REPLACING NON DAIRY DESSERTS IN YOUR DIET

Dessert is one of life’s simple pleasures. Giving up dairy doesn’t have to mean giving up dessert. You can find a variety of delicious ice cream substitutes and frozen novelties made with nondairy ingredients in natural foods stores and some mainstream supermarkets. 

Look for varieties made from soy, rice, nuts, fruit juices, and other nondairy ingredients. A limited number of cakes, pies, tortes, and other desserts made with nondairy ingredients are available in the frozen foods case. Read ingredient labels carefully. 

 Nondairy ice cream : Some days, you just need a dish of ice cream. When you do, try any of a number of nondairy frozen dessert products on the market and widely available in natural foods stores. These products are made from a variety of ingredients, including soymilk, tofu, rice milk, and other nondairy ingredients. They’re available in flavors similar to conventional ice cream, including vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, and others. Use these products to make milkshakes, sundaes, ice cream pies, and double-scoop cones. Popular brands include Rice Dream and So Delicious. Many brands are on the market, and they all taste a little different. Experiment to find those you like the best. Dairy-free smoothies 

Smoothies are the modern adaptation of the old-fashioned milkshake. Although shakes and malts usually are made with ice cream, smoothies typically are made with a wider range of ingredients, including milk, yogurt, fruit, vegetables, crushed ice, frozen yogurt, and other ingredients. Most smoothies also are sweetened with a little maple syrup, honey, or another sweetener. Some have wheat germ, green tea, herbal supplements, and other nutritional supplements added. When you make them with wholesome ingredients, such as nondairy milks and frozen fruit, they can be nutritious snacks. 

Puddings minus milk Puddings are some of the easiest recipes to convert to dairy-free status. Traditional recipes call for cow’s milk, but any of the nondairy alternatives work well as substitutes. You can use nondairy milks in exactly the same proportions as cow’s milk when you make pudding from scratch. So, if your favorite pudding recipe calls for 2 cups of cow’s milk, simply substitute 2 cups of nondairy milk — soymilk, almond milk, or rice milk — instead. The added bonus of making your own nondairy pudding is that by swapping nondairy milk for cow’s milk, you reduce the saturated fat content of the pudding without sacrificing flavor or texture. 

Cakes and pies without milk-based ice cream If you have a sweet tooth, you probably have a special place in your heart for moist cakes and right-out-of-the-oven pies. 

These sweet, delectable desserts are a great way to end any meal. Add a scoop of dairy-free ice cream to these treats, and you may be in heaven. Even better, the ice cream pie combines the best of both worlds!