I'd like to suggest the book "Not Milk... NUT MILKS!" by Candia Lea Cole if you are interested in making your own nut milks (cost savings - and fresh always seems to be best). She has some really great "milks" in her book besides the run-of-the-mill almond milk. Along with rice, there are other grain milks you can make (spelt, wheat, oats). Use a variety of nuts and even sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds for non-dairy milks. You can also fortify your non-dairy "milk" products with things like mesquite meal, flaxmeal, chia seeds...which all have health benefits. Just two ounces of Chia seeds contain 600 mg of Calcium, compared with 120 mg for milk and they are high in other minerals (including Boron) helpful for bone health. Oat milk, although pretty tasty, great on cereal, has more protein than rice milk, but doesn't work well in cooking/baking. Rice milk doesn't work well in cooking/baking either. Hemp milk has enough protein to work fairly well in cooking. The protein content, and the type of protein, is where you may find you miss milk in cooking and baking. Milk proteins coagulate or precipate to form a solid clot or curd under certain circumstances. Some sauces may work well using a non-dairy milk substitute, some won't. To make pudding you will need to use a thickener like arrowroot, agar-agar or cornstarch. Almond Milk Pudding is actually very easy to make and you can find recipes on-line. Milk, in bread and many baked goods, is a tenderizer, adds protein and contributes to crust color, and you may miss some of those attributes, but it depends on how much milk you are substituting in any given recipe and what it contributes to the recipe. Look at the labels of the commercial non-dairy milks. Some of them are so loaded with ingredients to thicken and fortify it, and who knows what else, I'd tend to make my own. There may also be a down-side - there are many allergens associated with the nut milks, and many people who may be sensitive to avenin protein found in oats should avoid oat milk. If you are also avoiding butter, may I suggest coconut oil. It works not only in cooking and baking, but you can also use it as a bread-spread. You will find lots of recipes for using nut/seed/grain milks if you visit raw food sites, or check out vegan recipes. Sometimes it's easier to use recipes designed for those ingredients, to get accustomed to them, then start incorporating it into your favorite recipes. As a YUMMY non-dairy substitute for yogurt I have been fermenting coconut milk with real kefir grains, just like I make kefir with milk. I use coconut milk from reconstituted coconut milk powder. If you don't like the taste of coconut, this won't be a good substitute for you. Be sure to share more of your personal experiences using non-dairy milk alternatives. I, for one, would be interested in hearing your real experiences.... -Grainlady

Rachelellen, what you said about the good results is so true for me - it's like the great big fish that got away. I was just trying to remember that dish I made the other day where I had to make a substitution and it turned out sooo good. Let's see, what was that dish? Really, it did happen, I just can't remember what it was. lol DH tried substituting grapefruit juice for lemon juice in a recipe once years ago, and it turned out awful. I think it was sauted mushrooms. He learned his lesson - that grapefruit juice is NOT the same as lemon juice. Sally

Coconut cream and coconut milk are about the same but the cream has more pulp/(cream). The milk usually has a bit of cream that settles on top so i shake the can... "cream of coconut' has added sugars and such. I don't buy that since I can add my own sweetener to taste. (check your labels). I think it is used for adult drinks and pies/cakes but you can add your own sweet to coconut cream and get the same thing. I have a few cans staring at me above my coffee grinder in the pantry. Milk and water. Labels can be deceiving. My coconut milk says 98 calories but the serving is 7 for 11oz. The coconut water is 130 calories for the 11oz can. (one serving) My husband does not care for it much. He prefers plain rice, not my coconut rice even with curries. (unless i tell him ahead of time...he expects plain brown rice, nice and nutty.) I love coconut milk and may have overdone it last year...i actually like pure rice, its own flavor. Anywho, i'm using it tonight. I have leftover 'plain' rice and rich savory chicken thighs. I'm having the best garden season ever with the rain, sun, and high heat. Usual veggies are bolting so i have a tiny one of everything. Cuke, zuke, a tiny eggplant and a giant bag of thai basil. Even the broccoli bolted but i have a bit. (sounds dismal but the tomatoes, salads, fruits, and others are so much appreciative of the unusual heat) I shook my can and split it. Made a dressing with half a habanero, green onion, garlic, half a lemon, ev olive oil, thai basil...and the coconut milk. So good. I'll use just a bit on tender salad greens. (my dressing for the rest of the week) The other half of the can...saute a shallot, 2 cloves garlic, the other half of the habanero, diced celery, my 6 tiny halved tomatoes,lol, (soon i will have bushels of toms), the 6 peas from pod, 4 snap peas and the other tiny veggies ...add the coconut milk and chicken meat that i will pick off the bones...simmer on low 20 min, add a big squeeze of lemon...serve with the rice and top with that beautiful thai basil. (if i have company i add a thin slice of lemon on the serving) I don't have the recipe on hand...but it is called 'Summer-Curry-In-A-Hurry'. Not a traditional curry at all. Just using fresh early crop when we have a tiny mix of so many 'everything'. If shopping in a grocery, just buy one of everything. Black seedless grapes halved are a good substitute for crap out of season tomatoes. Expensive usually but just take a small stem of a few dozen out of that bag. Sold by weight. Just buy what you want....a peeve of mine about per item sold/vs. selling by weight. -My husband will like this with the citrus and the habanero heat...and the thai basil. (i hope so)

Do they sell Lactaid or other lactase-treated milk where you live? It's a lifesaver. If you drink some of that milk, then you can have other dairy that would normally bother you. In your recipe, if you used a lactase-treated milk and real cream, which is naturally low in lactose, then you should be okay. But some people are more intolerant than others and your mileage may vary. You can also buy the lactaid pills.