And of course, that’s a wonderful thing, no matter what!  So here’s one of our favorite one super yummy, super simple, something-for-everyone wonders. Easily vegan, totally customizable. You’ve got your veggie, your protein, your carb all in one.  No chopping, no fussing, one pot and all done. It’s evolved over time.  I make it with chicken when E is home, without when he’s gone (I prefer without).  And I greatly prefer Mache, but if I can’t find it, arugula will work in a pinch.  I need to start growing Mache because it’s too expensive to keep up my habit long term!

The amounts are nowhere near precise because first, with soaked quinoa, the amount of broth you need depends on how long it’s been soaking.  Personally, my tummy prefers “overcooked” quiona, when it’s much softer.  Feel free to customize to your preferences.

1.5 cups quiona
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed with the back of a knife blade
1 carton of Pacific broth or homemade if desired
½ cup pitted olives with a few Tablespoons of the brine, like Kalamatas OR ¼ cup lemon juice
2 clamshells of either mache, arugala or spinach. I like Mache best. Mache cooks quicker than arugala.
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak 1 ½ cups of quinoa overnight in more than enough water to cover.  Drain, rinse.

Heat olive oil on medium.  Crush a few cloves of garlic.  We’ve still got some from the garden—how awesome!  Sauté garlic until you start smelling that wonderful aroma.  Toss in the quinoa, add in 4 qts broth.  Simmer, covered for about 12 min.

Add in a clamshell of arugula and the pitted olives or ¼ cup lemon juice.  2 min later, stir and add Mache.  They need to be added one at a time or there’s not enough room in the pot!  Let it wilt uncovered, and cook until quinoa is cooked fully.

NOTE: if you love a non-vegan, when the quinoa is starting to unfurl (about 5 min from the end), add 2 diced raw chicken breasts.

I am submitting this to Wellness Weekends, as hosted by the most delicious Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs. This week’s entries are here.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

The posts in the 30 days series have been great info–so far, grocery shopping tips, getting started, smoothies, and I’m planning to make yesterday’s Cherry and Almond Power Bars ASAP!  And of course, the key to gluten-free blogging is that through sharing our combined interests, passions, ideas, experiences, friendship and of course, recipes, we make it easier for anyone with Celiac or gluten-intolerance to live well.

Easy meals are key. They’re vital when you’re just getting started, but I’m a strong believer that everyone should have a few meals they can whip up in 5-10 min or less just in case–because life happens, we do occasionally burn something, have something go bad, drop dinner, find the cat lovingly licking the salmon, whatever. We’re talking meals that fall into the category of assembly rather than “cooking” per se.

Just an example–we’re selling our house and thus cleaning out the freezer and pantry, so I have less on hand than usual. I went to make dinner on Friday and the broccoli was brown and icky. Grrr. So plan B. No frozen broccoli. OK, plan C. Make a vat of greens and make Coconut Curried Greens. And as I admired the luscious smelling pot, the sauce was too thin, so I thought I’d thicken with some coconut flour. Long story short, instead I added brown rice flour, which I’m allergic to. Believe it or not, I’ve not done that before in 7 years.

And there I sat, looking at this glorious pot of greens which was totally off-limits, and knowing that I didn’t have something quick in the freezer to thaw.

OK, woman on a mission! On to plan D, AKA the pantry. Cannellini beans, tuna in olive oil, drained canned diced tomatoes (I love Eden brand–BPA free), a few Kalamata olives and a few fresh basil leaves. Super quick, super easy, and very, very yummy. Massive feline approval, too, which is not always a plus. Cheryl does the happy dance, and even has enough for leftovers the next day.

So what is on your list of simple easy pantry staples? Here’s a list of 50+ ideas I give clients to get thoughts moving:Basic GF Meals 2011 Now, I have clients ranging from ardent carnivores to hardcore vegans, and I do have a dairy-free list too, but the point of the list is that anyone and everyone can find a few things that either fit, or inspire other thoughts. Everything on the list is SIMPLE, accessible, and contains very few specialty items, because many folks aren’t huge cooks beforehand and are looking forward to survival. And I figure if you can get the point of a recipe across in 2-3 lines, it’s pretty easy.

And the most ironic part?  Shirley of GFE has a list of 50 easy gluten-free meals on her site, too, and we have very few overlaps, so that puts you at about 100.

What are your favorite quick and easy fall-backs? Let me know in the comments section.

And stay tuned for the rest of days of the series at the HQTRS on Diane’s site.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

Granted, that’s not the most appetizing of names, but this IS a super yummy soup–perfect for the cooler weather, and really, really easy to make so it’s perfect to whip up when, well, you’re getting the sniffles! As a bonus, this hearty vegan stew is made from ingredients I always have on hand in the pantry, so it’s quite convenient.

2 cups broth (I like Pacific Brand)
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer Eden because it’s BPA free)
generous 1/3 cup sunbutter (or almond butter or PB)
1/4 cup diced uncrystallized ginger, or 1 tsp minced ginger
1 Tablespoon garam masala or chili powder
squeeze of lemon
pinch of salt, to taste
Handful of steamed chopped kale, 1 head of steamed broccoli, or thawed broccoli florets
1 can garbanzo beans, drained (Eden foods)

Simmer the broth, tomatoes, sunbutter, ginger and spice on low for 30 min to allow flavors to meld. Stir occasionally. Steam kale, broccoli, etc. Add veggies to the stew, and add drained garbanzo beans. Simmer a minute or two more, add salt and pepper as desired, and enjoy!

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

Gardening is such a joy.  I don’t always get a lot of food or exercise out of it, per se, but it’s so delightful to spy a growing watermelon, a new flower budding, my first artichoke–oh!  my babies.  The butterflies, the birds, the bunnies and the toads all keep me company is such a delightful way.

This year has been such a mix.  It was way too hot, and it coincided with a time I wasn’t feeling well so I wasn’t getting up early and so, sad to say, my plants got a bit parched.  So I’ve got great kale, tomatoes and herbs, but some of the tomato plants are looking very unhappy, and none have had a good year.  However, one set of pumpkins are coming along, so fingers crossed.

Oh yeah…I mentioned a lentil stew.  I had a cavity filled and my poor mouth hurt.  As I stared at my garden harvest, my brain went to soft foods and I immediately opted for a lentil stew.  And it was so glorious that almost everything (the kale, the tomatoes, the carrots, the garlic, the parsley, and the thyme) was lovingly grown in my garden.

1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
a big handful kale, blanched, or spinach and skip the blanching
a couple of potatoes
5 cups broth
1 cup dried lentils
2 bay leaves
2 springs thyme or lemon thyme
2 carrots, chopped
a handful of tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Saute the onions for a few minutes and then saute the garlic a minute more. Add the broth, blanched kale, lentils, bay leaves, thyme, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Let simmer until the potato is tender, then add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley at the end and enjoy.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

And, of course, it’s allergy friendly and vegan.

I use blended young coconut meat and broth, I’m sure you could replace some of the broth with coconut milk. This is a very basic recipe that is totally open to artistic expression! Add in a dash of cayenne or other spices to taste.

1 chopped onion
1-2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (or 2 tsps for milder version)
most of carton (3-4 cups) broth (I enjoy Pacific foods)
meat of a young coconut blended with the broth
salt to taste

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add in the curry/garam masala, stir for a minute then add in lentils. Add broth/coconut blend and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are well cooked. Add salt to taste.

And that’s it. Serve with roasted cauliflower, purr.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

This can be easily dressed up or kept basic.  Sauteed garlic is a nice touch, and grated lemon zest works, too.  The mint provides a nice and fresh taste, and I always have much more mint than I can handle!  In the summer, I add in baby tomatoes, in the winter, steamed broccoli is a great compliment and I use thyme instead of mint.  Like all simple recipes, fresh ingredients make all the difference.

If you’ve ever grown mint, you know that it’s quite an assertive plant.  It’s an invasive plant, and I planted it in a container to keep it from getting too aggressive.  But it actually grew out of the pot somehow, and has continued on its quest for world (or garden) domination.  Good thing it’s tasty, or we’d have to do battle and I’m afraid it would win.

Lemony Mint Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, toasted
2 cups broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
15 mint leaves, coarsely torn
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups halved grape tomatoes

Toast quinoa in a dry large skillet over medium heat until it starts smelling toasty and browning a bit (10-15 min). Note: this step can be done in advance or skipped altogether, but it does enhance the yum factor in a big way. Add broth to the pot, bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 minutes or until done. Stir halfway through and add in 1/2 the mint leaves. Squeeze in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in tomatoes and the rest of the mint leaves when cooled.

This ode to mint is my weekly submission to Weekly Herb Blogging, the brainchild of Kalyn, who passed the torch to Haalo. I’m this week’s happy host!

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

Kate of GF Gobsmacked has had a lot of practice welcoming a new one as of late! If you need a smile, check out her blog for pictures of her little sweetheart. She is bringing along her Korean Mung Bean Pancakes. They’re even kid approved, although Sea will have to wait a while until her sweetie is big enough!

Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs is bringing along a variety of appetizers: almond feta cheese and Raw carrot and sunflower seed pate. Not only do they look amazing, but they’re even vegan, and the cheese is soy free, too.

Jenn, of Gluten Free Food Storage is bringing along Lentil Tacos! I don’t have a picture for this one, but it looks like a simple and tasty recipe, perfect for when you’ve got a new baby.

Wendy of Celiacs in the House is making sure we get our fill of protein with quinoa cakes. She knows Sea well enough to know that she’ll surely whip up one of her fabulous sauces to go along with it.

Emily was eager to recreate a quinoa recipe she had in San Diego, and she brings us her Garlic Asparagus Quinoa, which is perfect for Springtime.

Could I really be the only one who brings along dessert? Well, Chocolate Strawberry (or chocolate orange) mini cakes all around!

Heather of Celiac Family is bringing Raspberry Divinity Tarts that look totally delish. AND her rubber ducky meringues cookies are just beyond cute in my book. Heather, you get points for being super artistic and creative!!!

Angela of Angela’s kitchen sent in a great post for Hanana Banana Bread or mini muffins and even a pumpkin version of the same.  The banana bread was from her baby was little, and she’s got such cute flower shaped versions on her blog header!

Here’s to Sea and new beginnings! Much love as you start out on this exciting new chapter of life.

If by chance I have missed your submission, please send me an email and let me know.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

The great news is that the pizza challenge (as written) was quite successful! DH and Natalie pretty much inhaled the first one, and the second one vanished as well. Both gave glowing reviews, and DH is picky, so I know I can trust him. I even changed the flours to make it amylose free so I can share it with people that I work with, so I was very glad. It was very simple to make. Since I no longer have a baking stone, I opted to use the back of a cast iron skillet. It’s not the most graceful way to get the job done, but especially if you give it time to heat up, it does help the crust get nice and crispy. You could even pick up a piece and eat it like pizza!

My Cheryl-friendly pizza wasn’t so successful. I made a few attempts at a grain free, vegan and yeast free pizza for me. One was a socca pizza (YUM!) but it got overly soggy. I did, however, eagerly devour every crumb. The other was a vegan/grain free/yeast free foccacia-ish bread I was working on. It looked beautiful, and tasted awful. I finally realized I’d forgotten the lemon juice and the baking soda taste was quite prominent. Whoops! I will surely experiment with both in the future, though.

I did a half batch and used it for 2 pizzas instead of 3 as we were advised. The flour combo I used was 1/2 cup almond, 1/2 cup corn flour, 1/4 cup chestnut, 1/4 cup amaranth flour, 1/4 cup quinoa flour, and 1/2 cup corn starch.
I added herbs and minced onion to the crust, but aside from that, I followed the instructions as given.

What a nice treat to do something different! To see more, lovely pizza creations, check out my fellow Daring Bakers.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

And, as an added bonus, pesto is part of my sneaky agenda to add vegan meals to the menu without DH noticing.  Pesto is so hearty and filling, especially with a great protein like quinoa, and I think it somehow escaped his attention.  Whenever he notices, he feels the need to compensate by eating a big bowl of ice cream…which entirely defeats the purpose.  He says it’s not intentional, but I don’t buy it.  We had a deal when we married.  I wasn’t moving to Rochester, and he wasn’t going vegetarian.  So far, we’re living in Virginia, and still have a mixed diet.  But that doesn’t stop me from trying to push the envelope.  Ah, the things we do for love…

But onto the pesto!

I make a bunch at a time and freeze it so I can enjoy in the winter. I tend to make a pretty dry paste to freeze, and then just thin out with more olive oil as needed when I’m ready to use it. And there are so many ways to use it! Stir it into quinoa, as above, or use it as a pizza topping. Use it as a dip, pesto your fish….you’re only limited by your imagination!

You may also notice that there’s no cheese in this recipe, since I’m allergic to dairy. You can certainly add in some parm, but between the pine nuts and walnuts, there’s a delightful creaminess and I never miss it.

3 cups packed fresh basil, washed at the last minute
4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)
1 clove raw garlic
1/2 cup olive oil*
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts and walnuts
Big pinch sea salt
good squirt of lemon
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives (optional)

*more as needed or desired

Toast pine nuts and walnuts over medium heat in a dry skillet, shaking to prevent burning. Set aside.
Process basil, garlic and oil until smooth-ish. Add in salt, nuts and lemon and pulse. I like to leave chunks, but that’s a matter of personal taste!

Since I’ve been missing the “Grow your own” deadlines for a while, I’m reversing the trend and submitting early! The host for this round is Andrea, of Andrea’s Kitchen, who also was the founder of this event.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

I was torn between pears and cinnamon for this week’s menu plan ingredient.  Both are such autumn foods.  I love pears, and their lush, juicy sweetness.  The Farmer’s Market is overflowing with pears, and I plan to make a pear cake this week.  If it works, you’ll hear more.  If not…

Speaking of things that worked and didn’t, I’ve been busy in the kitchen this week.  As I’m now officially grains and sugar (and honey) free until further notice (phooey!!!) I decided not to attempt an apple cake for Rosh Hashana. Instead made agave caramels sauce to dip my apples in.  It was tasty, but not perfect, and I’m still tweaking the recipe.

Ricki, from Diet Dessert and Dogs, is putting out a cookbook soon called Sweet Freedom.  Ricki’s been kind enough to let me be a “recipe tester”, which has been great fun.   Just check out this Gluten Free, sugar free, soy free buttercream frosting… and since it’s vegan, that means no dairy or eggs, either.   Yahoo! I’ll post more about it soon.

We had actual food this week, too, and I posted one of my favorite recipes for tilapia which is quick, easy, healthy, and totally delicious.

Last, but not least, I’ve got raspberries again, so I’ve been working on a raspberry chocolate cream filling, and here’s the latest effort.  I’m still working on getting the creaminess, but oh, it was yummy.

Funny, I didn’t realize how many treats I made this week until now!

Monday

Grillin’
Turkey Garden Burgers
Herb-y grilled red peppers

Tuesday:
Vegan
Basil pesto with quinoa

Wednesday:
Here, fishy fishy
Orange roughy baked in packets with Old Bay spice and peppers from my garden

Thursday
Leftovers!

Friday:
Kalyn’s Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and sage and grilled onions

Saturday:
Vegan
Arugala salad with avocado and pine nuts

Kitchen projects:
Pear skillet cake, a grain free riff on one of my absolute faves, my Nana Skillet Cake
we shall see if it works!
Slow roasted tomatoes

From my garden:
Raspberries. Yes, they’re back!
garlic shoots
peppers
lemongass
tomatoes
basil, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary

From the market:
apples
pears
kale
tomatoes

One more thing: If you are a US citizen, please GET OUT AND VOTE! Or get out and register. Here in VA, you can vote already. I think we all owe it to ourselves/our family/future generations to get educated and get out there. I’m stepping off my soap box now…

So what’s everyone else having?
Well, Kim of Gluten free is life has a busy week with her children, and so she’s got some quick and easy things planned, and even a breakfast as dinner. I hear talk of snickerdoodles!

Karen of Gluten Free Sox Fan is resolving to get more organized and make her health a bigger priority. Yay Karen! She doesn’t have pears on the menu, but apples are a close enough cousin. She’s going to let us know about her Beef Wellington soon, too.

Sally of Aprovechar graces us with a seasonal, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free menu. Since I avoid all of those things too, I’m always a big fan! It looks like she has a busy week of fun outings and delicious foods, and I’m glad to hear of her vegan lasagna success.

Sea of Book of Yum just helped celebrate her DH’s 30th birthday, and she made him a feast! She’s got her veggie pot pie planned for this week, and I’ve been eyeing it for months now. Looks delish!

Manda is on her newly engaged cloud of bliss. Congrats, Manda! I certainly understand, and share, her passion for feeding other people, but I do draw the line at using gluten. She has a fun week of international foods planned.

Let’s give a warm welcome to Lori, of the Gluten free week. She’s got Szechuan peanut noodles with broccoli planned–YUM!!!

Kim at Living free is now officially on the SCD diet and feeling much better. Go Kim! She is working on learning to make yogurt, too.

Ginger joins us, too. She teases me with talk of a pear almond tart, and I hope too hear more, soon! She’s got a lot of locally grown and raised foods on the menu, which is just wonderful. As usual, she checks out a bunch of cookbooks for inspiration.

Sarah at Everyday GF has the double challenge of GF on a budget AND GF on the road. I’m looking forward to seeing her suggestions, and her tomato soup sounds great.

Last but not least we have Angela and her crew over at Angela’s Kitchen. Boy has she got a busy week! The forbidden chicken and the quinoa pilaf both sound great, and she has info on GF coupons, too.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.