How to make Gluten-free Bajra Roti, in pictures:

Can’t get enough Millet?
Try Culinary Goddess Karina’s Gluten-free Millet Buckwheat Wraps (I intend to!)
Or make Millet the star of your meal with Mark Bittman’s Millet Pumpkin Bake Recipe

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I have a hot bajra roti on the skillet calling my name… Don’t you wish you had one too?

Bajra Roti Millet Flatbread Recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  Indian

Ingredients 2 cups millet flour 2 cups water salt to taste For seasoned roti: 1 shallot- minced 1 to 1/4 green chili- minced (amount depends on spiciness of chili and your preference) 3 tbsp. cilantro, diced Directions Bring your water to boil in a saucepan and add your flour, butdo not mix it into the water. Lower heat to low and let simmer for two minutes. Then turn off heat and mix flour into hot water evenly. Remove dough to a heat resistant bowl and leave for ten minutes or until cool enough to handle. For seasoned roti you can sprinkle dough with shallot, chili, and cilantro. Form into small balls and place in a bowl. Cover Take a quart size freezer safe ziploc bag and cut out the sides. For wimpy, no rolling method, put the bag into a tortilla press. Place a ball of dough in the press between layers of plastic. Press. For rolling method, simply roll out dough inside your ziploc bag, with rolling pin on the top outside of the bag. Either way, peel your tortilla from plastic and place on a plate. These tortillas handle well, so no worries. Heat cast iron skillet to medium and toast your flatbread until its texture changes, and if you like, until it gets light brown spots. Turn it and toast the other side. Sometimes they will puff up with internal air pockets, which I think signifies a lovely, tasty flatbread. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Try to refrain from immediately slathering your flatbread with soy-free, dairy-free margarine immediately off the skillet. Or not. It’s up to you. :) I usually gobble a few before dinner gets anywhere near the table.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  inspired by various recipes online but my own creation. Do not repicate Recipe ID:  1478 Added:  January 9, 2010 Last Modified:  January 11, 2010

Saturday: Fusion Japanese
Vegan Onigiri (Miso Mayo avocado)- recipe coming soon

Monday: Holiday Favorites
Pumpkin-Apple-Fresh Basil bread-free Stuffing
with vegan gravy
and Southern Fried Tofu

Tuesday: Vegan
Pumpkin and Black Bean Casserole

Friday: Italian
Homemade Lasagna w/ Kale

Baked Good: Apple Cider Muffins and/or Macadamia Nut Espresso Cookies

Breakfasts:
Potato Hash Browns w/ fried egg
Sweet Potato w/refried black beans and spinach
Apple Cider Muffin and almond butter
Brown Rice with refried black beans

You can find more menus with Org Junkie here. And, don’t forget the Gluten-Free menu swap, hosted by Gluten Free is Life this week with a theme ingredient of squash.

NEWS FLASH: Whole Foods has a $5 coupon off $25 orders valid until Oct. 22. Just print out the Pdf file and take it to your local whole foods… Might be a good time to try some new GF products or stock up on some GF staples.

This week I posted:
a Goat Cheese Veggie Pot Pie
and a
Ginger Molasses Muffin Recipe

Here is a “salad” for the week- goat cheese quesadillas topped with a refreshing fresh veggie topping. Enjoy!

Goat Cheese Quesadilla Recipe Main Course  Dairy  American

Ingredients Corn tortillas Goat Cheese dill weed fresh basil, julienned avocado cubes diced red pepper fresh daikon sprouts (or other exotic sprouts) kosher salt fresh lime juice Directions Heat corn tortillas on a fry pan and spread with goat cheese. Sprinkle with dill weed and top with another tortilla. Turn over and let warm and crisp. top with diced red pepper, avocado cubes and fresh basil. Sprinkle with kosher salt flakes and squeeze a little lime juice on top. Enjoy this simple, refreshing lunch.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1305 Added:  October 19, 2008 Last Modified:  October 19, 2008

Also, now that I’ve been exposed to the cake and coffee culture in Austria, I’ve been inspired to come up with gluten-free recipes for all kinds of Austrian cakes. You can expect experiments for Apple Strudel, a Gluten-free Sacher-style torte (Chocolate Cake), and more.

I’m torn between experiences of the past and present at the moment. I definitely want to share all of my past experiences with you, but now that I’m back home I have a lot of tasty plans for new dishes. So, I think I’ll alternate posts about our trip with posts about my latest culinary creations. Our first real meal home was basmati rice with southern fried tofu and roasted chili garlic broccoli. But after that, I started playing around with some new recipes. To use up leftover basmati rice, I came up with Spanish Rice Quesadillas with Refried Bean Recipe for a tasty and healthy breakfast. DH made a special request for dinner, asking for a “main dish salad with Asian flavors.” I adapted a sauce recipe from an unpretentious cookbook called “All You Can Eat Chinese and Thai Cooking” and came up with a mixture of lettuce, carrots, jicama, apple, and rice noodles for the base of the salad- enough carbs and vegetables to make us both happy. DH proclaimed it to be exactly what he wanted, and oddly enough, it turned out to be just what I wanted, too. In fact, it was so good I wanted to share it with you all right away. My next post will probably be the conclusion of my series on our Indian culinary experience, but for now, here’s a little taste of the activity in my kitchen lately. I plan on making a batch of DFIL’s Gluten-Free Norwegian Christmas Bread today, and still intend to share Adeena’s yummy recipe for Gluten-free Teff Dinner Rolls, so you can expect to see these recipes soon, too… Enjoy!

*note: as always, you can substitute any nut butter for the peanut butter in this recipe.

Spanish Rice Quesadillas with Refried Beans Main Course  Corn  Rice  Mexican

Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 2 or 3 cups cold long grained rice (white or brown) 1 whole white onion, diced 1 tbsp capers, diced 1-2 cloves garlic 2 tsp or more whole cumin seeds sprinkling of fajita seasoning corn tortillas canned vegetarian refried pinto beans 1 or 2 oz. skim mozarella or other white, lowfat cheese, sliced (optional) 1/2 fresh jicama, cubed 1/2 fresh avocado, cubed salt lime juice hot sauce if desired Directions Heat your olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat and add diced onion when hot. Sautee your diced onion and when it begins to look translucent, add your capers, garlic, and cumin seed. When seasonings are warm, add rice and sprinkle it with fajita spices and mix. If you have room, move your rice over and heat a dash of little peanut oil in a corner of the pan, adding your mashed refried beans to the oil and letting them heat. If you like, take two corn tortillas and heat them one side on the surface of the cast iron pan, moving the rice so that it is on top of the tortilla. When one side of the tortilla is lightly browned, turn over one tortilla, and layer cheese (if desired), the refried beans, some seasoned rice, and the other tortilla, with the browned side facing the filling. Let the cheese melt and turn over your quesadilla so both sides are browned. Prepare your jicama and avocado, sprinkle them with salt and squeeze some lime juice on them. Top your quesadilla with extra seasoned, mexican rice and the seasoned jicama and avocado. Add some hot sauce to the edges of your plate and enjoy. Notes This was a good way to use up the basmati rice DH wasn’t especially excited about…

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, do not replicate without my permission Recipe ID:  1166 Added:  January 2, 2008 Last Modified:  January 3, 2008

Cold Szechuan Sesame Noodle Salad Main Course  Rice  Chinese

Ingredients Mild Szechwan Peanut Sauce: 3 tbsp natural peanut butter 2 tbsp wheat free tamari (i prefer San-J low-sodium variety) 1 tbsp water 4 tsp. sugar 3 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp. sesame oil 1 clove garlic, chopped a few drops of hot sauce (optional) 8 oz. skinny rice noodles (thai or vietnamese variety) a few drops of sesame oil Mild Szechuan Peanut Sauce 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts 1 package firm tofu peanut oil salt 1/3 head of romaine lettuce 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks 1/4 jicama, diced 1/2 apple, sliced (optional) salt, lime juice Directions Combine ingredients for sauce in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Prepare rice noodles by bringing water to boil, submerging your noodles, turning off the burner and letting them soak until soft. Rinse in cold water and drain, reserve. Cut tofu block in half and press between towel for at least 30 minutes. Slice tofu into strips, heat a small amount of oil (1 tbsp, more if desired) in a cast iron pan and fry strips, turning when golden on one side. When both sides are golden, sprinkle with salt and put on plate with paper towel to get off any excess oil. When cool, cut into thin strips slightly bigger than a matchstick. Prepare and clean lettuce, carrots, jicama, and apple. Lightly sprinkle jicama with salt and lime juice. Make salad by preparing a bed of dry, spun lettuce leaves and topping it with the cold noodles. You can add a few drops of sesame oil (baby droplets) to the noodles to loosen them if they’ve stuck together and distribute through your serving of noodles. mix with sesame seeds or pine nuts, and other prepared vegetables (and apple). Drizzle dressing and top with tofu strips. Enjoy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Sauce Adapted from All You Can Eat Chinese and Thai Cooking, otherwise original so do not replicate Recipe ID:  1167 Added:  January 2, 2008 Last Modified:  January 3, 2008

My meal plan that first night was to use my fresh heirloom organic tomatoes that I have been lovingly growing on my balcony all summer. Two plants that are heavily producing right now are my favorites- a beautiful Costoluto Florentino tomato that looks like a little red pumpkin, and a Japanese Oxheart with pepper or heart shaped tomatoes, depending on your perspective. I made them into some tasty pico de gallo with some fresh cilantro, also grown on my balcony. Then I sauteed up some veggies and black beans to make some lovely gluten free white tortilla quesadillas. I used a mixture of low fat feta and mozzarella cheese, and served my quesadilla triangles with fresh pico de gallo and low fat sour cream. Mmm, very tasty. For a snack the next morning, I filled one of the leftover tortillas with my sauteed veggie mixture and garnished it with pico de gallo, sans any dairy products, and it was very fresh and flavorful.

*Note- If you are allergic to soy, you could try making up a huge batch of some almond nut “cream” and mixing it with the polenta. The “cheese’ sauce should be as light as possible, and almost airy. Or, you could try mixing a white sauce made from rice or almond milk in with the polenta. Unfortunately, silken tofu is the best way to achieve the proper consistency, but let me know if you come up with a good soy free version. Also, the enchilada sauce is fairly distinctive and “adult” in flavor. For a milder version, you can use a canned enchilada sauce, cut down on the chilies, or just use a good red salsa with or without chipotles.*

Vegan Veggie Enchilada Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Mexican

Ingredients 1 1/2 c. water 1/2 c. cornmeal 2 tsp margarine 2 tsp garlic salt 1 tsp onion powder 10 oz Silken Tofu 1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped 2 tsp. garlic salt ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. sweet basil 1/2 tsp. thyme 1 c. red bell pepper, chopped 1 1/2 c. white onion, chopped 2 diced cloves of garlic 2 tsp capers (optional) 1/2 c. chopped green onions (the green part) 1/2 c. black olives, pitted and sliced 1 c. black beans, cooked 6 corn tortillas or 4-6 non corn homemade GF tortillas as needed oil for frying 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (can or use the following recipe) Directions Bring your water to a boil in a pan and add your cornmeal gradually, whisking continuously until it thickens thoroughly (takes a few minutes.) Take it off the burner and set it aside to cool slightly. Add margarine, garlic salt, and onion powder to the cornmeal mixture, and then put it all into a food processor with your silken tofu and blend. Add your fresh spinach, parsley, and additional herbs and process until smooth and creamy with green flakes evenly distributed through the mixture. Don’t blend it too much. Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan on the stove, and throw in your chopped garlic and white onion, sautee until they are translucent and slightly caramelized. Throw in your capers. Let heat through and then take off the heat. Throw in your chopped red pepper and olives, mix, and season if needed with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate or bowl, rinse out your pan and heat it again. Add a marginal amount of olive oil (think teaspoon, not tablespoon) to the pan and then when the oil is warm, fry your tortillas one at a time, heating each side until slightly oily and more flexible. As each tortilla is done, put them in a baking dish, glop a good circle of the tofu/cornmeal mash in the center, and top it with your sauteed veggies and garnish with your black beans. (Be a little sparing with your mash, depending on how many you are making- you want to have some left over to top the enchiladas!) Spread a little enchilada sauce on top and gently close each enchilada to make a “taco” type shape. If it won’t stay shut, gently lean a large spoon on top of the taco and let it cool- it will eventually hold its shape. Do this for all of your tortillas, until you have a lovely little row of stuffed enchiladas in your baking Dish. Top them with the remaining ingredients. First I put a thick strip of tofu/cornmeal mash down the center, sprinkled it with the veggie sautee, and put a racing stripe of enchilada sauce down the center. then I basted the uncovered edges of the tortillas with enchilada sauce and garnished with more tofu/cornmeal mash as appropriate. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until you can’t wait any longer. Enjoy! These babies are GOOD and pretty darned good for you, too.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Based on a You’re the Chef recipe, but modified Recipe ID:  1123 Added:  August 21, 2007 Last Modified:  August 22, 2007

Ancho Enchilada Sauce Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Mexican

Ingredients 4-6 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded 2 small dried red chilies 5 small to medium heirloom tomatoes 4 chopped garlic cloves 1 1/2 cup water 3/4 tsp freshly ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground oregano 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp. sugar Directions Bring chilies, whole tomatoes (with skin on), garlic cloves and water to a boil and then cover them with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Use slotted spoon to lift out the tomatoes and skin them. Let the chilies simmer in water for a little while longer, and then put everything in a food processor and blend on high until you have a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. One small recipe for enchiladas will use up 1/3 to 1/2 of the recipe. You can keep the sauce in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze if desired for later use.

Additional Pictures

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Adapted from Mexico the Vegetarian Table Recipe ID:  1125 Added:  August 22, 2007 Last Modified:  August 22, 2007

I also used different vegetables, including these dear Pattypan squash I found at the Farmer’s Market this past weekend. I thought they were the cutest vegetables I’d ever seen, and since my recent success with zucchini like squash, I had hopes that I could produce something tasty. According to Wikipedia, “Pattypan comes in yellow, green, and white varieties . . . [and] is a good source of magnesium, niacin, and vitamins A and C. One cup contains approximately 20 to 30 calories and no fat. ” Wikipedia It is also sometimes called Petit pan squash, white squash, scallop squash, custard marrow, or custard squash. Whatever you call it, it’s an adorable little squash. I cut off the knobs at the top and bottom and sliced it horizontally in order to create flower shaped discs. I took these disks, discs of zucchini, portobella mushrooms, a fennel bulb, eggplant discs, and pieces of red onion, basted them with a little sesame oil and sprinkled them with my “new improved” spice mixture, and grilled them on our propane grill.

To create a delicious, easy sauce, I took 3 tbsp. of salsa and 1 tbsp of smoky barbecue sauce (any gluten free favorite brand would work but it should have a mesquite type flavor), and combined them, topping my tortillas with the sauce like mini pizzas. Then I added a mixture of lowfat grated cheese and a little grated smoked fontina cheese, and put them under the broiler to melt the cheese. I transfered them to the grill to make sure they didn’t get soggy and loaded them up with roasted vegetables. I left them on a grill on low for a bit, and then served them, garnished with some leftover pico de gallo and guacamole. It was DELICIOUS, and got high marks from DH.

Since I had the grill on, I also decided to grill some fruit to serve with a dab of ice cream for dessert. I put a little melted butter on some apple and nectarine slices and them seasoned them with a mixture of apple pie seasonings and sugar. I put them on the grill, turned them when they had appealing grill marks, and then plated them. It was simple, but was a nice end to the evening.
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But I wasn’t done with my leftovers! After all, the next day I had all these leftover grilled vegetables, not to mention the bean cakes from before. How could I use them, now that I’d used up all my tortillas? The answer was hiding in my freezer- the remains of a large order I’d placed with Kinnikinnick that included quite a lot of white rice tapioca bagels. I microwaved and then toasted one, cut it in half, used the same 3-1 salsa to barbecue sauce as my condiment, filled it with my bean cakes and piled yummy grilled vegetables next to it. I had a heavenly brunch on my balcony, enjoying the sun and gobbling down grilled food without so much as turning on the propane. Now that, my friends, is why I like leftovers. You never know what form they’ll take the next day.

I have a crush on these “Petit Pan Squash.” Can you tell? What farmer’s market vegetable or fruit finds do YOU have a crush on? Do tell..