Gluten-free Pasta and Home-made Tomato Sauce

This is one of our favs and total comfort food. The sauce is a bit time consuming to make, but worth it.

You will need:

• 1 tin of tomato sauce
• 2 tins of tomato paste
• 1 cup of red wine
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 to 1 - 1/2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil
• Gluten-free pasta

Make the sauce:

Saute onion, garlic and chili flakes in vegetable oil.  Add zucchini,  mushrooms, and red pepper.  Add tomato sauce and tomato pasta.  Stir in wine and water.  Mix fully and bring to a boil.  Be very careful at this point - I find this sauce burns very easily.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 - 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every half an hour or so.

A word on wine:  I find Bright's Red House wine a nice pasta sauce wine.  It's not too expensive, but doesn't taste cheap.  It is a screw cap, so it's easy to store in the fridge.

Make the pasta as you normally would.  Drain and rinse.  Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan.  Delish!

Gluten-free Pizza

I have been craving a gluten-free pizza made from scratch.  I took out my Bette Hagman cookbook and picked an easy pizza dough recipe.  The cookbook is Living Well Without Wheat by Bette Hagman and can be bought on Amazon by clicking here.  The recipe is Jill's Quick and Easy Pizza Crust on Page 161.  My book is an older version though.  The one on Amazon is a revised version.

Bette Hagman developed Celiac Disease later in life and wrote several cook books that helped me tremendously with my transition to gluten-free eating.  She passed away a few years ago.

You will need:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2/3 cup rice flour
• 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 shortening, melted
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
• pizza sauce
• pizza toppings of your choice

Before I begin, a word on xanthan gum. The gluten in wheat adds that stretch and binding to doughs and baked goods.  With gluten-free baking we sometimes need to add our own binding agent.  That is what we use xanthan gum for.  It is ridiculously expensive, but you only would use 1 tsp. at the absolute most in any given recipe so it does last a long time.  I keep mine in a sealed container in the freezer.  I have found it in the Bulk Barn and health food stores. 

Make the dough:

Beat the milk and eggs together.  Add the flours, xanthan gum and salt.  Mix in melted shortening.

Spread onto a clay pizza round in a 12-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick, but make the out edge thicker.  You will find this very thin and runny, but trust me that it will bake up very nicely. 

Make the pizza:

Spread pizza sauce over the dough.  Add shredded mozzarella.  I added jalapenos, sliced mushrooms and sliced onion.  Rach added roasted garlic, sliced onion and pickled banana peppers on her side.  The picture shown is my side. 

Bake at 400 degrees F for approx 25 minutes.  I let it sit for about 10 or 15 minutes before slicing.  It really is good - hit the spot!

Spicy Vegetable Soup

Rach has a cold this week, so I wanted to come up with a spicy soup to help her feel better.  This did the trick.  It's so easy and really hit the spot on this rainy night.

You will need:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 cup gluten free macaroni
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 8 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and chili flakes in oil.  Add carrots and zucchini. Add salt and pepper.  When softened, add stock and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and add kidney beans and frozen peas.  Reduce heat and simmer for about half an hour.  Stir in macaroni and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Add more salt (and pepper if you want) to taste. 

Yummy!

Channa (vegan)

Rach and love chick peas.  They are a great source of protein and iron.  I would eat them five times a week if I could.  This recipe is a traditional-style channa (so my friend Ajit tells me).  It's so easy to make and goes amazingly well with my lemon potatoes (recipe to come) and my Garlic Green Beans.

You will need:

• 1 can of chick peas (drained and rinsed)
• 2 cups of baby spinach or arugula 
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 tbsp. Shan's Channa Masala mix
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• hot pepper flakes (optional)
• water

Saute onion in vegetable oil with hot pepper flakes (if using).  When softened add chick peas and 1 to 2 tbsp. Shan's Channa Masala mix.  You can't just buy this an any grocery store.  I have seen it occasionally, but I usually have to get a friend to pick me my supply in a shop in an Indian neighbourhood.  

This is quite salty, so that keep that in mind.  I add some water at this point so the channa mix doesn't burn.  The channa mix will thicken the water (only use about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of water).

When the chick pea and onion mixture resembles a stew-like consistency, add in the arugula or spinach.  I like arugula a little more than spinach.  It is less bitter and all has all the great properties of any dark, leafy green.  When the arugula has wilted (it won't take long) season to taste with salt and pepper. 

A Great Gluten-free Find

 

Whenever I find a good gluten-free product, I like to share with my Celiac friends.  

I found these rice thins in No Frills.  They are a crunchy, thin cracker that doesn't have that unpleasant aftertaste that traditional rice crackers seem to have.  They come in a variety of different flavours. They are definitely worth a try. 

Don't Forget the B12!

Many vegetarians forget about B12 in their diets.  B12 is only present in meat and to a lesser degree animal products (e.g. eggs).

Once someone becomes B12 deficient there is no repairing the damage.  You can read more about the symptoms and dangers of B12 deficiency here.

The only way to take a B12 supplement is through a sub lingual (absorbed under the tongue).  I like the Nutrition House B12 (picture shown).  It is berry flavoured and quite pleasant tasting.

Poutine

 

Poutine is something Rach really missed when we went vegetarian.  We have found a way to duplicate the dark brown "beef" gravy.  You won't believe this is one hundred percent vegetarian.

You will need:

• 1 bag of frozen fries
• 2 cups of water
• 1 Knorr vegetable cube
• 1/2 tsp. sage
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 3 or 4 tbsp. corn starch
• cold water
• vegetable oil
• cheese curds

Bake the fries in the oven according to package directions.  We like to bake them so we use less fat and baking them makes the fries nice and hot so the cheese curds melt really nicely.

While the fries are baking, make the gravy.  Saute onion and garlic in oil.  Add 2 cups of water, vegetable cube, spices, nutritional yeast and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Mix corn starch in a bit of cold water.  Mix into gravy mixture.  It should thicken instantly.

When the fries are done, pour gravy over top.  Then add the cheese curds.

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

This is another recipe from the milk calendar.  Again, it's been changed slightly.

You will need:

• 1 - 1/2 cups quinoa
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 Knorr vegetable cube
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups frozen vegetable mix
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 can red kidney beans
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

In a fine, mesh sieve, rinse quinoa well under cold running water.  This removes the bitterness from it and is an essential step.  If your sieve is not fine enough then use a coffee filter in the sieve.  I find that works well. 

Prepare vegetables:
Saute onion and hot pepper flakes in vegetable oil.  Add red pepper and saute until softened.  Stir in frozen veggies and saute for a minute or two - until they start thawing. 

Prepare quinoa:
Add veggie mixture to quinoa in a microwave rice cooker.  Dissolve veggie cube in boiling water.  Add to quinoa/veggie mixture.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Stir. Microwave on power 6 for 13 minutes.  Broth should be totally absorbed.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cool.

Prepare salad:
Add feta cheese, drained and washed kidney beans and balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste.  Serve cold

Vegetables in Cream Sauce

 

This is another recipe Rach and took out of the mild calendar and modified it a bit.  

You will need:

• 12 baby new potatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup green beans, cut in small pieces
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1-1/2 cups of milk
• 1 cup Asiago cheese, shredded
• 1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Combine potatoes, peas, beans and carrots in a large sauce pan, over with water and boil until almost tender.  Add in broccoli. Cook for another 10 minutes or so. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion in vegetable oil.  Add thyme and hot pepper flakes. Stir in cornstarch and add milk.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Add in Asiago cheese.

Toss milk mixture with cooked vegetables and add salt and pepper to taste.

Iced Green Tea with Honey (vegan)

This was something Rach and made on some of those insanely hot days.  We were trying to stay cool with our a/c broken.

You will need:

• 2 green tea bags
• 2 trays of ice cubes
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of honey

Make the green tea in a large teapot.  I put the honey right in the teapot, so it dissolves when I add the boiling water.  Don't let the bags steep for more than half an hour as the tea will be quite bitter if you do.  Once it has cooled down a bit, pour over ice in a juice pitcher.  

This is much nicer than the powdered iced tea and so much more affordable.

Garden Vegetable Rice (vegan)

This is a new recipe Rach and I have tried.  This has been well received by our taste testers.

You will need:

• 2 cups of boiling water
• 1 Knorr vegetable cube
• 1 cup of uncooked rice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 onion, chopped
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Fry onion, carrots and garlic in vegetable oil.  While that is softening down, dissolve veggie cube in boiling water.  When vegetables are soft, mix in with raw rice. I use a microwave rice steamer - add veggie cube mixture.  Microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Stir.  Microwave on level 6 for 10 minutes.  It will be done when all veggie broth mixture is absorbed.  If necessary microwave a bit longer.  Add salt and  pepper to taste.  Stir in almonds and serve.

Chocolate Peanutbutter Smoothie

 

 With our a/c broken, Rach and I have been trying to come up with ways to keep cool. This recipe came out of the milk calendar for 2011.  This is just like drinking a dessert. 

You will need:

• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup peanutbutter
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
• 3 scoops of frozen yogurt
• 1 tbsp. mini chocolate chips for topping (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with chocolate chips if desired.