biscuits

You have to try these when you're making the old breakfast for dinner routine or even just for breakfast at breakfast time. Either way, the soy milk makes them nice and fluffy.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2 cups unbleached flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Put these ingredients into a mixing bowl and blend until combined.

2 Tbsp cold Fleishman's unsalted margarine ( this is lactose free)

1 cup of plain soy milk ( do NOT get fancy and try vanilla, UNFLAVORED is best)

Cut the margarine into tiny chunks (a little bigger than pea sized) and add to the flour mixture. Using a two forks mix the margarine into the flour until it seems to be well combined without having formed a paste. Again, this is way easier using the paddle attachment with a Kitchen-aid stand mixer, just let it mix at speed 2 for about 30 seconds.

Next slowly pour in the soy milk while mixer is running. Mix until the liquid is absorbed into the flour and margarine mixture. STOP MIXING the moment it looks sticky but not liquidy. Most likely you will doubt yourself (I do almost every time) and think you need to mix it more but DON'T. This also holds true if you are mixing by hand or fork.

On a floured flat surface such as your counter top scrape out the dough and place it in a mound in the center. This is much easier if your hands are floured as well. Flip the dough over once if possible so that both sides are floured. If it is too sticky just sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and forget about flipping it. Using a heavy rolling pin, flatten the dough to the thickness of your finger or a little less. Although it's a rolling pin I never seem to roll it, usually I just press the pin into the dough a few times to make it the correct thickness.

Next press a biscuit cutter through the dough to make biscuit shapes. Place the shapes onto an ungreased baking sheet. Gather the leftover dough and dough scraps together and flatten again. Cut out shapes again to put on the baking sheet. Or just roll the last bit into a biscuit shape with your hands. When your sheet is full you will have approximately 12 biscuits that are not touching each other. Depending how thin or thick you flattened the dough will give you more or less biscuits.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then eat and enjoy.

These freeze well, so double your recipe and make some for right now and then freeze the rest for a morning or night that you want homemade biscuits without the hassle.

Banana Bread

Here is a recipe that was easy to change to dairy free.

Banana Bread

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs beaten

3 mashed ripe bananas

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp plain soy milk ( I use Silk brand)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*optional* 1/2 cup chopped nuts, any variety ( I leave them out b/c my husband and kids won't eat them in bread)

BIG HINT: get a Kitchen-aide stand mixer and this can be made easily in one bowl.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat oil and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and mashed bananas and mix well. Add sifted dry ingredients, soy milk, and vanilla. Mix well and add nuts if you so choose. Pour into a greased and floured (or just coat liberally with no-stick cooking spray) 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool well and store overnight before cutting. If you just can't wait, slice it and enjoy it warm and crumbly. Freezes well.