Black Bean Avocado Salad

This was another super fast dinner on a hot night.  I love it when dinner is made in 5 minutes or less.

You will need:

• 1/4 olive oil
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

In a serving bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper.  Add black beans, onions, red pepper, garlic and avocado.  Toss to combine. 

Broccoli Salad

Rach and I sort of just made this up based on a recipe a neighbour gave me.  It turned out really good.

You will need:

• 1 bunch broccoli, washed and cut into small flowerettes
• 1 jar of Renee's Greek salad dressing
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 cup trail mix
• 1/3 sweet onion, chopped
• salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  That's it.  

Taco Salad

This salad turned out amazingly well.  It has to be built in layers, so it is a bit fiddly, but it is worth it.

You will need:

• Vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1/2 cup TVP
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 4 cups tortilla chips
• 1 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 English cucumber, chopped

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, and chili flakes in vegetable oil.  When softened add chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.  Add in TVP and water.  Add chili sauce and kidney beans.

Next we layer.  Spread some nacho chips on a plate.  Cover with bean mixture. Top with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream.

Great Gluten-Free Find

I have recently been trying some of Amy's products.  Not all work for me, but this Indian dinner was amazing. It is completely vegetarian with rice and cashews, dahl and veggies.  It is worth a try. 

Kidney Beans & Corn

I spiced this recipe up, but you can turn the heat up or down as you like.  It was very nice poured over white and wild brown rice.

You will need:

• Vegetable oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves, garlic crushed
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 tsp, chili flakes
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can corn
• Salt and pepper

Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, and chili flakes in vegetable oil  When softened add pepper, cumin and mustard powder. Stir in beans and corn with liquid and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Gluten-Free Find

I found these burritos and pizza wraps at Noah's Health Food Store.  They are made by Glutenfreda Foods.  I didn't find them to be worth the money, but they did give me some ideas to try in the future.  Stay tuned.

Great Gluten-Free Find

I found these at Noah's Natural Foods. I had a BBQ this weekend and wanted a gluten-free meatless burger.  These were pretty good and worth a try.  They are by a company called Sol.  With some cheese and all the fixings, it was  a great taste.

Bean Salad (vegan)

This is my friend, Gail's mother's recipe.  It makes a huge batch and is best served at room temperature.  It is nicest if made a day or two ahead of time.

You will need:

• 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3/4 c. olive oil
• 4 tbsp. vinegar
•  1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tbsp. sugar

Combine corn, chick peas, kidney beans, black beans, red onion and red pepper and set aside.  In a separate bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, paprika and sugar.  Pour over bean mixture and let sit in the fridge for a day or so.  You can stir the salad every so often so make sure the dressing gets well incorporated. 

Macaroni Salad

I've recently been getting my fruits and vegetables from the St. Lawrence Market and was craving a pasta salad with all sorts of fresh vegetables in it.

You will need:

• 1 package of grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 package gluten-free macaroni
• 2 cups Miracle Whip
• Salt and pepper

Cook pasta as usual and drain in cold water.  Add in tomatoes, red pepper, onion and celery.  Stir in Miracle Whip and salt and pepper to taste.

This is very quick to make and fees a crowd.

Blueberry Pie

This recipe is basically the same as the Strawberry Pie recipe, but it uses blueberries instead.  I add an 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Strawberry Pie

I get tons of compliments on my pies.  This weekend I couldn`t decide whether to make strawberry or blueberry, so I went with both.  The strawberry held together a little better than the blueberry, but both taste equally nice.

You will need:

• 1 batch of gluten-free pie pastry 
• 4 cups strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup gluten-free flour mixture
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix strawberries, sugar, gluten-free flour mix and lemon juice.  Prepare pie pastry as usual.  Fill pie with strawberry mixture and cover with pastry.  Bake in 350F oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheesy Potato Chowder

This soup is totally Rach's creation.  It is a rich, creamy potato chowder.

You will need:

• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 potatoes, cut in large chunks
• 1 tub garlic Philadelphia cooking cream
• 2 cups asiago cheese, shredded
• 2 cups 3 year old cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tbsp. each of fresh basil and oregano, chopped
• 1 1/4 cup frozen peas
• vegetable oil
• pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Saute garlic, onion and chili flakes in vegetable oil.  When softened add vegetable stock, peas, basil, oregano and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer until potatoes are tender.  Stir in cooking cream and cheeses until heated through.  Add pepper to taste.   

Risotto

Risotto is a lot of work, and really needs two people to keep things moving.  Risotto is different from normal rice as it needs the liquid added a bit at time and needs to be stirred constantly. Rach is the stirer and I'm the chopper.

You will need:

• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 package of pre-washed arugula
• 2 tbsp. each of fresh oregano and basil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4 cups hot vegetable stock
• vegetable oil
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Parmesan cheese
• pepper

Saute red pepper and onion in vegetable oil.  When softened add in garlic, peas and wine.  Add in rice and a ladle of vegetable stock.  At this point add in herbs.  Keep adding vegetable stock a bit at a time, stirring until absorbed and then add some more.  When all the stock is added, stir in kidney beans and chick peas.  Stir in arugula and stir until wilted.  Add pepper to taste.  Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Quinoa Salad With Feta Cheese

I have been working on quinoa recipes that I actually like.  This one is a winner. 

You will need:

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. Dijion mustard
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

Cook qunioa in vegetable stock.  I use the rice cooker.

Mix olive oil, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Blanch pea pods for 3 minutes and set aside.

In cooked quinoa add in feta cheese, tomatoes and pea pods. Stir in dressing.  Serve.

Nectarine and Almond Salad

6 fresh bocconcini, sliced
4 nectarines, sliced in 6 slices each
1 package of salad greens
1/4 cup almond pieces
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. chives, chopped

Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and chives.  Set aside.

Brush nectarine slices with dressing.  Broil for 5 minutes.  Turn and broil for 5 more minutes.  Cool slightly.

Toss salad greens bocconcini and  almonds.  Add in nectarines.  Top with dressing.  I found it needed some extra salt.

Iron Supplement

I have been exploring iron supplement options.  Most wreck havoc on the stomach causing uncomfortable issues. 

I have found Floralvit.  It is vegetarian and gluten-free.  Be careful not to pick up Floardix - that one is not gluten-free.  Both get their iron sources from food sources and are pleasant to taste in a bit of juice.  The Floradix gets it's source from wheat germ. 

A three-week supply costs about $20.  It comes in a liquid form, which makes it easy to absorb and digest.  Once opened it needs to be consumed within a month and needs to be refrigerated. 

Sexy Pasta

This is something Rach and I made up.  We found this pasta sauce from Classico called Vodka Pasta Sauce and went from there. 

You will need:

• 1 jar Classico vodka pasta sauce
• 1 container of Philadelphia cooking cream, garlic flavoured
• 1 package of corn pasta
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 package of pre-washed arugula and spinach
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 cups cooked white Lima beans
• 1 to 2 tbsp. fresh Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Cook pasta as usual.  Set aside.

Combine cooking cream, pasta sauce, chili flakes, arugula/spinach and Lima beans.   When arugula/spinach has wilted, add in pasta and Parmesan.  Stir.  Add in walnuts and salt and pepper to taste.  

It was fast and easy, but very rich!