So how hard is it to go dairy free?

[pointydog]

I am contemplating bringing in a milk free diet in a week or so's time.

I realise I'll need to look for alternatives for milk, butter and cheese. Are they easy to find? Are they tasty?

Am I about to have the worst couple of months of my life?

yes i lost half a stone in 6 weeks i think

sb they say 6 weeks to be completely sure
but you might see a difference before that?

someone on another thread mentioend 2 weeks. I'm grasping at anything, so I'll expect to see something in 2 weeks.

dd2 has been doing really well. She refused a digestive at a friend's house and popped back home to get a bourbon. She has been compleetely dairy free yesterdya nad today.

I caved and put butter on my hot cross buns when she was out. But I made fairy cakes with Pure for us all - huzzah!

I failed

Starting again tomorrow. Again.

2 weeks sounds bearable. 1/2 a stone in 6 weeks is good incentive. I need incentives...

Superbunny - don't worry about falling off the wagon. I have to admit I had some fruit crumble with ice cream the other day and it was like the food of the devil. I am back on the wagon now but I got such a 'hit' from it and it is that which worries me. It calls out to me - it is everywhere and so tempting. My mouth is actually watering as I write this.

Weight is dropping off me though with DF and GF and it is a big incentive. My moobs have almost disappeared in 10 days and my Abs have reappeared. I feel more alive and full of energy than I have for ages. DW has noticed too .

I am liking really good espresso coffee with soya or rice milk in. Have not tried normal tea as I now it will be gross. I do have herbal teas such as peppermint, ginger & ginseng though without milk obviously.

Someone suggested Earl Grey is not too bad with plain rice milk.

Thanks abeat.

Interesting... 2 days DF followed by creamy salad dressing, brownie, cake (I was at work & had dinner cooked for me so couldn't refuse, honest) and I woke up this morning with tiny little blisters. Coincidence, I'm sure but...

We cocked up today with dd2's school dinner. They served Monday's menu instead of Tuesday's. We never looked at Monday's menu. SHe didn't know what she could have so plumped for the chicken fricassee (it's in a white sort of sauce) .

dd1 was really pissed off with her because she feels morally obliged to avoid all dairy too and hasn't succumbed for days.

Cue much muttering about fricassee.

Just popping back in to point you to a recipe I found for vanilla ice cream made with coconut milk gnowfglins.com/2007/07/16/coconut-vanilla-ice-cream/here

and chocolate one here.

Sorry vanilla one here

That sounds yummy stirling, but I don't have an ice-cream maker. Do you need one to make ice-cream?

nice recipe, but swedish glace being what it is, I think there is a more pressing need for me to make nice bicuits and cakes raqther than ice cream

make delia's low fat carrot cake pointy - uses sunflower oil and is delish.

yes, I have that recipe plus sue lawrence's one too.

The chocolate chip cookies & peanut butter cookies here are both easy and very tasty.

These cupcakes are divine. Seriously. You can also use the batter as a cake mix and cook for a little longer.

If you're just going dairy free then you should be able to use your normal recipes but with df ingredients substituted.

Pointy, how lovely of your DD1. I'd be a little bit peeved too.

Today, I discovered canned frosting! A friend gave me a boxed cake mix and a tub of icing so I scanned the ingredients and, woohoo, the frosting is dairy free. It's vile but that's not the point!

If you can get hold of Vegan Cupcakes take over the World, it is a great recipe book for, um, cakes. My favourite chocolate cake is from that book. Actually, it's the recipe that SilverFox linked to

Other than Parsley Soup, other foodie sites I like are:

Food Blog Search - you can search for dairy free recipes

Fat Free Vegan (perhaps a bit hardcore)

Gluten Free Goddess

Vegan Visitor

Post Punk Kitchen by the woman who wrote Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World - she has lots of good recipes for real food as well as cakes

Chocolate Almond milk, mmmmmm

anyone tried sue lawrence's chocolate cake surprise recipe? The surprise is it contains a jar or mayonnaise instead of butter. SOund slovely. I will try it before the end of May.

Not tried it pointy. Make sure that you check the mayonnaise for milk. If Hellmans then you need the full fat one, as all the light versions contain milk.

yes, full fat, lots of oil and eggs

I have this baking at the moment. Dairy free and a portion of veg!

oo interesting.

I made a cherry and almond cake last night. Just using Pure though (or Poor as dh insists on calling it)

My son's ecezma was triggered by a bottle of formula given by nurse in the hospital [ although ecezma in the family] - breast feeding until 18mth and goats milk kept it at bay.
Used goats milk, goats cheese etc no problem until about 5yrs
He could tolerate cows milk by two years. He also reacted to eggs until about two.
Also only wash with minimum amounts of ecocover, very gentle/organic toiletres, cotton clothes etc
Now drinks cows milk, cbeese etc and is fine
It is certainly worth giving it a go and then gradually reintroducing the foods in small amounts
Good luck