Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie

Here's a delicious summer fruit smoothie to enjoy for breakfast or as a midday snack. Smoothies are great ways to use up all that fruit in your fridge! I'm still too afraid to progress to the vegetable smoothie. Don't get me wrong, I love my vegetables, I'd just rather eat them sautéed, steamed, baked, or raw. I don't really want to drink them.

I made this fruit smoothie twice, using two different milk ingredients. I'm very sensitive to lactose and can handle digesting good greek yogurt, like FAGE brand. I first made this using strawberry FAGE yogurt and it was perfect. Very thick, very creamy, 0 grams of fat, plus added protein. I made it again using Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk, and it was still delicious, obviously just not as creamy. The soy milk also added 2 grams of fat and not as much protein. You could try making this with strawberry soy yogurt or vanilla almond milk as well, according to your preference.

I also wanted less added sugar, but I didn't want it to be too tart. So I added a little honey plus some stevia. You could skip the honey altogether or add more. Overall, a very balanced smoothie.

Ingredients:

6-8 strawberries, stems removed
1 small apple, peeled and sliced
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
3 ice cubes
1/2 cup Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk, or yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Stevia or white sugar

Directions:

Add ice cubes, strawberries, apple slices, kiwis, milk or yogurt, honey, and stevia to the blender. Crush ice first then blend for about 1 minute. Add more or less sweetener to taste. Serve with a slice of kiwi.

Dairy Free Quiche with Ham and Kale

How else can I use this leftover ham from Christmas dinner? I've made ham and cheese crescent rolls, pasta carbonara, mac'n'cheese with ham, and had ham and eggs--all dairy free of course. For breakfast today, let's try a dairy free ham and cheese quiche. I have green beans, lettuce, and kale in the fridge. Kale wins! I made a wonderful gluten free pasta dish with it last night.

I love having some extra time around Christmas to come up with delicious recipes. This year I tried out a couple dairy free cheesecakes and the final result was a delectable triple chocolate cheesecake that I need to post soon. Some other dairy free snacks we had for our Christmas feast were buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips and onion dip made with Toffuti Better Than Sour Cream, served with pretzels. Both of these I am happy to announce were big hits among my dairy eating friends.

I didn't go all out this feast like I did for Thanksgiving; in fact, I felt like a horrible hostess. I was so tired this year that all I did was make the snacks and cheesecake. Eric made the ham on his own, and each guest brought a dish. I even forgot to make the crescent rolls I had bought (hence the ham and cheese crescent rolls above) and never served the coffee and hot chocolate. At least I can safely say everyone had enough champagne to drink. I proceeded to sleep in for three days after Christmas.

This recipe calls for all of my favorite dairy free goodies. Silk Nog, the soy alternative to egg nog, is dairy and egg free, but it still contains the perfect blend of spices to flavor a good quiche. If you are looking for soy free, try SO Delicious Nog, which is made of coconut. I always recommend Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk to cook with if you choose something else. You can find these items at your local grocery store. Daiya Chedder Style Shreds are a key ingredient in my buffalo chicken dip, as well as this quiche. Daiya is a soy and dairy free cheese alternative made from tapioca. I usually find it at Whole Foods.

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pie crust
2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chopped ham
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese alternative (I used Daiya Shreds found at Whole Foods)
4 eggs
1 cup Silk Nog (or other dairy milk alternative)
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Let the pie crust sit out to adjust to room temperature for at least 15 minutes, then mold it into a 9inch pie dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large heated skillet, add olive oil, onions, kale, 1/4 teaspoons of salt and pepper, and onion powder. Cook over medium heat until onions and kale are tender, about five minutes.

3. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, then add Silk Nog, curry powder, salt, and pepper and whisk until blended.

4. Layer the ingredients into the pie dish in this order: ham, onion and kale mixture, and shredded cheese alternative. Pour the egg mixture over the top so that all ingredients are evenly covered.

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until center of the quiche is cooked through. Hopefully the ham is all used up!

           

Dairy Free Tomato Basil Skillet Eggs

Here's a dairy free healthy breakfast for two! I found this recipe in a magazine and adapted it to be dairy free. I made it with tomatoes, basil, and parsley from my garden. You can make this recipe even healthier by using just egg whites instead of whole eggs. Eliminate the toast to keep it gluten free or use a gluten free bread. Yummy!

Ingredients:

6-8 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 large eggs
1/4-1/2 cup dairy free shredded mozzarella such as Trader Joe's Soy Mozzarella or Daiya Shreds, according to preference
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
15-20 fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, diced or 1 tsp dried chives

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium non stick pan over medium heat. Add onion with half of the sea salt and pepper (1/4 tsp each) and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and the rest of the sea salt and pepper to the onion, stirring to combine. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Use a spoon to make four even wells in the onion/tomato mixture and crack an egg into each. Cover pan and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Sprinkle with dairy free cheese then cover again and cook for 1 minute. Remove cover and add chopped basil, parsley, and chives. Serve immediately alone or on top of toasted bread. Enjoy the day!