Monthly Archives: October 2014

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Condiments

Dairy-Free Raw Pesto

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Dairy-free Raw Pesto

It’s that time of year for me in New England. Time to save whatever is left of my garden before the frost gets it. This year, I had a pretty great basil plant that grew heartily and, unlike usual, I was able stay on top of flower bud plucking to keep the plant making delicious leaves. So what does one do with a bunch of basil? Make pesto of course!

In my blog, I have mentioned in several posts that I have made a personal choice to reduce the amount of dairy I eat. Mostly I just feel better when I don’t eat it and I find there are so many great, healthy, alternatives, I hardly miss it. Though I do have a little grass-fed butter or raw cheese on occasion. Traditionally pesto is prepared using Parmesan cheese. What I love about pesto is the nutty saltiness and it can be easily made without cheese. This recipe is also raw if you are into that sort of thing.

Basil

Basil

Dairy-free Raw Pesto

Dairy-free Raw Pesto

I purposely left the measurements of this recipe loosey goosey. For me, pesto is about grabbing handfuls, tossing everything in a blender, and adding olive oil until the whole thing comes together. Any ingredient can be decreased or increased to meet your desired taste. I promise that freshly made pesto in your kitchen beats the jarred stuff any day.

Frozen Pesto

Frozen Pesto

Pesto is a fantastic way to add something extra or umami (my new favorite word) to any dish. I use it in anything from pasta sauce, as a condiment on sandwiches, meat marinade, on pizza, or even plain as a dip. A little can go a long way, so I usually just freeze it in ice cube trays and defrost as needed. I hope you enjoy it!

Dairy-Free Raw Pesto
 
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Vegan, Paleo, Yields approx. 1 cup
Author:
Recipe type: Condiment
Ingredients
  • Fresh basil (enough to loosely fill your food processor)
  • 1 handful of raw pine nuts or raw walnuts
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt (generous amount, to taste)
Instructions
  1. Add nuts, lemon juice and salt to food processor containing basil.
  2. Turn on food processor.
  3. Carefully drizzle olive oil, while running, until pesto comes together to desired consistency and the ingredients are well combined.
  4. Taste pesto and add more salt if needed.

 

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Smoothies and Drinks

Frozen Grape Spirulina Smoothie

Smoothies and Drinks Leave a comment
Frozen Grape Spirulina Smoothie

Yum, blue-green algae! Yes, I am suggesting you add some blue-green algae to your diet, also known as spirulina. In general, I don’t like to take supplements and I try my best to get my nutrition out of a wide variety of whole foods. However there are a few, what I consider “superfoods”, that make the cut. One of which is spirulina. I usually take it in powdered form, added to a smoothie (there are also spirulina capsules). It does have a mild taste, but in a smoothie, I barely notice it, except for the bright green color of course.

Getting nutrition information on anything is pretty much impossible. There is so much unsubstantiated, contradictory information out there; it’s hard to make heads or tails of it. However, I have found some pretty consistent themes regarding spirulina that makes me confident it is something worth adding to my diet on a regular basis. Here are a few of my conclusions based on my research:

  1. It is probably the best form of plant-based complete protein you can find. It is composed of ~60% protein by weight and contains all essential amino acids. This is hard to find in the plant world. If you are on a plant-based diet, spirulina is a fantastic way to add protein.
  2. It is high in many vitamins and minerals. Most note-worthy, it is especially high in iron.
  3. Pigments = antioxidants. The dark blue-green color of spirulina is extraordinary. Brightly colored fruits and veggies tend to signal antioxidants and spirulina is no different.
Frozen Grapes and Spirulina

Frozen Grapes and Spirulina

One of my new freezer staples is frozen organic grapes.   If I happen to find organic grapes at the store, which is not often, I buy a bunch and freeze what we don’t eat immediately. Grapes are on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen”, so if possible, eat organic grapes to reduce your pesticide exposure. Frozen grapes are also great in smoothies. Their mild taste won’t over-power other flavors and they blend nicely.

This smoothie recipe has become one of my all-time favorites. The ingredient combination came together accidentally as I was putting my morning smoothie together. I wasn’t expecting anything special, but when I tasted it, wow, delicious. I think this smoothie celebrates spirulina’s taste instead of hiding it. For some reason, the combination of spirulina, frozen grapes, and almond milk, makes a fantastic flavor. It is crisp and refreshing, and delicious first thing in the morning. I hope you try spirulina in your next smoothie! Enjoy!

As always, my smoothies follow a general guideline, described in my “Guide to Building a Better Smoothe” post. Check it out to learn more.

Frozen Grape Spirulina Smoothie
 
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Vegan, Paleo,1 serving as a meal or 2 servings as a snack, (Note: if not using a high-powered blender, substitute honey or agave nectar for the dates)
Author:
Recipe type: Smoothie
Ingredients
  • 1 medium banana
  • ½ cup frozen organic grapes
  • 1 medjool date, pitted
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp raw spirulina powder
  • 1 heaping handful of baby spinach (organic if possible)
  • ½ cup coconut water
  • 1 cup almond milk
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

 

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Breakfast

Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ok, it’s October and I have pumpkin on my mind. The leaves are changing, there is crispness in the air, and here in New England we see pumpkins everywhere. Luckily, pumpkin puree is a fantastic ingredient for the gluten-free kitchen. The trick with gluten-free baking is balancing moisture and protein, a great quality of wheat. You can either end up with a crumbly mess or a dense brick. Pumpkin can be a great way to keep baked goods moist without getting too crumbly. Hint: it is also great way to sneak veggies into your unsuspecting kid’s diets.

Fall

Fall

When I first went gluten-free two years ago, I found myself creating custom gluten-free flour concoctions for every recipe I came across. Not only did it become pricey and time consuming, it took a lot of fun out of baking, something that used to be comforting for me in the past. There are some recipes that really require all that work, which is fine. If I get a good product in the end, I am happy, but I have found myself gravitating toward recipes using one or two gluten-free flours to get the job done. I also find that this seems to be the healthier approach. Many of the premade flours and concoctions include multiple starches, which do not meet my standards nutritionally (think empty calories, like sugar with no nutritional value whatsoever). I try to focus on recipes using almond flour (or other nut flours), coconut flour, oat flour, sorghum flour, teff flour, millet flour, and quinoa flour. If I see a recipe requiring more than 2 flours or undesirable starches (such as potato or corn), I usually pass on it.

The idea of quinoa flour has been very intriguing to me. It is such a fantastic grain with higher protein versus comparable grains. However, my first attempts were not good. I either got a dense brick or too much of a quinoa-y taste. However, I came across a great muffin recipe by MindBodyGreen using quinoa flour and quinoa flakes. Quinoa flakes are basically just quinoa, rolled to make a flake, similar to oatmeal. Quinoa flakes are usually sold as a breakfast item, in the cereal/oatmeal isle of the supermarket. Quinoa flakes give the muffin texture and heartiness.

Inspired by this great recipe, I decided to make my own version using pumpkin puree, mostly because, as I’ve noted in earlier posts, my son does not like fruit and I had a hankering for pumpkin. This final recipe has no added starches, no refined sugar, no dairy and, most importantly, passed the test for both kids, so I know I have a winner. I hope you enjoy it too.

Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Extra pointer: As always, I am constantly on the lookout for great products to help me cook gluten-free. I started using parchment paper muffin liners and I will never use anything else. They pull easily from cupcakes or muffins. I no longer have to worry that half my muffin will end up on the liner when I try to eat it. I got mine off Amazon in regular size and mini.

Quinoa Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
 
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Dairy-free Nut-free option
Author:
Recipe type: Muffin
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • ½ cup quinoa flour
  • ½ cup quinoa flakes
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt (I prefer pink Himalayan salt)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree (I used canned)
  • ¼ cup honey (minimally processed, but liquid)
  • 1 ripe banana, smashed
  • ¼ cup vegan mini chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life brand)
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (I prefer parchment paper liners).
  3. In a large bowl, mix quinoa flour, quinoa flakes, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, pumpkin, honey, and banana until thoroughly combined.
  5. Add wet ingredients into bowl containing dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
  6. Add chocolate chips, chia seeds and walnuts. Mix until well dispersed.
  7. Distribute batter among the 10 muffin liners.
  8. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the muffins spring back when pressed.
  9. Allow to cool and enjoy!