Thursday, August 30, 2007
Nursing Her To Health...
Well, my little mac mini is sick. She has to go to the shop tomorrow. Her doctors appointment is in the morning and hopefully all will be well afterwards...I am flying solo tonight, so I decided to make an easy hot meal that I could throw together in a couple of minutes and be done. This recipe is so easy because it seriously comes together in a couple of minutes and it uses up leftovers. That is a double bonus in my book because I hate to waste food! I had some egg whites (which I prefer) and a Tex Mex Stuffed Pepper left in the fridge. I threw in a little Lactaid cottage cheese for some calcium and in the oven it went! Forty-five minutes later dinner was done and I had hardly any clean up. Sometimes, the simplest things are really the best! So, here is to the little girl and her coming home with me tomorrow!



Crustless Quiche
3/4 cup egg substitute/egg white or 3 eggs
3 TBSP Lactaid cottage cheese
1 cup cooked vegetables of your choice
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir everything together. Pour into a small greased baking/casserole dish. Bake 40 to 45 minutes.

*The nice thing about this is that you can bake it in any size dish and use it any way you want to. You could bake it in an 8x8 glass dish, slice it and put it on crusty French bread to make a panini. So, you will have to choose how long to bake it depending on the dish you decide to use.

I love the colors and textures of this!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:55 PM   5 comments
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Evil Cookies!
So, this is a recipe that I have been making for years. I have not had them for quite some time due to the fact that I did not know that I could bake with Earth Balance in the tubs. Although, now I am not so sure I want to have that kind of information. Don't get me wrong...these cookies are good! They are so good that our friend, Jim, has renamed them from peanut butter oatmeal cookies to "Crack Cookies". They are so good that when I made them a couple of weeks ago for an after lunch treat, the plate was almost eaten! The recipe is from Allrecipes.com and you should make them, but you have been warned!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
(adapted from Allrecipes)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick cooking oats

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir. Add oatmeal and stir.

Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheet, and press each mound down with a fork to form 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown.

To Make Filling: Cream 3 tablespoons butter or margarine with the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the cream. Spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 4:22 PM   5 comments
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The Possibilities!
I was looking around a couple of my favorite food blogs the other day. I came across the most beautiful pictures of Stuffed Peppers. Smitten Kitchen always has the most gorgeous photographs. They are so detailed that you can almost taste, smell and feel the food. Anyway, enough of my weird love affair with food. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I actually had everything for the recipe and that rarely happens. I decided to do a little twist on it and make it more Tex Mex flavored. The only things I did differently were to add cilantro and I baked it in the oven. It worked perfectly! The filling is so easy to play with too! You could make it a main dish and add beans to it. I would imagine white beans would be good if you were making it with some Italian or French herbs and black beans would be good it you were doing like I did with the Tex Mex! The illustrator asked if we could put the filling in some chicken (always with the meat!). I think all of these would be good. If you have a chance, check out Deb's site. You won't be disappointed!
My photos do not compare to Deb's but I truly love the colors! Food like this just make me happy when I look at it...and smell it!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:52 AM   2 comments
Monday, August 27, 2007
Good Bye Summer
Yesterday was the day I said good bye to summer and hello to a new season! It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday! After the illustrator did yard work, it began to rain (which was perfect and much needed). All four of us got in the action of scrubbing the house from top to bottom. After all the action the last couple of weeks brought, we needed to start to a new season in our lives. I love the rain during the day when you have nowhere to go. It makes the perfect opportunity to get into the kitchen and make some good ol' comfort food. So, guess what goes well with a clean house and a relaxing afternoon...trail mix cookies, of course. These are a family favorite and thanks to Celine from Have Cake Will Travel, I now know that you can bake with Earth Balance from the tub! For the past couple of years I have been hesitant to make cookies for myself because I don't like to use shortening when I bake and butter is evil to me. I always had trouble substituting other things in place of the butter. So, I can now say that this works and I will definitely be using it in my baking from now on! Not to mention it is better for you than butter. How can you beat that? Now for the recipe...I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. I love great base recipes that you can change around with whatever you have on hand. We love her recipe, but for this round I used a cinnamon raisin trail mix (I pulsed this in the food processor so the pieces were not so big) instead of the coconut and raisins. I also used the Earth Balance instead of the butter. I am now so ready for fall!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:33 AM   2 comments
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Lazy Food
As I said before, food has been pretty lazy around here. All the running around between offices, doctors appointments and schools has left life in the kitchen pretty close to nonexistent. Sometimes, prepared foods are the best way to go! Luckily, we went to Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago and stocked up on some new stuff! So, even though we did not prepare some of the things, we did find some new things that we love! We have been eating a lot of cereals, omelets and sandwiches and those aren't really things to blog about. Although, this one is definitely one to speak of! If you love ginger, you will love this cereal! It is literally bursting with ginger flavor! It tastes like granola and ginger snaps all mixed in one. I had it on a little oatmeal last night for dessert too! It is so yummy! I think it would be great as a pie crust or in granola cookies. I see some possibilities for more of this cereal in the near future!

I just wanted to show you that you can actually see the chunks ginger, almonds and cashews in this cereal!

Here is Maggie (the queen of the house) in her domain. She is totally relaxed and loving the cooler morning temperature today! Also, did you know that most animals are lactose intolerant? Here is a link for you to check out with some information on lactose intolerance. It is pretty interesting!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 10:02 AM   2 comments
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Peachy Goodness
It is sad to say that I have really not had any great peaches this year. I don't know why, but non of them seem to be that perfect mix of firm and sweet that I look for in a good peach. A few years ago, the illustrator and I went on a road trip and stopped at a little place on the side of the road in North Carolina to get some peaches. We bought a huge basket over flowing with fresh peaches. They were, by far, the best peaches I have ever had! You know, the ones you bite into and the juices drip down your arm...the best! So, when we finally got home with all of the peaches, I needed to find some things to do with them. You can only eat so many peaches in one day! I played around with a couple of pound cake recipes I use and came up with this little gem! It tastes like an acceptable way to eat peach cobbler for breakfast.

Peach Bread
(adapted from Canadian Baker)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup light Smart Balance
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla (or Peach Schnapps)
1/2 cup fat free Lactaid milk
3/4 cup sliced peaches (fresh, canned, thawed-from frozen) - I used canned this time
1 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP peach juice from can, water, milk - I used the juice
splash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until well mixed. Then add the egg substitute. Continue beating the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Puree peaches in a food processor until smooth. Beat in the vanilla, then add the flour mixture, in 2 or 3 additions, alternately with the milk, beating until the batter is just smooth. Stir in peaches. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes. We like our breads to be a little bit on the moist side so this one has a little bit of a wet crumb to it when you stick it with a toothpick.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

Mix together the powdered sugar and liquid of choice until smooth. Drizzle the mixture over the bread and let cool completely.

Note: If you use canned peaches, you may want to cut some of the sugar in the bread. If you want to serve it as a dessert, leave in the sugar and serve with your favorite lactose free ice cream!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 11:23 AM   2 comments
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Upside Down!
So, my life seems like it has been turned upside down! Between the kids starting school last week (Max already has strep throat) and the illustrator getting settled in at his new office, I have totally been out of sorts! So, I promise to post tomorrow. I have done a few good things in the kitchen (and some not so good) that I will share starting tomorrow! It is weird how addictive this has become. I am anxious to share and will do so as soon as I get things back under control (at least somewhat)! Talk to you again soon!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:59 PM   2 comments
Monday, August 20, 2007
Brownie Bites
This was a really busy weekend and I did not have time to cook that much. The illustrator moved into a new studio...Congratulations to him!...so I made an old stand by (cinnamon bread) and I tried to make some many brownies that I am not too thrilled with. You see, we own our small business and we do a lot of little treats for our clients. I was trying something new by making miniature brownie bites for our next little gift. They are definitely going in the right direction, but they are not quite there. Unfortunately, I was talking on the phone when I was finishing them up and accidentally left out the chocolate chips. I sprinkled them on top (thinking they would sink a little) and they did not. They are cute, but they need a little work. I will let you know when they are perfect!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:26 AM   1 comments
Friday, August 17, 2007
Veggie Burgers
I saw this recipe while looking around a couple of months ago for new recipe ideas. I am trying to make more recipes that are for me now. This one really caught my eye! I love Garden Burgers, but I have a hard time finding the ones that are vegan. I need the vegan ones because they don't have dairy in them. So, I thought, if I could make my own I would not need to worry about finding the ones without dairy. Well, let me tell you...these are so freakin' good! I felt fortunate today, too because I had my girlfriend, Cat, here to test them with me (I love a new guinea pig). I am sure the illustrator was thankful for that too since he got a break from my "freaky" food.

I did make them a little smaller than the recipe called for because the recipe makes some huge burgers! Other than that, I made them exactly like the recipe said and they came out perfectly. I have to be honest and tell you that I liked them so much more than the ones you buy in the store! They don't seem so manufactured and they get a nice crust on the outside...so good! I also think they are a great background for variations...I will let you know what I do with them next time...I am thinking something Italian or maybe Mexican!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:29 PM   0 comments
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Coconut Sorbet
The illustrator and I went on a little outing yesterday to Trader Joe's! We loaded up on a lot of good stuff...some old and some new. This Coconut Sorbet was one of the new finds. All I can say is if you like coconut, you will love this! The illustrator took a second look at the ingredients to make sure there was no dairy in it. It is that creamy! You have to try it! I promise you will want way more than this bite!


*Please excuse the crazy photos! I am still trying to figure out lighting, backgrounds and angles.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:29 PM   0 comments
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Told you so...
I told you I could make anything into a salad! Yummmmmm!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 4:49 PM   0 comments
My first time!
Can you believe that I have never cooked tofu before? The illustrator was shocked! I am not normally nervous in the kitchen. I mean, I went to culinary school for goodness sake! I have to say that I am way more comfortable baking than I am cooking new things. Cooking and baking are two totally different beasts! I just hate wasting money because I ruined something in the kitchen. Well, I am happy to say that I did not waste money or time! My belly and my wallet were just as happy as I had hoped they would be. I have been looking around different sites/blogs and cookbooks to find out some methods for cooking tofu. Who knew it could be prepared so many ways? I am actually excited about trying all of these new recipes now. I love it when that happens! So, the illustrator wanted fried chicken last night. On nights like that, I feel fortunate that I am lactose challenged! I don't like the fried chicken. The illustrator thinks that makes me a bad southern girl...I don't think it has anything to do with my southern heritage! In fact, I think it makes me more of a southern lady since I don't like to gnaw into a big greasy piece of fleshy meat (but that's just me). Anyway, my point has nothing to do with fried chicken or my being a dainty southern lady...it is how great my tofu turned out! It was so easy and I assure you that I will be experimenting a lot more with it!

BBQ Tofu
1 block reduced fat firm tofu (I used Nasoya)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce ( I like the big bold taste of Bullseye)
salt and pepper

Slice the tofu into 9 (1/2 inch) slices. Place a paper towel on a sheet pan. Lay the tofu slices on top of the paper towels and then cover with another paper tower. Weigh tofu down with a heavy object for about 30 to 45 minutes. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Salt and pepper the tofu on both sides. Cook tofu on both sides until crispy. Coat both sides of the tofu in the end of cooking and then serve! This takes about 25 minutes.

1 slice = 49 calories


"Quick Fried Potatoes"
1 medium potato diced
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

Place diced potatoes in a nonstick pan coated with cooking spray. Put a little water in the pan to coat the bottom. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Cover and cook for 15 to 25 minutes on medium heat. Keep an eye on it and keep it moving. You may need to add a little water and then brown in the end.

116 calories

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 3:46 PM   0 comments
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Mother's Love
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am all about eating fruits and vegetables. The illustrator and I have only had one successful garden in our 13 years of being together. In all honesty, we really only tried for one big garden and it did do very well (thanks to my father-in-law helping prepare the ground). We moved into our new house 2 1/2 years ago and we have just gotten to the point where we wanted to try to grow some things during the summer. I mean, who doesn't love fresh squash, zucchini, tomatoes and green beans. Turns out the bunnies really like green bean plants and I don't know if you know this, but not much grows on rock...which is what we live on. Ok, well we could eat the moss, but I am not sure that would taste too good. I will let you know if it comes to that! So, now it is mid August and I just got my first tomato off the vine. I am like a proud parent. It is not the best looking or the biggest tomato, but it is mine...all mine! So, I figured I would play around with the camera and some lighting with it. Show off the little cutie. I took some shots of it and then thought I would savor it on a salad for dinner. Wouldn't you know, my youngest comes into the room and says right after he finished his dinner of fried chicken and chips (don't judge me, he eats lots of good stuff too), "I want to eat that with some salt and pepper on it". Now that is a mother's love...I gave it to him!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:11 PM   1 comments
Monday, August 13, 2007
My Apologies
I almost feel as though I need to apologize for not falling in love with soy yogurt to begin with. I have to say that after using up the container of Silk vanilla soy yogurt, I have officially fallen in love with this product. It has a distinct soy flavor when eaten on its own. I used it in a lot of my baking this past week and I absolutely love the flavor that it gives sweet breads! I needed to use up the last bit that I had. I came across a great recipe for waffles from Celine's Have Cake Will Travel blog. This recipe was so good and easy to play around with. She did not use yogurt in her recipe, but I thought it would make a nice addition. How right I was! It gave the waffles a nice custard flavor and a little denser consistency. I plan to use this recipe often and continue playing around with the flours and add ins!

Vanilla Yogurt Waffles
(adapted from Have Cake Will Travel)
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
pinch sea salt
1/4 t baking powder
1 TBSP maple syrup
3 TBSP unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt (I used Silk)
1 t vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients and cook in a waffle iron. It makes 2 small or one large.

444 calories in the whole recipe

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 10:08 AM   2 comments
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Birthday Boy!
My oldest turns 9 today! I can't believe how big he is getting. Both of my boys start school tomorrow. I am still in shock that I have a 1st grader and a 4th grader. Where has the time gone? Jay always worries about me being able to eat the things that I make for him. This is a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com for applesauce bars. I have played around with the recipe as always and it is Jay's current favorite flavor. I made it last week as a double layer cake for his party and this morning as muffins for his birthday breakfast. Happy Birthday Jay!

Applesauce Cake
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened (I use Light Smart Balance)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg (I use 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1 cup applesauce
1 cup all-purpose flour (I use 3/4 cup AP and 1/4 cup white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8 muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; stir into the applesauce mixture until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Cool in the pan over a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, chilled (I use Rice Alternative cream cheese)
1/4 cup light butter or stick margarine, softened (I use Light Smart Balance)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 1:52 PM   1 comments
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Saturday Mornings...
There is nothing like waking up on a Saturday morning! The weekdays here are just so busy that it seems like before you know it, the afternoon is here and the time has just flown by. This morning we woke up a little later and enjoyed our morning cup o' joe while watching our favorite home improvement shows. That is, by far, my favorite part of any day! This morning the kids were asking for something extra for breakfast. I suggested some French toast and bacon. They were sold! I had some left over beer bread in the fridge and we were in business! I love the smell in the house when you make a full blown breakfast! Especially when it involves cinnamon and nutmeg! Needless to say, it was a nice beginning to the last weekend before school starts!

Beer Bread French Toast
8 slices beer bread (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick)
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1/2 cup Lactaid Milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg
powdered sugar
syrup

Preheat griddle. Whisk eggs and milk together. Add vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dip sliced beer bread in egg mixture. Turn a few times to make sure that it soaks up a good bit of the custard. Spray the griddle with cooking spray and then place the bread on the griddle. Cook to desired crispness. Serve with powdered sugar or syrup or both (as the kids seem to like it)!

Have a great weekend!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 11:26 AM   0 comments
Thursday, August 9, 2007
It Is Too Hot!!!
I don't think I need to go into a long story about it being too hot outside right now! So, I needed something cool to eat. I don't have any lactose free ice cream in the freezer, but I still have some vanilla soy yogurt and cool whip! I did some searching and came across a recipe from Kraft that uses both! I have to say this treat is extremely refreshing and oh so good! I added some stewed berries and it was a nice summer treat!

Frozen Soy Yogurt with Stewed Berries
1 cup Fat Free Cool Whip
1 cup vanilla soy yogurt ( I used Silk)
4 cups frozen mixed berries
sugar

Place paper liners in 8 muffin cups. In a bowl, fold Cool Whip into yogurt. Don't mix too much because it will deflate the cool whip. Distribute yogurt mixture between the 8 muffin liners. Freeze for at least one hour.

Put frozen berries in a sauce pan. Add sugar for desired sweetness. Cook on medium heat until completely thawed and sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let sit to cool slightly. Pour into bowls and place frozen yogurt on top.

Note: for easy removal, dampen a cloth with warm water and wipe the outside of the muffin tin.

1 frozen yogurt muffin = 38 calories

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 4:01 PM   2 comments
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Pretty and Yummy!
I am not a flower person, but I would take a bouquet of these any day!
posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:57 AM   0 comments
Oops!
I love it when accidents turn into good things! The illustrator was putting some beer away from the party on Saturday and they fell...oops. They did not bust open, but the seal was broken and they needed to be used! I can't say that is all bad because we love beer bread. Luckily it was the honey brown beer, which is even better in my book! So I set out to make beer bread. Well, the recipe that I usually use includes self rising flour. Come to find out...I did not have any. So, I made the bread using all purpose flour with baking powder and salt. Another obstacle overcome! It was such a pretty little loaf of bread. We sat down to eat dinner and I realized I left out the sugar. Oops! come to find out. I like it that way, too! So, out of a lot of mistakes and problems, comes a mighty fine loaf of bread!

Honey Brown Beer Bread
2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
1/2 cup White Whole Wheat flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
12 oz Honey Brown beer
1 TBSP melted light Smart Balance

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat bread pan with cooking spray.

In electric mixer, combine flours, baking powder and salt. Add the beer and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes and brush with melted margarine. Continue baking another 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Note: the recipe actually calls for a little sugar. Normally I would use around 1 to 3 tablespoons, depending on how sweet I want it.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:29 AM   0 comments
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Essential Ingredient
I have one essential ingredient that goes in just about everything! I keep unsweetened applesauce on hand all the time. It is my choice accompaniment to oatmeal (next to pumpkin - of course) and it works well in almost all baked goods! I use it often to bring down that fat content of my quick breads and cakes. I normally buy it, but sometimes I make it from scratch when I need to use up apples and I run out of the vats I keep on hand in the pantry! It is super simple to make and so good! I make it unsweetened due to the fact that I am normally putting it in something that I am going to sweeten, but you can add as much sugar as you would like! You can also change the flavor by using different types of apples. Fuji and Pink Ladies are my current favorite apples for sweetness, but I due still love a good Granny Smith. For this recipe I used Granny Smith apples, but you use whatever you would like!

Applesauce

4 cups peeled and sliced apples (about 4 medium apples)
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 cups water

Put water in a medium sauce pan and add lemon juice. Add apple slices to water as you cut them (this keeps them from turning brown). Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes covered. As they cook, stir and mash with a potato masher. Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes continuing to stir and mash. Cook and mash to desired consistancy (sometimes I keep it a little lumpier when I just want to eat it).

1/2 cup = 50 calories (for unsweetened)

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 10:24 AM   3 comments
Monday, August 6, 2007
Mini Pound Cakes
So, I finally bought some Silk Soy Vanilla Yogurt. I have to be honest, it is not the same as dairy vanilla yogurt. I tried it before and could not even cook with it. Well, I have to say that it is improved! It is good, it is just something totally different from dairy vanilla yogurt. I could only find it in a huge container so I have to find some recipes to bake with the rest of it. I came up with this recipe for pound cake and baked it in muffin form. I am not crazy about the way they look, but they taste so freakin' good that I can't really complain about the way they look! I did a little research on muffins and the things that happen to them when they bake. I think I may have over mixed the, so be careful and mix the batter just until it all comes together. I also used an ice cream scoop to make muffins so they are uniform in size. I ended up doing two scoops per muffin and I think that stacking the batter may have caused a problem too! So, I highly recommend the recipe, although I think my method needs to be tweaked a bit. If anyone has any suggestions as to why my muffins sometimes rise on the outside before the center, please let me know!

Vanilla Soy Yogurt Muffins
1/2 cup Splenda Blend for Baking (or 1 cup Sugar)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP Light Smart Balance
2/3 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup vanilla soy yogurt (I used Silk)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sifted All Purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray.

Mix sugar blend, sugar and margarine until blended. Gradually add in egg substitute.

Mix yogurt and baking soda. Stir well and set aside. Next combine flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture alternating with the yogurt. Begin and end with the flour. Stir in vanilla.

Scoop batter into muffin tins and bake for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of you muffins. I made 8 muffins and that may have also been part of the shape problem. It is a heavy dough and I probably should have made them a little smaller too.

If anyone tries this and comes out with a better result, let me know how it worked!

1 muffin = 254 calories

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:30 AM   2 comments
Sunday, August 5, 2007
A Kid Again!

I have to say, this meal made me feel like such a kid again!! Yesterday, we had a birthday party for Jay. He will be 9 next weekend, but he also starts school next week and a lot of people were going to be busy then, so we had a party for him yesterday. Usual kid food, burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, french fries, cake and ice cream!!! So, today we are eating leftovers. The Illustrator and I just sat down to a meal of leftover beenee weenees! Sometimes you've just gotta go back to that place, you know, the one where there are no worries and the best thing in life is beans and weenees! So, we did and now all I can think about is the theme song for Van Camp's beenee weenees! We love those itsy bitsy teeny weeny cans of Van Camp's beenee weenees....

Just a side note, ours were kinda the home made variety in that we had baked beans and hot dogs left over and we mixed them, but still...so good!

I will give you a peek at Jay's favorite cake that is lactose free...the icing is not. It was devoured yesterday, so I think I will be making another one for his actual birthday and that one will have a dairy free frosting!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:56 PM   2 comments
Asian Noodle Bowl

It does not get any easier than using leftovers for a quick meal! The illustrator was still in need of some "soup" so this is one we throw together often. If you have veggies in the freezer, wheat noodles in the pantry and leftover chicken, shrimp or pork then you are in business! This is what I do for a small pot of Asian noodle bowl (as we call it here)...cook a little wheat pasta according to package directions minus a couple of minutes (it should still be firm - undercooked). Then drain the water off of the pasta. Pour a 14 1/2oz can of chicken broth over the noodles. Throw in a couple of hands full of frozen/fresh vegetables (I use the Chinese mix of frozen vegetables and some shredded cabbage) and some meat of your choice (this is totally optional). Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are cooked. I add a tablespoon of hoisin sauce and a little pepper. You are done. It is quick, easy and very tasty!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:58 AM   2 comments
Friday, August 3, 2007
Roasted Cauliflower


Truth be told, I bought this cauliflower on sale and needed to use it up. Come to find out, I am the only one in the house that likes cauliflower...who knew? So, I figured I would try something a little different with my veggies. I looked around at some different options and came up with this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower that looked good. I found the recipe at CookingLight.com and I loved it just as is! It also works great in a frittata, which is what I put the leftovers in last night!

The illustrator found a really great line of Archer Farms (Target) mustards and the brew master one was perfect for this recipe! I just wanted to share the picture of the mustard so you could find them when you go looking...'cause I know you will! There a quite a few different flavors and so far, we have not found one we did not like!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 8:53 AM   0 comments
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Ultimate Comfort Food

So, we are finally home and wouldn't you know it...some of us are sick. Well, that means only one thing...chicken soup! We call it chicken soup, but really it is more like a stew. This is one of those recipes that we have made for years based on what the illustrator's mom used to make. Throughout the years we have adapted it to our tastes and I have now written it down to pass on to you. I cook the chicken myself, but you can use leftover chicken or store bought rotisserie chicken to make it easier. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Chicken Soup
4 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (about 3 medium bone-in chicken breast)
4 cups sliced carrots
2 cups frozen corn
1 14.75oz can cream style corn
5 14 1/2oz cans light chicken broth
4 cups no-yolk egg noodles
onion powder
garlic powder
poultry seasoning
salt
pepper

If you are cooking the chicken, place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Sprinkle with a generous amount of onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Boil chicken for about an hour until it pulls away from the bone easily. When done cooking, remove from the pot. Pour water out of the pot and pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add carrots, corn and cream style corn to the pot and bring to a boil. Shred chicken while that cooks. After the pot boils for about 15 minutes (carrots should be tender, but not fully cooked), add the chicken and noodles. Season with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook with pasta according to the directions on the package (about 10 minutes). Serve up!

1 cup = 162 calories

*As a side note...I don't always specify the amount of salt and pepper due to everyone having different tastes. I am trying to cut back on the amount of salt I take in so use it to your discretion!

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:17 AM   3 comments

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Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
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