Take it from me, being lactose intolerant is no fun. Especially when you're invited to a party where dairy-filled treats are sure to reign supreme.
If you ever find yourself planning a party menu, and you know one or more of your guests can't have lactose, plan ahead with these tips. It's no fun having to end the night early or send a child home because of an awful stomach ache!
If a recipe calls for butter, simply switch it out for Smart Balance Light Margarine.
It bakes the same as other margarines or butter. If you can't find Smart Balance Light, look for a brand that has "Parve" printed on the tub. It should look something like the image to the right. Parve means there is no meat or dairy in the product. (If you see a circle with a D inside, that means the product does contain dairy.)
If your recipe calls for milk, use lactose-free milk instead.
Lactose-free milk is available at most grocery stores in most brands. It tastes just like regular milk because it is! The lactose has simply been removed. (Trust me, you won't miss it.)
Use dark or bittersweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate.
Most dark chocolates contain very small amounts of dairy. Some do not contain dairy at all, like Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
Avoid serving only creamy dips.
Make sure to offer dairy-free guacamole (look for that Parve symbol!), salsa, corn and black bean salsa, bean dip, or hummus.
Be considerate.
Don't throw an ice cream sundae party and then offer the LI child a bowl of carrot sticks. There are so many great LI dessert products available! There's Breyer's Lactose-Free Vanilla Ice Cream and Lactaid All Natural Ice Cream in several flavors (all made with real dairy), hundreds of flavors of fruit sorbet, fruit bars, Rice Dream desserts, and Soy Dream ice cream sandwiches. (I dare you to set out a platter of Soy Dream ice cream sandwiches without telling anyone they're dairy free. You'll be surprised how many kids won't be able to tell the difference.) As far as toppings, Hershey's chocolate syrup is naturally dairy-free.
Instead of ice cream, have a cupcake party and let the kids decorate their own.
Switch out the milk or butter ingredients in your recipe for lactose-free milk and dairy-free margarine like Smart Balance Light. They'll bake and taste just the same.
Have a Make-Your-Own Taco party.
Offer all the usual toppings, plus dairy-free guacamole. This way an LI person can forgo the cheese if they like.
Have a Make-Your-Own Pizza party.
If your lactose intolerant guest can stomach Kraft cheese (which is 95% lactose-free), cook up some homemade mini pizzas or calzones, and let each guest choose their own toppings.
Having a barbecue or fish fry is another great idea.
Barbecue sauce is almost always dairy-free. So are baked beans, coleslaw, corn on the cob (without the butter), pasta salads, and many more side dishes.
When all else fails, offer Lactaid enzyme tablets at your table. Your guests will thank you!
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