Tag Archives: Secret Recipe Club

SRC – Mom Francesca’s Eggplant and Onion Casserole

My Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month of November was The Recipe Taster.  I loved reading how he became interested in food and cooking at a young age:

“My childhood in Sicily was spent splattering colors or sketching on anything at hand and getting dirty with clay or gypsum. Soon though, TV chefs motivated me to take advantage of the free kitchen in those few afternoons that I was left alone at home.  I can still remember the first gooey meringues I prepared; perched on top of a silver presentoir, over a delicately embroidered white linen napkin, they waited on the kitchen table for my parents’ return, a token of gratitude for what they did and will be doing for me.
It wasn’t until I moved to Florence, in 1997, for University that I found myself in charge of my own food. The big city meant exposure to foreign food, new ingredients, new inspirations that fed my ever increasing curiosity. Soon all my house-mates relied on me for their dinners.”

When perusing the blog there were many recipes that were worthy of a feature, however I decided to make “Mom Francesca’s Eggplant and Onion Casserole” for TWO reasons…

  1. I really like eggplant and am always looking for new ways to prepare it.
  2. My mom’s name is Francis and she had Italian as one of her majors in college

It was simply meant to be.

I made the recipe according to the instructions below from The Recipe Taster’s website, with the exception of the olive oil.  I used the tiniest amount to grease the bottom of the casserole and did not drizzle any more oil onto the casserole.  What resulted was a casserole which was a bit dry looking on top after baking, but that was easily remedied by mixing the casserole prior to serving…you won’t even miss the oil and your heart will thank you!

MOM FRANCESCA’S EGGPLANT and ONION CASSEROLE 

Ingredients (serve 4-6 people):

  • 300g onions, mixed red and yellow 
  • 600g eggplant, about 2 medium ones 
  • 45g/1/4cup quinoa 
  • red pepper flakes, to taste (optional) 
  • dried oregano, to taste 
  • 1 small can chopped tomatoes in juice 
  • extra virgin olive oil (I barely used any)
  • 1/3 cup white wine 
  • salt 

Method:

Set your oven to 200C/390F and while it is eating up prepare the vegetables.

Trim the stem and flower ends from the eggplants and cut them into 3-4 drums across their length. Lay the drums cut side down and cut them vertically into planks about 5 mm/1/5″ thick and set aside.

Peel the onions, cut them in half and then into slices about 3mm/1/10″ thick.

To build the casserole, chose an oven-proof dish that could accommodate the ingredients in at least 2 layers. 

Grease the bottom of the dish with about 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (I used about 1/2 of that), place some of the onions on it followed by the eggplants (if the pieces are too wide to fit in, tear them in halves using your hands). Sprinkle the eggplants with some of the quinoa and salt. Add a pinch of oregano, red pepper flakes (if using). Cover with some of the tomato pieces. 

Continue layering the ingredients as described until either the oven dish is filled up or the ingredients run out. 

Finish the casserole with a layer of onions a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Pour the white wine over the vegetables and bake the casserole for about 1h-1h30m or until cooked through. To test for doneness try a piece of eggplant, it should still retain some bite but must be cooked through. Check the casserole every now and then and if the top is browning too fast, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil. 

Baked Casserole Prior to Mixing

Baked Casserole AFTER Mixing

Let the casserole cool down a bit before serving since it will be boiling hot. Coincidentally, this dish is great even served at room temperature. 



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Filed under Gluten Free, Grains, Main Dish, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

CURRY-SPICED POPCORN

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was assigned the blog, Daily Dish Recipes.  Nicole is a mother of 5 teenagers (my hat’s off to her) who has been a food writer since 2003.

I decided to make Curry Movie Popcorn, which she made for another SRC assignment.  I found lots of wonderful recipes on her blog, but somehow I couldn’t get my mind off of that popcorn!

I took her advice and opted to add the spices to the pan prior to cooking the popcorn vs. pouring the melted oil and spice over the popped corn (which is the method she originally tried and didn’t like)…it worked like a charm!

While I generally stay away from oil, the coconut oil adds such a nice flavor and compliments the curry spice.  I did however eliminate the butter from the recipe because it wasn’t necessary.

This was so easy and quick.  I am already coming-up with other flavor combos…anyone want some spicy chipotle popcorn???

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons butter (I omitted)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder (I used 1 tsp Curry Powder & 1 tsp Garam Masala)
  • 1/2 tsp Celtic Salt
  • 1/2 cup (75 g.) popping corn

METHOD

Melt the coconut oil in a pan (make sure it is large enough for the popped corn).  Whisk in the salt, curry powder, and Garam Masala.

Add the popping corn and pop while shaking the pan to avoid burning.

Serve immediately.

10 Comments

Filed under Appetizers, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

SRC – PEACH ICE CREAM

I was assigned the blog, Feeding Andy, for my September Secret Recipe Club assignment.  The blog’s author, Peggy, is a culinary student and her blog follows her progress through school as well as her daily exploits working at Louisville mainstay, Jack Fry’s.

I bookmarked a lot of recipes when trying to decide which recipe I would go with.  Some of the finalists were Rice Pilaf, Spicy Pickled Carrots & Asparagus, and Indian Spiced Lentils.  I ultimately decided to make her Peach & Clove Ice Cream after my latest trip to the farmer’s market since the peaches there were so ripe it felt like I was slapped in the face with their wonderful perfume.

What a perfect Summer dessert!

INGREDIENTS

1-1/3 lbs ripe peaches; peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 peach; peeled, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs. Triple Sec (I dislike the taste of alcohol, so I eliminated it)

1 teaspoon ground cloves (I wanted the flavor of the peaches to take center stage, so I eliminated it)
3/4 cup sugar (I used 2Tbs. SweetLeaf Sugar Leaf stevia/sugar replacement)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 1 single-serve container of So Delicious Vanilla Almond Milk Greek Yogurt)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer)
1/2 cup milk (I used So Delicious non-dairy milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
juice from 1 lime (I used the juice from 2 tangerines)
.

Combine the coarsely chopped peaches and water in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until peaches are soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat.  Mix in SweetLeaf Sugar Leaf stevia, and set aside to cool to room temperature (or speed-up the cooling process with an ice bath).

Add the cooked peach mixture to your high speed blender with yogurt, cream, milk, vanilla, and tangerine juice. Process until smooth. add the finely chopped raw peach and blend VERY briefly so some chunks of peach remain.  Chill thoroughly in refrigerator, about 6-8 hours (or speed-up the process once again by pouring the mixture into a glass jar and cooling it in an ice bath). Once chilled, transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

For a printable version of this recipe click HERE.



11 Comments

Filed under Cooked Fruit, Dessert, Frozen Treats, Fruit, Gluten Free, Ice Cream, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club, Vegan, Vegetarian

SRC – Apple Cinnamon Waffles

This summer is flying by and that is made all the more clear to me by the fact that it is again time for another Secret Recipe Club post.  This month I was assigned Amber’s blog, Bluebonnets and Brownies.  Amber is a true Texan married to a Brit with a shared love of breakfast tacos (who doesn’t love breakfast tacos???).

I had a lot of fun rummaging through her blog and bookmarked more than a few recipes to try.  I ultimately narrowed it down to her Cucumber Tomato Salad, Borracho Beans (which I am DEFINITELY going to make), Oktoberfest BBQ Sauce, and Apple Cinnamon Waffles.  My son and I decided to go with the Apple Cinnamon Waffles and began the process of making them vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.

The results were fantastic.  Apple-cinnamony goodness.

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

INGREDIENTS – Makes 3 to 4 large waffles

3/4 cup all-purpose flour*
1/4 cup cornstarch*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder*
1/4 teaspoon baking soda* (Used a total of 1 cup Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix in lieu of * ingredients)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Used 1 tsp…we really like cinnamon!)

1/2 cup organic skim milk (Used 1 cup almond milk…we needed to use more liquid since working with gluten-free flours)
1 6 oz cup of Apple Cinnamon Chobani Greek Yogurt (Used Almond Dream Plain Yogurt…it is THICK)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (Used a snack size container of applesauce)
1 egg (Used the equivalent of 1 Energ Egg Replacer egg)
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (Used 1 heaping tsp Sweetleaf Sugarleaf)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 apple, peeled & finely diced (we decided to add this to the recipe)

DIRECTIONS

  • In a large bowl, combine pancake mix and cinnamon. Whisk together to combine and aerate.
  • Add the almond milk, yogurt, applesauce, Energ Egg, Sweetleaf Sugarleaf, and vanilla extract directly to the flour mixture. Mix again with the whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and incorporated, and you have a smooth batter.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap for 30 minutes to overnight.  We prepped the batter at night and put it in the refrigerator until morning.
  • When ready to cook, heat your waffle iron. Allowing it to go through its heat cycle a couple of times will ensure crisp waffles.
  • Fold the finely diced apple into the batter.
  • Cook the waffles according to your waffle iron’s instructions.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.



17 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club, Vegan, Vegetarian

SRC – PB BANANA BON BONS

After a one month break from the Secret Recipe Club (SRC) I am thrilled to be back.  I have so much fun participating in this wonderful group.  For those of you unfamiliar, the SRC is a club that was:

“[B]orn from an idea that it’s founder Amanda had one day while trying to come up with ways to bring more exposure to her cooking blog, Amanda’s Cookin’. She thought it would be fun to make a recipe from a friend’s blog and that friend could do the same. But instead of just the two of them, including several others would be even more fun. Plus, it would also help give added exposure to their food blogs. And so it began…”

Their first month yielded 19 participants and now there are hundreds. The concept is simple really. Each month you are “assigned” a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and it’s a secret until reveal day.

This month I was assigned the blog, Baking and Boys, penned by an amazing baker, Katrina.  In her words, “It’s a crazy house full of boys around here with me trying to keep it all together. Ya gotta love it! Welcome to Baking and Boys.”

It didn’t take me  long to choose which recipe I was going to make.  As I explored her blog I zeroed in on her recipe for Healthy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles which she found on a coconut recipe website.  I made this recipe as a surprise for my children during the last week of school.  They were thrilled to come home to it.

But you know me…I had to switch it up a bit by adding some sliced banana and turning these into frozen treats akin to a healthier bon bon.  The other changes I made were to eliminate the added salt and sweetener.  Since the banana slices were nice and ripe, they had a natural sweetness all their own and the chocolate coating was sweet as well.  I also upped the amount of chocolate slightly since adding the banana slices meant the bon bons were slightly larger than the original recipe, meaning more chocolate was needed for coverage.

This recipe came together so quickly, uses simple ingredients, and was a resounding success!!!


INGREDIENTS – Makes 20 bon bons

6 Tbs. organic peanut butter
¼ cup coconut flour
6 ounces Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil
1 banana
.

METHOD

Slice the banana into 20 slices and place them individually on wax or parchment paper.

In a bowl combine the peanut butter and coconut flour using a spoon and eventually your hands.

Using a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon, form the peanut butter mixture into half circles and place one on each banana slice.

Freeze for 30 minutes to one hour.

Once the banana and peanut butter is frozen, heat the chocolate and coconut oil together over a double boiler until completely melted OR in the microwave at 30 second intervals (stirring in between) for approximately 2 minutes.

Insert a toothpick in the top of the bon bon and submerge it in the chocolate.  Shake off the excess and place the bon bon back on the waxed paper.  Continue with the remaining bon bons and place back in the freezer to set.

Serve straight from the freezer.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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Filed under Candy / Fudge, Dessert, Frozen Treats, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Nuts, Quick, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

SRC – PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oat Free)

My how time flies!  Somehow it is already May and brochures have started coming in the mail for summer camps, etc.  I don’t feel ready to plan the summer yet.  I LOVE having my kiddos home with me, but I am sitting here wondering what the heck happened to winter???  Time needs to slow down a bit.

A new month means another Secret Recipe Club assignment and this month’s was a good one.  I was assigned the blog, An Opera Singer in the Kitchen which got me all excited because I had already spent quite a bit of time surfing Noelle’s blog prior to even being assigned it.  We both share similar food styles (she has a fondness for vegan food) and both of us are very into the health aspects of food, so this is a great pairing for me (Click HERE to learn more about Noelle).

There were a LOT of recipes I wanted to try; Fluffy Pumpkin Biscuits, Farmhouse Veggie Burgers, Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic & Mint (A post she did for SRC), Lasagna SoupI could go on and on.

When i sat down to make my final decision I was in a sweet / crunchy kind of mood and decided to make the recipe she posted for Peanut Butter Granola Bars since it looked so AMAZING.  I have always loved peanut butter and I am a granola monster, so I knew this would be a winner.  I had a truckload of gluten-free oats in the pantry, so I thought I was all set to make this recipe and then I found out…I am ALLERGIC TO OATS!!!  I had been suspecting this for a while and during my last appointment with Dr. Galitzer I had him test me and he informed me that my body REALLY doesn’t like oats.

Despite my new found knowledge that I have an oat allergy, I was bound and determined to make this granola bar recipe because I had my heart set on it, so I lugged myself to Mother’s Market on a quest for quinoa flakes.  When I got there I was pleasantly surprised to discover Eden Organic’s Short Grain Brown Rice Flakes (Roasted & Rolled).  These puppies looked very similar to rolled oats.  Score!  They are harder than rolled oats, but that is easily rectified by adding a little bit of liquid.  I made the recipe as listed below with my notes in red.  The next time I make these granola bars (you’d better believe there will be a next time, and a next time, and a next time), I plan on adding 1/4-1/3 cup of liquid (water, fresh juice, nut-based milk) to soften the brown rice flakes even more.

This recipe was a winner…

Peanut Butter Granola Bars
makes 18 bars

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (1 1/2 cups Eden brown rice flakes)
1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
3/4 cup puffed millet cereal (3/4 cup quinoa flakes)
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 cup dried sweet cherries (3/4 cup raisins & 3/4 cup dried cherries)
3/4 cup brown rice syrup
3/4 cup Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (organic peanut butter)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with coconut non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.

In a small bowl add the peanut butter and the brown rice syrup. Place in microwave for 30 seconds (or heat in a saucepan on the stove over low heat…I would add the extra liquid at this point too).

Add the warmed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until evenly distributed.

Pour the mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish. Pat until evenly distributed.  I pressed the granola mixture down as evenly and flatly as I could and then placed an identical pan on top and pressed that down to compact it further and even it out as much as possible.

Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Using a knife, cut into 4×2 inch bars.

NOTE – I accidentally dropped the pan when I was flipping it onto the cutting board (oops!).  The pieces that I couldn’t rescue and make into bars became granola.  I broke them up into a pan and baked them for another 7-10 minutes…delicious!!!

Cool completely and then wrap individually in Saran Wrap or store in a glass container (glass mason jar works perfect for the granola.



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Filed under Breakfast, Cookies / Bars, Dessert, Energy Bars, Gluten Free, Grains, Kid Friendly, Quick, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club

SRC – CHEWY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CAKES (Vegan & Gluten Free)

It is time for April’s Secret Recipe Club post.  This month I was assigned Cupcake Muffin and really enjoyed perusing  Sara’s site.  While Sara and I don’t follow the same nutrition criteria, there were a lot of recipes that I was interested in trying.  She is crazy for curry and the curry recipes she posted looked really good!

I ultimately set my sites on veganizing, healthifying (massive fat reduction), and gluten-freeing her Chewy Chocolate Chunk Brownie recipe which she adapted from Pixelated Crumb.  I highlighted all of the changes that I made to the recipe in RED (see below).  

The brownies that resulted from these recipe changes were really very very good, but I do feel the need to call them brownie “cakes” because the texture more closely resembles that of cake than brownies.  That being said, we couldn’t get enough of these.  I personally think they tasted better the second day.  When eaten straight out of the oven, you can taste the prunes slightly (which I didn’t mind at all), however once they cooled completely the prunes disappeared entirely.

I decided to use my mini crumb cake pan because when I make brownies I like to have nice finished edges on all sides (I’m weird like that).  I also like that using the mini crumb cake pan makes the brownies single serve…though I would have to say that these brownies were HUGE and filling.  Next time I will only put half of the batter in and make two batches vs. one.  If you do this, please adjust the baking time accordingly as they will bake much faster.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Dutch Processed Cocoa
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs boiling hot coffee
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (I used Sweetriot Brand 85% dark chocolate)
4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted (I used babyfood prunes)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs vegetable oil (I used applesauce)
2 lrg eggs + 2 lrg yolks (I used 3 Energ egg replacer “eggs”)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups sugar (I used 1 cup maple syrup)
1 ¾ cups unbleached flour (I used 1 ½ cups King Arthur GFree flour AND 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour)
3/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
6 ounces bittersweet / semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips)
***

Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini crumb cake pan with oil.

Whisk together the cocoa and boiling hot coffee.  Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until melted.  Whisk in the prunes and applesauce.  Add the egg replacer eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup and whisk until smooth.

In a separate bowl whisk together the gluten-free flour, blanched almond flour, salt, and xanthan gum.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well (but don’t over mix).  Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes (if you use half the batter and make two batches, cook for 10-15 minutes and then check with a toothpick to make sure they are done).  Allow the brownie cakes to cool for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

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Filed under Breads / Crackers / Muffins, Cake, Dessert, Gluten Free, Gluten-Free Baking, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

MARCH SRC – Pumpkin Rice Pudding

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Tea and Scones.  Margaret of Tea and Scones has some amazing baking on her site!  While I have to agree with her that scones are amazing, I was drawn to her Pumpkin Rice Pudding recipe.

In her post Margaret mentioned that the recipe made A LOT of rice pudding, so I halved the recipe.  I also took her advice to pump-up the spice a bit.  Since I wanted to veganize the recipe I made the following substitutions; maple syrup for honey and So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk for the cow’s milk.  Lastly, I reduced the amount of sweetener (in my case maple syrup) because in general I do not like my desserts as sweet as most people do.

Life was a bit busy the day I decided to make the rice pudding, so I decided to take a chance and make it in my rice cooker vs. on the stove and then in the oven.  The results were great! As my daughter would say, this recipe was easy peasy lemon squeezy.

INGREDIENTS – Serves 4

½ cup Arborio rice
1 1/2 cup Unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk
1 cup water
½ cup organic canned pumpkin
¼ cup organic maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Place the Arborio rice into the rice cooker.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk to incorporate well.

Pour the mixture into the rice cooker over the Arborio rice and lightly stir.

Program the rice cooker to cook on the “brown rice” setting and press start.

When the rice cooker completes the brown rice cycle, simply mix the pumpkin pudding well and serve either warm or chilled.  The picture immediately below is of the rice pudding prior to stirring and the bottom image is immediately after stirring.

If serving the pudding warm (my favorite way), top with non-dairy milk.  If serving chilled, top with non-dairy whipped cream.  I also love topping the pudding with some raisins.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.



30 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, Grains, Pudding / Mousse, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club, Vegan, Vegetarian

SRC – Microwave Caramel Popcorn

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Barbara Bakes.  Barbara has amassed quite the following and I can see why.  My mouth was drooling while searching through her recipes as I went from one decadent recipe to another decadent recipe.

Ultimately I settled on the Microwave Caramel Corn recipe that I stumbled upon (Barbara got this recipe from Real Mom Kitchen).  I know… not the healthiest, but I did make it healthIER than it originally was.  For years my sister would make the most amazing caramel corn during the holidays and it looked pretty labor intensive.  This was so EASY!  I was dancing around the kitchen when I finished making it because it was so much FUN and an absolute breeze to make.  It’s official, I am a complete cooking geek.

I ended-up making this recipe twice.  The first time I made the caramel corn I made it pretty true to form albeit veganizing it by switching out the butter for Earth Balance and using brown rice syrup in place of  the corn syrup.  I also used more popcorn and trust me, there was still more than enough caramel on each piece of popcorn.  The end result was VERY tasty, however my husband even commented that he didn’t think there needed to be as much butter.

The second time I made it I cut the amount of butter IN HALF (down from 1 stick to 1/2 a stick) and added 2 Tbs water to the recipe in order to replace the liquid from the missing butter.  I also used EVEN MORE POPCORN and the results were great!  My kids didn’t even notice the difference and loved it as much as the first time I made it.

Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter (I used vegan Earth Balance)
1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup organic brown sugar & 1/2 cup turbinado raw cane sugar)
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I used brown rice syrup)
2 Tbs. water
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2-4 quarts popped popcorn (all just depends on how coated you want your popcorn) (I used 4 1/2 quarts of AIR popped popcorn)

.

1.  In a large, microwave-safe bowl, microwave vegan butter, brown sugar, water, brown rice  syrup, and salt on high for 2½ to 3 minutes until bubbling.

2.  Remove from microwave and mix in baking soda.

3.  Put popped popcorn in a paper grocery sack and pour caramel over popcorn.

4.  Fold down top of grocery sack and put in the microwave.

5.  Microwave on high for 1 minute and 20 seconds.

6.  Take sack out of microwave and shake to evenly coat the popcorn.

7.  Pour out on cookie sheet to cool.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.



20 Comments

Filed under Dessert, Holidays, Kid Friendly, Quick, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club, Vegan, Vegetarian

SRC – Broccoli Red Pepper “Cheddar” Chowder

It’s time again for another Secret Recipe Club post.  I was so excited when I was assigned The Mommy Bowl because I am a follower of her blog and we have been leaving comments on each other’s blogs for some time now.  Reading the tagline of Deanna’s blog, “Filled with the gluten-free, dairy-free good stuff,” you know that she and I have A LOT in common.

There were so many great recipes to choose from, but I ultimately decided to make one of her wonderfully nourishing chowder recipes since this season is filled with so many sweets and treats.  I also had all but one of the ingredients (I didn’t have tahini) on hand  for her Broccoli Red Pepper “Cheddar” Chowder, so the decision was made.

I doubled the recipe since I had quite a bit of broccoli in the freezer, eliminated the coconut oil, and substituted cashew butter for tahini, but otherwise I made the recipe as written and it was great.  This chowder served as lunch for me for most of the week.

Thanks Deanna!

INGREDIENTS

1 T. coconut oil (Use water instead to sauté.  Add more if veggies stick)
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 1/4 cups gluten-free veggie broth
1 t. whole mustard seed
1/2 t. ground mustard seed
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
A few generous grinds of pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 small head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 T. tahini (I used cashew butter)
1 T. lemon juice or more to taste

In a 2 quart kettle, heat the onions, red pepper, potato, mustard seed and cumin. Sauté several minutes until onions begin to soften (add water if the vegetables begin to stick).  Add the garlic.

Add the broth and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and continue to simmer until potatoes are soft and broccoli is tender. Remove from heat.

Using a stick blender or regular blender, puree the soup. If you so desire, you can scoop out a few pieces of broccoli before you puree it. Leave some chunks since this is a chowder, not a cream soup.

Add the nutritional yeast, cashew butter and lemon juice.  Salt and pepper to taste if desired (I didn’t).

For a printable version of this recipe click HERE.



14 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Recipes, Secret Recipe Club, Soup, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian