Book of Yum

I have to admit, I have never had green beer. Back when I was a college student, they hadn’t come out with all the wonderful gluten-free beers that are out today. Root beer was my brown bottled beverage of choice, and I never got my ID checked to buy it, which somehow takes all the fun out of it. And, even more of a shame is the fact that despite all my travels, I’ve never been to Ireland. I hear my family has some Irish ancestry, though. And, given my pale skin, hazel green eyes, and intolerance to gluten, I can believe it. This might be why I love the idea of St. Patrick’s Day, and love the idea of having a dinner menu that celebrates a culture halfway around the globe from us. You know me, I’ll take any excuse to explore an international cuisine!

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

The DH has been traveling a lot for his job lately, and been gone from home and missing out on good home cooked meals. So when he got home relatively early the other night, I wanted to make him something tasty and healthy to make up for all the meals he’d been skipping or having at restaurants. We had a pot of quinoa I had cooked for lunch, so I thought I’d do something simple involving pasta sauce, beans, cheese and a microwave. What can I say, I wanted to spend time with the guy and not just spend all night in the kitchen. As I started adding ingredients to my quinoa, I got inspired. What If I put in the basic ingredients I’d had in mind, but instead of microwaving them, I made quinoa burgers on the stove? It wouldn’t take much extra time and would taste so much better. Of course, being me, I couldn’t just stop there, and I ended up making the vegetarian burgers, two sauces, and serving them on La Tortilla Factory Sonoma Corn Tortillas with some organic lettuce. Homemade tortillas would have been better, but if you can’t make them, those are the best pre-made tortillas I’ve found. They are even a little larger than normal ol’ Mission corn tortillas. Anyway, I digress. So I dragged the DH to the table and made him have a real, home cooked meal for the first time in far too long. And guess what? He loved it! I could tell by the way he kept going back for seconds, and how he said, “Hey! I would order this at a restaurant, on purpose!” And he told me to make it again, anytime, as he was spooning his third serving of avocado dressing on his burger. Funny, I thinned out the avocado with mayonnaise simply because I didn’t have enough avocado to make a full recipe without it, and the DH raved and raved about it. Boys.

The burgers are delicate when they are hot, so make sure they have a nice golden crust before turning them. They solidify and get very sturdy once they are cooled in the refrigerator, and become softer again once they get very hot again. Basically, I think it is due to the cheese (or un-cheese) which helps bind them together melting and then solidifying.

They are great on corn tortillas, would be delicious in a gluten-free hamburger bun, and were completely lovely as a breakfast “burger” served with a side of hash browns. This recipe was just something I threw together on a whim, but it was such a success that I can see it going on our regular menu rotation. A great way to use leftover quinoa!

After this recipe was such a hit in our household, I did a search for other gluten-free quinoa burger recipes:
Renee’s Sweet Potato, Quinoa, Bean Burger Recipe
GF Made Easy Black Bean Quinoa Burger Recipe
Gluten-free Cat’s Quinoa Burger Recipe
Gluten-free Dish’s Quinoa Black Bean Burgers
Gluten-free for Good’s Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger Recipe

Here’s an earlier Book of Yum recipe for veggie burgers:
Sweet Potato Black Bean Vegetarian Burger Recipe

Just want to buy one? Read my article reviewing the gluten-free veggie Burger options

Shared with Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Gluten-free Wednesdays

Why is it that Baby Yum always steals my food in the middle of a photo session? I had to chase her around the kitchen in circles to get this quinoa burger back. Silly Baby, all she has to do is ask and I’ll give her some!


Breaking Gluten-free News: Speaking of burgers and sandwiches, did you hear that Subway is testing a gluten-free bun option in their Texas stores? Reportedly the bun is manufactured off-site in a gluten-free facility, comes in a sealed plastic bag and they use a single-use knife to cut the bun. Despite efforts to train staff in cross-contamination issues, I’m skeptical that they will be able to provide a truly gluten-free product. The condiments and any sandwich fillings will surely be contaminated, don’t you think? Besides, the bread smell alone in that place makes me feel queasy, personally. Nevertheless, at least another mainstream corporation is thinking about catering to gluten-free customers, which can only be a good thing. I just hope they don’t end up causing more harm than good by doing it improperly.

Gluten-free Vegetarian Quinoa Bean Burgers with Vegan Option Main Course  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 4 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked, simmered with 2 cups water) 1 can drained, rinsed black beans 1/2 can organic stewed tomatoes, drained (I used muir glen with green chilies) 1 egg OR for vegan, 1 flax seed “egg”* blended or food processed 1/2 cup roasted frozen corn (Trader Joe’s, or regular un-roasted) 4 scallions or green onion, minced 1/4 cup sorghum flour (or your favorite gluten-free whole grain flour) 2 cups monterey jack cheese OR for vegan, daiya mozzarella small handful fresh cilantro, diced olive oil or your favorite oil Directions Prepare a large baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper, if you have the latter. The paper is optional but makes life easier. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine quinoa, beans, and tomato in a medium-large bowl. Stir with your hands or a large spoon, mashing the beans a little if possible. Create a well in the mixture for the egg or flax “egg” and use a fork to whisk whites into the yolk. Fold the egg or flax “egg” into the mixture and combine thoroughly. Microwave briefly or cook your corn so it is no longer frozen and stir into your mixture along with the minced green onion. Sprinkle with half of your flour and fold in. Add your second half of the flour and combine. Sprinkle with cheese or un-cheese and mix it so it is evenly distributed throughout. Add cilantro, fold together one final time. See if you can create a patty with the mixture. If it is too wet, add a little more flour. On medium-high, heat enough oil in a nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron pan to cover the bottom of the pan. Carefully add enough medium-size patties, one at a time, to cover the bottom of the pan and not have them touching each other. I had two full batches. Fry until each patty has a golden-brown crust on the bottom and then carefully turn over. Cook second side until golden brown. Carefully remove first batch to your baking sheet and put in oven. Let bake while you make the second batch in your skillet, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve while the second batch is in the oven, if you like. Enjoy! Notes We served these on tortillas with lettuce, red pepper pico de gallo, and avocado dressing. DH LOVED them, and I did too. Yum! *Flax egg= 1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water, blended or food processed

Rating:  10 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1535 Added:  January 19, 2011 Last Modified:  January 21, 2011

Pepper Pico De Gallo Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Mexican

Ingredients 1 roma tomato (organic preferred) 1/4 of a red or yellow pepper OR handful of mini peppers 1 or 2 green onions dash of fresh lime or lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (or less, to taste) salt to taste dash of pepper or California pepper Directions Mince your roma tomato and discard the watery pulp. Put the nice minced pieces in a small bowl. Mince your red or yellow pepper OR your mini peppers- I got a big bag of adorable mini yellow and red peppers from Costco in a bid to get Baby Yum eating more veggies and have been putting them in everything. Mix peppers into the bowl with tomato and sprinkle with salt. Mince your green onions and add them to the party. You can use less or more, to taste. Use more if you will be eating the pico de gallo soon, and use less if you are going to let it sit overnight or for at least a half hour. It becomes even more delicious the next day, and flavors of raw ingredients mellow. Squeeze a bit of juice from a fresh lime or lemon on top of the mixture and mix together. Finely mince your cilantro and add to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and fold ingredients together. Let it sit. Refrigerate in a sealed container if you are going to leave it longer than half an hour or overnight. Use on something delicious.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1536 Added:  January 21, 2011 Last Modified:  January 21, 2011

Avocado Dressing Recipe Sauces & Condiments  American  Mexican

Ingredients 1/4 avocado, mashed Equal amounts of mayonnaise (Vegan mayonnaise would make recipe vegan!) 1 small amount of scallion, minced into tiny tiny pieces Pinch of lemon or lime juice white pepper if desired (I didn’t Directions Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly. Serve on something tasty, preferably with my pepper pico de gallo. Notes The DH LOVED this. You can double or triple the recipe. I didn’t have very much avocado, so I made a small batch.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1537 Added:  January 21, 2011 Last Modified:  January 21, 2011