What Do Dairy-Free Kids Eat?

The idea for this post came from a birthday party we attended over the weekend.  The birthday girls family were very thoughtful towards my daughter in their planning and purchased a small cheese-less pizza and a vegan cupcake for her.  When getting the pizza, they asked what she would like for a topping and I answered with her favorites: Canadian Bacon and Olives.

Well, at the party I had several parents question the cheese-less pizza and I would explain to them the reason.  I'm sure you are all used to that.  But then something else happened, they were extremely surprised at her liking canadian bacon and olives.  The other parents seemed to think this was a "sophisticated" taste. ??? right?  This idea surprised me.

The fact is, when people find out that my daughter is allergic to dairy, they always wonder what she eats.  This is, I gather, because the average 3 year old eats a LOT of dairy.  Cheese, yogurt and cow milk are the top three things every child I know eats.  A few fruits and vegetables, sure; meat, maybe.

So here is a typical lunch for my dairy-free kid.

Edamame, carrots, applesauce and a super cookie.  Other possibilities: watermelon, dairy free chicken nuggets, apples, sandwiches on dairy free bread, beans, rice.  You name it really.  There is just so much available, isn't this what other kids eat?  Even if my child weren't allergic to dairy, I'd like to think the above is more common than just dairy items.

Your thoughts?

Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries

At the beginning of the month, I blogged about a giveaway happening at One Frugal Foodie.  Well, I ended up winning the 8 boxes of cereal.  Can you believe that?!  So I thought I would post some reviews for the cereals I got.  All of the cereals are dairy free, and a lot of them are free of other allergens too.

Today I tried Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries (my daughters first choice).  As I poured it into the bowl, I could tell that the crispy rice would be on the sweet side, as they had the look of a sugary type glaze to them.  However, the berry pieces was real freeze dried berries, not just some colorful fruit flavored blobs.  As I poured coconut milk on top, I was reminded of childhood: the sound of crispy rice talking.  I told my daughter to listen carefully, her cereal was talking to her.  She thought that was pretty cool.

I can say that my daughter categorically loved this cereal.  It was a little sweeter than I normally like for breakfast, but it was tasty.  I definitely give this a positive review, but will I buy it again?  Probably not. We don't generally buy a lot of cereal in this house.  Breakfast normally consists of eggs and veggies for the adults and an egg and a quesadilla for the girl.  Cereal is more of a snack food here when we have it.  If, however, cereal is actually requested by my daughter this is one I will definitely consider over the many others.

Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries is dairy, wheat, gluten, fish, shellfish, tree nut, peanut, and soy free.  This particular cereal contains honey, so not vegan.

Cheddar Flavored Crackers!

We were doing our normal Monday shopping at Whole Foods this morning when what does my daughter spot, but some cute crackers.  I initial see the Eco-Planet Cheddar Organic Crackers, and my thought is no way she can have these, then I spot on the box non-dairy.  I do a little jig of happiness, then go on to read the ingredients.  They are vegan, so no dairy or egg and they are soy, peanut and tree nut free.  They are manufactured in a facility that processes wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and soy, so if cross contamination is an issue, these may not be a go.

Taste? Well my lovely three year old daughter thinks they are awesome.  Before being dairy free, one of her favorite snacks were Goldfish, so you can imagine her joy at having something similar.  Plus they have fun shapes; a sun, the earth, a windmill and a car.  For me, they don't quite taste like cheddar, but they are very tasty none the less.

We are very happy with this product and I hope if you try it you will be too.

Jen's Awesome Veggie Burgers

I know I've said it before, but I'm not a huge fan of beef.  In this family, cow in every form is just not welcome.  So alternatives to meals that would normally have beef must be used.  I typically will buy either pre-made turkey burgers, or ground turkey meat to make burgers.  They are good and we are happy.

I, however, in an ever increasing attempt to bring us closer to a vegetarian diet, am looking for the perfect veggie burger.  The ones I've bought pre-made are (in my opinion) pretty plain and dry.  So I figured I should give making my own a try.

I started with a recipe from Food Network that was suppose to be fantastic.  We all agreed it was ok, but dry.  Which I figured was from being all beans and oats.  How can that be "juicy"?  So then I googled "Best Veggie Burger" and got lots of hits.  I read about why people claimed certain ones as best and came to this conclusion: Mushrooms are the closest to giving you the meaty texture people like.

Great, but I still wanted the protein one got from beans.  So... here comes my hybrid veggie burger recipe.  I think it is Awesome, thus the title.  I hope you enjoy it too.   I also make my own buns from this recipe (replacing the butter for dairy free margarine of course), top it with your favorite burger toppings and, as my daughter says in gymnastics, ta-da.

Jen's Awesome Veggie Burgers
1 cup mashed beans (I used half black and half white)
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 a large red bell pepper, chopped
3 artichoke hearts, chopped
2 Tbsp black olives, chopped
1 cup fresh white mushrooms, chopped
1 egg
2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder

In the olive oil, saute the onions, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and black olives.  Meanwhile, mash the beans in a large bowl.  When the onions become translucent, add them to the beans and mix well.  Add oats and mix.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix really well, I find using my hands works best.  When its all mixed, use hands to form balls (4-6 depending on size of burger you want).  Place the balls in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

When ready to eat, pull the balls out and press into burger shapes (they will be thick).  Heat a pan to medium heat and fry each burger for about 5 minutes a side.  Place on bun and your done.

These freeze really well, just press them into burger shapes and wrap in cling wrap and put into freezer bags.  Just defrost in the fridge on the day you want to use them.

Quinoa with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Have I mentioned I love quinoa?  Because I do.  There is something about that little grain that I can't get enough of.  It doesn't even have to have any fancy sauce, just some plain quinoa with a bit of soy sauce will satisfy me.  The same can not be said for my family though, so in an effort to "spice" it up, I'm always looking for new ideas.

Today's recipe was derived from a Whole Foods Market recipe.  I didn't have all the ingredients required for the original, so mixed it up a bit.  I am sad to say, that while I thought it was tasty, it was not a hit with the family.  My husband hates sun-dried tomatoes, and my daughter... well I'm still trying to convince her that quinoa is good.  I will say playing with this recipe has given me ideas, so watch for more to come!

Quinoa with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 Tbsp virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cup broth (I use chicken, but vegetable would work too)
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small broccoli florets

Heat oil over medium heat in a pot.  Add onions and garlic and cook until soft / translucent.  Add tomatoes, broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Stir in quinoa and salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add broccoli to top of quinoa, cover and simmer another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and gently toss to combine.  Serve and enjoy.

Pumpkin n' Spice Scones

Saturday was Halloween, and I hope it was a good one for everyone.  We had a blast this year, we went trick or treating with some friends, then hung out their house for a little after party.  My 3 yr old got to walk around with two big 1st graders, and she was very proud of that.  She was also completely worn out after.

Before the festivities, we were just hanging around the house, when my wonderful husband asked if I was bringing something.  Crap-cakes!  For someone who loves to cook and bake, you would think I would remember things like oh... bringing a little something to a party!  So now I was in a mad rush to figure something out.

I started looking towards my usuals: croissants? - no definitely not enough time for that; banana bread? - nope, only one banana left; cupcakes? - kind of overkill on a night when we will have just been trick or treating.  Wait I know, scones.  Sure their sweet, but not quite as bad as a cupcake, right?

Let's see, I thought to myself, there was a recipe I wanted to try on Food Network.  I don't have the exact ingredients, but I do have oranges and cranberries, so maybe that flavor instead.  Hmm....  Wait I know, I have pureed pumpkin, I should make pumpkin scones!  Genius.  lol

Since adding pumpkin is very different from just changing the berry and zest in a recipe, I did a search.  I found this wonderful sounding recipe for imitation pumpkin scones from Starbucks.  It had great reviews, and yet, being who I am I couldn't leave well enough alone.  So here is my version of pumpkin scones.  They were a huge hit.

Pumpkin n' Spice Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 Tbsp cold dairy free margarine
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Zest from half an orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp coconut milk
1 large egg
powdered sugar glaze (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spice in a large bowl.  Using a pastry cutter or 2 knifes, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly (butter should be about pea sized at most).

In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, zest, vanilla extract, milk and egg.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until you have a very soft dough.  Form dough into a ball.

Pat the dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a 1 inch thick rectangle (should roughly be 9" x 3").  With a knife (* I recommend flouring the knife!), cut the rectangle in half length wise.  Then into thirds width wise.  Cute each mini rectangle diagonally to make triangles, you should end with a total of 12 triangles.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, they should be lightly browned.  Place on a wire rack to cool.  Once cooled, top with powder sugar glaze.

Powder Sugar Glaze
1 cup powder sugar
2 Tbsp coconut milk

Whisk ingredients together until smooth.

2 Month Breakfast Supply Giveaway

One Frugal Foodie has another giveaway going on.  This time you could win a 2 month supply of cereal (all dairy free, some vegan and/or gluten free) from some varieties of US Mills brand cereals.  Just hope on over to One Frugal Foodie for a chance to win.