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Amazing Kale

So, today I went shopping with my mom and bought a few different types of Kale. Kale seems to be the trendy vegetable the past year or so and it’s super good for you. Therefore, I have made it my mission to create great recipes with it, this is one of them. Remember that I don’t measure so everything is an approximation, DO taste the sauce and mix the proportions to your liking! 

1 Head of Kale (I used Red Kale, but regular will work too)

3 Tbs Dijon Mustard

Maple Syrup (local or natural please not artificial)

1/2 Cup aminos or soy sauce (I use coconut aminos)

1/8 Cup raisins 

Olive Oil

Instructions: 

1. Wash and cut your Kale. Dry with a paper towel to whisk away extra moisture and gather your kale to slice it like you would lettuce for a shredded effect.

2. Pour about 1-2 Tbs of Olive oil in a large pan, turn on heat to medium-low and add the kale. 

3. Wilt the kale, it will probably be heaping above the top of the pan and that’s ok, the wilting will shrink it. Just lightly toss/turn over the kale to help shrink

4. once the kale is almost completely wilted, add the raisin and mix the sauce

5. THE SAUCE: the dijon, aminos and maple syrup, whisk together. You should make this to taste, as I don’t really measure.

6. pour the sauce over the kale,you will probably end up using half of it depending how soupy you want this to be; I personally wanted very little excess sauce. stir for about 5 mins

Serve the kale, you may need to make extra sauce, I served it with a baked sweet potato and also put the sauce on that. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe, please leave comments!

- Jess

Personal Update

So, I have not updated in a while but tonight I will try to post a recipe. I am not the healthiest person, my Lyme has me struggling but I’m trying to eat better and sleep as much as possible so I can feel like cooking. Tonight I made what I’m going to call Amazing Kale. So, recipe soon to follow…

Vegetables “Au Gratin” Casserole

Au Gratin literally means “with the grating” in French and traditionally describes a dish topped with browned breadcrumbs, or cheese, or both. Last night I decided I have way too many remnants of frozen vegetables clogging up space in my freezer, so I decided to whip up something to use them up. Estimated time: 30mins

Ingredients: 

Frozen vegetables

2cups Dairy free cheese of choice (1 for sauce, 1 for topping)

1cup Dairy free milk of choice (almond, soy, coconut)

1/4cup Dairy free butter (Earth Balance)

1/4cup Oat flour or other gluten free flour

Italian herbs of choice

French fried onion topping - here’s a link for how to make your own gluten free ones http://www.food.com/recipe/gluten-free-fried-onion-topping-for-green-bean-casserole-445418

Instructions:

1.Gather  together your frozen vegetable remnants, (I had carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, peppers, Brussels sprouts, corn) and defrost or par cook them. 

2. In a small-medium sized casserole dish toss your par cooked veggies together.

3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 

4. In a small saucepan carefully melt your Earth Balance or butter of choice on low, do not burn it!

5. While your butter is melting, sift your oat flour into cold coconut or almond milk, whisk the flour in slowly to prevent clumps

6. Add the milk and flour mixture into the now melted butter and whisk, turn up the heat and whisk until thickened. 

7. Add Daiya, soy or almond cheese to the butter,milk and flour mixture, stir continually until it has melted into the mixture. 

8. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce over the vegetables, toss thoroughly. 

9. Put fried onions and cheese into a food processor, pulse. 

10. Sprinkle the onions and cheese over the vegetables and place in the oven

11. Bake for 20-30 mins. 

12. When serving, sprinkle your choice of Italian herbs on to give it real flavor!

Enjoy!

13isglad-deactivated20120227

13isglad-deactivated20120227 asked:

Hi. I've been Vegetarian since I was 4 or 5! My New Years resolution was to be Vegan for at least 6 months. I told myself that if I can be Vegan for that long and not have an emotional break down I would do it for as long as I could. I am 13 so I'm not quite sure how to approach this. I have been vegan for one day now. Could you give me some advise, please?

Sure! The important thing is to not get too carb heavy, I personally love carbs so it is particularly a challenge for me! You should try some of the recipes on my blog, you can use products containing gluten, I just don’t use them because I’m allergic. I snack a lot, fresh fruit and veggies are the way to go. I think my favorite snack is cucumber w/ ginger dressing (I use the Makoto brand) http://makotodressing.com/makoto-salad-dressing-products.html

There are a lot of cheese substitutes out there, I’ve found the Daiya brand to be the best tasting, but don’t use them a lot they are like vegan junk food.  I’d say the best way to transition to being vegan is just being vigilant about reading ingredients. I substitute coconut milk for all my cooking and almond milk for cereal. Also coconut yogurt and ice-cream are really delicious. The Ener-G egg replacer works really well. Honestly the only foods that I miss are pizza and mozzarella sticks, but you can make a pretty good vegan pizza too. The best thing to do is to eat as much fresh fruit and veggies that you can, I also buy a lot of steamer bags of vegetables and eat those and a baked potato with Earth Balance vegan butter, you still want to eat your grains and fats like the cheese substitutes to help with eating enough calories but the majority of your diet should be produce. If you want a meal plan sample I’ll be happy to make one but it may take a few days. 

hope this helps!

Pierogies

I LOVE my Christmas meal, being mostly Polish, we celebrate on Christmas Eve. The keystone of this meal for me, are the pierogies. They might be my favorite food ever, so this year I determined that I would make an adaptation I can eat. I’ve included 2 of the endless options for filling these babies. Now I will forewarn you that this is a tedious process and you may want to break the steps down between several days, I however, am of the ambitious sort who makes it all in one day. 

1 cup tapioca starch/flour 

1 cup bob’s red mill all purpose gluten free (or your choice of gf flour blend)

3 tsp Ener-G egg replacer (powdered)

1 tbsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

 1/2 cup almond or soy milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

a little water

Dough Instructions:  (note: I used a food processor for this, however you need to work the water in with your hands because you can’t get it completely combined in the processor, so it is completely up to you whether to use your hands the whole time.)

1. combine all dry ingredients including egg replacer

2. slowly add your milks, and combine with your hands working in a little at a time. 

3. add a tiny bit of water into the dough until it is holding together completely and just before it gets really sticky, if it gets too sticky just add some more flour. 

4. flour the surface you are going to work on and the rolling pin (you may use a pasta machine if you have one, I don’t ) and split your dough into about 6 equal parts. ( I rolled mine into balls about the size of my fist) 

5. Roll out the dough 1 sixth at a time, I used an old Earth Balance container as my stencil or “cookie” cutter for these, you can use a glass for smaller pierogies, and cut out your circles of dough. (I can’t really give you an exact thickness to roll it out to, you just feel it, I’d say between the thickness of paper and cardboard, haha)

6. Set your dough aside.

Filling: (note: for an alternative filling, add mushrooms to the pan with the onion, and omit the daiya)

1 steamer bag or frozen potatoes

1 medium sized vidalia onion, chopped

1/2 cup Earth Balance, or your choice vegan butter 

1/4 cup Daiya Cheddar Flavor “cheese”

1 cup coconut milk

Instructions: 

1. Steam the potatoes in the microwave

2. While the potatoes are steaming, melt your butter in a small pan and add your onions, cook until translucent. 

3. combine potatoes, onion and butter mixture in food processor, add the coconut milk slowly until it reaches a mashed potato consistency, add your Daiya and mix. 

Putting it all together:

1. put about a teaspoon of filling in each dough circle, fold in half and press the edges together, press again on each side (same edge, just flip it over) with the tongs of a fork. 

2. Boil water and cook pierogies for about 2 mins, then drain. (you will notice with homemade gf pastas that they begin to deteriorate if you boil them for too long, so if you notice the dough starting to crack or fall apart you know you’ve left them in for too long. 

3. This step is optional but highly recommended! Lightly fry these in a pan with more earth balance and onions. 

I know this is a TON of work but for me, it’s so completely worth it!

If anyone is brave enough to take on the challenge, please let me know what you think of the recipe! 

Potato Leek Soup

I am a hodge-podge of nationalities, but my last name happens to be Irish which made me fascinated with Ireland’s foods and traditions since I was little. I am fortunate enough to live 5 minutes away from the best Celtic restaurant ever! Before I became vegan and gluten free I ate there all of the time with my fiance and the only thing we went for was the potato leek soup, irish brown bread and tea. I was reminded of this on our 1 year anniversary (Dec. 10th) so I challenged myself to make a version I could enjoy just as much without animal cruelty or consuming allergenic foods. I made both the soup and bread :) 

The source for this recipe is here: http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/soupsandsalads/r/gfpotatosoup.htm

  • 3 large, cubed potatoes
  • 1 finely sliced, washed leek
  • 3 finely minced cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons Earth Balance, or olive oil 
  • 3 tablespoons Gluten free flour ( I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose)
  • 4 Cups Vegetable Stock  
  • 1 cup Coconut milk ( soy, or almond is fine I just LOVE coconut milk for most recipes)
  • 2-3 teaspoons dried, crushed thyme leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
  1. You can use one giant pot for this recipe. Boil the cubed potatoes just until tender but not over-cooked. While the potatoes are cooking, slice your leeks.If you are unfamiliar with leeks, they are in the same family as onions and garlic, meaning they have layers. to slice the leeks, first cut off the little white roots, then on the opposite, very dark green end cut off about 3 inches and discard. Then slice the leek in half length-wise, which will leave you with long U shapes, now wash the leeks peeling back the layers to make sure you get the trapped dirt out, now you will thinly slice it like you would celery, making tiny U’s. Mince your Garlic. Now drain your potatoes and leave in the colander. 
  2. Melt Earth Balance in the now emptied pot over medium heat. Add  flour of choice and whisk until the mixture combines, continue to whisk until the mixture is bubbly and thick, about two minutes.
  3. Add leeks and garlic and cook for two minutes. Stir to prevent burning.
  4. Add the potatoes
  5. Slowly add your vegetable broth and stir.
  6. Add milk and stir again to blend. Add seasonings and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Put the lid on your pot and let it sit for at least 2 hours, your need to let all the flavors absorb into each other.

My family loves this soup, my fiance said it’s even better than the restaurants! Serve this with a piece of heavily buttered brown bread, the recipe for the bread will follow! 

Peace & Love, 

Jess

G.F. Vegan Penne a La Vodka

I am a recovering (sort of) carboholic. That’s right, I am addicted to carbs, and as a newbie to the gluten free world, that became a problem. One of my favorite carb dishes has always been Penne a la vodka, unfortunately it combines almost everything I am allergic to; wheat, eggs, milk, and cheese!  And other vegan versions require soaking nuts or using soy products (which I’m allergic to). So, what’s a girl to do? Get cookin’ ! So I have created a wheat free, dairy free version to satisfy my carb addiction.

1 Box Schar Gluten Free Penne Pasta

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes 

1/4 cup vodka

6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped. 

1/4 tsp (each) oregano, basil and parsley

dash of red pepper flakes and thyme

1/2 Cup regular coconut milk (canned and unsweetend, NOT condensed or from a carton!)

2 Tbs Tapioca starch (corn starch works too)

3Tbs Olive Oil

1. Boil water and add the pasta, while it’s cooking complete the rest of the steps.

2. In a large saucepan, add your garlic and herbs (oregano,basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, thyme) and stir. Brown the garlic, but be sure not to burn it, about 3 mins. 

3. Add your can of tomatoes carefully (it will bubble and splash!) and wait for it to boil, add the tapioca starch, turn down the heat and add the vodka. 

4. Simmer for 2 mins, and turn off the heat.

5. Carefully spoon the tomato chunks into your food processor, add the coconut milk and pulse until thoroughly blended.

6. add the processed mixture back into the liquid and stir until combined (you may want to add an extra splash of vodka at the point just to punch up the taste, I did). 

7. Mix the sauce with your drained pasta and enjoy!

Warning: it will smell slightly of coconut, however there is no trace of coconut taste and embarrassing noises may escape your mouth upon tasting this dish.  

Another food indulgence successfully adapted to be allergen free! :) 

Garlic “Cheddar” Drop Biscuits

Okay, so you remember those delicious biscuits from Red Lobster? Well I have managed a Gluten free, vegan version! I haven’t quite mastered food photography but here’s what I’ve got:

To start, and make my life easier I bought 1-2-3 Gluten Free Southern Glory Biscuit mix.

  • 1 1/2 tsp. of fresh lemon juice

  • 1/2 cup(s) of Almond or Coconut Milk

  • 1/2 cup(s) of Earth Balance Butter (I use soy free), and an additional 6 Tbs

  • 1/2 tsp. of garlic that has been put through a garlic press

  • 1/2 tsp. of dried Italian herbs, crushed between fingers

  • 1/2 cup(s) of Daiya Cheddar Cheese

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit

  2. Now create your “buttermilk”, Pour your lemon juice into a measuring cup and add almond or coconut milk until you reach the ½ cup mark. Stir to combine and let it sit for 10 minutes. 

  3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup of your Earth Balance butter, then add your pressed garlic and italian herbs. I used parsley, oregano and basil. 

  4. While your “buttermilk” is sitting for the 10 mins, empty your package of biscuit mix into a food processor, add the remaining 6Tbs of Earth Balance and pulse until it creates a coarse meal. Then add half of your butter, garlic and herb mixture, slowly, and then your Daiya Cheddar Cheese.  

  5. Next, add your vegan buttermilk, mix thoroughly. Add additional milk of your choice until the dough holds together and is a sticky, airy consistency. 

  6. Roll some dough in your hands, try to keep your biscuits the same size and drop them on a greased baking sheet, press down very lightly to make them spread out.  

  7. Place into the oven and time them for 6 mins, when the 6 mins are up, drizzle the remaining butter, garlic and herb mixture over the biscuits and return to the oven for about 8 more mins. 

    I added more “cheese” on top of mine, before declaring them finished. 

    I hope you enjoy these, even my carnivore fiance loved them!

    -Jess

Rice pasta with Peas in Butter Sauce

This was my first recipe I concocted since learning about my allergies, so don’t judge me! 

Contains: 

Rice Pasta

Earth Balance

Garlic

Oregano

Peas

To start I boiled and salted my water, as usual. I used about half a bag of Rice shell shaped pasta. While the pasta was cooking ( because rice pasta takes FOREVER to cook) I took a small sauce pan and turned my stove on to medium heat, added about a cup of soy-free Earth Balance (you can use your choice of buttery spread, this just happens to be my only option.) and let it melt, while the ” butter” was melting I quickly put 3-4 garlic cloves through my garlic press and added that to the pan. I then added a dash of salt and oregano, you can season to your preferences. The last ingredient is the peas, I used canned because I had some left over from earlier in the week but frozen would be more nutritious, it was about 3/4 to 1 cup. Again, if you really like peas or want a more vegetable heavy meal, you can add as much as you want. I let the Earth Balance, garlic and pea mixture simmer for about 2 mins, make sure not to burn your garlic. When the pasta was Al Dente, I turned off the stove and drained it, after shaking out the excess water I put the pasta in a large bowl, poured the butter and peas over it and mixed well. 

Takes about 15mins to prepare depending on the cooking time of your rice pasta.

Let me know if you try the recipe what you think!

- Jess

Big News

Hi everyone, sorry I haven’t posted in eons! I was actually just diagnosed with Lyme disease and told that I am allergic to Wheat, yeast, milk and eggs, green and wax beans, kidney beans, cranberries, rye, tomatoes, and SOY. sooo this will now be a wheat-free, yeast-free, vegan recipe blog that uses minimal soy (can’t give it up completely, its a vegetarian’s kryptonite!). I can’t give an estimate as to when I’ll be posting new recipes because frankly it takes all of my energy just to get out of bed in the morning, let alone cook. 

Happy National Vegetarian Awareness Month! <3

October is my favorite month, not only is it the month of my birth, but it’s National Vegetarian Awareness Month! Let’s challenge all of our friends and family to do the 30 day vegetarian challenge, or at least make one day a week veg day. It’s important to celebrate our cause and share with others in a non-threatening way, so remember; don’t be too pushy! So my dears, show your love and spread the word! http://www.packetinsider.com/blog/naturalchoice/?p=138 

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