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Easy Dairy free meal idea

15 replies

MamaLlama123 · 04/01/2024 20:33

could i please ask anyone to share dairy free meal ideas that are fairly easy. also soy free.

and snacks too please

e.g avocado on toast
peanut butter/ banana on toast

i want to try and be nutritionally balanced as possible

For context, I am breastfeeding baby who has worsening eczema. Dietician advises high chance dairy allergy and for myself to trial removing all dairy from my diet. i struggle with cooking/ meal planning at the best of times and juggling other commitments.

Thank you!

OP posts:
bakewellbride · 04/01/2024 20:40

Hi I had to quit dairy while breastfeeding my eldest so I know what you're going through! Am now vegan so dairy free all the way now.

I have oat milk instead of cows milk and Aldi's 'grated coconut alternative to cheese' is actually nice!

Aldi dairy free yoghurt also nice and cheaper than alpro.

Flora plant butter is great imo. Hop chocolate is amazing.

Here is a recipe

Dairy free macaroni 'cheese':

Preheat oven to 180.

Get about a third of a butternut squash and peel and chop into small chunks. Boil for 20 mins.

While this is cooking get enough macaroni in a pan to feed 4 and put onto boil for 15 mins. So now u have 2 pans going.

Meanwhile do your sauce using a third pan. Melt a knob of dairy free spread in a pan then add flour and oat milk until u get a sauce. It will need constant stirring on a low heat

Drain the butternut squash but save some of the water (about a quarter). Blend the butternut squash and small amount of water until smooth then pour the whole thing into the sauce and stir until combined.

Drain the macaroni and add to a baking dish. Pour the sauce on top and add whatever you like as a topping - fake cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread crumbs, whatever.

Bake for 20-30 mins

Weallnamechangesometimes · 04/01/2024 20:41

Keep it simple and cook meat fish and veg. Watch sausages, gravy and stock cubes/pots.

HoneyButterPopcorn · 04/01/2024 20:41

List of things you can do with pasta and rice dishes.

basic pasta with Napoli sauce (throw in veggies)
byriani
omlette
jacket potato with baked beans
Veggie chilli
(I’m veggie so can’t really advise on meaty things)

bakewellbride · 04/01/2024 20:42

Hip not hop!

bestbefore · 04/01/2024 20:44

If you like pesto pasta you can get vegan pesto in a jar. Just keep it simple - airfied chicken, fish, potatoes veg etc. loads of things are dairy free with a small adaption like mash with dairy free butter

DiamandaTheGreat · 04/01/2024 20:45

I try to eat low-dairy if I can. For lunch I had beans on toast and for dinner I made sausages with French-style puy lentils. (I made garlic bread by mixing garlic with olive oil and a bit of dairy-free butter - the Flora one in the block is good - spreading it on halved baguettes and putting it under the grill).

I've been thinking about work lunches for next week - I make a lot of soup, often roasted tomato and red pepper or what my kids call Hulk soup - basically any green veg! For the latter I add a small cubed potato as it improves the texture, but otherwise it's just onions, celery, garlic, herbs, then usually courgettes/broccoli/spinach. I add a handful of peas at the end but only cook it for another minute once those are in - it helps it keep the vibrant green colour once blended, and sweetens it a bit. Often I add nutmeg if it's spinach soup, just seems to work really well.

Salads-wise I make hummus and slow roast some cherry tomatoes in the oven or airfryer. Then I build a salad with whatever greens/leaves I have, some hummus, the tomatoes, maybe some chorizo or similar, and a really good dressing - mainly olive oil, red wine vinegar and honey. I also do the same thing with things like coronation chickpeas (recipe as you'd expect!), chopped cucumber and radish, grated carrot, sometimes a bit of cheese if I'm feeling devilish. In the winter I sometimes replace the greens with brown rice or bulgur wheat. I'm not a fan of couscous but it is blessedly quick.

Other favourite dinners are pasta with a tomato, aubergine and red wine sauce (sometimes add bacon), chicken thighs with some kind of marinade, salmon and noodles (Rukmini Iyer has a good baked salmon laksa recipe), scrambled egg and salmon on bagels, sweet potato and chicken chilli, turkey chilli, Bolognese etc. I do miss the parmesan a bit so sometimes I cave...

Sadly my favourite potato dauphinoise is hard to recreate with soya cream but I like potatoes boulangere (cooked in stock) and I make good airfryer chips.

I also roast a lot of veg - cauli with cumin is delicious, serve it with some pomegranate seeds and coconut yoghurt. Sweet potato gets a bit boring but red onion, broccoli with garlic and chilli, carrots all delicious roasted. If you're just low-dairy then a tiny bit of feta sprinkled over them goes a long way.

DiamandaTheGreat · 04/01/2024 20:47

A pp mentioned pesto - it's v easy to make dairy-free pesto and the homemade stuff is so much better! I use a mixture of cashew nuts and pine nuts and a boatload of garlic. I guess you could add nutritional yeast for that flavour?

DiamandaTheGreat · 04/01/2024 20:50

Forgot to say - for the toasted tomato soup I put everything usual for a soup - halved onions, sticks of celery, garlic (whole head sliced in half), halved normal tomatoes/cherry tomatoes/tinned plum tomatoes, drained, thyme/rosemary/oregano - in a big roasting dish and roast at about 140 degrees until they're soft and caramelising. Then I blend it all up with the strained tinned tomato juice and some water or chicken stock til it's the right consistency. Delicious 😍

UniversalTruth · 04/01/2024 20:56

What sort of things do you usually cook?

Some suggestions for your meal plan - not exciting but I know it can be a bit overwhelming at first when going dairy free...

Sausages, potatoes, veg
Omelette, df garlic bread (eg. Tesco 37p ones), veg
Roast chicken pieces traybake
Own brand puff pastry sausage rolls
Pizza base, passata & vegan cheese pizza
Stew/casseroles
Pasta & tomato based pasta sauce

Christmasisover · 04/01/2024 22:22

My son has recently been diagnosed with lactose intolerance. This thread is very helpful! Thank you to all who have shared ideas and OP for asking.

PracticalPatricia · 04/01/2024 22:27

Stir fry & noodles
Curry, rice & chapati
Chicken and chips
Tuna mayo pasta
Bolognese
Tomato and basil pasta
Risotto
Lentil & bacon soup
Roast dinner
Fajitas
Tagine & couscous
Chicken skewers, pitta/flat bread (check ingredients), roast veg & hummus

I think most meals I cook are accidentally dairy free

MikeRafone · 04/01/2024 22:32

https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/44-accidentally-vegan-snack-foods/

a list of accidental vegan foods - I know your not after vegan foods, but its an easy way to know there isn't any dairy products in them.

Also magnum make vegan ice lollies

oat milk is apparently ok in tea

Slow cooker meals are a good way of spending 5 minutes throwing everything in the casserole and then letting it cook all day. Also you can buy frozen onions, carrots and celery in the freezer section - which makes it even easier with a baby

look at taming twins slow cooker recipes, very easy and many dairy free

44 Accidentally Vegan Snack Foods

Going vegan doesn't mean going without. Many products on store shelves are unintentionally vegan. Check out our favourite "accidentally vegan" snacks.

https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/44-accidentally-vegan-snack-foods

PracticalPatricia · 04/01/2024 22:36

Forgot chilli con carne or bean chilli, rice, guacamole and tortilla chips

ODFOx · 04/01/2024 22:45

Poached eggs on marmite toast with a pinch of white paper, with or without garlic mushrooms (cooked in olive oil) is pretty hard to beat.

Baked potatoes with beans or tuna mayonnaise or chilli or prawns.

Switch to black coffee or green tea: neither need milk.

Spag Bol is dairy free if you make it yourself and don't add cheese.

Rainraingoaway21 · 04/01/2024 23:00

Some great suggestions so far.
@Christmasisover my dd has been following a lactose free diet to see if it solves her tummy issues. Please may I ask how your son was diagnosed? Is there a particular test the GP can do?

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