But anyway, getting sick and not having the energy to cook good (or bad) food for myself did make me think about my diet and the things that I know are good for me and make me feel good. I stopped the chocolate habit cold turkey, and turned towards the good stuff. Kale is one of those things that makes me feel good. I like to buy it from Whole Foods because they have organic kale in all kinds of varieties, or even better, from the Farmer’s Market when it is in season. The other day, though, the DH took me to my follow up-checkup on my lungs (because he is a sweetie) and I was feeling so much better that we decided to get lunch out together.

Calafia Cafe
Town & Country Village Suite 130
855 El Camino Real (at Embarcadero Road)
Palo Alto California
(650) 322-9200

I had read about Calafia Palo Alto being a good restaurant with a gluten-free menu, and I’d passed it numerous times in the Palo Alto Town and Country square, but I’d never actually eaten there. Half of the restaurant is a deli, and I’m easily intimidated by delis. However, the other half of the restaurant is a nice, sit-down restaurant with menus, and we decided to get a table. I was happy to see the gluten-free labeml on many of their dishes, but weirdly enough, I was even happier to see that they split the menu in half between vegetarian and omnivore options. They even labeled their vegan dishes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t actually that hungry because I had eaten a very full and nutritious breakfast (leftover Dal made my the DH the night before, my hero!). But I decided to order their Braised Greens with Almond Butter, which they describe on their menu as: “rainbow swiss chard, sautéed with shallots, glazed with cider vinegar and finished with a vegan turmeric scented almond butter,
dried cranberries and walnuts.” The small dish that arrived wasn’t very dramatic, but when I took a bite I could literally feel my blood being supercharged with nutrition. The funny thing is, I wasn’t completely in love with the balance of flavor. I could taste cayenne more than turmeric in the almond butter, and was a trifle spicy for me after years of cooking for a DH with a sensitive tummy and now a toddler who despises spiciness. At the same time, I felt so good as I ate it and I was ultimately very happy with it. It was also novel because it was both like something I might cook for myself but at the same time not with the exact balance of flavor I would choose. How often can you go out to eat and feel like you’re getting a more nutritious meal than you would have at home? That is why I fell in love with this restaurant and would go back in a heartbeat. They had an intriguing assortment of specialty smoothie beverages, and tons of entrees and other dishes marked gluten-free and vegetarian. The DH was also happy, although he ordered a gluten menu item of what he called a “salad pizza”- a pizza with goat and blue cheese with a gorgeous pile of arugula on top. (They don’t offer gluten-free pizza, but plenty of other places do so I didn’t mind.)

I did some reading and found out that Calafia was started by a chef named Charlie Ayers that was the head chef at Google for six years after being a caterer for the Grateful Dead. Not only that, but he has his own book called Food 2.0: Secrets from the Chef Who Fed Google. According to the booklist description, “Raw, organic, and fermented is Charlie s mantra, which is reflected in more than 90 easy-to-prepare recipes, whether it s a Kick-start Breakfast, a Power Lunch, or a Light, Bright Dinner. And, following the world-famous formula Charlie used at Google headquarters, the meals and snacks are designed to feed your brain exactly what it needs at different points throughout the workday.” It has been a while since I went to a restaurant that I found as exciting as this one, and after reading more about the chef I can understand why. It isn’t a raw-foods cookbook, and not even a vegetarian cookbook, but I was intrigued enough by the description that I ordered a used copy for myself. I’ll let you know how I like it!

Anyway, their braised green recipe with almond sauce was a delightful restaurant offering and also got me thinking about how I might try my own (very different) version when I brought home some tasty organic kale from the farmer’s market this weekend. Here’s my take on it, which met with approval from my omnivorous dad and allergy-sensitive mother. Toddler Yum found it to be too much green for her, but since she scarfs down raw broccoli, cauliflower, and roasted chickpeas, I think I’ll overlook this temporary disdain for kale. It took me some years to develop a love affair with kale, after all, and now it is my favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu item! I hope you enjoy this recipe for a vegan almond sauce kale recipe as much as we did.

Looking for more kale-almond recipes?
Addictive Vegan Kale Salad
Kale Almond Pesto
Almond Crunch Kale Chips
Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds
Just Plain Scrumptious Kale Recipes:
Cashew Creamed Kale Recipe
Kale and toor Dal
Kale in Puttanesca Sauce
Gluten-free Cornmeal Dumplings with Red Beans and Kale
Gluten-free Stuffing with Kale, Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
Kale with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Vegetarian Lasagna with Kale and Cheese
Feta Breakfast Kale

Hey, I’m in the running for the Circle of Moms Top 25 Vegan and Vegetarian Mom Blogger Award!

You can vote once per blog every 24 hours until February 14th at 8pm EST. I’d love to make it to the final count!

Almond Butter Kale Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 2 tsp. grapeseed or olive oil 1 small to medium bunch of kale, rinsed and dried with spine cut out, chopped 3 tbsp. diced onion sauce: 1/4 cup roasted almond butter 2 tbsp. hot water or more for desired texture 1 tsp. agave nectar, maple syrup, honey (look for neutral flavored honey), or simple syrup 1 tsp. lime or lemon juice herbamare or your favorite salt blend dash cayenne pepper or paprika Directions Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet on medium high and add your chopped kale leaves. I like to pan fry them until they get browned and dry in patches, but you can cook them to your preference. When almost done, add your diced onion to the pan and saute until translucent. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Add more hot water if needed to have a sauce you can pour. When kale and onions are done, put into an attractive bowl and drizzle generously with sauce. Fold sauce into the kale until evenly distributed and serve.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Inspired by recent restaurant meal, but the contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1585 Added:  February 5, 2012 Last Modified:  February 5, 2012

So- with a bit of our life squared away, hopefully I’ll be able to get some serious work done on my dissertation and even find time to develop new recipes here. You may have seen my old recipe for A gluten-free wholegrain Indian Naan. It called for yogurt, greek yogurt specifically (European yogurt is too runny). But this wouldn’t work for anyone on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, and my little dairy-free Toddler Yum couldn’t have it either. I thought it would be interesting to play with the flour blend more, and to try using coconut cream instead of yogurt. To supplement the coconut milk, I used the new Pacific original hazelnut milk which they sent me to review. (Toddler Yum is a big fan of the stuff, and I don’t mind it even though I don’t generally care for hazelnuts.) To my delight, it worked perfectly and might even be better than the original! It went beautifully with some of my favorite toor dal (I use peanut oil, coconut oil, or mustard oil instead of ghee to make the Ghee Tarka variation). These naan can also be sliced in half and filled with whatever filling you like. This makes a small but filling recipe that is hardly more difficult than pancakes and a lot more interesting! *Note: because I have an annoying gas oven, it is hard to estimate how long it would take on an electric oven. Start with the given time and then, if it isn’t done enough, extend (non broiler) baking time in five minute increments.

Gluten-free Dairy Free Wholegrain Coconut Naan Bread  Alternative Grains  Indian

Ingredients 1/2 Cup Brown rice flour 1/2 cup sorghum flour 1/2 cup tapioca starch 1/2 cup sweet rice flour 3 tbsp. amaranth flour 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons dried active yeast 1 can full-fat coconut milk WITHOUT thickeners like Chaokoh (chilled but NOT shaken) 1/2 cup hazelnut or other non-dairy milk 1 egg, whisked Directions Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 500F. Combine dry ingredient in a medium-large bowl from brown rice flour through baking powder, and whisk to combine. Collect the coconut CREAM that has risen to the top of the chilled coconut milk can first in a liquid measuring cup. I use a large spoon but you may also have good luck with a small spatula. For the last bit I poured the milk through a fine strainer and collected the cream remained on top of the strainer. I had about 3/4 cup coconut cream in my can. Combine thin coconut milk with hazelnut milk or other non dairy milk to have a cup of liquid. Warm the thin liquid in a microwave until barely warm. If you heat it so that it is hot rather than warm, just let it sit until lukewarm. Whisk sugar into your warm dairy-free milk and then add your yeast. When it foams, pour into your bowl with the dry ingredients. Then add your coconut cream and whisked egg and fold together. You should have a fairly thick batter that is not runny but not firm enough to pick up with your hands. Spoon out large rounds of dough onto your parchment paper about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch high. (Or smaller, to your preference. Larger may be difficult to manage.) Smooth out top with a large spoon. If you like you can dampen your hands with water and make the tops really silky and smooth. Bake in the oven on 500F until golden brown. In my rather freakish gas oven, it took about 15 minutes but yours may take less time so watch carefully. Then I finished them off under the broiler for a little extra browning. Watch them like a hawk during this step! Golden brown is one thing and char-grilled is quite another. Notes These were amazingly soft and fluffy. The coconut flavor was nice and subtle without overpowering the recipe, and I was surprised by how nice the touch of amaranth was for making them taste whole-grain. Yummy with toor dal!!!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  modified version of my dairy whole-grain naan recipe, but a new creation. Please do not replicate without my permission Recipe ID:  1583 Added:  January 5, 2012 Last Modified:  January 6, 2012

So, about those recipes. I think you all know my friend Ali Segersten with the blog at Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, and a new cookbook coming out soon. I adopted her some time ago for Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger. Way back in July she had this amazing recipe for Dairy-free Creamed Kale that I could eat like candy, I swear. Instead of using those tasteless packaged dairy-free milks, Ali used all fresh, real ingredients and make the creamy sauce with cashews. I just loved this recipe, and started thinking about other ways to use cashews as a creamy sauce in recipes.* I tried a creamed broccoli/cauliflower recipe, and it was good but not spectacular. But then the other night I was staring at my pantry trying to figure out what to make for dinner, and I was trying to think of how to make pasta interesting but not so interesting that Toddler Yum would snub it. We also had this huge container of mushrooms from Costco staring glossily back at me in the refrigerator, and it occurred to me that a cashew, dairy-free cream sauce would make a great mushroom alfredo. I seared some mushrooms and chard from our garden and added grated zucchini for bulk and sneaky mama veggie quotient and reduced the heck out of that cashew cream sauce. I also popped some white sweet potato “fries” in the oven to roast as a side dish.

At first I was going to make some plain pasta for the dear toddler, who can be relied on to ask for “plain, mama, plain pasta”. But then I thought that since she has never met a cashew dish she didn’t like, I’d try serving her the alfredo. The mushrooms were picked out immediately, and she eyed the chard very suspiciously, but she slurped down the pasta in sauce like a starving puppy and asked for more. My girl had four helpings before the night was out! And before you get worried, she had skipped the (disgusting) lunch at her daycare and had recently recovered from a tummy bug, so I think she was ready for a serious calorie infusion. The picky DH, who can be very skeptical of dairy-free sauces, dove in with gusto, and it goes without saying that I ate more than my fair share. Success!

I would definitely make this recipe again, and might just have to try this cashew sauce in some other classic creamy recipes. If you have a vitamix, I think the creamy sauce will be even more creamy, but the texture with my (pathetically weak) blender reminded me of the texture of melted parmesan regianno bits, so it worked well for us. These photos were taken the following day when the greedy pasta had drank up a lot of the sauce. It tasted good reheated but was most spectacular freshly made. Also, I used the new Trader Joe’s gluten-free corn spaghetti, and thought it worked well. A brown rice (Tinkyada) or my all time my favorite gluten-free pasta by Le Veneziane might make it even better!



*This recipe posting is Ali-approved… I love my fellow bloggers and always like to ask them when I use a blogged recipe as serious inspiration when developing a new recipe.

Dairy-free Soy-fre Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Sauce Recipe Main Course  Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  American

Ingredients The Sauce: 2 tbsp. olive or grapeseed oil 1 small onion, diced 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast 2 cups water 1 teaspoon raw cider vinegar 1 teaspoon herbamare or your favorite herbed salt The Pasta: 1 lb. gluten-free spaghetti The Veggies: 1 tbsp. olive or grapeseed oil (if needed) 3/4 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced freshly ground pepper and additional herbamare to taste large handful of chard, cleaned and cut into slivers 2 small zucchini or 1 regular zucchini, cleaned and grated Directions Heat oil on medium-high in a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Saute your onion until translucent. Then combine translucent onion, soaked and drained cashews, nutritional yeast, water, vinegar and herbamare in a blender. Blend until you have a creamy sauce. Reserve. Boil pasta until al dente. Heat additional oil (if needed) in your pan on medium-high and add your sliced mushrooms in a single layer on the pan. Season with freshly grated black pepper and herbamare. You may have to do several batches. Brown one side and then turn over to brown the other side. Remove from pan and reserve while you brown the remaining mushrooms. Add your slivered chard to the last batch of mushrooms and sautee them until they wilt and start to brown. Sprinkle on your grated zucchini and let it soften slightly. Pour on your sauce and let it thicken. Mix pasta into the sauce and serve topped with fresh basil if desired. Notes Best the first night it is made, but can be reheated too. I think I might save any uneaten pasta separate from the sauce for the next day and combine them right before heating so that the pasta doesn’t absorb too much of the sauce and you get more creamy liquid for leftovers.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Cashew un-cheese sauce inspired by Ali of Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Recipe ID:  1582 Added:  December 13, 2011 Last Modified:  December 14, 2011

So much for dieting!

Gluten-free Dairy-free Spiced Persimmon Cookie Recipe Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1 cup peeled persimmon, pureed 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup +2 tablespoons brown rice flour(or sorghum) 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 cup +2 tablespoons tapioca starch 1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar) 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 tsp salt 1 beaten egg 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup melted palm oil shortening, vegan margarine or butter (I used shortening) Directions Preheat oven to 375F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and reserve. Whisk your baking soda into the persimmon puree and reserve. Combine your dry ingredients from brown rice flour through spices and salt. Stir in persimmmon puree. Fold in your beaten egg and then your nuts and raisins. Pour the melted shortening over the dough and stir to combine. Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough (a full regular spoon or a scant tablespoon works well) onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are baked but still slightly soft. They are very tender when first baked but firm up as they cool. Notes I used about 2 ripe hachiya persimmons for this recipe but I think any nicely ripened persimmon would work. The pictured cookies were frozen first, and then baked. The first time around, I used the room temperature dough and they spread out more, which looks a bit prettier. Either way they taste great! You can freeze the dough and bake later in a preheated oven at 375F. Just add a few minutes on to the baking time. I usually throw my dough into a quart ziploc freezer bag and label with baking instructions and recipe title. However, when you cut off the cookies you get funny block-shaped cookies then. I recommend you freeze them in a tube shape or freeze them on wax paper in spoonfuls just how you’d like to bake them for the prettiest cookies. Freezing cookie dough gets rid of some of the graininess of gluten-free flour and also results in a fatter cookie. This recipe is also good baked straight out of the bowl, but we like the flexibility of freezing the leftovers so we can have fresh cookies any time we want.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by online gluten recipes but my original creation. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1581 Added:  December 3, 2011 Last Modified:  December 4, 2011

I initially shared my allergen-free pumpkin pie, but when I tested the recipe again this time around I got funky results that may have been due to not refrigerating it. However, I want to tweak the recipe so I pulled it from the post. You will see a new improved version soon! The pie crust was great, though.

As I mentioned Hero Beth made TWO recipes. The other recipes is a Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad. This recipe excited me because in the back of my mind I have been daydreaming about what a raw Thanksgiving would look like, and this dish is a great start to an amazing raw foods menu. Also, weirdly enough, although Toddler Yum won’t touch cooked squash these days because it is that most suspicious of colors, orange, she has been known to grab raw squash and pumpkin and chow down with enthusiasm. I think if I made this salad (perhaps sans kale, which I would love but which Toddler Yum would undoubtedly pick out fastidiously) Toddler Yum just might gobble it up!

Hero Beth is a tough act to follow, but I thought I’d share one of my favorite vegetarian (vegan) sides- a nutritional yeast gravy that makes everything taste better, from roasted stuffed acorn squash, to mashed potatoes, to biscuits. I bet it would be awesome on Hero Beth’s gluten-free mushroom stuffing as well!

Nutritional Yeast Gravy Vegan  Sauces & Condiments  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1/4 cup brown rice flour 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp Braggs GF liquid aminos 2 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp onion granules 1/4 tsp garlic granules (if desired) 1/8 tsp black pepper Directions Heat brown rice flour and nutritional yeast flakes in a dry nonstick frypan on a medium temperature, and let them lightly brown and release their fragrance. Take the pan off the heat and slowly add water, braggs, olive oil and seasonings, whisking continuously until mixture is silky smooth. Return to heat and stir until gravy reaches desired consistency. Notes I serve this gravy every holiday with mashed potatoes and (on thanksgiving) my portabello stuffed acorn squash dish. It’s so easy you can make it anytime, and top brown rice, pasta, baked potatoes or tofu patties. DH enjoys it too, and it’s considerably easier than the typical American gravy made from scratch.

Rating:  10 Original Source:  adapted from vegan vittles Recipe ID:  1059 Added:  April 11, 2007 Last Modified:  November 20, 2011

As Thanksgiving has gotten closer, I’ve been finalizing my own Thanksgiving menu. Here’s what I’m thinking.

For our main dish, we’ll have a recipe that has signified Thanksgiving to me ever since I first made it over twelve years ago living in Boulder, Colorado, My main dish for Portobella Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash (See below). I’ll top it with my favorite Nutritional Yeast Gravy. It might seem strange, but we’ve always enjoyed having some vegetarian or vegan Homemade baked beans with our Thanksgiving meal. This year I think I’ll make it in the our brand new slow cooker! We usually have plain old mashed potatoes, but this year Elise’s recipe for Duchess Potatoes (adapted to be dairy-free). Then I’ll make some Homemade Orange Apple Cranberry Sauce with a side of gluten-free, vegetarian homemade French Bread. For Desserts we will have pre-made gluten-free pie from Crave Bakery in Gluten-free Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie Varieties, as well as homemade dairy-free gluten-free pumpkin and Gluten-free Apple Pie.

What are you having for your Thanksgiving dinner menu?

Portabella Stuffed Acorn Squash Main Course  Vegetables  American

Ingredients Stuffing: 24 oz. gluten FREE bread, cubed (any type works, even bread that isn’t that tasty) 1 tbsp. Olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 medium onion, diced 2 medium carrots, diced 2 medium portabella mushrooms, diced 1/4 cup walnut (or pecan) pieces 1 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1/2 cup fresh basil or other herb 1 cup warm vegetable broth 1/2 tsp. Black pepper 1/2 tsp. salt For the Squash: 4 medium acorn squash, halved, with seeds removed 1 cup water 1/2 cup ginger ale 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tsp low sodium gluten-free tamari (San-j preferred) 1 tsp honey juice of a lemon pinch of cayenne pepper Directions Stuffing Instructions: 1) Place bread cubes on cookie sheet and dry them for 20 to 30 minutes in a 250 degree oven, uncovered. 2) Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan. Add onion and carrots, and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes until lightly caramelized. Add mushrooms, nuts, and poultry seasoning, continuing to saute for 2 minutes. Add fresh herb, and transfer to a large mixing bowl, then add dried bread cubes, and mix well with broth. Let sit for 30 minutes until bread absorbs all the liquid and the stuffing is fluffy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Squash Instructions: 1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place squash halves cut-side-down on a cookie sheet lined with foil, or use a nonstick pan. Add 1/2 cup water and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until nearly tender. 2) Combine ginger ale, orange juice, tamari, honey, lemon juice and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Place squash cavity-side-up in a roasting pan. Brush generously with the glaze. Fill the cavity of each squash with the mushroom stuffing, using an ice cream scoop or large spoon. Pack stuffing in the cavity, forming a uniform mound. 3) Pour 1/2 cup water in the pan and bake 30 minutes, until squash is lightly browned and stuffing is thoroughly heated. Enjoy! Notes My favorite vegetarian “turkey”- excellent with gravy. Of course I use a vegetarian gravy made from scratch using nutritional yeast, but you don’t have to. The stuffing is good on its own as well. Mmmm…. Thanksgiving memories.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Adapted from the Whole Foods Market Flavors magazine, Volume 1 Recipe ID:  1161 Added:  November 22, 2007 Last Modified:  November 21, 2011