Can I Make a Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole?

I don't know if it's the cool weather creeping up on me or what, but lately I have been seriously craving green bean casserole.

The thing is though, I'm not a big fan of the condensed canned soups. Have you ever noticed that slurping sound they make when they slide out of the can? Even if I were a fan, my youngest has a dairy allergy.

I have a recipe for mushroom sauce, and I figured with some tweaking, I could use it in place of the soup. This is what I came up with. And boy was it yummy! This will be appearing in my kitchen again!

DAIRY-FREE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

1 lb fresh or frozen green beans, or 2 14 oz cans, drained

1 c mushroom sauce (see recipe below)

1 c french fried mushrooms (I tried, and LOVED, the new Alexia baked onions for this!)

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F. If using fresh or frozen green beans, trim to desired size. Steam in 2-3 TBSP of water until tender. Drain well. Pour into a greased casserole. Add mushroom sauce and 1/2 of the fried onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining fried onions. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes until the onions on top are golden brown.

MUSHROOM SAUCE

1/2 c sliced mushrooms

3 TBSP butter

3 TBSP flour

1 tsp basil

1 c broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until soft. Add basil, salt, and pepper. Stir in flour. Mix well to combine. Slowly stir broth into the flour mixture to remove any lumps. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute to thicken.

For a thinner sauce to use with pasta, potatoes, or meat, use 1 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP flour.

Tried-and-True: Progresso Soup

I am a member of General Mills' Pssst Program. As a member, I get exclusive coupons and offers to try new products. If I like a product, I am able to pass my savings along in the form of high dollar coupons.

Recently, we purchased a lot of Progresso Soup using a Pssst coupon. By combining the coupon with an existing sale, we were able to snag the soup at a mere $.15 per can. Now, that's my kind of deal.

I finally popped open a can for dinner the other night. I had two hungry children rapidly approaching bedtime (yes, bedtime), and needed to come up with something quick. I served the Traditional Chicken Noodle over mashed potatoes.

I was impressed with the taste. Both children happily gobbled it all up. I was also impressed with the amount of vegetables in the soup, vegetables that were in fact of good texture. You know how sometimes the veggies in canned soup are a little bland and mushy? Not so with Progresso! The soup also had a good chicken flavor, though I didn't notice too many chunks of chicken in the soup.

The Verdict:

The soup was good. It also wasn't too high in calories, fat, or sodium. I am pleased. All of those cans will come in handy for my husband and youngest son while I'm away next summer.

Wanna try some yourself? Go ahead and use this $1.10/1 coupon here. It'll make it about $.50 a can, less if you find a good deal. While you're at it, go ahead and sign up for Pssst yourself here.

Tried-and-True: New Pillsbury Grand's Frozen Cinnamon Rolls

I am a member of General Mills' Pssst Program. As a member, I get exclusive coupons and offers to try new products. If I like a product, I am able to pass my savings along in the form of high dollar coupons.

One such offer was to try the new Pillsbury Grand's frozen cinnamon rolls. I recieved a coupon in the mail for a free package, as well as about 10 coupons to save $1.25/1. We tried the Mini rolls.

When I first opened the bag, I was a little nervous about how small the frozen rolls were. I decided I'd better make the entire bag--12 mini rolls. They cooked up in a reasonable amount of time, only slightly longer than their refrigerated counterparts. They rose much more than I'd anticipated in the oven. They were almost double their size. We could have gotten by with making only half of the bag.

The Verdict:

They were very good. They feature Cinnabon brand cinnamon. Mmmmm! I really liked the fact that the bag came with multiple icing packets. It does seem like a little extra packaging, but it's great for people who may not make the entire bag at one time. It was also great for people like me who will save that extra sticky goodness for another time! The only thing that disappointed me was the bag not being resealable, but I guess that's what Ziplocs are for. =)

You can read what Pssst has to say about them here.

Wanna try them for yourself? I recommend it. Go on. You deserve a treat. Go print yourself a coupon for $1.25/1 here. If you want, you can go sign up for Pssst yourself here.

Tried-and-True Tuesday: Dutch Baby

So, I've decided to try a new thing around here. Every Tuesday, I'm going to do a little review. It may be of a recipe, a blog, a household tip, a good, a service. The possibilities are endless! The point is to share things I've tried and have experience with, so you can decide whether or not you want to risk giving it a go. Sounds fun, right?

This week, I'm sharing a recipe I found on Emily's blog here. Don't let the name freak you out. This baby's delicious! (even if it is a little creepyish sounding name)

I was slightly worried about the effort required to make it. I've made puffy omelets. They are similar but much easier and without the weird moist texture. You simply mix together a simple batter, melt butter in a pie pan in the oven, pour in the batter, and bake.

The butter didn't burn. I was a little concerned since I was putting it into a 450^o oven. It turned out fabulous! Rather than fill our basket with fruit, I simply added a little homemade jelly and dusted it with powdered sugar. Prep and bake time both were quick. Effort was super minimal.

Most importantly, my kids loved it! Even the little one once I convinced him to try a bite. The boys quickly gobbled it all up. It was a hit. I'm planning on buying some peaches to add next time. Mmmmm!

You can make your own Dutch Baby by checking out Emily's recipe here. Don't forget to wonder around. She has some of the best recipes and craft ideas. Besides that, her blog is just plain fun! Happy creating!

--Beulah--