a little more of leeks.

i guess you can tell what i got in my organic delivery the week of the leeks... i've been having to make a lot of quick meals recently so this one was another. i quickly cooked up whole leeks and garlic until soft, then added diced sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and asparagus (i added the asparagus last so it didn't get wilted), as well as some coconut milk, cumin and coriander, salt and pepper and a little cayenne. a savory and satisfying dish :)

Pin It Now!

update on leeks! eek!

whoops-- i meant to post this a while ago! i also lost this in a wonderful summer storm, so here we go again... here's a few of the dishes i made with those pesky yet tasty leeks :) --

first of all, they definitely lasted quite a while and i made at least four dishes with them.

the first i wanted to try was the quiche, but i only had about 15 minutes to make it before pottery class one night, so i skipped making a crust (definitely time consuming for the gluten-free crustmaker). i was inspired by Susan at FatFree Vegan Kitchen who had a post for a quiche so i designed it after that one. it really did take very little time to make:

first i preheated the oven to 375. i then heated some olive oil and added chopped leeks, then the bottom, tougher stems of asparagus. i sauteed those for a little while, then added the tops and continued to cook until soft. i then added them to 8 beaten eggs and salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. next, i poured the batter into a lightly oiled pie dish and added some of the tops to make a design (see pics below). i baked it for about 15 minutes and it was done! it's probably more of a fritatta than a quiche since it's minus the crust, so breakfast, lunch, dinner... it's all good. i may have added some chopped cilantro as well if i recall correctly.

Pin It Now!

looking for leeks

i'm looking for something creative and tasty for my leeks that we got in our organic delivery yesterday... something other than potato leek soup. anyone? hmmm....
leeks. Pin It Now!

Cinnamon Chicken

a few weeks ago i asked my husband what he wanted for dinner and he commented that he really liked this "cinnamon chicken dish" called "arna chicken" from a greek diner he used to go to. i searched the web but found no such greek dish. so-- i decided to make my own up based on a loose description. it ended up tasting really great, and went along with things that i have been reading recently on the health benefits of cinnamon. these include (but are not limited to): lowering LDL, regulating blood sugar, a natural preservative, reducing cancer cells, and improving cognition and memory.

anyways, here is my recipe... i tried hard to write it down so i could recreate it later, but we know how that goes. my recommendation if you want to make it is to use your cooking intuition :)

Cinnamon Chicken

1 lb chicken breast (2 large pieces), cut into 1 inch strips
1 small yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 tbsp Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil (or your favorite oil)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cinnamon sticks (i broke mine in halves)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini
2 dried red chiles broken up (or less if you don't want it as spicy)
3/4 cup broth (veggie or chicken)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 can-1 can rinsed chickpeas
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 medjool dates, chopped
chopped cilantro
sea salt to taste (approximately 1/2 tbsp)


-heat oil in skillet, then add chopped or sliced onions. allow to soften and turn slightly golden
-add garlic and stir for a minute or so, careful not to burn garlic
-add sliced chicken, and add salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and cinnamon sticks to the chicken while it is cooking
-when chicken has almost cooked through, add broth, chickpeas, pine nuts, tahini, and chiles.
-let simmer for about five minutes on medium heat, then lower the heat and add chopped dates. -simmer another ten minutes or so, and add more broth if the water runs low.
-garnish (generously) with cilantro and serve

Pin It Now!

spring has sprung

i've really missed our organics delivery the past couple weeks, and was so delighted to see it yesterday... it's sad to see the winter veggies start to go, but i'm looking forward to all of the berries and summer fruit as well. here is the box that arrived yesterday:

getting these deliveries has been great for so many reasons. one has been that no longer do i have to go to the annoying grocery store with super long lines (that will remain nameless), but it allows me to branch out and come up with recipes for veggies that i would not necessarily buy spontaneously. for instance the last box we had included yellow beets. who buys yellow beets!? but we really enjoyed them.

speaking of spring, i've made this twice already in the past week--- avacado salad. i was going to make "salad shirazi" a persian salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, but i had a bag of avocados from costco in the fridge as well, so i added those in and was extremely delighted! :)

here is what i used:

2 ripe chilled avacados, chopped into chunks
1/4 english cucumber (the really long kind)
1 firm and ripe tomato (or grape tomatoes will do as well)
1/2 large yellow onion
salt to taste
pepper to taste
approximately 2 tbsp lime juice

combine all ingredients and let stand a bit in the fridge if you can wait... i don't usually :)

simple enough, but so fresh and tasty!!

Pin It Now!

gritssssss

i've had a love of grits since i was little, but i think i took a 10 year hiatus from eating them, mostly because i usually don't like breakfast food. anyways, trader joe's began carrying a new herbed olive oil that i think really provides a great accompaniment to grits. of course you can make your own oilve oil blend, but their's has so many wonderful things inside that at this point i'm too lazy to make! :)

my grits recipe is quite simple:

for a single serving

3 tbsp grits (not the instant kind!)
1 cups water
1/8-1/4 tsp salt (depending on your taste)
dash of fresh ground pepper
approximately 1 tbsp herb olive oil

boil water with salt and pepper
add grits to water and turn heat to low
simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to stop lumps from forming
pour into bowl, and immediately add olive oil and stir in.

*note, i've also tried adding nutritional yeast to grits and have been very pleased with the taste (as long as it's not too much!) Pin It Now!

gluten free travels

i was a bit nervous about going on our recent trips to israel and switzerland and eating gluten free...
but thankfully, i requested the gluten-free meals on all three airlines we flew, and what do you know, they were much better than my dear husband's tasteless and transfatty meals! :)

i didn't take any pictures of them, but for instance, i got an organic sugar free french coconut macaroon which tasted incredible instead of a dry pepperidge farm cookie, a fresh fruit salad with blueberries, pineapple, and other fruit instead of an orange and yellow cabbage substance, and more :)

israeli food on the whole was not too difficult to manage, although all of my old favorites that i used to enjoy eating there i can no longer eat, like toasts (grilled sandwiches) and hot chocolate cake. but on the upside, hot salads are still fantastic, and falafel and shawarma are served on plates now as well.

i'm going to try to remake this drink and post the recipe at some point... there are different variations at each cafe or restaurant you go to in israel, but the main idea is mint and lemonade with crushed ice-- "limonana"

this was my last meal in israel where i really pigged out: :)

in switzerland they weren't too appreciative of the gluten-free lifestyle, and definitely not the dairy-free, but i did walk by a store window in zurich and saw a whole display of gluten-free food for sale. all in all, a positive experience food-wise, and i only got sick once in the two weeks! (which is not too bad) :)

Pin It Now!

introducing...

my newest obsession:

the AeroGrow AeroGarden!

after a lot of deliberation, i finally decided to invest some birthday money into the purchase of a lovely AeroGarden . i always get sick of throwing out herbs that go bad, so this product really appealed to me. anyways, it's been fun so far watching it grow. here are some pictures of the process:






Pin It Now!

Kofta Patties

it's been a while! i've had a few recipes saved up to share, but the last month or so has been busy with trying new recipes, changing old ones, and being sick and eating lots of soup :)

here's one i've been meaning to share for a while. i adapted a recipe from a hare krishna vegetarian cookbook - The Higher Taste. i've made it before mostly sticking to the recipe, but the last time i made it i didn't have the cauliflower and cabbage that it called for, so i subbed sweet potatoes and zucchini for the two. who would have guessed, but it worked out well. if you want you can always just use two cups each of the grated cabbage and grated cauliflower, but i kind of like mine more :) i've also made changes to the sauce and added a few other things. the sauce really comes out nice and rich, and i've used both fresh and canned tomatoes and been happy with the results.


Kofta Patties in Tomato Sauce

Sauce:

3 lbs tomatoes, blended in food processor
1/4 cup olive oil (or you can use Ghee if you want)
1/2 tsp Hing or 1-2 cloves crushed garlic depending on your taste (i use both)
1 large carrot, chopped into small pieces
2 Tbsp sweet basil, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp turbinado sugar or agave nectar
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves


1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add the hing or garlic and fry it for approximately 30 seconds. add the carrots and saute for an additional minute. Stir in the blended tomatoes and other seasonings. Raise the heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.


Kofta:

2 cups boiled and mashed sweet potatoes
2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hing or 1 clove crushed garlic
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch of cayenne


1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spray a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with olive oil. Make approximately 20 patties by rolling into balls then mashing them down. Place them on the cookie sheet so that they are not touching. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until they develop a bit of a crust. Turn them around halfway through cooking.
*note- original recipe calls for kufta balls that you deep fry. I'm not into frying anymore, but that's another way you can eat them as well.


Pasta:

1 box of penne pasta of your choice

1. Boil pasta while Kufta are in the oven
2. Drain pasta, top with sauce, then the kufta patties, and enjoy!

Pin It Now!

pancakes again??

so i wanted to post this recipe before i forgot all the ingredients... i bought some Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour recently, but hadn't used it yet. it's really nice to have someone else mix all the different flours for you :) i like his combo of Garbanzo Bean Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, White Sorghum Flour, and Fava Bean Flour. tasty for even the non GF eaters out there.

anyways, i have no pictures to share, but everyone knows what a pancake looks like, right? :) we just happened to eat these up too fast and didn't have time to take any... next time. these were some of the best pancakes i've eaten and they were light and fluffy and simple. i just kind of made these up this morning because i was... well... hungry. i added some dairy-free chocolate chips but of course you can leave them out. i ate them plain, the hubby used lots of maple syrup.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (i like almond breeze)
1 large egg
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/8 cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips (i used Enjoy Life Foods)

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl.
Beat the egg in another bowl. Add the olive oil, milk, and agave to the egg and mix well.
Heat your pan or griddle with a little olive oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until moistened. Add Chocolate chips.
When pan is hot, pour batter into pan (i used a 1/3 cup that was less than full to scoop it out). My pan makes about 3 at a time and they cook fairly fast, so watch when you need to flip them.

I made 9 pancakes with this recipe, and was happy with the amount because i'm not a big fan of leftover pancakes. Of course you can double it if you want more or bigger pancakes.

Enjoy! Pin It Now!