Dairy Free Nacho Cheese

A snack I am always missing at baseball games is nachos and cheese, piled high with jalapeños. It's a serious craving. I've been wanting to create this recipe for a while now, and it's become one of my new favorite things. I thought it would be a long shot to recreate the taste of nacho cheese using non-dairy products, but I totally surprised myself. It was very simple. The key is to use sweetened almond milk (without flavoring) and a soy cheese.

If you are looking for a good cheese to use, I really enjoy the soy cheddar from Milk Pail market in Los Altos, CA. This is what I can get locally. I love the taste, the only problem is that it doesn't stretch or melt as well as other brands. Check out your local whole foods market or specialty food store to see if they make their own and give it a try! I also recommend Trader Joe's three cheese soy blend, and Daiya Cheddar Shreds, which are soy free and probably the best for you.

Remember, don't base your opinion on soy cheese by what it tastes like out of the wrapping. Cheese alternatives always taste better cooked and with other ingredients added--like hot sauce! I think this would be perfect with chopped peppers added in, but I chose to eat mine like stadium nachos: tortilla chips covered in cheese then piled with jalapeños. There is no good picture of this because I was busy eating it and watching football.

I especially created this to accompany the first Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game. It was almost perfect, but only because the Stillers lost. They proceeded to lose each following preseason game as well, which is not a good sign for the upcoming season. So sad. At times like those, the only comforting part of the game is the food.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were still going strong for a while, but who knows? My husband and I were at AT&T Park to see the Pirates play the Giants last weekend and the Pirates also lost. That was a bummer. The comforting thing there was not just the awesome stadium food, but that we were not the only Pirates fans! We met up with a few members of Eric's family who were also at the game, and we saw some people with Pirates gear on. There were probably more in secret. I don't blame them--it was Giants territory. Anyway, I hope to be making this nacho cheese for the Pirates World Series games. Let's go bucs!

Ingredients:

1 cup sweetened almond milk
1 cup shredded soy cheese product
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, finely chopped *optional
salt and pepper to taste (depends on salt content of soy cheese)

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring the almond milk to a simmer.

2. Add in shredded soy cheese, stirring frequently until melted. The last unmelted bits may require vigorous stirring for up to 10 minutes, but they will melt and the sauce will thicken considerably. At this time add hot sauce, salt, and pepper if desired and to your taste. Remove nacho "cheese" from heat and add jalapeños the way you like them.

Dairy Free French Onion Dip

French onion dip was my favorite snack back in my dairy days. It was so creamy and delicious with potato chips and pretzels! Nowadays, sour cream is unacceptable, and the Lip
ton Onion Soup Mix is so high in sodium it's not appropriate for a girl in her late 20's.

Here is a French Onion Dip I can live with. Using a mixture of Toffuti Better Than Sour Cream and mayonnaise, I can replicate the creaminess of the chip dip. Remember, real egg mayonnaise has no dairy in it. Eggs come from chickens, milk comes from cows. So many people forget!

This recipe uses a spice blend and real caramelized onions that taste better than the Lipton's Onion Soup mix, and utilizes the combination of olive oil and Smart Balance to give the dip a buttery taste.

Top it with some fresh chives for added flavor and you have a pretty and delectable onion chip dip that's perfect for parties or for enjoyment at home as a late night snack.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
2 onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup Toffuti Better Than Sour Cream
1/2 cup egg mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon fresh chives, diced

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil, onions, Smart Balance, and salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until onions are tender and start to become translucent.

2. Add pepper, white sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Turn the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized. Turn off heat and allow to cool before adding to remaining ingredients.

3. In a medium size bowl, mix Toffuti Better Than Sour Cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, and Worcestershire Sauce.

4. Stir caramelized onions into sour cream and mayonnaise mixture, then chill for at least two hours. If you prefer a smoother texture, refine dip in food processor first. Chilling overnight will give the best flavor. Before serving, top with fresh chives.

      

Dairy Free Spinach Artichoke Dip

Cheesy, gooey, hot spinach and artichoke dip with a little kick. It's okay lactose intolerant person, this is for you. This recipe is made fresh and flavorful to taste better than your average restaurant style artichoke dip. I served it to a group of cheese-loving, dairy-eating ladies and they ate it all up! It's a lot healthier than an average dish of the dairy version of this dip, as the soy cream cheese and dairy free shreds are low in saturated fat and cholesterol free. I even used light mayonaise to make it healthier.

Just know, real mayonaise is completely dairy free. I try to point this out as much as I can, because I've noticed a general misconception that mayo is associated with dairy. Either people associate eggs as being dairy, or just mayo as being made with cows milk, but real mayonaise is made only with eggs--no cow products at all. The Best Foods mayonaise I used contains the ingredients: soybean oil, water, whole eggs, vinegar, salt, sugar, and lemon juice. No lactose whatsoever. It's an important ingredient in most artichoke dip recipes.

The other dairy free ingredients I used were Trader Joe's This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese, This is a Tub of Non-Dairy Spread, though I also recommend using either Tofutti Cream Cheese and/or Tofutti Sour Cream. I used Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds to substitute real cheese, but I recommend Trader Joe's Soy Mozzarella as well. For the second cheese ingredient, I used real Parmigiano Reggiano, which is said to be completely lactose free due to the process it is made and aged. To keep this dish dairy free, use Galaxy Foods Vegan Grated Parmesan or Parma! instead. Last but not least, in every recipe that calls for butter, I replace it with Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread, which is completely dairy free, yet still tastes amazingly like real butter.

Cooking all these non-dairy ingredients together really brings out their dairy flavor. Eating them all separately and cold makes you never want to buy them again-so don't do it! Combine them by cooking with other ingredients and spices to get the same level of comfort food satisfaction. I absolutely love this spinach artichoke dip.

Ingredients:

1 large bag fresh baby spinach

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

1 medium size yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 6oz containers This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese

1 cup real mayonaise

2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano or Vegan Grated Parmesan

3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup Daiya Mozarella style shreds

3 tablespoons Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Chop up your onion, artichokes, and garlic. Melt the Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread in a large saucepan over medium heat. 

2. Once melted, toss in the onions and cook until translucent, about five minutes. Throw in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds with the buttery onions. 

3. Add red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper to the pan, immediately followed by all of the spinach. Spinach takes up a ton of space when first added, so it will be easier to add it to the pan in portions. It will cook down quickly. Cook spinach in butter, onion, and garlic mixture for 2-3 minutes once all added. 

 4. Remove pan temporarily from heat. With a slotted spoon, remove the spinach, onion, and garlic from the pan, leaving as much flavored butter behind as possible. Set spinach mixture aside.  I set my spinach on a cutting board and chopped it up to make it more manageable to eat.

5. Add the artichokes to the remaining flavored buttery liquid in the pan and return to heat. Cook until the liquid is cooked off and the artichokes begin to brown. Add more Smart Balance if needed.

6. While artichokes are cooking create the base for your dip. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Soften the tubs of non-dairy cream cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds. You want them to be easy to work with. Add the non-dairy cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.

7. Add mayonaise to the non-dairy cream cheese and combine until smooth.

8. Next add 3/4 cup mozzarella shreds and 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan alternative, spinach mixture, and browned artichokes to the cream cheese and mayo mixture. Stir until well combined. 

9. Transfer to a large baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cook for 15 minutes, or until mixture is hot and bubbly. Cooking these non-dairy ingredients together is the key to their delicious dairy taste. When I served this dish, no one could tell it was dairy free.

         

Vegan Black Bean Dip

Eric and I just got back from Maui and while we were there we ate at this awesome Mediterranean style restaurant called Pita Paradise. We had the best falafel, best humus, best olive tapenade, best pita of our lives! There was also the yummy chicken kebab with rice and grilled vegetables, the sun dried tomato and lamb penne, and the ginger hibiscus margarita. So good! If you are ever in Wailea we totally recommend it!

We didn't have much to eat when we got back to Cali, but we did have a couple bags of pita chips and I just got a brand new food processor! So with the recent Pita Paradise in Maui experience, the idea was to make humus, but upon raiding my kitchen cabinets I found only black beans. That gave me an idea to make black bean dip. I've never done it before, so I looked up internet recipes for inspiration. Some were complicated and I prefer very simple dips. Also, a lot of the recipes I looked up called for vinegar.

I love vinegary things, but when I tried Trader Joe's Black Bean Dip I couldn't get past the first bite. It was the worst vinegar flavor I've ever tasted. Since then I haven't bought black bean dip and probably never will again. I understand potatoes and vinegar, cucumbers and vinegar, oil and vinegar, but I just don't get black beans and vinegar. So here is a simple vacation inspired recipe I made with ingredients I found in my kitchen, minus the vinegar.

Ingredients:

1 can no salt added black beans, almost completely drained
1/2 small onion, about 1/4 cup chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add onions and black pepper and saute for about five minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for no more than 30 seconds.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine all remaining ingredients with sautéed onions and garlic. You want just a little bit of liquid from the can of black beans. Pulse food processor 10-15 times and then hold in for 20 seconds. Your dip should be smooth. Let it chill in the fridge for a half hour so the flavors blend together--if you are patient. We just ate it!

      

Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Dip

I never thought I would be able to eat this stuff again! I mean, the main ingredients are three types of cheese. I used a combination of cream cheese alternative and non dairy cheese to make this highly addictive dip much healthier than it's original version. It's completely free of lactose, trans fat, and the only cholesterol in it is added by the lean chicken! It tastes so amazing and so close to the original version you won't even notice the difference! Even if you can eat dairy, don't eat the regular version of this dip again--this recipe eliminates so much of the fat and cholesterol that you should not be putting into your body. Trust me, this is good.

Ingredients

• 8oz This Is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese This Is a Tub of Non Dairy Spread from Trader Joes
• 2-3 tablespoons Franks Red Hot Sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 5oz canned chicken
• 1/3 cup Daiya Chedder Style Shreds

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.



2. Soften the cream cheese alternative in the microwave for 30 seconds, then mix all ingredients together until well blended. It's easier to blend if you mix the cream cheese and Franks first.


3. Bake for 20 minutes to melt it all together and OMG the result is divine. Enjoy with some lime tortilla chips and tell me how much you love it.