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

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

People often don’t know what to feed vegetarians, I’m sorry to say. Some people seem to think vegetarians only eat bunny food, and that we subsist solely on leafy lettuce and crunchy raw carrots. I love bunnies and I have nothing against lettuce or carrots persay, but if I had to eat plain, cold lettuce salads every day I think I’d hop off a cliff.

I think it can be intimidating to have a gluten-free vegetarian over for dinner at Thanksgiving when the main course (the big bird) just isn’t our thing. Between the meat and the wheat, a Thanksgiving menu can be full of dishes that strikes terror into the heart of a gluten-free vegetarian. Stuffing often contains non-veg ingredients, and is chock full of poisonous bread that threatens to contaminate everything on the table. Honestly, that mound of gluten scares me down to my little bunny soul. We can have some of the traditional vegetable side dishes, but some of them just aren’t very appetizing. Frozen peas and canned sweet potatoes, anyone? *shudder* Cooking your own homemade gluten-free vegetarian meal for Thanksgiving the first time can be a little intimidating as well. Some recipes are easy to make vegetarian like mashed potatoes, green beans, and most desserts. But what dish can you use as your main entree to take the holiday to a whole new delicious level? And what sides will round out that gluten-free vegetarian meal in such a delicious way that even confirmed carnivores won’t miss the meat?

Over the years I’ve developed some gluten-free vegetarian recipes that make my heart sing every year, and make me happier than the traditional stuff ever could because they taste great. This year I decided to host an event showcasing the best of gluten-free vegetarian Thanksgiving fare both from my kitchen and from other bloggers’ kitchens. I hope it will give those of you with experience lots of new ideas, and help encourage those of you who are new to feeding gluten-free vegetarians. Stay tuned tomorrow for the introduction of another gluten-free blogger’s Thanksgiving recipe and a classic Book of Yum Thanksgiving entree recipe. You can look forward to daily posts with recipes here at the Book of Yum right up to Thanksgiving. What’s your favorite gluten-free vegetarian entree? Share in the comments and I’ll add my favorites to a Thanksgiving recipe link list!

I’ve been thinking about what to make for a gluten-free vegetarian entree this year, and I came up with something new just for you. I have had this recipe for roasted, un-panko coated squash slices floating around my brain for weeks now. I wanted to share it as a special vegetarian and vegan main entree that could take proud center stage in your Thanksgiving meal.
The Raw Ingredients: Squash

The Finished Product

We love nutritional yeast in our house, so I had to include some in the coating. If it isn’t your thing, you could try the recipe without it- but I think you’d be missing out! Because in my opinion a hearty main entree needs a protein accompaniment, I have two options- a crunchy tofu “katsu” for those who enjoy soy, or a roasted chickpea inspired by Indian snacks (with Thanksgiving seasonings instead of Indian flavors).

This post is the inaugural post for our 10 day Vegetarian Thanksgiving Series. Look for this banner on other blog posts and click to come back to this headquarter page for our Vegetarian Thanksgiving event!

Gluten-free Vegetarian Thanksgiving Event Posts:
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 1: Un-Panko Roasted Squash Slices
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 2: Rosemary-Thyme Gluten-free Roll (with vegan option linked)
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 3: Spinach Pie (with Vegan Allergen-friendly Recipe)
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 4: Apricot Glazed Brussels Sprouts
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 5: NEW RECIPE! Vegan Pumpkin Chestnut Sage Soup with Pine Nut Cream Sauce
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 6: Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 7: A Cranberry Crustless Pie that resembles a dump cake without the mix!
GF Veg Thanksgiving Episode 8: Portobella Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash

Links to all of the recipes posted for our Vegetarian Thanksgiving Event
Bernice’s Wheatless and Meatless Recipe for Baked Cranberry Apple Dessert
Kalinda of Wheat-free Meat Free Recipe for a Vegetarian gluten-free Mushroom Nut Roast
Kim’s Welcoming Kitchen Recipe for Mushroom Socca Tartlet
Kimberly of the Nutty Garbanzo Recipe for Vegan Ginger Kissed Squash Soup
Lauren of As Good as Gluten Recipe for a Pear Custard Pie
Nicole of Special Diet Creation Recipe for Vegan and almost-raw Cranberry Cheesecake

Links with Tips to help you host or safely enjoy a Gluten-free Thanksgiving Dinner:
for the hosts new to gluten-free baking
How to Cook Gluten-free For Guests by Diane
How to Cook Gluten-free for the People You Love by Shauna
for the gluten-free guest
5 Tips for a Safe Gluten-free Thanksgiving of Group Event by Shirley

Gluten-free Thanksgiving Recipe Roundups:
How to Have the Best Gluten-free Thanksgiving and a Recipe Roundup by Heidi
Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips from Karina the Gluten-free Goddess
More Coming Soon!

Dairy-free Thanksgiving Recipe Roundups:
Go Dairy Free Annual Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup *some gluten-free recipes*

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup: (not all recipes are Gluten-free as written)
Vanilla and Spice Vegan Thanksgiving Roundup
Oh She Glows Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

Desperate for a cookbook with lots of gluten-free recipes to choose from for the holidays? It isn’t too late, especially if you are looking for Christmas recipes too. With Amazon Prime you can get a cookbook in 2 days. I recommend Bette Hagman for her bread and biscotti recipes, Rebecca Reilly for any of her desserts, Annalise Roberts for her baked staples, Ali Segersen for those looking for whole foods recipes that are allergen sensitive, Kelly Brosyna for those looking for low carb alternative flour recipes, and Elena Amsterdam for those wanting almond flour and delicious savory recipes. *None of these cookbooks are specifically vegetarian*

Roasted Breaded Squash Slices Main Course  Vegetables

Ingredients 1/2 large kabocha 1/2 medium sized squash like butternut etc. 2-3 assorted beets or more squash peanut, grapeseed, or olive oil for drizzling Un-Panko Breading: 1 cup Erewhon unsweetened Corn Flakes, crushed 1/4 cup almond meal (I like Trader Joe’s for breading) 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 1 tsp poultry seasoning 1 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp freeze dried chives or dried toasted onion powder between 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp herbamare (to taste) or your favorite salt blend (if you use plain salt definitely just use 1/2 tsp) *Optional Veg Protein Recipe (Tofu or Chickpea) Directions Prepare kabocha by cutting in half, scooping out innards and seeds, and then slicing squash flash into 1/4 inch crescents. Prepare hard skinned squash like butternut by peeling and then cutting them in half, scooping out the innards and seeds, and then slicing peeled squash into 1/4 inch crescents. Prepare beets by peeling and slicing into scant 1/4 inch rounds. Note that red beets will bleed, so if you are going to use them, do them last and keep them apart from the yellow squash. Golden beets will not be a problem, but they don’t give you the pretty pop of color you get from red beets. I used a combination of yellow and red beets. Preheat oven to 400F. Place your squash and beet slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with your favorite oil. Rub the oil to cover both sides of your veggies. I used peanut oil, but grapeseed or olive would be great too. Combine ingredients for your Un-Panko Breading in a small to medium bowl, making sure your corn flakes are crushed into little flakes. Then place half of your breading into a gallon ziploc bag. Put your oiled squash and beet slices in your ziploc bag in batches and shake so they are entirely covered with breading. Leave red beets for the very last round so they don’t dye your other veggies. Place each batch of breaded veggies on your baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn, baking another 20 minutes or until slices are tender and golden brown on both sides. Serve on a large, beautiful serving dish with optional vegetarian protein accompaniment. Toasted pecans and fresh parsley make nice garnishes.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my written permission. Recipe ID:  1576 Added:  November 13, 2011 Last Modified:  November 14, 2011

Roasted Breaded Tofu Cubes Main Course  Tofu  American

Ingredients 1/2 of a firm tofu block that has been sliced horizontally, drained, wrapped in a towel and pressed for at least 30 minutes 1 large dollup of vegan mayonnaise splash of unsweetened, plain soy milk Un-Panko Breading mix (See my Roasted Breaded Squash Recipe) Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare baking dish. After tofu has been pressed, cut it into cubes. Put your vegan mayonnaise in a shallow bowl and add enough soy milk to make it thin enough for dipping. Dip your tofu cubes in the mayo-milk mixture and place in a quart ziploc bag with about 1/2 cup of Un-Panko Breading Mix. Shake gently until tofu is coated with breading mix. Place tofu cubes in a single layer in your baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes or until breading is crunchy and lightly browned. Serve as the optional veg protein accompaniment with my Roasted Breaded Squash Recipe. Notes I like the plain flavor of tofu, but I think it would be even better if the pressed tofu was marinated in a gluten-free soy sauce before being coated in breading. It was a nice accompaniment to my roasted squash, though. Pictured as served with roasted red beet slices and roasted squash.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my written permission. Recipe ID:  1577 Added:  November 13, 2011 Last Modified:  November 14, 2011

Un-Panko Roasted Chickpeas Main Course  American

Ingredients 1 can chickpeas, drained Your favorite oil (grapeseed, olive, peanut) 1/4 recipe of Gluten-free Un-Panko Breading Directions Preheat oven to 400F and prepare baking sheet by covering it with a layer of parchment paper. Empty chickpeas onto sheet and drizzle with your favorite oil, spreading to cover chickpeas evenly. Mix the gluten-free Un-Panko breading into the chickpeas and then spread out chickpeas again. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until Chickpeas and breading are dry and lightly browned. Serve as an optional protein with my Roasted Breaded Squash Recipe.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my written permission. Recipe ID:  1578 Added:  November 13, 2011 Last Modified:  November 14, 2011

I have lots of recipes using nutritional yeast:
Un-chicken Roasted Vegetable Soup with nutritional yeast
Nutritional yeast gravy
Yum nutritional yeast sauce
Nutritional Yeast Coated Baked Tofu Strips
Pan Fried Southern Fried Nutritional Yeast Tofu
Mashed Cauliflower with Nutritional Yeast Cheesiness
Dairy-Free Cheesy Nutritional Yeast Spinach Pie

Have you tried nutritional yeast? What is your favorite recipe using nutritional yeast?

My friend Alisa of Go Dairy Free has also Written about Nutritional Yeast

My favorite cookbooks with Nutritional Yeast Recipes (not strictly gluten-free but largely adaptable):

Vegan Tofu Saute Breakfast Recipe Breakfast  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1 tbsp. Grapeseed Oil 1/2 firm tofu block sliced horizontally in half and pressed between towel for 30 minutes or overnight kept in the fridge 1/4 large onion, diced 1 large carrot, peeled and grated handful of chard or kale, washed, de-veined and sliced into thin strips favorite herbal seasoning blend, especially a dill or shallot based one like Penzey’s Sunny Paris dash of gluten-free soy sauce nutritional yeast to taste, from 2-4 tbsp. herbamare pepper Directions Dice your pressed tofu into small cubes. Preheat a nice pan and add your grapeseed oil. Sautee your onions until they lose their crunch and then move them to the side. Add a little more olive oil if necessary and heat before adding your tofu cubes. Pan fry until golden brown on one side and then turn. Season tofu with your herbal seasoning blend and herbamare if desired. When both sides of tofu are golden brown, Add your grated carrot and chard or kale. Cook until softened, taste, and drizzle a little gluten-free soy sauce on your tofu if desired. Add generous amount of nutritional yeast on top, heat and then flip over tofu mixture so nutritional yeast is evenly distribute. Taste. Adjust seasonings as needed. Add pepper. Those who have grown-up taste buds can dab with srirachi hot sauce as they like. Avocado cubes would also be tasty on top.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1575 Added:  November 9, 2011 Last Modified:  November 9, 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

This post is an entry in Meatless Mondays

Looking for more gluten-free cauliflower recipes? Try these!
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower recipe
Cauliflower CRUST pizza (low-carb, flourless!)
Elana’s Potato-free Cauliflower “Potato” Salad
Elana’s Cauliflower Rice
Alison’s Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Sorghum Cauliflower Curry Recipe
Dairy Free Rice-free Cauliflower “Risotto”
What’s your favorite cauliflower recipe? Share in comments!

Dairy-free Mashed Cauliflower Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1 head of cauliflower 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. margarine (I use Earth Balance soy-free) a few sprigs of fresh herb of choice (dill or parsley are nice) 1-2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional) salt, to taste pepper, to taste Directions Cut off generous florets off the main cauliflower stalk. Bring water to a boil in steamer and add your florets. If you want, you can add a sprig or two of your fresh herb, reserving some for later. Steam for 8-10 minutes or until you can easily pierce with a fork. Remove herb and discard. Remove florets from steamer and put in your food processor. Process lightly. Add your olive oil, margarine, and fresh herb and process until creamy. Add nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper, and process again to disperse. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Notes Baby Yum style: For an allergy-prone 14 month old who has already successfully eaten cauliflower, fresh herbs and olive oil: I left out the margarine and salt.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Please do not replicate anywhere without my written permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1520 Added:  September 23, 2010 Last Modified:  September 23, 2010