Since going dairy-free earlier this year there have been few things I actually miss (I’m not vegan but we don’t eat dairy and my son is allergic to eggs). Which is really quite surprising to me seeing that it wasn’t too long ago that I could put back nearly a gallon of milk a day. If milk does the body good, then more must be better, right? Umm, no. Can you say casomorphin addiction? Yeeesss.
A Displaced Cheesehead
So when one can no longer eat cheese dairy, what the heck do you snack on during football games? Raw veggies with dairy-free dill dip is a great place to start but not always what you want with an ice cold gluten-free beer. You might want something more sinful than that (you are drinking a beer after all).
How about Buffalo wings with dairy-free Ranch dressing? Or maybe gluten-free toasted ravioli?
Gluten-Free Buffalo Wings
To make Traditional Buffalo Wings: check out this tutorial over at From Away. Frank’s Red Hot Sauces are gluten-free. When I make these for my guys, I make them dairy-free by using Earth Balance instead of butter. I also omit the cayenne because that would make them too hot for my little guys.
Another recipe that my guys LOVE are the Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings over at My Baking Addiction. (They’re really good!)
I happen to love a hot bowl of Chili or a Brat with sauerkraut (Coleman Natural makes a gluten-free, dairy-free bratwurst and so does Applegate Farms) with my cold brew…and a side of potato chips and French onion dip, yum!
Nevermind the dairy-free obstacle on that last idea, there’s a gluten obstacle to overcome first – Lipton poisoned changed their onion soup mix last year when they decided to add glutonium to it. Why??? Did adding barley make it taste better or did it just make it cheaper? And if it was the latter, did it make it cheap enough to justify losing millions of gluten-free customers? I don’t get it.
But no worries my friends, their loss is our gain! We’ll just make our own French onion dip that not only tastes better, but we’ll save money while reducing our toxic chemical intake to boot! As I see it, this is nothing but a win-win! 😀
Gluten-Free 101 Tip
Make your own Dry Onion Soup Mix with this recipe and Hormel’s Herb-Ox Bouillon, which is gluten-free* (you can view Hormel’s gluten-free product list here).
Combine your Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix with Gluten-Free Condensed Mushroom Soup to make an awesome slow cooker pot roast!
**Manufacturers can change their ingredients without notice (e.g. Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix). READ LABELS EVERY TIME YOU SHOP!
I first made this dairy-free French onion dip a few months ago and my guys loved it but I shelved the recipe for a while until I could get more reliable feedback. Most mayo-based dip recipes call for half mayo and half sour cream but since Vegenaise doesn’t contain any egg, I think it can easily pass as a mayo/sour cream substitute on its own. Call me crazy.
I put the dairy-free French onion dip to the test during one of my monthly gluten-free girls’ night hooplas and I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic reaction this dip received (not me – the chip dip). It was at their unanimous approval that I am sharing this recipe today, so thank you Lisa B, Lisa S., Renee, Kim and Jennifer for being my willing guinea pigs. 😀
Recipe adapted to be dairy-free from Alton Brown. This recipe (as written, is also free of: egg, gluten, peanut, tree nut, soy and corn.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 cups Onion, diced
- 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Soy-Free Vegenaise
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground White Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
Directions
- Combine onions, olive oil and salt in a saute pan over medium heat.
- Cook onions until they are caramelized, stirring frequently, about 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, mix together Vegenaise, garlic powder, white pepper and 1/2 tsp. sea salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the cooled onions, stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for several hours (preferably overnight) and stir again before serving with your favorite chip.
Notes
If dairy is okay for you, visit the Food Network for the original recipe.
A French Onion Dip Photo Tutorial
I love Soy-Free Vegenaise but if you can’t locate it in a store near you, you can also make your own egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free mayo.
Do not burn the onions – caramelized and carcinogenic are two completely different things!
Mix it all up and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Chips Ahoy!
Oh wait, that was a different chip, wasn’t it? 😉
The 3 winners of The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen Cookbook Giveaway are:
#152, Amanda P.
#117 Maryann J.
#48 Amy W.
Congratulations ladies! I will send you an email shortly for your shipping information. 🙂
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!
Heidi, this looks so good, I want to make some soon! Thanks to your tutorial, it also looks easy, too.
OMG, I want that! Right now! I am weak for French Onion dip and haven't had it in years. I am so envious of all your taste-testing girlfriends!! That looks simply amazing. Now to get my hands on some of the soy-free Vegenaise. This would be a fabulous addition to the menu for our upcoming holiday support group meeting!
I don't know about the makers of Lipton Onion Soup, but I've heard that some companies purposely added gluten to foods so that folks wouldn't think they were 100% gluten free, get sick, and sue. I don't remember the details now, but when the FALCPA went into effect at least one company had stated that they'd deliberately decided to add gluten to a product so folks wouldn't assume it was gf and safe. Definitely stinks. Note that there are some store/generic brands that are still safe as far as gf, but like you said, the other ingredients are usually not anything we want to consume anyway. Once we start looking at ingredients, we see sooo much more than just gluten. 😉
xoxo,
Shirley
It's really quite good Shirley, the texture is similar to those Majestic Garlic dips we found at the farmers market in Oceanside – a little different than a sour cream based dip but no one seemed bothered by it at all.
I'm not surprised that companies would add gluten to their products for liability reasons, I actually wondered that a while back. And you're right, once you start looking at the ingredient list – really looking at the ingredient list – you start to wake up. I bought some Cool Whip the other day to show my sister how to make a Jello salad of my mom's and it took me forever to actually put it in my cart (have to remember that I'm keeping it simple for my sister right now). Hydrogenated oils, HFCS, corn syrup, artificial flavors, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate – what ARE those chemicals?? Is it any wonder of the health crisis we're now in?
xo,
Heidi
Heidi, I stopped using Cool Whip after I read that Polysorbate 60 is one of the key ingredients in condoms. I'll let you read more on those details. But that little tidbit of info did it for me. If my family wants Cool Whip at a family function, they have to bring it with them. I just could not stomach eating that stuff any more. It's kind of silly really when as you say clearly looking at the rest of the ingredients should be enough to keep me away. But that little nugget of distasteful data did it for me. Now I just need to get a few more nuggets for "bad" foods I still consume.
xo,
Shirley
Shirley…. seriously EWWWW.
Yum! I will definitely be making this. What kid (and their Mom) doesn't love a good dip?
xo
I'd love to know what you think of it Maggie!
xo,
Heidi
I am making this for sure! I have a weakness for chips with ranch or french onion dip. My husband and I try to sneak around to eat this and it makes me feel so bad eating something my little boy can't – especially when he sees us and I have to tell him he can't have any 🙁 That's really bad isn't it?!? …I'm so glad to have a recipe we can all eat! Thanks so much!!!
I like chips and Ranch dressing too – heck, I even dip my steak in Ranch, LOL!
I understand about sneaking around to eat something your kids can't have. Before I gave up dairy myself, I used to hide in the closet and eat cheese out of site from my boys! I actually think it makes you compassionate parents – at least you're not eating it in front of him (but now you call all enjoy it together!). 😀
Just made this, delish! No would ever bet it was Vegan-
Yea! So glad you liked it. 😀
How does this taste made up and served right away? I forgot to read to refrigerate it for several hours. You may not read this in time…. Happy Thanksgiving! Tracy
Just made this last Sunday for the game! Everyone loved it and couldn't tell it was gluten & vegan! Thank you!!
Do you know anything I could replace the garlic powder with? I LOVE garlic, buy my 6 year old was recently diagnosed with a severe allergy 🙁
Yeah! Thanks for posting it, Heidi. I'm off to the market now for the supplies. Organic gf potato chips of choice? Kettle is what I buy now, but they are pretty oily. Thinking about getting a dehydrator and trying my own chips – any thoughts out on this?
Lisa S. – one of the guinea pigs!