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.

Part of the reason I was intrigued by the event is that I tend to eat more cooked than raw fruits and veggies–what can I say, I have a sensitive tummy, although I adore raw foods (especially raw fruits!).  You can’t beat the flavor of raw fruits and veggies.  It’s important to me to explore the range of ways of eating, and this gave me the opportunity to step outside of my typical raw salads/fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds to a broader range.

Some of my favorite raw recipes:

Garlic scape pesto (my garlic are almost there!) w/raw nuts
Salsa-mole
Summer Rolls
Bliss Dip (use raw nut butter)
Summer lovin’ salad
Cocoa Carob Sweeties from Diet Dessert and Dogs
and I am itching to make this one from Gluten Free Cat, too: Double Cocoa Cranberry Drops

It was easy to figure out what to make.  I still have raspberries in the freezer from my garden last year, and the new ones are starting to bud, so it’s time to get on with it!  I tend to hoard my garden stash because, ya know, it’s a long winter and my inner squirrel emerges.

But I digress.  These have a yummy, wholesome, very filling feel to them–the way you feel when you eat ‘real food’, vs how you feel when you’re taking in too much sugar (of whatever sort) for your body.  And Senor picky (AKA husband) liked them, although I feared they weren’t sweet enough for his taste.

Raw Choco Rasp Yummies

¼ cup raw cocoa powder
¼ cup raspberries
½ cup soaked/well drained hazelnuts
¼ tsp stevia concentrate/10 liquid drops

1 Tablespoon raw agave or honey

Soak hazelnuts 4-6 hours and drain really, really well. Put in a food processor with all the ingredients except liquid sweetener. Blend for 3-4 minutes. Add in liquid sweetener and it will come together easily! Roll into small balls and refrigerate, or just pop into your mouth.

Do check out the rest of the April in the Raw lineup, and a big thank you for Brittany for the inspiration for this fun event.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

Chocolate Chai

1 mug hot water
1 chai tea bag
splash of hemp milk (optional)
1 heaping TBSP cocoa powder
10 or so drops stevia extract
2 tsp agave

Steep the chai for 5-6 min, add other ingredients and stir.

Simple, yes?

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

After missing last month’s DB challenge, I’m back with two!

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies

I’ve never made Panna Cotta or Florentine cookies, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. And I thought that out of two recipes, at least I should be able to eat one. Only fair, right?

I ended up making a sunshine Panna Cotta, using very rich cashew milk and agave rather than the traditional milk and cream and sugar. I went hunting for some fresh fruit that would work, although winter is just not a great time for that and I was burnt out on raspberries because of this chocolate raspberry pie. So I settled on nectarines, which were decent but not great. (hey, it’s Feb, what do we expect???)

Since I was off to a family get together, I figured a large one would work infinitely better than a tiny one, and I was right! And since one of my cousins was going Paleo, it worked well because there was something she could eat (not sure about the agave, but most of it fit)

The recipe was along these lines:

2.5 cups water, divided
1 2/3 cups of cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
packet unflavored gelatin (about 2.5 tsp)

4 ripe nectarines or whatever fruit strikes your fancy.

Soak cashews in water overnight and drain. Blend cashews and 2 cups of water in a vitamix until absolutely smooth.
Heat the remaining 1/2 cup of water until simmering, add in gelatin, remove from heat and whisk very well. Let sit for a few minutes. Add in the blended cashew milk, return to heat and whisk for 3-4 minutes until much thicker.

Put cut up fruit in an 8X8 or glasses, add creamy mix and chill 4-5 hours.

I made the Florentine cookies per the recipe, just with GF all purpose flour, and they came out perfectly. Crispy, crunchy, just the right amount of sweet, and the topping worked beautifully.

I set them on our freezer to cool, left the room and when I returned, a few were covered in cat hair and the cat was sitting and ignoring me completely. Couldn’t have been him, right?

All in all, what a fun DB experience. Please do see the Daring Baker Blogroll for other adventures!

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

Q: What’s better than a beautiful organic raspberry?

A: A beautiful organic raspberry from your very own garden.

It’s not growing now, of course, since we’re smack in the midst of winter, but I have a frozen stash to remind me of the tastes of summer.  And nothing quite pairs with raspberry like chocolate, and this is a heavenly marriage of the two.

This pie is absolutely decadent, luscious, super yummy vegan, grain free, sugar free masterpiece of yum-ness.  And it’s a great make-ahead pie as an added bonus.  I’m not even going to mention the fact that, especially due to the secret ingredient, it’s pretty darn good for you.

I’ve been making this pie for a while, and lost the recipe.  I tried to re-create it, and I got a delicious pile of mush.  So I gave it a roll again, and was delighted–I think this was better than the original versions.

If you don’t have a Vita mix, a) I’m sorry and b) no worries, the raspberries just won’t be as smooth.

1 cap raspberries (frozen is perfect)
3/4 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup of stirred cashew butter (generous)
1 can well-rinsed, well drained Canelli beans
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoon stevia powder concentrate
3 oz melted good quality unsweetened chocolate. Scharfenberger is my favorite
2/3 cup cocoa powder

Prepare a crust in an 8-inch pie crust. I used a simple almond crust, and didn’t write down anything. Whoops!
Blend raspberries and agave very well. I use a Vitamix, and wait until they are quite smooth. Transfer to a food processor, add beans and thoroughly blend for 3 min or more. Add in the rest of the ingredients, blend well.

Put chocolate filling into prepared crust, refrigerate a few hours until firm. Decorate with raspberries.

DH and I will be savoring the last piece of this pie for V-day…

I plan to submit this to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. This week’s roundup is found here.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

Note: Somehow I managed to ‘un-publish’ this recipe and I just realized it, so I’m sharing this again because it’s too good to miss!  Bon appetit!

This fudge, or a version of it, was my saving grace.  When I went gluten free, I also went dairy, soy, egg and corn free and limited sugar and couldn’t have most grains.  I used to pride myself in my baking skills, and was totally discouraged with the variety of “incredible inedibles” I was making at the time.

My first success was chocolate chestnut fudge, and I’ve been making it every year since.  Rich, chocolatey, decadent, moist, satisfying and delicious.    When I had the first piece of fudge, I had a me knew the diet thing would work, I would learn the ropes, and somehow it would all get better.  And boy, it has!

Did I mention that it’s vegan and sugar free?  yep, this is some fudge, and it’s totally easy to make.  The only hard part is letting it chill overnight.

I’ve submitted the recipe to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Simply Gluten and Sugar Free.  Check out the roundup!

8 oz chestnuts-jarred or pouches work perfectly
2 heaping Tablespoons macadamia butter
2/3 cup agave
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
2 tsp stevia concentrate
4 oz melted unsweetened 100% chocolate–preferably Scharffen berger
1/2 cup chopped  walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, etc. OR cacao nibs. (optional)
mint extract or orange zest (optional for variations)

Melt chocolate in a heat safe bowl.  The lazy/easy method is to nuke in a glass bowl for for 1 min 30 seconds.
Put chestnuts in food processor and process until it’s smooth, occasionally scraping down.  Add ingredients through stevia and blend well.  Add in melted chocolate and pulse again.  Stir in nuts and or orange or mint if desired.

Scrape into a 9X5 bread pan lined with wax paper, or double recipe and use an 8X8 square pan.  Flatten out the top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, or you will have tasty goo.  Cut into pieces and enjoy.  Best slightly chilled.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

I got a new toy, a food processor. I broke my old food processor, which has been a huge bummer. I didn’t realize how much I used it! And, it kept me from exploring Ricki’s fantastic e-book, Desserts without Compromise. But now, no excuses, and I’m eager to get playing.
I love hummus, but oh, hummus has not loved me. Or more specifically, tahini and I don’t mix well. Since I come from a Middle Eastern family, this was pretty much a travesty. It didn’t matter for years because beans bothered my stomach, but fortunately, now they don’t. And it became clear after experimenting that there were plenty of good substitutes for tahini! I usually either use Brazil nut butter or Sunbutter (brazil nut butter has a richer taste). And I use Kalamatas rather than olive oil because my innards tend to be sensitive to the amount of fat I eat…even good fats…and this was a way to get great flavor without a tummyache.

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed well and drained
2 cloves garlic
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup Brazil nut butter or Sunbutter
pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

18-20 Kalamata olives with a little of the brine included

Combine the first group of ingredients in the food processor until smooth. Add in Kalamatas and pulse. Adjust seasonings as desired and enjoy with red peppers, on a bed of greens or whatever works best!

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

I was surprised to see Elana’s recipe for Vegan Herb Crackers, especially since I had been planning on posting mine this week! Upon looking at the recipes, they’re quite a bit different so I figured I’d go ahead and share them. These are delicious, and keep well for a few days (but only if they’re hidden so I can’t find them).  I really love the rich flavor and the hearty texture.  Like Elana’s, these are vegan, but mine use Salba seeds to boost omega 3 content.

The only drawback (which I find with all almond flour products) they are so dense and rich, I can’t have anything rich with them, and I usually make tiny crackers–maybe 1 inch by 2 inch.

I did not give exact cooking times because depending on how I roll them, there always seems to be a range despite my best efforts. I’ve rolled some thick and some thin to try to figure out which I prefer, and I must confess, the crackers disappear and I still haven’t made up my mind, so I’ll leave that important question for all of you to ponder.

3 tablespoons of water
2 teaspoons ground chia or Salba seed

1 cup blanched almond flour
1.5 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend (mine has rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram, etc.)
pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

Mix ground Salba with water, sit for 10 minutes. Combine almond flour through olive oil and preheat oven to 325. Thoroughly incorporate Salba gel, scoop into a ball and chill 5 minutes. Roll out very thinly between parchment paper or parchment and a Silpat. Cut into pieces with a pizza cutter and sprinkle with salt and pepper, pressing down slightly.

Bake until browning, peeking after 20 minutes and turning the cookie sheet if your oven is uneven like mine.

Cool and enjoy!

I’m submitting these yummies to Simply Gluten and Sugar Free’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, which are extravaganzas of great and inventive (healthier) treats.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

I LOVE lovelovelove this frosting.  It has a very intense chocolate taste. And no one will ever guess the ‘secret’ ingredient.  It’s also perfect for pre-making.  The longer it sits, the better the flavors meld.  I usually make a batch and put it in a pastry bag and leave it in the fridge to get firmer overnight and leave it on the counter to soften a bit before frosting. It’s the perfect topping for anything or anyone yummy.

And I’m not going to pretend it’s health food, but my goodness, that’s as close to ‘healthy frosting’ as possible, I think! I’m submitting this recipe to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, because despite tasting very indulgent, when the main ingredients are beans and nuts and you’re getting gobs of antioxidants from the cocoa, I feel I can stand behind them proudly as a dietitian.

A big thanks to Honeyville Farms.  I’d gotten a bag of the almond flour and it tasted funny (please do keep in mind that I’m the princess in the pea when it comes to food) and they replaced the bag, and the new stuff is super yummy as usual.  I love companies that stand behind their products.

1 can of cannelli beans (navy beans also work)
1 cup of agave nectar
1/2 cup macadamia butter
2 teaspoons vanilla powder/extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 teaspoons stevia concentrated powder
2 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate, melted (ahem! Sharffenberger)
1 Cup cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon mesquite powder–add into the cup of cocoa powder (optional, but yummy)
OR a 1/2 tsp almond extract
good pinch of salt

Put well washed, well drained beans in the food processor with agave and blitz until smooth. add in ingredients through stevia and combine well. Add in melted chocolate powder and other ingredients and process until smooth and very well combined. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate 2-3 hours (at least) before piping.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.

I love kale.  Adore kale.  Can’t get enough, really, and that’s why I’ve chosen if for this week’s menu plan (see below) And my (current) favorite way of making it is in pesto form.    It’s super easy, and totally customizable for taste.  Here’s a basic template:

——————————————

One REALLY large bunch of kale, ribs coarsely removed
1/3-2/3 cup Brazil nuts, toasted
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp or more of sea salt
good squeeze of lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Kalamata olives (optional, but optimal)

Coarsely grind brazil nuts in the food processor and toast for a few minutes (until browning). Cook kale in boiling water for 8-10 min, drain loosely. Put in food processor with garlic, lemon juice, Brazil nuts, etc. Process until smooth-ish and creamy, adding in olive oil as needed. Add olives at the end if you like chunks.

We usually have the pesto on quiona or baked on whatever kind of white fish.

©2012 Gluten Free Goodness. All Rights Reserved.