Pasta and Cheese (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)

Doesn’t everyone love a good pasta and cheese? For those of us who are allergic or sensitive to dairy this is one comfort food we thought we’d have to give up forever. However, today with all the non-dairy cheeses that are available, making a pasta and cheese dish is quite easy to do. And if you want to lighten it up, substitute cauliflower rice for half the pasta. You could also use chopped broccoli. This one is very creamy and luscious. Here’s how I make it.

You’ll need:

2 cups of non-dairy milk
Ground pepper to taste
12 ounces of cheese (Daiya, Kite Hill, etc.)
8 ounces of pasta
Topping of cheese or gluten-free breadcrumbs mixed with a fat such as olive oil or your favorite margarine

In a 2 qt saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups of your favorite milk (I use Tempt hemp milk; its strong flavor holds up to the cheese). Add 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper and 12 ounces of Daiya Classic Cheese blend or your favorite non-dairy cheese (you want to use grated cheese here). When milk gets hot, reduce heat to low. Stir frequently to blend as the cheese melts.

Heat 4 qts water in a large pot. When its boiling, add 8 oz of your favorite pasta (I used Ancient Grains Supergrain rotini but I often use Lensi Chickpea pasta, or POW) along with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook according to package directions, drain.

Grease a 2 qt casserole pan, add cooked pasta and about two-thirds of your cheese sauce. Stir to mix. I top it with a couple of slices of Daiya Provolone but you could also use a mixture of margarine (or oil) and gluten-free bread crumbs (my husband’s favorite). Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

Turkey Veggie Meatloaf (gluten-free, egg-free)

I’ve always loved meatloaf. After growing up on a dairy farm, it was a shock in my early forties to become allergic to everything from a cow. No more meatloaf! I was devastated. So I’ve developed a recipe for a beef-free meatloaf that will please any meatloaf lover, and even those who don’t like meatloaf.

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees. In your food processor, grind up:

8 oz portabello mushrooms (I like to use either the baby or sliced)
3/4 cup shredded carrots
and 1 medium onion cut in wedges.

Once ground, place in a large mixing bowl. Add

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 lb ground pork (or if you don’t want to use pork, use 2 lbs ground turkey, not breast)
1/2 cup Organicville Ketchup made with agave or 1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon of your favorite herb mixture (i.e., Mrs. Dash or McCormicks)
1/4 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon ground flax

Mix (using your hands is the easiest way) until blended. Don’t overblend. Spray an 8×10 or 9×12 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place mixture in pan and shape into a loaf. You can either spread the top with more ketchup or cover with bacon strips. Add a 1/2 cup water to the pan so that the bottom of your meatloaf doesn’t burn. Bake for approximately 1 hour until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Orange Chocolate Chip Donuts (gluten, dairy, and egg-free)

I have a great many food allergies which makes it impossible for me to consume pre-made foods, mixes, etc. Everything I eat, I have to make from scratch. This started about 25 years ago. Since then, I have put together a large library of delicious recipes that are free from many of the most common food allergens such as dairy products, eggs, gluten, sugar, alcohol, nuts, soy or corn. Here is one of my favorites:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baked donut pan (if you don’t have one but you have a pan that makes six small Bundt cakes, that will work as well).*

Mix 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour with 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Sweet Sorghum flour
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon guar gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest from one orange (I really like to use the Cara Cara oranges)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I actually use the Chatfield Carob Chips since I also can’t have chocolate) depending on how many chips you want in your donuts.
1/4 cup granulated fructose or 1 tablespoon stevia powder (you can also use 1/4 cup agave or honey**; if you want a slightly sweeter donut, add 1/3 cup of the fructose).
Mix until blended and make a well in the middle.
Add 2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil), 1 teaspoon vanilla***
2 tablespoons vinegar (I use rice vinegar since its one of the mildest in flavors so your baked good doesn’t taste like vinegar)
the juice from the orange which should measure between 1/3 and 1/2 cup, and
club soda so that you have a total of 1 cup of liquid including the OJ.
Mix until well blended.
Spoon mixture into a piping bag (I don’t go to the trouble of buying piping bags — I use one gallon storage bags and cut off one bottom corner AFTER I fill it).
Pipe mixture into the donut or Bundt cake pan until circles are well filled and bake for 10-12 minutes until donut is springs back when you touch it.

* Another option is to fry: in that case, add only 3/4 cup of liquid to keep the dough from getting sticky so that you can roll it out and cut out the donuts. Or, keep the liquid and drop from a spoon into the fat. Fry them at 375 degrees.

**Add with the wet ingredients.

***I use the alcohol free vanilla found at Trader Joe’s.

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