Tag Archives: gluten-free

Blueberry Quinoa Salad

Summer cuisine is all about celebrating the season’s bounty of fresh produce. It’s also laid-back: whirring up some pesto to spread on everything throughout the week, nibbling on cherries and berries, throwing stuff on the grill (outdoors or otherwise), feasting on sandwiches riverside, standing at the counter eating cold left-overs straight from the fridge. This colorful salad was created with that spirit in mind. Cooled, savory quinoa is combined with plump, juicy blueberries, crunchy pecans and radishes, fresh herbs, and an orange vinaigrette. We ate it for dinner recently with some baked tofu, and reveled in summer’s glory while the AC blasted.
*I used roasted hazelnut oil because I happened to have some, and while it’s very tasty here, you could certainly substitute another oil.
*If using unsalted bouillon, be sure to add some salt to the quinoa.

1 cup quinoa
little olive oil
1½ cups water + ½ a vegetable bouillon square (or 1½ c veg broth)
½ tsp mild curry powder
1 cup blueberries
2-3 radishes, cut in thin half moons
heaped ¼ cup roughly chopped pecans
1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and pale green part only)
1 tsp orange zest
4 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp roasted hazelnut oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
handful of fresh basil, chopped
handful of fresh mint, chopped
salt and black pepper

In a fine mesh sieve, rinse quinoa until water runs clear. Drain. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil in a small saucepan and add quinoa. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until quinoa smells toasty and water has evaporated. Pour in water and bouillon (or broth) and stir in curry powder, turn up heat to high. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat but keep lid on for another 15 minutes, then remove lid, fluff with a fork, and let cool.
Add blueberries, pecans, scallion, and orange zest to cooled quinoa, and stir gently to combine, taking care not to smush the berries.
Whisk together the orange juice, hazelnut oil, white vinegar, and some salt and black pepper, and drizzle over the quinoa mixture. Stir gently, then garnish with fresh basil and mint. Taste for seasonings.

Yield: About 4-6 servings

Cold Noodles with Snap Peas

Some nights all you want to do is throw stuff into a pot and call it dinner; this recipe fits the bill. Fresh, early summer snap peas don’t need much tinkering. Here they are just lightly blanched in the same pot as the noodles, then everything is tossed in a silky sesame-tamari sauce. The result is a light and healthful, yet totally satisfying meal– pronto!

1 (8.8 oz) package of noodles (I used black rice)
1-1½ cups fresh snap peas, cleaned and trimmed
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp hemp seeds
handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

For the sauce, whisk together/shake in a jar:
3½ tbsp tamari
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
small squirt of agave

Cook noodles in salted water according to package directions. At the last minute of cooking time, add the snap peas, cook for remaining minute, then drain and rinse with cold water.
Add sauce and toasted sesame seeds to the noodles and snap peas, mix to combine. Sprinkle on the hemp seeds and garnish with fresh basil.

Yield: About 3 servings

Stevia-Sweetened White Chocolate Coconut Mousse

Sometimes New York City feels enchanted. This past Saturday, after a falafel dinner and bottle of white at our favorite Middle Eastern joint, Philip and I meandered through Manhattan’s Riverside Park, through the
tunnels and along the Hudson River. It was raining and magical and pretty damn romantic. This was near where my parents lived when they lived in the city, when they were first married, many moons ago before I was born. It’s also old stomping grounds for my Columbia alum boyfriend. However, to me, the oasis of green, the echo-y tunnels, and the salty river air all felt novel.

I’m looking forward to many more adventures this summer—spontaneous or otherwise– and more time outdoors in general. I also plan to experiment more with low-sugar desserts. Stuff that tastes like a treat but doesn’t make my guy (or anyone else for that matter) feel like crap. I based this recipe off of my recipe for chocolate mousse, swapping the baking chocolate with creamy cacao butter and adding vanilla bean. (Bonus to working with cacao butter: soft hands!) Like the chocolate mousse, this dessert contains no sugar (unless you count the optional addition of fruit)– yet is still perfectly sweet, flavorful, and thoroughly indulgent.

1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
½ cup grated cacao butter (or cocoa butter)
1 tbsp agar powder
30 drops stevia extract
fresh or frozen berries for serving, optional

Transfer coconut milk to a measuring cup and stir in the vanilla seeds. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
In a double boiler, gently melt the cacao butter over low heat, stirring frequently. When melted, add the coconut milk-vanilla mixture, agar powder, and stevia. Whisk well. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and let cool for a little while. Then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or until firm.
Using an electric mixer, mix for 4-5 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Garnish with berries, if desired, and serve. If not using right away, keep in the refrigerator until ready to do so, then fluff again with electric mixer just before serving.

Yield: About 1 1/3 cups

Lemony Pasta with Kale & Walnuts

New York is in full bloom. Dogwood, cherry blossoms, violets, geraniums, marigolds, tulips, daffodils, begonias, and lilacs burst forth onto the sidewalks, filling the air with color and good smells. Once again my windows are pushed wide open and my sandals have made their way out of the closet. (My dresser, however, still bulges with my heaviest sweaters and I haven’t really put away my snow boots. Wasn’t it freezing last week?) I’ve been reveling in the warm weather and plentiful hours of daylight, and craving nature like crazy. Still, it’s all a bit bittersweet. April and May bring their annual jarring heartache– and yet I cannot even begin to comprehend the turmoil that must be Nepal. It is a terrible, terrible reminder of every cliché about appreciating what you’ve got. To not only practice gratitude but embrace it. I’m working on it.

A huge part of nourishing our souls is taking good care of our bodies. I can’t think of any food more comforting than a big bowl of pasta, especially when topped with garlicky greens. Walnuts provide protein, omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and earthy richness; lemon brings the sunshine.
*If your kale seems very tough (like if you’ve had it awhile), you might want to boil it first (before braising), for about 5 minutes.

1 12-oz package pasta
½ cup walnuts, chopped
olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 bunch of kale, rough stems removed, chopped
salt and black pepper, to taste
zest and juice from ½ medium lemon
extra lemon slices for serving, optional

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat walnuts over medium heat, keeping a close watch, until toasty and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer nuts to a bowl and set aside, and carefully wipe the pan with a dry towel.
Add a bit of olive oil to pan and cook garlic and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat for a few minutes, watching closely and agitating pan frequently until fragrant.
Stir in kale and splash with some water. Cover, turn heat up to medium-high, and cook for about 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary to keep from burning. Lightly charred in spots is ideal. When kale is done, add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper.
Mix the kale and the drained pasta, sprinkle on the lemon zest and walnuts, and drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil. Serve garnished with lemon slices if desired.

Yield: About 4 servings

Chickpeas, Spinach, & Tomatoes

While the nights are still cool, I give you another warm and homey beans and spinach bowl recipe, one of my favorite easy, pantry-friendly meals. It’s a family dish– one which I learned from my mom, who got the recipe from my sister Norah. Norah likes it with couscous, my mom with pasta, and I love it best over quinoa with a dollop of hummus on top. All three ways are delicious.

olive oil
½ smallish onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 oz spinach, thawed if using frozen
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (and their juices)
1 cup cooked/14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
juice from ½-1 lemon, or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
hummus, lemon wedges, hot sauce for serving (optional)

Cook the onion in a bit of olive oil in a large wok/pan/skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and let cook for another couple minutes, letting reduce just slightly.
Stir in the spinach and then the chickpeas. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and cook for just another couple minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for a few minutes for best flavor.

Yield: 3-4 servings