Spinach Dip

This is my favorite appetizer to order when we go to restaurants, however, when my kids are with us, we don't order it- because it is a Dairy based item. When I discovered Manchego cheese was Sheep's Milk and very similar to Parmesan, this was the first thing I thought of.  So tonight my kids had Spinach dip, and it is just crazy to me that it tasted EXACTLY like the restaurant dip I love!

I think it is just awesome that I can get cool things like Goats Milk Cheese and Sheep's milk cheese at Walmart just blocks from my house!  They also have Glutino Bagel chips and Purple Corn Tortilla chips.  I just recently learned that purple corn is always non-gmo, so I make it a point to always buy the purple ones. I buy the Mexican ones from Herdez to avoid the price hike for the 'organic' or 'non-gmo' label.

Spinach Dip

6 oz Spreadable plain Goat Cheese
5 oz wedge Manchego cheese (sheep's milk cheese) grated
3/4 cup Mayonaise (not fat free or miracle whip-  it won't work)
1 - 1 1/2 cups steamed spinach (can sub with frozen)
1 tsp Dried Minced Garlic
1 TBSP Dried Onion Flakes
1/2 tsp Louisiana sauce or Tabasco sauce
Pinch of Chilli Pepper Flakes

Stir to combine all ingredients.  Grease a 4x9 inch bread pan and bake 350 for 27 minutes or 'til the top is slightly golden.  I served it with Glutino Bagel Chips and Purple Corn Tortilla chips.

Chicken Alfredo w/ Coconut Milk Sauce

This was, in the words of my 9 year old, so "yummy and delicious" that I had to put it up without a picture.  My intentions for the dish was no more than dinner tonight, no blog post was in the order, so I came out without a picture.  But I will post one next time I make it.

 Chicken Alfredo

 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon tapioca flour
19 oz Mae Ploy Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
*  *  *  *

5 Medium Chicken breasts, seared in skillet and sliced thin

12 ounces noodles, cooked
Freshly ground pepper
1) Melt butter in skillet and add minced garlic and lemon zest. Cook til garlic is soft.

2) Add tapioca flour and stir til incorporated then add coconut milk, salt, and onion powder. Cook til mixture thickens.

3) Turn off heat and add fresh chopped parsley, and pepper to taste.

Serve by plating noodles and spooning sauce over noodles and laying chicken slices over the sauce.  If there are Dairy Lovers in the house, parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top would fit nicely.

Cheese Dip or Sauce Replacement

This can be used as a cheese sauce or dip replacement.  Add roasted green peppers and tomato (well drained) for an easy chip dip or use it as a cheese sauce over Broccoli, Cauliflower, or even Nachos!

Cheese Sauce Dip

 

4 egg yolks
1 TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

1/2 cup unsalted butter,  melted (1 stick)

1) Bring a pot of water to a boil as you whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together with a fork in a metal bowl.  

2) Over the pot of water continue whisking briskly with a fork until mixture thickens. Be careful not to let the mixture go up the sides or sit, because the yolks will scramble.

3) Slowly add melted butter as you continue whisking over the pot of water.

4) Remove from heat, set aside (still in the metal bowl) and add your uncooked macaroni elbows (about 12 oz) to the already boiling water.

 

Then:

1 1/2 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP + 1 tsp Cornstarch

1  cup Rice Milk 

  

5) Melt butter in a pan over the stove and then add the cornstarch and stir feverishly so no lumps can form.

6) After well mixed, add milk and stir constantly til it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat and add to the 1st mixture in the Metal bowl.

Then add:

3/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp White Pepper (you can use black if you don't mind the specks)

1/4 tsp Ground Anatto Seed (for color only; you can find this in the spice section)

You don't have to, but I recommend adding 1/4 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree.  Mix well.  Makes about 2 cups.

Cream of Chicken Soup

Cream Soup Substitute

This recipe is a very flexible recipe and can be used in any recipe that is calling for a cream soup.  Depending on the type of cream soup you are needing you can change the broth.  Chicken broth for cream of chicken soup, Beef broth for things like my Beef Stroganoff, Vegetable or Mushroom broth for cream of mushroom soup.  There literally are no limits for this recipe and it will open up a variety of possibilities for your gluten and dairy free cooking abilities.


2 TBSP Starch (Arrowroot, Potato, Corn, Tapioca)
2 TBSP Rice Flour
2 TBSP Potato Flour
2 cups Broth
2 TBSP Non-Dairy Sour Cream
1-2 TBSP Chicken Bouillon/Herb OX (If your broth is already seasoned/salted, you likely won't need this)

Put tapioca, rice flour, and 1 cup broth in a ziploc baggy, seal it and mix.  When no lumps are present put it in a small pot with the other cup of broth and turn stove on high. While continuously stirring, sprinkle in the potato flour. Keep stirring.  When mixture has some bubbling from boiling, turn down to medium-low. Stir until thickening begins.  When the mixture begins to thicken remove from stove and continue stirring until uniformly thick.  Add Bouillon and Sour Cream according to the taste desired.