Cream of Chicken Soup

I make my own non-dairy version of cream of chicken soup, but you can use regular milk to make your own. This is easy and quite tasty, I don't think I will ever be able to go back to the condensed versions I buy in the store.

3 TB margarine/butter
3 TB flour
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk or milk alternative
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
pepper to taste
chicken pieces (optional)

In a large frying pan on medium heat, mix margarine and butter until smooth. Then add broth and mix until smooth. When mixture has thickened, add milk and mix until smooth. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper and chicken. Turn heat down to low and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the bay leaf flavor to penetrate the soup. When finished, remove the bay leaf. You can just eat or add to your other entrees as is.

Soy ice cream

I came across this recipe and served it at my husbands birthday dinner along with some other dairy ice creams. This was a HUGE hit. My guests were scraping at the bowl and it was enjoyed far more than the dairy versions. I'm not a big soy milk fan, but I LOVED this.

2 c. soy creamer
2 c. soy milk (I use the Silk brand. It is by FAR the best)
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla- the real stuff.)
3/4 c sugar
*2 TB arrowroot (this is optional. I didn't use it, but it will make your ice cream thicker.)

Mix 1/4 c of soy m ilk with 2 TB of arrowroot and set aside.

Mis the soy creamer and soy milk together in a saucepan. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the milk. Drop the bean shell into the milk too. Bring to a slight boil, then lower temperature and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes.

Remove bean shell. Stir in the sugar, and bring to a boil again. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and stir in the arrowroot slurry. This should immediatly cause the liquid to thicken (not a lot, but a noticeable amount, it will thicken as it cools.)

Chill the ice cream mixture .Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

*If you are using vanilla extract.

Mix 1/4 c soy milk with 2 TB arrowroot and set aside.

Mix soy creamer, soy milk, and sugar together ina saucepan. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and stir in the srrowroot slurry. This should immediately cause the liquid to thicken.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

Chill ice cream mixture.Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Chicken Salad

I've never been a big fan of chicken salad. But I recently found a recipe that I really like. I made it for my sisters baby shower and it was a hit, and I'm still eating the leftovers.

2 c. cooked chopped chicken (I use canned chicken)
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. red grapes, cut in half
2 TB lemon juice
1 c diced celery
1/2 mayonnaise
1/4 c silvered almonds

Mix chicken celery and grapes together. Then add salt, and lemon juice. Then mix in mayo and almonds.

I really like serving these on croissants!

Minestrone Soup

Made this delicous Minestrone soup for dinner tonight. Yum!
Adapted from Savory Seasonings

2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
2 celery stalks, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. basil
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 small zucchini, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
5 cups water
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste (optional, just make it more saucy instead of liquidy)
1 can garbanzo beans or kidney beans
1 1/2 cups dry pasta (any shape)

Saute onion, garlic and salt in a large pot until soft. Add celery, carrots and spices, cook 5 minutes. Add zuchinni, pepper,water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beans. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Then add pasta and cook until tender.

Better Than Ice Cream

 

About a week ago I got a new book, Go Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming. Because I am nursing and my son has a milk allergy I cannot have milk as it passes through the breastmilk. I have really missed my dairy, not so much the milk itself, but the things that have milk in it, such as cheese and ice cream. When I got this book, I was thrilled. It has a lot of great recipes in it. One of the first that I tried was Better Than Ice Cream. Now, I wouldn't really say that it is "better" than ice cream, because what really is? But it is better for you, and a pretty nice treat.

Better Than Ice Cream
from Go Dairy Free

1/2 c. nuts (I used almonds)
1 c. frozen bananas (I peel my bananas that are getting ripe, break them in chunks and then freeze them)
1 c. frozen peaches or berries
1/4- 1/2 c milk alternative (I used rice milk, and I'm sure regular milk would work too)
1/2 tsp vanilla


Put nuts in blender and pulse until coarse. Then add fruit and pulse until chunky. Add milk and vanilla and mix until smooth, at least 1 minute. (Mine came out a little grainy but if you had a "super blender", I'm sure you wouldn't notice the grainy texture from the nuts.)Poor into a glass and enjoy like a milkshake. Yummy!

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

A friend requested that I post this recipe, found here . I have been buying whole wheat buns at the store for years. And they are so expensive. I came across this recipe, and I LOVE it. They taste wonderful!

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (makes about 1 1/2 dozen)

5-6 c. whole wheat flour
2 TB yeast
1/3 c. powdered milk
2 c. warm water
1/4 c. oil (I use canola, but I'm sure olive would work)
2 T honey
2 eggs
2 t salt
2 T vital wheat gluten/dough enhancer

Mix yeast, liquid and 3 cups flour together. Dump everything else in and knead 10 minutes or until gluten is well developed. The dough should just clean the sides of the bowl, but still be a little tacky to the touch. Let rise until doubled.

Form dough into peach size balls and then flatten them, but not too much. Let rise 20 minutes. Cook at 350 degrees about 18-20 minutes.

Bean Quesadillas

We had these for dinner tonight, and they were oh so good. I just had to share.

Bean Quesadillas

1-2 TB olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 (10 oz) bag of frozen corn
tortillas (I prefer whole wheat)
cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in pan and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese and tortillas) and cook until heated through.
2. Heat a skillet on medium and place a tortilla on top, add cheese and bean mixture ( use as much as you want) then place another tortilla on top. Flip when tortilla is light brown and cook on other side.
3. Serve warm with sour cream.

This is so delicous! You can even eat the bean mixture on tortilla chips as a salsa.