A Vegan Obsession

New Grains Gluten Free Vegan Bread - Review & Giveaway

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new grains hamburger bun

Gluten Free Vegan Bread - Review and Giveaway

Being gluten free is so much easier today than it was even 5 years ago. Products are improving all the time and more and more you get to feel like you are really not missing out on anything. Many restaurants are offering gluten free breads and buns so you can still enjoy their sandwiches and burgers. Still not enough though. Just because we are gluten intolerant doesn’t mean we do not want to get a cheeky slice of vegan pizza or a hearty vegan burger of a night! But things are changing and progress is steady. Bread has been one thing I’ve missed over the years. I’ve made my own with varying degrees of success but I am always keeping an eye out for a good gluten free vegan bread I can buy.

I’ve been digging around on the internet to back up my constant scouting of super markets to find a bread that will list itself as vegan and gf. Few exist. One I tried recently was New Grains Bakery They are primarily an online operation but they do have a few stores in various states.

They are a family owned company. A passionate, late diagnosed celiac dad, Tim Lawson, discovered five of his seven (!) children were celiac and he wanted more for them than the grainy, tasteless products that were available to the gluten free population at that time. He and his wife Nicole set to work in their making all the family favourites, but making them gluten free. A company grew out of it as they began to sell their produce.

Gluten-Free-Variety-Bread-Pack-2-600x600

Like the majority of gluten free breads available in the USA it is not feather light. But it is lighter than most and vegan. When I was sampling it I found over a few days is in the fridge the less light it seems. At this point though it is great toasted. The hamburger buns were delicious teamed with beet and mushrooms burgers that I made. Also a winner with the 11 year old I tested them on. The cinnamon bread is spicy and perfectly sweet and I loved accompanying it with a spread of coconut oil and fruit-sweetened strawberry jam. Or honestly, just by itself. I imagine you could roll up slices and put them in a baking dish and cover with maple icing and they’d be like cinnamon rolls.The English muffins were all devoured by my gluten eating husband. He slathered with peanut butter and topped with ripe banana slices. I think that demonstrates his verdict.

New Grains are not a vegan company but perhaps they may think about using Hampton Creek’s Beyond Egg - egg substitute to make more of their products vegan in the future?!

Among their ever expanding (10 at present) vegan gluten free, 100% organic, non-gmo product range are;

Cinnamon Bread

Sandwich Bread

English Muffins

Hamburger Buns

Tortillas

Cookies

We’ve teamed up with New Grains to spread the word. They have a sample box to giveaway to one lucky winner.

Gluten Free Vegan Bread - Review and Giveaway. A sample box of muffins, burger buns and your choice of sandwich or cinnamon bread. Enter below for your chance to win.

new grains bread
a Rafflecopter giveaway

vegan fish tacos

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fauxfishtacos

Fish Tacos a la vegan.

I had, several times, pondered the idea coupling nori & tofu before actually tasting my first plate of vegan fish & chips, naturally enough, by the seaside in Brighton, England. I remember it was a pop-up supper in a cozy , candle lit deli. My plate was piled high with fat doorstep chips, a side of mushy peas and a generous, creamy mound of tartar sauce. The ‘fish’ was encased in a gluten free beer batter, deep fried. It was oily, chewy and delicious. I loved the dish, so I never thought it was going to take me two years to recreate it so that I could make it at will! But, house sitting doesn’t always lend it self to having the luxury of getting into a domestic flow. One is constantly on shifting sands and by the time you’ve settled and googled mapped the stores you will shop at, the park you will walk around, the best coffee house to sit in, soak up the atmosphere and write, and got yourself familiar the new home (to a standard where you’d not get lost if you got up in the night to pee) then it usually is time to move on again. My ‘must try’ and ‘recipe development’ lists remain of biblical length.

Anyway, recently in Los Angeles long enough to settle (but lumped with the pressure of shelling out for a wedge of cash for a knock in a car I had not factored into my budget) the long list of restaurants to try in LA I’d excitedly scribbled down had to remain just that..a long unchecked list. It was necessary to save a few bucks so on went my frilly apron. So it was time to DIY and figure out how to make vegan fish and chips, and make them gluten free too!

I drew a little inspiration from Vegan Dad and then adjusted here and there to make it gluten free. I was really pleased with the result. Recalling a trip to Austin, where I ate fabulous vegan fish tacos from a vegan food truck, I opted to house the fish in corn rather than alongside a stack of chips (chips as in fries). You can do as you please of course, but I craved tacos.

Vegan Faux Fish Tacos

Ingredients

250g extra firm tofu

1 pck roasted seaweed snack (nori sheets) 11g

1/2 cup of each: garbanzo; cornmeal flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp garlic powder

vegan egg replacer - 3 ‘eggs’, or make 3 chia or flax ‘eggs’.

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

pinch chili powder

Tartar sauce

1/2 cup Veganaise or Just Mayo (or similar vegan mayo)

2 large pickled cucumbers

squeeze lemon juice

Method

Remove the tofu from the package and discard water. Place the block of tofu between a few sheets of kitchen roll and place on a plate. Put another 2 or 3 plates on top to create some weight so that the tofu can drain for about 20mins. Once drained, remove the plates and the kitchen paper. Put the tofu in a high sided dish.

Whilst waiting for the tofu to drain, make your tartar sauce. Spoon your mayonnaise into a serving bowl and diced the pickled cucumbers. Add the cucumbers to the mayonnaise and squeeze over the juice of about 1/4 of a lemon (or to taste) mix with a spoon. Set aside.

Splash over some gluten free soy sauce (or use Braggs) on both sides. Drain the excess.

Grab two large plates and in one add your chosen egg replacer. In the other mix the flours, bicarb of soda, salt, pepper and chilli.

Cut the tofu into 1.5 inch cubes. Then cut the roasted nori to 1.5 inch strips. Fold the nori around the tofu. The dampness from the tofu will make the nori sheets more pliable.

Then dip first into the egg replacer and then into the flour mix. Ensure it is all covered. Set each ‘fish’ portion aside onto a plate until you have covered and coated each one.

Now, I am always trying to be healthy and so I tried to bake these in the oven first. They were very nice. But not ‘table slammingly’ good. So I shallow fried them, just a minute or two each side until they had browned. I then warmed some corn tacos and began to put it all together. Taco cradled in my hand, I placed over a few cubes of the ‘fish’, dressed it with some romaine lettuce, dolloped over generous spoons of tartar sauce. Squeezed over a drizzle of lemon and then took a large bite.

Mmn, I hummed. My eyes closed. It tasted so good. The warm masa, the crisp corn crumb coating, the soft tofu and the flavours of the slightly chewy seaweed and the creamy, tart sauce. Yes. So good.

You do not want to wait as long as I did to get this into your recipe repertoire.

fAUXFISHTACOSVEGAN

IMG_1525

fish tacos vegan


vegan fish tacos
 
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Vegan Faux Fish Tacos
Author:
Recipe type: Fish Tacos
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 250g extra firm tofu
  • 1 pck roasted seaweed snack (nori sheets) 11g
  • ½ cup of each: garbanzo; cornmeal flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • vegan egg replacer - 3 'eggs', or make
  • 3 chia or flax 'eggs'
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • pinch chili powder
  • Tartar sauce
  • ½ cup Veganaise or Just Mayo (or similar vegan mayo)
  • 2 large pickled cucumbers
  • squeeze lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Remove the tofu from the package and discard water. Place the block of tofu between a few sheets of kitchen roll and place on a plate. Put another 2 or 3 plates on top to create some weight so that the tofu can drain for about 20mins. Once drained, remove the plates and the kitchen paper. Put the tofu in a high sided dish.
  2. Whilst waiting for the tofu to drain, make your tartar sauce. Spoon your mayonnaise into a serving bowl and diced the pickled cucumbers. Add the cucumbers to the mayonnaise and squeeze over the juice of about ¼ of a lemon (or to taste) mix with a spoon. Set aside.
  3. Splash over some gluten free soy sauce (or use Braggs) on both sides. Drain the excess.
  4. Grab two large plates and in one add your chosen egg replacer. In the other mix the flours, bicarb of soda, salt, pepper and chilli.
  5. Cut the tofu into 1.5 inch cubes. Then cut the roasted nori to 1.5 inch strips. Fold the nori around the tofu. The dampness from the tofu will make the nori sheets more pliable.
  6. Then dip first into the egg replacer and then into the flour mix. Ensure it is all covered. Set each 'fish' portion aside onto a plate until you have covered and coated each one.
  7. Now, I am always trying to be healthy and so I tried to bake these in the oven first. They were very nice. But not 'table slammingly' good. So I shallow fried them, just a minute or two each side until they had browned. I then warmed some corn tacos and began to put it all together. Taco cradled in my hand, I placed over a few cubes of the 'fish', dressed it with some romaine lettuce, dolloped over generous spoons of tartar sauce. Squeezed over a drizzle of lemon and then took a large bite.
  8. Mmn, I hummed. My eyes closed. It tasted so good. The warm masa, the crisp corn crumb coating, the soft tofu and the flavours of the slightly chewy seaweed and the creamy, tart sauce. Yes. So good.
  9. You do not want to wait as long as I did to get this into your recipe repertoire.
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bbq jackfruit tacos - pulled-pork vegan style

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bbqjackfruittacosvegan

I have been on a jackfruit binge lately, well not a binge exactly but every time my friend visits we always end up going to a certain deli for bbq’d jackfruit. Out of all the plethora of vegan joints in LA, we just cut to the chase and head to Organix in Eagle Rock for their Puerco Sandwich, with coleslaw and veganaise on gluten free bread. We are powerless to do anything else because, Sweet Jesus, it is insanely good. In an effort to both impress my friend and try to recreate pulled pork vegan style heaven, I made my own version of it this weekend. It is close..so, so close. And in this instance close is good enough because nothing could top the Organix version.

Jackfruit is a food champion. It is drought resistant (barely needing any water to develop into a hardy, bulbous, giant). The ripe jackfruit is made into sweet snack chips, ice cream and dulce desserts. The unripe, young jackfruit has a fibrous, meat-like texture and can be boiled, baked and roasted. The flesh is said to be high in protein and fibre, and easily digestible. According to UNESCO animal agriculture makes up for 70% of water consumption in the US. Half of America is currently experiencing some form of drought and California is in an emergency drought situation with only 1 year estimated of water left in it’s reservoirs. Those are alarming statistics. Those facts are too much for my head to deal with but I can choose to eat vegan and enjoy copious amounts of planet friendly jackfruit, pulled-pork vegan style in my bid to save the planet.

I did some research for a bbq jackfruit recipe online. All of the recipes I discovered called for bbq sauce. I did not have any, was too tight to go and buy any, and for sure did not want a whole raft of ingredients I did not care for in my pulled pork tacos. So I just added to the mix what I believed would be in BBQ sauce (minus the scary ingredients…high fructose corn syrup and ‘natural’ flavourings). Easy really and feels good because it really is then a ‘from scratch’ recipe. This recipe is also great stuffed inside toasted, Veganise smothered gluten free bread.

Putting the tacos together is easy. Warm the taco, spread over some Veganaise or Beyond Mayo, spoon on generous amounts of the bbq jackfruit, layer over the coleslaw and finish with fresh cilantro and, if desired, a squeeze of lime. Bite into it and prepare for happiness.

bbq jackfruit tacos - pulled pork vegan style

Gluten Free

ingredients

I can (565g) of young green jackfruit in water (or fresh young jackfruit)

I can fire roasted tomatoes (Trader Joes) + 1/4 can of water (if you cannot get TJ’s then any tinned toms)

1/2 large onion diced

3 garlic cloves crushed

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne powder

3 tbs liquid smoke (I used a mix of Wrights Hickory & Mesquite)

3 tbs coconut sugar

2 tbs agave

1 tbs liquid aminos or tamari sauce

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt (Himalyan pink is a personal favourite)

For the coleslaw

1/2 head Red or white cabbage finely sliced

2 tbs Veganaise

2 tsp gluten free mustard

Cilantro for garnish

Extra Veganaise ..just because. Totally optional.

method

preheat your oven to 450 degrees (if appropriate…see below)

drain the jackfruit. chop off the hard core and remove the seeds. cut sections in half

sauté the onion in a little splash of oil until translucent, add the crushed garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 mins careful not to allow to it burn.

add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 25-30 mins. You could just serve now as it will already be delicious, but for a more intense flavour and a dryer consistency then place onto a baking sheet and pop into a hot oven 450 degrees for 20-30 mins.

bbq jackfruit

bbqtacos

BBQ Jackfruit Tacos. yum!


bbq jackfruit tacos - pulled pork done vegan
 
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bbq jackfruit tacos - pulled pork vegan style
Author:
Recipe type: Vegan, gluten free tacos
Cuisine: Entree, Lunch, Mexican, Texas
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • I can (565g) of young green jackfruit in water (or fresh young jackfruit)
  • I can fire roasted tomatoes (Trader Joes) + ¼ can of water (if you cannot get TJ's then any tinned toms)
  • ½ large onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne powder
  • 3 tbs liquid smoke (I used a mix of Wrights Hickory & Mesquite)
  • 3 tbs coconut sugar
  • 2 tbs agave
  • 1 tbs liquid aminos or tamari sauce
  • 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1½ tsp salt (Himalyan pink is a personal favourite)
  • For the coleslaw
  • ½ head Red or white cabbage finely sliced
  • 2 tbs Veganaise
  • 2 tsp gluten free mustard
  • Cilantro for garnish
  • Extra Veganaise ..just because. Totally optional.
Instructions
  1. preheat your oven to 450 degrees (if appropriate...see below)
  2. drain the jackfruit. chop off the hard core and remove the seeds. cut sections in half
  3. sauté the onion in a little splash of oil until translucent, add the crushed garlic and sauté for a further 2-3 mins careful not to allow to it burn.
  4. add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 25-30 mins. You could just serve now as it will already be delicious, but for a more intense flavour and a dryer consistency then place onto a baking sheet and pop into a hot oven 450 degrees for 20-30 mins.
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Creamy Broccoli and Almond Soup - Vegan & Gluten Free

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IMG_1258

An easy and nutrient rich soup that is simple and delicious. I stole the recipe from a Waitrose magazine and adapted it. The supermarket magazine had lots of vegan, raw and gluten free recipes. Mainstream. Plant based eating is going mainstream.
For this creamy broccoli and almond soup I felt the original recipe needed a tweak. Burnt or charred broccoli does not work well in a soup, not when it is alongside a citrus. It’s bitter and just not all that pleasant. So either steam it if you want a very low fat soup, or drizzle it in an abundance of oil when you roast it so it doesn’t burn. It is creamy from the almonds, lifted by the citrus and mint, and is nicely filling.

Creamy broccoli and almond soup recipe.

Ingredients

2 Large heads of broccoli (about 8 cups of chopped florets).

1 cup almonds soaked over night (to soften and make them easy to digest) plus a handful to dry roast.

I actually prefer the buttery flavour of coconut oil and the latest thought/study is that it is better for you, the original recipe called for 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil to roast the broccoli. I used about 4 tbs of coconut oil …you decide.

6 garlic cloves

enough water to cover the broccoli in the pan

1 lemon, zest (for garnish), and juice of ½

large handful mint leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6.

Chop broccoli (and the core) into medium sized florets or chunks and put onto a baking sheet with the handful of almonds and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the coconut oil (or just drizzle the EVOO) and drizzle over the veggies and garlic. Roast for 20 mins. Do not let it burn! Remove from the oven and keep aside the roasted almonds and a few florets for garnish.

Drain and rinse the soaked almonds and put them with the broccoli, mint, vegan stock cube, garlic and lemon juice, into a blender. Put in enough water to cover the broccoli and blend until creamy. Add more water until it is thick, creamy and soupy. Season to taste. Warm through in a saucepan.

Serves 4

a bowl of soup broccoli and almond soup


Creamy Broccoli and Almond Soup - Vegan & Gluten Free
 
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Creamy broccoli and almond soup recipe.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 Large heads of broccoli (about 8 cups of chopped florets).
  • 1 cup almonds soaked over night (to soften and make them easy to digest) plus a handful to dry roast.
  • I actually prefer the buttery flavour of coconut oil and the latest thought/study is that it is better for you, the original recipe called for 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil to roast the broccoli. I used about 4 tbs of coconut oil ...you decide.
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • enough water to cover the broccoli in the pan
  • 1 lemon, zest (for garnish), and juice of ½
  • large handful mint leaves
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6.
  2. Chop broccoli (and the core) into medium sized florets or chunks and put onto a baking sheet with the handful of almonds and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the coconut oil (or just drizzle the EVOO) and drizzle over the veggies and garlic. Roast for 20 mins. Do not let it burn! Remove from the oven and keep aside the roasted almonds and a few florets for garnish.
  3. Drain and rinse the soaked almonds and put them with the broccoli, mint, vegan stock cube, garlic and lemon juice, into a blender. Put in enough water to cover the broccoli and blend until creamy. Add more water until it is thick, creamy and soupy. Season to taste. Warm through in a saucepan.
  4. Serves 4
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Vegan Tamales Recipe

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tamale huit2

Tamales. For those that have been following this blog for a while you will already know my love of Mexican Food and my soft spot for fragrant, steamy, carb loaded tamales! My first ever tamale experience was on a road trip and a hastened ready meal by Amy’s Kitchen. I then blazingly stalked La Guera Tamalera for her amazing tamales when I visited Los Angeles. I even managed to find vegan tamales when I was in travelling in Mexico. I’ve been making my own tamales ever since. Whenever I can get my hands on corn husks. Or I just use organic non-bleached parchment paper if I am really desperate for a tamale fix.

It was on my travels in Mexico that I discovered huitlacoche, a corn fungus (stick with me!) whilst at a farmers market in Oaxaca. Mesmerised I watched the deft hands of a beautiful Mexcian woman form a ball of pale corn dough into tortillas and then with one hand slap them onto a pale earthware, drum shaped griddle. A comal. Fired from underneath, a traditional Mexican cooking method as old as time. The smells that rose from the hot surface were intoxicating. My two months of Spanish lessons taken whilst in Argentina and followed up in Mexico (since forgotten by lack of use) paid off and I was able to string the words together to enquire if she could feed a hungry vegan. A passing American expat saved me when she scooped up a mass of a shining black ingredient. She passed a spoon in front of my nose, spoke a word I did not understand. ‘It’s corn fungus..nothing to alarm you. Delicious. Try it’. The tanned Texan said, encouragingly. The woman spooned sautéed spinach, the exotic corn fungus (known as huitlacoche) and decanted vibrant green salsa onto two tortillas with a flourish. A minute to warm it through and it was wrapped and handed to me with a smile. It cost barely anything.

I sat at a long communal table under the shade of a tree and experienced corn fungus for the very first time. It tasted faintly of corn, and mushrooms, but with a mildly tart, earthy flavour note completely new to me. After a split second..I was hooked.

I hope you can buy huitlacoche where you live. The flavor is perfect nestled inside warm, fluffy, steamed masa dough. If not, there are substitutions listed for you below.

Vegan Tamales

For the vegan tamales recipe you will need;

3 cups masa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free it that’s appropriate for you)
1 teaspoon Himalayn salt
4 tbs coconut oil, melted
2 cups of water (approx…gradually add and just use enough to make a dough)
1 package dried corn husks

For the filling

1 can huitlacoche - if you are unable to obtain this where you live then substitute with crimini, portabello or shiitake mushrooms

2- 3 pinches of chilli flakes

salt & pepper as needed. The huitlacoche is salted but you may wish to add a little more.

optional - spinach or kale sautéed in olive oil and garlic

Method

huitlacoche

Whilst your corn husks are soaking in hot water for 30 mins (use a large pan and use a lid to hold them under water), prepare your masa dough.

masa flour

masa flour 1

Mix the flour with the melted coconut oil, salt and baking powder. Add water.

making tamales

Spread the masa dough onto the soaked corn husks. Place a line of your filling into the centre.

Bring the sides of the husks together, gently rolling the dough to enclose the filling. Use the husks to gently squeeze and roll, making a seal. Fold the top and bottom of the husks over to close. Tie with torn strips of the husk (easier said than done) or string. Or just fold and gently place in the steaming basket. When all jostled together the tamales will not really need tying. And anyway, I can never get the husk string to hold. Something I still need to learn!

making tamales 2 making tamales 3

Use a steaming basked in a large pan. Have about 2 inches of water in the bottom. Make sure it doesn’t rise above the steamer basket. Keep an eye on the water level. Steam for about 35-40 mins. Leave to cool slightly before serving as they will of course be hot to handle.

I served these with a spicy guava and cilantro salsa.

tamales huit vegan tamales 2 vegan tamales

Let us know in the comments below how your tamales turn out!


Vegan Tamales Recipe
 
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The lightest, fluffiest vegan tamales.
Author:
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • Vegan Tamales
  • For the vegan tamales recipe you will need;
  • 3 cups masa flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free it that's appropriate for you)
  • 1 teaspoon Himalayn salt
  • 4 tbs coconut oil, melted
  • 2 cups of water (approx...gradually add and just use enough to make a dough)
  • 1 package dried corn husks
  • For the filling
  • 1 can huitlacoche - if you are unable to obtain this where you live then substitute with crimini, portabello or shiitake mushrooms
  • 2- 3 pinches of chilli flakes
  • salt & pepper as needed. The huitlacoche is salted but you may wish to add a little more.
  • optional - spinach or kale sautéed in olive oil and garlic
Instructions
  1. Whilst your corn husks are soaking in hot water for 30 mins (use a large pan and use a lid to hold them under water), prepare your masa dough.
  2. Mix the flour with the melted coconut oil, salt and baking powder. Add water.
  3. Spread the masa dough onto the soaked corn husks. Place a line of your filling into the centre.
  4. Bring the sides of the husks together, gently rolling the dough to enclose the filling. Use the husks to gently squeeze and roll, making a seal. Fold the top and bottom of the husks over to close. Tie with torn strips of the husk (easier said than done) or string. Or just fold and gently place in the steaming basket. When all jostled together the tamales will not really need tying. And anyway, I can never get the husk string to hold. Something I still need to learn!
  5. Use a steaming basked in a large pan. Have about 2 inches of water in the bottom. Make sure it doesn't rise above the steamer basket. Keep an eye on the water level. Steam for about 35-40 mins. Leave to cool slightly before serving as they will of course be hot to handle.
  6. I served these with a spicy guava and cilantro salsa.
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Kale and Pine Nut Pizza with GF Cauliflower crust

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cauliflower pizza crust
With the new website/blog now unwrapped and finally a more user friendly platform, I can once again concentrate on the business of recipes. I feel like I’ve been lagging behind with trying out my new recipe ideas and bringing you great vegan and gluten free foodie finds from the interweb. So I need to play catch up before I can thrust on and get up to speed. I need to tick off some of items on the ‘recipes to try’ list. So, here is a recipe that has been knocking around for a few years among some vegan, and gluten free blogs - Cauliflower Pizza Crust. Yes, pizza crust made from cauliflower. Gluten free, grain free and vegan. Sceptical? So was I. But, trusted sources espoused it’s merits so give it a go I must. Many peoples favourite things are pizza, many people love kale. So I decided to marry the two. Here for your delectation is kale and pine nut pizza with a gluten free cauliflower crust. Trust me on this one.

Crispy Kale & Pine Nut Pizza - Gluten Free Cauliflower Crust

Ingredients

1/2 cauliflower

1/2 cup non-sweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)

1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)

3 tbs ground chia seed (or flax meal) to make chia egg

4 tbs nutritional yeast

1/4 cup reduced fat almond flour (sorghum works well too if you do not care if it is not grain free. Quinoa would probably work also.)

1/4 cup chickpea flour

a good pinch of pink Himalayan or sea salt

a good pinch of black pepper

1 tbs olive oil

Method

  • Preheat oven to 450f or as high as your oven allows. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • Mix the non-dairy milk and the ground chia or flax seeds and leave to congeal. Just 5 or so mins should do the trick.
  • Roughly chop cauliflower and pop into a food processor or high speed blender until it breaks down to crumbs. Pop into a suitable container and microwave for 4 mins or to be healthier steam for 10 mins. Allow to cool then put the crumbs into cheesecloth and squeeze out as much water as you can.
  • Combine the drained cauliflower, chia ‘egg’, flours, nutritional yeast and seasonings. Mix to a dough. If the dough is too wet add more flour.
  • Halve the mixture and then pour the oil into your hands and form two balls. This ensures that the oil is coating the outside of the ‘dough’. Place onto a tray leaving room for each to be flattened and shaped into a 1/4 inch thick and roughly 7 inch circles. You may get more depending on size of your cauliflower (Did you know that in France it is called ‘chou-fleur’?…that’s so pretty!)
  • Bake for about 20 mins until turning golden brown, and crispy at the edges. Be beady eyed about it though as each oven is different and depending on the tides/moon phase/shoe size and your mood it could burn. Don’t let it burn.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Not sure of the science but like baking a cake, with gluten free stuff the resting makes for good bonding time. I’ve seen many recipes that say the pizza will not stand up to holding aloft but this one does.
  • Whilst your pizza crust is cooling, slice up some vegan cheese (or use slices..Violife are the best IMHO), bust out a can of condensed tomato paste, chop up your curly kale, and mince some garlic.
  • Now it is time to decorate those wonderful, gluten free, vegan pizza crusts! Take crust numero uno and spoon and spread over 2-3 tbs of tomato paste. Top with the sliced cheese and the garlic. Pop into the oven until cheese has melted. Grab out of oven and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts and the chopped kale, grind over some black pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Then carefully drizzle olive oil over the kale. Grab your oven mitts and pop the pizzas back under a medium grill until the kale turns crispy but not burnt. Burnt is not good.
  • Remove from the grill (or, if you are American the broiler..still cannot get my head around that though it is more obvious to call it that..darn my English upbringing!) and EAT.
  • Now, I have to be honest, I did not expect the crust to be that great once I’d tasted the raw mix but me-oh-my, once cooked and adorned it is a thing of sheer delight. Delizioso!

*tip. Gently remove the crusts from the baking parchment BEFORE you add your toppings so that your final product is not stuck to the baking parchment. If it sticks then wet the parchment with a little water and it will peel off, like those transfer tattoos we had as kids, leaving the crust liberated and intact).

cauliflower cauliflower blender cauliflower pizza dough vegan pizza crust kale, basil & pine nut pizza cauliflower pizza crust kale & pine nut topping

What will you top your pizza crust with?

Kale and Pine Nut Pizza with GF Cauliflower crust
 
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Crispy Kale & Pine Nut Pizza - Gluten Free Cauliflower Crust
Author:
Recipe type: Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ cauliflower
  • ½ cup non-sweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)
  • ½ cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
  • 3 tbs ground chia seed (or flax meal) to make chia egg
  • 4 tbs nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup reduced fat almond flour (sorghum works well too if you do not care if it is not grain free. Quinoa would probably work also.)
  • ¼ cup chickpea flour
  • a good pinch of pink Himalayan or sea salt
  • a good pinch of black pepper
  • 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450f or as high as your oven allows. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  2. Mix the non-dairy milk and the ground chia or flax seeds and leave to congeal. Just 5 or so mins should do the trick.
  3. Roughly chop cauliflower and pop into a food processor or high speed blender until it breaks down to crumbs. Pop into a suitable container and microwave for 4 mins or to be healthier steam for 10 mins. Allow to cool then put the crumbs into cheesecloth and squeeze out as much water as you can.
  4. Combine the drained cauliflower, chia 'egg', flours, nutritional yeast and seasonings. Mix to a dough. If the dough is too wet add more flour.
  5. Halve the mixture and then pour the oil into your hands and form two balls. This ensures that the oil is coating the outside of the 'dough'. Place onto a tray leaving room for each to be flattened and shaped into a ¼ inch thick and roughly 7 inch circles. You may get more depending on size of your cauliflower (Did you know that in France it is called 'chou-fleur'?...that's so pretty!)
  6. Bake for about 20 mins until turning golden brown, and crispy at the edges. Be beady eyed about it though as each oven is different and depending on the tides/moon phase/shoe size and your mood it could burn. Don't let it burn.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Not sure of the science but like baking a cake, with gluten free stuff the resting makes for good bonding time. I've seen many recipes that say the pizza will not stand up to holding aloft but this one does.
  8. Whilst your pizza crust is cooling, slice up some vegan cheese (or use slices..Violife are the best IMHO), bust out a can of condensed tomato paste, chop up your curly kale, and mince some garlic.
  9. Now it is time to decorate those wonderful, gluten free, vegan pizza crusts! Take crust numero uno and spoon and spread over 2-3 tbs of tomato paste. Top with the sliced cheese and the garlic. Pop into the oven until cheese has melted. Grab out of oven and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts and the chopped kale, grind over some black pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Then carefully drizzle olive oil over the kale. Grab your oven mitts and pop the pizzas back under a medium grill until the kale turns crispy but not burnt. Burnt is not good.
  10. Remove from the grill (or, if you are American the broiler..still cannot get my head around that though it is more obvious to call it that..darn my English upbringing!) and EAT.
  11. Now, I have to be honest, I did not expect the crust to be that great once I'd tasted the raw mix but me-oh-my, once cooked and adorned it is a thing of sheer delight. Delizioso!
  12. *tip. Gently remove the crusts from the baking parchment BEFORE you add your toppings so that your final product is not stuck to the baking parchment. If it sticks then wet the parchment with a little water and it will peel off, like those transfer tattoos we had as kids, leaving the crust liberated and intact).
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Injera Wraps Stuffed with Citrusy Split Peas (Kik Alicha)

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I first tried Ethiopian food when I was in LA.  A great little health food store in Los Feliz neighbourhood, up by the Hollywood Hills, kept them in the chiller to-go. The curious grey/brown spongy wrap and sunlight yellow peas looked so appetising.  I was setting off on a ‘road trip within a road trip’ down to Joshua Tree to be alone in the desert and stare at millions of glistening stars.  I grabbed them and a bottle of kombucha and headed out.  I devoured them whilst driving in LA traffic (not a good idea folks, don’t do this at home…well at home yes, but not in your car).  The flavours and textures were an instant hit.  Every road trip I took, beginning at this point, then always began with a mighty roll of tangy injera bread and lemony legumes.  When I’ve eaten them in other places since, they always transport me back to sunny California and dusty deserts.

Even though I’ve been hooked on Ethiopian cuisine ever since, it has taken me years to get around to making injera bread.  I was a bit scared of it.  Silly really, fermentation is not really something to be feared, like say rip tides or leg waxing.  I guess it’s all timing.  I decided Vegan MoFo 2013 was a wonderful excuse to have a go.  






Injera is teff flour mixed with water and left to ferment for 2-3 days (mine took 3 days..it will depend on the warmth of your house).  It has a mildly sour taste.  Teff belongs to the genus of ‘love grass’. Reported to be rich in iron and complex carbs ( thought to regulate blood sugar),  high in calcium, gluten free and, well, someone once told me all those Gold medal winning Ethiopian runners eat plenty of it, so it must be good. 


Injera Wraps Stuffed with Citrusy Split Peas (Kik Alicha)

3 cups wholegrain teff
4-5 cups water (I found a recipe that says use non-chlorinated water for the fermentation, which makes sense as the yeasts don’t like chlorine..I’d try spring water next time)
oil for the fry pan/skillet
Pink salt to taste.  I used about 1 tsp.

Mix the teff flour and water (NOT the salt)into a bowl, cover and leave in a warmish spot undisturbed for 2-3 days.  See the picture below for how it should look.  I kept looking at it all the time, like you would watching soil for seed to sprout. I was so excited when it started to look cracked and then bubbles appeared on the surface.  I admit to talking to it then, and encouraging it a little (I never professed to be sane!.)  When it is fermented, mix in the salt. You may need to add more water, I did.  Look for the consistency of a moderately runny batter.

Pour the batter like you would a crepe in a heated, oiled pan (there is a special electric pan or clay plate, to make injera but I only had a non-stick frypan..beggars can’t be choosers when housesitting!)  The tell-tale craters appear pretty quickly.  Once the edges are turning whitish then pop on a suitable sized lid for a minute or so, the steaming process finishes off the cooking.  Pop onto a plate and then cook the remainder.  Pile them on top of each other, using parchment paper to separate.  I was a virgin injera maker.  My results were a bit hit and miss and reminsecnet of the goldilocks story.  The first was way too thick, the second too thin and, yep you know the rest.  I only ended up making four.  If I’d have used the correct amount for each one I’d have probably doubled this.  The pan I was using was huge too.  Practice makes perfect.  I’ll update you when I make them again.  I’d say I came 90% of the way of recreating my road trip injera.  I’d say that was not a bad result.  They’ve probably made 1000’s of them.  
Kik Alicha


1 cup dried yellow split peas. soaked over night.  3 cups of water to cook. 1 1/2 tsp pink or sea salt.  Cook until soft but not completely mushy. It is good to have a bit of texture.  35-40mins.  Cook then set aside.  If they are too wet the strain off some of the water.  See the photo below for how they should look.

5 medium cloves garlic minced
1/4 onion grated (the original recipe didn’t use onion but I used it as a buffer for the garlic so it didn’t burn)
1 1/2 inch fresh ginger minced (use my method of mincing in a garlic press..discovered this for myself last week)
1 tsp turmeric
Put all the ingredients into an oiled pan.  Quick fry for 2 mins.  Stir constantly.

Pop the garlic, ginger paste into the beans and stir.  Now squeeze over the juice of 1-2 lemons, depending on size and juiciness.  The acidity of the lemons make the flavour of the beans zing.

Cover the surface of the bread with a layer of the kik alicha (the name of the puree/stew) and then roll.  Perform this for all.

I made a red split pea wat to go with it. Super easy, spiced with exotic berber spices.  I ate this hot, but served the injera wraps chilled, as this is how they were when I first encountered them.

Lovely.  I will never fear the injera again!



See you tomorrow! x

Muy Rico! A Vegan Taste of Mexico and 5 Minute - 5 Ingredient Recipe.

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I’ve been in Mexico City for nearly 14 days. My determination to source VEGAN friendly products is being RICHLY rewarded. I am FEASTING out here!
HAPPY COW is of course a HUGE source of knowledge. Not just in Mexico City but the world. They list stores and vegan friendly restaurants. In the next few posts I’m going to share with you what I’ve found. I want to help you hit the ground running. I’ll let you know about cool cafes too.

When I was in Buenos Aires, Dieteticas were bounteous. It is not the case in Mexico City. But I’ve visited a few places listed on HappyCow and I’ve found some products in ‘everyday’ supermercados. Of course. A lot of Mexican food is VEGAN. Nature provides an abundance of vegan FAST food. Give me an avocado and some salt and I’m happy!

Here are some products you can find at SUPERAMA in the Condesa area (Walmart Mexico…they have some produce/products from the USA ..you can get AMY’s here..but alas they either contain cheese or gluten. They have a small gluten free and natural section and organic products too). They have a rack of numerous dehydrated (not raw) fruits and veggies, the tomatoes are like thin chips!
You will also find The Green Corner…kind of an upscale Whole Foods. They are 100% Mexican company selling organic food. They have 2 stores in Mexico City - Polanaco and Condesa. They are a fair trade organisation, giving most of their revenue to the providers. They try and make their stores as green as possible. One uses electricity from solar panels. They also have an organic farm/ranch that produces organic fruits and vegetables and their brand La Cocina Verde. An amazing range of sauces and marmalades/jams. I am so hooked on the mermelade tejocote with stevia that I’m eating it out of the jar with a spoon. Tejocote is a native Mexican variety of hawthorn. It has lots of nutritional properties and is thick, subtly sweet and divine.




FAST FOOD - done healthy. Momentos to make. I was keen to try a Mexican delicacy called huitlacoche or cuitlacoche . Basically corn fungus. Yeah, doesn’t exactly make you salivate but I was curious to this new and unchartered flavour.
I’m being a whimp and my overwhelm with all the choice at the food stalls/trucks/cantinas and restaurants, together with my lazy ass to brush up the smattering of Spanish I collected in Argentina is making me swerve around huddles of standing diners and take it at my pace right now.
Anyway, I spotted a can of the stuff in Superama and threw it into my basket. Along with a packet of Mexican made Bacon Bits (vegan and with soya…I do try and steer clear of heavily processed foods but a little is ok), a carton of tomato/passata flavoured with cebolla (onion) and garlic. Oh, and garbanzos. Me and garbanzos are never far from each other. I returned to my studio and assembled a meal.

My recipe for Speedy Huitlache tortillas and Sopa de Garbanzos.

I put a half can of garbanzos, 1/2 carton of passata, garlic clove, salt, and a little water into the blender and whizzed for 30 seconds. Leaving some texture. Poured the mix into a pan and warmed through. I shook on some chill spice, a spoon of ‘bacon’ bits and fresh black pepper. Verdict? Delicious. Comforting. With it I had a stack of corn tortillas containing natural prebitoics and nopal (Mexican cactus), with sliced, buttery avocado. With the excitement of a food explorer, I cracked open the can of ‘corn smut’ (huitlacoche). I ate a little from the spoon first, afraid it might have tasted malo (bad). I found it earthy, mildly sweet and a little bitter. The texture was like cooked greens. It got my vote. I’m keen to try it fresh, home cooked, see how it compares. So, rolled up within a maize tortilla and married with soft and buttery avocado…well, I’m beaming with food love!

My mind is firing with recipe ideas! The simple afternoon feast took all of 5 minutes to prepare and the flavours were intense and wonderfully satisfying. Sitting in a cafe writing this I see the photo is a sad reflection of what it actually tasted like. You’re going to just have to trust me on this one.


















I’m scouting out raw foods too. I found these by a company called VerDeSer in a little cafe in Condesa.


The tube is filled with herbed, dehydrated sprouted legumes and nuez (nuts). Crunchy. Salty. The foiled packet had spirulina and ciltrano flavoured raw crackers and were some of the best I’ve ever tasted. They were not cheap, especially by Mexican standards. $58 pesos or £3. The beautifully flecked pink and sandy coloured discs were an indulgent bag of delightfully crispy fried taro chips. So good! I ate the whole bag whilst walking through Parque de Mexico, enjoying a spot of people and doggy watching!

More coming soon…!

Be well

India xxx

Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Hummus - Recipe

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Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Hummus


I have a friend who calls chickpeas ‘devil food’.  The force of her wrath is due to the ‘fall out’ after-effect of the ubiquitous legume.  Mindful of this and needful of dip, I hunted around for alternatives.  I’d not soaked any almonds so that was out.  My stock of pre-cooked black beans were frozen solid.  Oh dear, I had nothing to ‘hummus’ but I craved it so! 

In a moment of inspiration I grabbed my dish of buckwheat, happily going about its business of sprouting on my windowsill.
I paired it will all the usual ‘hummus’ suspects, and crossed my fingers as I stood and watched it quickly blending into a thick, pale cream.

I slathered it thick on a wedge of sweet potato, hot and steaming, fresh from the oven and eagerly bit into it like an open-faced sandwich. Verdict?  It is really rather tasty!  Hunger abated and full of delight that my experiment had worked I roasted some cumin and bashed the smoking seeds with a pestle to release the flavours, and the together the two became firm friends.
I then dug around in my cupboard to fish out my mandolin (not the instrumental kind..though that would of been fitting!) and sliced some delicate rounds of beetroot to create an easy starter.  More about that after I’ve shared the basic recipe with you.


First, sprouting the buckwheat.  Buckwheat is not a grain but a seed, related to the rhubarb family.  It is full of amino acids (one of most complete sources on the planet) and is gluten free.  It is a ‘healthy’ starch and after soaking in water for 20mins (some say longer but I’ve heard it can spoil quickly), it gives off a gloupy gel like substance that needs to be rinsed vigorously.  Once rinsed pop into a sprouter and rinse 3-4 times a day.  You should see the little sprout tail emerge after a day or two.  Rinse, rinse and rinse again, and then you are ready to turn it into moreish (and Moorish) hummus.

Ingredients
2 cups raw sprouted buckwheat
1 plump clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt (pink preferably)
1/2 lemon juice (2 Tbs)
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or ume plum seasoning (to lift)
1-2 Tbs tahini (raw if that is your bag)   I used 1 Tbs and it was delicious.  See what you think.

Method.
1. pop all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Check for seasoning.  Is it ok?  You may like more lemon or more salt.  Try it.

Nutrition (source Food Matters)

Sprouted buckwheat is an amazing food because it tastes like a grain but is actually gluten and wheat free and not a grain at all. It is one of the most complete sources of protein on the planet, containing all eight essential amino acids. This makes it perfect for diabetics and those who want to cut down on their sugary carbohydrates and to balance their blood sugar levels. It is also known to lower high blood pressure. 

Sprouted buckwheat also cleanses the colon and alkalizes the body. Buckwheat is a wonderful super food for people who have varicose veins or hardening of the arteries. One of the reasons is that it is full of rutin, which is a compound that is known as a powerful capillary wall strengthener. When veins become weak, blood and fluids accumulate and leak into nearby tissues, which may cause varicose veins or hemorrhoids. 

This healing food is also rich in lecithin, making it a wonderful cholesterol balancer because lecithin soaks up “bad” cholesterol and prevents it from being absorbed. Lecithin neutralizes toxins and purifies the lymphatic system, taking some of the load off of the liver. Sprouted buckwheat is also a brain boosting super food. 28% of the brain is actually made up of lecithin. Research suggests that regularly consuming foods rich in lecithin may actually prevent anxiety, depression, brain fog, mental fatigue and generally make the brain sharper and clearer. 

Buckwheat is high in iron so it is a good blood builder. It also prevents osteoporosis because of its high boron and calcium levels. Sprouted buckwheat is high in bio-flavonoids and co-enzyme Q10. It contains all of the B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and selenium, as well as many other health giving compounds. 


Wow!  AND it makes great hummus.  Also, when teamed with mint, fresh raw beets, cumin, lemon oil and my homemade Marrakesh Relish….it is heavenly!

Enjoy!

Be well

India Leigh x


p.s  another raw buckwheat recipe you may like caramelised onion tart
p.s.s it is an excellent substitute for oats too.  Try it for breakfast.

Raw Coronation Cauliflower Recipe

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I’ve gone a bit cauliflower crazy lately.  I posted another entree for a Raw Tagine last week.  I just hope you are as keen on the pale, crunchy brassica as I am!   Another raw recipe for you.  Who wants to put the oven on when it is hot outside, right?

This recipe is simple to prepare. You do need to soak the cashews for the creamy ‘coronation’ sauce prior to making the dish, but that is hardly a chore!  I thought the combination of rich sauce combined with the lightness of the vegetable would create a lovely combo.
The idea came from Coronation Chicken, a recipe of cold chicken and creamy curry sauce. According to Wikipedia it was invented in 1953 by English food writer,  Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, a chef, whist creating the menu for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Cauliflower is low in fat, low carb and packed with lots of fibre.  High in phytochemicals with Indole-3-carbinol, that actually enhances DNA repair (phyto=plant in Greek).   Keeping it raw retains all of these fabulous nutrients that would diminish during cooking.
Raw Coronation 
Cauliflower





Serves 2 for a light lunch




Ingredients
1 cauliflower (size depends on your appetite and the veg to sauce ratio YOU like.. mine was a pretty hefty fella)
1/2 cup cashew nuts - soaked for at least 4 hours (this turns off the enzyme inhibitors and makes them easy to digest)
paprika
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I use Juliet Mae - Cool vindaloo when I’m in the USA - I think it is the best.  It is mellow and warm and doesn’t have the acidity that some curry powders have)
2 Tbs raisins (soak them for 10 mins in warm water to plump)
squeeze of lemon juice (1 tsp)
squeeze of lime (1 Tbs if you are measuring)
1 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 small clove minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste.  I’m partial to white pepper in this dish.

Method
1.cut the florets into bite size pieces
2. rinse the cashews and blend until smooth and creamy.  Decant into a mixing bowl.
3. add the remaining ingredients to the cashew mix, along with the cauliflower and mix well to ensure full coverage.  Leave flavours to develop for at least 10 mins.  Serve at room temperature.

That’s it!

I’m sure that isn’t the last you’ve heard from me on the cauliflower front…

bye for now

India Leigh  x

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