The Joy of Cooking Moo-less!

If you like to cook, there is a silver-lining to being dairy-free; and that is a whole new world of dairy-substitute ingredients which can add delicious flavors and depth to your cooking. Surprised? It’s true!

Oh, I admit, there is nothing like real cheese. I love cheese. Cheddar, Fontina, Gorgonzola, Brie, I love it all! Soy-based cheeses just are not the same for me. The Prince doesn’t seem to miss cheese. He loves his Tofutti fine. The Professor never did care much for dairy in any form, though he too likes cheese. Cheese is the only part of being GFCF that I miss.

But I have found that “necessity is the mother of invention” with regard to dairy substitutes, and I find that you can choose the kind of milk that best suits your recipe. So here is my unofficial list of milk substitutes and how they can be used, depending on your needs!

Rice Milk: tends to be a bit sweeter, lighter, thinner, and has a pretty bright, white color. It is kind of refreshing. The Prince likes it best on cereal. He used to drink rice milk exclusively, since it was white, like cow’s milk, and the beige color of soy milk turned him off. But now he actually prefers soy milk to drink. Some brands to consider: Pacific, Eden, Eden has a rice-soy blend too. (Note: Rice Dream, which uses barley in processing, recently claimed to be gluten-free, but now has removed that phrase from their packaging. Although they no longer list barley on their ingredients, they have been so inconsistent in their labeling that until they can provide assurance that the barley is gone, we are not using it, though it is delicious. I actually thought it tasted the best of all the rice milks.)

Soy Milk: closest in composition to cow’s milk, so unfortunately many who have trouble with cow’s milk are also soy intolerant. But if you can enjoy soy, it has the benefit of adding a little extra protein to your diet. I think it is the most versatile of the milk substitutes. I never liked cow’s milk just to drink cold, even as a child, but I actually like the taste of soy milk. Some people like it, others do not. I prefer it in my coffee and to cook with when baking. It is thicker than rice milk and does well in batters. (Many brands to choose from, too many to list, try a few from your local grocery until you see what your family likes. We like Silk. You can get flavored varieties too.)

Hemp Milk: this is my newest discovery, thanks to Karina, the Gluten-Free Goddess. Hemp milk is thicker and creamier than soy or rice milk. Like soy milk, it has a beige color. It has lots of omegas, which is an added nutritional benefit. When whipped, it thickens almost like cream. It is YUMMY in fruit smoothies. Karina has a few smoothie recipes that are great for summer. Basically, just take a cup of your favorite fresh fruit, a cup of hemp milk, and about 2 teaspoons of your favorite sweetener (honey, agave nectar), pop them in the blender, zap, and enjoy. Because of its thickening properties, hemp milk also works really well in faux un-cheese recipes that use nutritional yeast to create a cheesy flavor. You can also buy hazelnut-flavored hemp milk, which is also a nice addition to coffee, and especially tasty in iced coffee. Brand suggestions: again, many choices at your health-food store, we like Living Harvest.

Almond Milk: another pleasantly sweet milk and a bit on the thin side. Many younger children seem to like almond milk to drink, though it is a little sweet for our taste. Almond milk is nice in certain baked recipes, like cookies. I have not used it as much as the others, if you have, chime in here in the comments! Brand suggestions: Blue-Diamond Almond Breeze seems to be the most readily available. It comes sweetened, unsweetened, and in chocolate and vanilla flavors.

Coconut Milk: not for drinking, but works well as a substitute for condensed milk, in dessert recipes. It is wonderful in pumpkin pie, for example. Be sure to shake it, as it tends to separate. Brand suggestion: we like Taste of Thai, most regular groceries carry it.

CF Substitutions: if you need substitutions for things like sour cream, whipped cream, cream cheese, or buttermilk, Thomas at The GFCF Diet Experience has a whole list of substitutions here. For all you southerners who love biscuits, his buttermilk substitution is indispensable! Experience the Joy of Moo-less cooking! It's more exciting than you might think!