. Place in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.

2. Add the oil and water and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the liquid to form a stiff dough. Knead the dough into a smooth ball.

3. Roll out the dough on a well floured surface (use extra cornflour) as thinly as possible. This dough is very fragile so the use of a pasta machine is not recommended. Cut into noodles, and chill until ready to use.

4. To cook - add the noodles to boiling salted water and cook for 8 -10 minutes.

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Sweet and Sour Tofu With Vegetables

1 tbsp Cornflour
180ml/6fl.oz. Vegetable Stock
3 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 teasp Ground Ginger
1/4 teasp Cayenne Pepper
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Onion, thinly sliced
2 Carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 Capsicum (sweet pepper), cut into strips
1 Stick Celery, cut into strips
75g/3oz Mushrooms, thickly sliced
450g/1lb Firm Tofu, cut into strips


1. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch with a little of the stock until well blended. Add the rest of the stock, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, and cayenne pepper, mix well and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and carrots and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, celery, and mushrooms and stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

3. Pour in the sauce, stirring constantly and cook stirring, until the mixture thickens.


4. Add the tofu and cook for 5 minutes until the tofu is heated through. Serve immediately with rice.

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Dumplings for Stews

100g/4oz Self Raising Flour
1/2 teasp Salt
50g/2oz Suet
Water to mix

1. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and add the suet. Mix well with a knife.

2. Add enough water to bind and form a stiff dough.

3. Using floured hands, form into balls about the size of a golf ball.

4. To Cook - Add to stews or casseroles. Make sure the liquid is bubbling, then drop the balls onto the top. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

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Herb Dumplings

100g/4oz Self Raising Flour
50g/2oz Suet (Use vegetable suet for a vegetarian or vegan version)
1/2 teasp Salt
1/2 teasp Freshly chopped Parsley
1/2 teasp Freshly chopped Oregano
1/2 teasp Freshly chopped Thyme
1/2 teasp Freshly chopped Chives


1. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and add the suet and herbs. Mix well with a knife.

2. Add enough water to bind and form a stiff dough.

3. Using floured hands, form into balls about the size of a golf ball.

4. To Cook - Add to stews or casseroles. Make sure the liquid is bubbling, then drop the balls onto the top. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Alternatively, cook separately in plenty of boiling salted water.

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Potato Gnocchi


675g/1-1/2lb Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
150g/5oz Plain Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 teasp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper


1. Place the potato in a large saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil then cook for 20 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain the cooked potatoes well, return to the pan and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the mashed potatoes and mix well to form a dough. Transfer to a lightly floured board and knead the dough until smooth, dusting with extra flour if necessary to prevent sticking.

4. Pull off pieces of the dough about the size of a cherry tomato, and roll into balls. Set each one aside on a floured surface whilst you finish the remainder.

5. Flatten the balls with the back of a fork, using the tines to create ridges then fold them in half, with the marks on the outside. The overall size should be approximately 2.5cm/1 inch in length but it's not too important, just make sure the sizes are ore or less even.

6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then keeping the water bubbling, add the gnocchi, and cook until they float to the top. This only takes a 2-3 minutes depending on the size.

7. Drain well and serve with a Basil and Tomato sauce or another sauce of your choice.


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Dairy Free White Sauce

240ml/8fl.oz. Soy or Rice Milk
2 tbsp Cornflour
1/2 teasp Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper


1. In a small bowl, mix together a little of the milk with the cornflour until well blended. Set aside.

2. Place the remaining milk in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Do not boil.

3. Stir the corn flour mixture again and add to the hot milk, stirring constantly, and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Particularly good served over vegetables.

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Eggless Mayonnaise Substitute

480ml/16fl.oz. Lightly salted Water
225g/8oz Soft Tofu
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 teasp Salt



1. Bring the salted water to the boil, add the tofu and bring back to the boil.

2. Immediately remove from the heat and leave for 3 minutes.

3. Drain the partially cooked tofu and place it in a food processor together with the lemon juice and salt. Process until smooth.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Do not re-cook.

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Dairy Free Crème Anglaise Substitute

175g/6oz Soft Silken Tofu
1 tbsp Concentrated Apple Juice
2 teasp Barley Malt Powder
120ml/4fl.oz. Rice Milk
1 tbsp Arrowroot
1 teasp Vanilla Extract
1 teasp Maple Syrup



1. Place the tofu, apple juice, barley malt powder, and half the rice milk in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. In a small bowl mix together the remaining rice milk and the arrowroot and stir until smooth.

3. Transfer the tofu mixture to a saucepan and heat, stirring, over medium heat for about 1 minute.

4. Stir in the arrowroot mixture and heat until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from the heat and add maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix well. Serve hot or cold.

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Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream

225g/8oz firm Silken Tofu
75g/3oz Demarera Sugar
2 tbsp Soy Milk
1-2 tbsp Vanilla Extract (check ingredients label)


1. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until very smooth.

2. Place in a rigid freezer proof container and freeze until firm.

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Tofu Chocolate Ice Cream

175g/6oz Soft Silken Tofu, (not low fat) do not drain
175g/6oz Vegan chocolate chips
1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract (check ingredients label)
120ml/4fl.oz. Rice, Soy or Almond Milk


1. Place the chocolate chips in a heat proof mixing bowl and set over a pan of very hot water. Stir to melt then set aside to cool.

2. Place the tofu in a blender and process until very smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until well combined.

3. Add the rice milk and vanilla and continue to process until well blended.

4. Freeze churn according to the manufacturers instructions. Alternatively, pour into a rigid freezer proof container, cover and freeze until set.


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