Dealing with a dairy-free diet

Salads: another dairy-free dish and they don't just have to be made with lettuce and tomato. Add things like drained tuna, cooked chick peas (drained and rinsed), chopped celery, carrots, cucumber, peppers, finely chopped broccoli, beetroot, crispy bacon bits, cooked chicken or ham, mushrooms cooked or raw, puy lentils, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, all tossed in your favourite dressing.

Pasta: this is also a valuable staple as long it is not made with eggs. Plain pasta is just durum wheat or semolina, water and salt.

Spicy Bean Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, washed and finely sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
half tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 organic carrot, finely diced
1 small red or yellow pepper, deseeded and finely diced
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 x 400g can of mixed beans (or use only one type of your choice), rinsed and drained
1 litre vegetable stock (Marigold Swiss Bouillon is fine)
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the leek until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the spices and garlic and fry for another minute. Add the carrot, pepper, potatoes, beans and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if required. Just before serving, add the lemon juice and fresh parsley.

Serve with some crusty Italian bread and extra virgin olive oil for dipping.