No time to bake...

Don't have time to bake your own dairy-free cake? We found that Whole Foods makes a delicious dairy-free chocolate layer cake. The guys didn't know it was dairy free and were fighting over the last piece! You'll want to call ahead for this one.

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

My sister-in-law adapted the traditional Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe to be dairy free and it's even better than the original!

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) Libby's Pure Pumpkin (I substituted fresh, cooked Fairytale Pumpkin)

1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk (substitute 1 can of coconut milk)

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Directions:
MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir pumpkin into sugar and spice mixture. Gradually stir in coconut milk.

Note: If you're using fresh pumpkin, you may need to let some of the water drain out after you puree it using a cheese cloth or a extra-fine strainer. Otherwise the pie may be a bit soupy and will need to bake a lot longer.

POUR into pie shell.

Note: Most pre-made pie shells contain dairy, so you're better off making one from scratch using vegetable shortening. I haven't found a favorite pie crust recipe yet, but I'll keep trying. All for the sake of research!

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

You can try serving it with the Swedish Cream rather than whipping cream.

Swedish Cream Recipe

This is a recipe from a good friend whose mom is dairy free. She said that they made the regular dairy version and the non-dairy version of this recipe for a party once, and the non-dairy "kicked @ss!"

Swedish Cream

1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (if you want to make this vegan, substitute agar flakes)
2 cups heavy cream (substituted Silk brand coffee creamer)
1 pint sour cream (substituted Tofutti Sour Supreme Better Than Sour Cream)
2 tsp Mexican vanilla
2 tsp almond extract (Dr. Oetker, a German brand, is the best; use one vial as it's plenty potent)

Directions:
Combine sugar and gelatin in saucepan. Add Silk creamer and mix well. Heat until boiling then remove from heat and let cool. When cool, fold in Better than Sour Cream. Flavor with vanilla and almond extracts. Chill in fridge.

This is great dessert served by itself with fresh berries, or on the side of your other favorite desserts.

Reading Labels

As a novice to the dairy-free lifestyle, I'll admit there is a bit of a learning curve. Here are a few of the things I've learned from researching and reading labels. (I read labels on everything now.)

Ingredients NOT to eat:

• milk/butter/cheese
• lactose
• whey
• casein

Surprising sources of these ingredients:

• Most sausage and processed meats contain casein
• Many vitamins, tablets, and medicines use lactose as a binder
• There seems to be dried milk solids in just about everything from bread and tortillas, to crackers and cereals, and anything breaded
  

Ingredients that are OK to eat:

• coco butter
• peanut butter
• almond butter
• apple butter
• pumpkin butter
• Shea butter
• mango butter
• seed butters and vegetable butters
• coconut milk
  

Foods that are good substitutes:

• almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, or coconut milk for cow's milk (I prefer the almond milk)
  
• vegetable shorting, such as Soy Garden Natural Buttery Spread (vegan) for butter on toast
• olive oil or vegetable oil for butter when cooking
• Tofutti Sour Supreme Better than Sour Cream for sour cream
• Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese for cream cheese
• Silk brand coffee creamer for whipping cream in recipes (I'm not sure how well it whips up for whipping cream; I'll have to try it)
• dark chocolate and Baker's unsweetened and semi-sweet baking chocolates don't contain dairy, but read the labels (Note: cocoa butter is not dairy)
• often fresh-made bakery bread does not contain dairy; also sour-dough bread is usually safe
  
• soy cheese and rice cheese as decent substitutes for cheese, however I often find it's easier to leave it off
• Don't cook with rice cheese - it curdles, although the slices melt well for grilled cheese sandwiches
• One friend likes rice Parmesan
• I found a pepper jack soy cheese that's pretty good
• I learned the hard way that just because a "cheese" is called "veggie slices" doesn't mean that it's dairy free; read the label!

Remember to read all labels!

Fudgy Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Espresso Frosting

Cake:
2 c sugar
1 1/2 c cake flour (Swans Down cake flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
2 Tbs instant espresso powder (Medaglia d'Oro)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate (Baker's 100% cacao* bar)
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c sour cream (substituted Tofutti Sour Supreme non-dairy, lactose free Better Than Sour Cream)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 c whipping cream (substituted Silk non-dairy creamer)
1/2 c butter (substituted 5-6 marshmallows)
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 oz semisweet chocolate (Baker's dairy-free semisweet chocolate* bar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparing cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Oil and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides or use cupcake liners (makes 20-25 cupcakes).

Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Bring 1 cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons espresso powder; stir to dissolve. Add chocolate; whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
In another large bowl, whisk vegetable oil, Better Than Sour Cream, eggs and vanilla to blend. Add chocolate mixture and whisk to blend well. Add 1/3 of chocolate-sour cream mixture to dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Add remaining chocolate-sour cream mixture in 2 more additions, whisking well after each addition. Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Gently tap each filled pan atop counter to burst any air pockets.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes for cakes and 20 minutes for cupcakes. Let cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of cakes and turn out onto rack. Cool completely.
Preparing frosting:
Bring first 6 ingredients to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until marshmallows melt. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour frosting into large bowl; cool until thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours.
Frost cakes or cupcakes. I found that by warming the frosting in the microwave for a few seconds before frosting the cupcakes that it was much easier to spread and it regained a pretty, glossy shine. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

*Although Baker's chocolate is dairy free, on the box it states that it is processed on equipment that processes milk. One friend has such a bad reaction to dairy that she won't risk it, however, I've never had reaction to it.

Here is the original recipe on Epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105697