lentil salad!

no cooking necessary. no utensils needed to eat it. sold!

 

lentil salad

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• the juice of one lemon
• 2 cans of lentils, drained and rinsed (couldn't use goya dry lentils, they warn they might have wheat in them!!)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 2-3 stalks green onion, sliced
• a handful of fresh sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

 in a medium sized bowl, first combine garlic and lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes
add all other ingredients into the bowl, mix well

add a spoonful to some red leaf lettuce, or any other green, wrap and eat up!

veggie fajitas!

it's getting so hot here in new york, pretty soon i'll only want to eat salads and watermelon!

last night i was craving mexican, so i made vegetable fajitas, re-fried beans and guacamole.

i heated some corn tortillas, topped it all with fresh greens and cilantro, and chowed down!

 guacamole, veggie fajitas, and re-fried beans

        guacamole

• 3 ripe avocados
• juice of one lime
• a pinch of smoked chipotle powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin, chili powder, and salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 an onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 a container of grape tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• pepper, to taste     

 in a medium mixing bowl, add the avocado meat and toss with 1/2 of the lime juice

 add the salt and spices, and mash in with a potato masher

fold in garlic, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro

add pepper, the rest of the lime juice and more salt to taste

cover and refrigerate for an hour

      veggie fajitas

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 a dried chipotle pepper
• 1/2 of an onion, sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
• 6-8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 summer squash, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, salt, cumin, pepper, and crushed coriander

 in a large pan, heat oil, garlic, chipotle pepper, and onion until cooked, about 3-5 min

add orange pepper, cook and stir another 3-5 minutes

add mushrooms and seasoning, stir 3 minutes

add squash, cover and cook until squash is tender

    re-fried beans

• 1 can mixed beans (black, pinto, kidney), drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 a container grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

 

 

in medium sauce pan, combine beans and water, bring to a boil

add all remaining ingredients besides the oil, reduce heat and cover

simmer about 15-20 minutes, until most water is gone

remove from heat, mash with potato masher

add oil, and return to the stove

cook another 3-5 minutes on medium heat

serve immediately

fruit tart!

tis' the season for fresh berries, and to enjoy them on top of a flaky crust and custard is a real treat!

fruit tart

for the crust i used my tart crust recipe, and baked at 375 F for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden

then i set aside to cool

      custard

• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 2/3 cup milk of choice (i used sweetened vanilla almond)
• 1/2 of a lemon's juice

in a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, and 1/3 cup of the milk

in a medium sized saucepan, bring the rest of the milk to a simmer

pour 1/3 cup of the warmed milk into the other mixture and stir to thoroughly combine

  pour the other mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk

return to the stove and heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly(important!!)

this only takes about two minutes to thicken, stop whisking when thick as pudding.

take off heat and whisk in lemon juice

(if it seems too thick to you, you can add a little milk and mix for a minute with a hand mixer)

if your crust is ready and cooled, add to crust. if not refrigerate until use

for the fruit topping, i chose strawberries, blueberries and kiwi

you can use so many different creative combination's though!!

for the glaze, i took about 3 tablespoons apricot preserves and heated in a small saucepan

i whisked constantly, until it turned to a liquid

i took it off the heat and sifted out the apricot chunks

i used the sifted liquid and brushed it on the top of the fruit

you can enjoy immediately, or let set and chill for a few hours.

yum!

gluten free soy free vegan chocolate bundt cake

bundt cakes are so darn cute! it's pretty much a giant donut, how could you go wrong!?

this cake recipe is full of chocolate flavor, and guaranteed to impress.

 

gf, sf, v chocolate bundt cake

     cake

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/8 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1/8 cup tapioca strach (also known as tapioca flour)
• 1/2+1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2+1/8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon egg replacer, mixed with 1/8 cup milk of choice 
• 1/8 cup agave nectar
• 1 1/8 cup milk of choice (i used chocolate almond milk)
• 1/4 cup canola oil, or unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 PREHEAT the oven to 350 F

slightly grease and then dust your bundt pan with cocoa powder 

in a large mixing bowl combine flour, starches, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt

whisk well

add the egg replacer mix, agave, milk, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients

mix well on medium speed until smooth, about three minutes

pour batter evenly into your bundt pan

bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes 

(prick the cake with a toothpick, the toothpick should come out clean)

take out of oven and place a plate over the pan, then flip the cake over onto the plate

set aside to cool

       frosting

• 1/8 cup margarine (i used soy free earth balance)
• 2 tablespoons milk of choice (i used almond milk)
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• pinch of salt

combine ingredients in saucepan

whisk constantly over low heat until margarine is melted

take off heat and whisk until completely mixed

wait for cake to cool before frosting

dust frosted cake with confectioners' sugar

share because there's plenty!!

mmmm pie!!

just because i haven't been posting a lot lately, doesn't mean i haven't been cooking everyday and constantly making treats. it's just that some days are better documented than others.

i did have a camera around when making pie the other day.

can i just say this pie was SO GOOD! like perfect even. wonderful flaky crust, it didn't even have the slightest "gluten free" consistency. can't wait to have a reason to make another one..... then again whoever needed a reason?

pear ginger pie

      
      pie filling

• 2-3 large ripe but firm pears
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoons ginger, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch 

toss all pie filling ingredients gently in medium mixing bowl, set aside

     pie crust

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour!)
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
• 6 tablespoons corn starch (to make corn-free, use sweet rice flour)
• 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups margarine of choice ( i use soy-free earth balance)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons milk of choice (i used almond milk)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon milk of choice (almond) to brush the top of the crust
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional) for top of crust

PREHEAT the oven to 425

slightly grease a 9 inch pie dish 

in a large mixing bowl, whisk the flours, starches, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt

add the margarine in tablespoon-size pieces, and mix on medium speed about 1 minute

add the egg replacer, lemon juice, and mix until combined, about 1 minute

divide the dough in half and mold into two balls

place one on a sheet of parchment paper, flatten to a disc with your palm

place another sheet of parchment paper over the dough, and roll out about 2 inches wider than your pie dish

remove the top sheet of parchment paper, and flip the crust into the pie dish, pressing down with your palm

remove other sheet of paper and patch any cracks with your fingers (the dough is very forgiving)

prick the bottom 8 times with a fork and refrigerate while rolling second dough

roll the second crust the same as the first.

take the filling, add it to the pie, and then top with second crust

crimp and pinch edges to make sure the pie is sealed all the way around

cut slits in your top crust

brush crust, including outer edge, with the milk

sprinkle evenly with sugar

bake for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden (reduce to 400 if crust is browning too quickly)

decrease temperature to 375, and bake for about 45 minutes longer

remove from oven and let cool before cutting (about two hours)

want a tart instead?

    for this pear blackberry tart, i simply halved the crust recipe, and changed the baking temperature to 375,

prebaked the crust for 15 minutes, and let cool to room temperature

for the filling i removed the ginger, and added 1/2 a pint blackberries right before baking

i sprinkled the top with some sugar

then baked for about an hour

BOTH WERE AMAZING!! yum yum yum.

chilly day chili!

yesterday was a weird weather day here in new york city.

so weird, in fact, that i'm writing about it on a food blog.

it snowed, rained, hailed with a lightning and thunder storm, and then snowed some more.

covering all the bases, i suppose. 

anyways, i want nothing more than to be cuddled up, warm, and full on days like these. 

so after a trip to the store to get ingredients for my NEW BREADMAKER (yes!! my mom is amazing and got one for me! it even has a gluten free setting on it!), i was on a mission to make some bread and chili. and then eat it!

vegan chili mac

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 of a medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 stalks small celery stalk, chopped
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 dried chipotle peppers, chopped
• 2 sunshine burgers (i used the "south west" burger)
• 2 cans tomatoes (i used fire roasted with roasted garlic)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can roman beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 box of quinoa macaroni pasta
• loose fresh spinach, to taste

in a large pot, i heated the oil on medium heat, and added the onion

then i added the bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt

once the onion looked cooked through, i added the celery and orange pepper

once the vegetables were cooked and tender, i added the sun-dried tomatoes and chipotle pepper,

then the sunshine burgers, and reduced the heat to low

once the burgers were thawed, i broke them into small pieces with a wooden spoon

stirred on low for about 5 minutes

then i added the tomatoes, chili powder, black pepper, kidney, garbanzo, and black beans, turning the heat up and bringing everything to a boil.

once boiling, i put the heat back to low, covered the pot, and simmered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

in a separate pot, i brought some water to a boil, and cooked my quinoa pasta, for about 8 minutes, and then drained and set aside.

after my 45 minutes had passed, i added the corn to the chili pot, stirred and cooked for another 5 minutes

i took the pot off the heat and combined it with the macaroni

i served the chili with fresh spinach, and roasted garlic potato bread.
satisfying!
(more on the bread soon!)

muffins!

these came out great, and tasted like a dessert muffin that i could snack on anytime.

chocolate chip oatmeal muffins

• 1 cup milk of choice, mixed with 1/2 of a lemons juice
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 potato starch (not potato flour!)
• 1/4 tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup gluten free oats
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 heaped teaspoon egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons milk of choice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

PREHEAT the oven to 350 degrees

lightly grease a muffin tray

in a small bowl, first combine the milk and the lemon juice. set aside for at least 5 minutes.

in a large mixing bowl, whisk in the flour, starches, xanthan gum, oats, flax seeds, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, mix well

in small mixing bowl combine agave, oil, applesauce, egg replacer, vanilla, and finally the milk you set aside.

add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix well with wooden spoon

fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are spread evenly throughout the batter
fill muffin cups 3/4 full

bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops look cooked and are stiff enough to resist your fingerprint, and edges aren't sticking to muffin tray