VeganMofo: Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

October 15, 2012 · by ·

A while back, I went with my parents to a fabulous Italian restaurant. We were starving, and as we waited for our food, we stuffed our faces with these fabulous rosemary and olive oil flat bread crackers. They were super thin and super yummy.

Since then, I have been wanting to recreate these great crackers at home – both with and without the gluten.  Today, I am sharing with you a gluten free rosemary cracker, that while not as thin as the cracker from the restaurant, the rosemary flavor in these crackers, combined with the sea salt and olive oil, give me the flavor and crunch that I’m looking for.

Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers


Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers / Flatbread
Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour (plus more for rolling)
1 tsp. sea salt (plus more for sprinkling over)
2 tbsp. chopped rosemary (plus a bit extra for sprinkling)
1/4 cup olive oil (plus more for brushing)
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

In the bowl of a food processor, process the brown rice. It should be mushy. Slowly add in the rest of the ingredients while pulsing. Process until it forms a ball and moves away from the sides of the bowl.

Dust a flat surface with some more garbanzo flour. Knead a bit for a minute. The dough will be a bit sticky.

Place half of the dough on a piece of parchment paper that is sized to a baking sheet.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible on to the parchment paper. It’s important that you roll it thin so it can achieve ideal crispiness. Try for around 1/8 inch.

Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt and more rosemary sprigs.

Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

Cut dough with a pizza cutter to preferred crackers shapes/sizes.

Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Bake in oven for around 25 minutes. Check periodically for browning. The crackers should be browner around the edges and browned a little on the bottom of the crackers. They will harden more once you let them cool down a bit.

Gluten Free Rosemary Crackers

Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Snacks, Vegan, VeganMoFo · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Crispy Oven Roasted Kale

October 14, 2012 · by ·

I picked up some beautiful looking kale at  the farmer’s market the other day. .

I still remember the first time I had kale. It was around this time about 6 years ago. It came in my weekly CSA and I had no clue what to do with it. There was a ton of kale in that box. I could have probably made 3 meals worth of kale.

I have come a long way since that day, but my favorite way to prepare kale is still the way I made it that first time – a simple oven roasted kale. You come out with some lovely crispy kale. It’s a perfect side dish to any meal and so easy to make!

Oven Roasted Kale


Oven Roasted Kale
Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale – around 5 “stalks”
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 tsp. chopped garlic

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Wash the kale and trim the tough stems off. Cut in whatever size you like.

Spread the kale on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with the olive oil, garlic and spices.

Bake for around 15 minutes. Check on it at around 10. The edges of the leaves will get crispy and will darken.

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Kale
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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Side Dish, Vegan, VeganMoFo, vegetables · Tagged: , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant

October 10, 2012 · by ·
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There’s a farmer’s market in front of my office twice a week – on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I get so excited with anticipation as to what veggies will show up on any given day. I love being surprised as the seasons change. I especially love the colors that await me as I climb out of the subway station and over to the booths.

I recently came upon this beautiful pink eggplant. If you haven’t tried this variety, I highly recommend you do. It is more tender and has a softer eggplant flavor than other varieties. It lends itself to more recipes and doesn’t need to be treated prior to cooking to remove bitterness.

And the colors of the eggplant…love it!

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Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients:

4 small pink eggplants
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 package of extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 red pepper, diced
5 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cups quinoa, cooked (I used the tri-color blend)
3 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce.
3 tsp. salt
3 tsp. ground pepper flakes
3 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese (mozzarella or cheddar would work in this)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Wash the eggplants. Slice them down the middle lengthwise.

Scoop out the eggplant leaving a 1/2 inch skin all around. Chop up the scooped out eggplant.

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Heat up a large saute pan. Add the olive oil.

Add in the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add in the chopped garlic and crumbled tofu.  Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add chopped eggplant to the pan and the other chopped veggies. Cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the quinoa, spices and Daiya cheese. Make sure everything is incorporated well together.

Taste the mixture to see if it needs additional salt or other spices.

Place the eggplant shells in a large baking pan.

Place a heaping amount of the eggplant/veggie/quinoa mixture back in to the eggplant shells.

Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Bake in oven for about 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Dinner, Vegan, VeganMoFo, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Mushroom and White Bean Tart

October 9, 2012 · by ·

After making the recent batch of mushroom soup for the holidays, I was left with over a pound of assorted mushrooms in the fridge. I had to use them up. I love mushrooms and would never want to waste them.

I wanted the mushrooms to be a part of a main dish, so I came up with this recipe – using ingredients I had on hand.


Mushroom and White Bean Tart (serves 4)
Ingredients:

For the White Bean Puree
1 can small white beans, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper

For the Mushroom Mixture
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced (baby bella, shitake, white button)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground pepper

1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted
1/4 cup Daiya Cheese (I used Cheddar)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Process the white bean puree ingredients in a Cuisinart or other food processor. Set to the side.

Heat up some olive oil in a large saute pan. Add in the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes.

Add in the chopped garlic, mushrooms and spices and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until soft.

Roll out your puff pastry dough. Lay on a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Prick the dough with a fork along the inside of the edges. Leave about 1/2 – inch of clearance. This will form your crust.

Spread the white bean puree on the inside area of the puff pastry. You don’t need to use all of it. I ended up using about 3/4 of the mixture and set aside the rest to use as a dip for later.

Layer the mushroom mixture over the bean mixture and sprinkle some Daiya Cheese on top.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and puffed up.

This tart is great when served with a salad.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and White Bean Tart
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Filed Under: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Vegan, VeganMoFo · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks (Mary’s Gone Cracker Sticks & Twigs Remake)

October 7, 2012 · by ·

I have mentioned in the past about my love for Mary’s Gone Cracker’s Sticks &  Twigs pretzel sticks. At the time, it inspired me to create these crackers. From the moment I tasted these awesome pretzel sticks, I was determined to figure out a way to make them that would cost less than the $4+ to buy the bags. I had been studying the ingredient panel and studying (and eating) the bagged pretzel sticks. I have finally come up with a solution! And they taste even better than the bagged variety (according to my 10-year-old taste tester)!

It has a similar ingredient list to the wonderful crackers and are similarly adaptable to other flavors. You can add herbs or sauces to infuse them. I usually just like a simple sea salt flavor or maybe some rosemary and thyme added to the mix. Nothing too complicated.

Since we are doing this by hand, unlike the store-bought, the consistency comes out a bit different than the bagged variety. In many ways, I prefer the homemade version better.

Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks (Mary’s Gone Cracker’s Sticks & Twigs Copycat Attempt)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup millet (dry)
1/2 cup amaranth (dry)
3/4 cup quinoa (dry)
3/4 cup brown rice (dry)
1 tbsp. water
4 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup whole, toasted flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup black sesame seeds (could also use gomasio)
3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cook the millet, amaranth, quinoa and brown rice as stated on the package directions.

Add cooked brown rice to Cuisinart and process with a small amount of water. You should process brown rice to a mush.

Add the quinoa, millet and amaranth and process a bit more to incorporate. Do not pulverize those grains though. You want them to stay mostly whole.

Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the tamari, salt, pepper and various seeds. Let sit a few minutes.

Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks

Fill up a piping bag with some of the mixture. I found that a piping bag works best, but you could use a heavy duty ziplock bag if that’s all you have.

I used a disposable piping bag and cut off a small tip. Should be about a 1/2″ in diameter if you are using the piping tools.  If it’s too thick, it would crisp up well.

Brush your baking sheet with vegetable oil.

Pipe the mixture on to the sheet in sticks. You can do long or short sticks.

Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks

Bake for about 10-12 minutes and flip sticks over.

Bake another 10 minutes or so and transfer to a cooling rack.

You will want to check on the pretzel sticks often to check for doneness. You don’t want them to burn, but there is a small window between too soft, done and burnt.

When done, store in an airtight container or bag. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Snacks, Vegan, VeganMoFo · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Sweet Potato Burritos

October 6, 2012 · by ·

I’m always looking for ways to tinker with our standard recipes. One easy meal in rotation at my house is a vegetarian burrito. They are very filling, easy to make and are easily adaptable.

A while back, at a restaurant, I had some fantastic sweet potato tacos. I loved the way that the sweet potato mingled with the other flavors. I wanted to do something similar with a burrito, and I had some sweet potatoes sitting on the counter that needed to be used up.

Sweet Potato Burritos
Ingredients: (made 6 burritos)

1 cup dry brown rice, cooked
2 sweet potatoes
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne (optional)
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Daiya Cheese – Cheddar Flavor
Tofutti Sour Cream
6 tortillas

Directions:

Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork a few times and microwave for about 6 minutes. The sweet potatoes should be tender but not too soft.

Peel and cube the potatoes.

Heat up the vegetable oil in large saute pan.

Add in the sweet potatoes and let them brown a bit.

Add in the onions and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add in the garlic and black beans and cook a few minutes.

Stir in the spices and the Worcestershire sauce and cook a few more minutes.

Now it’s time to assemble the burritos.

On each tortilla spread a bit of the vegan sour cream, then layer on some rice, next the sweet potato mixture and then finally the vegan cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a baking dish.

Warm in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350. Alternatively, you can place in ziplock bag and freeze and reheat in microwave or oven whenever you’re hungry. These burritos reheat very well.

If you’d like the burritos to have a bit more heat, feel free to play with the flavors. Add some chopped jalapenos or maybe more cayenne, or even a fresh salsa at the end!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Burritos
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Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Hungarian Mushroom Soup

October 4, 2012 · by ·

With the fall holidays pouring in this month, I have been cooking up a storm. Very glad that the weather is finally cooperating for fall cooking season.

This wonderful mushroom soup is a special request that comes every year. Usually a last minute request, and I always oblige. We all enjoy it and it is pretty easy to make.
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, sliced thin
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 pounds assorted mushrooms, sliced (Combo of Cremini, Portabella, Shitake, Button, etc.)
2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground pepper
8 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
Tofutti Sour Cream (for garnish)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.

Add in shallots and onions. Sauté for about five minutes.

Add in the other veggies and cook for another five minutes on medium. Stir in the paprikas and some salt and pepper.

Add in the vegetable broth and bay leaves. Let it come to a boil.

Turn the heat down to medium low and cover and cook for about an hour. You can leave it cooking if you have something better to do. I’ve forgotten it for an hour or two and it only gets better.

Once cooked, remove the bay leaves.

With an immersion blender, puree until mostly blended. You want to keep some chunks of mushroom.

Serve with a dollop of Tofutti Sour Cream.

Enjoy!

Hungarian Mushroom Soup
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Filed Under: Soups, Vegan, VeganMoFo, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Red Lentil, Red Pepper and Coconut Soup

October 3, 2012 · by ·

Fall is my favorite month. It’s the perfect weather for anything. I throw on some layered clothes, and anything goes (within reason, of course). I am never too hot or too cold. The colors outside are gorgeous.

Fall means that I can play in the kitchen without melting. The stove and the oven can be on – without the air conditioner. The windows are open. The house is perfect.

Fall also means warm foods. Warm foods mean soup. Soup is one of my favorite things.

This soup came about because I needed to use things up and I didn’t want to go to the grocery store. We recently cleaned out our pantry and learned that we have enough red lentils to last a very long time. No idea why I keep buying them. I am doing my due diligence and cooking from my pantry as much as possible.

Was very happy I found that mountain of lentils. This soup was fantastic and I will be making it again.


Red Lentil, Red Pepper and Coconut Soup
Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp. ginger, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. sea salt salt
2 cups dried red lentils, washed and drained
9 cups vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can coconut milk

Directions:

Heat up the olive oil in a large soup pot on medium-high.

Toss in the onion and ginger and saute a minute or two.

Add in the rest of the chopped veggies and the spices.

Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the lentils.

Add in the vegetable broth, coconut milk and diced tomatoes.

Let the mixture come to a boil.

Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for about an hour so.

After the lentils are soft and cooked through, remove the lid.

Blend about 3/4 of the soup with an immersion blender. Don’t blend it all of the way. You want a few chunks.

Serve or freeze for later use.

You can garnish with some fresh chopped pepper.

Enjoy!

Red Lentil, Red Pepper and Coconut Soup
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Filed Under: legumes, Soups, Vegan, VeganMoFo · Tagged: , , , , ,

VeganMoFo: Roasted Butternut Squash

October 3, 2012 · by ·

I decided to participate in this year’s VeganMoFo – it’s a full month of posting delicious vegan dishes. Every year I check out my favorite blogs and wish I caught on to the VeganMoFo craze in time. This time, I managed to sign up just in time. Of course this month, it coincides with all of the Jewish holidays, making my ability to post a bit challenging. I am going to try to attempt to post at least two recipes a week. I will feel extremely accomplished if this happens. Also going to try and squeeze in a couple of giveaways during this time. Stay tuned!

Tonight, I want to share with you one of my favorite fall side dishes – roasted butternut squash. It’s so easy and so perfect as we begin to see these wonderful fall vegetables.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. rosemary (fresh is better)
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. sea salt
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel and cube the butternut squash. Discard the seeds.
Toss the squash with the olive oil and the spices.
Roast in oven for around 30 minutes. You want to see a bit of browning.
Enjoy!
Roasted Butternut Squash
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Filed Under: Side Dish, Vegan, VeganMoFo · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes

September 5, 2012 · by ·
Lentil Sloppy Joes

I was browsing through the grocery store the other day, and I came across an end cap that held rows and rows of Manwich. I haven’t had that stuff in years, if ever. A while back though, I made some homemade sloppy joes for the kids and they were a big hit, if a bit messy. I don’t know which part they liked more – the saucy hands or the taste of the saucy meat.

Anyhow, Sloppy Joes brings back some good food memories. Not eating meat anymore, I decided to turn it in to a vegetarian treat and use lentils as my base. It turned out really great!



Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 10 oz. package of mushrooms, chopped
1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground pepper

Hamburger Buns or Kaiser Rolls for serving
Cole Slaw (optional) for serving in the Sloppy Joe’s

Directions:

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add in the oil.

Add in the chopped onions and cook until soft.

Add in the garlic, peppers, celery and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes.

Add in the lentils and the broth and cook a minute.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook 5-10 minutes. Let it come to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

Spoon mixture over some slightly hollowed out kaiser rolls. I like topping mine with a bit of coleslaw for a tangy crunch!

Yum! Enjoy!

Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup red pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup green pepper, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • ½ 10 oz. package of mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup vegetable broth
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • ½ cup of tomato sauce
  • ⅓ cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground pepper
  • Hamburger Buns or Kaiser Rolls for serving
  • Cole Slaw (optional) for serving in the Sloppy Joe's
Instructions
  1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add in the oil.
  2. Add in the chopped onions and cook until soft.
  3. Add in the garlic, peppers, celery and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes.
  4. Add in the lentils and the broth and cook a minute.
  5. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook 5-10 minutes. Let it come to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes.
  6. Spoon mixture over some slightly hollowed out kaiser rolls. I like topping mine with a bit of coleslaw for a tangy crunch!
  7. Enjoy!

 

Lentil Sloppy Joes
Filed Under: Dinner, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
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