Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Dairy Free)

It doesn't feel natural for me to write about my family's food intolerances. We just don’t really think about it. I know it seems odd, but it is a very small part of our life. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, rice, and meat are all naturally gluten and dairy free. When there is so much good food to eat, why spend time focuing on what you can't eat. I don’t own a gluten free or dairy free cookbook. And I don’t think of myself as a gf/df cook because that seems limiting. I don’t look at a delicious recipe and feel sorry for myself or my children, I just automatically substitute ingredients in my mind. Even though I blog about our menus and have started sharing my modifications in addition to my recipes, I don’t think about our diet being different until we are having company over. Then my thought is, “does this taste good enough that they will not notice that it is gluten and dairy free?” If the answer is no, then my next question is, “then why would I feed this to the people I love most?'”

When I wrote about my secret to creamy mashed potatoes, I did not mention how I prepare them for my dairy intolerant son. I am fortunate that my son can consume Lactaid, so I can use that to replace the milk and use a dairy-free margarine for the butter. The complicating factor (you know there had to be one), is that soy is used in many dairy free products. My daughter and I have thyroid problems, so our endocrinologist recommends that we avoid soy. I have the choice of either separating some potatoes for him and make a dairy free batch, in addition to the regular batch which is twice the work, or make mashed potatoes without any type of butter that everyone can eat. Guess what I choose most of the time?

Dairy Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup vegetable broth

2 –4 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tablespoons olive oil, separated

2 teaspoons chopped parsley (optional, for color)

pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil potatoes until they can easily be pierced by a fork. Drain and rinse the potatoes.

While the potatoes are boiling, brown the minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil.

Rice, or mash the potatoes; adding garlic, oil, pepper, and parsley. Add the broth slowly to achieve the desired texture.

I like to make my mashed potatoes a couple hours before dinner and keep them warm in a crock pot. This reduces the work load right before serving dinner, making for a less stressed cook. And in my opinion, the most important element to a successful dinner is a relaxed cook!

Here is another great mashed potato recipe that also happens to be dairy free for you to try: Mashed Potatoes With Caramelized Onions.

I have started listing alternative ingredients for gluten free baking, because so many people have found it useful. I have also added a blog list of some gluten free blogs to the bottom of my side bar. If you have a favorite gluten free blog, please let me know, so I can add them as a resource. Dairy free cooking is usually so much easier because you can use dairy free margarine and replace milk with almond or rice milk cup for cup, but please let me know if you find a great dairy free resource.

Have you had to make changes in the way you cook for either yourself or a loved one? Have the changes you’ve made in your diet over the years feel so natural that you don’t even think about them any more? Or do you morn for something that you have given up?

For more potato recipes visit In-Season Recipe Swap at Tammy's Recipes.

For more delicious recipes visit Food on Fridays, Friday's Feasts, and Foodie Friday. If you see something that you want to make at one of the carnivals or have a family favorite, but need help making it gluten and/or dairy free email me. I will be glad to help you find acceptable substitutions.