Just an FYI, my husband and one of my four children is allergic to milk. I was reading your post and wanted to let you know that Pillsbury frozen pie crust (the rolled up/frozen pie crusts that come in a rectangular red box) and the Kroger/Frys brand equivalent, don't have milk in them. They are a great alternative to having to prepare almost everything else from scratch. Sandy P.S. As a side note: We are baking the Duncan Hines Brownies--Triple Chocolate Decadence--as we speak. Not all of their "Brownies" line is milk free, so watch the labels. Yum! -------------- Original message from "R. Pellerin" <[log in to unmask]>: -------------- > Relax! While it can be frustrating at times, cooking without dairy can be > quite manageable and inexpensive. > > But, as you learn the habit of reading labels for everything, in the > beginning you may find this frustrating. If you already cook from scratch, > the adjustment based on what you usually eat can be easy. > > If you often eat processed food, well, I found that if a prepackaged > processed food product had a (a) glaze; (b) gravy; (c) mashed potatoes, then > it had milk. Frozen pie crusts have milk. Most items with batter, such as > chicken fingers, chicken nuggets, fish sticks and the like, are likely to > have milk in them too (read the label, read the label). Cold cuts, sausage > and hot dogs can also be problematic. Cream soups are dicey. Most cereal > is safe but others, like Honey Bunches of Oats, are not. Pre-flavoured > oatmeal is often with milk. > > Baked goods are tricky. Read the labels always. Doughnuts are 100% out. > Cookies are hit and miss. If it doesn't have a label, don't buy it. I bake > most of my own and my son loves it. > > When we lived in the United States, we found it very difficult to find bread > without milk and became brand loyal to a few brands. Back in Canada, most > bread IS without milk. > > Soy cheese is another potential minefield. I often put back soy cheese > because it has casein in it; why put a milk protein in a soy product is > beyond me. We just do without. Pizza and other cheesy dishes (lasagna, > etc.) doesn't happen here. Life without cheese was the hardest but I don't > miss it so much now (nor the fat nor the price!). > > You can substitute soy, rice or almond milk for cow's milk in most recipes. > You can use a lactose or dairy free margarine or just plain vegetable oil > for most baking. It can be difficult to find a dairy free margarine in a > regular grocery store; Fleischmann's is one that is not too $$ and tastes > good too. Watch out for some of the dairy free margarines though: some have > a high water content and are perfect for toast but not good for baking. > > One caveat: anything that requires rolling, e.g. pie crusts, Christmas > cookies, should not be made with an oil substitute. It will be edible but > difficult to roll and the pie crust is dense. > > Stick to homemade crusts using a traditional recipe and lard: you will have > a fantastic crust; frozen commercial crusts often have milk in them. > > I generally avoid desserts, however, that call for cream as soy cream is > harder to find but I did make a great pumpkin pie using soy milk and soy > cream. But if you surf the net enough, you will find a substitute for > everything eventually, especially from vegan sites. > > My son eats a wide variety of foods. All meats - chicken, turkey, duck, > pork, beef and lamb. Carbs are very popular: pasta, bread and couscous. > Asian cuisine is often safe so my son also has had sushi, and most Chinese > dishes (watch out for the dough in dumplings). Lebanese cuisine is also > usually safe: falafel, couscous, shish. Fruits and veggies are also in full > supply here. If it's only dairy the problem, then most candy that is not > chocolate is also safe (think Halloween). > > Good luck! > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 8:26 PM, Elizabeth Cox wrote: > > > My 1 year old son has been diagnosed with a milk allergy I am learning how > > to cook not using milk dairy. I am finding it very hard if anyone has > > > > Any good recipes that a little boy might like please send them this way, or > > if anyone has any helpful suggestions with substitutes please help. > > > > Thank you for your help > > > > Elizabeth > > > > [log in to unmask] > >