Category Archives: Dairy-Free

Carla Hall’s Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup

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This carrot and ginger soup recipe demonstrates “Top Chef” contestant and cohost of “The Chew” Carla Hall’s deft touch with nourishing ingredients. It’s also the type of healthy everyday food she favors that leaves room for some well-chosen indulgences. She uses herbal tea bags as bouquet garni to infuse flavor and silken tofu instead of heavy cream to give this carrot soup body. Unsweetened carrot juice underscores the flavor of the fresh carrots while coconut water adds a subtle tropical note. “Using vegetable and fruit juices in addition to or in place of stock is another way to add layers of flavor,” says Hall.

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Chocolate Amaranth Pudding

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As we’ve noted before, amaranth has a gelatinous quality that makes it ideal for pudding. If you’re fan of rice pudding or tapioca, you’ll probably like this, too. Our version is spiced with a little ancho chile powder and ground cinnamon, and sweetened with coconut sugar. You can cook the amaranth in unsweetened coconut milk beverage found in the refrigerated section of health food stores (rather than the thicker, richer canned coconut milk you’d use in our Spring Vegetable Curry), or use almond milk if you prefer less pronounced coconut flavor.
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Roasted Asparagus with Miso, Honey and Lime Zest

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I deliberately left the dressing for this roasted asparagus super light so that nothing, with the exception of the cayenne, would tug your tastebuds too far away from the asparagus itself. The result is bright and zingy; it also pops asparagus out of the Mediterranean profile so you can serve it with Asian-leaning dishes. If you can get your hands on an unfiltered peanut oil, like Spectrum Organic’s, you’ll gain even more flavor.

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Red Lentil Dal with Caramelized Onions

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Dal is an Indian cuisine comfort-food standby made with lentils, dried beans or peas. Tarka is a technique in which spices are sauteed in fat to magnify their flavor. And as we learned from spice guru Monica Bhide, you’ll enjoy  even more vivid flavor if you grind whole spices. Depending on your choice of cooking fat and stock, you can make this a vegan, dairy-free or gluten-free. Prepare the tarka and raita while the lentils simmer. Serve this dal with brown basmati rice, roasted cauliflower and our Fennel and Mint Raita.

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Swiss Chard with Grated Garlic

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This chard recipe is my new go-to green dish. I can literally go from picking chard from the garden to getting this on the table in under 10 minutes. And don’t let the humble ingredients list fool you … these greens are loaded with flavor. I recommend zipping and chopping the greens, then giving them a good rinse in a big bowl of cold water and spinning or straining them dry. A Microplane zester works best for this dish because it grates the garlic so finely as to make almost a paste. If you don’t have a Microplane zester, use the finest grater you have and cook a tad longer.

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Make-at-Home Socca

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The French word socca refers to flour made from chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans). Socca also is the name for the delicious, crepe-like snack that’s a specialty of Nice, where street vendors cook it over a wood fire in giant, shallow cast-iron pans. Using a cast-iron skillet, you can start the socca on the stovetop and finish it under the broiler to achieve similar results at home.

You can find chickpea (garbanzo) flour at Indian markets (where it might be labeled besan or gram flour), health food stores and even in some supermarkets with the gluten-free offerings. Serve it as a summertime appetizer with a garnish of coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper, and a chilled rose. Or dust it with powdered sugar for dessert. As an added perk, socca is gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

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Wild Mushrooms Roasted in Parchment

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This recipe for wild mushrooms from Seattle Chef Tamara Murphy’s book Tender illustrates her straightforward approach to cooking peak-season ingredients. “I even do this when I’m camping,” she says. Foragers typically do a good job of cleaning up delicate wild mushrooms, so just use a brush or paper towel to gently wipe away any traces of dirt. Above all, keep mushrooms dry, Murphy cautions. “Mushrooms roast best when they’re clean and dry.” Here, I used a combination of baby shiitakes and chanterelles that I found at a local farmers’ market stand run by a chef who comes from Bavaria, Germany, where he used to trade beer for mushrooms. Your kitchen will smell fantastic as this bakes! These wild mushrooms make a terrific side dish, or you can sprinkle them over pizza or pasta, or layer them on crostini smeared with goat cheese.

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We love ‘shrooms! Try these mushroom recipes:

 

 

Cabbage Saute with Shiitakes and Crispy Tofu

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This cabbage dish is essentially a vegetarian mu shu turned sauté. I love it simply served with brown jasmine rice, but you could also pair it with Chinese pancakes,  thin flour tortillas or our Whole Wheat Crepes.

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Kelly’s “Sneaky” Veggie-Laden Marinara Sauce

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Chef Kelly Anderson, founder of The Lunch Bunch, is a master at getting kids to eat their vegetables. One of her strategies: Sneak veggies into favorite foods. This thick marinara sauce is packed with tomatoes (of course), plus a boatload of onions, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. But once it’s pureed, even the most skeptical kid will just see–and taste–bright-flavored tomato sauce. It’s familiar enough to win over little ones, yet bold and vibrant enough to appeal to grown-up palates. Use it on pizzas, over pasta or as a soup base.

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Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Chips & Spanish Paprika

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If you’ve never tried roasted broccoli, give this recipe a try. A touch of Spanish paprika and garlic slivers that turn out golden and crisp give incredible depth of flavor through just two ingredients. As tempting as it may be to sit down and eat the whole pan-ful of this roasted broccoli, though, don’t. It’s good to practice hara hachi bu even with inherently “healthy” foods.

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