Dairy products = milk and other stuff made from the liquid produced by specific mammals to feed their young.

Basically, milk is a nutrient dense liquid made by animals to feed their young and dairy products are made from milk.

For millennia, humans have co-existed with cows, sheep and goats: we have sheltered, fed, watered, bred, and bred these creatures in exchange for their lovely milk.

Examples of dairy products are milk, butter, cheese, cream, whey, curds.

Eggs = the oval shaped container that houses an animal embryo produced by birds, reptiles, and amphibians

“An egg is the organic vessel containing the zygote in which an animal embryo develops until it can survive on its own, at which point the animal hatches”

Eggs are both the developing creature and the container to house the developing young one.

(Generally animal either lay eggs or make milk. However, doves both lay eggs and produce milk. Doves are strange.)

For millennia, humans have lived near or with with chickens, ducks and geese: we have sheltered, fed, watered, bred, and bred these creatures in exchange for their lovely eggs.

Examples of egg products are eggs. Eggs are just eggs: whole eggs, egg whites and egg yolks.  However, eggs can be combined with other ingredients to make  an endless array of food stuffs. Examples of egg-rich foods are mayonnaise, custards, soufflés, meatloaf, most cakes, cookies and muffins, lemon curd. The list is almost endless.

Dairy products are from milk

Egg products are from eggs

Dairy products =milk based food stuff

Eggs=eggs

Eggs have no milk. Eggs are dairy-free.

Got it? Good.

Now, some of you are thinking “Duh. Eggs aren’t from cows. Why would she bother writing that?” Here is the answer: In my few months of living dairy-free I have had very smart, very food savvy people (who shall remain nameless) that have shown me greatest kindness, and ignorance. There were the wonderful chef and waitress that left the coleslaw off my order and substituted a green salad with vinaigrette: “The coleslaw has mayonnaise and we know you cannot have dairy.” There was the family member discussing recipes I could try: “This Coconut-Milk Custard sounds great. Too bad it has eggs!” The friend that warned me to not have an ‘egg-contaminated’ cookie. These people all looked very helpful and concerned, then confused, (a few also seemed irritated) and finally, a tad sheepish as I explained that eggs are not actually dairy.

Really: Eggs are NOT a dairy product.

Even if eggs are often sold near the Dairy Section at the grocery store: eggs are not dairy. Even if dairy farms often have chickens running around: eggs are not dairy. Even if eggs can be white and milk can be white: eggs are not dairy. No matter what: eggs are not dairy.

Got it? Good! Now excuse me while I go mix some roasted green chilis into mayonnaise for a delicious dairy free condiment.

Michelle
May all babies be born into loving hands

Fun fact of the day: Mayonnaise was created in 1756 when a chef went to make a sauce with cream and egg but there was no cream in the cupboard. So, mayonnaise was dairy-free from it’s inception.

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Southwestern Remoulade

1 cup good quality mayonnaise (I like Hellmann’s/Best Foods)

1/4 cup minced, roasted green chilis (from Hatch New Mexico of course!)

1 Teaspoon finely grated citrus zest (I keep a blend of lemon, lime and grapefruit zest in a re-purposed salt grinder)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix together. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve a dollop on freshly grilled chicken, fish, tofu, veggies. Yum!

Slather on bread for a sandwich with left over chicken, fish, tofu, or veggies.

Use in place of plain mayo and seasonings for potato salad, egg salad, or even coleslaw.