It’s a common myth that alcohol burns off completely in the cooking process. Yes, some of it does, that is true. When I was writing the My Halal Kitchen cookbook, it was an essential part of my research to gather the scientific evidence to be able to support this notion. Islamic dietary guideline dictate that alcohol and all of its byproducts are not permissible in a Halal diet, so even a small amount of it is considered najs (impure) and therefore haram, or impermissible- the complete opposite of halal. That said, I was able to find the data backed up in the USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, which is included as a chart in my book. Below is a chart I’ve created to make it easy for you to use in dishes that call for a variety of alcoholic beverages in cooking and in making drinks- so you can have a wonderful fruity non-alcoholic mojito, pina colada and more- which is delightful and opens up a whole new world of alcohol-free dishes from Italian, Latin, French cuisine, as well as juicy mocktails. (To get my recipe for alcohol-free Pina Colada, you can find that in the My Halal Kitchen cookbook, as well). Simply click on the chart, download the PDF, print and hang it on your fridge or save it in your favorite recipe files to help you in the kitchen!
Spaghetti Carbonara from the My Halal Kitchen Cookbook – Italian Chapter
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It’s been a hot, steamy summer around Chicago- lots of rain, lots of heat. If you wouldn’t know it, you might think we’re sitting in the middle of the tropics. And that’s what makes me think of drinks with citrus, especially lime. It makes me think of Mexico where limes are everywhere and in everything, so why not drink it up? The ingredients in this super refreshing drink are really quite simple (and you could use lemons instead, making lemonade, or a combination of the two): limes, cane sugar, fresh mint leaves and ice. Most of the limes are cut in half in preparation for juicing and a few others are cut into slices to add directly to the drink once it’s ready. I also peeled the limes ahead of time (before cutting) so that I could have fresh or dried citrus zest later for cooking. The fresh mint is from my garden, and it’s the only way I’ll go in this drink. No dried mint- it just doesn’t taste the same. I also use cane sugar because it’s the most natural. You can see it’s not white, but more of a tan-ish color. When you buy it, look for labels like “raw cane sugar” or “organic cane sugar”. You also need ice for this drink. I don’t use water because it doesn’t turn out the same consistency that I like when I want to serve it up, but you can use cold water instead, if you prefer. You really wouldn’t need the blender at that point, either. After squeezing in each of the limes (and making sure seeds don’t get in), add the ice. Add the sugar. Now prepare the bottle where you’ll be adding the drink. Shove the mint inside- it’ll perk up once the liquid hits it. And the thinly cut limes. I love these glass bottles and their necks are perfectly paired with most funnels to easily pour liquids into them. Blend up what’s in the blender- the ice, lime juice and sugar. It’ll come out nice and think, almost like a slushie. Pour it into the bottle or pitcher. It’ll look icy and thick, but in a few moments, that will melt away.
What’s left will be a nice and cold limeade drink that’s so refreshing, you won’t want to make it any other way. It’s the perfect make-ahead drink for guests when you don’t want to be blending up things at the last moment while guests arrive or don’t have room in the fridge to keep things cold all the time. I just love the way this turned out and hope you will, too.
Here’s a reader question I thought everyone everyone could benefit from by answering on the site. Thank you, J. for asking!
Question: There is a recipe that I am trying/going to make. The recipe for the dough has “dry white wine” in it. How can I substitute?
Yvonne’s Answer: Dry white wine usually doesn’t have any sugar (it’s been fermented so long that the sugars have dissipated), which is why it is often used in cooking that doesn’t call for any caramelizing in a dish. To use an alcohol-free substitute, try fresh lemon juice diluted with water (about a 50-50 ratio). If you can find a sugar-free white grape juice, you can try that, too. Use the same amount in the recipe that calls for white wine.
*If you want to substitute for white wine only, you can use something like this no-alcohol, kosher-certified juice. This is a bit of a stocking up kind of purchase, but if you only wanted one bottle you might be able to find it in your local grocery store. Please be reminded that it’s important to have Halal, kosher, or vegetarian-certified juices when following a Halal diet because many apple or other juices are clarified using pork gelatin.
Tiramisu, the quintessential Sicilian dessert, and the ultimate party food. Although I’m (half) Sicilian, I didn’t grow up with this dessert at family dinner tables very much. I’m not exactly sure why, but it took for me to travel to Italy and taste the real deal in order to get hooked on it, over and over again. Needless to say, it’s my most-requested recipe and is so variable (I also have a Strawberry Tiramisu recipe in my Summer Ramadan Cooking cookbook).The authentic or traditional recipe is made with amaretto liqueur and I’ve also seen it being served with rum on occasion. Obviously, those are not Halal ingredients, so I’ve come up with some alternatives to that. But the special ingredient is really the savoiardi, or lady finger cookies. You can find them at most Italian grocers and many international supermarkets in the ‘ethnic’ aisle, cookie aisle or Italian foods aisle. I see them everywhere in Chicagoland supermarkets. Of course at the moment the best thing to do if you’re not going out to the markets much is to order it online here. Because, umm…I guess they’re shaped like long a long and elegant ‘lady finger’?And after soaking them in some really strong Italian coffee, they look a bit like this:To see how I make my Italian coffee in a traditional Mokka pot, watch this:Recommended products mentioned in this video (affiliate links): Lavazza Italian Espresso Coffee/ Mokka pot/ Mokka replacement filters and gaskets/6-cup replacement funnel /Decaf Lavazza Espresso You’ll prepare the cream mixture ahead of time, before even beginning to soak any of the savoiardi. You have to do that, otherwise you’ll end up with a big mess of soaked cookies and nowhere to really put them since there will be one layer of cookies and then cream has to be added to that, then another layer of cookies right on top. You can’t let the soaked cookies just sit around somewhere else.When preparing the cream mixture, I like to use raw cane sugar like one of these, but you can also use powdered sugar, too, which is finer and requires less whisking to absorb nicely into the cream.Next is another star ingredient and our super substitute for rum or amaretto liqueur; it’s my go-to brand/variety, but you could also use a vanilla bakery emulsion or another alcohol-free variety found at Whole Foods by Frontier.If you don’t have vanilla extract, you can leave it out, but you may want to replace it with some other flavoring. In that case, add apple juice to the cream and whisk before pouring it on the cookies; it serves as a replacement for brandy that is sometimes called for in traditional tiramisu dishes. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to make this entire dish ahead if time and refrigerate- the coffee really needs to soak into the lady finger cookies and the cream really needs to get cold for it to gel all together nicely.Now for the top, let’s talk chocolate. Dark chocolate, if you like. It should be cold because you’ll need to grate it for the top of the dessert. That’s also why I like to use bars, particularly the thick ones but even if you have a regular bar, it should work with a zester or peeler. So it can come out nice like this. Otherwise it’ll be a mess. Trust me. I know about messes. You may even want to sprinkle the cocoa/chocolate shavings mixture at the last moment, but that’s really up to you. You can do it just before refrigerating the entire dish.P.S. If you’re looking for a dish to take to someone’s house on Eid, this is it.Bismillah & Buon Appetito!
Classic Tiramisu, Without the Alcohol
The perfect marriage of coffee, cream and cookies, dessert doesn’t get much better than this. Substitute decaf coffee, if desired.Serves 6-8Ingredients
2 cups cold or room temperature espresso coffee (you can also use a strong or bold regular coffee if that’s what you have)
Make coffee and set it aside in a large bowl to cool.Using a deep bowl and strong whisk or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the mascarpone, milk, crème frâiche, and vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar and mix well. It should be the consistency of pourable cream; add more milk, if needed (1/2 teaspoon at a time).Line the bottom of a square glass dish layer with the mascarpone-milk mixture.Soak each lady finger cookie one by one in the coffee for about 6-10 seconds, or until the cookie has absorbed enough coffee but it’s still firm enough to set flat in the glass pan.Line the pan with one row of soaked cookies. Next, add the mascarpone mixture and smooth over with a spatula.Repeat this one more time, or until all of the cream and cookies have been used.In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the chocolate shavings. Dust the top layer of the dish with this mixture.Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, or overnight, giving it time to set.Cut and serve chilled either on small plates or in small cups.
While fasting the other day, I overheard someone talking about a magnificent drink that was very tropical in nature and was actually something I had been meaning to make in a long while, stopping short at the inclusion of alcohol, of course. My taste buds were so keen to trying this drink that I searched my cabinets and found everything necessary to make the drink except the ice cream.
Twist my arm to get creamy vanilla ice cream in the heat of the summer….and it’s not even that hot right now.
The ingredients in this super refreshing drink are really quite simple (and you could use lemons instead, making lemonade, or a combination of the two): limes, cane sugar, fresh mint leaves and ice. 
I love these glass bottles and their necks are perfectly paired with most funnels to easily pour liquids into them. 
