Gluten Free Cornbread

This month there was a recipe for blue corn bread muffins in Vegetarian Times magazine. So I was all excited to try it and went to the store to pick up blue corn meal, but they were out.  So I settled for regular corn meal, and it is still delicious.  It tastes the best warm from the oven and topped with honey.

Gluten Free Cornbread

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour
1/4 cup sugar (I used raw sugar because that's all I had around)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 "egg" made from egg replacer
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup rice milk
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Oil a square cake pan.
2. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl.
3. Whisk together egg and oil in separate bowl. Whisk in rice milk. Stir mixture into dry ingredients until combined. Fold in corn kernels.
4. Pour batter into cake pan and bake 30-35 minutes. To make sure it's done, stick a toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean. 

Parsnip and Red Lentil Soup

I am completely obsessed with parsnips and so is G. So I just used anything I can find in my cupboards and made this delicious soup.  It's a combination of the carrot parsnip bisque I make in the crock pot and my mom's red lentil soup. 

Parsnip Red Lentil Soup

3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cups red lentils, green lentils, or split peas, rinsed
5 cups vegetable broth, I used 1 package of Imagine No-Chicken broth (vegan/gluten free)
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Start with a large stock pot and heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the diced onion and parsnips and cook until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add broth, water, lentils/peas, and bay leaf. Simmer until cooked thoroughly, about 35 minutes.
3. Add in the can of crushed tomatoes, then cook an extra 5-10 minutes.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Arugula Pesto

I made this pesto a few weeks ago, but I literally have no time to blog. Yesterday I worked from 9:30 am until 9:45 pm and I went to bed an hour after that. I've also made a few other really delicious things, some with friends, some by myself that I will post links to on the bottom of this page.


But back to this pesto. I found it on Pinterest like most things in my life these days and decided that it would probably taste just as good without the cheese.  It's from the blog One Hungry Mama.

Arugula Pesto

1/2 cup almonds (I used whole even though it called for sliced, it turned out fine, use what you have)
2 cups packed fresh arugula
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Simple right?
 
 

1. Add the almonds into a food processor and roughly chop.

2. Then add in the arugula and garlic. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while it's blending. I think I used less than the recommended amount, I stopped as soon as it reached the right consistency.  I had to add the arugula in batches because I'm working with a tiny food processor.

For some color I just threw some heirloom cherry tomatoes in a frying pan with some oil until they split open and added them on top of the pasta.

I love this recipe because I crave pesto in the winter and basil only grows in the summer. Arugula is the perfect solution. Plus, pine nuts are so expensive it's nice to have a substitute.

Here are some other recipes that I have been doing lately that are definitely worth your time:
Vegetarian Pho
Refried Beans
Curried Cauliflower Soup

Pumpkin "Cheesecake"

I've been wanting to try one of these raw "cheesecakes" for awhile, and when I saw the recipe for the pumpkin one while perusing the internet, I knew it was time. I have my doubts whenever I make something gluten free, because I've tried so many things that have failed. But for how few ingredients were in this, it turned out amazing. G thinks we should call it something other than cheesecake though, he's a bit of a cheesecake snob.

The crust is literally just dates and almonds. It called for a spring form pan, and I almost bought one, but then realized, this might fail and I'd be stuck with a pan that's meant for a food I can't eat. So, I used my Pyrex pie dish and surprisingly, it didn't stick to the bottom when I cut it, it came up slices intact. One hazard of gluten free food is that it crumbles. You can almost always count on dishing yourself up something that is going to crumble on it's way to your plate, not this guy though.

The only other adjustment I made was to used canned pumpkin instead of cooking one myself. I just didn't see the need to waste all that time on dessert, this time at least.

Here's the recipe: Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sorry for the small slice, I just wasn't that hungry after cooking/eating all afternoon.

Red Lentil Coconut Curry Soup

I was looking for something I could make on the weekend and take with me to work for lunch the whole week. I definitely struck gold. This coconut curry red lentil soup has been amazing and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. It is definitely being added to my list of recipes to make all the time.  It took under 30 minutes to make, I even had time to do the dishes and put away clean laundry while it was cooking. What a time saver. I also really wanted to start getting into the fall spirit. The weather is turning and I can smell fall in the air, so it's definitely soup time. 

I started it off in a dutch oven like it recommended, but then quickly realized that it wasn't going to hold all the liquid, so I switched it to my reliable soup pot.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Here's the link: red lentil coconut soup.

I followed the recipe exactly except I left out the jalapeno seeds. I was scared, but having left them out, the soup isn't spicy at all. I also miscounted how many limes I needed for this week's menu and had already used the allotted lime for my kale chips. Sooo, I left that out, it still tastes amazing though.

I have this horrible guilt from not cooking my own chickpeas this week. Is this a form of eco-guilt? I used canned chickpeas which I should feel okay about since they were a can that was given to me by a legume-intolerant friend. Maybe it's a form of possible BPA guilt? Either way, I wish that I didn't let it bother me all the time. A little guilt is good, it helps to motivate. As much as I experience, you would think I was Catholic. I will cross my fingers that this week's chickpea guilt will pass and I can go on enjoying life. There's another chickpea recipe coming up this week though, so I won't hold my breath.

Spicy Kale Chips

It is pretty amazing that I haven't made these before. For some reason, I thought they would be a lot more labor intensive then they were, although I did have G do most of the work for me. I found this recipe through pinterest but modified it a little to make it gluten free and vegan.

Spicy Kale Chips

A bunch of Kale, as much as you want really.

2 Tbs olive oil

1Tbs siracha

1 tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Juice from half a lime

Wash, dry and tear the kale into chip size pieces.  Mix all of the other ingredients together to make a marinade and coat all the kale evenly. Spread the kale on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

We got all of our kale from the garden, it's kind of going wild right now and really needs to get used up. We also tried using up some beet greens that were laying around, but that backfired and they stuck to the baking sheet. These turned out delicious and barely made it off the baking sheet before they were all eaten.

I haven't forgot about you!

It has been too long since I have posted a recipe on here. However, it will have to wait a little longer. This month has been crazy. I took a trip to see family and friends in NY, started a new full time job that doesn't get me home until 7:30pm, and have had friends from Germany/China visiting. So please forgive me. As soon as I settle into my new routine, I promise I will have some delicious recipes to post (I already have lots of pumpkin ones picked out). So sit back, relax, and enjoy the weather as summer tumbles gracefully into autumn.