Tag Archives: gluten-free

Kaffir Lime infused Thai Red Curry

Posted on May 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

This is hands-down one of my favorite meals that my hubby makes me, and last night I finally got him to jot down the details of his recipe! He makes his curry with roughly a pound of baked tofu (plain) and roughly 4 cups of mixed veggies- our usual favorites involve green beans, thinly sliced napa cabbage, onions, peppers, and carrots. He says it’s the best with fresh lime juice squirted on top just before serving, and I couldn’t agree more. We make ours with pre-made, shrimp-free red curry paste, but a homemade curry paste would likely make this even more divine.

Kaffir Lime Infused Thai Red Curry

12 kaffir lime leaves -minced
6 cloves garlic – chopped
4 scallions – chopped 
1 Thai chili pepper, or more, depending on the heat you like
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce 
red curry paste (I use 4 + tbsp)
12oz coconut milk
2 tbsp sweetener (agave) OR 1 tbsp palm sugar

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until mixed. In a large pan or your wok, stir fry your veggies until just softened. Pour the curry over your veggies and bring to a simmer. Check for heat, add some lime juice, and serve over brown rice.

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Posted in Gluten Free, vegetables

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Summer Salad Season is Here!

Posted on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

We finally shook off winter in Minneapolis, and jumped right into the 90′s on Tuesday, because well, why not? I prepped well by making huge cold salads and buying tons of fresh fruit to nibble on this week. I’m also being extra dutiful to make sure I’m drinking plenty of water, and propping my feet up whenever I can to prevent swelling. With the return of beautiful a.m. weather I started walking the 2 miles to work a few times a week to make sure that I’m getting cardio in to prep my body for my upcoming labor- August is coming fast!

Earthy Pesto Pasta Salad

makes 6-10 servings

1 12oz bag Gluten Free Fusilli

1/2 pint sugarplum tomatoes, halved

1 lb tempeh, cubed

1 cup vegetable stock

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 medium beets, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes

1/2 lb dino kale, de-stemmed and cut into 1 inch slices

2 tbs capers, drained

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 cups packed basil

2 handfulls of raw almonds

1 tbs nutritional yeast

olive oil

salt

pepper

Toss the beets in some olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 until soft- I used my toaster oven and it took roughly 20 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool. While the beets are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Rinse well under cold water when done. Place the tempeh, balsamic vinegar, and veggie stock on a wide skillet and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and steam until the liquids have been absorbed. Remove the lid, add some olive oil, and pan fry until golden before setting aside.

To make the pesto, combine the lemon juice, basil, almonds, and nutritional yeast in a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the nuts. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, some pepper, and then turn the machine back on. Stream in enough olive oil to make a slightly smooth paste. Now, add in either water, or more olive oil until the consistency is at your liking.

Place the kale into a serving bowl. Pour in the pesto, and either with tongs or clean hands, massage the dressing into to the kale to help wilt it. Toss in the rest of the ingredients and fold until well mixed and coated with pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill well before serving.

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Posted in Gluten Free, pasta, salad, side dishes, Vegan Pregnancy

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Insta-foodporn- Spring so far.

Posted on May 11, 2013 | 2 Comments

My ‘eat like I’m pregnant’ moment at The Seward Cafe. Hasbrowns Supreme, a Righteous Pancake, and a Tahini Almond Cookie, all while basking in the sunshine on their patio. I barely dented the pancake, lol.
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I’ve become a devotee of Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix. It seems like no matter what I do to tweak the recipe, they come out perfect every time. My secret is to add 1 tablespoon ground chia and 1 tablespoon melted earth balance to every 1 1/2 c dry mix. Then, I mix in whatever fruits or nuts my heart desires- chopped small- and add enough almond milk to make a smooth, slightly thin batter. I let it rest for 5 minutes, check the consistency, and start cooking. I ignore the suggested liquid amount on the bag- when it’s thick, the cakes get dense and never cook all the way through. These little short stacks were stuffed with bananas, cinnamon, and ginger, and were topped with white fig jam.
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Falafel! I always use Mark Bittmans recipe- essentially you soak chickpeas overnight and then grind them down with tahini, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and coriander. A generous sprinkling of salt in the batter is crucial.
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Tacos, of course!
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Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Spinach. I’m adding greens and legumes to just about everything I eat to ensure I have good iron and protein levels. I started with 2 cans of sauce, onions, garlic, and seasonings, and added 2 cups of chickpeas to it. Once it came up to a bubble, I added 1 1/2 cups of packed, finely chopped spinach to it, and continued to simmer the sauce until the spinach was tender.
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Tofu Benedict with Spinach. I’ve made this before, and its so, so good! The vegan hollandaise sauce is really rich, so I added extra lemon to it this time.
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Tempeh Chimichurri from The Post Punk Kitchen. The chimichurri sauce was so fresh and savory I found myself scraping the bowl over tacos days later. I served them with cachapas, black beans, and kale from Terry Hope Romero’s book Viva Vegan.

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All of this has made for a very happy vegan baby belly.

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Posted in breakfast, cookbooks, Gluten Free, mexican, pasta, restaurant, Uncategorized, Vegan Pregnancy, vegetables, websites i love

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Tofu Omelettes, a success!

Posted on April 14, 2013 | 1 Comment

I finally found a tofu based omelette recipe that turned out! I used this recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, quadrupled it, and added 1/4 cup of chickpea flour to the batter just for the extra sturdiness- the idea to add chickpea flour came from a similar recipe on the PPK.  I also neglected to add tahini and soymilk, so it’s safe to say they aren’t crucial- or at least for my version. I also found that having the pan so hot that the tofu splattered a bit when added made for the best results, as did cooking the omelette until dry on top before adding the filling. Next time, I’d add even more chickpea flour to see if i can give the texture a little more bite.  I filled mine with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, grape tomatoes, and cashew cheese and enjoyed every last bite.

Edit: Just nuked one for lunch today, and it held up beautifully! I could even imagine making a big stack of these, and layering them between sheets of parchment to have ready for a brunch party. I’d even go as far as to suggest warming them in the oven at 300 for ten minutes before folding over a warmed filling, or just reheating them in a very nonstick pan!

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Posted in blogs i love, breakfast, Gluten Free

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Vegan Baby and Bridal Shower Menu Ideas

Posted on April 4, 2013 | 1 Comment

I’m not trying to throw hints out there for my own benefit folks, but damn if there’s anything that I don’t love more in this world than cute, tiny food, and cute party food in general. I was talking to some friends about showers and where they can go awry, and we decided that one of the foundations of a great shower shouldn’t be what cheesy games you play or how many people you can invite; showers should be an intimate gathering of the mom/bride to-be’s closest friends where you can treat her by splurging a little on beautiful food from your local patisserie, or creating a menu tailored to her favorite foods or cravings. When planning a shower for someone who’s vegan, or vegan and gluten free, it can be hard to find options at your local baker, or co-op depending on your area- I can’t find both gluten free and vegan treats anywhere in Minneapolis. In those cases, making a few treats and eats from scratch will not only save you money, but your guest of honor will feel extra special that you went the extra mile for her. You could even ask each guest as they RSVP if they wouldn’t mind making a recipe that you send to them, or keep a note next to the avid bakers on the guest list. Keep in mind that not everything needs to be ‘from scratch’ either. I’ve found multiple brands of gluten free and vegan crackers at Costco, and hummus, tapenade, and dairy- free pesto are easy finds in most any deli. For those who can get crafty in the kitchen, I scoured my favorite blogs and pinterest for summer friendly shower treats, salads, and snacks that look as beautiful as they taste. Some are more labor intensive, and some are as simple as cracking open a can of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and opening a loaf of bread.
* Not all adorable options are gluten free, (GF) options marked


These little raw lemon tartlettes from Fragrant Vanilla Cake look so refreshing! (GF)

Coconut Macaroons from The Vagabond Baker (GF)

Berry Creme Tart with Coco Olive Crust from The Post Punk Kitchen

photo: freepeople

photo: freepeople


Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Tarts with Whipped Coconut Cream (GF)
So sexy!

Easy Vegan Lemon Bars from 86Lemons.com (GF)

photo:sweet miscellany

photo:sweet miscellany


Lemony Macaroon Cups with Blueberry Compote (GF)
Can you tell I adore lemon?!

Vegan Yum Yum makes some awesome little finger sandwiches!

Chickpea Radish Hors Doeuvres from Vegan Yum Yum (GF)

Blackened Tomato Canapés from Vegan Yum Yum

Cute Cucumber Tea Sandwiches from Vegan Yum Yum
*Both could potentially be gluten free if you find or make an awesome gluten free vegan bread

Spring Chickenless Salad from Manifest Vegan (GF)

Photo: Alyson Kramer at Manifest Vegan

Photo: Alyson Kramer at Manifest Vegan

This looks filling, and totally inviting.

Gluten Free Focaccia from Manifest Vegan (GF)

Spicy Cilantro Crackers from Manifest Vegan (GF)

Melon salad with Mint and Lime from The PPK (GF)

Photo Credit: Isa Chandra @ The PPK

Photo Credit: Isa Chandra @ The PPK


Deviled Potatoes from The PPK (GF)
Ok, I’ll admit that I’ve been craving deviled eggs and potato salad like a mo-fo lately, and this essentially combines the two into a very delectable looking appetizer.
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Blackened Tempeh Wraps with Chipotle Ranch from Fork and Beans (GF) Would make a substantial nosh.

goat Raw Vegan Goat Cheese from Fork and Beans (GF)
Now, maybe grandma wouldn’t go for anything with the words ‘vegan’, and “cheese” in them, so just tell her it’s “awesome cashew pesto dip”. Everybody likes dip, right?

photo: Alyson Kramer @ Manifest Vegan

photo: Alyson Kramer @ Manifest Vegan


Lastly, Chocolate Covered Potato Chips from Manifest Vegan (GF), because the idea of chocolate covered potato chips sounds like the best thing to happen since peanut butter and jelly.

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Posted in appetizer, baked goods ect, blogs i love, can be Gluten Free, dips and such, Gluten Free, salad, sandwich, side dishes, snacks, Uncategorized, Vegan Pregnancy, vegetables, websites i love

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My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie

Posted on April 2, 2013 | 1 Comment

I’ve been riding the smoothie train for the past few weeks, and I have no intentions of getting off any time soon! This is one of my favorite concoctions to date; It’s not low calorie due in part to my addition of peanut butter and yogurt, but you could always leave those out if you’d like, or substitute a low calorie protein powder. *This gem is super filling thanks to 14 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber, and has 78% of my daily requirement for calcium, 18% of my iron, 50% of my potassium, and more than enough of the vitamin c I need to help absorb my iron- win!

Dreamy Creamy Breakfast Smoothie
Makes 1

1 small banana, broken into pieces
1/2 c Frozen Mango Cubes
1/2 C frozen Strawberries
1/2 C Amande Almond Yogurt- Plain
1 TBS Chia Seeds
2 TBS Creamy Natural Peanut Butter- opt
1 C Almond Breeze unsweetened almondmilk

Blend everything until smooth and drink ASAP

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*According to the My Fitness Pal app this has a whopping 656 calories?! It rates a small banana as having 220 calories, which I find hard to believe, but regardless, it still would hover around the 400 mark without one, making this a meal and definitely not a snack.

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Posted in breakfast, Gluten Free, smoothies, Vegan Pregnancy

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Super Easy Raw Mini Blood Orange Cheesecake Bites!

Posted on March 28, 2013 | 2 Comments

I was poking around the fridge looking for a snack when I spotted a cup of raw cashews soaking that I had completely forgot about! I didn’t have any plans for the cashews when I soaked them; I more or less was clearing out room in the pantry and I figured that I’d think of something good to do with them- so I did! I took stock of what was in the fridge and found medjool dates, raw almonds, and blood oranges, so I decided to take my first stab at raw cheesecake!

 

Blood Orange Mini Cheesecake bites

Makes roughly 16 bites

Filling:

1 c raw cashews, soaked overnight for best results, or at least 6 hours

1 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract, or the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean

the juice and zest of one tennis ball sized blood orange

1 tsp coconut oil

Crust

1 c raw almonds

6 large pitted medjool dates

pinch salt

Toss the almonds into the bowl of your food processor and start grinding them down into a coarse meal. Slowly rip your dates into pieces and toss them in, one by one, until lightly sticky, and finely ground. You may need more or less dates depending on how large they are. Ps- don’t throw in the pits! Add a nice pinch of salt before stopping the machine and scraping your crust into a bowl.

Wipe out the work bowl and toss in the cashews (drained). Start processing until a smooth paste forms, and add in the coconut oil, vanilla, and slowly stream in the orange juice. Puree until as smooth as humanly possible, and pulse in the zest at the last second.

Take a mini muffin tin and grease it’s cavities with coconut oil- or really any oil. Place about a tablespoon of crust mix into 16 (or so) of the cavities, and use your fingers to press it down into the center, and up the sides. Now, take your cheesecake filling and drop a tablespoon on top of each little crust, and go back and smooth the filling down. You can also tap the muffin tin on the counter to make sure there aren’t any air bubbles lurking about.
Pop the cookie sheet into the freezer and let the cakes firm up, and let them rest at room temp for about 15-20 minutes before serving.

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I mixed 2 teaspoons of chia seeds with more blood orange juice and agave to make a little syrup for on top.

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Posted in Gluten Free, Uncategorized

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Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup, Take 2

Posted on February 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

I made my recipe for Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup last night, but with fresh potatoes. Heres roughly how it went:

4 small broccoli crowns, chopped into small pieces

8 small russet potatoes, diced

2 cups carrots, cut into tiny pieces

1/2 yellow onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cashews, soaked in hot water for at least an hour

1 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tbsp stone ground mustard

2-6 c vegetable stock

olive oil

This made a huge pot of soup as I plan on eating it for a few days (and I eat huge bowls of soup), so feel free to halve the recipe to get roughly 4 servings. If you’re not feeling cheesy, this soup was tasting fantastic before I added the ‘nooch’ in! If going cheese-less, add in some fresh chives and scallions and don’t skip the mustard!

Start by sautéing your onion in olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Once soft and beginning to brown, add in the potatoes, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, and add in 2 cups of your vegetable stock. Cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender and mash easily with the back of a spoon. While the potatoes cook, blanch your broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes, or until tender, and then immediately shock in ice water. This will keep the broccoli from turning a funky color when put in the soup. Next, drain the cashews and puree them in a food processor or high speed blender until smooth, adding as little water as necessary. Using an immersion blender if you have one, puree the potatoes and carrots until completely smooth and creamy. If needed add a little more stock to help blend. Fold the cashew cream into the potatoes, and add enough stock to suit your texture preference. The soup should remain thick. Stir in the nutritional yeast and mustard, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a low boil and add broccoli. Cook stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is hot.

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Posted in broccoli, Gluten Free, soup, vegetables

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Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Posted on October 30, 2012 | 2 Comments

i have a new obsession; CHIA SEEDS! i scored a huge bag of them at costco and i’ve been finding tons if great uses for them. chia seeds are the same goopy little pellets that you adhered to terra cotta heads as a child- who would have thought to eat them back in the 80′s? so far i have found them to be an amazing egg replacer in pancake batter (1 tbs chia + 2 tbs water = egg), a nice snack suspended in coconut water, and a super nutritious breakfast pudding when mixed with fruit, nuts, and unsweetened almond milk. to make a pudding, combine roughly 1/4 c chia with 1 c of any liquid- coconut milk looks divine as it reminds me of tapioca.

Breakfast Pudding

3 tbs chia seeds

3/4 c almond milk

1 tbs pure maple syrup

1 banana, sliced

1 handful walnuts

mix the chia with your milk and let stand for 15 minutes. top with virtually anything, and enjoy! each 1/4 c of chia packs 20g fiber, 12g protein, and roughly 240 calories making it super filling and sustaining.

maple banana walnut chia breakfast pudding

maple banana walnut chia breakfast pudding

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Posted in breakfast, can be Gluten Free, Gluten Free, health and well being, snacks

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OMFG Polenta Fries!

Posted on October 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

have you heard about these?! polenta is already an amazing use of cornmeal as is, but spicing them up and sending them into a bubbling cauldron of hot oil makes them downright sinful. i make these often because of how simple they are, and recently discovered how much more simple life is when you slice and freeze them for a later use! honestly, you can spice these however way you like, and you can skip the second bath in the deep fryer if you’re not into ultra crunchy snacks. but i figure, if a girls gonna deep fry, she’s gonna deep fry. knowmsayin’? i dip mine in a mix of sriracha and ketchup, or chipotle tabasco sauce- but you could sauce them in just about anything!

Cheesy Polenta Fries

1 c cornmeal grits

2 -3 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp salt

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 c daiya shreds- optional.

start by bringing 2 cups veggie stock to a boil over low heat. whisk in the polenta and spices and cook until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. if the texture gets too hard to stir, start adding more stock to compensate- the goal is to make a thick porridge. once the polenta is cooked through and no longer ‘crunchy’, stir in the nutritional yeast. let rest on the counter for 15 minutes before folding in your daiya, if using, otherwise spoon your polenta into a lightly oiled 8×8 brownie pan and pop it in the freezer to chill down.

now for the frying!

fill a pan with at least 2″ oil and heat until a piece of bread browns in 60 seconds, or turn your deep fryer to 365. while the oil is heating, remove your polenta block from the fridge, and slice it into fries. grab a paper grocery bag and lay it out on the counter, and make sure you have a ‘spider’ spoon, or slotted spoon for pulling your fries out of the hot oil. place about 6 pieces of polenta into the hot oil at a time so that you don’t overcrowd them, and fry until golden brown. remove from the oil to your grocery bag, salt lightly, and proceed to the next round. serve immediately!

for extra crispy fries. for extra crispy fries that don’t go limp when cool, fry them once until pale gold, and once you’ve gone through your whole batch- fry them again until golden brown. this makes them deliriously delicious.

baked fries. place your fries about a half an inch apart on a cookie sheet, and broil

cheesy polenta fries

cheesy polenta fries

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Posted in appetizer, Gluten Free, snacks, Uncategorized

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