Category: Recipe

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Recipe: Gluten-Free Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Scones

I love berries.  Love them.  I haven’t met a berry I didn’t like.  I will EAT ALL THE BERRIES!  And sometimes…I do.

Thanks to my good friend, Harry, I have a nice supply of freshly picked blueberries.  And I really wanted to make the most of them.  So, over the weekend, while doing some meal prep, I decided to do some baking…utilizing some of the blueberries.

Lucky for me, this month’s Vegetarian Times was featuring blueberries in their “One Food Five Ways” feature.  SCORE!  And the one recipe that really stuck out to me was the Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Scones.  So…that’s what I made…for breakfast at the office on my gym mornings.  It just will involve some reheating.  And since I love scones, this seemed like a great recipe to attempt.  The only difference is my version had to be gluten-free.  So, I crossed my fingers and said a prayer to my gluten-free baking gods that this recipe might like my gluten-free all-purpose flour.

These pastries are so simple to make and don’t take a lot of time.  They bake up beautifully and look amazing.  Oh…and you might want to eat them the moment they come out of the oven because they make your home smell SO good!

Recipe: Gluten-Free Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Scones

Gluten-Free Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Scones
Gluten-Free Blueberry and Dark Chocolate Scones

Servings: 8
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Bake 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (I used Better Batter)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used Earth Balance)
  • 3/4 cup low-fat milk, plus more for brushing (I used unsweetened almond milk)
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels)
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Work in the butter using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until only small crumbs remain in the mixture.

Whisk together milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix just until incorporated (the mixture will be crumbly).  Gently stir in the chocolate chips and blueberries.  Gather dough into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, and press into a 3/4-inch-thick disk.  Dust a knife with flour, then cut dough into 8 equal wedges.  Transfer to prepared baking sheet, and brush tops lightly with milk.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and bottom.

~*~*~

This recipe embodies everything that is amazing and wonderful in this world.  Fresh blueberries.  Dark chocolate.  Breakfast.  These scones are a fantastic treat in the morning…and actually not too bad as far as nutrition goes…for scones.  I loved the flavor of the bittersweet chocolate with the burst of sweetness from the blueberries.  Harmony in breakfast form.  I will be making these again…that’s for sure!  Simple recipe…simple breakfast pleasure.

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Recipe: Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup

I admit it.  I’m a girl from the North, so when my CSA bin arrived with collard greens inside…I had NO clue what to do with them.  None.  And while I lived in Birmingham, Alabama for six years…I was never one for southern-style cooking.  Just ask any of my friends and co-workers.  I was not having any of it.  So…collard greens had me stumped.

So, I did what any good Northern girl would do when staring at collard greens and trying to figure out a good way to use them before they went bad (because we waste NOTHING!).  I hit up Pinterest.  And…much to my delight, found a soup recipe (and I love soup!) that incorporated collard greens and pretty much (save for a red onion and an extra box of organic veggie broth) everything I already had in my pantry.  Seriously!  So…I figured I would give it a try.

Let me tell you…this soup is so easy to make.  One pot.  That’s all you need.  I used my Dutch oven to cook everything up and it was just…easy.  And smelled really good.  I know…some of you might wonder how these ingredients all come together.  Like…tomato paste and peanut butter…but it works.  Just trust me.  If you like Pad Thai…you’ll appreciate this soup.  That’s what it smells and tastes like…minus the noodles and chicken and all that stuff.  I got this recipe from Cookie + Kate…and it was a flavor sensation of pure perfection.

Recipe: Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup

Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup
Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup

Servings: 6-8
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bunch collard greens (or kale), ribs removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch strips
  • 3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter (chunky or smooth…I used chunky so I wouldn’t have to buy peanuts to garnish)
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • Hot sauce, like Sriracha
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)

 

Directions:

In a medium Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the broth to a boil.

Add the onion, ginger, garlic and salt.  Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

In a medium-sized, heat-safe mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and tomato paste, then transfer 1 to 2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl.  Whisk the mixture together until smooth, then pour the peanut mixture back into the soup and mix well.

Stir in the collard greens and season the soup with hot sauce to taste.

Simmer for about 15 more minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often.

Serve over cooked brown rice if you’d like, and top with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.

~*~*~

Like I said…it’s like liquid Pad Thai.  And I love Pad Thai.  It sounds odd…but trust me…the flavors are there.  You can make it as mild or as spicy as you want.  I kept mine near the middle, because while I love spicy foods, my roommate is a “heat wimp” (her words).  So…I found the happy medium there.  This soup is just delicious and honestly…couldn’t be easier to make.  It didn’t take much time to get the ingredients ready and then you just let it cook, stirring every now and again.  I do recommend using chunky peanut butter.  It is just awesome.

So…if you are looking for a different soup to try…totally give this one a shot.  I promise…you’ll like it.  You might even love it…like me.

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Recipe: Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto

Sometimes, I get more produce in my CSA bin than I can logically begin to work through in a week.  Sometimes I think I should go to every-other-week….but then the thought of not getting my fresh fruits and veggies makes me sad.  So, I try to come up with clever ways to use some of it up.  Last week’s bin had a yellow summer squash and a zucchini inside…and this week’s bin…two zucchinis.  I needed to use some zucchini up stat.

Also…I hate some large portobello mushroom caps, two of which were a little busted up…so making my portobello mushroom cap pizzas were not going to be an option.  So I thought…what can I do with this?  And then I thought…pasta.

But pasta made from zucchini…giving a bit of a low carb option (not that I worry about carbs!).  I was going to coat everything in a pesto, but my homegrown basil was…not enough to do that.  So I only had a small amount.  So, I could garnish the pasta with it.  And thankfully I had a jar of RAO’s Homemade Roasted Garlic Sauce in the pantry.  Yes!  Rescued by a manager’s special!  HA!

This recipe was super-easy to make and put together.  Even better…super good for you.  And, even if you don’t want to mess with making a pesto, the dish won’t lack anything if you leave it out.  Or, you can do what I originally had planned and skip the marinara and go with just the pesto!  It’s up to you.  I’ll put up the recipe for the full pesto recipe just in case.  I had to cut mine down to 1/4 the original recipe as I only had 1/2 cup of fresh basil.

That being said…

Recipe: Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto

Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto
Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms, Garlic Marinara, and a Homemade Basil Pesto

Servings: 2
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 15 minutes


Ingredients for Pesto:

  • 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast


Ingredients for Pasta:

  • Olive oil
  • Chopped/minced garlic
  • Seasoning of choice (I used herbs de provence)
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 2 zucchini
  • 3 large portobello mushroom caps, sliced
  • 6 oz of marinara (or 4 ounces of pesto)
  • Dab of homemade pesto (if not using as the sauce)

 

Directions:

Make the pesto.

Place the basil, walnuts, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the S blade.  Pulse to combine, until the mixture is coarsely ground.

Turn the motor on and drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream.  Add the sea salt, pepper, lemon, and nutritional yeast, and pulse a few more times to combine.
Make the pasta:

Use your julienne peeler, spiral slicer or mandolin to create noodles out of the zucchini.  I used a mandolin and made long, thin strips of zucchini for noodles.  It’s really up to you!  Zucchini is usually full of water, so take a paper towel and squeeze them to get out some of the water.  Place them in a bowl and set aside.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat for a minute at medium heat.  Add 1 clove of minced garlic and sauté for one minute.  Add your mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to release their juices and have browned up beautifully.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Rinse out your skillet (or wipe it down to get out any mushroom residue) and place another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, allowing it to heat for one minute over medium heat.  Add your zucchini noodles to the pan and begin to heat them up.  In order to not turn them to mush, do not stir them.  Just move them gently around the pan.

Once the zucchini noodles are heated, add the musrhooms back into the pan and season with your seasonings of choice.  Definitely add a bit of salt though.

Toss together and then add the sauce (be it marinara or pest0).  Continue to toss in the skillet until it is heated through.  Transfer to bowls and top off with pesto, if you didn’t use it for your sauce of choice.  Or don’t…if you didn’t want to fuss with it.

Serve!

~*~*~

This was so packed with flavor and so delicious.  Honestly, it was super delicious.  I’d love to make this again and serve it up in the way I intended…with the pesto sauce, but the marinara added great flavor and worked so well with the zucchini and mushrooms.  A delicious, low calorie, low carb meal that doesn’t take too long to prep or cook.  Dinner…couldn’t be easier.

Give it a shot.  I hope you like it!

 

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Recipe: Mustard-Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes are naturally gluten-free.  Yep.  They are.  And that, my dearest friends, is one of the reasons I eat so damn much of them.  Honestly.  But, sometimes I get tired of the stuffed baked potato or the baked fries or the mashed up varieties.  Sometimes I want something different.  Sometimes all it takes is a little adjustment to the flavor and you have a winning recipe.

Thanks to my indulgence in all things Food Network, I recently caught an episode of The Barefoot Contessa where she literally took potatoes and turned the volume way up!  And all it took…was some mustard.

It’s true.  Now, my roomie doesn’t even like mustard…but she absolutely LOVED these.  I think she was glad to have a serving left over.  I made them while our friend Greg was in town for Sunday breakfast…and they were a huge hit.  The added onion that roasts with these is a nice touch.  However, I think next time I roast these up, I’ll put them on the bottom rack as some of the onions got a wee tad…dark.

But…this was a recipe worth making for sure.  Going to have to do it again.  I always have potatoes on hand!

Recipe: Mustard-Roasted Potatoes

 

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes
Mustard-Roasted Potatoes

 

Servings: 6
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 60 minutes

Ingredients:

 

  • 2-1/2 pounds small red potatoes (or small Yukon Gold potatoes)
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 425°F.Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan.
Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half.  Slice them crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices to make half-rounds.Toss the onions and potatoes together on the sheet pan.Add the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper and toss them together.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside.  Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.

Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley and a little extra salt.

~*~*~

As is usual for me, I didn’t sprinkle with the extra salt at the end…I figured it had plenty on there already.  And with the mustard…it was certainly seasoned to perfection.  These were a huge hit and it makes plenty.  I actually used russet potatoes, since that’s what came in my CSA bin and it worked out perfectly.  Delicious recipe.  Honestly…if you want a new spin on potatoes…you’ll love this.

 

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Recipe: Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters

I admit it…originally, I was going to take my zucchini and pull out my handy-dandy Cusinart food processor and make some more gluten-free zucchini bread.  Why?  Because I love my family recipe for zucchini bread (which very successfully bakes up gluten-free from the original not-gluten-free recipe).  I was so tempted.

But…I’m going out of town this weekend…and need to use up produce without having too much left just sitting around in the crisper drawer or in the fridge and freezer.  So…I hunted down other ideas.  And thanks to the magic of Pinterest…I stumbled across a recipe that would not only use up the zucchini in my crisper, but also one of my two sweet potatoes.  It was from the blog Averie Cooks and I had everything necessary to make these that night for dinner.  I sent the link to my roomie and she mightily approved.  I gave her the option of two sweet potato recipes…and she went with this one.  And so…dinner was decided…just like that.

Upon returning home from the office on Friday, I set myself to work in the kitchen, cleaning and shredding up a large sweet potato and a large zucchini.  And when all was said and done, these baked up to be a soft, but delicious treat for dinner.  Honestly, I can’t wait to make it again.  The flavors are amazing and they even go well in a skillet and served up like a veggie burger on a bun (that’s what I did with the leftovers!).

Check out this easy recipe:

Recipe: Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Zucchini Fritters

 

Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters (with Gluten-Free Baked Zucchini Fries)
Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters (with Gluten-Free Baked Zucchini Fries)


Servings: 6
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Bake 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (or vegan butter)
  • 1 large egg (or egg replacer or flax egg)
  • 2 teaspoons chipotle seasoning (I used ancho chili powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose)
  • about 3 cups coarsely grated sweet potato (1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and grated)
  • about 2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (1 large or 2 small zucchini)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.  Sp with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.

To the melted butter, add the egg and beat with a fork to combine.

Add the chipotle seasoning, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.

Add the flour and stir to combine.

Add the sweet potato, zucchini, and toss to combine.

Mixture will be loose and a bit soggy.

Using a 1/2-cup measure, form fritters by transferring one heaping half-cup of vegetable mixture from mixing bowl directly to baking trays.  They will be about 4-inches in diameter.

Bake fritters for 10 minutes at 375°F and if fritters have “leaked” or released any liquids, either from the zucchini releasing water, or the butter-egg mixture, just “push” the liquid back into a fritter using a spatula.

Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for about 15 minutes.  Carefully flip fritters over (they will be soft and delicate, so be careful to flip them without breaking them) and bake for about 15 more minutes, or until browned.  Fritters will be browned but soft upon removal from oven.  Allow them to cool and firm up on the baking trays for at least 10 minutes before moving or serving them.

~*~*~

Really, really fantastic flavor!!  Honestly.  My roommate raved about them.  They are still quite soft, but they are delicious and amazing.  I fell in love with these at first bite.  And so did the roomie.  In fact, we were thrilled to come home tonight and eat the two leftover patties as veggie burgers.  The night I made these, we each had 2 fritters each (about 100 calories per fritter), and I baked up some gluten-free zucchini fries with the leftover zucchini.  One of my favorite dinners to date.

I encourage you to give these fritters a shot.  They are definitely worth the time they take to make and eat.  Trust me…you’ll love them.

 

 

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Recipe: Gluten-Free Overnight Bananas Foaster French Toast Casserole

Mmmm.  I love a good breakfast.  I love doing something different and outside the box.  I love breakfast so much that I could (and have) eat it for every meal of the day.  Seriously.  But when you get a little tired of various ways to do breakfast food, there is always another option out there.  And, thankfully, for me, I discovered a great looking recipe via I Heart Eating’s blog, which I adapted to be dairy-free and gluten-free…for an overnight French toast recipe.

Sort of like a breakfast bread pudding.

But with bananas.  And vegan cream cheese.  And rum.

Yes.  RUM!

And that is why, the day after I ran a marathon, I found myself in my kitchen baking up a fantastic breakfast treat.  It was Easter morning, and that meant something special needed to start off the day.  Aside from a short shakeout run…my only other plans that morning was to bake up this breakfast.  I had actually prepared it the night before and all night it was marinating in my fridge…just waiting to be placed in that warm oven.

So, without further adieu…I give you the recipe for Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Overnight Bananas Foster French Toast Casserole!

Recipe: Gluten-Free and Dairy Free Overnight Bananas Foster French Toast Casserole

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Overnight Bananas Foster French Toast Casserole
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Overnight Bananas Foster French Toast Casserole

Servings: 6-8
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Bake 50 minutes

Ingredients:

Banana Topping

4 tablespoons butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 medium ripe (not overripe) bananas, sliced
French Toast

2/3 loaf gluten-free challah bread, cut into cubes (I used Katz Gluten-Free)
4 ounces Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese
6 large eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

 

Directions:

Make the banana topping by stirring together the melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, dark rum, and cinnamon.  To make banana topping, stir together butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, extracts, and cinnamon.Lightly grease a 9×9-9nch baking pan.Pour the butter sauce into the prepared pan.Place banana slices over the sauce.Layer half of the bread cubes over the bananas.Dot the bread cubes with the vegan cream cheese.Cover with the remaining bread cubes.Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.  Be sure to mix it well.Pour the egg mixture over the bread.  Smoosh the bread down a little so that the bread can absorb the egg mixture.Cover and refrigerate overnight.In the morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator and leave it out while preheating the oven to 375°F.

Uncover and bake on a rimmed cookie sheet (in case the topping bubbles out…mine didn’t…but you can’t be too careful) for about 30-40 minutes or until the eggs have set.

Allow it to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.

Invert to serve and sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

~*~*~

While I have made plenty of overnight recipes before, there was definitely something special about this one.  The flavor was fantastic.  The banana portion, once inverted was rich and creamy, and the bread toasted to perfection, giving a nice play on both taste and texture.  I was beyond impressed with the way this turned out.  It totally made for the most amazing Easter breakfast I have made yet.

Delicious.

Come on…you know you want to make it too!

 

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Recipe: Gluten-Free Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel

There is one thing that I love to do over at my friend Jenn’s house…and that’s cook.  Especially a breakfast on Sunday.  Saturday we sometimes cook in…sometimes we out.  But Sunday…we normally always make something.  And that was the case this past weekend after we discovered a drool-worthy recipe on Pinterest…hosted on Smitten Kitchen’s blog.  What drew my attention to it was the salted caramel portion of the bread pudding recipe.  It sounded divine.

So…I planned it out with Jenn.  I’d order the gluten-free challah bread if she could get the rest of the necessary ingredients.

The plan to bake this on Sunday morning was totally on.  And that morning, with my ginormous gluten-free braided challah loaf from Katz Gluten-Free ready to slice…we set to work.  While this recipe does take some time to prep…it’s worth it.  I’d make this again in a heartbeat.  And I will.  I have plenty of extra bread to use up.  So…go ahead…try it.  Don’t be intimidated.  My modifications were made to make it gluten-free.  It didn’t take away from any part of this dish.  The texture and flavors were to DIE for.

One word of warning…that caramel can get pretty hard…so make sure you don’t do what we did and throw it in the freezer.  LOL!!  Lesson learned.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel

Gluten-Free Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel
Gluten-Free Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel

Servings: 8
Time: Prep 30 minutes; Bake 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup plus (optional) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt or just 2 or 3 pinches of a coarse one
  • 10 to 12-ounce loaf brioche or challah bread (cut into slices about 1/2-inch thick and about 3 inches square or round, which sounds really persnickety, but they really do fit better in the pan this way) (I used Katz Gluten Free Large Braided Challah Loaf)
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese, divided (1/4 cup for custard; 3/4 cup for serving)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract


Directions:

First, choose your baking dish.   We opted to use a 9-inch round cake pan, which was a squeeze, but we made it work.  Other options would be 2-quart oval gratin/roasting dish, a 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet, a 2-quart casserole dish or 1 deep-dish pie pan.

If your dish is safe for the stove top, use this to make the caramel. If not, use a small, heavy saucepan and place 3/4 cup sugar, butter and sea salt and heat over medium heat. The butter will melt and, after 7 to 10 minutes, the sugar will dissolve and begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir with a spoon or spatula so that it browns evenly.  The butter does separate from the sugar, but that’s okay.  Just continue to stir them together.  It will all work out in the end even if it splits.  I know…because ours did!

If you’re using a saucepan, your caramel is done when it reaches a copper color.  Pour it over the base of your baking dish.

If you’re making the caramel in your dish (like a cast iron skillet), your caramel should be taken off the stove a step sooner, a shade more pale than copper, something of a medium brown; this is because it will continue cooking and darkening for a minute off the stove.

Regardless of what you choose to bake it in, place the dish in refrigerator and chill until caramel is cold and solid, about 30 minutes. Once chilled, arrange the bread slices. Place the heel of the bread in the center and do what you can to fan the slices around it, overlapping each slightly and knowing with complete confidence that even if your dish doesn’t resemble a blooming rose, nobody will care at all.  Mine looked nothing like a blooming rose…and, honestly, no one cared.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar (if using; I skipped this) and 1/4 mascarpone cheese (save rest for serving), until very smooth.  Add milk and almond extract.  Pour this over the bread, making sure to saturate all of it.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.  You can let it soak overnight if you have that sort of time or plan that far in advance.  If you bread seems too high in the vessel to get a good soak, you can weight it with a plate in the fridge.

After the allotted time (or in the morning), take your dish from the fridge.  Heat oven to 375°F.  Remove plastic from dish and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until moist but not wet in center. Remove from oven and run a knife around edge of dish, loosening bread from sides. Place a serving plate over top of dish (bottom side up), and, using potholders, hold pudding over sink and flip pudding onto the plate. Lift baking dish off plate; scrape any extra caramel from pie dish over pudding.

Serve, cutting it into wedges at the table and spooning a healthy dollop of mascarpone onto each plate.

A slice of Gluten-Free Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel
A slice of Gluten-Free Morning Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel

~*~*~

While the original recipe called for this to soak overnight, we were busy watching Thor 2…so that didn’t happen.  The fact that we only let it soak for about 30 minutes in the fridge did not, at all, make the dish any less of a delicious treat.  It worked perfectly.  So, don’t feel like you have to make it the night before…unless you have that sort of time.  Do plan ahead though, because this does take some time.  Jenn and I took out 2 of the eggs from the original recipe as we thought 8 eggs was a bit much.  I think we made a good call.  This cooked up to a beautiful perfect meal.  And we all sat and enjoyed it…and kept the leftovers for the next couple of mornings.  SO amazing and delicious!!

Yeah…totally making this one again!

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Recipe: Gluten-Free Pasta with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

I have a bin problem.  I’m going out of town (yes…again!)…and I have fresh CSA bin ingredients to use.  I wanted something amazing.  Something flavorful.  Something that would use more than one item.  Because…I don’t want to waste any of my fresh veggies and fruit that I get each week when I’m home.

So…the other night, I modified one of Giada De Laurentiis’ recipes.  Her recipe was originally a penne recipe that incorporated asparagus and cherry tomatoes and other vegetables.  I had the tomatoes and the asparagus…and I played with the vegetables I had instead of what she recommended…but no gluten-free penne on hand.  But…I did have gluten-free pasta on hand, which I picked up on the eve of the Chicago Marathon from Da Luciano Pasta, Pizza & Catering.

This recipe is full of spring flavors, which is just what this winter-hating girl needed.  And, yeah…FULL of amazing flavor.  Light.  Fresh.  Delicious.  The recipe is below!

Gluten-Free Pasta with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

Gluten-Free Pasta with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes
Gluten-Free Pasta with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

Servings: 4-6
Time: Prep 5 minutes; Cook 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces gluten-free pasta
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1-1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 10 minutes.  Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft.

Add the cherry tomatoes and spinach.

Cook for 2 minutes.  Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl.  Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan.  Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta.  Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

~*~*~This pasta dish is awesome.  You won’t feel filled to the brim and about to burst.  In fact, the light flavors and delicious vegetables are a nice way to dress up the pasta noodles.  And my gluten-free pasta noodles were amazing.  My roomie and I loved this dish so much, we made it again the following night.Great way to use some spring vegetables and get in the mood for that warmer weather.  Thanks for the inspiration, Giada!
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Recipe: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Yogurt Quick Bread

My refrigerator has something incredible in it.  Really.

I have these cartons of So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Cultured Coconut Milk.

Let me tell you…these were the most fantastic yogurts to ever enter into my life.  And I was feeling the need to bake last night.  Using a guide recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, I baked up what is turning out to be one of my favorite breads I have ever made.  Made with Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Morsels, Better Batter Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, and So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Cultured Coconut Milk, this is a recipe that will wow your friends and family.  You might even surprise yourself with how moist and delicious this bread is when it is baked and cooled and finally…sliced.  All of this was from scratch and, as luck would have it, I had everything necessary already in my apartment.  Check out the recipe below.

Recipe: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Yogurt Quick Bread

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Yogurt Quick Bread
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Yogurt Quick Bread

Servings: 12-16
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Bake 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Better Batter)
  • 6 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used Earth Balance)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature (I used So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Cultured Coconut Milk)
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature, beaten
  • 3 ounces miniature chocolate chips, tossed with 1 teaspoon cornstarch (I used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease well a standard 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), place the flour blend, cornstarch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well with a separate, handheld whisk.  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter, yogurt and eggs.  Mix on medium speed to combine with the paddle attachment (or your handheld mixer) after each addition.  The batter will be thick.  Add the chocolate chips tossed with cornstarch, and mix with a spatula or spoon until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Scrape into the prepared baking pan and, with wet hands, smooth the top.  To create a dome shape, run a wet spatula along the edges of the pan and pull the batter toward the center.  For a uniform split down the center as the bread rises in the oven (instead of a more haphazard split), slash down the center of the loaf with a sharp knife, about 1/4-inch deep.

Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F, and continue to bake for another 20 minutes, or until the top of the loaf springs back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs attached.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Slice once cool and serve.

~*~*~

You will love this bread.  Light, moist, and packed with flavor.  And using the Unsweetened Cultured Coconut Milk meant adding flavor without the added sugar.  It was fantastic.  And the bread…definitely one of my new favorites.  This is amazing.  I can’t wait to make more breads using the Cultured Coconut Milk.  Fantastic.

Chocolate chip bread-y love!

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Recipe: Homemade Gluten-Free and Vegan Bacon

It was almost five years ago that I made a decision to become a vegetarian.  And as of this month…three years ago that I had to go gluten-free.  My…time sure does fly!  That being said, when I first became a vegetarian, my life was filled with Morningstar Veggie Bacon Strips and faux meat products…which…looking at now makes me cringe due to the number of chemicals and processed crap that are in them.  Besides that…most all processed-to-death faux meat products contain vital wheat gluten…which means…I can’t consume it anyway.

Honestly, after three years I’ve worked around this.  But, you see, my roommate has a love of BLT sandwiches.  As you know, Cathy eats what I eat at home, so she’s 80% gluten-free and vegetarian.  But when we go out…meat is her treat (think those Beggin’ Strips commercials…).  Anyway…she’s acquired this taste for BLT sammies…and with a plethora of lettuce from my CSA bin, she put in that request.

So…I needed bacon.  And no one makes a gluten-free and vegetarian version of this.  So, I had to make it myself.  And it’s mainly made up with…beans.  So…beancon?  I guess?  The recipe was adapted from the No Meat Athlete…and now…will forever be made and kept in my kitchen.  What’s even better…after you cook the batter up and slice it, the slices can be kept in the freezer and go immediately from the freezer to the pan.  Oh yeah…beancon time!

Recipe: Homemade Gluten-Free and Vegan Bacon

Homemade Gluten-Free and Vegan Bacon
Homemade Gluten-Free and Vegan Bacon

Servings: 24-32
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Bake 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup dried adzuki beans, or other small red beans
  • 1/3 cup whole grain buckwheat groats (not buckwheat flour)
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/3 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/3 tsp rubbed sage
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke (not all brands are gluten-free, but Colgin is…and that’s what I use)
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1-1/2 tbsp coconut aminos (I subbed San-J Gluten-Free Tamari)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1-1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (may sub any oil you prefer)
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Rinse the beans and buckwheat, place in large bowl covered with several inches of cold filtered water; let soak overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Drain and rinse the soaked beans and buckwheat.  Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade, along with all of the other ingredients. Pulse several times to combine, scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl and continue pulsing until uniform, but not completely pureed.

Line a 9 x 13 casserole dish or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Place bacon batter in pan and spread evenly with a spatula.  You may choose to spray another piece of parchment paper lightly with baking spray and press the paper on top of the mixture and flatten with your hands.  Remove and discard the top piece of parchment paper, then use a spatula to spread over and fill in any bare spots.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Slice into 24-32 strips, whatever size you prefer, I cut mine into 1 inch by 4 inches slices (Do this by making one lengthwise cut down the center, and then 12-16 cuts across the shorter side).

At this point freeze any strips your don’t plan on eating immediately. Frozen strips can go straight into the skillet at a later date, no need to thaw first. To fry, heat a skillet with a small amount of oil and fry both sides to desired level of crispiness. You may also choose to fry slices in cooking spray, for a less crispy, but still very delicious result.

~*~*~

The liquid smoke gives it that smokey feeling of bacon and they taste great.  Honestly.  I made this once before and used them on breakfast sandwiches, to pair with pancakes, and now…on BLTs.  Brilliant recipe.  Bacon really can be for everyone…even gluten-free vegetarians and vegans.  Because this no meat treat is a delicious, homemade, and easy recipe.  And no chemicals.  Real food.  Real good!

Gluten-Free and Vegan BLT Sandwich
Gluten-Free and Vegan BLT Sandwich