Dairy free kid friendly recipes

I was asked to share some of my favorite dairy free recipes that most kids would love. We are mostly dairy free in this house. My oldest daughter, Eloise, could care less about cheese and dairy, while Flora could sit and eat cheese all day. Everything in moderation, right?

When I think of kid friendly dinners, I always think of the classic hot dogs, mac-n-cheese, chicken fingers, pizza... the list goes on. And let me tell you, when we go out to eat (which is like never with two toddlers), I am always blown away by what's offered for kids. WHY?! Why are they restricted to the most unhealthy garbage? Don't feel like you have to completely forget these classics, because you really don't have to. You can make pizza without cheese. You can make paleo chicken fingers, and you can even make your own organic, grass fed "corn dogs". It's pretty awesome! So, to my lovely readers, I hope some of these recipes gives you some motivation in the kitchen that will make your kiddos happy!

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STEPH'S PALEO PIZZA W/ PALEO RANCH
dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and soy free

INGREDIENTS
CRUST - 

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 cups tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon paleo friendly baking powder (2:1 cream of tartar & baking soda)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

TOPPINGS - 

• Tomato paste
• Paleo friendly pasta sauce
• Anything you want! I love uncured pepperoni, bacon, olives, onions, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, and spinach! You can also make BBQ chicken pizza with a paleo friendly BBQ sauce. I also love making my own pesto, for a pesto chicken pizza. 

PALEO RANCH - 

• 1/2 cup paleo friendly ranch (I make my own mayo. Click here for recipe.)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 onion or shallot, sliced thin
• 1/2 clove of garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Lots of fresh dill, or dried
• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix all crust ingredients together. The mixture will be thin, so don't fret. 
• Pour half the mixture on one baking sheet, and the rest of the mixture on the other half.
• Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool before topping.
• Once crust is cooled, top pizzas. I like to brush mine with grass fed butter and garlic, but it's not necessary.
• Preheat oven to 375 and bake pizzas for a good 30-40 minutes, until you reach your baked pizza preference. 
• When pizza is cooking, make the ranch. Mix all ingredients well and store in fridge for up to two weeks. Please note that the ranch is also made to your preference. You might want to add more onion powder, etc. This is just a basic start and you can tweak as you like!

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STEPH'S PALEO SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
​​dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and soy free
You can use spaghetti squash instead of zucchini, but I'm a bigger fan of zoodles!

INGREDIENTS
Zoodles - 

• 7-9 zucchinis
• fresh basil 
• 1 clove garlic
• olive oil or grass fed butter
• salt and pepper to taste 

Meatballs - 

• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 - 2 jar organic pasta sauce, or homemade

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spiralize zucchini. Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towel. Place zoodles on the paper towel and sprinkle liberally with salt. Place zoodles in the oven and dehydrate for 20 minutes. Let cool and squeeze excess moisture from zoodles. 
• Add cashews to a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook cashews over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse well. 
• As the cashews cook, add a tablespoon olive oil to a cast iron skillet, and heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until translucent and lightly browned. Stir in garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. 
• Set mixture aside.
• Get out the blender and process the onion mixture with the boiled cashews, basil, egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add mixture to the ground beef and knead well. You might be wondering how it will ever make meatballs, but don't fret. Roll mixture into balls.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil. Preheat oven to 350. You will sear the meatballs on all sides - about 10 minutes. Add preferred sauce to the skillet - I prefer homemade or an organic store bought jar.
• Add the skillet to the oven and bake until meatballs reach 160-165 - about 30-40 minutes. Make sure the sauce is nice and bubbly.
• While the meatballs cook, saute zoodles in grass fed butter or olive oil. Add garlic and fresh garlic.
• Top zoodles with meatballs and sauce!

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PALEO "CORN" DOGS
​dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and soy free
I got this recipe from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Celebrations cookbook. I made a few changes to my liking :) We also make these at Halloween time and I call them witches fingers.

INGREDIENTS
Crust -

• 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 egg, cold
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons grass fed butter or palm shortening

Dogs -

• 8 nitrate free, grass fed, all beef hot dogs (I like Applegate)
• 1 egg
• Splash of water
• Paleo friendly ketchup and mustard

METHOD

• Make the crust and combine all ingredients. Roll into a ball. Wrap tightly. Flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for atleast 4-5 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. It should be in the shape of an oval and about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the oval into 8 even pieces.
• Pat the hot dogs dry. Wrap a piece of dough around the hot dog. This will take a bit of work. I like to spread the dough around the hot dog and completely cover. 
• Whisk together the egg and water and brush the hot dogs. 
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve with ketchup and mustard! Even some ranch!

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STEPH'S PALEO ICE CREAM
dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and soy free
You can easily make this ice cream your own. If you like fruity ice creams, I suggest using freeze dried fruit. I like adding the flavor without adding the moisture. You can also add chopped chocolate chips, add mint, add chopped fruit... the possibilities are endless. I make this ice cream with my KitchenAid mixer, and I use my KitchenAid ice cream attachment to complete the ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 egg yolks
• 3 cans full fat coconut milk - DO NOT USE LIGHT
• 1 cup coconut sugar - or split 1/2 coconut sugar, 1/2 maple syrup or honey
• 4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD

• In a saucepan over medium heat, heat one and a half cans coconut milk until hot, but not boiling.
• In the KitchenAid, mix sugar and eggs until blended on speed two. 
• Continuing on speed two, slowly add the heated one and half cans coconut milk to the eggs and sugar. Be sure to not add the heated milk quickly. You don't want to scramble the eggs. 
• Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until small bubble form and mixture is warm and steamy. Be sure to stir constantly! DO NOT BOIL.
• Add the mixture back to the KitchenAid bowl and add the remaining coconut milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Let chill for atleast eight hours, or over night.
• Make sure the ice cream attachment is completely frozen. I like to keep it in the freezer for atleast 24 hours.
• Using the ice cream attachment, add the chilled mixture. Turn to speed two, and stir for a good 20-25 minutes. I sometimes like to cover my mixer with a chilled kitchen towel. 
• Add ice cream to the freezer. I'd chill in the freezer atleast eight hours or overnight.
• Top with paleo hot fudge, caramel, or whatever toppings you prefer!

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You can easily serve roasted vegetables with any of these recipes. I love sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, onions, and kale roasted on a pan. You don't have to sacrifice flavor when omitting dairy! Tell me, what are your favorite dairy free recipes?