Tag Archives: gluten-free

Peanut Butter Banana Shake

If you love bananas and peanut butter, then you will love this shake. The date adds just enough sweetness and a slight caramel flavor; the vanilla makes it extra delicious. I’ve listed the ice cubes as optional because I like this shake both with and without them. Without the ice cubes it’s a little creamier, and with, frostier (though, admittedly, a bit brain freeze inducing). Also, I know I’ve mentioned this before but it bears repeating: this peanut butter is the BEST EVER. Phil and I order the 35 oz jars in bulk because we’re ~~obsessed~~ hardcore like that.

1 cup unsweetened milk of choice
splash of vanilla extract
1/3 cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter (if using unsalted, add pinch of salt)
1 smallish date, pitted
2 frozen bananas
1-2 small ice cubes, optional

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until well combined and creamy.

Yield: 2 servings

Chickpeas & Chard with Quinoa

Chickpeas and chard were pretty much made for each other. Here they’re prepared simply: the chard is braised in garlic and oil and broth, then the chickpeas are tossed in, then everything’s spooned over savory quinoa, also cooked in broth. It’s juicy and toothsome and really hits the spot. Of course if you don’t want to use quinoa, pasta would be just as delicious. In any case, it makes for one cozy meal– something I think we could all go for.
*Because the stalks of the chard are tougher than the leaves, they need a longer cooking time. First cut off and discard the very ends of the stalks. Then cut the stalks from the leaves, and chop into 1” pieces. In a separate pile, chop the leaves.
*Feel free to use already prepared vegetable broth (homemade or bought) in place of the bouillon/water combo. I just happen to find bouillon cubes very convenient and economical. This kind is my go-to.
*If you’re using canned chickpeas (or anything canned for that matter), I urge you to seek out brands whose linings are labeled BPA free. I recommend Bioitalia.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
olive oil
1 bouillon cube, split: half mixed in 1½ cups water, half in 1 cup water
3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 big bunch of swiss chard, leaves and stalks chopped separately
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup cooked/14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
lemon and/or hot sauce for serving, optional

In a small saucepan, toast quinoa in a teeny bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes, stirring somewhat frequently, just until fragrant and the water (from rinsing) has more or less evaporated. Stir in 1½ cups bouillon mixture/broth , bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit 15 minutes more. Then uncover and fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil into a large pan and cook garlic and red pepper flakes over medium low heat for a few minutes, watching closely and agitating frequently, until fragrant.
Stir in chard stalk pieces and sauté for about 30 seconds, then add ¼ cup of broth, cover pan with lid, and cook over medium high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chard leaves and the rest of the broth. Cook, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes more, stirring every now and then, until cooked through.
Remove lid, lower heat, and stir in chickpeas. Cook for another minute or two, then taste for seasonings. Let sit a few minutes for best flavor. Serve over quinoa, with lemon and/or hot sauce if desired.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Roasted Romanesco with Creamy Horseradish Cashew Sauce

Oh horseradish, where have you been all my life? Technically horseradish isn’t completely new to me, but it wasn’t until very recently that I experienced it fresh. And now I’m hooked.

This crazy root vegetable satisfies my cravings for tang and heat, with a painful in a good way blast through the sinuses burn. Here I’ve combined it with creamed cashews, lemon, and a little garlic– ingredients which temper its heat somewhat but keep its essence intact. So far I’ve enjoyed this sauce on a tempeh sandwich, with beets, and dolloped on top of another freak vegetable (and fellow member of the brassicaceae family), romanesco, roasted in olive oil and garlic. Most assuredly, if there’s a silver lining to the dropping temperatures and increasing dreariness, it’s the ability to use the oven without cooking myself into a sweaty mess. In fact, a little oven warmth is now welcome. Isn’t the pursuit of coziness kind of what fall is all about? And while bathing myself in hot buttered pumpkin spice isn’t really my jam (but if it’s yours, rock on! no judgement here), enjoying roasted vegetables on the regular? That I can get down with.
*This recipe makes more sauce than you will use on the romanesco. Try it on a sandwich, on a baked sweet potato (or regular potato), on roasted beets, and so on. I originally tried to make it with half the amount of all the ingredients, but had trouble processing such a small volume as smoothly as I wanted in my blender. But if you have a mini-processor or blender and want to try halving the recipe you might have more success.
*I pulsed in the horseradish for some texture, but if you’d prefer a smoother (and probably slightly spicier) sauce, you can add it at the same time as the other sauce ingredients.

1 head of romanesco, trimmed of outer stems and stalk, cut into chunks
2-3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed with the side of a chef’s knife handle
2-3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
horseradish cashew sauce (recipe follows)
handful of fresh parsley, chopped, optional

Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss romanesco with olive oil, smashed garlic, salt, and pepper, and spread out on prepared baking sheet. Roast for about 30-35 minutes, stirring once half-way through, until nicely browned. Serve topped with a few dollops of horseradish cashew sauce and sprinkled with parsley (if using) and black pepper.

Yield: About 4 servings

Horseradish Cashew Sauce
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours, drained
1 garlic clove
¼ + 1 tbsp water
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt, to taste
4 tbsp grated fresh horseradish

Combine everything but the horseradish in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, stopping the machine to scrape sides as necessary. Add grated horseradish and pulse to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.

Yield: About 1 cup

Lentil Salad with Apple & Arugula

Here, hearty lentils, crisp apple, arugula, and sunflower seeds are tossed in a zingy ginger orange dressing, making for one very flavorful salad. It’s basically fall in a bowl. And it’s good for you. Relatively inexpensive and a great source of protein, iron, folate and thiamin, among other nutrients, lentils are no doubt one of those foods that we all should probably be eating more of. On top of that, they’re easy to make.
In her wonderful (highly recommended!) cookbook My New Roots, Sarah Britton writes that she presoaks all legumes, even split peas and lentils, because it helps make them more easily digestible and decreases the active cooking time. I’ve tried her method a few times now, and must say that I am absolutely a believer. Adding a sheet of kombu to the cooking pot further aids in making legumes easier to digest. Lentils minus the, um, side effects? Sign me up!
*To make this salad more of a meal, serve with something grainy– quinoa, wild rice, and farro are all good choices– and/or some crusty bread. Roasted beets also make a nice addition.

1 cup French (de puy) lentils, sorted and rinsed
Couple spashes of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, optional
1 piece of dried kombu, optional
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
sea salt and black pepper
1½ cups arugula
1 apple, diced, tossed with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp sunflower seeds

For the dressing, shake together in a tightly closed jar:
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1½ tbsp fresh orange juice
½ tsp whole grain mustard
½ tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
sea salt and black pepper

Optional: Before cooking lentils, soak them in hot water with a bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. I soaked mine for 5 hours.
Place lentils and kombu (if using) in a pot, and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until done (but not falling apart). If you’ve presoaked your lentils already, this can be as quick as 10 minutes. If not, it might be closer to 30 or 40 minutes. So be sure to keep an eye on them and check regularly for doneness. Drain (and discard kombu), give a quick rinse, then toss with apple cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.
Toss lentils with the dressing, arugula, apple, and sunflower seeds. Serve at room temperature.

Yiled: About 4 cups

Summer Squash, Green Bean, & Tofu Stir-fry

Is anyone else feeling totally stuffy-headed? Between the shifting weather and all around bustle that autumn brings, it’s easy to feel run-down. And yeah, sure I want cappuccinos and roasted butternut squash and stews– but I also want to eat things that are refreshing and keep me feeling energized. I love a good stir-fry because it’s warm and nourishing yet still light. This one is verdant and a little fruity thanks to the apricot spread, with lots of garlic and ginger to help keep immune systems strong and heads clear.

For the tofu:
½ tbsp coconut (or other) oil
1 tsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 package firm or extra firm tofu
1½ tsp tamari

For the rest:
heaped ½ tbsp coconut (or other) oil
heaped 1 tbsp minced ginger
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 smallish bell pepper, cut into ¼” thick strips
2 cups green beans, trimmed of ends
2-3 smallish summer squash, cut into ¼” thick half-moons
1½ tbsp tamari, divided
2 tbsp apricot (or peach) fruit spread/not too sweet jam, divided
¼ cup water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Rice for serving, optional

Pat tofu with a couple paper towels. Cut into 1” cubes, then pat again to soak up extra moisture.
Mix nutritional yeast and garlic powder in a small dish.
Heat ½ tbsp oil in a large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu cubes, sprinkle with nutritional yeast-garlic powder mixture, and stir gently to distribute seasonings. Then let cook– without touching, so it can crisp up– for about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat (just for your own safety), carefully flip over the tofu, and splash with 1½ tsp of tamari. Turn heat back up, and cook (without touching) for a few minutes more. Turn off burner and transfer tofu to another dish. Let the pan cool a little bit, then give it a gentle wipe with a paper towel to remove any blackened bits.
Heat the rest of the oil in the pan over medium heat, and add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
Stir in bell pepper, green beans, 1 tbsp tamari, and 1 tbsp fruit spread. Add ¼ cup of water, cover, turn the heat up a bit, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid, add squash and another 1 tbsp fruit spread and ½ tbsp tamari. Cook for about another minute.
Stir in the tofu and cook one more minute, then turn off the heat and drizzle in the sesame oil. Let sit for a few minutes for best flavor, and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve.

Yield: About 4 servings