Veg Base

         This is just about the easiest thing I make and I use it for all kinds of things. It's a vegetable base that I use for soups and stews. With it I will share the two recipes I use it most for, Minestrone and Tortilla Soup. I find that it works especially well with these two soups in particular. It also works well as a soup just by itself, just add a can/cup of beans in there for some protein and you are all set. I also take a cup of this and blend it up to throw in my pasta sauce recipe, gives it a nice flavor profile without a lot of effort.

Veg Base

3 carrots, small chop

2 stalks celery, small chop

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

1 quart water

1 quart veggie broth

2 Tbsp. no salt seasoning (I use the organic stuff from Costco, its awesome.)

1 C. crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp. EVOO

salt and pepper to taste

Take a large pot and heat the EVOO up and add carrots, celery and onion, once translucent add cabbage, then add water and garlic, let simmer for 5 minutes, add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are soft enough to be pierced easily by a fork.

Tortilla Soup

Veg Base

1 C. frozen corn

1. C cooked brown rice

1 1/2 C. cooked black beans

1 C. chunky salsa

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. lime juice

Add ingredients to veg base and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add additional water if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips,  vegan sour cream and cheese.

Minestrone Soup

Veg Base

1 can tomato paste

1 C. cooked garbanzo beans,

1 C. cooked great northern beans or kidney beans

1 C. frozen green beans

2 C. spinach, roughly chopped

1 zucchini, sliced and quartered

1/2 C. seashell pasta

2 tsp. dried basil

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Add ingredients, except for tomato paste, to veg base and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Add tomato paste, stir to combine, if there is not enough liquid add water. Serve with crusty bread and vegan Parmesan cheese.

Mushroom Stroganoff

        Lately, it's be cold here, like unbearably cold, the kind of cold that makes you want to crawl into a fire, or hide in a fort and not come out until it is spring and the grass is green again. UNFORTUNATELY, I can't do that. I don't think anyone can do that. The one thing that I have found that fixes the unshakable cold that settles in my bones, is hot comfort food. Soups, stews, hot in the pan meals that warms not only your body, but your soul. I have been making these like mad, hoping to chase the chills away. This is one of my favorites. My grandma always made it with beef, but let's face it, I'm not going to be eating that any time soon. Mushrooms, however, I have found make the perfect replacement, meaty and juicy, they satisfy the "meat" need that people crave. My grandma ate this, and even though it might be the dementia showing, she said this was good and she didn't realize there wasn't any meat in it. So win for me! So here it is, the Gluten-Free, Vegan, Stroganoff recipe.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 4

8oz mushrooms, you can use baby bellas or buttons or a mix, roughly chopped

1/2 c. red wine 

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

2 cloves of garlic, minced

-Mix everything together in a baking dish and set aside for 30 minutes to marinate. 

-Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and put covered dish with mushrooms in.

-Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.

In another bowl mix together;

8oz vegan sour cream (I use a cashew sour cream I make myself, but any kind will do, I suggest Follow Your Heart)

1/2 c. water

2 Tbsp. minced onion

2 Tbsp. Gluten-Free flour mix

2 tsp. no-salt seasoning mix ( I use this organic blend from Costco that is delicious!)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

-Mix together and set aside.

On medium-high heat, take a saucepan and heat 1-2 Tbsp. EVOO, add mushrooms and liquid, and then add sour cream mixture. Cook until mixture thickens slightly, about 8-10 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick you can add some water to thin it out.

Pour Stroganoff over gluten-free noodles and top with green onions. Enjoy!

Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

      This is a recipe that I have fallen in love with, reason being, I used to work at The Cheesecake Factory, and since I was a vegetarian, I would order these at least once a week. Once I moved on from that job, I would still make these, but not often, as they were a bit time consuming. 
      The only reason these aren't very time consuming for me now, is because I short-cut it. I almost always have a fresh container of pico de gallo and salsa verde ( salsa verde recipe) in my fridge, and if not there I have a canned jar in my pantry and I always have the raw ingredients on hand.  So the only thing I really have to make is the southwestern sauce and the cakes, which is super easy. You can always use the original recipe which is right here ----->Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes and use the recipe for the pico and salsa verde that is on there as well!

Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

makes 8 medium sized cakes

1 1/2 sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1/2 c. vegan butter (I use Earth Balance.)

3 Tbsp. vegan sugar (I use coconut sugar.)

1/8 tsp. salt (It's a pinch of salt, if you don't have a 1/8 tsp. I have actually never even seen one.)

1/2 c. GF masa harina (It's just corn flour but could be CC if made in a wheat-processing facility. I haven't had any problems with mine.)

2 Tbsp. GF Flour Mix (I use my own without any gums.)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Puree 1 c. of corn in food processor and add butter, sugar and salt, combine until smooth. Add masa harina, and GF flour, and mix until smooth. Mix in remaining corn by hand. On a parchment lined pan, measure out 1/4 cup sized patties and make into 2-3 inch patties. Put into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until browned on one side, then flip and bake for another 5-7 minutes until other side is browned. 

Southwestern Sauce

1/2 c. vegan mayo (I use veganaise.)

1 tsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. water

3/4 tsp. vegan sugar or agave (I use coconut sugar.)

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. onion powder

salt and garlic powder to taste

Mix everything together in a small bowl and chill in fridge.

Optional toppings: Sliced avocado, cilantro.

Enjoy!!!

Sourdough Starter and Pancakes

I love pancakes. There are probably few things in life better than waking up on a Saturday morning and getting breakfast. I love breakfast, actually, no I don't, I love brunch. Anything that happens before I get out of bed at 9am is usually lost on me. I typically don't get my day started, I mean up and ready to get stuff done, until around 10. I realize I am fortunate enough to be able to do this. Anyways, this have given me plenty of time for the perfect GF and Vegan pancake. The thing is, the big secret, is the sourdough starter. It really makes these pancakes special. Honestly, with real maple syrup and butter they are better than donuts, and hot GF donuts are a-maz-ing! Anyways, yes this recipe requires extra work, but believe me, when you eat them, you won't care. You can even make a double batch and freeze the rest, how cool is that?

First things first. Make this Starter recipe on Monday if you want pancakes on Saturday, you will thank me later, as the starter needs to sit for 3 days before you can use it.

Sourdough Starter

1 c. water, needs to be between 110-115ºF

2 1/4 tsp. or 1 packet of yeast

1 1/2 c. rice flour or GF Flour (Do not use a mix that has any gums in it.)

 Mix and store in a 1 quart or larger container. *Do not use a metal bowl or spoon*. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand for 3 days, mixing 2-3 times daily. After day 3, either use, refrigerate, or replenish.

 To replenish, add; 

1 c. warm water, below 115ºF

1 1/2 c. rice flour or GF Flour (Do not use a mix that has any gums in it.)

Let sit someplace warm for 12 hours. Ready to use afterwards, just make sure you leave at least 1 c. of starter for future recipes. 

Sourdough Pancakes

makes 1 dozen regular pancakes

1 1/4 c. sourdough starter (see recipe above)

1 Tbsp. oil

2 Tbsp. vegan sugar (I use coconut sugar.)

3/4 c. non-dairy milk (I use almond milk.)

1 GF Flour Mix (I use my own, but I'm sure Bob's Red Mill or Better Batter would work)

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Optional- 1 cup mix-ins (Mix-ins can be blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips, nuts, whatever you want. I used blueberries)

Mix together the wet ingredients; starter, oil, sugar, and milk, together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; GF Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry mix to wet mix and stir to combine, should be batter like. Fold in mix-ins, if any. 

Over medium-low heat, oil pan. Pour batter onto the hot pan and cook until brown, then flip. Continue for each pancake, until all batter is used. 

Sweet Potato Tots with Dipping Sauce

       I LOVE tots, actually I'm pretty sure any person in my generation loves tater-tots, and if they don't, they might be an alien. There is something about those warm, crisp, golden nuggets of potato that will always, ALWAYS, make me feel better. Bad day? Have some tots! Not feeling well? Have some tots! Seriously, if you knew the amount of time that I have spent on trying to find tots/eating tots/talking about tots, you would think I have a problem. A hot-tot problem. And well.... I kind of do. I already knew how to make tots with regular potatoes, but a bit ago I went to a restaurant and they had sweet potato tots. Wow, you can imagine the emotions went through me at that point. I love sweet potatoes, and now you are telling me that they make tater-tots out of them? Why wasn't I informed? Who kept this secret from me? Anyways, it was love at first bite, and I knew at that moment I needed to make my own.
      So my main thing that I try to do, cooking-wise, at least, is take a regular recipe and make it into a GF/Vegan recipe. That's what I did here. This is the original recipe -----------> Sweet Potato and Bacon Tots with Creamy Mustard Sauce. Obviously, me being GF and Vegan, I couldn't keep the recipe the way it was, so I changed it, and it turned out amazing! It's a bit time consuming, but so worth it. I also suggest that if you make it, double the recipe and flash fry/freeze half to put into the freezer and then you can bake them just like you would with store bought bagged ones.

Sweet Potato and Coconut Bacon Tots 

2 large sweet potatoes

3 Tbsp. coconut bacon (aka Facon)

1/2 tsp. salt

3 heaping tsp. gluten-free flour

1 tsp. flax meal

3 C. oil

Boil sweet potatoes for 15 minutes, then pulse in food processor until chopped finely. Or shred on box grater. Put sweet potatoes into a clean and dry dishtowel and wring out water from potatoes. 

Add the coconut bacon, salt, flour and flax meal and mix well to combine.

Roll into a small log and cut into tater-tot sized pieces.

Heat oil to 300 degrees F. Working in batches, fry tots until golden brown in color. About 2-3 minutes. 

Sprinkle with salt while still hot. Serve with sauce (recipe below) or sometimes I wait for them to cool down some more and sprinkle some powdered sugar and cinnamon on top of them. Totally turns it into carnival fried junk status but with less guilt, because it's still a sweet potato.

Creamy Vegan Mustard Sauce 

3 Tbsp. vegan mayo

2 Tbsp. maple syrup (honey works too, if you eat honey)

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together ingredients until smooth and keep in fridge until ready to eat.

GF/Vegan Chex Mix

      I have been absent, but I have been active. I have been working on jewelry, purses, and still cooking, all while trying to get into the spirit of spring cleaning. We finally have nice weather here and the sun is out and frankly, I am so happy to just spend time outside I have been neglecting my blog. Recently, I've been making a lot of snacks to keep me going and this is another one of them. I'm actually kind of obsessed with this stuff, seeing as Chex Mix was one of my favorite snack foods pre-GF. This satisfies my cravings for salt and I believe it is healthier because instead of butter I use an Earth Balance/Coconut Oil mix. Keep in mind, this is a snack food, meant to be snacked on, not made a meal of. Keep that in mind, I know that it can be difficulty, especially with this stuff, but just because it is GF and Vegan doesn't mean it is automatically 100% good for you.

 Gluten-Free and Vegan Chex Mix

Makes 10 cups

 

1/4 C. coconut oil

1/4 C.  Earth Balance buttery spread
2 Tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos or GF/Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. onion powder

3 C. Rice Chex

3 C. Corn Chex

2 C. popped popcorn or more Chex

1 C. mixed nuts

1 C. GF pretzels or I used my homemade GF/Vegan Cheese crackers

      Pre-heat oven to 250 and melt coconut oil and Earth Balance in a roaster pan. Mix together all the spices and add to the oil mixture. Add all Chex, popcorn, nuts, and crackers into a bowl and mix together and add to roaster pan with spices and coconut oil. Stir to coat Chex mixture, bake at 250 for 45min-1hr, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Let cool, on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then store in airtight container. 

Will keep for about 2 weeks before going stale, if you can keep it around that long. Enjoy!!

Simple Cucumber Salad

      This is another one of "those" recipes that I have been eating since I was little. It's a staple in my household because; a)it takes like no time to make, b)the ingredients are always on hand, c)it's really good. There is actually a container of it in my fridge at all times, just in case the grandma gets hungry and feels the need to eat something. It's not going to fill you up, it's a side dish, not a meal, so it also works well as a snack. It's 3 ingredients, 5 if you include the salt and pepper, which, pssh, I don't. The part that takes the longest is peeling and grating the cucumber. If you don't think that's easy then you should probably just hire a personal chef at this point, no offense. 

Simple Cucumber Salad

serves 4

1 cucumber, peeled and grated

4 Tbsp. vegan sour cream

4 Tbsp. vinegar (I usually use white or apple cider, they seem to work the best.)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix grated cucumber, vegan sour cream, vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. 

      No seriously, that's it. Enjoy!!