I know it has been a little while since I posted. The reason is that we’ve been quite sick with a cold that just wouldn’t quit. Toddler Yum’s cold turned into ear infections, and mine (as well as my mother’s) turned into pneumonia. So, I write this reclining on the couch, with the dear senior cat ra snoring and purring on my ankle and Downton Abbey playing on the television. The DH has been cooking soups for me all day, and roasting vegetables, and roasting chickpeas, and baking gluten-free french bread and brownies. Do I know how to pick them or what!

Stay tuned for any delicious recipes he comes up with… and the next sign up for Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger in early February.

Here’s me and my girl today, post chickpea scarfing.

Toddler or Mama’s Lunchbox Roasted Chickpeas Side Dish  American

Ingredients 1 can chickpeas, drained 2 tsp olive or grapeseed oil herb blend (I prefer bouquet garni or herbes de provence) herbamare or other mild herbal salt blend (salt-free is ok) smoked paprika 1 tsp. nutritional yeast Directions Preheat oven to 400f. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain chickpea in a strainer. You may rinse if you wish to get rid of some of the salt. Put in a bowl lined with a cloth towel. Pat the chickpeas dry and rub off any translucent skins that come off easily. Turn the towel wrapped chickpeas upside down into the bowl, removing the towel. Drizzle your oil over the chickpeas and evenly distribute over the chickpeas. Pour the chickpeas onto the baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with your herb blend, herbamare, smoked paprika, and then nutritional yeast. Roast for 30-40 minutes. If you like them extra crunchy, but don’t want to run the risk of burning them, you can turn off the oven and keep the chickpeas in the oven until they have reached a desired level of crunchiness. Notes Toddler Yum loves this recipe!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission Recipe ID:  1584 Added:  January 29, 2012 Last Modified:  January 29, 2012

Here are some of my friend’s recipes:
Diane’s Roasted Chickpeas
Shirley’s Roasted Chickpeas
Jaden’s Roasted Chickpeas

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.

Then I went online to research the correct harvesting of pattypan. Whoops. Turns out if you let them get large, supposedly they get rather woody and coarse. I was disheartened but couldn’t believe they could really be that bad. People let zucchini get big, after all. Besides, looking at them gave me an idea. They were such nice, round shapes, and I was reminded of my old traditional eggplant parmesan recipe. They would be the perfect size for a personal pizza un-crust. So, I dipped them in a spiced oil and vinegar marinade and put them on the grill to soften them and add flavor. Then I topped them with a really good pizza sauce and cheese. For my dairy-free Mother, I made a few with Daiya cheese instead. The cheese melted and got all bubbly and delicious, and when I got a bite, I didn’t miss a grain crust at all! They were delicious, and the “hard” rind added structure and texture to the crust but the soft squash interior was still soft and delicious. I did notice that the larger they got, the larger their seeds were, and the center of the round was a bit softer than the rest. It could still hold up to a pizza topping, though, and was easy to eat with a fork, although I wouldn’t try to eat it with my hands just because it is a bit messier than a regular pizza.

I’ve been experimenting with my other giant pattypan and have found that they taste just as good as the littler ones. I like a sturdier squash anyway, and one of my biggest complaints over (bad) zucchini or yellow squash recipes is when they get mushy. It is hard to make these giant pattypan mushy, and they take on flavor and are just delicious sauteed in oil. I did prefer to peel them for sauteed applications as otherwise the rind is hard to eat. It reminds me of kabocha squash, actually.

So, if like me you have monster pattypan growing out of control in your garden- take heart! You can still enjoy them, in a fun way generally only possible when you have a home garden or belong to a garden co-op. You could also try mini pattypan pizzas with farmer market or supermarket babies. In that case, you would probably have to simply slice them in half and take care not to overcook them. They should be just as delicious either way!

Other Pattypan Recipes:
Fried Pattypan Squash Recipe
Pattypan Squash Recipe
Stuffed Pattypan Squash Recipe
Herbed Pattypan Squash Medley Recipe
Simple Pattypan Squash Recipe
Vegan Stuffed Pattypan Squash Recipe

Other innovative recipes using squash as a “crust”:
Butternut Squash Crust Quiche Recipe

Shared with Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Seasonal Sunday

Pattypan Crust-less Pizza Recipe Main Course  Vegetables  American

Ingredients Mutant, overgrown pattypan squash (5 or more inches diameter) Marinade: Olive oil dash of white balsamic vinegar (brown is fine but will discolor your “pizza” crust) your favorite multi-herb blend seasoning (italian or other) salt (if not included in above herb blend) Topping: High Quality Pizza Sauce such as Muir Glen Organic Grated mozzarella OR Daiya equivalent for dairy-free, vegan Fresh basil for garnish Directions Slice your monster Pattypan beasts into 1/2 inch thick slices appropriate for mini-pizzas. Whisk oil, vinegar, spices and salt together in a pie tin or other medium-sized dish with sides. Keep in mind that pattypan are like eggplant. They are greedy little sponges for oil. Make more than you think you need. Dip both sides pattypan slices in seasoned oil and reserve on a large plate. Heat your grill or grill pan to a high searing temperature. Lightly shake off any excess oil from your pattypan slices and place them on your grill. Sear and then lower temperature to medium. Let slices soften, and then turn to sear and cook the other side. You want your pattypan tender but not mushy. You have two options for the pizza preparation if you are using a grill. You can either place your topping on top of your seared pattypan crust in the grill, close the lid and allow the heat to melt the cheese, or you can reserve your slices and heat the topping in the broiler of your oven. The latter option will result in more browning, so I found I preferred to use the broiler. For broiler option, place pattypan slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler on high. Remove when cheese is melted and has browned. You can use Daiya cheese as a dairy-free alternative, but it will not brown in the same way so just remove when melted.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1564 Added:  July 26, 2011 Last Modified:  July 26, 2011

Other interesting tomato tarts (not Gluten-free)
David Lebovitz’s Savory French Tomato Tart Recipe
101 Cookbooks Savory Fresh Heirloom Tomato Tart in a Parmesan crust
Savory Cheesy Tomato Tart
Tomato Tarte Tatin

And now, the promised Tart, Pie, Crisp, and Cobbler Linky for GLUTEN-FREE recipes. If you have a related recipe that is NOT gluten-free, you can share in comments, but let us leave Mr. Linky for the gluten-free recipes.

Rules: Please link only to Gluten-free Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Crisps or Cobblers. Also, provide a link back to this carnival page on your submitted recipe post so people can find us and add more yummy recipe links! Thanks and I can’t wait to see what you share.

Gluten-free Sweet Tomato Tart Breakfast  Dessert  Alternative Grains  Vegetables  European

Ingredients Tarts (makes one large or 5 or 6 small tarts) 3/4 cup sorghum flour 1/2 cup tapioca starch 1/4 cup potato starch 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 9 Tb. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 large egg yolk, whisked lightly Cream cheese layer: 1/2 package (4 oz) cream cheese or possibly creme fraiche (only if using very soft, runny tomato jam) 1/2 tsp. lemon zest dash vanilla 1 tsp. powdered sugar (or more to taste) Sweet Tomato Jam (see notes for the recipe I used) Directions Butter 5 small tart pans OR 1 large tart pan and reserve. Combine flours, sugar, and salt for tart in a food processor and blend to combine.Add your buter and pulse until it is evenly distributed. Add your egg yolk and process until you have smooth dough. Divide into 5 or 6 sections if doing mini-tart option and drop each section into a tart pan. Press out into a tart crust using your fingers, making sure to come up the edges and leave a depression in the middle for the filling. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, Cut out circles of aluminum foil (or parchment paper) for the center of each mini tart. Butter them and place them in the center of each tart. I used aluminum foil but it stuck a little and didn’t leave a pretty, smooth bottom for the tarts, so I’d use parchment next time. Bake on 350 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown, and then GENTLY remove your foil or parchment circles and bake another 5-10 minutes or until golden. Cool and reserve for use later. I made them the night before assembling. You should put your filling in just prior to serving or the crust could become soggy. Whip together cream cheese layer ingredients and reserve. To assemble, put a layer of the cream cheese in the tart and then gently cover with a layer of tomato jam. Enjoy! Notes Tomato jam for 2-3 small tarts 3 heirloom organic tomatoes (small varieties are fun to combine with larger varieties, just slice in half and roast before adding to preserve shape) 1/4 cup water 2/3 cup sugar dash vanilla 3 tomatoes, either diced or with 1 diced and reserved, and the rest thinly sliced and roasted on 250f for as long as you can stand it. For me, it was about 2 hours. Then bring your water and sugar to a boil and add all of your tomatoes (1 fresh and 2 roasted, or all fresh). Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened but still spreadable.

Rating:  6 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, a work-in-progress. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1563 Added:  July 22, 2011 Last Modified:  July 22, 2011

This recipe shared with Diane’s Real Food Weekly Roundup

Coconut Sugar Sweetened Apricot Cobbler Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1/2 C coconut sugar or regular white sugar (add more if your apricots are under-ripe) 6 C fresh apricots 3 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot starch 1 tbsp. butter or vegan margarine (optional) 1 tsp. almond flavoring 1/2 tsp. vanilla 3/4 C sorghum flour 1/4 C potato starch, arrowroot or corn starch 1/2 C tapioca starch 1 1/2 tbs coconut sugar or regular white sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/4 tsp baking powder 5 tbsp. palm oil shortening 1/2 C milk (dairy-free milk is fine) coconut sugar or raw sugar for garnish Directions Get a deep, ceramic pie pan out of the cupboard and preheat oven to 350F. Pit your apricots and cut into bit sized wedges and place into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, flavoring and sugar and fold in so they are evenly distributed. Melt your butter or margarine and gently fold into the apricot mixture. Reserve. If you like you can pour this apricot mixture into your pie pan and use the bowl for the cobbler. Combine your flours, starches, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in your palm oil shortening with a fork, pastry cutter, or (my personal favorite) your fingers. When the shortening has been worked into the flour and you have a crumbly texture of dough, fold in your milk. Spoon your biscuit mixture on top of the apricots in your pie pan, sprinkle the top with coconut sugar or raw sugar for sparkle, and bake at 350f for around 35 minutes or until cobbler turns a light golden brown and seems firm on top. Enjoy with a dairy-free vanilla ice cream or plain. Delicious! Notes Cobbler runnier than you like? Store it in the refrigerator and the filling will set up.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1561 Added:  July 14, 2011 Last Modified:  July 20, 2011

Previously I’ve made a delicious vegan pot pie and dill bread to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I love these recipes, but this year I wanted to do a little something different, so I started searching online. Once I came across an Irish dish called Colcannon made from potatoes, cabbage, or kale my mission was clear. I needed to make this lovely dish in celebration of my deep love for that most healthful of emerald-green veggies, kale. But I also needed to make it a bit rich and naughty so my green-leafy veggie reluctant husband would enjoy it too. Thus I used copious amounts of butter and salt, and even dipped into Baby Yum’s organic whole milk, to create something rich enough to qualify as celebration fare. If you are feeling a bit more health conscious than I am, or have a more greens-enthused family, feel free to cut down on the butter (or use a vegan substitute such as margarine or coconut oil) and use the salt more sparingly. Keep in mind that the seasonings on the green flavor the plain potato as well, and go forth and experiment. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do, and as much as I suspect my potato-obsessed Baby Yum will tonight for dinner.

I’m cooking at my in-law’s house in Boulder, Colorado this week. It always feels like a holiday cooking at someone else’s house- as long as they have the gluten contained. (My in-laws are very careful about keeping gluten away from us, bless them!)

I don’t think I cook with cabbage near enough. It is surprisingly tasty in Japanese okonomiyaki, savory cabbage pancakes/ pizza, and equally good with an Indian spiced-treatment of caramelized onions and golden cabbage. I’ve even had it in a delightful raw sesame oil salad- so yummy and good for you! You can’t even see the cabbage in the end product. Good for cabbage-haters!


Looking for more gluten-free vegetarian recipes for St. Patrick’s Day?
*Colcannon Puffs at Fat Free Vegan
*Gluten-free Irish Coffee Cupcakes at Simply Gluten-free
*Elana’s Gluten-free St. Patricks Day Recipes, including one for Irish Soda Bread (yummy) and Peppermint Patties
*Vegan Spinach Pie Recipe from the Book of Yum
*Karina’s Delicious Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread Recipe
*Vegan Colcannon Casserole at Manifest Vegan
*Dairy-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with a surprise from Gluten Free Easily

Vegetarian Colcannon with kale cabbage and leeks Recipe Side Dish  Potatoes  Vegetables  European

Ingredients 8 small potatoes, washed with eyes removed 3 tbsp. butter (or Earth Balance margaarine for vegan) 3 leeks, green tops removed, with white part sliced in half horizontally, soaked in water and then drained and chopped into 1/4 inch crescents 1/4 small cabbage, quartered and then thinly sliced handful of de-veined kale, cut into bite size slices copious amounts of salt and pepper Generous glug of the highest fat milk in your house (hey, this is holiday food)- unsweetened plain non-dairy soy, almond or rice milk for vegan Sunny Paris or other shallot-or-onion + dill herbal blend (optional) Directions Quarter potatoes and boil in a pot for 30 minutes or until soft enough to mash Heat one tablespoon of butter in a pan on medium and add about 2 leeks worth of chopped crescent shapes, sauteeing until softened. Add your kale and an additional 1/2 tbsp. of butter. Sautee for a minute or so. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then add a dash of water, covering the pan and lowering the heat. Let cook on low for 10-20 minutes, covered, or until kale is buttery soft and leeks are nicely caramelized. Remove to a bowl. Melt another tbsp. of butter in the pan on medium heat and add your remaining leek crescents. Sautee for a minute or two and then add your thinly sliced cabbage. Cook your cabbage for about five minutes, and then add your remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter, generous amounts of salt and pepper to your taste, lower heat and cover until you have nice caramelized leeks and very soft, buttery cabbage with light browning. You may wish to turn the cabbage once during this. While the cabbage mixture is cooking on the stove-top, mash your potatoes with a masher and add your glug of rich milk. Fold the leek-kale mixture into the potatoes gently. When the cabbage-leek mixture is done, you can add it to the potatoes as well. Don’t over-stir; you want the potatoes to have a slightly lumpy, rustic presentation. Sprinkle with a dill-onion type herbal blend and serve. Serve in a pretty piece of pottery as a side dish for a St. Patrick’s Day themed feast! Notes in

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1546 Added:  March 17, 2011 Last Modified:  March 17, 2011

Ok, you got me. I’m a rule-girl, but only because I want this post and Mr. Linky to celebrate the joy that is kale. Old posts are ok, and multiple posts are ok; just add a link to this post to your post!

*No reviews or unrelated links please. If you have a kale product review comment on my Kale chip post and I’ll add you.


Speaking of kale, one of my favorite ways to prepare it is in the dehydrator. People ask me all the time which dehydrator I use. Let me introduce you to my friend, Mr. Nesco.**

I have the Nesco 700-Watt Round Food Dehydrator. The DH bought it for me for my birthday two years ago, as we were expecting Baby Yum. Shortly thereafter we moved and then had Baby Yum and I was far too busy and, I might add, intimidated by said device, to use it. It lived in our storage shed for quite some time, nestled in with our suitcases and holiday decorations. Oops. The DH was not happy with me, to say the least. I knew I would use it someday, though. I just needed to get over my reluctance to read the manual and figure out how the thing worked. But when I finally did get the courage to use the thing (two years later), I couldn’t figure out what had taken me so long. The dehydrator couldn’t be simpler. You pick your dehydrating temperature, put your food in the racks and plug it in. Take food out when it has achieved the desired texture. Cleaning the racks is a bit of a pain. My dishwasher is always far too busy to use for dehydrator racks, so I have to do them by hand, which I hate. I don’t trust my sink to be clean enough for food that won’t be superheated, so I take them to our shower and hose them down there. Not ideal. I’m thinking of having the DH put in an additional utility sink in our garage where I can do special hand wash. Now that would be useful.

So, I have the round Nesco and like it. But, truth be told, if I’d shopped a little later, I would have bought the Square-Shaped Nesco after it came out on Amazon. Square is a nicer shape for raw flatbreads, like you can make with recipes from the I am Grateful cookbook, and you can line it with parchment paper more easily. You can line the round one with parchment, but cutting it to shape is a nuisance. If you read the reviews on Amazon (click on the pictures of the respective dehydrator) people like the square one as much as (or more) than the round one. Both have very positive reviews, though. One more plus of the square dehydrator is that you can get more on the square trays than the round trays. *yippee* Unfortunately I guess I’ll be using a round one until it bites the dust. Guess I’ll have to use it a lot to speed up the process!

**I didn’t get anything free for writing this, more’s the pity. I just thought I’d talk about it here rather than trying to cram a good response in 140 characters on Twitter. ;)

I shared this post with Gluten-free Wednesday.

Gluten-free Kale Recipe Carnival:

Tahini un-cheesey Dehydrated Kale Chip Recipe Snacks  Side Dish  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1/2 large bunch of kale or 1 small bunch of kale, deveined. Sauce: 1/4 cup tahini 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 2 tsp coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari 1 tsp. liquid mustard 2 tbsp. diced sweet peppers (yellow, red or orange)- I used two mini sweet peppers Enough water to form a smooth sauce that can be drizzled Special equipment: dehydrator, food processor or sturdy blender Directions Rinse your kale and then spin dry in a salad spinner or press dry between clean towels. Combine sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and combine until everything is smooth. Add water as needed so that the sauce can be drizzled or poured. Put your kale leaves in a medium or large bowl and drizzle with the sauce, massaging into the leaves. Put the seasoned kale on two or three racks of a dehydrator and dehydrate at 115F for around four hours or until you have completely dry, crunchy chips.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1543 Added:  February 19, 2011 Last Modified:  February 19, 2011