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

I have adapted it to be gluten-free and a bit more savory from a rather dated and, I’m sorry to say, out of print edition ofThe Great American Tofu Cookbook that promises to teach the reader to use “the Orient’s Amazing Protein Food in America’s Favorite Dishes.” Oh dear. However dated the tagline, the author has some very creative ideas about using tofu, and we’ve enjoyed several recipes from the book including Tofu Strips with spicy peanut sauce and a rather stellar Tofu with Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce. What can I say, we like our tofu. And I hope you will enjoy this recipe too, brought to you with love from all of us at the Book of Yum. Happy Valentines Day! It is perfect for a night of spaghetti love. Re-enactment of a gluten-free vegetarian version of a certain “Lady and the Tramp” scene, anyone? If you have any leftovers, you can serve it on gluten-free french bread in a subway sandwich. Delightful! What is your favorite vegetarian main dish for Valentines Day, or other romantic holidays?

By the way, the tofu meatballs are pictured on Mrs. Leeper’s Organic Corn Spaghetti, a favorite with our whole family.

Entered in Diane’s Real Food Weekly Event and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Tofu Ganmo Ball Recipe Main Course  Tofu  American

Ingredients 2 lbs firm tofu, drained 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 whole green onions, sliced 1 tsp fennel seeds 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 1 1/4 tsp salt generous amounts of freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese (optional) 1 egg, beaten 3/4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs, made in a food processor 1 1/2 tsp italian seasonings 1/4 tsp smoked paprika more freshly ground pepper 2 or 3 tbsp. olive oil pasta sauce A few large mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional) fresh basil for serving additional grated parmesan or romano (or dairy-free cheese) for pasta Directions Slice tofu horizontally and wrap in kitchen towels and put a cutting board on top of the wrapped tofu. Put something on top of the cutting board, like a pot, for additional weight. Leave it to drain for 20 minutes. Then wrap it in a clean thin cotton dishtowel, knead it and squeeze as much water out of it as possible. Knead the tofu in a large bowl for five minutes and then add the garlic, green onions, fennel seeds, parsley, salt, pepper, and cheese. Knead it for another few minutes. Whisk the egg and work it into the tofu dough. Combine the ground bread crumbs, spices and pepper in a large flat bowl or pie pan. Make small, walnut-sized balls out of the tofu dough and roll each ball in the dough. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast-iron pan on medium and fry your tofu ganmo meatballs on each side until golden brown. I like to freeze half the recipe and save it for another time. Then simmer in pasta sauce for an hour or more so it absorbs the flavors. If you like you can add thinly sliced fresh mushrooms to the pasta sauce and let them simmer along with the tofu meatballs. Serve on gluten-free french bread with fresh basil leaves or on gluten-free spaghetti, sprinkled with additional grated cheese and julienned basil.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  adapted from the Great American Tofu Cookbook Recipe ID:  1541 Added:  February 8, 2011 Last Modified:  February 12, 2011

*By the way, after a day in the kitchen with the vegetarian version of this recipe, the light was leaving me, as you can no doubt tell from these pictures. If I have time I may add a few beauty shots, just to do justice to this really excellent recipe.

How to make Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagne Rolls:

Visit my OTHER vegetarian version of this Recipe submitted for Daring Baker HERE (with different pasta recipe, sauce recipes etc.)

Gluten-Free Vegan Homemade Spinach Bean Pasta Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp. garfava flour 1/3 cup and 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1/3 cup and 2 tbsp. tapioca starch 2 tsp. xanthan gum 1/2 tsp. salt Enough fresh spinach to make 1/3 cup pureed blanched spinach* 1/3 cup drain water from blanched spinach 1 tbsp. Ener-g Foods egg replacer 1 tbsp. olive oil 2 large gallon size ziploc bags (generic is ok) Directions Mix all dry ingredients (garfava, cornstarch, tapioca, xanthan and salt) together in a medium bowl. Prepare your spinach in a microwave bowl and a little water, microwaving until barely cooked. Then rinse in cold water, drain* and then puree in a food processor. Squeeze blanched spinach and drain water, reserving. (*You want to have 1/3 cup of spinach water, so you may need to keep all of the spinach infused water.) Mix your tbsp. egg replacer with the 1/3 cup green spinach water. Rinse out food processor and then combine dry ingredients with pureed spinach in the food processor bowl. Process. Then pour in the green egg replacer egg and slowly drizzle in olive oil with the machine running. When dough balls up in food processor, take out and place it on a piece of saran wrap. You can put it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it- or keep it at room temperature. (I refrigerated it for a few hours before rolling it out). When ready to roll out, separate the dough into thirds. Place one third of dough inside one of the gallon sized ziploc bags and carefully roll it out, using a rolling pin on TOP of the bag, so there is a layer of plastic beneath the dough on the table surface and so there is a layer of plastic between the dough and the rolling pin. When the dough has been rolled into a square thin sheet of dough that fills the bag, carefully cut out the sides of the bag and pull back the top of the bag away from the pasta sheets. Cut them carefully into your desired size, but don’t remove them yet. Place this pasta, bag and all, to the side. Take another third of dough and put it inside your second ziploc bag, slightly to one side or the other. Roll out the dough just like the first one but keep it more to one side. When you have a nice large sheet of pasta, cut one side of the bag where the pasta has connected with the side. Peel back the top (leaving one side and bottom uncut if possible and cut the pasta into its desired shape without cutting through the bag. Gently peel off each sheet of pasta and place it on top of the first batch of prepared pasta at an angle. Finally, roll out the final portion of pasta against the edge of the ziploc bag that still remains. When you have a nice sheet of pasta, cut out the remaining side, peel back the plastic, and then peel off each remaining piece of pasta and place on top of the other prepared pasta at an angle to the piece beneath it. Bring water to a boil in a large pot and add all your pasta. Time it for about three minutes FROM the point you add it to the water. Bring it back to a boil. After your timer goes off, carefully strain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Use in recipe as desired. Yummy! Notes Flour blend inspired by Bette Hagman’s Bean flour pasta, Food processor technique and spinach inspired by Bryanna’s Vegan Homemade Pasta, but ultimately my own creation. Rolling out instructions purely my own technique. *POTATO ALLERGY ALERT- if you are highly sensitive to potato, Ener-G foods Egg replacer does contain potato starch. You can try this recipe with ground flax seed instead or just spinach water. (And let me know how it turns out)

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Inspired by Bryanna and Bette Hagman recipes, but my own creation. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1384 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 30, 2009

Daring Bakers Lentil Bolognese Sauce Recipe #3 Main Course  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 2 whole garlic cloves 2 carrots, coarsely grated 3 tbsp. olive oil 2/3 cup red lentils 1 14 oz. can tomatoes 2 tbsp. tomato paste 2 cups GF vegetable stock 1 tbsp. fresh marjoram salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions Saute onion, garlic, and grated carrot in olive oil in a large dutch oven until it is soft. Add lentils, tomato, tomato paste, stock and seasoning and simmer for 20 minutes until thick and lovely. Taste and season as needed.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Adapted from The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1383 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 29, 2009

Alternative Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Cheese Recipes Parmesan and Pine Nut Ricotta Sauces & Condiments  American

Ingredients Dairy-free, Soy-free Parmesan: 1 cup nutritional yeast 1/2 cup blanched almonds 1/2 tsp. salt Dairy-free, Soy-free Ricotta: 1/2 cup pine nuts squirt of lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt water as needed Directions Un-parmesan: Combine parmesan ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until you have a smooth, granular topping. Reserve. (Only a small portion would be used for the lasagna recipe etc.- is nice to have on hand though. Great on popcorn!) Not-ricotta: Soak pine nuts in water for an hour and then drain. Combine in blender with lemon juice, salt, and enough water to form a paste. Reserve for recipe. Leftovers are great on all kinds of things!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Parmesan based on The Uncheese Cookbook, Pine nut ricotta my own variation from a raw foods cookbook. Please do not replicate as written here without my permission. Recipe ID:  1389 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 29, 2009

Gluten-free Vegan Spinach Lasagna Lasagne Rolls Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients 1 recipe Gluten-Free Vegan Homemade Spinach Bean Pasta Recipe 1/2 recipe Gluten-free Vegan Bechamel White Sauce Recipe 1 recipe Daring Bakers Lentil Bolognese Sauce Recipe #3 Partial amounts of Vegan Parmesan and Pine Nut Ricotta handful Toasted pine nuts Directions Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil vegan pasta, rinse in cold water and drain as directed in recipe. In a medium size dish, put a thin layer vegan red lentil bolognese sauce on the bottom. Then take a medium-sized rectangle of vegan spinach pasta and create a roll, filling with bolognese sauce, a dash of bechamel, and sprinking of vegan parmesan. Continue to create rolls (as if you were making enchiladas) with the same fillings. When the pan is full of these lasagna rolls, top with a thin layer bechamel sauce, pine nut ricotta, a sprinkling of vegan parmesan along the center of the rolls, and finally, toasted pine nuts. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until pine nut ricotta starts to brown. Enjoy! Notes To our surprise, we enjoyed this recipe even more than the non-vegan version. Even DH said it was the yummiest- and he’s a tough sell. I’ll totally make this again.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain- please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1390 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 29, 2009

Of course, the original pasta recipe was not gluten-free, but Mary of Beans and Caviar offered a gluten-free version (sans spinach). I tweaked her gluten-free recipe a bit, using a superfine grind of brown rice flour for the corn flour she used as her base, and adding the spinach back in. I was concerned that the original gluten recipe’s suggestion of uncooked spinach might make it difficult to work with the dough, so I looked online for other homemade spinach pasta recipes and found that many called for blanched and pureed spinach. I tried it, and happily, it worked beautifully. I’d never had fresh gluten-free spinach pasta and certainly never made it before, so this recipe was a special treat all around. I did find that the dough was rather sticky and I had to strike a balance between using too much cornstarch and too little. Initially I rolled the dough out on wax paper and found I had to use a sharp knife to separate the pasta from the paper, but later experiments with saran wrap were an improvement and made the knife step largely unnecessary.

It’s just a shame that as usual, despite my enthusiasm, I procrastinated and found myself making the whole recipe, photographing it, and writing this post on the posting deadline. *cough cough* Because I also made a delicious gluten-free vegan version of this recipe, I ended up with enough lasagna for a month- but I have plans to freeze pieces and enjoy it slowly over time- I’m sure I will appreciate this dish all the more when I can take it out of the freezer at whim whenever hunger strikes. This pregnant lady is now thoroughly exhausted after daring-bakering on her feet all day, but I feel a great sense of satisfaction and am thrilled that I’ve got a working recipe for gorgeous, green spinach lasagna pasta.

How to Make Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Homemade Spinach Lasagne from Scratch:

Visit my Gluten-Free VEGAN version of this challenge HERE! (Different pasta recipe, allergy friendly un-cheese recipes etc.- it was even my DH’s favorite over the cheesy one, if you’ll believe it!)
For the record:
The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

Gluten Free Homemade Spinach Egg Pasta #1 Main Course  Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients 1 c superfine brown rice flour (or other flour of your choice) 3/4 cup cornstarch scant 1 cup tapioca starch 1 cup potato starch 3/4 cup sweet rice flour 1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum 1 tsp. salt 6 eggs 10 oz. or a little more fresh spinach, a little water 3 T olive oil Lots of cornstarch Directions Microwave fresh spinach with a little water for about two or three minutes and try to drain water. Then place in food processor and process until spinach is pureed. Whisk together dry ingredients (brown rice flour through salt) and then add to the food processor with the spinach. Whir together and with processor running, add eggs one by one and finally drizzle in your olive oil. When a ball of dough forms in your processor, remove and place in a piece of saran wrap, wrapping up into a nice ball. (You may need to use two pieces, placed to form a cross.) Let dough rest for about an hour and then remove one forth of the dough into a smaller ball. Lay a piece of wax paper and then saran paper on your rolling surface. Sprinkle with lots of cornstarch and then place your dough ball on it. Sprinkle the ball of dough with more cornstarch and cover the dough with another large piece of saran wrap. Roll out dough as thinly as possible into a long strip of pasta and then cut into lasagna sheets. Peel off saran wrap to get sheets of pasta. You can use a sharp knife to separate the pasta from the saran wrap if it helps. (This is especially important if you roll it out on wax paper and not saran wrap.) You can use immediately in lasagna or boil the pasta for a few minutes and then drain and use.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Adaption of Daring Baker Recipe by Mary of Beans and Caviar. Instructions and version my own. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1385 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 30, 2009

Gluten Free Dairy Béchamel – Brown Rice Flour White Sauce Recipe #2 Sauces & Condiments  Dairy  Italian

Ingredients 2 & 2/3 cup milk 2 tbsp. unsalted butter and 2 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp. superfine brown rice flour Salt and pepper to taste Freshly grated nutmeg Directions Mix the brown rice flour with 1/2 cup of cold milk. Heat the rest of the milk in a small sauce pan until steaming but do not boil. Add the milk/flour mixture to the steaming milk. Stirring constantly, raise the heat and heat the mixture until thick. Once it is thick, remove it from the heat and add the butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Have the béchamel warm or at room temperature ready to assemble the lasagne. Whisk the sauce occasionally if it becomes stiff or thick. Notes Worked well, nothing special.

Rating:  5 Original Source:  Daring Baker of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno) Challenge bechamel with my modifications. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permisison. Recipe ID:  1386 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 29, 2009

Daring Bakers Lentil Bolognese Sauce Recipe #3 Main Course  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 2 whole garlic cloves 2 carrots, coarsely grated 3 tbsp. olive oil 2/3 cup red lentils 1 14 oz. can tomatoes 2 tbsp. tomato paste 2 cups GF vegetable stock 1 tbsp. fresh marjoram salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions Saute onion, garlic, and grated carrot in olive oil in a large dutch oven until it is soft. Add lentils, tomato, tomato paste, stock and seasoning and simmer for 20 minutes until thick and lovely. Taste and season as needed.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Adapted from The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1383 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 29, 2009

Gluten-free Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe from Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno) Main Course  Alternative Grains  Vegetables  Dairy  Italian

Ingredients (Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish) Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time 10 quarts (9 litres) salted water 1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe in files)#1 1 recipe Gluten-Free Dairy Bechamel Sauce (recipe in files)#2 1 recipe Vegetarian Red Lentil Bolognese (recipe in files)#3 1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Extra cheese (I used sharp cheddar for topping) Directions The dough does not need to be precooked before being assembled into the lasagne *but in my opinion it might be nice if it is boiled for a few minutes before baking*. Method Working Ahead: The red lentil bolognese and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The red lentil bolognese can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot. Assembling the Ingredients: Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish. Cooking the Pasta: Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked. Assembling the Lasagne: *GF NOTE: Before assembly, pour plain water into the pan, enough to form a thin film of water over the bottom. A 9 x 13 inch or 25 x 33 cm pan required almost 1/2 cup (125 mL) of water.* Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the bolognese. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese and, if you like, extra cheese. Baking and Serving the Lasagne: *GF NOTE: Once the lasagne is assembled, pour a tablespoon or 15 mL of water into each corner of the dish. (I didn’t do this part-Sea)* Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Raise temperature to 375 and remove the foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served. Notes I think I might try a different kind of cheese instead of parmesan reggiano next time to make a creamier, milder sauce that complimented the red lentil sauce a bit more.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Daring Baker Challenge from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna with GF notes by Mary and myself. Recipe ID:  1387 Added:  March 29, 2009 Last Modified:  March 29, 2009

As always, many thanks to Cheryl for temporarily housing the Gluten Free Menu Swap at her blog. This week I believe that Cheryl is also hosting the swap. You can find more great menus with Org Junkie.

Sunday: Continental Vegetarian
Nicoise Potato Salad
Tom Tom Tofu
Broccoli Salad

Monday: Indian
Masala Dosa with coconut and green chutney

Wednesday: Mexican
Vegetarian Spinach Enchiladas

Friday: Indian
Red Beans and Rice/ Vegetarian Indian Rajma Red Bean “Chili” and Rice

Salad of the Week
This week I thought I’d share a very easy Vegan Tahini Pasta salad I made for a quick lunch. Recently I’ve been obsessed with the Trader Joe’s Tahini sauce. It’s got very simple ingredients- tahini, olive oil, lemon, garlic and salt, I think.. and doesn’t have one of those dread “produced cuddling wheat” info statements. Some of their stuff doesn’t agree with me, but the tahini sauce hasn’t bothered me in the slightest, so I think it is pretty safe. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, you can do a search for a simple tahini sauce and go from there.

Vegan Tomato Basil Tahini Corn Pasta Salad Main Course  Salad  Corn  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1 serving Mrs. leepers GF corn rotelli pasta, freshly prepared and rinsed lightly. 1 tbsp. or more Trader Joe’s Tahini Sauce 1 tsp. or more olive oil 1/2 tsp. lemon, lime juice OR apple cider vinegar handful grape tomatoes, halved and salted lightly if you like 1/4 fresh red or yellow sweet pepper or 2 mini ones, diced handful fresh basil, julienned 1/8 avocado, cubed 1 tsp. pine nuts, toasted or not, to taste(optional) sea salt freshly ground pepper Directions Whisk together tahini sauce, olive oil and citrus juice or apple cider vinegar. Increase proportions to taste. Toss pasta with fresh veggies (up to pine nuts if using). drizzle with sauce and combine until evenly distributed. season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! Notes Add any of your favorite fresh veggies as you like!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1372 Added:  March 8, 2009 Last Modified:  March 8, 2009

This weekend I went to a really fun housewarming party hosted by a fellow graduate student. She had just moved to Berkeley with her sister, and wanted to show off their super-cool new city-style apartment. I was looking forward to the party, but wasn’t too sure if there would be anything I could eat or not. One of my cohorts was making cupcakes, so I thought maybe I’d make some gluten-free, vegan brownies to share with everyone. I followed Karina’s tips on using Pamela’s gluten-free brownie mix and baked up a batch. I had used almond milk to bake them, and I usually use either rice milk or soy milk. I was a little disappointed in the final results (probably because I don’t actually LIKE almond milk) and so at the last minute I decided not to bring them to the party. But, I had to bring something, right? As it happened, I had randomly decided to boil some eggs that afternoon. I rummaged in the cupboards looking for something I could make, and came across some Ener-g foods white rice pasta. I decided to make it, and then I had a sudden inspiration. I always used to love heavy American salads like potato and macaroni salad on special occasions when I was a kid. It had been years since I had macaroni salad- but it occurred to me that I could mix up a quick batch of the pasta salad using my noodles. Then I would have a main dish to enjoy at the party, and surely everybody would enjoy a nice macaroni salad. I did some internet browsing and was inspired to come up with the following recipe. I did a quick taste test and enlisted the DH to try some too. We both thought it was really yum, so it was settled. I threw the pasta salad in the car and went to the party. It turned out to be a pizza party (oops!). Luckily there was plenty of time before the party, so when we were at the store picking up some things for the hostess, I grabbed one of Amy’s Gluten-free, dairy free spinach pizzas. Luckily since the pizza was ordered in, no one needed the oven and it was fine if I used it to make my own pizza. To make sure there weren’t any CC issues, I lined their cookie sheet with aluminum foil and baked my pizza. Twenty minutes later, I had my own pizza to enjoy along with everybody else. :)

In case you’re wondering, to combat the possibility of CC, I waited until there was a lull in the gluten pizza chomping and then asked if people wanted macaroni salad, and then dished out everybody’s individual servings. There wasn’t any counter room anyway, so it worked great. I was really happy because it seemed like everyone loved the salad. My favorite comment was “Wow, it tastes like summer.” One of the guests’ family apparently always makes macaroni salad during family vacations in the summer, so it reminded her of that. I don’t know when I’ve ever heard a nicer compliment. Anyway, the next time YOU feel like an “all-American” summer classic, why not try this simple and satisfying pasta salad recipe?

*By the way, I was completely touched when we went to pick up my cupcake-making friend for the party. She had made tons of beautiful gluten-filled cupcakes, but also had a little white box for me decorated with stickers from Japan. Inside were two delicious-looking, individually wrapped and labeled Gluten-Free Brownies by Wow, a gluten-free company I’d never heard of before. She knows about my gluten-intolerance and had thoughtfully gone to a local gourmet grocery store and asked about gluten-free desserts. She even thought about CC, so carefully picked out a sealed product made by a gluten-free company. Even better- the brownie turned out to be absolutely delicious, and rivaled Mariposa’s finest. Isn’t that the coolest thing ever? What cool stories do you have about thoughtful friends who make being gluten-free easier? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments…

Summery Macaroni Salad Recipe Side Dish  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 4 cups cooked GF white rice or corn macaroni, slightly al dente, rinsed and drained (2 cups uncooked, half a 16 oz box of Ener-g Foods macaroni) 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half with yolks removed 1/4 cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for at least 5 minutes, and drained 1/3 any of your favorite crunchy veggies (red pepper, green pepper, jicama, or cooked peas) minced *optional 1/2 cup prepared lowfat GF mayonnaise 1 or 2 tsp prepared GF mustard (I like Annie’s horseradish mustard) 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste Freshly ground black pepper Directions Boil eggs, Prepare your pasta and other ingredients. Start the minced onion soaking in water to take off the edge. Meanwhile, stir all your dressing ingredients in a small bowl (mayo, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper if you like). Add your hard boiled egg yolks and mush them into the dressing. Chop the remaining white parts of the egg. Put your rinsed, drained pasta in a large bowl, and add your egg white bits, drained minced red onion (you can reduce amount if you want a milder salad), and crunchy veggie bits. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle dressing over the salad, folding the ingredients together until it is evenly covered. You can let sit in a refrigerator for a few hours if you want the flavors to develop, or enjoy right away. Mmm, tasty.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Modified from Food Network recipe, but my original creation. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1239 Added:  June 1, 2008 Last Modified:  June 1, 2008