Eat Dairy Free

5 stars from a reforming cheese fan (work-in-progress) to Eat Dairy Free! 🧀 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

While I am a vegetarian, I could easily be a vegan if I could give up cheese, and for some reason I can’t. I have skin allergies that clear up when I cut out dairy, but that alone has not been enough incentive for me to change my ways in the long-term. Cheese lures me back, every time. I don’t know if that happens to you, too, but when something is forbidden, I want it all the more, so labeling cheese (and all dairy) as bad has not worked for me...Behaviorally, I know it’s much easier to replace dairy-laden meals with delicious dairy-free meals. I’ve watched my husband go from eating an animal protein with every meal to eating about 70% vegetarian in this way without him even knowing. Replacing meals is less noticeable than cutting out an entire food group.

When I saw Eat Dairy Free listed on Netgalley, I knew it would fit right in with my plans to replace some meals. BenBella published cookbooks are always organized beautifully with color pictures of every recipe, cleanly and neatly organized recipes, and Eat Dairy Free was no exception. Alisa Fleming covers the basics, such as making your own nut milks and using canned coconut milk, which I’m already a huge fan of both. I loved the author’s use of whole foods/unprocessed ingredients in most recipes. While the recipes are not solely plant-based or vegetarian, there are many, many that fit those specs, and most of the others could be easily modified.

A few recipes I flagged to make include Vanilla Cream Scones made with coconut milk (cannot wait!), Curried Cauliflower and Peas, Shepherd’s Pie with cauliflower topping, Black Bean Burgers (this recipe has her own unique spin), a dairy free alfredo sauce with coconut cream AND cashew cream (I’ve made this many times with cashews and YUM), a Moroccan Skillet full of veggies, and Snicker-dough-dles, which are a cookie with a cookie dough-like center.

I feel like I’m armed with some new things to try in the kitchen to cut back on our dairy, and I’m inspired by all the new ideas and combinations!

Thanks to Alisa Fleming, BenBella Publishing, and Netgalley for the copy to read and review.

BenBella Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

With sections such as Sips to Shakes, Snackables, Veggies First, and Sweet Rewards, Eat Dairy Free is a cookbook designed to take readers throughout their whole day of meals and snacks. To that end, there are even weekly menu plans to be able to use the cookbook to your best advantage. My favorite parts of Eat Dairy Free are the indexes before each section. They are presented in chart form and include information relevant to the recipes, whether they are vegan, gluten-free, soy free, and so on.

The best recipe in the Sips to Shakes section is also the easiest: 1-Minute Milk Beverage. This homemade dairy alternative option includes optional mix-ins for a more flavorful and nutritious beverage. The section includes many delicious smoothies and shakes that are designed to give users a good start to the day. The Bakeshop Breakfast section includes good recipes, such as Wholesome Apple-Cinnamon Muffins (p. 57), with options for different flavors and for gluten-free users. Anyday Brunch includes recipes for sides, such as Pan-Fried Paprika Potatoes (p. 84) and Lean Sage Breakfast Sausage (p. 85). The Snackables section has a variety of offerings, such as Monkey Cereal Bars (p. 94) and Garlic and Herb Popcorn (p. 110). Mainly easy to make and nutritious, these delicious recipes are ideal for after school snacks. Hands down, the best recipe in the Veggies First section is Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes (p. 129), for the simple fact that the author has come up with a way to make cheese from non-dairy milk. This ingenious recipe is perfect for those who have to eat lactose-free. American Comfort Cuisine has recipes that have been adapted from the classic to meet dairy free needs. Sous Chef's Salad (p. 159) includes salami and olives to compensate for the lack of cheese. Mediterranean Meals are great entree options, like Easy Chicken Alfredo (p. 184), made with coconut milk thickened with pulverized cashews. Asian Eats includes delicious recipes, such as Tandoori Chicken (p. 208) and Teriyaki Turkey Sliders (p. 212). Sweet Rewards includes one of my favorite recipes in the book, which is No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Cups (p. 239). This reminds me of a pudding parfait, but with all of the flavors of a pumpkin pie. The final section is called Essential Extras and includes items such as salad dressings and pizza crusts.

Eat Dairy Free is a comprehensive cookbook designed to help those who use dairy alternatives to meet their nutritional needs. I am very excited about many of the recipes in this cookbook and I would definitely recommend it to any reader who is looking to eat dairy free.

Eat Dairy Free opens like most traditional cookbooks in that Fleming starts by explaining the benefits of a dairy-free diet and provides an extensive list of substitutions to use in lieu of dairy products.

Where Fleming sets her new release apart from others in the genre the weekly menu plans she includes and the unique recipes.

Recipe Highlights:
Roasted Carrot Bisque made with honey, broth, and coconut cream, Fleming provides several flavor options to play with for this dish like adding a bit of curry or smoked paprika to get your taste-buds buzzing. New England Fish Chowder using coconut milk and pureeing potatoes for a thick creamy finish. Figgy Brown Rice Pudding that incorporates dairy-free milk and coconut butter for an indulgent treat.

I have been dairy-free for over five years now and this is one of the best specialist cookery books I have read. A really good selection of all sorts of dairy free recipes.
Beautifully presented with full colour pictures and recipes clearly explained.
I really liked the author’s approach as well. She doesn’t use many processed dairy substitutes, preferring natural alternatives.
Delighted with this book and very grateful to the publisher for a free review copy via NetGalley.

This a super book for dairy free! The author does an amazing job of breaking down, into very easily understood language, all the differences in various dairy alternative products such as coconut, flours and milks. It's a like a primer for beginners and also a really great perspective for people more seasoned. Also a good discussion on the "are eggs dairy" topic. Great recipes also - especially for snacks and breakfast.

Such great tastes and recipes found in this cookbook. There are great recipes as well as very helpful information. If you are looking for a dairy-free diet then this is a perfect resource. If you are just looking to review dairy in your diet or for some different recipes we recommend picking this cookbook.

A great cookbook and overall resource for individuals who are dairy free or looking to reduce the consumption of dairy products. The recipes are well organized, easy to follow, and uses regular ingredients. Fleming also provides options for other dietary needs/allergies, such as gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free and nut free. Beautiful photos accompany each recipe. I would definitely recommend this cookbook to anyone looking to go dairy free.

The author does an amazing job explaining all the differences in various dairy alternative products.I also like that she doesn’t use many processed dairy substitutes, preferring natural alternatives.Delighted with this book and very grateful to the publisher for a free review copy via NetGalley.

This books starts with the basics like what milk alternatives are available.

After giving you an overview of alternatives, it jumps into three weeks of menu plans that includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
An example day would be:
Sunday:
Breakfast - Wholesome Apple-Cinnamon Muffins frosted with nut or seed butter
Lunch - Roasted Carrot Bisque, Whole Grain quick bread or Nuthin’ but cornbread cups, sliced option
Dinner - Teriyaki sliders (or burgers) with a side salad and Awesome Asian Vinaigrette.

Each plan tells you what page to find the recipes on.

There are also menus for a birthday party, for when you’re having company, or for a BBQ.

The first recipe section is drinks and includes things like 1-minute milk beverage and a carrot cake breakfast shake.

The second recipe sections is bakeshop breakfasts and includes things like Whole grain quick bread and vanilla cream scones.

The third recipe section is any-day brunch and includes things like a strawberry short stack and better with bacon fried rice (includes a vegan option).

The fourth recipe section is snackables and includes things like peanut power protein bars and dreamy chocolate banana snack cake.

The fifth recipe section is veggies first and includes things like mighty tasty broccoli and cream of portobello soup.

The sixth recipe section is American comfort cuisine and includes things like nacho pasta and chipotle back bean burgers.

The seventh recipe section is Mediterranean meals and includes things like a mushroom pesto pizza and a meatless Moroccan skillet.

The eighth recipe section is Asian eats and includes things like un-sushi salad wraps and Korean beed with Bok Choy.

The ninth recipe section is sweet rewards and includes things like no-bake pumpkin pie cups and Elvis bonbons.

The tenth recipe section is essential extras and includes things like rancher’s dressing, Paleo cauli-rice, and quick and easy pizza crust.


A guide at the beginning of the section tells you if each item is Vegan, Egg free, gluten free, tree nut free, peanut free, soy free, uses coconut, or if it includes an option to be any of those things.


Some of the recipes seem like filler. For example the Sous Chef’s Salad which is pretty much just a basic salad you already know how to make but includes packaged lunch meats and a warning that they may not actually be dairy free (and fails to mention there are vegan alternatives).

Some of the vegan options assume you’d know how to make the alternatives work. For example the vegan option for the un-sushi Salad wraps just suggests diced organic tempeh and extra firm tofu. Do you cook the tempeh exactly the same as you cook the shrimp? No clue, doesn’t say.

Overall I like this book. It’s ideal for people like me who don’t want to do anything too fancy. Some books I’ve encountered think you want to use a mile long list of ingredients, fry some ingredients up, boil some others, bake, and that’s just the sides. This book isn’t that complicated and most of the ingredients, if not all, are now standard at most grocery stores. There’s a bit too much meat for meat-free me, but there’s still things here that work for me with little or no modification. The layout is really nice and easy to use.

Eat Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming is a great cookbook for people looking in to a dairy free lifestyle. There are lots of photos and easy to follow recipes. Particularly in todays food environment its easy to access all the ingredients needed to begin eating dairy free and this book is a perfect introduction.

I loved this book and will be proud of own a copy on my shelf. Very worthwhile and beautifully presented.

For years now I have suffered from stomach pains, bloating and other less than desirable symptoms. I am no longer able to work because of them. This has resulted in me having to go through numerous tests, medicine and, in particular, pain relief which I realise is having no impact on the actual illness itself, all it is doing is masking over the symptoms. At the same time the NHS is becoming a liability and more and more GP's are no longer interested in the job of helping their patients - so, it is time to make some changes myself in the hope that they will benefit me in some way.

That's where this book comes in! Even if it doesn't reduce my stomach issues, I feel I will still gain many health benefits from cutting out dairy produce. I am so grateful that these type of books exist as I would have no idea where to start with creating recipes and suchlike, having been a dairy consumer for 30 years.

I know that I will refer to this to guide me when I begin the journey of changing my diet in a drastic way. The recipes sound absolutely delicious, this puts me at ease and reassures me that you can still eat tasty food without milk, cheese, butter etc.

There are a number of dietary experts that claim that eating dairy free is better for you and I guess it is time to see whether there really is something in those assertions. I cannot wait to feel the difference!

A huge thank you to Alisa Fleming, BenBella and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

As a vegetarian attempting to go full vegan, this book fills a huge need for me. A challenge is how to replace dairy in many recipes. While every recipe in this book is not vegan, there are a large number of them that either are vegan or have a vegan option. There are so many recipes that I am excited to try starting with the Cream of Portobella Soup and the Carmelized Onion and Mushroom Saute. I will be using this regularly as well as recommending it to anyone interested in moving toward using less dairy.

Great resource, especially for those new to dairy-free and/or vegetarian or vegan diets. The recipes are simple, accessible, and typically require what's already on your shelf while incorporating a variety of ingredients. A must for any library.

This book is AWESOME!

I am so excited to try out the recipes! There are so many options for dairy free milk, sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, etc. I have IBS and suffer from terrible abdominal pains when I eat cheese , but I try to stay away from all dairy when I can since all dairy seems to affect it to some degree. I am so happy that I have this book to spice up my food again and to have the ability to eat a greater variety of foods. These recipes are not only free of dairy, but are also much healthier than the foods they are replacing. I would recommend this book not only to those who need to go dairy free, but also to those who are trying to make healthier food choices!

This is the perfect companion to Alisa Fleming’s book, Go Dairy Free. There are so many recipes and many of them include gluten free and allergy free options that are so helpful. I wish I had this book years ago to help with my son’s milk allergy. Once you learn all the information about eliminating dairy from your diet, this book is a helpful companion to get started with snacks, meals and even desserts. If you are considering eliminating any form of dairy from your diet, I recommend both of Alisa Fleming’s books.

Eat Dairy Free is a great resource for anyone looking to cook without dairy or as a guide for healthy, wholesome eating. I'm currently doing Whole 30 and there are several recipes I will be able to make and several more I look forward to eating once I am technically done with the program but still want to eat well. I highly recommend this book!

EAT DIARY FREE addresses the health needs so many have with consuming dairy. In this helpful guide Alisa Fleming, founder of leading dairy-free website GoDairyFree.org, shares 100 recipes for delicious healthful dairy-free breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks ... and even desserts!

Completely devoid of milk-based ingredients, these recipes also have gluten-free and egg-free options, and in many cases, soy- and nut-free choices, too. 

Recipes include such yummy sounding dishes as Mushroom-Pesto Pizza, Chocolate Banana Split Muffins, Southwestern Sunrise Tacos, and Strawberry Cheeseshakes. 5/5

Thanks to BenBella Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

Pub Date 09 Jan 2018

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