New Beginnings and a Delectable Harvest Bowl!

      Sorry for the long hiatus! School and life continue to get in the way of my forays into creative cooking. And it doesn't seem like this busy schedule will end any time soon. I've just applied for grad school! Ahhhh! And as if that weren't exciting enough, a week ago my longtime boyfriend Bryan proposed!! Double Ahhh! I'm getting married!! The proposal was kind of a big surprise to me, and now that it's happened Bryan and I have both come to the conclusion that we don't really want to elope like we had always talked about....which means we have about 20 months of planning and budgeting to do before the big day. Anybody know of any beautiful, forest wedding venues that can also cater to my vegan and allergy needs? No? Thought i'd ask.

Here's some venues I've found so far, but pricing is a bit....ehem...on the high side! Oh the life of a person with food allergies and a compassion for animals...my vegan/gf followers, you understand. I'm just thrilled I have a vegetarian boyfriend who agrees that it should be an all vegan wedding!

The Stanford Inn

Hidden Creek Lodge

 Anyway, as you'd expect, I have a lot on my mind at the moment. I'm having a panic attack just thinking about it....I need a drink! Stat! Yet, despite these overwhelming, life altering events that are slowly but inevitably racing towards me, I happen to have the day off today. I was supposed to go on a hike, but sadly my plans fell through. Everyone I'd care to hang out with is busy or lives much too far away, so here I sit on a perfectly lovely day binge watching Star Trek and trying not to panic about the future. So instead I thought I would share my latest creation with you lovelies. It was inspired by the Veggie Grill's new winter menu, but it's also super simple/quick to prepare because really, who has time for involved weeknight dinners? It's even easier if, like me, you have a plethora of winter squash pre-cut and stored in the freezer. No? Just me that's obsessed with sweet potatoes and butternuts to the point of being a hoarder aye? I mean really, how am I supposed to ignore those adorable little butternuts at farmers market? They're so cute! I have a feeling this recipe will be in rotation a LOT in the upcoming year. I'll also try to post any vegan wedding ideas I come across, in case any one is interested! And if you have any ideas please post them here! I'd love to hear from you! Wish me luck! I hope you enjoy! Bryan gave this one a thumbs up!

Harvest Bowl

Serves 4: 

Prep and Cook time about 30 minutes. 

For the Bowl:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 cups brussel sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half
1 red onion, sliced into rounds
1 fennel bulb, sliced into rounds (fluffy ends reserved for sauce)
1 carrot sliced into rounds
2 celery stalks diced
2 tblsp olive oil
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, oregano, and sage
2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper and salt to taste
2 cups brown rice, uncooked ( I used instant rice to speed up cook time, but feel free to use regular)

For the Sauce: 
Ends of one fennel bulb (about 1/2 cup fennel)
2 tblsp tahini sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 garlic cloves
water to taste

optional toppings: toasted pinenuts, fresh chopped basil, sauteed mushrooms

Directions:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 425. Cook brown rice according to package directions.
2. While rice is cooking, chop veggies. On one baking sheet add the diced brussels and butternut, drizzle with 1/2 of the oil and coat in 1/2 of the herbs and garlic powder. On the second baking sheet add the onions and fennel, coating them in the remaining oil, garlic powder and spices. Sprinkle both sheets with salt and pepper at your discretion.  Roast vegetables in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, careful not to let onion and fennel burn.
3. While veggies are cooking make the sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to a high speed blender and pulse, adding water 1 tblsp at a time until desired consistency of sauce is reached. (for a creamy sauce only add 1 tblsp water, for a thinner sauce add more)
4. Serve roast veggies over rice, and top with sauce. Enjoy!

Mom's Delectable Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan Pancake Recipe

When I was little I loved pancakes. What kid doesn't? However, over the years I developed an aversion to this once favoured breakfast treat. Little did I know that this aversion, was actually the result of a gluten intolerance. When I (and most of my siblings/family members) were diagnosed with terrible wheat allergies, my mother made it her mission to make allergen friendly pancakes. After quite a few years she has come up with an absolutely delectable, airy, scrumptious pancake! I just had to share it with you! The great thing about these? Even people who are terrible at making pancakes will have very little difficulty mastering these!

Mom's Delectable Gluten-Free, Soy-Free Pancake Recipe!

Ingredients:

-About 1/2 cup brown (or white) rice flour
-About 1/2 cup sorghum flour (or quinoa or even garbanzo) if using garbanzo, use a little less and add a few more tablespoons of brown rice flour unless you like the flavor of garbanzo.
-About 1/2 cup potato starch (not quite)
-2 flax eggs (2 generous tablespoons flax meal mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water)
-2 fairly generous tablespoons baking powder
-1 tablespoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1 to 2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond) If it's too thin, don't worry...you can just add equal parts of more gf mix...it's very forgiving.
-1 level teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-About 1/2 cup oil ( I use corn oil) plus more for coating griddle
-Your choice of mix ins...fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc. ( I mixed in 1/2 cup blueberries!)

1.  Mix your flax eggs together first so they can get nice and gelatinous.

2. Next in a big bowl, combine all the dry ingredients(except baking soda) and stir with a whisk til all are combined nicely.

3. Then, mix all the wet ingredients (except the lemon juice) along with the flax eggs and milk into another bowl. Then add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
(You may want to add more or less milk depending on how thick or thin you like your batter)

4. Next put a small amount of baking soda on top of your batter and the lemon juice on top of that.  Let it bubble and mix it in. If you are adding chocolate chips or blueberries mix them in now.

5. Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet on medium high heat. With a basting brush grease cooking surface (you may want to re-grease as you go along, once after every couple of pancakes). Test a little batter to see if it is hot enough, it should harden around the edges rather swiftly. Add batter (about a scant 1/4 cup at a time to the griddle) flip when edges look solid and middle is beginning to solidify but still looks mushy, about 30-60 sec. Cook for another 30-60 seconds on the other side. I always test this first pancake to see if I cooked it long enough/too long. The inside should not taste like uncooked batter! Voila! I hope you enjoy, I know I did!

Note: I always have a clean tea towel on top of a plate ready on the side to put my pancakes after each one is done. Keeps them nice and toasty!

Ployes! A Delicious Acadian Pancake!

I love breakfast! It's always been my favorite meal of the day. I have many fond memories which included a waffle maker, scrambled eggs, and usually a lot of sausage. My favorite thing was to have breakfast for dinner! However, when I went vegan and also discovered I was allergic to wheat and soy, my options for breakfast seemed very limited. One saving grace for me has been that my favorite treat, ployes, can easily be made gluten free! What is a ploye you ask? It's a traditional Acadian pancake, made from a special golden buckwheat flour that grows in the New Brunswick area (Think Maine/Canada). These versatile little guys are good at just about any time of day! You can dress them up for dessert with whipped coconut cream and berries, or add a little garlic powder and serve them along-side a good soup! My personal preference is to eat them for breakfast though, with just a little vegan butter. These porous little pancakes are perfect for soaking up butter! While the art of ploye making can be tricky at first, I highly encourage one and all to buy the flour and try the recipe!

Where to Buy:
The flour is milled by the Bouchard family in Maine. Buy it here! My grandmother (or my Memere as they say in Acadia) buys it in bulk every Christmas and gives each of us a bag! Its always my favorite present! Regular buckwheat just won't work, this is the only buckwheat which creates those wonderful little holes you see in the picture! CAUTION: Make sure to buy the buckwheat flour, not the ploye mix. The pre-made ploye mix they sell contains wheat flour.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Acadian buckwheat flour
1/2 cup Garbanzo bean flour
2 1/2 Tblsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/3 cups hot water
Corn Oil to grease pan

1. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Then add hot water, whisk until combined and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. While batter is sitting, grease a griddle or cast iron skillet and set on high heat. (While the pan may smoke these only work if the heat is high and you keep the griddle consistently greased...I usually go over the skillet with a basting brush after each ploye very lightly) Test the pan's heat by adding a tiny bit of batter...if it takes too long to congeal let it heat up some more.

3. Once batter is ready, stir it up again (you will want to keep stirring the batter every minute or so to keep it a good consistency). Then, add a scant 1/4 cup of batter to the pan (try to form it into a thin circle like you would with pancakes). You should see little bubbles start to form and harden on the surface (if not, whisk the batter more or your baking powder could be too old). When the surface looks like its hardened flip it to cook any remaining uncooked batter. Remove after 30 seconds. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

4. Serve with a little butter and a side of coffee (these are also very good with Jam). You may find everyone loves these so much you have to make more! My family tends to make batches upon batches when we're all together!

Helpful Tips:
-Set a clean tea towel folder in half lengthwise on a plate. When a ploye is done, set it between the folds of the towel. This will keep your stack nice and piping hot until the whole stack is ready to serve! (Though, they're so tasty its highly likely they'll be gobbled up as you go by hungry children/grownups)
- They shouldn't stick. If it sticks you either left it too long on the griddle, the pan isn't greased enough or your pan isn't hot enough.  Don't get frustrated! Keep at it! Even a malformed ploye is still pretty tastey! It took me awhile to master them, and I still don't have the skills of my Acadian grandmother!

Jane's Super Green Smoothie

A little while ago I was in whole foods and treated myself to their delicious green smoothie. When I say treat I mean it! $6 for 16oz? Oye! It makes me feel guilty for the rest of the day dropping that kind of cash! So instead I set about recreating it at home. I even added chocolate because, well, its chocolate need I say more? I hope you enjoy it! Super easy, much cheaper than a whole foods smoothie, and quick (I did it all in my easy to clean Ninja blender). 

Jane's Super Green Smoothie

1 sliced, frozen banana

2-3 dates, pitted 

1 cup of Kale

1 cup of Almond Milk

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

(optional: 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen berries/peaches/nectarines)

Makes 8oz. 

Add all the above ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth (make sure the dates are well incorporated or you'll get big chunks). Pour into glass and enjoy!

Vegan Gluten Free Spring Roll Wrappers!?? Halelujah!!!

I beg your pardon as I do the happy dance! (Charlie Brown theme song music) I know, I may seem a bit ridiculous,but hear me out! For so long I have oohed and aaaahed at various spring roll recipes in magazines and on blogs. Most claimed there were gluten free versions of these fun little wrappers, but my seemingly endless natural food store search proved fruitless. That is, until now!! Low and behold on the shelf at Sprouts what did I find next to the Nori? Actual, GLUTEN FREE SPRING ROLL WRAPPERS! My quest was finally at a glorious end! Now all I had to do was come up with delicious things to put in them! But that was the fun part :) I'm sure I will have many more recipes to come in the future, but here is the very simple spring roll recipe that I came up with! These little wraps are perfect for highlighting all the wonderful, fresh, spring produce out there right now! Heaven! I'm in heaven! Now to track down the perfect sauce to compliment these bad boys.....

Simple Spring Rolls: 

Ingredients:

1 Pckg Greenland brand, rice paper wrappers

1 cup dry Jasmine rice (2 cups cooked) 

Pinch salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1 small-med zucchini chopped into matchsticks

1 carrot, chopped into matchsticks

1 cup Oyster or Shitake mushrooms (I got mine from F&F farms at Santa Clarita farmers market!)

1 cup arugula

1 cup assorted fresh sprouts (I used radish and mung bean)

Optional: Gluten-free soy sauce for dipping (or other allergen free dipping sauce! Trust me, these are made for dipping! I just used spicy mustard for mine!)

 1.Cook the rice in 2 cups boiling water with the salt until nice and fluffy, about 15-20 minutes. While the rice is cooking, prep all your veggies. Stir garlic powder and any other Asian-cooking inspired spices you desire into rice, set aside to cool. 

2. Fill a round container the same circumference as your wrapper with warm water (I used a pie dish). Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go, assembly line style! One wrapper at a time, dip in hot water for 5-10 seconds until it begins to soften, transfer to a plate. (You must do this one at a time, if you stack the wrappers they get sticky and inseparable ) 

3. Add 1/4 cup cooked rice to center of wrapper. Top with 1/12th each of the veggie toppings (as you would with tacos, etc). Fold the top and bottom over fillings. Fold one side over and roll into a nice little roll shape. Repeat until you're out of rice/toppings! Dip in sauce and enjoy!

Very "Green" St. Patty's Day Sushi

So I'd like to say that I started out to intentionally make a St. Patrick's day dish, but I'd be lying. The truth of the matter is that I started making rice with the idea in mind that I would make sushi. Then after it was almost done I looked in the fridge only to find that I barely had anything left in the fridge. All I had left was a little kale, asparagus and a quickly turning sad bag of basil. I also have a ridiculous amount of pumpkin seeds in the house at the moment, so I thought maybe it would be a good time to try one of the nut cheeses in sushi! The results I must say were quite yummy, and the fresh sprouts from my garden kind of looked like mini shamrocks so I decided to post it as a St. Patty's day recipe! The rolls are decidedly green, so even though sushi is Japanese it's still festive right? It's hard for us vegans out there on days when your mother-in-law seems to have forgotten you don't eat meat and asks if you'd like to come by for corned beef. I will post a more traditional Irish recipe one of these days, but its currently in the 90s in Los Angeles, so recipes that don't heat up the oven are ideal ;p

St. Patty's Day Sushi
For the rice:
2 cups short grain white rice
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tsp vegan sugar

For the Sushi:
5-6 nori sheets
5-6 asparagus stalks (ends trimmed)
1 carrot, chopped thinly
5-6 small kale leaves
A handful of sprouts (I used arugula and sunflower)

For the Spicy Sauce:
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
A handful of fresh basil
1/2 cup lemon juice or water
1 tblsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Cook the rice according to package directions (I used 2 cups rice to 3 cups water). Heat the rice vinegar in a seperate pot. Once boiling, add the sugar and cook/stir until dissolved, set aside to cool. When the rice is done take it out and cool it. Once cool add the vinegar mixture and mix completely. Set aside.

In a blender combine all the spicy sauce ingredients and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

Lay out a sheet of nori, cover with rice (see my other Sushi post for more detailed instruction) Add a line of the spicy sauce across the top. Then follow with asparagus, sprouts and kale. Roll, cut and serve! Delish!

A New Kind of Vegan Lasagna! No Soy Required!

So as I mentioned in a previous post, soy no longer agrees with me. As many people with multiple food allergies can probably attest to, it is very depressing to find out you have to eliminate yet another delicious food item from your diet (Avocados, how I miss you!) So, like somebody experiencing any type of loss I went through all the stages of grief. Denial-"my stomach hurts because I'm anxious, not because I had a soy latte" Anger-"It's not fair! All the fake meats are made of soy or wheat!!! My life sucks!" Bargaining-"maybe if I only have it every once in awhile i'll be ok...."  Depression- " I just figured out what my favorite vegan latte is at Starbucks....now I have to find another one...waaaah!" And finally, acceptance-"Aha! If I buy myself an espresso machine I can steam my own milk and have almond milk lattes at home! How convenient that my boyfriend is a barrista and can make fancy drinks for me!" Ok, that last part was wishful thinking. I do have a cheap espresso machine I got at target, but it sits there gathering dust. Though Bryan does manage a Starbucks he very rarely makes coffee for me! He's usually sick of making drinks for people by the time he gets home.

There are a few upsides to having multiple food allergies. Ok...very few. I can't eat any old cupcake, so when I crave one I have to bake it and I usually make a healthier choice by the time I realize how long the cupcakes will take. So I guess that's a health bonus? One of the benefits though, is that you learn to get creative in the kitchen! (or you starve, but most of us opt to learn to cook rather than live off of microwave meals and tater tots). I had just mastered the tofu lasagna when I realized I had developed an allergy to soy, and once again I was forced to get creative! It took a few tries but I think I finally licked it. This Soy-free lasagna is now a regular in our monthly rotation of menus (ok, you got me, weekly rotation) and I can't believe I haven't shared it before. I posted a slightly different version of the "cheese" I use here in another post (Bryan's Grilled Cheese) but this is what we use the cheese for most of the time (the grilled cheeses the next day are just a bonus) If you are allergic to walnuts as my sister is, try it with the cheese used in my "Green Pizza" recipe! Different flavor but still yummy! You can make this lasagna as one large dish, but I find it more fun to do in individual ramekins! (But I think everything is better when served in fun dishware so......yeah) I also tend to change the ingredients in the lasagna based on what's left in the fridge, feel free to experiment! Without further ado, I give you a gluten free, soy free, vegan lasagna!

A New Kind of Lasagna! No Soy Required!

Ingredients: 

For the Cheese: 

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pinenuts

Juice of 2 lemons

1 garlic clove, peeled

For the lasagna: 

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used Oyster but Portabello would be nice too)

1/2-1 cup chopped kale

1/2 a small onion, chopped

1/2 small japanese eggplant (these are less bitter than European varieties and don't really require salting)

1 garlic clove minced

pepper and oregano to taste

1 box gluten free lasagna noodles (I use Tinkyada brand)

1 jar organic marinara (I use Newman's Own Tomato & Basil) 

Optional: fresh, chopped basil 

6 oven-safe ramekins

Aluminum foil

** Note: If you are making a full tray of lasagna ( 9X10 pan) you will have to double this recipe!

1. Make the Cheese: Soak nuts in filtered water for at least 20 minutes (2-3 hours is ideal, or even all day. You can leave them in water in the morning and use them when you get home at dinner time). Drain in a colander  Blend in food processor with lemon juice and garlic until a smooth paste forms. It will be thick, but if you desire a more spreadable mixture you may add more lemon juice/water per your taste. Set aside. 

2. Preheat oven to 450. Assemble your ingredients while oven is preheating, so they are close at hand to your ramekins. Break the lasagna noodles into squares that will fit into your ramekins. You will need 3 squares per ramekin. I used 5 noodles (They will break, but don't worry about it, just put the shards in there in a square-like shape.) 

3. Assemble Lasagnas: Put two heaping tablespoons of marinara in the bottom of each ramekin. Layer with one square lasagna noodles. Add 1-2 tablespoons nut cheese onto squares, spreading as much as you can over the noodles. Layer half the kale, half mushrooms, half onion and half eggplant on top of the cheese. Repeat.  Add one more noodle and cover with marinara. Sprinkle minced garlic on top. (There is a chance, depending upon the size of your ramekins that you will have room to do a fourth layer, just use your best judgement when deciding how many toppings per layer) 

4. Cover each ramekin with foil, pinching it tightly around edges. Bake for 45min. Remove from oven, remove foil (Carefully! There will be steam, and it will be hot!) and add chopped basil if desired. Serve al la carte or with a big salad! 

Suggested Alternative Fillings: roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, chopped brussel sprouts.