Gluten-free Vegan Blueberry Waffles

So I asked the kids what they wanted for lunch, "I'll make whatever you want." The answer was Blueberry Waffles!! This recipe is simple and yummy!

             Gluten-free Vegan Blueberry Waffles


2 cups Brown Rice Flour
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1 cup Garbanzo Flour
6 TBS ground Chia Seeds (can substitute flax or egg replacer for 2 eggs)
1 TBS Cream Of Tartar
1/2 TBS Baking Soda
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS of Vanilla or Cinnamon (your choice)
3 cups Water
1/2 cup Refined Coconut Oil 
2 TBS Agave Nectar
1 cup Blueberries (I use organic frozen wild blueberries) 


Preheat the waffle maker to the highest setting. Mix all the dry ingredients first, then add all wet ingredients except for the blueberries. The batter is going to be thicker than the glutened batter, not too thick but it will not be runny. This keeps your waffles from being a gel on the inside and burnt of the outside! Add in the blueberries last. Have a non-stick spray on hand to spray the waffle maker between each waffle or it will stick! Use 1/2 cup of batter for each waffle. Spray, drop in batter, wait 4 to 5 minutes, and remove with a silicone spatula. This recipe makes 6 waffles. I use coconut oil in a Misto that I keep on the back of my stove so it doesn't solidify. If you ever run across a soy-free non-stick spray please leave me a message. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce! I used Vanilla Agave syrup. 

Roasted Poblano Baba Ganoush

I love Baba Ganoush, but after mixing up this version it's hard to go back to the traditional version.

                 Roasted Poblano Baba Ganoush
2 large eggplants
1 lime
4 TBS tahini
2 TBS olive oil
2 roasted Poblano peppers
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground chili pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 bunch cilantro (optional)

First roast the eggplants and Poblano peppers on 450. The peppers take about 20 minutes and the eggplants take 30 to 40 minutes. I use a fork and poke holes in the eggplant first. When the peppers are done put them in a covered dish and wait about 10 minutes and the skins will slide right off. Peel off the skins of the eggplants and take out the seeds. Throw everything into a food processor and pulse until smooth. I just found Beanitos chips that are gluten-free and corn-free and they are the bomb! I also used Mapuche chili pepper and if you try it you will be addicted. It's flavor is smokey with a little bite of hot but not burning hot. It is from a pepper grown in Brazil called the Goat pepper.

Gluten-free Beer Battered Onion Rings

I recently discovered this recipe. After years of not eating any fried food because of gluten I can't get enough. The first time I tried this recipe I ate way too much and sat on the couch in a nice food coma. But just an hour later was up and feeling good. Fried food had always made me feel so bad because on top of the unhealthy fried part, the gluten part put me in a brain fog. The same goes with beer. I never was a big beer drinker because I would feel bad and even get headaches before the alcohol would kick in. I prefer Bard's, it tastes great. I can't drink or cook with Redbridge because it has corn in it. St. Peter's is good, but costs more. I also tried Green's, it's more like a Guiness. I guess I'm saying everything (but no gluten) in moderation. This recipe calls for 3/4 of a cup of beer, but you can substitute soda water if you can't get gluten-free beer or you are under the age of 21. 1 cup of garbanzo bean flour packs 24 grams of protein. But I suggest splitting this with a friend.

    Gluten-free Beer Battered Onion Rings

1 cup garbanzo flour
3/4 cup gluten-free beer
1 TBS garlic power
1 tsp sea salt
2 sweet fat onions cut in rings
1 bottle safflower oil or oil of choice

  First mix the batter by combining flour, garlic powder, and salt. Then slowly pour beer in and mix well so there are no lumps. Let it sit for 10 minutes. I use a deep pan to fry in so it makes less of a mess. Of course, if you have a dedicated gluten-free frier you are in luck. Pour in enough oil to cover your onions rings so they cook evenly. Heat your oil on medium heat. You can test the oil with a drop of batter to see if it's ready. Dip and coat your onion rings evenly and carefully drop in. Cook until golden brown. About 5 minutes. Warning: these onion rings are very addictive but will not cause erosion to your small intestines.

Banana Peppers

 You can fry anything with this batter. Here are a few things I have been frying....






Mushrooms

Beer!

Kermit Caponata

Hi ho, I just got back from the farmer's market and grabbed these Kermit eggplants. I love eggplant and actually got 6 varieties of them! These little greenies are ripe even though they are green. They cook up very tender. Of course these little beauties are going to be hard to find, so just use a regular eggplant in its place.

                    Kermit Eggplant Caponata

6 Kermit eggplants cut into 6 wedges
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes cut in quarters
2 garlic cloves minced
2 TBS small diced onion
2 TBS olive oil
6 big green olives sliced
1 sprinkle of sea salt

Preheat oven to 450. Put everything in a baking dish and mix well. Cook for a total of 30 minutes. Stir a couple of times so everything cooks evenly. The eggplant should be very tender.

Gluten-free Vegan Italian Nachos

   I want carbs! I still eat healthy, but I am trying out some gluten-free vegan versions of dishes that would have been death by comfort food before now.

                                    Gluten-free Vegan Italian Nachos
1 package rice tortillas (I use Food for Life)
1 package Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup water
1 cup Gluten-free Vegan Italian sausage
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup sliced pepperoncinis
1/4 cup sliced jalapenos
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 TBS garlic powder

Cut rice tortillas into triangles and bake at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. These will burn fast if you don't keep an eye on them. In a sauce pan boil the water with garlic powder added.
When water is ready add the entire package of cheese and turn down to low and stir often until desired thickness. Spread baked chips on a platter and crumble the gluten-free vegan Italian sausage all around your nacho chips. Pour the cheese sauce all around and finally top nachos with black olives, pepperoncinis, jalapenos and tomatoes.....serves four, or two, or one!

Gluten-free Vegan Italian Sausage

 You may see a trend here. I am using black eyed peas because they cause less gas than most other beans, they don't turn to mush like most beans, and they blend well with the flavors. Garbanzo beans are good on the tummy, but they just didn't have the flavor I wanted for my vegan "sausage". I'm just making the crumbled version because I would be breaking it up anyway.

                Gluten-free Vegan Italian Sausage
1 sweet yellow onion diced
4 garlic cloves diced
1 diced sweet red pepper
4 medium sized portabellas sliced
2 cups cooked black eyed peas
3 TBS olive oil
1 TBS liquid smoke
1 TBS sweet paprika
1 TBS fennel seeds
1 TBS freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp anise seeds

First cook down the mushrooms to get all the liquid out and drain and remove from pan. Then add olive oil, onions, garlic, red peppers, paprika, fennel seeds, chopped parsley, cayenne, salt and anise seeds and cook until onions are translucent. Stir in liquid smoke. Combine mushrooms and black eyed peas to food processor and pulse until chopped, do not puree! Add into pan and combine well and you're done! I use this recipe for Italian nachos or to top pizza.

Tomatillo Salsa

                                                       Tomatillo Salsa

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked
2 green zebra tomatoes

1 onion chopped                                   

4 garlic cloves

1 salsa pepper

1/4 cup cilantro

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 cup water

I put everything but cilantro in a glass dish and place in the oven on 400 for 30 minutes. Let it sit for about 15 minutes then add to blender or food processor with fresh cilantro and blend well.  

Gluten-free Vegan Chili Rellenos

 

Gluten-free Vegan Chili Rellenos

8 Poblanos roasted with top cut off and skins peeled off, careful to keep the pepper intact.

1 package of Daiya cheddar cheese, or cheese of choice

1 cup Gluten-free vegan chorizo

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

3/4 cup soda water

1 teaspoon of salt

1 bottle safflower oil

I oven roast my Poblanos on 450 for about 20 minutes. Roasting Poblanos is tricky because they are so thin you can burn them fast. I also wear gloves to peel the skins off so my hands don't burn for the rest of the day. When I take them out of the oven, I put them in a resealable container and wait about 10 minutes and the skins slide right off. Cut the tops off, remove seeds and carefully put a spoonful of Daiya cheese in the bottom and push it down with a spoon. Then add the Chorizo and depending on your pepper, about 1 to 2 spoonfuls, then a spoonful of cheese again. Once you have all your Poblanos ready, it's time to mix the batter. Put the garbanzo bean flour in a mixing bowl with the salt then add the soda water. Mix together until there are no lumps and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Get a big pot and pour the oil in to about an inch and turn the burner on half way. By the time the batter is ready the oil will be hot. I use a tall pot because, well, I've been burned. Plus, less of a mess to clean up, too. Test your oil with a drip of batter to see if it's ready. When it's ready, dip the stuffed pepper in the batter and carefully lay it in the pot,  as many as will fit. I'm stingy with my oil so I have to flip my peppers after about 4 minutes and do the other side, but if you put more oil in you can cover the whole pepper and not have to flip. Fry it until golden brown. Remove with a metal slotted spoon for best results. Top with sauce and eat until you can't eat anymore! It's good!

Chili Rellenos Sauce

 4 cups pureed fresh organic tomatoes

1 onion diced

4 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp cumin

1 TBS chipotles in adobo sauce

2 TBS olive oil

Add onion, garlic, cumin, chipotles in adobo sauce and olive oil to pan or skillet. Cook on medium low. Heat until onions are translucent. Add in tomato puree and simmer about 30 minutes or until desired thickness.

Gluten-free Soy-free Vegan Chorizo

             Gluten-free Soy-free Vegan Chorizo

1 red onion diced
4 cloves garlic diced
4 medium portabellas sliced
2 cups cooked black eyed peas
1 TBS cumin
1 TBS dried chili pepper (I used guajillo)
1 TBS liquid smoke
1 TBS dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
4 TBS olive oil
First cook down your mushrooms to get all the liquid out and drain and remove from pan. I refrigerate or freeze the mushroom broth for other recipes. Then add onions, garlic, cumin, chili pepper, cayenne, salt and olive oil and cook until onions and garlic are translucent. Then stir in liquid smoke. Add black eyed peas and mushrooms to a food processor and pulse a few times just to chop up, do not puree! Add to pan and combine everything together. I came up with this recipe so I could make Chili Rellenos. I also use it to top Mexican pizzas and in quesadillas.

 

Gluten-free Vegan Mexi-Mac

This is a dish I came up with because I was wanting carbs and heat. I kept it only mildly spicy because one of my kids can't take the heat!

              Gluten-free Vegan Mexi-Mac
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
2 or more diced Poblanos or peppers of your choice
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 package of cheddar or pepper jack Daiya cheese
1 box of prepared macaroni by Lundberg Rice (makes 4 cups cooked)
Avocado, tomato, and jalapeno for garnish

Add water, black eyed peas, diced peppers, garlic, onion, oregano, salt, chili powder and cumin to pot, heat up and let cook for about 10 minutes on medium setting. Cook your macaroni at the same time. After 10 minutes turn burner off, add cheese and stir until well blended (pictured below). Stir in macaroni and serve. Garnish with avocado, tomato, and jalapeno chunks. Serves four.

Greek Salad

Yep, you guessed it, more artichokes!

                           Greek Salad
8 or 12 ounces of frozen or fresh artichoke hearts steamed and sliced into wedges
3 Roma tomatoes diced
1 lemon fresh squeezed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbs capers
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 to 8 kalamata olives sliced thin
8 or more fresh basil julienned
1 cucumber sliced and diced
1 sweet yellow pepper julienned or any pepper of choice
green scallions
green olives for garnish 
fresh organic spring mix or your choice of lettuce

Mix olive oil, lemon juice, dried spices and salt together and add artichokes and mix well. Add in tomatoes, capers, olives, cucumber, and yellow peppers and mix well. At this point I refrigerate for a few hours and let everything meld together. Then to serve, add lettuce and top with mixture. Garnish with green olives, scallions and basil and enjoy! Throw in some Daiya Mozzarella for an awesome flavor! 
 

Spicy Sweet Potato Asparagus Stir Fry

I love spicy food! The hotter the better! I combine sweet potatoes with a spicy sauce to create this very addictive dish. I use a vegan oyster sauce recipe that is posted before this if you want to use it.

          Spicy Sweet Potato Asparagus Stir Fry

2 sweet potatoes cut in 1/16 inch thin sliced half moon shapes
1 bunch asparagus cut in 1 inch pieces
Green part of a leek sliced
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 or more Thai chilis
1 Tbs ground cumin
3 Tbs stir fry oil
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs black sesame seeds

Stir Fry Sauce
2 Tbs vegetable stock
2 Tbs vegan oyster sauce
1 Tbs Sherry cooking wine
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 Tbs coconut aminos
2 Tbs Sriracha sauce (you may want to cut this down to one if you are sensitive to heat)

Heat oil in a Wok or pan and add sweet potatoes and Thai chilis and stir fry for a few minutes to sear the outside of the sweet potatoes, add cumin and stir a minute longer. Add water and cook down the water to finish the potatoes. If you don't stir fry the sweet potatoes first they will turn to mush. Adding the water after helps cook the potatoes all the way through and they hold there shape. Mix your stir fry sauce well and pour in. Add asparagus and cook sauce down until thickened and asparagus is cooked the way you like. Add leeks and stir around for a minute. Place black beans and rice mixture on a plate and pour your stir fry on top.

Vegan Soy-free Gluten-free Oyster Sauce

So I am working on a recipe that calls for Oyster Sauce and all the vegetarian recipes I found had soy and wheat in them. I used coconut aminos in mine. Any mushrooms will do, but in this recipe I used portabellas.

                                   Vegan Soy-free Gluten-free
                             Oyster Sauce

1/2 cup mushroom broth
2 Tbs coconut aminos
1 Tbs coconut nectar


Combine and cook on medium low heat. Reduce to a syrup consistency, about 1/4 of your original content. It will make 2 tablespoons worth. I use this within a few days. The recipe I use this in will be posted shortly.

Gluten-free Vegan Barbecue Burgers

I long for Summer and the carefree days it brings. Also the days without any illness. When school is out we don't get sick.

I make a barbecue sauce from Vegetarian Times, but I also make a new version about every time I make BQ sauce because I like to switch it up! You can use a bottled version, I can't find one free of all of our allergies.

                              Gluten-free Vegan BQ Burgers

12 oz of thawed artichokes heart
1 cup frozen spinach
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1 cup of your favorite BQ sauce
 
               Add all ingredients into a food processor and process until combined, but not too much. Form into patties and bake for 30 minutes on 350. I make these slider size to go on my Gluten-free Vegan Hamburger buns. Top with BQ sauce and enjoy! I freeze leftovers for some fast food later on. You can also cook this up in a skillet and chop your artichokes up and it looks like pulled pork BQ!

Happy Pi Pie Day!

My kids love Pi and pie. What better way to celebrate than to bake up some Pi Pies! They are gluten-free and vegan.

                      Gluten-free Vegan Pi Pie

Gluten-free Pie Crust
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tbs. agave nectar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine all dry ingredients and mix well, then add the coconut oil and agave nectar and mix well. This dough will not roll, you will have to shape it by hand. Save about a golf ball size to flatten out between 2 pieces of wax paper. Roll it flat and cut out your Pi shape carefully and leave in wax paper until ready for use. You can add the extra dough back into your Pi crust. Par-bake crust for 10 minutes.  


Pi filling
2 cups fruit ( I used blueberry in one and cherry in the other)
1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
1 teaspoon  cinnamon or vanilla
3 Tablespoons agave nectar


Mix all ingredients together and fill your pie shell. Then carefully peel off the wax paper from the bottom side of your Pi symbol. Lay down carefully and peel the top off. Bake for 50 minutes and let cool.
 

Gluten-free Vegan Baby Portobello Mushrooms and Asparagus with Pasta

This awful winter will just not end. I need sunshine! But in the meantime, a little bit of comfort food goes a long way.

                                                    Gluten-free Vegan
   Baby Portobello Mushrooms and Asparagus Pasta


1  pound Baby Portabello mushrooms sliced
1 pound of asparagus chopped in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup of Daiya cheese or your preferred cheese sub
1 shallot diced
1 garlic clove diced
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 cup Marsala cooking wine
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cups your choice of gluten-free pasta
2 tablespoon olive oil

 Add olive oil, shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sliced mushrooms to pan and cook on medium heat.. Cook the mushrooms until tender. Add broth and Marsala wine and cook until reduced by half. Cook your 2 cups of pasta and have it ready to add in. After the broth and wine have reduced to half, turn the heat to low medium and add Daiya or cheese sub, then stir continuously until well blended. Add in asparagus and stir to make sure sauce isn't sticking to bottom of the pan. Cook about 5 minutes and stir in pasta and pine nuts and it's read to eat! Enjoy!

Vegan and Gluten-free Chickpea Burger with Chimichurri sauce

 Vegan Gluten-free Chickpea Burger with Chimichurri sauce

3 cups cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds

1/2 red onion

3 garlic cloves

2 Tbs brown rice flour

1 Tbs chipotles in adobo sauce, omit peppers and just use adobo if it's too hot for you

1/4 cup hemp milk


Add all ingredients except chickpeas and  hemp milk to food processor and pulse. Then add chickpeas and hemp milk, of course you can use your choice of milk. Process until well mixed and the chickpeas are no longer whole. Preheat the oven to 375 and form patties. Bake for 30 minutes. They will start to brown. Top with avocado, onion, and Chimichurri. Here's the recipe for a classic Chimichurri.

Chimichurri
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbs dried oregano
1 tsp hot pepper flakes
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
pinch of seasalt
Process all ingredients well.

I serve these burgers on my Vegan Gluten-free Hamburger buns and with sweet potato fries. This is our burger and fries night. I also use 1 Tbs of red pepper flakes instead of a tsp because I like it like that.