Dairy Free Tips

This post is dedicated to michelle who asked for some dairy-free recipes. Giving up dairy was prolly the hardest part of going vegan (other than having to give up my bison-hunting addiction). Having lived in a household where Got Milk? ads were hung up like Joey Lawrence pin-up posters, I always equated milk with calcium and strong bones. I ignored the fact that trying to chug the recommended 3 glasses a day made me want to yakk until i gave it up and haven't really missed it since. Certainly not milk, there so many alternatives that taste waaaay better and don't make me feel funny.
My faves are almond, rice, coconut, hemp, and soy milk.
Some of the best brands are Almond Breeze and Silk Almond, Rice Dream and Trader Joe's rice milk, Turtle Island coconut milk, and Silk soy milk (especially chocolate). I personally think almond milk takes the cake. It tastes the best, is lower in calories than skim milk, and has protein, calcium, and vitamins.
Soy and coconut milk yogurt are also way delicious. They come pretty cheap, have probiotics, and make a great breakfeast or snack. Also, in breads and cakes they can replace eggs. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Butter is super easy to replace too. Earth balance is by far the best (and im not just saying that because we are friends on facebook, but I have been known to use Smart Balance (lite!) in a snap because it is cheaper and at pretty much every supermarket.
When I went veg, I had pretty much resigned myself to never having a decent cheese substitute. Through the wonders of technology, the vegan underground, and joaquin phoenix's good looks, we now have Daiya, Follow your Heart, Cheezly, and Teese. They are available at whole food and sprouts. The mozzarella flavor is always the best, so get that and make pizzas and lasagna.
As for mayo, get vegenase (sp?) and 'better than sour creme' instead of sour cream.
Sorry if it seems like I am brand dropping a lot, but when I was going veg, I ended up buying some sucky things cause i didn't know better.
Speaking of which, do NOT get rice or soy dream ice cream. They are the suck. Stick with Turtle Mountain coconut or soy ice cream. So Delicous is okay, but i think it needs dressing up as a shake or sundae.
Just be sure to shop around a bit. Some places charge you out of the butt for things just because they can.
Other tips for calcium: dark-green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli, collard greens, and kale), almonds, sesame tahini, calcium-fortified soy or rice milk, some brands of tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice
I'll post some recipes tomorrow (maybe!)