[.ca] The Milk-Free Kitchen: Living Well Without Dairy ... (ISBN 0805018360)

My Cooking Bible:
My young son has severe milk allergies and nut and egg allergies as well. I always refer to this book first when trying to find new meals and desserts. Sure, you can just substitute oat or soy milk for regular milk in most standard receipies, but this book offers alternatives to using any type of "milk" product. The apple brown betty/crisp is great as is the eggless applesauce cake. I've also used it for meatloaf, ham and other receipies that would have nothing to do with milk but are easy and tasty.

Margarine?:
There is one glaring problem in this book. Nearly all margarine contains milk. I did not find a warning about this anywhere in her book. Many of her recipes call for margarine.

It saved my life!:
The Milk Free Kitchen saved my life! At the very least it saved me from a diet of deprivation, if not total boredom! Over the past 7 or 8 years I became increasingly more lactose intolerant, until finally my only option was a dairy-free diet. The change over was hard for me, as I loved milk and baked goods, and pizza, etc. Eating became rather dull until I discovered this book. Beth Kidder has it all...recipes for pancakes, chocolate cake, cookies of all variety, even doughnuts! as well as main courses that include pizza, fried chicken, chicken under a biscuit, stuffing, meatballs, etc. etc. Not only does she have great recipes that taste every bit as good as those with milk, she also gives wonderful tips on cooking in general. Beth gives pointers too on how to eat a milk free meal in a resturant and what ingredients to avoid in premade foods. The only down side to this book is that she never wrote, to my knowledge, a sequel with even more recipes.

I've used this book for four years!!!:
My son was diagnosed with severe milk allergies when he was three months old. Before that time everything I cooked was topped with cheese. Since then I've searched frantically for a recipe book for people who don't mind eating meat, can't afford the prices at our health food store, and like normal cooking. This book is a godsend. I use it on a daily basis for everything. Guests at our house don't even know I cook milk-free. The recipes are great, the cooking instructions are simple, and my kids (ages 7, 4, and 2) like the food, something that doesn't happen with most vegan cooking. I only wish the author would come out with a new edition; I'd buy it in a moment, and mail it to her to autograph!!!

I'm on my second copy...:
I used my first copy so much it fell apart at the seams, and I carried it around with a rubberband until my husband gave me another for Christmas. I'm allergic to dairy protiens and have been since I was born. I LOVE all kinds of food, and I love to cook. The alternatives, like vegan food, just miss the mark. My favorite recipies are the baked goods--who knew I could have popovers or blueberry muffins??? In response to the query about margarine, I believe the author suggests Fleishmann's Unsalted Margarine, which has no dairy products in it. The introduction has great suggestions for the newly-allergic or intolerant about restaurants, groceries, and snacks. It is an ordeal trying to find foods I can eat safely, and this cookbook has been such a terrific resource. I couldn't recommend it more highly.