Tag Archives: Dairy Free Cheese

Chicken Tetrazzini

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I used to make turkey Tetrazzini every year with Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey leftovers. Of course that was prior to going gluten-free and dairy-free and those Tetrazzini dishes included a lot of cream and probably three kinds of lovely cheese, along with gluten bread crumbs.

Our mornings are chilly now and that always gets me thinking about comfort food. I love fall and even winter (as long as it snows a lot! Yes you read that right…) and I look forward to baking pies, roasting things, and having my house smell like comfort food.

I don’t even know what was on television in the bedroom this morning while I was getting ready, but I heard the word Tetrazzini and thought, “YES!”. I had forgotten all about Tetrazzini! When you’re allergic to dairy you kind of get used to not thinking about cheesy, creamy, delightful, comfort food. Luckily, with more and more people becoming aware of food allergies and more people being tested, the whole food world is opening up with new products and new ideas for those of us that can’t eat traditional things.

I couldn’t remember how I used to make it exactly so I Googled Tetrazzini. Honestly, what did we ever do without the internet? After reading through several recipes it all started coming back to me and I realized that each recipe was different. Really different. So I just winged it and did what I thought sounded good. Giada De Laurentiis puts peas in hers. I thought that sounded good too and I could have sworn I had frozen baby peas, but no such luck. Her recipe also had about 30 ingredients. Seriously?

I just went with what I had on hand and it was fantastic. Total comfort food. So creamy and delicious, even I was shocked! Ahhh… the satisfaction of another traditional meal tackled and made into something that can fit my needs! Remember the movie Bruce Almighty where Jim Carey says, “It’s goooood”? For some reason that just popped into my head. Odd the things that rattle around in there…

I love having a good (or “gooood”) challenge. This recipe was challenging because I didn’t know if it would really work. That always bugs me a little because it’s not cheap to be dairy free and gluten-free. If it doesn’t turn out, it’s horrible to watch all of that $$$ going straight into the trash bin. Plus, dairy free cheese is a little weird sometimes. Occasionally it can make the texture of something really unappealing. Also, there’s a lot of steps. I was taking pictures in between steps and different parts of the recipe and not cleaning up, so my kitchen looked like a bomb went off.  But as soon as I had everything in the oven, it all cleaned up quickly and believe me…all the steps and all the prep work to get it into the oven was worth every-single-bite.

Another recipe challenge overcome! Hmmm…what’s next?

Chicken Tetrazzini

Bacon Drippings, or olive oil if you don’t have drippings on hand

2 Chicken Breasts, cooked & cubed or shredded into large pieces

1 Medium Onion, diced

About 6 Crimini Mushrooms, sliced

About 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves

About 2 teaspoons Dried Thyme

1 Head of Roasted Garlic

About 1 Tablespoon Bragg’s Seasoning

About 1 Cup of White Wine

3 Cups of Almond Milk

About 2 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth

1 Cup Diaya Cheddar Style Cheese

1/4 Cup Buffalo Mozzarella

1/4 Cup Vegan Parmesan

Dairy Free Butter

About 1/3 Cup Mama’s All Purpose Almond Flour

Gluten Free Bread Crumbs, seasoned with oregano, basil, garlic powder, vegan parm, & kosher salt

About 12 oz. of Tinkyada Gluten Free Pasta, cooked aldente

1.  In a large skillet melt about 2-4 Tablespoons of bacon drippings. Add chicken breasts and brown on both sides just until they are done. About 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

2.  Add the chopped onion and mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms begin to brown a bit. Add the thyme leaves. Add salt to taste.

3. Add the wine to de-glaze the pan and continue to saute over medium-high until the wine evaporates. Remove mixture to a large bowl. Set pan aside.

4. Dice or shred chicken and add to the bowl. Add the cheeses, roasted garlic, and Bragg’s.

5. Using the same pan, melt about 4 Tablespoons of dairy free butter. Add the flour and whisk together.

6.  Add the almond milk and chicken broth whisking quickly as to not allow lumps. Cook over medium-high until the mixture begins to thicken. Mine became very thick so I added a bit more chicken broth. You want a medium thick consistency. Salt & pepper to taste, add the dried thyme, set aside.

7. Cook pasta according to directions. I removed mine 2 minutes prior to “done”. Drain.

8.  Lightly coat a 9×11 baking dish with olive oil spray or dairy free butter.

9. Add the pasta and sauce to the large bowl of other ingredients. Toss well and pour into the baking dish.

10.  Coat the top with gluten-free bread crumbs (see below), and dot with butter.

11. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes until sauce bubbles. Serve with gluten-free french bread.

* I always toast (in the oven) and throw all uneaten or stale bread into a bag in my freezer. It makes it very easy whip up bread crumbs or croutons when I need them.

For bread crumbs I just add the toasted bread to a food processor. Add dried herbs, kosher salt, and  just a bit of olive oil. Pulse until it turns into crumbs and the herbs are incorporated. For this recipe I added basil, oregano, garlic powder, kosher salt, vegan parmesan, and added a drizzle of olive oil at the end so it would all come together a bit.

Herb Cheese Logs

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Guess what? You can freeze goat cheese. Who knew?

I had no idea. According to the internet, soft cheeses freeze quite well, actually. This opens up all kinds of ideas for different types of goat and sheep’s milk cheeses. This cheese is mild and delicious. Not overly “goaty” like a lot of aged goat or sheep’s milk cheese. Perfect on crackers, toasted baguette slices, on top of a baked potato, in your favorite salad, sprinkled over your favorite pasta dish…the options are endless. You can make it sweet with zest and agave nectar or savory with herbs and spices. I’ve used sweetened goat cheese with breakfast crepes and it was amazing. Get creative!

Goat’s Milk Cheese Logs

*Makes four 4-5 inch logs

1 Gallon Raw Goat or Sheep’s Milk

3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt + more for seasoning later

Juice of 10 Organic Lemons, about 1 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

About 2 Tablespoons Organic Chives, chopped

About 2 Tablespoons Organic Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

About 1 1/2 Tablespoons Organic Thyme, chopped

About 2 teaspoons Chopped Garlic ( I used the organic garlic that comes in the jar)

Ground Pepper

I have a new obsession. Making my own goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheese! Once you try it, you won’t believe how incredibly easy it is.

I’ve read that it’s important to use raw milk because pasteurized milk doesn’t clot the same way. If you’re able, I would suggest trying to find a local organic farm where you can buy the raw milk.  And then of course, use organic lemons and organic herbs. I buy organic and all natural whenever possible. It just makes sense to eat pure, clean, food as much as I can.

But as you probably already have experienced yourself…pure, locally grown food comes with a little sticker shock.

I paid $16.58 for 1 gallon of raw goat’s milk. One gallon of goat’s milk made into cheese gives you about 12 ounces of cheese. That’s about $1.38 per ounce. Expensive, but really no more than you pay in a grocery store. And the satisfaction of making it yourself and knowing exactly what is in it and where the ingredients come from…priceless!

So give it a try, you won’t be disappointed, I promise:

In a large dutch oven or stainless steel pot (do not use aluminum) add several inches of water and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes to sanitize.  I carefully sloshed it up and around the sides. Drain, add the milk and salt, stir. Heat to 185-190 degrees stirring frequently. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t scald on the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, line a large strainer with the cheesecloth. I used all of the cheesecloth in the small package I purchased. Just fold it over and make sure it drapes over the sides. Place the strainer over a deep bowl.

When the milk reaches 185-190 ish degrees, remove from heat.

Slowly stir in the lemon juice. It starts to curdle right away.

Add a pinch of parsley, chives, and thyme, reserving the rest for after the cheese has drained. Allow to rest for 25 minutes in the pan.

After it has rested, pour slowly into the cheesecloth. Allow to drain for about 30 minutes.

Do yourself a favor though…keep an eye on it and don’t go check your blog or your Facebook page while you’re waiting for it to drain. Because you’ll end up with this:

And more importantly this…

Carefully pull the sides of the cloth in and twist into a ball, carefully squeezing out some more of the liquid. Allow to rest and drain for another 25 minutes or so checking and draining the bowl every so often so that it is not sitting in its own liquid.

Remove the cheesecloth from the strainer and scrape the cheese off with a spoon into a bowl. Add the remaining herbs and garlic and stir to combine.

Taste and add a bit more kosher salt and a few grinds of good peppercorns.

On a clean working surface pull out a piece of plastic wrap and fold in half. Spoon goat cheese onto the middle of the plastic wrap in a small row.

Gently roll up one side of the plastic wrap and snuggle it over the log. Roll the log to the other end of the plastic wrap, twist the ends tight and tuck under.

Continue to do this with the remaining cheese or if you’re going to use it within a couple of days, you can also make it into one large log or any shape you like, really.

Once all of the cheese has been rolled, refrigerate for three hours. Remove from fridge, roll in one more layer of plastic wrap, cover in tin foil, enclose in a freezer bag and freeze up to one month.

Happy Easter

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Another beautiful Easter has already come and gone. My mom and our son joined us this year…I only had to cook for 4 people! I’m used to cooking for a crowd on special occasions at our house. It felt a little odd to not have to cook for days in advance, but it was such a nice, relaxing, visit. We were even blessed with a sunny day! Something we haven’t had in a long, long, time.

As we sat at the table gabbing and eating and eating and eating…I was thanking God for how blessed I am. Truly, truly, blessed in so many ways, they are innumerable. I love those quiet moments in your head where you can stop in the middle of the busyness to really take a look around and soak it all in. I hope you all were able to spend this day with some of the people you love.

I thought it was funny that it took me 43 years to realize that I don’t need to do Easter Baskets with that crazy grass that you end up finding in your house for the next two months…this year, I just did gift bags with tissue and it worked just as well. Silly how we stick to certain traditions even though there are parts of them we don’t like (like plastic colored grass). It’s a tradition yes, but we can change it up any way we like and make our own traditions, right?

Kurobuta Ham  (Japanese Black Hog)

This is the second time we’ve purchased a Kurobuta Ham to serve on Easter. Have you ever had one?  They are delicious, they’ve been dubbed the “Kobe beef” of pork. I’ve never had Kobe beef, so I’ll have to take their word for it and honestly, I can’t think of one reason to argue.

I wanted to prepare it the Bartolini Kitchen’s way…however, there were only two of us at the table that care for fennel. So I’ll have to wait until I’m cooking for a bigger crowd to try John’s roast pork with fennel.

I like to slather mine with Dijon mustard and then pack it with brown sugar. They are fully cooked so all you need to do is bring it to room temperature, heat the oven to 350 degrees and cook it for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer is almost at 150 degrees. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Twice Baked Potatoes

8 Russet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Garlic Powder

Fresh Herbs Of Your Choice (I used a mixture of dried herbs for the outside of the potatoes)

Daiya Cheddar Style Cheese, about 3/4 Cup

Sheep’s Milk Cheese, about 1/4 Cup crumbled

Vegan Parmesan, about 1/8 Cup

Fresh Rosemary & Thyme, snipped

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

Almond Milk, about 1/2 cup

Place each potato on a square of foil, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, garlic powder, and herbs. Roll up in tin foil and bake at 350 degrees until done. Allow to cool.

Slice each potato in half. I only stuffed 6 and used the innards from the remaining potatoes to add to the filling. I always make 2 extra potatoes to add to the filling.

With a small spoon carefully spoon out the potato filling into a medium bowl. Leave enough potato in the skins so that the potato will stand on its own without collapsing in on itself. Place the skins in a baking dish.

Add the cheeses, rosemary, thyme, salt, and ground pepper to the potatoes. Mash by hand until combined.

Warm the almond milk and add slowly while mashing. Mash them to the texture you like. I prefer mine with a little body.

Fill each shell and bake at about 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until tops are starting to brown.

 I also served steamed, organic carrots and sautéed organic green beans with garlic and wine along with the ham and twice baked potatoes. And it wouldn’t be Easter without deviled eggs as a little pre-dinner snack.

Lavender scented candles set the mood for a relaxing meal.

 Mud Pie (Layered Ice Cream Pie)

3 Pints of Dairy Free Ice Cream

(I prefer Luna & Larry’s Coconut Milk Ice Cream – I used Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge, Dark Chocolate, and Naked Coconut)

2 Boxes of Dairy Free & Gluten Free Dark Chocolate – Chocolate Chunk Cookies (I prefer Pamela’s)

Organic Crunchy Peanut  Butter

1 Ounce of Dairy Free Chocolate, chopped

2 Ounces of Dairy Free Chocolate, melted

Sprinkles

Since I wasn’t having to cook for a crowd this year I hemmed and hawed over all of my dessert choices. In the past when we’ve had larger groups, I’ve made several types of cookies, pies, or cakes. I finally settled on this because it was out of the ordinary – well, out of my “ordinary” for Easter, and I knew my husband and son would love it.

This pie is a bit of a project not because it’s hard, but because it takes time. You need to freeze each layer, which means you either need a long morning or a long afternoon to complete it. I made it yesterday morning, so I wasn’t pressed for time today. You should also be forewarned about the cost. If you’re making this gluten-free and dairy free…it’s not cheap. As you may already know, a pint of dairy free ice cream is about $5.99, this takes three. Then it takes two boxes of dairy free and gluten-free cookies, also expensive. Then there’s organic peanut butter, chopped chocolate… I save this recipe for special holidays and birthdays.

Believe me, it’s worth it.

First, line a spring form pan with plastic wrap.

Next, place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until ground.

Turn the food processor on and drizzle the melted butter in until the mixture begins to come together.

 Spoon the cookie mixture into the spring form pan and with a piece of plastic wrap, press the cookies into the pan, scooting about an inch up the sides. Make sure it is firmly pressed.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer to set. Remove one pint of ice cream, remove the lid, and allow it to sit on the counter to soften for 45 minutes.

Scoop the ice cream in a bowl and stir. Spread onto the frozen cookie crust.

Cover and place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Remove from freezer and spread with 1/2 jar of crunchy peanut butter. Return to the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove another pint of ice cream and repeat the same process as above.

On this layer (the third layer) chop one ounce of chocolate and sprinkle over the top of the second pint of ice cream that you’ve spread over the frozen peanut butter. Cover with plastic and freeze for 45 minutes. Remove the last pint of ice cream and repeat the process.

 Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 2 ounces of chocolate. Drizzle over the top of the last layer and lightly cover with sprinkles.

Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Will keep in the freezer for up to 5 days.

From my family to yours – Happy Easter and many, many, spring blessings to you!