What Are Some Kid-Friendly Substitutes For

[Blessedby3]

cheddar cheese for tacos and mozzarella cheese for pizza? All I can find are items that still use casein for whatever reason.

Also, what can I use for panko for recipes that are otherwise gluten free? I was thinking of crushed Chex cereal...

(We went gluten free a couple of months back and are still having episodes of symptoms so I also added a casein free diet)

Thanks so much for any imput you can give me~

Ohhh, just found this:

Open Original Shared Link

has anyone ever tried to make their own cf cheese like this one?

[heatherjane]

Daiya makes gluten free vegan cheese, so there's no dairy whatsoever in it. I'm not sure about the kid-friendly, but it may be worth a shot. It tastes pretty good to me.

I was going to suggest using crushed gluten free cereal (like chex) for the panko substitute, but I see you already thought of that.

[Blessedby3]

Daiya makes gluten free vegan cheese, so there's no dairy whatsoever in it. I'm not sure about the kid-friendly, but it may be worth a shot. It tastes pretty good to me.

I was going to suggest using crushed gluten free cereal (like chex) for the panko substitute, but I see you already thought of that.

I'm so glad to hear there is a good tasting cheese out there-will go to Whole Foods tomorrow and see if I can find it so dd can have pizza!!

Also,can't wait to try the new recipe I found now that someone else thinks Chex might work well-ty

[Cara in Boston]

We use crushed cereal (chex, gluten-free Rice Krispees, etc.) all the time instead of Panko. It does taste different - maybe sweeter? I also use crushed gluten-free Pretzels . . . sometimes I mix the two for a balance. I bought a mini food processor just to make crumbs - it was inexpensive and works great. You can make a whole bunch and freeze it to use later.

Cara

[StephanieL]

I'm so glad to hear there is a good tasting cheese out there

Good is relative. I tried it when I had to go DF (nursing my little one) and it was BAD. Like I didn't finish what I made. We tried again a few weeks ago (I have been off dairy for 5 months now) and it was reasonably good. As with most subs, if you try them head to head, they won't every win. I think with some time (a month or two) you can pass it off with good results.

Also, I made "chip chicken" for the first time a while ago. I crush up corn tortilla chips. The kids LOVE it! My usual breading is 1 pk Mary's Gone Crackers and 2 pk. plain rice crackers with some salt and parsley added in. You can control how course you make it by how long you let it go in the processor.

[Darn210]

We use crushed cereal (chex, gluten-free Rice Krispees, etc.) all the time instead of Panko. It does taste different - maybe sweeter? I also use crushed gluten-free Pretzels . . . sometimes I mix the two for a balance. I bought a mini food processor just to make crumbs - it was inexpensive and works great. You can make a whole bunch and freeze it to use later.

Cara

Agreed on the Chex . . . I used in in my meatloaf. I didn't taste bad but it didn't taste right. I now use one part Glutino pretzels and one part Glutino crackers (the round ones/original flavor). Now my meatloaf tastes like it did before gluten-free.

[Blessedby3]

Thanks for the great input-I think I'm going to do the tortilla chip or pretzel route. I forgot about the Chex being a tad sweet.

I'm still interested in making my own cheese-the only put off is that I feel like all I do now is cook/prepare from scratch. It would be nice to have something I don't have to do other than open the package! Think we'll try the Daiya "cheddar" in tacos first, that way there are other flavors to hide it if she doesn't like it...

TA~cheryl

[slee]

My son likes the Dayia cheese-

He's been dairy free since 18 months- so it is very "normal" to him. He's almost 6 now.

He also likes the tofutti slices for things like grilled cheese, or on crackers, it's like the velveeta slices (to him anyway)

He also likes Veganella (sp?), it comes in a brick and you shred it yourself. The texture is kind of funny- so I'd recommend it only for things you are going to melt- like pizza. It melts better than most dairy free cheese though- and then the texture seems more normal.

He likes all of these, but I do agree- none of them taste like cheese we are used to. It takes some getting used to. Depending on how old your daughter is she may adjust quickly, or it may take longer.

[pricklypear1971]

This isn't a grated cheese, but a sauce. I haven't tried it but I may.

Open Original Shared Link

[heatherjane]

Good is relative. I tried it when I had to go DF (nursing my little one) and it was BAD. Like I didn't finish what I made. We tried again a few weeks ago (I have been off dairy for 5 months now) and it was reasonably good. As with most subs, if you try them head to head, they won't every win. I think with some time (a month or two) you can pass it off with good results.

Also, I made "chip chicken" for the first time a while ago. I crush up corn tortilla chips. The kids LOVE it! My usual breading is 1 pk Mary's Gone Crackers and 2 pk. plain rice crackers with some salt and parsley added in. You can control how course you make it by how long you let it go in the processor.

Yeah, you really can't go into "fake" cheese expecting it to taste exactly like the real thing. It's an acquired taste.

[Kelleybean]

Not exactly what you are looking for but there's a recipe on the Spunky Coconut for "5 Minute Mac and Cheese" using cashews in the sauce. My super picky 4 year old eats it. Also not sure about Panko exactly, but when a recipe calls for bread crumbs I just run the heels of my Udi's bread through the food processor. Works really well. I've also done crushed potato chips which obviously changes the flavor of your recipe but we liked it.

[kbtoyssni]

You could try using creamed corn instead of cheese on tacos. It gives that additional texture and flavor you're missing when you don't use cheese. I've been doing this for a few years now as I've worked to cut down on the amount of dairy I consume, and it's delicious.

[jenn42]

I thought Rice Krispies were gluten free. Am I wrong?

We use crushed cereal (chex, gluten-free Rice Krispees, etc.) all the time instead of Panko. It does taste different - maybe sweeter? I also use crushed gluten-free Pretzels . . . sometimes I mix the two for a balance. I bought a mini food processor just to make crumbs - it was inexpensive and works great. You can make a whole bunch and freeze it to use later.

Cara

[alex11602]

I thought Rice Krispies were gluten free. Am I wrong?

There are regular Kellogs Rice Krispies that have barley malt in them, they also make a gluten free one that has Gluten Free in huge letters on the front and the box is a bit of a different color.

[celiacandglutenfreehealth]

I have used gluten-free pretzels, crushed in the food processor, also. I find they work well, though a little salty for my taste (I generally use no salt, just out of preference). I like the chex idea though....must try it today. LOL! Incidentally, I have successfully used crushed pretzels as a gluten-free substitute for graham cracker crumbs in crumb crusts, since until recently gluten-free graham cracker crumbs were not available where I live.

[momtok&m]

My LO hated dairy free cheese, she prefers tacos without cheese anyway. Also the dairy free mozz we tried didn't melt so it was gross on pizza. We recently tried the glutino bread crumbs and really like them, for meatloaf we use rolled (gluten-free) oats and LOVE it!