Puppy Bowl Party-Gumbo and More #rethinkwhatyoudrink

Big game Sunday means Puppy Bowl for me!!! TEE HEE!!

It is Big Game Sunday in NOLA! Loads of excitement and loads of delicious food. However, in this house we watch The Puppy Bowl. In honor of the Louisiana setting of that other game, I am cooking up some very special treats with Better Tasting Silk® Soy Milk. (You know I have a lactose problem and always use a milk alternative.) So the Gumbo will have a creamy twist and the dessert will have no dairy whatsoever!!! I can enjoy all I want…within reason of course.

Embracing the Better Tasting Silk® Soy Milk #rethinkwhatyoudrink

February is Lactose Intolerance Awareness Month! I am sure have have heard me bemoan the fact that I am lactose intolerant. It started a few years ago and now I rarely indulge in the dairy products I love. I fully embraced Silk as my drink of choice in 2008. It has by far the best taste of any of the milk substitutes as far as I am concerned. And the Silk Pure Almond and Pure Coconut are just ‘pure’ delicious. ;} When I went to pick some up at Walmart I saw that Silk had improved the taste since I bought my last carton. So I put it to a test as I just happened to have a carton of the older version. And they are right…it does taste even better. I have included some really interesting facts about Silk products and the brand’s Honest to Goodness™ promise below the recipes…it might just be time to #rethinkwhatyoudrink!

Gumbo is on…

I started cooking early on Puppy Bowl day. The Seafood Gumbo goes into the Ninja Slow Cooker for that slow food flavor; and the Custard Tarts need to chill. And I love to cook Cajun with all that spicy, creamy goodness. Lush and rib-stickin’!  Here is the invitation and the menu:

The Party

Creamy Seafood Gumbo over CousCous

Don’t let the list of ingredients stop you from making my delicious version of gumbo. To save time, I bought canned ingredients at Walmart. Really, the prep time is just chopping the onions and garlic and sauteing them. The rest is magic in the Ninja Cooking System or Slow Cooker. NOTE: I usually use fresh seafood because I live in the shrimp capital, but I wanted to make this an easy and fast gumbo. You can substitute ANY fresh seafood if you like!

Ingredients

The Roux: In Ninja, set to stovetop (high) and melt butter. Reduce heat to medium, slowly whisk in flour, stirring well to blend. Let this bubble for about five minutes, stirring often. This is the secret of a good roux. The flour has to become one with the butter. It should be a warm brown color. Whisk in the 2 cups of Silk. Stir until thickened about 5-7 minutes. It should be like gravy…no lumps.  Stir in the wine, the broth and the oyster and crab water. Add Worchestershire sauce, spices, tomatoes and crab boil. Cover and let simmer while prepping onions and garlic. I will share the secrets of making the roux tomorrow.

Coat saute pan with olive oil and saute onions and garlic until soft. I like a lot of texture in my gumbo, so I slice the green onions. You can chop if you like though. Gumbo is about being creative. When soft, add 1/4 C wine to them to deglaze the pan. Add to the roux mixture. Cover and slow cook (medium) for 3 and a half hours.

Add seafood to the broth and cook for half an hour on high. You can cook on a lower temp if you want it to take longer. Serve with pearl cous cous and crusty French bread.

Custard Tarts

I love to make these quick snacks. Once I found Silk, I could actually start enjoying them again. I love what the Silk Almond Milk adds to the French Vanilla pudding. I bet you will too.

Ready made small Graham Cracker Crusts
2 box pudding mix (I used French Vanilla)
2 C Silk Soy Milk (I used )
Fresh berries

Make pudding according to package directions substituting Silk Soy Milk for the regular milk. Pour into individual tart crusts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Add fruit on top. For HIMself, I put a dallop of Lemon Curd on top before I add the fruit. Enjoy!

You can continue the @LoveMySilk Party…There is a #rethinkwhatyoudrink Twitter Party on February 15th at 1pm EST. Try to attend New Silk Lattes! Prizes!! RSVP: http://bit.ly/XDlUER

Silk History, Promise and Facts

Whether you’re sold on Silk because of the benefits of plant-based nutrition or you just love the taste, our products still reflect the same Promise that got us started in the first place: Begin with plant-based ingredients that are grown responsibly, and keep them as close to nature as we can. -from the Silk website

• No artificial colors or flavors
• No high-fructose corn syrup
• Dairy-free
• Non-GMO ingredients (Not genetically modified)
• Responsibly produced

The story behind Silk’s sweetness
Non-GMO food info

Other places to socialize with Silk:

• Silk Soy Website http://silk.com/
• Silk Soy Twitter https://twitter.com/lovemysilk
• Silk Soy Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/SilkUS?fref=ts
• Silk Soy Facebook Recipe page https://www.facebook.com/SilkUS/app_574751085884802
• Silk Soy Pinterest Board http://pinterest.com/lovemysilk/
• Silk Soy YouTube Page http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF8BEE1BF34AAFFD5

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and WhiteWave #cbias #SocialFabric All opinions are my own.

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