Gluten free little bundles of double chocolate chip cookies, and my cookie thief Tildy.
vegan
Curried Coconut Tempeh w/Veggies over Rice
I LOVE Indian food. It’s probably my favorite of all cuisines. Here is my rendition of Curried Coconut Tempeh with vegetable medley over rice. Because my three girls are spice sensitive, I can’t over season dishes. Feel free to alter this as you please.
TEMPEH MARINADE:
(yield: 2 cups)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. ginger or 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. mustard
8 oz. tempeh
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, and mustard. Place tempeh in a seal proof tupperware, and pour marinade over tempeh and allow to sit for 6-8 hours, refrigerated.
COCONUT CURRY SAUCE:
(yield: 2-4 servings)
Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Directions:
1. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat and saute onions and garlic until tender. Add coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, maple syrup, and salt. Adjust salt as needed. Set aside.
RICE AND VEGGIES:
Make rice for 4 servings (which ever type you prefer) and set aside. Steam veggies. I like to use 1/2 yam, 2 cups broccoli, 2 cups cauliflower, and kale.
TOPPINGS:
Cranberries, cashews, sliced green onions, cilantro.
SAUTE TEMPEH
(yield: 2-4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cornmeal
salt and pepper
Marinated tempeh
Directions:
On a plate, mix flour and cornmeal along with salt and pepper. Take marinated tempeh from the tupperware and proceed to bread in the flour mix. On medium heat, in a sauté pan, brown each side of tempeh. Begin to make dish. Place sauce on plate, and rice on top of sauce. Place veggies and tempeh on plate and then garnish with cranberries, green onions, cilantro and cashews. Enjoy!
2
Oven Roasted Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches
Portobello mushrooms lend that satisfying meaty texture. This sandwich is one of my absolute favorites. With the sweetness from the red bell pepper sauce, the savory pesto, and the tangy mushroom marinade, it’s the perfect blend of flavors sandwiched between rustic focaccia rolls. Portobello’s are also natural sources for vitamin D!
MARINADE
(yield: 3/4 cup)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried italian herbs or 1/4 cup fresh
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 tsp. mustard, dijon or yellow
2-4 portobello mushrooms (there is enough marinade to cover 4)
Directions:
1. Whisk together all ingredients into a small bowl and emulsify. In a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, place the portobello mushrooms and pour the marinade over. Cover and refrigerate mushrooms for 1 hour or more. After marinating, place into oven at 350 for 1/2 hour, or until mushroom is tender.
BELL PEPPER SAUCE
(yield: 1 cup)
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup white onion
3 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium sized tomato, diced
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. of water
Directions:
1. Saute onion and bell pepper in sauté pan until soft. Add garlic and tomato and and sauté for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place all ingredients into a blender along with 4 Tbsp. of water, and blend until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Return to sauce pan and keep warm.
SANDWICH
(yield: 2-4 sandwiches)
You will need to prep or buy some pesto (see pesto post). You will also need some dark leafy greens and focaccia rolls. I like to use spinach. To add even more veggies, I will sauté some extra onions, red bell, zucchini, and yellow squash.
Ingredients:
2-4 focaccia rolls
pesto (pre-made or store bought)
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 zucchini
1/2 yellow squash
1/2 cup onion
1 cup spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Toast focaccia rolls. Set aside. Sauté bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, onion. Season with salt and pepper .
2. Spread bell pepper sauce on one side of roll and pesto on the other. Fill sandwich with sautéed vegetable blend and place marinated mushroom inside along with spinach leaves.
Maple Sweetened Chocolate Chip-Pecan Banana Loaf
I love banana’s, but I only like to eat them with the skin yellow; no blemishes. With that said, the best banana bread is made from the most spotted peels. If I’m not able to get to making banana bread right away, I will remove the peel and freeze them, or refrigerate them for a few days. For years, I have used this recipe as thank you’s for kind gestures or help with kids. It’s best alongside a chilled glass of almond milk or with a cup of hot tea. When my kids aren’t looking, I’ll sneak in shaved coconut for some extra flavor.
BANANA LOAF
Yield: 12 medium muffins or 1 loaf pan
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup barley flour, sifted or unbleached all purpose
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cups organic maple syrup (none of that fake stuff)
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 Tbsp. flax seeds
1 cup of mashed ripened bananas
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup pecans
*1/8 cup coconut flakes
** If you want to make this gluten free, the recipe is sound. Just alter the flour with Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF flour. It turns out great.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. If you’re making muffins, you don’t need to do this.
3. Two bowls: One for wet mix. One for dry. In the wet mix: combine maple syrup, oil, vanilla, flax seeds, and almond milk. Whisk wet mix until emulsified. Add banana and mash it up with a potato masher or fork. Either works fine. In the dry mix: combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk dry mix.
4. Make a well in the dry mix and place the wet into the well. Then fold in the dry to the wet. When it is almost combined throughly, fold in the nuts, and chocolate chips. Coconut is optional.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown; if you have a loaf. If you are making muffins, then 20 minutes. To check to make sure the middle is done baking, place a toothpick into the center and make sure not mix comes onto it when pulling it from the warm loaf. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
GF Black Bean and Vegetable Empenadas
Empenadas; little pockets of goodness! Having originated from Spain, these pastries are extremely popular throughout Latin and South America, and are often compared to the “hot pocket” of America. Traditionally, they are often filled with meat, raisins, and olives. However sweet ones do exist , and are often made with guava and cream cheese, or fruit filled. Normally, they are fried. I like to oven bake mine to make a healthier version. I chose to fill mine with black beans and a medley of diced vegetables. They are so versatile, you can use the dough and fill them as you like. They are normally fried, but I like to bake mine to make them healthier.
GF EMPENADA DOUGH
Yield: 12 empenadas
Ingredients:
2 1/4 + 1/3 cups of Bob’s Red Mill all purpose GF flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of Spectrum organic shortening
1 cup of water
2 Tbsp. of egg replacer from EnerG
* Parchment Paper and a sheet pan for baking.
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cup flour, egg replacer, and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use a fork to stir in water a few Tbsp. at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. Add the remaining 1/3 flour to make certain the texture is correct. Pat into a ball, and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Make filling while dough is refrigerating.
FILLING:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. of olive oil + 1/4 cup (set aside 1/4 cup for brushing onto finished pockets)
1 small vidalia onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups of precooked black beans
1/4 cup yellow squash, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 pinch of sea salt
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup organic raisins
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/8 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until tender. Add the squash, black beans, garlic, paprika, cumin, and black pepper. Cook. Stir frequently. Add raisins, lime juice, and cilantro. Adjust salt as needed.
3. Take the dough from the refrigerator. Form the dough into 2 inch balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a thin circle. Spoon some of the filling onto the center. Fold into half moon shapes. Seal the edges by pressing with your fingers or by using a pastry crimper. Lay finished stuffed and folded pockets onto parchment paper.
4. Brush with additional 1/4 cup olive oil, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
GF Chocolate Chip Pancakes
I used to think the whole Gluten Free thing was just a fad; often raising my eyebrows when I’d hear another friend become one. That was until my middle daughter whom suffered from keratosis pilaris, began getting worse and worse. We tried most of the external treatments, and took her to a couple dermatologists. Not surprisingly, neither doctor felt food was a trigger.
As I mom, I think there is a internal warning signal that sounds and tells you to dive into your own research to care for your children when you aren’t satisfied with answers. This is just what I did. After months of her physically writhing in itchy skin episodes, I decided to try gluten free. With so many alternatives available, this was so easy. I swear to you, within a week, the crying and complaints about even the softest of clothing, subsided. After a month on the diet, I heard no more from her. In addition to her diet, I include a non-dairy acidophilus, along with shea butter externally.
I am constantly adapting recipes for my family, because eat a plant based diet. So it comes as second nature to switch recipes to meet our needs. My daughter Margeux LOVES pancakes. Here is my organic gluten free version. I know you’ll love it. They are light and fluffy, and taste great even reheated the next day. I enjoy mine with Daiya’s non dairy creme cheese, mango wedges, toasted pecans, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a light sprinkle of organic powdered sugar.
GF BASIC WAFFLES
Yield: 6 Waffles
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour
2 tsp. double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. maple granules
3 “eggs” – by EnerG egg replacer (powdered non-dairy gluten free eggs)
4 Tbsp. of safflower oil
1 1/2 cups of almond milk
Procedure:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sea salt and maple granules
2. In a separate bowl, beat “eggs”, add oil and milk
3. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Pour in liquid ingredients and combine with a few swift strokes.
4. Heat pan and brush with a little oil to prevent sticking, unless you are using a non-stick pan.
GNOSHANDKNOTS 