Fish Sticks

Fish sticks are fun, kid-friendly fare for dinners, lunches or snacks, and homemade varieties are easy to make and healthier than frozen brands. This dairy-free recipe uses panko breadcrumbs, which typically have a much lower salt content than other prepared breadcrumbs which also usually contain dairy. For an egg-free variation, try substituting the eggs and lemon juice with dairy-free soy mayonnaise.

Fish sticks can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks after baking and cooled. Simply reheat them in a 350 F oven or microwave when ready to eat!

Serves 6 kids
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2 lb. white fish fillets, such as sole, cod or tilapia, finely chopped and lightly salted
* 2 large eggs, separated
* 2 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
* 2 T. dried thyme
* 1 t. salt
* 1 T. olive oil
* 1 cup flour
* 1 T. fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combined the chopped fish with 1 of the egg whites, stirring until mixture just holds together. Set aside.

3. In another small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, thyme, salt and oil until well mixed. Place the flour in a small bowl and set aside. Place the remaining egg yolks and white with the lemon juice in another small bowl.

4. Using your hands, form “sticks” out of the fish mixture by rolling small amounts of the mixture between your palms. Roll these in the flour until well coated, then dip them in the egg-and-lemon mixture. Dredge the sticks in the panko mixture until completely coated and place on the prepared sheet. Bake fish sticks for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the sticks halfway through to ensure even browning. Serve warm.

Cheese & Sauce Pizza Rolls

These little rolls are a lot of fun and are a great hit for kids' birthday parties. This dough is incredibly easy to prepare and can be made 1 night ahead of time to ease the pre-party or work-week stress of meal preparation.

Serves 4 to 6 kids as an entree
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2 ½ cups white flour
* 1 T. baking powder
* 1 t. and ½ t. salt, divided, plus more for sprinkling
* ¾ cups water
* 2 T. honey
* 2 T. and 1 T. olive oil, divided
* Garlic powder, for sprinkling
* ½ cup nutritional yeast
* ¼ cup soymilk powder
* 1 ½ T. Cornstarch
* ½ cup dairy-free soy mayonnaise
* 1 cup plus 2 T. plain unsweetened soymilk, divided
* Pizza or pasta sauce, store-bought or homemade

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment.

2. Make the dough. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and 1/2 t. salt.

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the water, honey and 1 T. olive oil until well mixed. Add the wet mixture to the dry until a soft dough forms.

4. On a lightly floured surface, turn out dough and knead for about 5 minutes, or until elastic. Shape into a disk, cover and set aside while making the sauce.

5. Make the cheese sauce. In a small bowl, combine the nutritional yeast, soymilk powder and cornstarch. Set aside.

6. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the oil, soy mayonnaise and 1 cup soymilk, whisking until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and 1 t. salt to the mixture, whisking until lumps are dissolved (a few lumps will still remain but will dissolve while cooking).

7. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, heat the sauce mixture, stirring constantly until desired consistency. Salt to taste and remove from heat.

8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until 1/8" thick. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, divide the dough into squares or rectangles of preferred size. In the center of each square or rectangle, place a small amount of pizza sauce followed by a generous amount of cheese sauce.

9. To make the rolls, pinch together two sides of a square, Then roll the dough starting at the end towards you and rolling away. Pinch together any openings and place seam-side down on the prepared sheet. Lightly brush with the remaining 2 T. soymilk, then lightly sprinkling with salt and garlic powder. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Baking Powder Biscuits

When preparing biscuits, it is important to keep your ingredients and the dough as cold as possible. I recommend using latex gloves when shaping the dough to lessen the amount of body heat that comes in contact with the dough.

Makes about 16 biscuits
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 8 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 t. salt
* 3 T. baking powder
* ¼ cup white sugar
* 8 oz. dairy-free cream cheese, such as Toffuti, cold
* 6 T. dairy-free soy margarine, cold
* 1 cup unsweetened plain soymilk
* 1 T. vinegar

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.

2. Using a pastry cutter, cut the dairy--free cream cheese and soy margarine into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles pea-sized granules.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Combine soymilk and vinegar in a small pitcher or bowl, mixing well. (Mixture will thicken slightly.) Place in refrigerator to rest for 10 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a counter or work surface, as well as a metal bench scraper and round cutter.

6. Just before mixing, put on a pair of disposable plastic or latex gloves, or, alternatively, slip your hands into sandwich baggies. This will help keep the dough as cold as possible during shaping.

7. Gradually add the soymilk mixture to the biscuit mix, until the dough holds together and is just a little sticky but does not stick to your gloves. Place on the floured counter or work surface, and, working quickly, shape into a rectangle about 2”thick, flattening out the surface with your gloved palms.

8. Using the floured bench scraper, create a sharp edge around the rectangle you’ve created, trimming the edges of the dough in quick, even motions. With sharp, singe strokes, cut the dough 16 circles with the floured round cutter, adding more flour as needed. Flouring the edge of the bench scraper as needed, lift the biscuits with the scraper, not your hands, and place them on the lined baking sheet. (The less you touch the dough and the colder it is, the better your biscuits will rise.)

9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through, until the biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm.

Gingerbread

Makes one 9" x 5" loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
* 1 cup white flour
* ¾ cups sugar
* 2 t. baking soda
* 1 t. cinnamon
* ¼ t. salt
* ¼ cup molasses
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* ½ cup oil
* ½ cup rice milk
* 1 T. apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9 “ x 5” loaf pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well combined.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, rice milk and apple cider vinegar until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

By Ashley Skabar