Non-Dairy Substitutes

Living dairy-free can be tough sometimes. You can't use any cream-of-whatever soups to make all those delicious casseroles you find online. You can't order cheese on a hamburger, taco, or salad when you go out. You can't order any regular smoothies or sundaes from restaurants, and it's tough to see people eat those things when you know you can't have them. 

Lucky for me, I married into a family that has shown me all kinds of ways to still eat the foods we love without having to eat any dairy. I myself don't have an allergy to dairy. No, my food problem has to be for red meats, which I love, but cannot eat as they make me sick. My husband and daughters however, are all allergic to dairy, so I've had to learn lots of ways to still make good, tasty food without aggravating their allergy.

In this section of my blog you will find all my favorite non-dairy substitutions for cooking and splurging.
Enjoy!

*All the statements made below are my own words and opinions. I am not advertising or selling any of the following brands or products. I do not work for any of these companies. I am simply sharing my knowledge with friends, family, and followers. All links are to the direct websites of the companies that make the brands I talk about. I am in no way affiliated with these companies except as a consumer of their products.

Cooking
I love to cook, fry, and bake, and with these non-dairy substitutes, there's no sacrificing anything to cook what my family and I want!

Butter or Margarine
I could not find a website to link for Nucoa Margarine.
Best Life brand Buttery Spread is a great non-dairy substitute for all your needs in the kitchen. Wether you just want some butter on your toast, to bake some cookies, or to fry up and brown a chuck roast before you throw it in the crock pot. It is great for vegans as well.

Nucoa brand Margarine Sticks are also another great non-dairy alternative to butter when baking cookies or needing butter for your toast or bagel. In my own personal experience, I find that this brand works best when making cookies, but the above brand works just fine, too.

Milk

There are several kinds of milk out there these days that are great for those who can't have dairy. I am going to list a few types here, starting with my personal favorite, Soymilk.

Soymilk comes from a soybean and is mixed with water and added vitamins to create a non-dairy milk drink that is tasty and creamy. I use Soymilk for all my kitchen needs. I buy Original and Vanilla of the Great Value® brand, but I buy Silk® Brand when it comes to chocolate. Oh yes, chocolate milk! We use vanilla when baking sweets like cookies and cupcakes, having a bowl of cereal or making oatmeal, and blending up smoothies and protein drinks. I use original when I am making everything else, like pastas, mashed potatoes, and other things that you wouldn't want Vanilla flavored milk in.

Rice milk is another great milk to try when you need something without dairy or lactose. It has a thinner consistency than soymilk, but there is no comparison when it comes to the flavors! Rice Dream® is my favorite brand of rice milk and they have several flavors that are delicious, my favorite being Vanilla Hazelnut. Need a delicious warm treat? Heat up a glass of this and enjoy! It is also great for making oatmeal, smoothies, and other yummy stuff around the kitchen.




Almond milk. Whoever came up with this is a genius. Whoever came up with all of these is a genius, of course, but getting milk from an almond? Who woulda thunk? Almond milk has a thin texture like rice milk, but tastes great and is excellent for those looking to work around their allergy and cut calories.

Sour Cream
How many of you out there like to put sour cream on top of baked potatoes? Tacos? Make dips out of it? Well, you can do all of that with Tofutti® Brand Sour Supreme sour cream alternative. I make chip dips out of this that my husband loves, I use it when making sugar cookies, making a marinara sauce creamy, and for a topping on lots of dinners.

Cream Cheese
I love cream cheese. My family loves cream cheese. You can love it too, even with your dairy allergy with Tofutti® brand Better than Cream Cheese alternative. Pastas, sweet dips, anything, you name it. If you need cream cheese, this one is a winner.

Creamer (for coffee and other needs)
I love hot chocolate in the winter and so do my daughters, and we LOVE having a nice added flavor in our hot drink. We were lucky to have discovered that Silk® makes a Soy Creamer. Our favorite is French Vanilla, but they make several other flavors that are delicious as well.  It works in coffee, hot cocoa, and other hot drinks. They also make soy nog for when that time of year rolls around!




Chocolate Chips

Wether you're in the mood to just munch on a hand full, or you need to bake some cookies for your family, or child's class at school, these brands of non-dairy chocolate chips are sure to win anyone over. Our favorite brand is Ghirardelli® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. There is also another great brand that are vegan and gluten free as well that is very tasty called Guittard® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips. There are several vegan friendly brands at your local health food store as well including vegan white chocolate chips, but we've never tried any of those before.

Treats
If you've learned anything from my blog, it's that I have a monster sweet tooth, something that I struggle with on a daily basis. My biggest weakness is ice cream, but I'm about to tell you about some great brands and products that are all dairy-free and tasty to boot! Go ahead, satisfy that sweet tooth ;-)

Tofutti Brand
My girl's favorite by far are Tofutti Cuties®. Little Ice cream sandwiches that come in a plethora of flavors to choose from including Vanilla and chocolate, Neopolitan, cookies and cream, wild berry, key lime, and mint chocolate chip. Tofutti also makes pints of ice cream, non-fat and no sugar added treats, and other delicious frozen treats. What's not to love?

So Delicious Ice Cream and Treats
My husband's favorite is the So Delicious® ice cream pints. Flavor preference? Chocolate Decadence. You heard me right! So Delicious is a brand of frozen treats that is made with soy milk. They have ice cream bars, pints, sandwiches, and other delicious treats that you and your whole family can enjoy.

Rice Dream

Like So Delicious, Rice dream is a brand that makes all varieties of frozen treats and desserts, but these are made from Rice milk. Delicious and more delicious!

Ice Cream and Treats with Coconut Milk
On our recent trip to Arizona, we discovered that Coconut milk can make quite the tasty treat! So Delicious®, the brand that makes my hubby's favorite Ice cream treats has a line of delicious ice cream products that are made with Coconut milk that will satisfy even the strongest craving for sweets. 


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