One-Pot Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan

Colin decided a couple weeks ago that he wanted to try being gluten free. My initial response was something along the lines of "ummmm...why?" and then, without pause: "you know that beer has gluten in it, right?"


Yes, he knows that beer has gluten in it, but still, he insisted, there might be something to this gluten free thing.


My knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss gluten-free as a near impossibility while also being vegan, but between living in Portland and the endless dept of the blogosphere, I knew that was a total cop-out.

Instead, I decided to embrace the GF diet as a challenge and an educational opportunity. I mean, as a self-proclaimed foodie, cook, and health nut, how could I ignore understanding the gluten-free lifestyle and at least learning to cook a few dishes GF?

Plus! Wine is still gluten-free so it can't be all that bad, right :)?

Well it was bad for me when it came to pancakes. I completely failed at pancake making. And I spent nearly an hour researching oats to understand whether or not they are gluten free. And Clif Bars. And a myriad of other things I literally had no idea about, but I won't completely bore you with the details.

Like I said, it was an educational opportunity.

One dish that did go particularly well and was super simple + healthy was this "one-pot" eggplant parmesan.

I was having a particularly lazy night, but I really wanted to make eggplant parmesan so instead of slicing, battering, breading, and then baking each individual slice of eggplant, only to then cover it with marinara sauce and cheese and bake it someone, I decided to just cut out some of the steps.

GF Eggplant Parm

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced and salted (do this 1-2 hours ahead of time if possible!)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup GF bread crumbs, either store bought or homemade. I used something similar to these (which, admittedly, were like $8 so if I did it again I would probably make them myself)
• 1 jar YOUR favorite marinara sauce
• 1 cup vegan cheese (I used Trader Joe's new brand in place of Daiya and loved it!!)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Spread the coconut oil evenly across the bottom of the pot and then layer the eggplant as evenly as you can (see: my gorgeous Le Creuset cast iron pot that Colin got me for Christmas!!) Sprinkle cayenne and any other seasonings over the top.

Place the pot in the oven for about 15 minutes until the eggplant slices have softened and are beginning to brown.

Pull the eggplant out and let it cool briefly. Then, take the bread crumbs and spread/stir them into the eggplant, trying to get all the slices covered as evenly as possible. Then, place the eggplant into the oven for another 10 minutes.

After the breadcrumbs have had a chance to "set," take the pot out of the oven and dump your jar of marinara sauce right over the top, followed by the cheese.

Continue to bake for another 15 or so minutes or until a cheese, delicious layer has formed and the sauce is beginning to brown at the edges of the pot.

Should look kinda like that :)

Allow to cool for a few minutes before spooning onto a plate.

I will warn you! This version is not as firm as the fried or individually breaded original, but it tastes just as good or better and it will save you so much time!

With the right seasoning and marinara sauce, this dish is a piece of gluten-free cake!

Stoked on the GF challenge. But I am not convinced it is the right choice for us long-term. It's been a GREAT learning experience and I will definitely incorporate a lot of what I learned into my day-to-day cooking and am SO happy to have learned how to cook GF for all my friends with intolerances, but for many reasons (summed up nicely in this article) I don't think GF is a forever lifestyle for me!


Live long and prosper. And don't be afraid to challenge yourself!

Cauliflower Hot Wings

Exciting News! This is my 100th blog post!!

Can you believe it? I can't.

I really wanted to have this post done BEFORE the superbowl, but school has sucked every ounce of my free time for the past several weeks and my family had to put our 14 year old goldren retreiver down, so I'm just finally getting to it!

But the good news is - this is a REALLY awesome post.

I mean, cauliflower hot wings?! 

I honestly don't know how I've gone my entire life without eating these. I haven't had wing sauce in YEARS. Turns out...I really like it. Like by the spoonful directly into my mouth like it. 

So these 'wings' are a fun and super healthy way to get the satisfying experience of hot wings without the fat, cholesterol or guilt.

And they are gluten free! Which is great because I've been dabbling more in GF cooking. Fun challenge! 

Oh and one more thing: I chose to bake my hot wings but you could just as easily deep or pan fry them to get a more 'authentic' wing taste. It's up to you. 

I told you this was a special post :)

 Cauliflower Hot 'Wings'

• 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into pieces
• 1 bottle Franks Red Hot - Wing Sauce
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Lightly spray a large non-stick baking sheet with oil.

Combine the flour, and onion/garlic powder in a bowl and stir until well combined.

Coat the cauliflower pieces in soymilk and then with the flour mixture. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until crispy.

While the cauliflower is baking, combine the hot sauce and earth balance in small saucepan on the stove top and heat over low heat until the Earth Balance is completely melted.

When the cauliflower is looking crispy and lightly browned - pull it out of the oven and place it in a large bowl. Pour the hot sauce mixture over it and toss to coat.





Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until you reach your desired level of crispiness.

Serve ASAP!


In other fun news - a friend of mine made some delicious vegan 'hedgehog' cookies for the party.

I thought they were so cute and delicious I had to take a picture. I didn't get the recipe from her but I'm sure if I bugged her I could wrangle it out so if anyone is interested let me know!! They are so fun!

See? So cute!

They really did look like hedgehogs.

I think I ate half the plate...


















All right, lovers! Hope you had a beautiful and fun superbowl and that you were as upset as we were that the niners lost!! Made for a long night, I'll tell ya!

Live long and prosper. And happy 100th post anniversary to me!

Christmas Brunch

 

 

Merry Vegan Christmas!!

 

This is the third Christmas I have spent with my wonderful boyfriend and mom and we are creating Christmas traditions right and left.

 

Every year, my mom demands homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. So, naturally, every year I try a different recipe. This year, I used a recipe inspired by Chloe Coscarelli (Winner of Cupcakes Wars - twice - and publisher of 2 BOMB cook books).

 

It was hands down the best vegan cinnamon roll recipe I've come across. She knows her stuff, thank is for dang sure. Sorry for the questionable presentation - I literally just stuffed as many rolls into this pan as possible so they were a little wonky coming out of the oven :)

 



Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Scant 1/4 cup WARM (not hot) water
• 1 envelope yeast
• 4 cups flour

For the Filling

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance

For the Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp orange juice

Preparation:

Heat the almond milk, sugar, salt, and Earth Balance in a small saucepan over low heat until the margarine is just melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla. set aside to cool until warm to the touch.

Place the warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and yeast in a 1-cup measuring cup. This is a really useful way to tell if your yeast is still alive and will allow your dough to rise. Stir everything together for a few seconds and then set aside for 10 minutes. The yeast will double in size and should reach aboutm the 3/4 cup line. If not throw it out and get either cooler water (if it's too hot it will kill the yeast) or new yeast.

In your kitchenaid or other mixer, beat Earth Balance mixture with yeast mixture on medium for about 2 minutes. Then, on low, add the flour slowly. Beat until fully combined.

Remove dough from mixing bowl and place on a lightly floured surface and knead about 2 minutes with your hands. Then place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover and set aside until the dough has doubled in size (between an hour and two hours). Once the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling! Combine all ingredients except Earth Balance in a small bowl. Melt the earth balance until it is spreadable. Spread it over the surface of the dough and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar-nut mixture over the entire rectangle.

With the long end towards you, roll the dough into a long log. Gently press the seam together so it doesn't unravel. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into equal pieces until you have your desired number of rolls. Place the rolls into a greased baking tray and then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an additional hour or so.

 

Then, bake the rolls uncovered in a 375 degree oven. Allow them to cool slightly before glazing :)

For the Glaze

Combine powdered sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk unil smooth. Add more powdered sugar or orange juice as needed. Drizzle glaze over cinnamon rolls.

Sounds like a lot of steps but I promise they are super easy and SO worth it.

These cinnamon rolls were SO good. I'm tellin ya. My mom said they were her favorite of all the ones I have made. I'll probably even repeat this recipe next year...

BUT the cinnamon rolls were not all that graced our brunch table.


My personal favorite part was the mimosas made with fresh squeezed orange juice from the Vitamix. The mimosas were well deserved after the brutal run Colin, myself and my mom's boyfriend went on that morning. Pouring rain and a nasty head wind. And that was AFTER I'd been up for 2 hours getting all the food prepped. No wonder those mimosas tasted so good...



There was also my obligatory fruit salad. I make fruit salad for every holiday. It's just the best. Nothing says holidays and family cheer like fruit salad!

 

 Aaand the meat (not-meat) centerpiece of our brunch was a GIANT field roast loaf (now carried by Costco woo woo!) atop a slew of roasted seasonal veggies.

 

Pictured above are: zucchini, tomatoes, red onions, carrots, butternut squash, asparagus, mushroom and garlic.

 

This was an absolutely perfect way to start of Christmas. A beautiful start to a beautiful day.

 

In other Christmas houses - Colin's incredible roommate decorated their place and I took some pictures to really just beat in the Christmas spirit.

 

In case I didn't already tell you enough how much I love Christmas ;)

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty, right?

 

That's all I have for now, lovers. I hope you enjoyed your holidays as much as I did and that you are having a wonderful New Year.

 

 

Live Long and Prosper. And achieve your New Years Resolutions!!

Homemade Christmas! Peppermint Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

 

I absolutely love Holidays.

Christmas, especially. I feel SO incredibly fortunate to have such a rock solid family that makes the holidays so special. 

They are the greatest, seriously.

And friends, too! Which is why I decided to make them all delicious Christmas gifts!

I think homemade Christmas gifts from friends are the best, and Colin and I are lucky to have friends who really value things like time and energy and creativity in gifts over the dollar amount (...hopefully it's not only because they are all broke students like we are ;)).

Plus, everyone knows the best kind of homemade Christmas gifts are the ones you can EAT.

As much as I love cookies, I really wanted to do something a little different - and something maybe not SO heavy as a sugar cookie.

I decided on Peppermint Chocolate Covered Pretzels. 

We found these adorable 'holiday shaped' pretzels and world market which I knew would be perfect.

They are shaped like trees and bells and stars! Isn't that so cute? I think they are great. 

Peppermint chocolate covered pretzels are so simple: Really, all you have to do is melt coconut oil and chocolate chips on a double broiler on the stove, add a few drops of peppermint oil dip em' in and then sprinkle crushed candy canes over the top.

Easy right? 

It is time consuming, but totally worth it. And they taste DELICIOUS. The sweetness of the chocolate, with the saltiness of the pretzels and the double kick of peppermint.

YUM. And so Christmas-y. Your friends will love them, promise.

Peppermint Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

• 1  bag holiday shaped (or regular) pretzels
• 2 bags vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, divided
• 8-10 drops of peppermint oil
• 6 candy canes

Prepare your work station. Lay out wax paper on several cookie sheets.

I like to do the pretzels in two batches, each time using a bag of chocolate chips and 1/8 cup of coconut oil. It's easier to deal with the chocolate that way and then you can make better use of your cookie sheets instead of having 6 cookie sheets clogging up your fridge (I don't even have 6 cookie sheets so I HAD to do them in two batches.)

Using a double broiler, melt the coconut oil and chocolate chips over low-medium heat.

When warm, add in the peppermint oil. Depending on how peppermint-y you like them, you can adjust the amount of oil you use accordingly. Start on the conservative side because that stuff is strong.

While the chocolate is heating, unwrap the candy canes and place them in a gallon sized plastic bag. Using a meat cleaver, crush up the candy canes (you could use a food processor I guess but crushing them with a meat cleaver is SO FUN. And if you're vegan like me, this might be the only action the meat cleaver ever sees...)

Then, once your chocolate is melty, start dipping your pretzels! Dip about 8-10, laying them out on the wax paper and then sprinkle crushed candy canes over the top. I find that doing 8-10 at a time is a good number to keep them moving but not too many that the chocolate starts the harden. Adding the coconut oil makes it a little more forgiving - it won't set up as quickly and melts a lot easier. Definitely use coconut oil if you can!

Then, once your first cookie sheet is full, pop it in the fridge.

Rinse and repeat until all pretzels are covered!

You can present them however you want. I chose to put mine in little mason jars and decorate them as pictured :) I thought they were cute that way but be creative!

 

 In other Christmas news - some friends and I did the Peacock Lane run put on by Portland Running Company and got to run down the brightest and most Christmas-y street in all of Portland :)

It was a blast.

 So so pretty. And it DEFINITELY got me in the Christmas spirit.

The only thing better than running is Christmas running!

I hope you all have beautiful holiday plans!

More Christmas posts to come!













Live long and prosper! And Happy Holidays!!

Massaged Kale Salad w/Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing

Yet another Vitamix inspired recipe for you today...this time I take on Dressing.

And kale.

Pretty much if you've ever met me you know that I LOVE kale.

I talk about kale an inappropriate amount. Sometimes I am reminded how socially awkward I am when I find myself talking in excess in public about things like kale...and vitamixes. In other words, I found yet another way to mix two of my obsession into one amazing dish.

Even if you don't like kale you would probably like this. When you 'massage' the kale it gets all soft and pliable, losing its rigidity and bitterness to take on more of a salad-green type texture but with lots more flavor and lots more vitamins.

Here, I combine kale, homemade dressing, chopped carrots, avocado and a handful of spicy roasted pumpkin seeds for a powerhouse lunch.

 Massaged Kale Salad
Serves 2 

• 1 bunch lacinato or 'dinosaur' kale, chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon-garlic-tahini dressing (recipe below)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped or grated (I used the Vmix on setting 2 for about 20 seconds to chop mine!)
• About 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing

• 3 cloves of garlic
• Juice from 1 large or two small lemons
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp white or yellow miso paste
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (doesn't need to be grated if you are throwing it into the Vmix)
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 small handful basil or parsley 

To assemble the dressing: place all ingredients in the Vmix or blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth.

I love the vitamix so much because it has this amazing ability to make everything super creamy and delicious. From smoothies, to soup, to this dressing, I guarantee you won't be able to get the same creamy consistency with a regular blender as you do from a Vmix.

They really are amazing.

Once the dressing is blended, pour it over your chopped kale. Then, using your hands, 'massage' the dressing into the kale for about 3-5 minutes or until you can feel the kale softened under your fingertips. Taste a sample and if it doesn't seem 'massaged' enough - feel free to give it a little more time. You won't over-massage it.

Then, once your kale is nice and relaxed, add in the carrots, avocado and pumpkin seeds and mix until just combined.

Such a perfect, light summery dish. Just in time for the dead of winter and (almost) the longest day of the year.

And the end of the world.

...

But hey, if the world is going to end tomorrow, I want to be eating kale.



Live long and prosper...and when I say live long, I hope it's longer than just December 21st, 2012 ;)

(Don't worry, NASA says we'll be fine)

Wonton Soup

Sometimes I get the strangest cravings. It's like some sensory memory is triggered and after that point, I just can't get whatever the catalyst was out of my brain.

So, when the craving arose for wonton soup (despite it being the first meal in several days that didn't in some way incorporate the Vitamix) I figured I would try to make it myself.

Wonton soup is traditionally made with a clear broth (usually chicken) and dumplings filled with either pork or shrimp and ginger. Obviously, none of those things would work in my vegan version so, naturally, I modified.

This is a very non-traditional wonton soup. So non-traditional I hesitate to even call it wonton soup. But it's the closest thing I can think of and it totally hit the spot for my wonton soup craving so what the heck? Wonton soup it is!

I had some of Pacific's Vegan Pho broth in the cupboard, as well as a Imagine's 'No Chicken' broth. Since I couldn't decide which one to use, I went half and half.

 Wonton Soup
(serves 2)

• 1 tsp + 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 cup Vegetarian Pho base
• 1 cup 'No Chicken' broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup 'mixed wild dried mushroom medley' (from Trader Joe's)
• 8-10 wonton wrappers
• 1/4 cup TVP, reconstituted with tamari or soysauce and water
• 2 large handfuls baby bok choy/napa cabbage or kale (I had kale so I used it!)
• Green onions, diced (for garnish - if you have them. I didn't so I really don't even know why I'm including this. I think it just makes for a nice presentation)

Begin by sauteing the first tsp of ginger, the garlic and the carrots in coconut oil for about 3-4 minutes. Then, add the broth and the water as well as the dried mushrooms.

While the broth is simmering, prepare your 'wontons.'

Mix together your reconstituted TVP and the second tsp of ginger. This is your filling.

 Take a wonton wrapper, lay it face up and place a small spoonful of TVP in the center (about a tsp). Using warm water, moisten the edges of the wrapper and then fold it over like a calzone. There are lots of techniques for shaping and folding wontons but, like I said, this is very nontraditional wonton soup and I was hungry so I just folded them in half and called it a day.

Once your wontons (dumplings, whatever you want to call them) are ready, dump them directly into the broth and continue to simmer over medium heat. Cook the wontons in the broth until they float.

Then add your chopped up greens and let them wilt down for a minute or so (up to two if you're feeling really crazy).

That's it! A makeshift wonton soup! It would never be served in any kind of respectable Asian eating establishment but man did it taste good!

Give it a try - and put your own spin on it if you've got the time :)

The other thing I've been craving lately (in awkwardly large amounts)? Grapes. I just want them all the time. Thankfully Costco is only minutes away and they carry grapes in awkwardly large amounts. Perfect.

 Do you ever get cravings? What do you think causes them?


Live long and prosper, and give into your cravings on occasion ;)

Vitamix: The Beginning of a Lovestory :)

 

I've been pining over a Vitamix for months now. Years, even. And yesterday, my cooking dreams came true when my dad and step-mom surprised me with an early Christmas present :)

I was stoked, to say the least.

As soon as I took it out of the box, my mind was whirring with dozens of recipes I was aching to try. Recipes that had not previously been possible with my outdated Hamilton Beach blender.

I made 6 distinctly separate recipes in less than 24 hours.

First on the docket: Tortilla Soup :)

The v-mix...doin it's thing. See all the steam?!

This recipe is a Vitamix class and is in all the V-mix sponsored cookbooks, but, me being me, I had to put my own twist on it.

This recipe utilizes soycurls, and the edamame 'soycutash' blend from Trader Joes.

Tortilla Soup
Serves 2 very hungry monkeys

• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 2 cups veggie broth
• Taco seasoning of choice
• 2 tsp Sriracha or other hot sauce
• 1 large handful soycurls (reconstituted)
• 1 cup 'soycutash' or other frozen veggie blend
• Scant 1/4 cup chopped olives
• Small handful spicy flaxseed tortilla chips

Place first 7 ingredients in the Vitamix. Select variable 1, turn on and then quickly raise up through Variable 10 and then to High.  Allow the mixture to blend on high for about 6-7 minutes or until near boiling.

Meanwhile, nuke the soy curls and frozen veggies in the microwave for a minute or so. They don't have to be totally cooked (the hot soup will cook them) but they shouldn't be totally frozen either.

Once the soup is done heating, add the remaining ingredients and top with tortilla chips, avocado or tofutti sour cream if you have it!


See why the Vitamix is so amazing? Soup! From scratch! In less than 10 minutes. Colin said it was 'one of the best things he'd had in a long time.' He says that about a lot of the food I make. But still :)

Next on the list: Edamame Hummus.

I was too big of a piglet to take a picture of this one, but the general idea was:

• 1/2 bag frozen, shelled edamame
• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp (or more) water

Blend together a voila! Edamame Hummus. Serve with veggies and delicious crackers.

Next (again, not pictured) was applesauce.

This one is reeeeal easy. Take 3-4 cored apples. Place them in the Vitamix. Add a Tbsp of lemon juice and sweetener of choice, blend until apple sauce. Use a lower setting for chunky and a higher setting for smooth.

Then, this morning I made a green smoothie (tasted just like Jamba Juice!)

And, finally, I took a stab at some almond butter.

Almond butter is one of the trickier things to make in the Vitamix because you have to make sure you don't overhear the engine. I did it in several stages, adding almond mild periodically to help it smooth down. I'm glad the almond butter turned out so creamy, but I might just do it in the food processor next time to avoid the scare of engine overheating in my amazing new toy.

For Almond Butter: Simply add raw almonds and a splash of almond milk and turn the Vitamix from Variable setting 1 through 10 and then to High as quickly as possible. Blend for a couple of minutes, using the tamper to constantly scrape down the sides.

Use that technique for about 3-4 cycles of several minutes on, several minutes to let the engine cool off and you will have almond butter!
 

Sooo creamy and smooth and good! And much more affordable than buying it at the store.

I used raw almonds but you could use roasted or flavored as well.

After my trail run yesterday I made an almond butter, banana and jam (Trader Joe's reduced sugar raspberry preserves) sandwich and thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Seriously, this stuff is that good.


Major props again to my awesome family for this beautiful surprise.

I don't know that I have ever loved a material possession so much :)

So begins my lovestory...



Live long and prosper, fellow blenders!