I'm doing roast beef for Christmas dinner, but can't use any dairy - how would you deal with that?!


Question: My mother is on a dairy free diet since having a breast cancer scare last year so I can't use any butter, cream, anything. Can't use goat or sheep's milk products either!

The beef itself obviously isn't a problem, but I'd normally do Yorkshire puddings, put butter on the vegetables and probably do bread and butter pudding for desert (no-one like Christmas pudding so I'm not doing that).

So, I'm looking for inventive side dishes and a pudding that don't use any dairy products - help!!


Answers: My mother is on a dairy free diet since having a breast cancer scare last year so I can't use any butter, cream, anything. Can't use goat or sheep's milk products either!

The beef itself obviously isn't a problem, but I'd normally do Yorkshire puddings, put butter on the vegetables and probably do bread and butter pudding for desert (no-one like Christmas pudding so I'm not doing that).

So, I'm looking for inventive side dishes and a pudding that don't use any dairy products - help!!

Jewish kosher rules say one shouldn't eat dairy products and meat at the same time - so I suggest Jewish recipes -

Potato Latkes
makes about 16

1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Grate potatoes and place in strainer or colander. Squeeze out as much moisture from potatoes as you can. In large bowl, combine potatoes with remaining ingredients, except for oil. Heat about 1/4 cup oil in large frying pan until very hot. Drop two to three tablespoons potato mixture into pan for each latke. Use back of spoon to flatten mixture so that each latke is about three-inches in diameter. Fry over medium high heat about four to five minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven. Continue, using more oil if necessary for each batch. Serve hot with an apple-pear sauce.

Sautéed Carrots and Mushrooms

3 cups chopped tender young carrots
4 sliced large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon margarine
1 tablespoon oil
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

Cook the carrots and garlic in boiling water until the carrots are tender crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain the carrots and garlic and return to the pan. Cover to keep warm and set aside. While cooking the carrots, melt the margarine and oil in a large heavy skillet over medium low heat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet, cover, and cook for 5 minutes without stirring until the mushrooms exude their liquid. Uncover, stir well, and cook until all of the liquid evaporates. Mix in the carrot-garlic mixture, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook over low heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, turn the heat up to medium high and quickly brown the mixture for five minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Spinaci All'Agro (Lemon Spinach)

3 pounds small-leaved bulk spinach
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
juice of one lemon

Remove stems and roots from spinach. Rinse in cold water many times until any trace of sand is removed. Place in a large pot with 1/4 tsp salt and no water other than that which clings to the spinach from washing. Cook over moderately high heat, covered, until desired tenderness. Transfer to a colander to cool, lifting the spinach out of the pot rather than pouring it, so that any sand remains in the pot.

Turn onto a cutting board and chop very fine. Do not use a food processor.

Place in a serving dish and flatten with a spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and the oil. Just before serving, sprinkle with lemon juice.

Thyme–Roasted Carrots

10 bunches mixed baby carrots (red, white, and orange), or substitute 2 bags baby carrots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Trim greens from carrots, leaving 1/2 inch on each. Scrub carrots, rinse, and dry on paper towels.

In a medium bowl, toss carrots with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper; transfer to 2 large baking sheets. Spread carrots in a single layer and roast, uncovered, shaking pans occasionally, until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Walnut Cake with Honey Syrup

3 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups finely chopped toasted walnuts
1 cup minced dates
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and heavily grease a 9 inch cake pan. Sift the flour, sugar, cloves, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the walnuts and dates. Make a well, and pour the oil and 1 cup water into it. Gently knead the dough for about a minute, or until well combined. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and bake for one hour. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. In a small saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add the honey and lemon juice and return to a boil. Reduce the temperature and simmer for 5 minutes. Place the cake on a serving dish. Liberally poke the cake with a toothpick or fork. Pour the syrup over the cake and let sit for at least an hour before serving. Place cake on a serving plate. Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick. Pour the syrup over the cake and allow to sit 1 hour before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Make your normal stuff your not on the diet. I have vegetarian friends but that doesnt' stop me from having meat on the table for my other guests.
Just let Mom know exactly what has the dairy in it.. make a mixed vegetable dish with some salt and pepper on it for her that is just fine with roast beef.
I never heard of avoiding dairy to stop cancer. you sure about what the doctor said?

fruit salad for desert

Butter can be substituted by other non dairy shortening like, olive oil.

Non dairy milk subs are also on the market.

Vegetables, fruits and Salads can make at least 3 side dishes.

Gravy and bun can compliment the dinner too.

Ask her what she can eat and then go ahead and plan around it.

Waldorf salad, jello and other things like cake can be added too.

Hint:
Ask her what she would have done if it was at her house, and request the recipes.

Toss the veggies in a little olive oil before serving, for flavor, instead of butter. Avoid soy milk in anything, it's an acquired taste. Let your mom know what does have dairy in it, so she can steer clear of it.

Merry Christmas!

Mashed Potatoes can be made with chicken stock instead of using milk, butter or sour cream.

Veggies can be made without using butter.

http://godairyfree.org/ This site might be able to give you some helpful tips.

You are a sweetheart to consider your mother's health needs.
I wish her well and Happy Holidays to your family.

How about a nice salad or grilled/roasted asparagus. Baked sweet potatoes would be good also.

Don't do Yorkshire puddings, use olive oil instead of butter on the veg. (yes it works nicely) and for desert do an exotic fruit salad.

For additional thoughts and recipes go to www.foodnetwork.com

Your mum is asking too much of you. One meal and she won't bend to make it easier for you...

How does she carry on at a restaurant?

If she believes that theirs a link then she's a crack pot, anyone can dig up links and research, if you look hard enough on the internet I am betting theirs web sites devoted to how orange juice is a cancer agent...

What she needs to do is seek medical advice on whether or not she is in a risk group... Thats the only way she will know.

I would not completely do without any dairy for Christmas dinner because of an unproven theory with little foundation and a breast cancer "scare." If you want to indulge this, then have several alternatives that your Mother will eat while simultaneously serving much of what you would normally serve. Not to be a grinch, but those who choose to follow a particular diet of this nature should not expect anyone/everyone to join them. Like diabetics, one learns to ignore the stuff one cannot eat.

A Pavlova makes a spectacular holiday dessert without dairy. Simply leave the whipped cream off of your mother's portion entirely. (I always add the cream to the individual portion rather than the entire Pavlova anyway.)

Serve baked potatoes with all the fixings - and some margarine for Mom. (You might point out to her that the correlation between heart disease and the free radicals released by hydrogenated shortenings has long, long been scientifically proven!)

Stir fry your veggies or cook them Italian style.

I love a "beef wellington" for Christmas dinner. Its expensive as fillet usually is the best cut Another name for this dish is boeuf en croute. The only problem you will have is it needs butter or margarine and an egg. I guess you could use olive oil instead of the butter and leave out the egg as its only for part of the filling Its well worth looking at as its delicious and being wrapped in puff pastry quite easy to cook

I use non-dairy creamer in a lot of dishes that call for dairy such as mashed potatoes etc. Also olive oil works really well on many vegetables. I don't ever put butter on my vegetables instead I use plenty of seasonings such as salt and pepper to make them taste good.

I don't personally like dairy anyway but never use it in a roast. Instead of having yorkshires, just do loads of crispy roast potatoes. Cut them in 3, par boil them for 10 minutes, roll them in semolina and then bung them in the oven with goose fat, dripping or just plain veg oil and keep basting them until they go crispy. Or if you have a deep fat fryer do them in there after par boiling them.

Serve steamed sprouts / broccoli or honey glazed parsnips and carrots. (mix some wholegrain mustard and some runny honey and brush onto the veg). For gravy, add a spoon of flour to the juices from the beef, some boiling water and an oxo cube beef to it and whisk it up over the heat, put through a sieve and into the gravy boat.

For dessert have an exotic fruit salad and dairy free ice cream (I personally prefer it to normal ice cream). Even Tesco sell it - a lot of Jewish people use it as they are not allowed to mix dairy and meat at the same meal.

there is a recipe for a sticky toffee pudding, using fresh figs, add baking soda some water then the figs, the figs break down to a pulp then incorporate it with some flour and other fruits if you like , dam good and no dairy!!

who put your mother on a dairy free diet, my wife was allergic to dairy products, but it was not the products that was the problem, almost all contained lactose, I would enquire if it is the lactose that is the problem, there are dairy products which do not contain lactose, skimmed milk being one of them, I hope this helps, have a nice one





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