First thing first. “Alfredo” is probably not the right word for this sauce, at least not in a technical sense because it lacks one of the most important components of a true Alfredo sauce…Parmesan cheese (shhh…it also lacks the butter and heavy cream, but I won’t tell if you won’t tell). 😉
When my husband and oldest son first tried the noodles, they both simultaneously quipped, “they taste like Lipton Noodles and Sauce!” Ah, yes, I remember those noodles, they were favorite of mine growing up and became a major dietary staple for me in college. Seriously, now that I know I’ve had celiac for at least 25 years…HOW on earth was I able to eat all that processed gluten-filled junk and NOT suffer from GI issues?? It never ceases to amaze me just how sneaky gluten sensitivity can be. But, I digress.
This is a relatively quick and easy meal to prepare, assuming you have some cashew cream cheese already made up (or you can easily use Tofutti cream cheese if soy is not on your “no” list). The first time I made the dairy-free Alfredo pasta (above photo), I kept it plain and simple. I have since been adding various steamed or roasted veggies, grilled chicken and have even tossed in some smoked salmon. My once again super picky 3 year old will eat the smoked salmon but throw the chicken on the floor for our dogs, go figure. 😯
Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce (adapted from this highly rated recipe I found on AllRecipes.com)
1/2 cup Earth Balance Butter Spread (Ghee might also be a good choice for those who are on a casein-free diet)
8-oz. Cashew Cream Cheese (click here for the recipe)
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 cups So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat.
- Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth.
- Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in pepper.
- Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency.
- Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long.
- Toss with hot pasta to serve.
The pasta in the above photo is Glutano’s Tagliatelle, which has been discontinued (I bought several cases a couple years ago when I heard it was going away). Good news though, Schar has a gluten-free Tagliatelle too.
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chicken Marsala (adapted from another highly rated recipe on AllRecipes.com)
1/4 cup of your favorite Gluten-Free Flour, for coating (I used Better Batter All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. dried Oregano
4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast Halves
4 Tbs. Earth Balance (if you cannot have corn, just use oil instead)
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 cup sliced Mushrooms (I used Baby Bellas)
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup Dry Sherry
- In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
- In a large skillet, melt butter replacement in oil over medium heat (or just heat all oil, I love to use Sunflower and/or Grapeseed oil).
- Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown on both sides, remove from pan, place on a plate and set aside.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add mushrooms to the hot pan, cook through (click here for a video tutorial on How to Saute Mushrooms).
- Return cooked chicken to the pan (make sure the pan is still very hot, if not, turn the heat back to medium-high).
- Add the Marsala wine and dry sherry to the hot pan to deglaze and pick up all the yummy stuff stuck on the bottom of the pan. (Tyler Florence has a short video tutorial on glazing that you can view here, just ignore the part about the flour)! 😉
- Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear (I like to use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165° F.).
Does your family have a favorite easy weeknight gluten-free and/or allergy-friendly meal?
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
I love chicken marsala! Looks delicious 🙂
oh that chicken marsala looks amazing (as usual!!!!!)
Oh YUM! Do you think rice or potato milk would work in lieu of coconut milk? It's high in salicylates so off of our list. I tried to make a nasty alfredo-ish recipe this week that tasted like butt. Not that I've tasted butt but it was gross.
Casey, I definitely think rice or potato milk will work just fine, especially if you are already used to the sweeter taste of them. I also think this would work great with MimicCreme Unsweetened dairy-free creamer!
I love Alfredo and have missed it since going dairy free. Your recipe looks and sounds delicious, and I am really looking forward to trying it! That So Delicious coconut milk is such a lifesaver. I've been using it in everything.
Denise,
The So Delicious Coconut Milk products have been a lifesaver for us too (especially the gluten-free cookie dough ice cream, LOL!).
Hi Heidi! This looks so awesome! I think we could have it with a few tweaks. Such as, do you think the cashew cream would turn out without using the apple cider vinegar? Vinegar is a no-no on our new elimination diet (which we are starting tomorrow! YIKES!!).
Hi Tai!
You must be soooo excited to start what will hopefully be the final leg of the journey to healing. I cannot wait to join you after we go to HealthNOW! What all are you eliminating tomorrow?
So all vinegar is gone for a while huh? What about lemon juice? I also wonder if a pinch of Cream of Tartar could add that "tang" of cream cheese? I will have to experiment with the last one…
I can't wait for you to go either! I think you are just going to love it there! Dr. Carrie and Dr. Rick are just great to work with, actually the whole staff is beyond nice and caring.
As for the diet…there are foods to avoid and foods you can have. I was surprised by foods in both columns! There are more foods that we can have than I would have thought, but some of the avoids struck me funny like strawberries?! Anyway, all vinegars are out for a while too. After a week or so on the diet they start re-introducing things slowly to see if there is a reaction. They do this modified elimination diet in conjuction with diagnostic testing to determine intestinal damage and other labwork to find out just what is malfunctioning (for me that means an adrenal gland test as well). And then after they have all the info they need they recommend supplements to help heal and repair. It is truly a team effort. And a committment on our part, but we so badly want Liv and I to be healthy that all of it is so worth it!
I think we can have fresh squeezed lemon juice (store boughts have additives and preservatives). So I might try that in a hummus dip! Now do you have any gluten free egg free dairy free breakfast ideas?!
I agree on your assessment of how nice and caring the team at HealthNOW is and I'm really excited to get my family out there so we can get down to the business of healing and move closer towards living a healthy life (at almost 37, I have no idea what that is really like!).
Tai, you and your husband are giving Liv (and yourself) a beautiful gift, the chance for her to grow up and potentially avoid all the sidekick diseases and symptoms that can be caused by an immune system in chaos. Your drive to keep looking for answers is commendable and I am so thankful to you for sharing your family's journey with me…your strength and determination is truly inspirational.
xo,
Heidi
Tai,
Forgot to address the GF/DF/EF breakfast ideas! I am actively working that because I am in the same boat. At this particular moment, I have been relying on cereal, fresh fruit and Van's GF waffles and french toast sticks (they're dairy-free and egg-free too), plus sausage or pistachios for protein (Luke LOVES pistachios!) while I try to figure out all the different egg replacers and what works best for each recipe, so I can make my own breakfast baked goods again. I have been having problems with gooey muffins, pancakes, etc., despite longer cooking times and I can't seem to figure it out.
Lexie over at Lexie's kitchen as been doing the gluten-free, casein-free, egg-free plan for much longer than me, so I have relied a lot on her recipes! http://www.lexieskitchen.com/recipe-box/
Once I start finding some great recipes though, I will be sure to share! 😀
We love Van's here too, but for right now they are a no-no because of the soy flour. And maple syrup is out too. I am HOPING Liv will drink a smoothie of some sort with hemp protein in it, but she has never been a big fan of them before. I found some unprocessed turkey bacon, and she loves gf oatmeal (but I don't want that to be a daily thing). It will be interesting! Praying that Dr. Rick says the first thing we can add back in is eggs!! I know…wishful thinking! LOL!! I will check out Lexie's blog thanks!
Love love love alfredo sauce! We've tried a few vegan versions over the years (can ya tell that we love cream sauce? but never found one that we love. This sounds great. Have you tried using coconut oil yet? It's a great replacement for butter. We are VERY addicted to it. xo
I love Alfredo sauce too although I can't tell you for sure how close this may or may not be to Alfredo without the Parmesan (because I can't taste anything). I was wondering if Nutritional Yeast Flakes could replace the Parmesan and bump up the cheese flavor (I've never tried them so I have no idea)?
I have not tried coconut oil yet (I am not a fan of the flavor of coconut…it always makes me think I'm eating suntan lotion. I know, I'm weird and I won't deny it, LOL!).
Can I ask you something off-topic? What are your kids' favorite GF/DF/EF breakfast foods? I need some new ideas… 😀
I don't miss parm cheese at all! But definitely try nutritional yeast. It's salty, just like cheese. We sprinkle it on the kids pasta (they like it plain most of the time). As for coconut oil mine doesn't taste coconutty. I don't like that taste either!
Off-topic? Their faves are: pancakes (Lexie has a great recipe and so does Ali) cereal with almond milk and ground flax or chia, and toast with almond butter. Livvie will drink a smoothie too, Callum not so much 🙂 Not to exciting, is it?
Thanks Maggie!
Actually, your ideas are right up my alley! What is your favorite bread or bread recipe and what brand of coconut oil do you use? 😀
I would love a bread recipe that is gf/ef/cf is you have one!!
I don't have a favorite bread recipe yet because, well, I lack the patience for baking bread, LOL! I suppose I will need to now though if I want some bread…either that or it's back to Ener-G's Light Tapioca Loaf. Actually, the Light Tapioca Loaf makes for really great GF Stuffing on Thanksgiving, I'm not sure what it is, but even after Udi's came out, I still preferred the Ener-G for my Sage Dressing (which means it's not something else I will have to change for Thanksgiving this year, YES!!!) 😉
Here are some gluten-free, dairy/casein-free, egg-free bread recipes from some awesome GF bloggers:
Karina from Gluten Free Goddess is a fantastic resource for all things gluten-free and she a lot of GF/vegan recipes too! Check out her recipe for Delicious Gluten-Free Bread
Maggie from She Let Them Eat Cake is another great resource for GF/DF/EF recipes, so be sure to check her bread recipes out too: http://www.sheletthemeatcake.com/?cat=12
Carrie from Ginger Lemon Girl has a Gluten-Free, Vegan Crusty Bread recipe that looks amazing: http://gingerlemongirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/glute…
Lexie from Lexie's Kitchen also has a variety of GF, dairy/casein-free, and egg-free recipes: http://www.lexieskitchen.com/recipe-box/
xo,
Heidi
Hey – I use omega nutrition coconut oil. Love it! I usually bake our bread – I have a few on my blog that we love and it's so easy to play around with the recipe. I got it years ago on the internet (when Pete was first diagnosed) but it had eggs in it so I played around with it and it worked!
These both look so delicious. You're such an inspiration, Heidi!
Pat
Elegantly, Gluten-Free
(formerly Gluten-Free Food That Even My Husband Likes)
Hi Heidi,
this looks really good. I think my little guy would love the pasta. Another thing on my list of things to try. ;-). Thank you!
You're welcome Nicola!
I'm a firm believer that we moms need to stick together when it comes to finding tasty, safe and nutritious foods/recipes for our kiddos. I am determined to find the best recipes out there for the foods many kiddos miss so much (especially during the transition phase after 'losing' a particular food). Happy taste buds can make all the difference! 😉
We are so in that transition phase. On most days we're focused on how much better my little guy feels, but sometimes its hard when all he wants is his favorite 'old' food. Love that you are determined to plug that gap.
This looks so yummy i am new to eating gluten free and have found it easy yet difficult so far. Your website is my favorite site because it has been a big help with me figuring out how to eat gluten free. Thank you so much for such an amazing site.
Trista,
Thanks you and I am so happy that my blog has been of some help for you!!! I completely understand how overwhelming it can be in the beginning but I promise, it does get easier!
Hugs,
Heidi 😀
These both look amazing!! I've never made chicken marsala myself, but I think it may have to go on the winter menu. You reminded me that it has been way too long since I've made a cream sauce!
Will definitely try the alfredo sauce! Gorgeous photo, to boot 🙂
Is there something I may have missed? my sauce did not thicken. It is delicious though 🙂
Hi Vivian!
Did the sauce stay 'watery'? Did you use regular cream cheese, soy cream cheese or the cashew cream cheese?
I made the Alfredo sauce!
I may have done something wrong my Alfredo sauce did not thicken 🙁
My husband made this last night for our family. It was SOOO good! Thanks for posting it!