Tag Archives: gluten free

April 26, 2011 · 1:15 pm

APRICOT OATMEAL – TO GO

I am always trying to think of ways to get my family out the door in the morning (on time) without sacrificing a healthy breakfast.  That goal is what inspired this recipe.  My daughter is an oatmeal addict, so on the weekends I make a batch of these and then during the week when we are running late (which is often lately…she must be growing because she keeps sleeping-in!) I grab a few of these and she eats them on the way to school.

As you can see from the picture above, the texture of these muffins is the same as thick oatmeal and not like a typical muffin. 

INGREDIENTS – Makes 12

1 cup old fashioned oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)

2 ½ cups water

½ cup applesauce (I used my crock pot applesauce)

1 tsp  Frontier Natural Products Vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

4 stevia packets

1/3 cup oat bran

10 dried apricots, finely diced

3 dates, chopped

2/3 cup almond flour

coconut or grapeseed oil

 ~

Preheat oven to 325°.

Place the oats, water, applesauce, vanilla, almond extract, stevia, and oat bran in a pot and cook until thick (about 5-10 minutes).

Add the apricots, dates, and almond flour.  Mix well. 

Turn off the heat and place the lid on the pot.  Let sit covered for 10 minutes to thicken even more.  

*** If you want the dates and apricots to be more firm, add them now vs. earlier ***

Grease muffin tins with oil.  Scoop the oatmeal mixture into the muffin tins.  Push down the top of the oatmeal so it is flat.

Bake for 40 minutes (turning half-way through bake time).  Cool for 10 minutes and then place on racks to cool to room temperature.

 

Store the oatmeal in the fridge once cooled.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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Filed under Breakfast, Gluten Free, Grains, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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April 16, 2011 · 2:14 pm

GUEST BLOG – Gluten Free CrĂŞpes by Allyson of Manifest Vegan

Today’s Guest Blog is from Allyson Kramer of Manifest Vegan.  Manifest Vegan was named by VegNews Magazine as one of their Top 10 Picks for Veg Blogs (In their July-August 2010 issue)! 

“Manifest Vegan was created in September of 2009 to help get rid of that pesky stereotype that vegan food is un-palatable, overly digestible, and well…. limited to only tofu and salad. Although I love tofu and salad of all sorts, I aim to show you all so much more. Vegan eating is easy, and really not limiting at all.  With Manifest Vegan I want to bring inspiration into your kitchen with recipes for deliciously compassionate eats!”

A few days ago I was asked by a very sweet gal if I could make a crĂŞpe that was, of course, both vegan and gluten free.

Here’s one variation of a crêpe recipe I have been kickin’ around for a while.  It’s a touch lighter and airier than an “eggy”, glutinous crêpe; but, it is still very delicious.

This recipe works great for both sweet and savory filled crĂŞpes.

 

Gluten Free Vegan CrĂŞpes

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup potato starch
  • 1/3 cup sorghum flour
  • 3 tsp enerG egg replacer, dry (not mixed with any water)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Sift together cornstarch, potato starch, sorghum flour, enerG egg replacer powder and salt.  Stir in non-dairy milk, water, and olive oil. Whisk  for about 30 seconds until thoroughly combined.

Making crêpes is very similar to making pancakes… except one thing I have always done was refrigerate the batter before using. I actually stumbled upon this technique by accident while making my first batch of vegan crêpes, about 10 years ago. Wow, time flies, eh?  I made up a gigantic amount of batter for those crêpes, and since I was cooking them only for myself, I wound up using only a bit of it. Not being wasteful, I refrigerated the rest of the batter to use the next morning for breakfast. The crêpes the next day were 100% better than the batch the day before. They cooked up nice and golden brown and more even textured (less “holey”) than the one’s I had made the day before

Since then I have discovered that many people make crêpes this way… so I guess there’s a method to that madness.

Anyways, refrigerate your batter for at least a couple of hours (preferably overnight).  Lightly spritz with cooking oil, or smear with a touch of margarine as often as needed during the crêpe making process- if you are using non-stick pan, omit this step.

Preheat the pan over medium-high heat.

Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot pan while tilting the pan to make the batter form a circle (do this off of the heat). This part is kind of hard to explain in words, but is very easy to do. Basically you are trying to create an even and thin layer of batter as quickly as possible so that the crĂŞpe ends up thin and delicate and shaped like a circle. After all these years, I still have trouble getting them to form perfect circles every time. :\

Cook until the crêpe is lightly browned on one side and then flip. This usually takes about a minute or so. The edges will curl up nicely and you will have no problems getting a thin spatula underneath it to flip. Don’t force it though, like a pancake- they will be messy if you get impatient!

Cook the opposite side about 40 seconds to another minute, or until lightly golden brown.

Repeat until all batter is used.

Fill immediately with whatever your heart desires and wrap it all up.

Serve immediately…

I chose to saute up some shiitakes, criminis and oyster mushrooms with about 3 tsp of fresh thyme. Once the mushrooms were nice and tender I threw in about a handful of fresh baby spinach and cooked it just until it wilted. I wrapped it all up in the crĂŞpe, and- keeping with my crazy Autumn obsession- topped it with a puree of acorn squash, miso, and a few tablespoons of almond milk. Then I topped the whole thing with some sliced almonds.

My son opted to have his filled with peanut butter, sliced bananas, strawberries, and flax seed with a touch of powdered sugar sprinkled on top. I really should have gotten a photo of that, but it was gone in an instant.

Here’s another shot of my savory crêpe:

 

Honestly, I could probably stick any old thing in a crêpe and still find it palatable. I kinda have an obsession with crêpes. I seriously don’t make these things nearly as often as I should.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

5 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Guest Blog, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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April 11, 2011 · 1:56 pm

MACARONI and CHEESE – Vegan, Dairy, and Gluten Free

My kids LOVE macaroni and cheese.  When my family became dairy free and my daughter became gluten free on top of that, I knew I needed to come-up with a yummy dairy and gluten free version.  Thank goodness for Daiya brand cheese!  It melts so well and provides my mac and cheese with such a great flavor.  This recipe is also made that much better by the fact that So Delicious makes an amazing unsweetened coconut milk that totally replaces the “regular” milk in this recipe (and any other recipe).  I can’t give So Delicious enough praise…their products are truly amazing!!!

I know this is a good mac and cheese recipe because the neighborhood boys (neither dairy OR gluten free) completely devour it whenever I make it.

One word of caution…Daiya is high in fat (at least it is not the animal-based kind!), but not nearly as high in fat as dairy based cheese.  This is definitely a “treat” meal in my house.  I recently spent some time up in Northern California because my dad had a DOUBLE knee replacement (he is such a rock star!).  My kids were troopers while I was gone, so I promised I would make them this mac and cheese recipe when I came home.  I think they thought it was a very fair trade-off for having mom gone for so long.

INGREDIENTS
16oz package of elbow macaroni (I used Quinoa)
2 pkgs shredded Daiya Cheese (I use one pkg cheddar and one mozzarella)
2 1/2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste ( approx.1-1 ½ tsp)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta about 5 minutes until it’s just tender. Don’t cook all the way or it will fall apart when you bake it.
3. Drain pasta and transfer to glass baking dish.
4. Bring the Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk to a low boil.


5. Add the Daiya cheeses, pepper, and salt to the warmed milk.  Allow everything to melt (stir constantly so it does not burn).

6. Pour the melted milk/cheese mixture into the pasta and mix well.

7. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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April 1, 2011 · 1:44 pm

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS – Gluten Free

Blueberry muffins are a classic that most people love.  When we found out my daughter needed to eat gluten free I bought many different brands of already prepared gluten free blueberry muffins and, how can I say this nicely, they were the texture of dense bricks.

In an effort to duplicate a “real” blueberry muffin (in gluten free form), I went into the kitchen and began experimenting.  I worked on this recipe for a long time tweaking it and making modifications and this is now my tried and true blueberry muffin recipe.

Start off your Saturday by making some blueberry muffins and then head off to a Farmer’s Market.

INGREDIENTS

Wet Ingredients

1 ½ cups or one 10 oz. bag of frozen organic blueberries

2 Ener G egg replacer eggs

1/3 cup agave syrup

1/3 cup coconut sugar

½ cup applesauce

2 Tbs. grapeseed oil

1 six oz. So Delicious Coconut Yogurt (vanilla flavor)

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

Âľ cup blanched almond flour

½ cup buckwheat flour

ÂĽ cup flaxseed meal

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp xanthum gum

½ tsp salt

~

Preheat oven to 375°

Cover the frozen blueberries with warm water to help them thaw.  Once the blueberries have thawed, strain out the liquid.

Whisk together the wet ingredients (with the exception of the blueberries).

In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Once the batter is mixed thoroughly, fold in the thawed blueberries.

Grease the muffin tins with grapeseed or coconut oil (I used coconut oil and spread it with my silicone basting brush).

Divide the batter evenly into 12 muffin tins.

Lick the bowl…

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  A toothpick poked into the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Remove the muffin pan from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove the muffins from the tins and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely (DO NOT leave the muffins in the muffin pan to cool completely…the muffins will become soggy.).

When you do gluten free baking it is very important to allow the food to cool completely.  When gluten free baked goods come out of the oven the texture can be gooey.  Once cooled, the texture will firm-up and become the same as “normal” baked goods.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

10 Comments

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March 29, 2011 · 1:34 pm

FRESH MEX CORN SALAD

I am so happy that Spring is here!  Although it isn’t quite April yet, we definitely are experiencing the “showers” part.  Now that Spring has arrived, the amazing produce Spring brings has started making its way into farmer’s markets and the grocery stores…yay! 

While I do cook this salad slightly, it would be very good completely raw as well.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups freshly cut corn (I used 8 small ears)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

½ head cilantro, chopped

1 ½ cups jicama, diced

1 lime

1 tsp olive oil

½-1 tsp ground cumin

salt to taste

pepper to taste

 ~

Pour the tsp of olive oil into a pan.  Over medium heat lightly sauté the onions and peppers for 2 minutes (you want to maintain their crunch).  Add the corn and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Squeeze in the juice of the lime and turn off the heat.  Salt and pepper the mixture to taste.  Sprinkle in the cumin and mix well.  Add the cilantro and jicama and mix thoroughly.

Let the freshness of the ingredients speak for itself.  Do not overpower the salad by adding too many spices.

This salad tastes phenomenal accompanied by flavorful black beans…I ate this for lunch three days in a row!

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

5 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Main Dish, Recipes, Salad, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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March 21, 2011 · 2:16 pm

MUSHROOM ROSEMARY DINNER PANCAKES

I was inspired to make these dinner pancakes while reading through Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian.  Using chickpea / garbanzo bean flour as a base for the pancake is a great way to incorporate more protein into a meal.  These pancakes were light, yet satisfying.  I served my pancakes with lightly dressed steamed kale (click here to see my latest kale post)

INGREDIENTS

PANCAKE
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
½ tsp Himalayan salt
1 cup water (or liquid from the reconstituted mushrooms)
3 Tbs. olive oil
.
TOPPING
2 heads roasted garlic
½ cup dried mushroom mix, chopped once reconstituted
½ large onion, sliced into moons and caramelized
1-2 tsp oil
½ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
½ tsp. Himalayan salt
pepper to taste

 ~

Set the oven to broil.

Pour hot water over the mushrooms to reconstitute.  I bought my mix at Costco (by a company called Shiitake-Ya).

Place the garbanzo bean flour and salt ina a mixing bowl.  Use a whisk and incorporate well.  Combine well with the water (or 1 cup of cooled liquid from the reconstituted mushrooms) and olive oil.  Once mixed well, set aside for 30 minutes.

Place the onion and 2 tsp. of oil in a sauté pan and caramelize.

Mix together the roasted garlic, chopped mushrooms, salt, pepper, and ½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary.

Pour 1/3 cup of pancake batter into a lightly greased pan (spread out the batter).  While the pancake begins to cook, top it with some of the topping mixture.  Once the pancake has browned, set it aside until all of the pancakes are browned and ready to go into the oven.

Once all of the pancakes have been browned, place them directly on the oven rack (not on a cookie sheet) under the broiler for 8-10 minutes (you may need to rotate them after 4-5 minutes).  Broiling the pancakes will make sure that the batter on the top cooks through.

Serve with a nice salad or some steamed veggies on the side.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

14 Comments

Filed under Breads / Crackers / Muffins, Gluten Free, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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March 16, 2011 · 2:19 pm

SHIRATAKI MIRACLE NOODLES

Image Courtesy of Miracle Noodle

Image Courtesy of Miracle Noodle

I came across the Shirataki Miracle Noodles some time ago and have become a real fan.  These noodles are calorie free, gluten free, and soy free…say what???????  It’s true. 

The noodles are made from the flour of the konnyaku imo root.  According to Miracle Noodle:

* made of naturally water soluble fiber with no fat, sugar, or starch.
* contain zero net carbohydrates and zero calories, no gluten -made of a healthy natural fiber called Glucomannan.
* wheat & gluten free and kosher.
* Easily absorbs the flavors of any soup, dish, or sauce.
* are instant and come in a variety of styles
* have shown beneficial effects backed by medical studies for Type II Diabetes, Constipation, Obesity, and Cholesterol!
I have not seen the noodles in the store.  I purchase them from the website and then store the noodles in the pantry.  The noodles are really easy to cook with and they really do take on the flavor of whatever sauce you put them with.  Keep in mind that the texture is different than a traditional pasta…I’d equate it more to the texture of mung bean noodles.
My favorite Miracle Noodle is the Angel Hair Pasta, but I am looking forward to trying their new Black Shirataki (It looks like a great buckwheat noodle substitute).
Angel Hair Pasta

Angel Hair Pasta

Black Shirataki

Black Shirataki

To purchase the noodles click here.

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March 13, 2011 · 2:45 pm

ALMOND PULP CRACKERS – Guest Blog from Elena’s Pantry

 

photo provided courtesy of elanaspantry.com

photo provided courtesy of elanaspantry.com

Elana Amsterdam of Elana’s Pantry is a gluten free cooking and baking genius.  Her book, The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook, is amazing!  Elana was motivated to become gluten free when she and her son were diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  To go to her blog click here.

These crackers are vegan and gluten free, so I know you will love them.

~

I’m a bit of a cracker-a-holic.  I think the quest for crunchy food intensifies when one goes gluten free. So, I’ve made a habit of baking crackers at least once a week, if not more.  However, many cracker thieves dwell in my abode.  As quickly as I make crackers they disappear.  Therefore, some weeks, the cracker quest continues day in and day out.

Crackers made with almond flour (or in this case almond milk pulp, more on that in a minute) are highly nutritious and slightly addictive.  They’re perfect with any number of spreads including Homemade Goat Cheese, Fig Tapenade, Sesame Dip or Savory Avocado Spread.

These particular Almond Pulp Crackers are a bit of a recycled treat.  I know that sounds odd, maybe even unappetizing, though let me explain.

After I make Almond Milk I use the leftover pulp of the almonds to create these delicious, high fiber crackers.  Seasoned with fresh thyme, they’re vegan, gluten free and super healthy.  If you make them in your dehydrator (I don’t have one) they’re even raw.  I bake mine in the oven on low to preserve as many of the live enzymes in them as possible, though because my oven doesn’t go lower than 135° technically they are not raw.  Still, they’re good.

photo provided courtesy of elanaspantry.com

photo provided courtesy of elanaspantry.com

INGREDIENTS

1 cup firmly packed almond pulp
2 tablespoons flax meal
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Roll dough into a ball, press between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to ÂĽ inch thickness
  3. Remove top piece of parchment paper
  4. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
  5. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
  6. Bake at 135° for at least 20 hours, or until crunchy
  7. Let crackers come to room temperature on baking sheet, then serve

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

To view the original post on Elana’s Pantry click here.

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March 7, 2011 · 6:02 pm

BANANA BREAD OATMEAL

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Banana Bread Oatmeal

This recipe is so simple.  My daughter is an oatmeal fiend, so first thing in the morning I gather my oatmeal ingredients and put it on the stove to cook.  This allows me to let it cook while I sit down at the computer and put my daily plan together (before the kids wake-up).  By the time my daughter comes downstairs for breakfast the oatmeal is ready, thickened, and cooled down enough for her to eat.

I have MANY oatmeal variations, but this is the current favorite in our house…it feels like the favorite flavor rotates every few weeks.  Maybe it will become one of your new favorites…

INGREDIENTS

1 cup rolled oats (We use Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten Free Rolled Oats)

1 1/2 cups water

1 banana, sliced

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 packets of Sweetleaf stevia

Photo Courtesy of Bob's Red Mill

Photo Courtesy of Bob's Red Mill

 

As I said, this recipe is so simple.  Pour all of the ingredients into a small pot on medium heat and bring it to a boil.  Once the oatmeal comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer until you reach your desired consistency.

Top with coconut sugar or maple syrup and chopped nuts (I used my Apple Pie Infused Pecans).  We also love to add some homemade almond milk (the plain version).

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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Filed under Gluten Free, Grains, Kid Friendly, Quick, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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February 24, 2011 · 11:53 pm

VEGGIES and WHOLE GRAINS THAT KIDS WILL LOVE – Guest Blog by Alexandra Jamieson

Alexandra Jamieson

Alexandra Jamieson

I first became aware of Alexandra Jamieson while watching the documentary Super Size Me.  Due to her vast knowledge base as a professionally trained healthy gourmet chef and certified health and nutrition counselor, Alexandra was the right person for the job when it came to whipping Morgan Spurlock back into shape after he gorged himself on fast food for the documentary.  She successfully accomplished the task at hand and that led to her book, The Great American Detox Diet.  She has also penned Living Vegan For Dummies and Vegan Cooking For Dummies.

Alexandra Jamieson has been featured on Oprah, The Final Word, 30 Days and The National Health Test with Bryant Gumble, and the award-winning documentary Super Size Me.

Alexandra is now married to Morgan and they have a young son Laken which gives her great insight into tips and tricks for getting young children to eat and enjoy healthy food.

To learn more about Alexandra and the services she offers click here. 

I hope you enjoy her contribution…

Kid Friendly Grain Molds

Kid Friendly Grain Molds

Even though I stock my house with natural food, keep fresh fruit on the table at all times, and offer healthy snacks at every turn, my son sometimes turns his nose up to my offerings.

I’ve noticed that Laken refuses beans in almost every state lately. He’ll eat lentil soup, but when presented with home cooked chickpeas, sauteed pintos or black bean soup, I invariably hear “I don’t like beans, Mama!” This is a little upsetting because I think he needs beans on a regular basis for protein and minerals. Eating a variety of beans provides iron, potassium and zinc, and I don’t like to feed him soy every day. Yes, he eats some tofu and organic, unsweetened soy yogurt, but I would rather not go overboard on the soy products.

I’m going to assume it’s just a phase – just like the four month stretch when he decided he didn’t like avocados anymore. Funny, he happily devoured avocados daily for 2.5 years, then one day decided they were no longer acceptable. It was probably my insistence that he “liked them before” that made him refuse.

A few weeks ago I started making mixtures of veggies, beans and whole grains and pressing them into kid-friendly shapes using these awesome Japanese sushi molds and nori paper punches. If anyone knows how to make food cute, it’s the Japanese!

Knowing that marketing to kids works (see Super Size Me!) when it comes to junk food, I thought “why can’t marketing healthy food work too?”

The recipe is really easy, and my son happily ate several pieces for dinner. Here’s how it works:

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (any beans would work)

1 cup cooked whole grain (brown rice, quinoa, etc)

Directions:

– Saute the olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, and beans with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes over medium heat. I like to use a cast iron skillet which lends some iron content to the final dish.

– Combine the cooked veggies, beans and grain in a food processor and pulse 10 times.

– Press the veggie and grain mixture into the molds and hand pack them. Place molded animals on a plate and use the nori paper punch to create mineral rich nori eyes and a mouth.

These healthy, yummy grain animals are a perfect snack or side dish with some steamed veggies.

You can order sets like this by clicking here.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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