This is an Adventure

This post is for Julie but others might find it helpful too if you are looking to cut dairy from your diet. A quick reference guide to kicking some of these things out of the daily recipes. It is possible to just find substitutes for where you would normally insert your favorite dairy product and if anything just forces you to get more creative. Basic rule of thumb that I follow for each meal is: protein, whole grain & veggie/fruit. 

1. Cheese

You might as well just call cheese the mothership. Ever since I can remember I have loved cheese. The tastes, the textures, the way it melts in your mouth or softens a dish with a rich, creamy blanket of goodness. The only acceptable cheese substitute is by Vegan Gourmet. Warning: it only semi-melts, but if you grate it really finely it does melt better. Acceptable for homemade pizzas or the occasional nacho dish. Not recommended cold. This cheese does however contain soy - which is hard for a lot of vegans, since a lot of the imitation products contain soy. 

Other options: try nutritional yeast on popcorn or pasta in place of parmesan which can be found in the baking section. It is also great on salads! It is a complete protein and packed with B vitamins too. Keep it in the fridge or freezer.

 

2. Ice Cream

I have also loved ice cream for a very long time; the way it drips from a cone on a hot summer day, the small scoop in a Double Rainbow cup enjoyed while catching up with friends or the frozen yogurt with 100 different flavor combinations. The only acceptable dairy-free ice cream is Purely Decadent which is made from coconut milk. Same (almost) great texture. Get vanilla and cover it with fruit or blend with frozen fruit to almost replicate a milkshake. Great in different flavors and is the closest that I have tried to the actual texture of ice cream. 

3. Butter

Two words on butter: Paula. Dean. I didn’t actually grow up on ‘actual’ butter I have always enjoyed products like Earth Balance and Smart Balance Light (some types are vegan, some are not, just check the label and look for whey, lactose, casein & casinate, which are dairy derivatives) You can get Smart Balance at any store, sometimes you have to go to Whole Foods to find Earth Balance. 

 

4. Milk

I have never really liked milk. If I did it was skim, and at highest 1%. I really like almond and rice milk, both of which come in chocolate for those occasional ‘I NEED CHOCOLATE RIGHT NOW’ kind of moments. Almond milk is a bit thicker for those who enjoy whole milk and rice is almost translucent so depending on what your preference is it is really easy to have a milk substitute that you enjoy. 

 

Some meal combos that are stables in my diet: each meal I shoot for protein, whole grains & vegetables or fruit. I love my food processor & George Foreman & make cooking so much easier & healthier. 

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal with raisins/walnuts/fresh fruit with a dash of almond milk
• Whole wheat waffles with peanut butter & banana on top
• Bowl of granola or cereal with either almond or rice milk 
• Egg white scramble (egg white egg-beaters) with frozen spinach (sautayed) and slice of whole wheat toast with Earth or Smart Balance vegan butter
• Hemp protein shake with frozen fruit & almond milk

Snacks

• Hummus and literally anything (whole wheat pita chips, carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell pepper strips)
• Simple Hummus Recipe: in a food processor combine 2 cans garbonzo beans, 2 cloves garlic - I usually do 4 since I LOVE garlic, 4 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon tahini. You can also add roasted red peppers, cilantro or basil to give some flavor!
• Peanut butter & apples
• Pretzels & peanut butter
• Rice cake with vegan butter or peanut butter (can go for savory or sweet rice cakes depending on your cravings)
• Handfull of nuts (lol)(about a shot glass) is one serving of (peanut, almond, whatever you are into)
• Chips & salsa

Lunch & Dinner

• Tuna made with vegan mayo (Follow Your Heart Veganaise) and mustard on whole wheat bread
• Heinz baked beans in tomato sauce with slice of whole wheat toast
• Beans of any kind really - vegetarian refried, black beans, they are all amazing
• Steamed package of frozen veggies with veggie burger (which contains soy, so if you are eating meat just toss in a serving of grilled chicken) 
• Homemade pizza with vegan cheese, boboli crust & sauce from the store, jar of artichoke hearts, spinach, basil, or pesto, bell pepper slices, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. 
• Salads
• Whole wheat pasta with either vegan butter & yeast or olive oil & garlic or with homemade sauces, etc. 
• Kale Soup (recipe at the end of this post)
• Bok choy sautayed with sesame oil & sesame seeds
• Brown rice with veggies - I use Braggs Liquid Aminos as a seasoning along with flax oil. Braggs is like soy sauce but way better for you with all 9 essential amino acids
• 

Desserts

• Frozen fruit with some almond milk
• Coconut-based ice cream like Purely Decadent 
• Milkshake: almond milk, coconut-based ice cream & fruit

In a pinch

Hungry on the go? If I am somewhere like a gas station & starving I grab one of the following:

• Protein/granola bars (look for vegan cliff bars or Larabars)
• Odwalla juice (check the calories on those cause they can be over 300 for some)
• Package of Blue Diamond almonds (LOVE the wasabi flavor)
• Some places will have packages of dried fruit or other trail mix blends

Kale Soup Recipe

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

• 1 diced yellow onion 
• 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped 
• 1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium vegetable broth 
• 4 cups packed chopped kale - I usually use the entire bundle that comes from the store 
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes 
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots, drained, or two large carrots, peeled and sliced

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add broth, kale and tomatoes (and fresh carrots, if using) and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Add beans and canned carrots and heat thoroughly. Serve hot. Even better the next day warmed up since the kale softens up a ton more :)

Nutrition

* I think this is actually a bit more than my recipe since I cut a tablespoon of oil but this is what the original recipe lists:

Per serving (about 20oz/567g-wt.): 284 calories (80 from fat), 8g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 460mg sodium , 33g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 9g protein