Alisa Cooks – Recipes from the Go Dairy Free kitchen

Would you like to win some chocolate?

Posted by alisa on May 28, 2010 | 16 Comments

I am giving away a 14-day supply of Attune Chocolate on Dairy-Free & Fit! It is infused with gut-friendly probiotics and prebiotics, but don’t worry, it just tastes like yummy dark chocolate. You can also read my full review of the product on this post. Enjoy!

Thick Mexican Chocolate Smoothie

Posted by alisa on May 25, 2010 | 16 Comments

Do you ever associate things in your head that may or may not actually be related? I really have no idea what a classic “Mexican chocolate” type of recipe would entail, but when I think of cinnamon, almonds, and chocolate the label just fits. If your version of Mexican chocolate needs a kick, I suggest a little ginger (fresh, powdered, or crystalized), rather than cayenne, to keep with the sweet smoothie theme.

Since I make this beverage so thick, you could call it a shake. But for me, if it is virtuous enough to consume for breakfast, it gets a smoothie title. Shakes are dessert in that rule-oriented brain of mine. Regardless of how you classify it, this is my entry into this month’s …

Thick Mexican Chocolate Smoothie

Recipe adapted from Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living.

This is a very flexible recipe and the results will vary depending on the amount of fruit you use, how ripe your fruit is, and how thick you want it. If it comes out too thin, add some more frozen banana, too thick … thin with more milk alternative. Also, for a sweeter option from the get-go and more of  a dessert shake, feel free to use a regular chocolate milk alternative rather than the unsweetened.

This recipe is Vegan / Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, and Low in Fat.

• 1 Very Large RIPE Banana (or 1.5 medium bananas), broken into chunks and frozen
• 3/4 to 1-1/4 Cups Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk
• 1/2 Ounce “Raw” Almonds, ground in a spice grinder (if your blender is really powerful, you may be able to skip the pre-grind)
• 1 to 2 Teaspoons Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• Sweetener to taste (optional)

Combine the frozen banana and 3/4 cup of the almond milk in your blender, and pulse to combine. Add more milk alternative as needed to get the consistency you are looking for. I like mine really thick (and spoonable) so I use as little as I can get away with while still getting a smooth blend.

Blend in the ground almonds, cocoa powder to taste (I like just 1 teaspoon, but 2 will give it a richer flavor), and cinnamon.

Since I wait until my bananas are really ripe, I rarely need any added sweetener in this. But give it a taste test, and add in a little of the sweet stuff if desired. You can use stevia, maple syrup, agave nectar, brown sugar, white sugar, sucanat, palm sugar, etc. or for an all-fruit concoction, blend in a fresh date (pitted of course!).

Yields 1 cool and creamy serving

Hearty Maple Cinnamon Muffins (Gluten-Free)

Posted by alisa on May 19, 2010 | 13 Comments

This week I have been testing out some recipes from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook, and the Gingerbread Muffins really caught my eye. The ingredients in this recipe are nice and wholesome, and I just happened to have a jar of unsweetened applesauce begging to be opened. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t like all things ginger. So, I switched the recipe to cinnamon, and a delicious on-the-go breakfast was born.

Texture seems to be the biggest downfall of so many gluten-free baked goodies, but these muffins really hit the mark. They have a light crunch from the brown rice flour – I didn’t use Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour, which Cybele recommends (this may produce a superior result). They are quite hearty like a bran muffin, but still soft and muffin-y – no doorstops here!

The original recipe calls for agave nectar, but I was craving some maple love. And indeed, these muffins have a very rich maple flavor. In fact, if maple is too expensive in your neck of the woods, you could even reduce the maple to ¼ cup and increase the honey/agave to ¾ cup. On that note, these muffins are quite sweet (even though I reduced the sweetener a touch), but a genuinely pleasant indulgence.

Hearty Maple Cinnamon Muffins (Gluten-Free)

Recipe adapted from the Gingerbread Muffins in The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook by Cybele Pascal. This recipe is Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Vegetarian, and optionally Vegan.

• 1 Cup Raisins
• 2 Cups Brown Rice Flour (Superfine is best, but I used regular and they were still good)
• 2/3 Cup Tapioca Starch / Flour
• 1/3 Cup Potato Starch (not potato flour)
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• 1-1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1-1/2 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/2 Cup Extra-Light Olive Oil (can sub grapeseed oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil)
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Cup Honey (can sub agave nectar)
• 2 Tablespoons Milk Alternative (I used Hemp Bliss Original)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line or grease 12 to 14 muffin cups (the original recipe calls for 12, but I needed 14).

I like to soak the raisins in hot water while I prepare the other ingredients. This plumps them up a bit and helps to prevent any exposed raisins from burning while baking.

Combine the rice flour, starches, cinnamon, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Combine the applesauce, oil, maple, honey, and milk alternative in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the reserved dry mixture until the mixture is just combined. Drain the raisins (if you are soaking) and fold them into the batter.

Evenly distribute the batter between 12 to 14 muffin cups. You will be filling the cups pretty much to the top. Bake the muffins for 30-35 minutes if making 14 muffins, 35-40 minutes if making 12 slightly larger muffins. The muffins do darken quite a bit, but weren’t burnt. Feel free to check in earlier if you want more of a moist muffin.

Yields 12 to 14 muffins

Food Revolution: Strawberry Oat Mylk and a Fruit ‘n Fiber Breakfast Shake

Posted by alisa on May 10, 2010 | 22 Comments

Diane at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang created a wonderful event called 30 Days to a Food Revolution, and I was thrilled when she asked me to participate. The event has even caught the attention of the true Food Revolution founder, Jamie Oliver. Nice. Love him!

Head over to The W.H.O.L.E. Gang to read and comment on my full post. Every comment throughout the 30 Day Food Revolution is an entry to win one of the great prizes.

For my contribution, Diane requested a recipe and tip along with some suggestions. I know, my tip may be a bit general, but my new found love of seasonal eating (thanks to the CSA) has escalated my love for whole foods even further. Plus, you don’t have to belong to a CSA to enjoy the benefits of seasonal eating. Just shop the sales, and look for beautiful, flavorful produce. Produce typically tastes best and is cheapest when it is at the peak of season. Bonus!

Are there any foods you simply can’t wait for to come in season? My first seasonal love is definitely strawberries, so I had to do something with it for my chosen recipe. Well, my one recipe is actually two very simple recipes, meant to inspire …

Dairy-Free Strawberry Oat (or Nut) “Milk”

This recipe is adapted from the Effortless Overnight Oat Milk and Strawberry Milk recipes in my book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. It will create a very light, refreshing, and sweet beverage (if using ripe / in-season strawberries. The ones pictured are from my CSA last week). For a richer and creamier strawberry “milk,” see my “whole milk” option below.

The following recipes are Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, and optionally Vegan and Gluten-Free.

• 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats (for gluten-free use certified gluten-free oats if you can tolerate them)
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/2 to 3/4 Cup Fresh or Frozen Halved Strawberries (I recommend the full 3/4 cup of course!)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (or agave), or more to taste

Place the oats and water in a sealed container (like a recycled glass jar), give it a quick shake, and place in the refrigerator. You can leave it for several hours, or do like I do, and just place the jar in the fridge at night to use the next day.

Give the jar a vigorous shake for 30 to 60 seconds. The liquid should start to turn oat colored. Strain the liquid, pressing as much as you can from the oats. Enjoy the oats for breakfast (they are now softened and ready to eat!), reserve them for another recipe, or see below for a quick breakfast shake option.

Place ¾ cup of the fresh oat milk (this is roughly the amount I get) in your blender along with 1/2 cup of the strawberries, and vanilla, if using. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, drizzle in the honey (or agave) through that top portal. Honey can chunk in cooler liquids, so it is best to drizzle it in while the beverage is whizzing away to help emulsify it. Taste test, and add more sweetener and/or strawberries to taste.

Quick “Whole Milk” Option: Use the Instant Nut Milk in Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook in place of the oat milk for a quick and rich strawberry “milk.” For a cheater’s version, store bought coconut milk beverage, light coconut milk, or hemp milk will offer some nice richness to strawberries.

Yields 1 serving

Lean Fruit ‘n Fiber Breakfast Shake

• 1 Batch Dairy-Free Strawberry “Milk” (recipe above)
• 1/4 Cup of the Leftover Soaked Oats
• 3/4 to 1 Cup Ripe Frozen Mango Chunks (preferred) or Frozen Ripe Banana Chunks (about 1 medium to large ripe banana)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• Ice (optional)

Place all in your blender, and process until smooth.

Omega-Me: For some healthy fats, blend in 1 to 3 teaspoons of Omega-3 rich plant oil, like flaxseed oil.

Yields 1 fruity breakfast or snack

Sweet Simplicity: Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes

Posted by alisa on May 6, 2010 | 32 Comments

With mother’s day on the horizon, and many pancake Sundays to come, I just had to share this delightful yet oh-so-basic breakfast / brunch recipe. These pancakes have a very pleasant flavor that is not too sweet (just right for your favorite toppings), and a perfectly fluffy texture.

I frequently keep our toppings quite hearty. When I make waffles, I often top them with homemade nut butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a light drizzle of honey. But for these, I decided a little maple was in order. I made two separate toppings: mine was outright hearty, while my husband’s had some added nutrition snuck in (no complaints, his plate was licked clean with a very big thank you). I have included our toppings after the pancake recipe.

Wholesome Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes or Waffles

After scanning various pancake recipes, I combined the different ratios, ingredients, and ideas to develop this very simple, but delicious, recipe. I guess you would say it was inspired by many, but created in my kitchen.

This recipe is Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, and optionally Refined Sugar-Free. You could probably make them gluten-free with your favorite All-purpose gluten-free flour blend and a touch of xanthan gum (1/2 to 1 teaspoon I am guestimating).

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder (Note: I made these pancakes at high altitude (6500ft), where everything gets a little extra “lift.” If you are at 3000 ft to sea level, I recommend increasing the baking powder to 1-1/2 Tablespoons. Yes, it may seem like a bit, but it helps to replace the lift that usually comes from eggs!)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Sweetener (I used Palm Sugar, but you can use Sucanat, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, etc.)
• 1 to 1-1/4 Cups Milk Alternative (I used Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage)
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons Oil (I used melted coconut oil*, but extra-light olive oil, grapeseed oil, or your favorite baking oil will do)

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and set aside.

In a measuring cup, combine the sweetener, 1 cup of the milk alternative, and the oil. Whisk in the reserved flour mixture.

If the batter is too thick or becomes too thick as it sits, add up to 1/4 cup of additional milk alternative (I live at high altitude, where things rise more, so I used the full 1 and 1/4 cups for the pancakes, but you may not need that much).

Prepare your skillet with some cooking spray, and preheat it over medium heat.

Pour the batter into the skillet to create your desired size of pancakes (I make dollar-sized ones because I am so bad at flipping the bigger ones!). Cook over medium heat, reduce heat to medium-low if the skillet gets too hot (I have this problem with our electric stove).

The pancakes will bubble as soon as the batter hits the pan, ignore those bubbles. The batter will smooth out after 30 seconds. Wait until you see bubbles break at the surface again, then flip. Cook for about about 1 minute on the other side. Remove from the pan, and pour in the next batch of batter.

Repeat until all the batter is used up, and you have a few plates of scrumptious pancakes!

Top as desired – we like maple syrup, flaxseed, and sauteed apples.

For Waffles: Everything is the same, but I used only 1 cup of milk alternative, even at high altitude. The thicker batter works better on waffle irons. Simply prepare the batter and follow the directions for your waffle iron. They freeze and re-toast beautifully!

* If using coconut or palm oil, make sure all of your ingredients are brought to room temperature to avoid solidifying the oil as you stir it in.

Yields about 16 dollar pancakes or 3 servings

Alisa’s WW Pancake Topping: I sautéed 1 small apple in 1 teaspoon of earth balanace dairy-free / soy-free margarine, and added 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (could use just 1/4 t). I kept half of this apple mixture for myself, and added just 1 teaspoon of maple syrup for a sweet and moist touch. I placed the apples on my pancake stack, and sprinkled it all with some ground flaxseed.

Tony’s WW Pancake Topping: To the other half of the cooked apples, I added 1-1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup and 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed. It was still a nice pourable maple syrupy topping with big, soft apple chunks. The flax went pretty well un-noticed by my husband.

For more of my recipes see Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook and my new blog, Dairy-Free & Fit.

BSI: Baby Artichoke Salad with Cheater’s Creamy Curry Dressing

Posted by alisa on May 1, 2010 | 11 Comments

I received 5 smallish artichokes in our CSA this past week, so I was really excited when Kim at Affairs of Living selected this spiky veggie for this week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient. That is until I realized I had no idea what to do with these things.

I took the easy route out, and followed the Ocean Mist Instructions for preparing and steaming them. A word of advice – they say you “can” put the artichokes in a lemon bath to keep them from browning. I assumed that since I was cooking them right away, this would be unnecessary. Oh how wrong I was. I got grey/brown little artichokes. Still tasty, but not so pretty.

I consulted another artichoke specialist, California (yeah, I think everyone in the state knows what to do with these things), for some ideas on what to serve them with. I opted to use their Curry Dip as a dressing, sliced the little artichokes in half and served it all in a jumbo salad. As I type this, my stomach is so packed with veggies that it is about to explode.

To make your own salad, follow the Ocean Mist Instructions (I did such a horrible job, no need to take pictures, their directions are much better), toss in whatever veggies you like (I think you all know how to make a salad, right?), and if you want a full meal, I think the artichokes and dressing go well with chickpeas, tempeh, or chicken.

I call the dressing “cheater’s” because it uses a curry spice blend (found in most stores), margarine (sub olive oil if you prefer), milk alternative, and mayo. Not really a from scratch recipe, but quick, easy, flavorful, and good for those creamy dressing cravings.

Cheater’s Creamy Curry Dressing (or Dip)

I adapted this recipe ever so slightly from the California Artichoke Advisory Board. If making a dip, start with the lesser amount of curry and add more to taste. I used the higher amount for dressing and it was just right for my tastes.

• 1/4 Cup Regular or Vegan Mayonnaise (I used Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise (love that stuff!))
• 2 Teaspoons Dairy-Free Margarine (I used Soy-Free Earth Balance)
• 1 Teaspoon Curry Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Milk Alternative* (omit for dip)
• Pinch Salt
• Pepper (optional)

Place the mayo in a small bowl. Or, if you are using up the rest of your mayo, simply make the dressing right in it (works great for storage too!) …

Melt the margarine in a small pan. Add the curry powder, and bubble gently for a minute or two over low heat to eliminate any bitterness from the curry powder.

Whisk in the milk alternative, and add the mixture to the mayo.

Whisk in a pinch or two of salt, and pepper to taste if desired.

It will thicken slightly once chilled, but feel free to increase or decrease the amount of milk alternative for your desired consistency. 

* Usually I would recommend unsweetened coconut milk beverage, rice milk, or soy milk for this flavor blend. But all I had on hand was plain unsweetened almond milk, and it actually worked quite well.

Note: If you like a little more zip to your dressing, feel free to squeeze in a little lemon to taste.

For more of my recipes see Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook and my new blog, Dairy-Free & Fit.