Cream of Mushroom Soup

I am not usually a fan of cream soups but some really yummy comfort foods call for them. Since going dairy-free I have cut all of the cream soups out of my diet but lately I have been craving Tator Tot Casserole. Both of our moms made this growing up and when we need a good reminder of home we put this meal on our menu.

SO.... this week Tator Tot Casserole is on the menu. One problem though.

Cream of Mushroom Soup....

I started looking for an alternative. Google has everything! Love that.

Here is my adaption from a fellow blogger, her blog is called "Must Follow Recipes: except for dairy, eggs, and peanuts" (click here to check it out).

*** this makes 1 cup of soup ***

Heat 1 1/4 cup lactaid milk (soy milk, rice milk, etc), don't let it boil but get it hot

Saute

3 TBS earth balance (or any butter sub)

1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 TBS onion, chopped

Whisk

3 TBS flour

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of pepper

Combine all ingredients into milk pan and stir constantly until bubbly. It should become a creamy texture just like the canned stuff. As it cools it will get thicker so plan for that in your thickness measurement.

THEN... just in case you need a good easy Tator Tot Casserole Recipe here it is:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground turkey (can use beef or any other ground meat)

small onion, chopped

1 cup green beans

1 cup cream of mushroom soup (homemade of course!)

1 bag tator tots

Directions:

* brown meat with onions

* mix meat, onions, green beans, and soup together and place in the bottom of an 8x8 pan

* layer tator tots on top to cover full area of casserole

* bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 mins or until bubbly

I often make this the night before and it is an easy casserole to throw in the oven after work. Makes for great leftovers too!

Gyros and Tzatziki Sauce

We love homemade Gyros (correct pronunciation is year-o, not ji-ro) When you can find the meat on sale (usually at Sunflower) they are super easy and cheap to make. Gyro is lamb meat and make sure to check the package and brand to ensure you are getting something that is good quality for your family. Here is easy Gyro making instructions and a recipe for homemade dairy-free Tzatziki Sauce!

Instructions:

buy Gyro meat - whole wheat pitas - 1 onion - 1 cucumber - and ingredients for Tzatziki sauce (see below)

Slice onion thinly and place in a skillet with gyro meat. Cook until onions are soft and meat starts to lightly brown. Slice cucumber thin and fill pitas with cucumber, meat, onions and sauce.

TZATZIKI SAUCE (dairy-free)

• 2 ½ cups plain soy yogurt, such as Silk
• 1 ½ cup peeled and chopped cucumber
• 1 T. salt
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 t. minced garlic
• 2 T. chopped fresh dill

mix all ingredients together and chill

*side note* if you want the yogurt to be thicker

you can strain it over a cheesecloth but I have

never seen the need for this extra step for ours.

Almond Burgers

I have posted this recipe before on our cooking club blog. However we love it so much that I wanted to post it here as well. We just had this for dinner tonight and it is easily one of our favorites!

Almond Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely ground almonds
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste)
• 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* optional: add some oats or rice to help them stick together *

makes enough for 6 burgers

Directions

1. Preheat the oven broiler. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the almonds, onion, carrot, tahini, tamari sauce, and lemon juice. Form into 6 patties and place on baking sheet.
3. Broil burgers 5 minutes, then turn and broil the other side another 5 minutes. Watch to make sure the burgers don't burn. Remove, and garnish as desired.