Chicken and Mushroom Salad

Here's a perfect light and simple salad for all those glorious outdoor summer days.  Serves 4 and takes only 30 minutes but the time will be considerably less if you choose to have the chicken cold.

INGREDIENTS:

130 g of chicken diced

130g button mushrooms

28 g dairy free pure margarine

1 packet of mixed salad leaves

15 ml honey

50ml olive oil

sea salt and pepper

Tossing it up!

1. Melt the margarine in a non-stick frying pan. Cook the chicken until tender and golden.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender
3. Whisk the olive oil, honey and seasoning in a bowl.
4. Place the salad leaves in a large bowl and toss them in the dressing.
5. Add the chicken & mushrooms to the salad leaves and toss again.

Eat it UP while its still around :D

Sesame Salmon

Sesameup both your Omega 3 and calcium intake with this beautiful dish.  Believe me its eating meals like this that make you care less and less about not having dairy! It's great for all age groups and a welcome change to having meat all the time! Every time I cook this I get nothing but praise so whether your a fish lover or not you should give it a GO!!

Serves 4

Ingredients

450 g Salmon Fillet

4 tbps Sesame seeds (good source of calcium)

Dollop Olive oil for frying

Salad leaves

Full fat Mayonnaise (Hellmans has NO dairy!) or Ketchup

COOKING

1. Cut the fillets into long strips
2. Put in a bowl with the sesame seeds, mix them together until fully coated (Press the seeds gently into the fillet so they'll stick)
3. Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan, place the fish in it
4. On a medium heat fry until golden and crispy
5. Take off the excess oil with kitchen towel
6. Serve on a big plate with some tossed salad and Mayonnaise/Ketchup.

Now take a seat and enjoy your gorgeousness :)

Porridge-Dairy Free

Eating oats is the best way to start the day.  Traditionally porridge was made using water, and served with Salt in Scotland.  However, it was the south that milk & sugar became the norm for porridge.  The best way I believe to enjoy porridge is to make it half water half milk. In fact it's delicious made with Oatly milk as you  get an even creamier porridge.
If you intend on treating yourself, add 1 tablespoon of oat/soya cream and sweeten with a sprinkling of brown sugar, gooey honey or my personal favorite maple syrup.  Also try chopped dates, bananas or sultanas.
This breakfast is ideal for all age groups and serves 2-3 people. :)

Ingredients

500 ml  Water
500ml   Oatly
110g     Fine porridge oats

1. In a pot, mix all all the ingredients together
2. Bring the porridge to the boil, simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until porridge thickens.
3. Sweeten to your tasting 
4. Serve immediately 

Living without Dairy?

  So you just found out you've to follow a Dairy free diet or your one the following individuals who've decided to take up this diet: lactose-intolerant , individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ovo vegetarians, fruitarians or vegans.


 I'm sure you all have some questions like this:

  So what's the story? Where will I get the calcium? What can I eat?

BACKGROUND

A dairy free diet means NO DAIRY! So thats NO milk, cheese, cream or yogurt with any sort of trace of milk or such dairy derivatives. 

Fight against MILK!

• Arthritis pain
• Acne
• Increased risk of certain Cancers
• Obesity
•  Chest problems

So I'm on the diet?

• You can substitute your diet with rice, soya etc for milk, dairy free cheese and so forth. 
• Eat plenty of green veg as broccoli, spinach and kale, almonds, fortified flours which contain useful quantities of calcium.
• Ensure that you get enough protein and vitamins from other foods. 
• WATCH out if eating out!!!

HIDDEN SOURCES!!!

Despite your best efforts you may consume dairy without even knowing it!! So here's a warning list so you won't get caught like me ^^ :

• Deli slicers used for both meat & Cheeses
• Canned tuna containing CAESIN!
• Non-dairy ingredients which contain caesin, lactase or whey!
• Restaurants which use butter to flavour such foods as staek, vegetables and so on

Benefits!!!

• Increased energy levels
• Less likely to suffer from cold, flus and other illnesses on a regular basis
• Greater ability to breath
• Reduced cholesterol levels
• Actually feeling full without being bloated!
• And SOOO many more!!

HOPEFULLY this has helped somewhat! I will be blogging more on this subject but said I blog this up to let you digest it in the mean time. Some Non-dairy foe thought so to speak.

BiRTHDAY CAKE

     This Birthday cake is in fact very easy to make but will go down a STORM with kids and adults alike! Believe me its feather like texture combined with the sweetness of the icing will test your will power of not mauling the entire CAKE!

     I made this cake for my teachers friend little lads first birthday.  Everyone loved it-especially him!!! Its already cut into slices so it made it easy for all the kids and adults to get a slice! Sponge style birthday cake with vanilla essence topped with gooey white icing, sprinkles and blue butter cream writing of Brandon.  

 Its certainly a classic with a twist!

Ingredients

275g/10oz self-raising flour

225g.8oz pure dairy free margarine

4 tablespoons Rice Dream Milk

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 drops of vanilla essence

Sprinkles

Icing

225g/8oz sifted icing sugar

2 tablespoons lukewarm water

blue food dye

Butter Cream Writing

3oz/75g pure dairy free butter

6oz/175g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Equipment

Deep baking tray

Sieve

Large mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Icier/knife

Spoon

Piping bag

Cooking

(1) Pre-heat the oven to 180

(2) Grease the baking tin

(3) Sieve the flour and baking powder

(4) Add the margarine, milk and eggs

(5) Beat well with the wooden spoon

(6) Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40-45 mins

(7) Allow to cool on a wire tray for an hour or so

Icing Time!

(1) Sieve the icing sugar in your mixing bowl.

(2) Add a little water at a time and stir

(3) Add some more water and stir again until it resembles a glue like state

Buttering it Dairy Free!

(1) Beat the butter in a bowl until creamy

(2)Sieve in the icing sugar and add the vanilla essence

(3) Add a little blue icing and stir

Cake Time!

(1) Spread the icing over the cake with an icier or knife.

(2) Go mad with the sprinkles!

(3) Let it set before dividing it into squares

(4) Put your butter cream icing into a pipping bag and spell out the name you wish to write ^^

Bon Appetit! No one will EVER believe its dairy free!!

Cow Alternatives

 You are probably thinking on two lines

 (a) " Wow, so I can't have milk- what is there??" or

 (b) "There's loads of alternatives but which is the best??"

      Well the good news is, there's a whole range of dairy free milk  now available.  You only need to look to your local health store or to well known supermarkets such as Tesco, Dunnes and Supervalu who stock a whole range of dairy free alternatives.  They range from non-refrigerated to refrigerated variety's ranging from  €1.79 to €2.69 in price.
      The only problem is for many of you, especially if you are new to the diet, is which to choose?? I remember when I first found out I went to Tesco in search of some of this milk (I was quite amazed by it at the start tbh!) Anyway, I was face with five different types and I had know idea what was best, better value, nice in cereal or WHAT!
      So you don't have to experience this seriously confusing, overpowering of the alternatives, I have made a list below to help you choose the right milk for you! N.B!! Always ensure that the dairy free milk is enriched with calcium to ensure you still gain the calcium benefits of milk ^^ 

Almond Milk

• Creamy & slightly sweet
• Nice in cereal and in coffee/tea
• Great in all aspects of cooking and baking
• High in vitamin E and other nutrients
• Not soy free
• Keep for 5 days

Rice Dream Milk

• True milk flavor
• Perfect for deserts, baking, curries and light soups
• Keeps for 7-10 days in the fridge
• Cholesterol  free
• Enriched with vitamin A,D and B12
• Low in sodium

Oatly

• Creamy light flavor- ideal for porridge 
• High in fiber and B group vitamins
• Naturally rich in antioxidants and vitamin E
• Cholesterol Reducing  
• Low in fat
• Suitable for babies one onwards 
• Heat stable so ideal in cooking and baking
• Keeps for 4-5 days in the refrigerator  

Coconut Milk

• Strong coconut flavor
• Available tinned
• Ideal in baking
• Good shelf life

   All the above are enriched with calcium usually providing 15% of you RDA of calcium in a 200ml glass.  


   While you may go to the shop and uncover another type of milk, these are the main products.  Hopefully this will help you in your quest for dairy free milk! If you do discover a new type of milk BEFORE me...let "MILK SUCKS" know and I'll add it to the list.

Enjoy the milk search :)

  

Lemon Layer Cake

    Recently I've been up to my eyes with cake requests as it seems to be the month of birthdays and so on. There isn't a hope your going to have the luxury of ordering a dairy free cake from a  bakery or even contacting me in time.  So here is a recipe for one of my most demanded cakes- Lemon Layer Cake.
  
     Full of lemon citrus flavor, this fluffy layer cake decorated with a lemon icing is an ideal birthday cake for your citrus lovers.  It's also an ideal cake for easter or in finishing a summer meal. One word-YUM!

Ingredients
1 lemon
175g/6oz self-raisin flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
175g/6oz Pure dairy free sunflower margarine
175g/6oz caster sugar

Filling

2 eggs

75g/3oz caster sugar

1 lemon

50g/2oz pure dairy free butter

Icing

1 lemon

100g/4oz sifted icing sugar

Equipment

2  round 7in cake tins

Grater

1 glass bowl

Juicer

1 pot

1 spoon & knife

Blender/Wooden spoon

Cooking time

(1) Pre-heat the oven to 180 or 350 

(2) Grease your cake tins with Pure margarine

(3) Grate the rind of the lemon and divide it in two.

(4) Juice the halves

(5) Sift the flour and baking powder into your mixing bowl

(6) Break in the eggs and add them with the sugar and margarine

(7) Whisk everything together using your blender/ Beat everything together well with a wooden spoon.

(8) Stir in the rind and lemon juice

(9) Divide the mixture evenly in the two tins

(10)Bake for 25 mins & leave to cool on a wire rack

Now make the filling

(1) Break the eggs into a heatproof bowl and add the caster sugar

(2) Add grated rind & juice of another lemon to the bowl

(3) Add the butter to the bowl

(4) Pour some water into a pot and bring to bubbling

(5) Place the bowl into the pot

(6) Stir the mixture occasionally as it thickens

(7) When it begins to coat the back of the spoon, take it off and let it cool

Putting it all together

(1) Using a knife, spread the filling on the bottom part of the lemon cake

(2) Place the other cake on top

Icing it up!

(1) Grate a little rind from the last lemon & squeeze one half of the last lemon 

(2) Sift the icing sugar

(3) Stir in the lemon juice and mix until it resembles a glue like state

(4) Using a knife/icier ice the cake

(5) Sprinkle the rind on top

Put it in a nice fancy white plate, sing Happy B-Day

 & DIG in :)

NOTES!

You will know the cake is cooked when on pressing it in the middle it'll spring back at you.