I had spent half of the day in a feverish whirlwind making 3 batches of brownies, 1 batch of sorghum flax onion rolls, seared crimini mushrooms and roasted eggplant slices with a tahini sauce. So, we dined on delightfully refreshing snowflake plates, and didn’t even notice because everything tasted so good, and we had such nice company. Friends, food, and fireworks, that’s all you need to celebrate the 4th of July. Being a food blogger, I had to take a photograph of the food, snowflake plates and all.

I hope you don’t mind. The combination of rubbing lemon olive oil onto the eggplant and drizzling it with a tahini sauce spiked with lemon zest brought unexpected new life to an old favorite method of preparing eggplant. Even the alleged eggplant-haters had to admit it was addictive and tasty. And for eggplant lovers… well, lets just say, eggplant proved itself once as a fitting ingredient for ye old Book of Yum. We went home without a single eggplant slice left- and I’d baked two whole ones up just for the occasion. Alas for no leftovers, but hurrah for a very delicious picnic, with just the right amount of food.

This makes me want to make this recipe all over again. The tahini sauce is terrific on salad, as a dip for red pepper and/or carrots… and even on sauteed mushrooms, as we found out. Enjoy!

Roasted Lemon Eggplant Slices Side Dish  Vegetables  Mediterranean

Ingredients 2 medium-sized American Eggplant (or one, if very large) Lemon olive oil Bouquet Garni (sold at Penzeys) or your favorite green herb mix salt pepper Directions Preheat oven to 425F. Get out a baking sheet. Wash, dry and slice eggplant into generous 1/4 inch slices. Pour about 1/8 cup lemon olive oil into a small bowl and add herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Baste eggplant slices on both sides with oil-herb mixture and place on baking sheet. When sheet is full, place in oven and roast for 20-30 minutes or until one side is golden brown. Turn slices and brown the other side for at least 10 minutes until it is also browned and slices are soft and succulent. You may have to baby these a little- don’t let them burn! Remove any that cook faster than the others when they are done. Notes Some slices are less sturdy than others due to seed composition etc. If any fall apart- put them in a bowl and drizzle with tahini sauce for a chef’s snack or serve to family members to tempt their appetite.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1506 Added:  July 5, 2010 Last Modified:  July 5, 2010

Roasted Vegetable Tahini Sauce Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Middle Eastern

Ingredients Equal amounts pure tahini and water 1 tsp. agave nectar (or honey) lemon zest, to taste (I used a meyer lemon but anything will work) fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste generous sprinkle of salt Directions Blend tahini and water in a mini food processor. Add agave, lemon juice and salt and blend again. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add your lemon zest, stir, and serve. Wonderful on roasted eggplant slices!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1507 Added:  July 5, 2010 Last Modified:  July 5, 2010

When Diane of the Whole Gang suggested that this month we have an Oscar theme for our Gluten-free Progressive Dinner, I was both excited and perplexed. I’ve never held an Oscar themed dinner party. What could I make? Searching online, it seems that people hosting Oscar parties usually either go for a movie-theme (10 varieties of popcorn, anyone?) or prepare food inspired by one or more movies up for nomination. Popcorn didn’t inspire me, but I thought it might be fun to prepare a menu inspired by one of the nominated movies. Julie & Julia might be the most obvious choice, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Hello, a movie about a food blogger and a woman who learned to cook in Paris- what could be better? I couldn’t remember much inspiring vegetarian fare, though, and the whole thing seemed a little too obvious. I briefly considered The Blind Side as I love making gluten-free Southern-inspired vegetarian fare. But, of this year’s nominees, Avatar was the one that really stood out to me. I loved its imaginative depiction of an alien society, its beautiful visuals, its interesting commentary on the exploitation of native peoples, and illustration of the anthropologist’s problem of “going native.” What could be more fun than creating a menu of other-worldly food? This vegetarian Avatar-inspired meal begins with an appetizer of spicy and lovely lotus root chips. If you prefer, you can try my healthier baked lotus root chip recipe. It continues with a hearty and peppery dish inspired by bruschetta but gone alien with a bird-seed millet grit base (appropriate for a people that fly on winged bird-dragons) topped with honey or agave sweetened caramelized balsamic eggplant and fresh arugula greens in a vinaigrette. The meal ends on a naturally sweet note with fried smashed plantain chips lightly spiced with exotic cinnamon and sugar. We enjoyed our meal thoroughly, and it would be perfect for an Avatar inspired Oscar Viewing party (or an Avatar viewing party).

This post is an entry in the Gluten-free Progressive Dinner Event Series.
Join us the week of February 22-26th for Award Winning Food for you to make for your Oscar Watching Party or anytime you want rave reviews.

Monday February 22- Shirley from gluten free easily sharing Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup

Tuesday February 23- SEA from Book of Yum with appetizers inspired from the movie Avatar

Wednesday February 24- Karen from Cook4Seasons and Diane from The WH.O.L.E. Gang using inspiration from Julie and Julia

Thursday February 25- Alison from Sure Foods Living

Friday February 26- Ellen from I Am Gluten Free

Looking for more Oscar Viewing Menus?
Epicurious Oscar Viewing Party Menu ‘09
Yahoo Oscar Menu Ideas ‘10 (love the “blue” theme for the Avatar menu!)

Fried Lotus Root Chip Recipe Snacks  Vegetables  Asian

Ingredients 1 lotus root bulb (renkon in Japanese) canola or other oil for frying salt smoked paprika if you want it spicy Directions Peel your lotus root and slice as thinly as you can manage. A mandolin works very well for this. If it will be a while before you fry, you can put the slices in water with a little vinegar added. Before frying, drain and dry the slices thoroughly. A salad spinner works well. Be careful of any splattering while frying. Prepare a wire rack with a pan underneath for excess oil to drip off while the chips cool. When ready to fry, put at least one inch of canola oil in a deep, tall pan. I often use a soup pan. Heat the oil to 365F and carefully drop in a few dry lotus root chips. Use a metal strainer with a long handle or chopsticks to turn them. When they are golden brown, remove them to the wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika if you like. Continue frying in small batches. Serve and enjoy! *If the lotus chips are not done enough in the center you can fry them twice- first to a light golden brown, then let cool slightly, and then fry once more to a full golden brown. Season after the last frying. Notes You can buy lotus root at Asian Markets, especially Japanese or Korean markets. Check your lotus root carefully. It should not have any mold. Try to avoid any dark spots. The ideal lotus root will have crisp flesh, smooth, unblemished skin, and will still have its “knot” that attaches to another bulb. The knot should not have any mold, and ideally will look clean and fresh.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Do not replicate without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1489 Added:  February 23, 2010 Last Modified:  February 23, 2010

Millet Polenta Croquettes with Honey Balsamic Eggplant topping recipe Main Course

Ingredients 1/2 cup Millet Grits (Bob’s Red Mill) 1 1/2 cup water 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. olive oil Your favorite herbal blend (I like the Provencal blends by Penzeys) 1 large Eggplant Marinade: 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar or more to taste 1/2 tsp honey or agave your favorite herbal seasoning blend Handful of arugula or other favorite sturdy salad green or herb such as basil Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette or homemade: 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. honey or agave salt pepper (adjust proportions to suit your palate) Directions Bring water and salt to a boil and add your grits, lowering heat and covering. Let cook on low for 10-15 minutes. Take off heat, cool for 15 minutes, and then remove to a small square shaped container like tupperware. cool in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375F. Meanwhile, prepare your eggplant. Slice or cut into 1/2 inch thick cubes, depending on your preference. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and seasoning blend in a small bowl. Whisk ingredients together. You can either baste your eggplant cubes with your marinade or dip your slices in the marinade. If you run out of marinade (depending on the size of your eggplant) just make more! Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your eggplant slices or cubes in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until eggplant has gotten soft and slightly caramelized. If you are making slices, turn over and bake another 10 minutes. The cubes may not need to be turned and baked more. While eggplant is baking, remove your firm, cooled millet grits from the container. They should keep their shape. Carefully slice into rectangles about the size you would expect from bruschetta. Sprinkle with your seasoning herb and a touch of salt, if not included in the blend. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan on medium. Place your millet “polenta” rectangles in the oil and fry until golden brown. Turn over and brown the other side. Remove to a serving plate. If you like, you can caramelize some onions to top the dish with. Slice an onion and sautee in a little olive oil on low-med heat until it gets golden brown. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Now, assemble the dish. Top the millet croquettes with arugula and caramelized onions (optional). Drizzle a little dressing on top and add your roasted eggplant. Add some sprigs of arugula for garnish and serve. Enjoy! *For a variation, you can add a little pasta sauce to the top of the eggplant while it is in its final roasting phase. Notes You can also layer the dish Croquettes, eggplant, arugula, but I decided I liked it better as written here. It’s up to you. :)

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Do not replicate without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1488 Added:  February 22, 2010 Last Modified:  February 23, 2010

Fried Plantain Chip Recipe Dessert  Snacks  Vegetables  Mexican

Ingredients 1 slightly green plantain canola oil salt sugar cinnamon Equipment *Tortilla press 1 quart sized freezer bag Directions Prepare your tortilla press by lining it with a freezer bag with the sides cut out. Slice plantain at an angle to get a long, oval slice. If the plantain is too green to easily remove the skin, carefully cut the skin off of each slice. Prepare a wire rack above a wide, long pan for draining. Preheat your canola oil (or other oil with a high smoke point) in a narrow, deep pan like a soup pan. Heat to 365F and you are ready to fry! Place in the freezer bag lining your tortilla press and press down on the handle to create a large, flat “chip”. Gently peel off your “chip” and carefully drop in the oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove chip from oil with a wire strainer and place on wire rack to cool. Season with a tiny smidgen of salt, and generous sprinkles of sugar and cinnamon. Continue frying until all chips are done. You can place the rack (if oven safe) in an oven on 200F to keep warm if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Do not replicate without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1490 Added:  February 23, 2010 Last Modified:  February 23, 2010

I am hosting the gluten-free menu swap this week with eggplant as the theme ingredient. I love eggplant for its wonderful texture and versatility. Grilling it gives it wonderful flavor in eggplant “steaks”, and roasting creates a smooth luxurious puree that adds wonderful body to recipes. It can even be used as an unconventonal dairy substitute as seen in this mayo-eggplant pizza topping. What’s your favorite way to enjoy eggplant? Tell me in the comments.

Here are some of mine:
Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Lentil Soup
Vegetarian Tempeh Moussaka Recipe

Monday: Middle Eastern
Gluten Free flatbread
Baba Ganoush
Bean salad

Tuesday: Italian
Roasted Vegetable Gluten Free Pasta with vegan nut topping

Tuesday: Italian
Arugula Gnocchi
Grilled Veggie Antipasti and beans

Friday: Southern
Cornbread vegetarian stuffing
pressure cooker beans
slow cooked greens

Asparagus Thin never disappoints with her rich and varied international menus. With a renewed enthusiasm for a vegetarian, gluten-free diet, Manda will be enjoying Roasted Eggplant and Onion Panzanella and Eggplant Avocado Pasta. Recipes, please!!! :)

Celiacs in the House has beautiful photos of the Fall harvest and a tasty menu including Fried Rice with Tofu. Her family didn’t seem to care for eggplant last time she tried it so she’s skipping it- the DH doesn’t either but I’ve won him over with some of my recipes.

Kimberly at Gluten Free is Life is a girl after my own heart and could eat eggplant every day! She’s making an easy Eggplant Parmesan that sounds just about perfect.

A Modern Gal’s hubby just doesn’t enjoy eggplant- seems like these husbands (including mine) should form a club. hehe. But she has a great international menu planned with red curry and Indonesian spicy rice w/ egg that you should check out.

Celiac Family has a menu full of tasty dishes, relying on zucchini and tomatoes rather than eggplant since that is what their garden is producing. I often find that I can use zucchini instead of eggplant in grilled recipes and it works quite well.

Gluten-free Food storage has a week full of homey favorites planned, although eggplant is not featured as it is not in their garden.

Angela’s Kitchen has a week full of tasty baked goods planned, along with mini corn dogs for GF family members on a trip to the fair. She also shared her favorite way to enjoy eggplant in the comments.

Green v-neck is a gluten-free blogger new to me, and has a lovely vegan menu planned. Alas, no eggplant. but, she does have some tasty dishes- I’d especially like to come to dinner at her house on wednesday when she will have peanut tofu, curried baked brown rice & lentils. I’d settle for the recipe, in a pinch. (hint hint) :)

If you would like to participate in this week’s Gluten-free Menu Plan Monday please post in the comments. Unfortunately it seems that my email service, Contactify, is down at the moment. I’ll add your menu as soon as i can.

Don’t forget to check out more menus at Org Junkie.

Vegan Baba Ganoush Recipe Vegan  Side Dish  Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Middle Eastern

Ingredients 1 large eggplant 2 tbsp. tahini, plus more as needed 1-3 garlic cloves 1/4 onion, sliced and grilled 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed 1 tsp whole cumin, toasted 1 tbsp. roasted sesame seeds, coarsely ground in mortar and pestle salt, to taste smoked paprika, to taste 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs for garnish 1/2tsp. specialty olive oil (like lemon infused) for garnish kalamata or other favorite olive for garnish Directions Roast eggplant in oven on 375 for 15 minutes on each side, or for 15 minutes on the grill and 15 minutes in the oven. Bake garlic cloves at the same time unpeeled wrapped in aluminum foil. Then reserve and cool. Grill onion slices until done on a grill (or caramelize in a pan). Dice a small amount for garnish and reserve the rest. Toast your whole cumin in a pan on the stove to bring out the flavor. Put your roasted garlic (now peeled) and the reserved grilled onion in your food processor and blend. Add your eggplant and blend. Reserve some eggplant to chop or mash by hand if you like your baba ghanoush chunky. Add lemon juice, cumin, tahini, and cumin seeds and blend to desired consistency. Remove lid and add additional spices, but wait to add the garnish until it is in aserving dish. Then, sprinkle with diced grilled onion, additional kosher salt if you like, additional smoked paprika for color, olives and fresh herbs etc. Finally drizzle a little olive oil on top and serve.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Adapted from various recipes to become an original creation. Pleasedo not replicate without permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1449 Added:  August 30, 2009 Last Modified:  August 31, 2009

Having trouble finding the ingredients? I bulk order through Amazon for the best prices on Pamela’s and some of my flours…

Roasted Eggplant Lentil Tahini Vegetarian Soup Recipe Soup  Vegetables  Middle Eastern

Ingredients 1 lg. eggplant smoked paprika salt olive oil 1-2 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 large onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 1 scant stalk of celery, sliced 3 cloves garlic, peeled zest from 1 fresh lemon 4-6 cups water(enough to fill about half of a medium size dutch oven) salt to taste parsley, fresh & chopped or dried generous amounts of smoked paprika 3 tbsp. tahini 1 cup milk (dairy or dairy-free unflavored) 1/2 package of Trader Joe’s cooked lentils OR 2 cups cooked lentils that you have prepared in lightly salted water sprinkling of brown rice vinegar to taste Directions Roast halved eggplant in 375 oven lightly basted with olive oil and seasoned with smoked paprika and salt flesh-side-up for 30 minutes, and then turn and bake for 15 more minutes or so. Remove and reserve. When cool(ER) peel and cut into cubes. Heat olive oil in dutch oven and saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic cloves until onion starts to turn translucent. Add water, parsley, lemon zest, and salt and bring to a low boil until the water is infused with vegetable flavor. Add tahini and let dissolve into broth along with reserved eggplant cubes. Let simmer for a bit and then whisk in milk. Taste and season with additional salt, smoked paprika, and parsley as you like. Take off burner. Use immersion blender to blend all ingredients into a smooth soup. (You can remove some of the garlic if you like before doing this step.) Return to the burner on low-medium and add lentils whole without blending in. Heat soup until lentils are warm. To serve, remove from burner, let cool SLIGHTLY sprinkle a little brown rice vinegar in the soup (making sure it doesn’t separate when you add it, and if it starts to, let soup cool more or drizzle vinegar in individual servings of soup.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Completely original creation of my own brain. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1409 Added:  May 7, 2009 Last Modified:  May 14, 2009

Hearty Grain Cornbread with Pamela’s baking and pancake mix recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1-1/4 cup Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal 1/4 cup montina flour (or other whole grain hearty flour 1/4 cup agave nectar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 egg, beaten 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil Directions Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper and grease if you like. Preheat oven to 370. Whisk ingredients together in a medium-large bowl. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan and then gently use knife to remove bread from edges of pan and release onto a cooling rack.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Modified from Pamela’s cornbread recipe to add whole grain flavor and lower on the glycemic index. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1408 Added:  May 7, 2009 Last Modified:  May 18, 2009

But what is Moussaka, anyway? According to my friend Wikipedia:

“Moussaka is a traditional eggplant-based dish in the Balkans and the Middle East, but most closely associated with Greece and Turkey. The Greek version, which is the best-known outside the region, traditionally consists of layers of ground meat, sliced eggplant and tomato, topped with a white sauce and baked. Turkish musakka, unlike the Greek version, is not layered. Instead, it is prepared with sautéed and fried eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat. In the Arab world, moussaka is a cooked salad made up primarily of tomatoes and eggplant, similar to Italian caponata, and is usually served cold as a mezze dish. ” (source: Wikipedia Moussaka Entry)

Those all sound lovely, except for the whole meat and (probable) gluten thing. I decided that instead of ignoring the usual “meaty” element of moussaka, I would replace it with a vegetarian substitute. I considered using Trader Joe’s Soy Vegetarian Chorizo, but I found myself shopping at Whole Foods instead of Trader Joe’s this week, and I was unexpectedly inspired by the tempeh. Turtle Island Home-Style Soy Tempeh is labeled gluten-free, and I thought that the grainy texture of the fermented soy would work beautifully for replicating a “meaty” texture in moussaka. I found inspiration from the Vegan Coach blog’s Tempeh Sausage Recipe, but the resulting recipe was mine, all mine.

Happily, the DH thoroughly enjoyed the Moussaka, gobbling it up with some jasmine rice and a salad with kalamata olives and a light italian vinaigrette dressing. I was at last satisfied- and felt like I had truly made a “real” complex and tasty moussaka that could compete with its less vegetarian friendly cousin. And happily, I had come up with a way of preparing tempeh that even the tempeh-skeptical DH could thoroughly enjoy. We both gave the recipe a nine out of ten on the yum scale, and I will definitely be making this recipe again.

Perfect Gluten-Free Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe Main Course  Tofu  Vegetables  Mediterranean

Ingredients Tempeh “ground style”: 1 8 oz. Gluten-Free Tempeh 1 cup vegetarian broth 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil poultry seasoning to taste 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 sprig fresh rosemary diced 1 sprig fresh thyme, diced 2 cups button or crimini mushrooms, diced 1/2 cup pecans chopped 2 Tbsp. GF Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or other GF WF Tamari smoked paprika, to taste Basic White Sauce: 3 tbsp butter OR vegan margarine (Earth Balance) 3 tbsps. brown rice flour 2 cups milk- dairy OR vegan: soy milk etc. 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg salt and pepper Moussaka Ingredients: 2 medium eggplant Pasta seasoning blend (like Trader Joe’s with fennel) Olive oil Salt 1 large onion, chopped 1 or 2 garlic cloves, pressed Tempeh “ground” (recipe above) 1 cup chopped, canned tomatoes 1 tsp. dried oregano 2 tbsp. tomato paste 2 cups white sauce (recipe above, dairy or vegan version) Option A: 1 egg yolk OR Option B: 1 egg replacer “egg” recipe AND 1 1/2 tsp. mustard OR 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast OR 1 tsp. turmeric. Directions To prepare tempeh, slice the tempeh in half horizontally and bring one cup vegetarian broth (from bullion is fine)to a boil in a small saucepan. Immerse the tempeh in the broth and turn down heat to low. Cover and simmer for fifteen minutes or more. Remove tempeh from the pan and place in a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher until you have a nice crumbly texture. Heat olive oil in a nonstick fry pan or cast iron pan and then add your mashed tempeh, distributing it evenly in the pan. Season with spices. Let tempeh brown and then turn. Add mushrooms to the empty edges of the pan and let begin to brown, eventually stirring into the tempeh. Add pecans to the edge of the pan again, letting toast, and then stir into the rest of the ingredients. Add your tamari evenly to the dish and mix again. Sprinkle with smoked paprika. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Make sure the tempeh has browned thoroughly before you remove from pan and reserve. Prepare eggplant for Moussaka by slicing into rounds. Sprinkle pasta seasoning blend in a small measuring bowl (really, really small) and add olive oil and salt. whisk ingredients together and then baste eggplant rounds with seasoned olive oil on both sides. Place on baking dish (like a cookie sheet) and broil until browned. Turn and broil the other side until golden brown. Remove from oven and reserve. Preheat oven to 375 F. Take your nonstick pan and heat a little more olive oil. Add your onion and let it begin to turn translucent. Add your pressed garlic cloves and begin to cook. Add the prepared tempeh “ground” that you made, above. Combine and let flavors marry and heat. Add tomatoes, oregano, and tomato paste. Taste and season with any additional salt or pepper if needed. Cook for a few more minutes. When it has approached sufficient yumminess, remove from heat and reserve. For white sauce: Take a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan and heat your butter or vegan margarine over a medium-high heat. When it has melted, remove from heat and whisk in your brown rice flour until you have a thick, creamy roux. Still OFF THE HEAT, slowly add in 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy), and whisk until you have a smooth sauce. Add the rest of your milk, whisk, and then return to the burner on medium-high heat. When it starts to thicken and bubble, lower heat, whisking occasionally, and let continue to thicken to desired texture. Take off burner and whisk in either either your egg yolk OR egg replacer + yellow condiment. Assemble Moussaka immediately! Take a pretty casserole dish and layer starting from tempeh “ground” to your seasoned broiled eggplant, repeating until you end with the eggplant slices. Pour white sauce over the top eggplant in a thick, even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating halfway through so that it is evenly browned. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve hot. Notes DH could tell it contained tempeh, but still loved it. A first for him! An easy 9/10 for both of us. A little time intensive, but the best moussaka I’ve had- when I made it before from a recipe, I found it bland. This was so flavorful!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by non-veg, non GF moussaka recipe in Sauces cookbook, but my own invention. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1317 Added:  November 3, 2008 Last Modified:  November 4, 2008

Our 4th of July menu was:
Grilled Sesame Tofu (recipe below)
Summer Vegetable Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Balsamic Honey Grilled Eggplant
and
Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Financiers (recipe below)

If you look at my post for July 4, 2007 you’ll note that I made peanut sauce last year too, for sesame grilled vegetables. But I also made some new recipes for this year’s feast… like this delightful recipe for Balsamic Honey Grilled Eggplant.

This recipe was a real keeper, and one that I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot in the years to come. DH is skeptical of eggplant, and he seemed to enjoy it- and I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. To me it was like grilled and savory candy (but better).

I also experimented with a recipe from Martha Stewart that I’d been eying for a while. Of course, as written the recipe was full of gluten, gluten, gluten, but I thought it would probably convert reasonably well to be gluten-free. Even though we’re currently packing up our whole house for a move, I deliberately left out my mini-muffin tins just for this recipe. Oh, how I love my mini-muffin tins. Like real muffin tins, but cuter. Anyway, I was thrilled for the opportunity to use up some of the organic, local raspberries I’d been storing in the freezer, and an Indpendence Day Picnic seemed like the perfect time for financiers. Although, to be honest, I didn’t quite know what financiers were. To me they just seemed like little jam-filled-mini muffins.

Luckily, the Joy of Baking was able to enlighten me.

“Financiers are French tea cakes (pronounced fee-nahng-syehr), also known as Friands (meaning “dainty” or “tasty”). They are made from a sponge-like batter of beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, flour, toasted ground almonds, and powdered sugar. Financiers are similar to Madeleines in that they both use a sponge-like mixture that is baked in special molds. When baked Financiers are soft and springy with a slightly domed top and a lovely golden brown crust.” (Source: Stephanie Jaworski)

Financiers are a natural for gluten-free conversion, as a good portion of their batter is made with almond flour and eggs, two high protein ingredients that help compensate for any lack of gluten in our flours. Unfortunately commercial varieties will also contain gluten-flour, but you can make them at home with excellent results. As it happens, I converted the recipe to be dairy free, but for a more traditional recipe you could use butter instead of the DF, CF margarine and let the butter brown. This browning of the butter adds great nutty flavor. Just be careful not to burn it! I think traditionally financiers are made in special molds, like madeleines, but home cooks use mini muffin tins very successfully. I knew I was happy I bought that mini-muffin tin!

In Love with Financiers?
Try Gluten-Free Girl’s Chocolate Financier Recipe, brought to you by Smitten Kitten.
Or, an agave-nectar sweetened version of the recipe
An adorable Gluten-Free Apricot Financier Recipe
Or a gluten-free adaption of a Almond Tea Cake Financier Recipe

But food aside, the best thing about any holiday is sharing it with special friends that are your family-away-from-family. Last year we spent it with my favorite adopted “little sister”- and this year we spent it with one of our favorite couples. These are friends that have been with both of us for the long haul, and I hope will always be a part of our life. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I hope your holiday was absolutely delicious, and that you got to spend it with your very favorite people!

Yummy Grilled Tofu Side Dish  Tofu  American

Ingredients 1 lb of firm tofu (Chinese Style is best for this kind of recipe) 2 tbsp GF soy sauce (preferably San-J Low Sodium Tamari) 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (we like a Japanese brand) 2 pressed cloves of garlic Directions Drain water from tofu, and cut horizontally in thirds or half. Wrap in towel and leave for 30 minutes or so until water has absorbed into towel. Mix marinade ingredients, and marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes. If possible, grill, if not, broil or pan fry. Makes a wonderful protein addition to salads, sandwich fillings, and perfect with rich rice dishes like risotto. Notes I’ve been making this recipe for years and it always goes over very well at parties. Very flavorful and easy. Can be doubled for a crowd. You may wish to brush or spray grill with oil, as the tofu can stick.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Vegan Vittles Recipe ID:  1036 Added:  March 14, 2007 Last Modified:  July 6, 2008

Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Financiers Dessert  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 8 tbsp. dairy free margarine like Earth Balance 1/3 cup honey (I like raw honey) 2 cups finely ground almonds (I use Trader Joe’s or you can grind your own) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup finely ground brown rice flour (like Authentic Foods’) 1/4 cup sweet (white) rice flour 1/4 cup tapioca starch 1/2 tsp salt 5 lg. egg whites (you can probably veganize this by using 3-4 Ener-g foods egg replacer eggs, soy yogurt, or flax seed eggs) 1 cup raspberries (if frozen, defrost first), pureed and strained (not strained is ok if you don’t mind seeds) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two mini muffin tins with GF nonstick cooking spray. Melt your margarine in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, whisking occasionally and heating for 6-7 minutes. At the end, whisk in your honey and let it combine thoroughly. Put your ground almonds, sugars, flour, and salt in a standing mixer (or large bowl) and whisk together on low. Turn up the speed to medium-high and add your egg whites (or egg replacer eggs) one at a time, combining each one thoroughly until adding the next. Use a spatula to make sure all the ingredients on the side of the bowl integrate with the rest of the ingredients. Lower mixer speed to low and add your warm honey-margarine (whisk quickly first to make sure it hasn’t separated) in one long, continuous stream. Turn up speed to high for 45 seconds. Fill your mini muffin tins half full. Then take a scant 1/2 tsp of your raspberry puree and pull up a little of the batter with a knife, dribbling the puree in and then settling the batter over the top to make a raspberry heart shape. Or, just make a little jam circle on the top if the heart is too much effort. Bake for 7 minutes or so, turn your rack around and bake another 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy! Notes Another cute little mini-muffin, er, I mean financier, recipe!

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Modified from Martha Steward Living to be dairy and GF Recipe ID:  1264 Added:  July 6, 2008 Last Modified:  July 7, 2008