gluten free recipes Archives - A Vegan Obsession

Vanilla Sugar Dusted, Gluten Free Yeasted Donut Recipe

September 17, 2013 by India Leigh

A first for me. The homemade gluten free donut. I needed guidance. It wasn’t that easy to find a definitive, simple enough gluten free yeasted, fried donut recipe on the Interweb. Most of them were baked. Normally, this would be my plan, healthier the better. But, I’ve not eaten a donut for so many years so if I was going to have one I wanted it to be full fat and tasting like I remember a donut tasted. Phase Two will be trying the baked versions and seeing how they compare. Meanwhile, I figured I’m probably only ever going to eat my homemade donuts, and I’ll make it a once a year occurrence.

Vanilla Sugar Dusted, Gluten Free Yeasted Donut Recipe

The ingredients
1 1/2 cup warm unsweetened almond milk
1 1/4 cup garbanzo & fava flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tbs tapioca flour (meant to add ‘chew’ to gluten free flours’)
2 tbs dry quick acting yeast
1/4 cup xylitol
1 tsp white sugar (I used the ‘demon’ white and not all xylitol as I read somewhere that yeast needs processed white sugar)
2 tbs flax meal
1/2 tsp salt ( I used less salt than Gluten Free Girl used as I think using mainly garbanzo and lava flour lessens the need)

white processed sugar for dusting

Method
Sift the flours and add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix the dough/batter until well incorporated. I did this by hand, you may get an even better result from an electric mixer. The mixture is going to be wet. You’ll probably think you’ve got it wrong. I did too, but several assurances in my internet research said the dough would be more like a thick batter. My research took me all over, and conflicting ideas caused ~~much~~ a little confusion, but basically, I used Gluten Free Girls tips for guidance.
Now to form the donuts. I didn’t have a donut cutter so I made mine with my hands. It is absolutely crucial you flour your hands really well from the start. I didn’t and it got messy. Place onto a sheet of baking parchment onto of a baking sheet tray. Form balls and place (with room for expansion) onto the sheet. Leave to rise for 45 mins. Mine spread more than towered in height.

Cooking
Make sure your pan is completey dry before adding in the oil. Any water residue will make the hot oil spit like an angry camel. When the oil reaches 375F (I didn’t have a candy thermometer so I did the throw in a small piece of dough or bread trick and it sizzled nicely so I knew it was hot enough) place the dough carefully into the fryer. After the first two, the donuts only took about 30-40 seconds to fry each side, if that. I fried one at a time. I was so scared of the oil! I could only handle the stress of mono baking. Use two slotted spoons or forks to flip the donut. When cooked both sides put onto kitchen towel to let the excess oil drain for a few moments. Then transfer to your dish of sugar and coat. It will stick better when the donuts are still fairly hot.

I got tips mainly from Gluten Free Girl and some from Gluten Free On A Shoestring &
Gluten Free Baking

I couldn’t find the large quantities of starch flours in my local supermarkets, I was amazed, these are not small shops. Potato starch and tapioca were nowhere to be found and the arrow root came in silly little 5g bags. To make this recipe 60% starch (40% grain) it would have cost me a Kings ransom. I am going to go on a hunt of the Asian stores the other side of town to see if they have them as Indian cooking uses a lot of gluten free starchy flours for when I embark on my gluten free bread experiments. I will let you know.

Their taste far exceeded hoped for visual appeal. I had wanted to fill them but the had not risen sufficiently. So, I quickly whipped up some cashew, banana, vanilla soft serve in the blender to scoop on top. They were a hit. Not only with me. They had to stand up to my donut queen, gluten loving Mother. Verdict? You’d never know they were gluten free! ‘They’re good’, she declared. Any therapist would say I should be way past the stage of seeking parental approval, but I guess I’m still not quite there yet!! Hey, I’m blogging everyday, and seeking approval of complete strangers who I probably will never even come into contact with, so I think I’d potentially make some therapist quite rich! Hey ho.

Enjoy the donuts or doughnuts…spell them how you will. x

Day 17 - Vegan MoFo 2013

Injera Wraps Stuffed with Citrusy Split Peas (Kik Alicha)

September 16, 2013 by India Leigh

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

Aubergine Walnut Rouleaux with Wild Blackberry, Mustard Vinaigrette

September 13, 2013 by India Leigh

I’m going to rave about this recipe! If you make it, you will too. Promise.

It is so, so good. Have you ever danced around the kitchen with a dish you’ve just made? No, me neither.

It is now marching on to Day 13 of Vegan MoFo 2013 (it’s a Friday too..eek! but lets forget crazy superstitious nonsense). I wish I’d participated in Vegan MoFo before. I love it. Not just making the food, but the event creates such a lovely community. It is great to visit some of other blogs everyday and see what they are up to. I am amazed at some of the dishes they are creating.

Today’s dish was inspired by my travels in Berlin, and a friend, who turned up in a rain shower, on my doorstep, with his wet and panting Border Collie, to present me with a big bowl of freshly picked, glossy black berries. He is one of those friends that seems to have a canny knack of knowing just what I need before I do, and makes sure I get it. So grateful.

Aubergine Walnut Rouleaux (Rolls) with Wild Blackberry, Mustard Vinaigrette

makes about 10-12 rolls

1 large aubergine (eggplant)

Wild Blackberry, Mustard Vinaigrette

1 cup fresh blackberry juice

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs agave syrup

2 tbs rapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp gluten free wholegrain mustard

Himalayan (or sea) salt & cracked black pepper to taste

wash and blend the blackberries, strain. pour juice into a jar.

add all the remaining ingredients. mix.

Creamy walnut filling

1 cup of walnuts soaked over night (makes them far easier to digest)

1/2 block (175g) firm silken tofu (if you don’t eat soy then you can probably sub with plain, unsweetened almond yogurt that has been left to drain on some muslin)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 garlic clove

salt & cracked black pepper to taste

pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

slice the aubergine 1/2 cm thick. Rub over with a little salt. They soak up so much oil so I poured a little oil on a board, mixed with some water and then take the slices and brush both sides on the board. drop a tbs of oil into a pan and then use some kitchen towel to help coat the pan. THEN heat (not before, you’ll burn your fingers) the pan and place the slices and fry until golden brown.

When the slices have cooled enough for you to hold them, take a spoon of the filling and roll up the aubergine. Repeat for all of your slices. On your serving dish, spoon over a line of the vinaigrette and gently place the rouleaux onto it.

chilli flakes & paprika for dusting

Serve with fresh organic green beans. Quick blanched in a little boiling water. About 3 mins. Rinse in cold water to halt the cooking process and retain colour.

See you tomorrow! x

Hand Held Vegan Brunch To Go - Gluten Free

September 10, 2013 by India Leigh

Vegan MoFo Day 10. Hello!

After far too long away from pottering in the kitchen (travel, moving) I’m loving welcoming back my cooking mojo. It’s not totally back in technicolour yet, but it’s getting there. It feels like the pressure has been released from weeks/months of ideas/inspirations, backing up, waiting to be manifest in my kitchen.

Being gluten free and being in the UK, finding tortillas suitable for me can be a challenge. Do they have to add wheat to everything!! Grr. So, because of this predicament, I usually only eat tortillas when I am in Mexico or California (made of either 100% corn or brown rice). So, I was really excited to have these sent to me to try from BFree. Excited! So, I wanted to share my good fortune and invite a friend over for brunch so I could serve up some tofu scramble wraps with a side of hot and smokey black beans.

These wraps are made from a whole motley of gluten free grain and bean flours, including amaranth and quinoa. They are low fat and high in fibre compared to the wheat free varieties out there. Although thin, they held together surprisingly well. The slight hint of sourdough flavour (they are fermented) married so well with the scramble. If you want to try them you can purchase them in Asda in the UK.

Tofu, red onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, chilli, black salt, turmeric, thyme, cracked black pepper. I grated the onions first and cooked them in vegetable stock so it was oil free. You’d never guess.

I’ve always wanted to make tofu pockets wrap them in foil a la food truck.

The smokey black beans are a five minute side dish. Smoked paprika, squeeze of tomato paste, chilli powder, chilli flakes, sea salt, cracked black pepper. Cook to a boil, take off heat. Cool a little then reheat before serving. This way the flavours are absorbed into the warm beans and create a thick sauce for the beans. Add some water and you’ve got soup!

Tofu Scramble Wraps

Ingredients

1 package firm Tofu - drained
1 medium red onion – sliced
1 or 2 cloves of garlic – minced
1 large carrots – julienned

1/2 yellow bell pepper - sliced and deseeded

1 mild-medium heat chilli – finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cumin powder
2 pinches of black salt (kala namak..gives a sulphurous �?eggy’ flavour) or use Himalayan pink salt.
Freshly cracked black pepper – to taste
1 vegetable stock cube mixed in 2 tbsp water (use a good stock..some use unnecessary ingredients like sugar, maltodextrin..you can purchase low sodium, yeast free, vegan stock cubes).
Fresh chopped chives or your favourite herb to garnish.

Method

sauté the onion in a fry pan lightly coated with oil until soft and caramelised.

add the garlic and cook for 2 mins, careful not to allow to burn.

add the tofu and peppers, stock and herbs, spices, salt and pepper. cook for a further 7-10 mins, stirring to keep it all cooking through. Use your spatula to break down the tofu to a scramble like consistency. Cook until the excess moisture has cooked off.

Remove from the heat. Check for seasoning. Sprinkle over your chopped herbs, and perhaps a tsp of fresh chopped chilli. Spoon onto your wraps. Roll up. Serve.

Hand Held Vegan Brunch To Go - Scramble Wraps

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Delicious, simple and quick to make. Lunch or brunch is a breeze. Full of flavour, low fat and vegan. If you use a gluten free wrap it will be gluten free, too! Lovely.

Author: India Leigh

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Tofu Scramble Wraps

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 package firm Tofu - drained
1 medium red onion – sliced
1 or 2 cloves of garlic – minced
1 large carrots – julienned
½ yellow bell pepper - sliced and deseeded
1 mild-medium heat chilli – finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp cumin powder
2 pinches of black salt (kala namak..gives a sulphurous �?eggy’ flavour) or use Himalayan pink salt.
Freshly cracked black pepper – to taste
1 vegetable stock cube mixed in 2 tbsp water (use a good stock..some use unnecessary ingredients like sugar, maltodextrin..you can purchase low sodium, yeast free, vegan stock cubes).
Fresh chopped chives or your favourite herb to garnish.

Instructions

sauté the onion in a fry pan lightly coated with oil until soft and caramelised.
add the garlic and cook for 2 mins, careful not to allow to burn.
add the tofu and peppers, stock and herbs, spices, salt and pepper. cook for a further 7-10 mins, stirring to keep it all cooking through. Use your spatula to break down the tofu to a scramble like consistency. Cook until the excess moisture has cooked off.
Remove from the heat. Check for seasoning. Sprinkle over your chopped herbs, and perhaps a tsp of fresh chopped chilli. Spoon onto your wraps. Roll up. Serve.

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The brunch was so good. My brunch date nearly licked their plate (or was that me?!) These would be perfect as for a packed lunch, you could nestle the beans in with the scramble. Pop in a few cheeky slices of avocado. Wow. Happy, hand held food.

See you tomorrow. x

UPDATE
I was curious about the folks at BFree so I asked a few ?’s.

Freya Ivory, Head Marketing Executive at BFree was happy to respond.

Tell me of the story of BFree

BFree was set up by Ronan McNamee who was the original founder of Cuisine De France. It came about after a lot of research into the gluten and wheat free industry.

Who are you?

BFree are a team of 10 consisting of sales reps, marketing, finance, logistics and R&D. We are all really passionate about BFree and our consumers.

Why are you?

BFree was set up because the founder had an interest in the Gluten Free industry and after a lot of research he established that there was a clear gap for a tasty, good for you bread.

When was the company founded?

BFree started trading in the latter half of 2011. Within a year we had secured nationwide listings with 3 Irish supermarket chains; Dunnes Stores, Tesco Ireland and SuperValu. At the end of 2012 / start of 2013 we got a listing with ASDA for the UK.

Also, have you considered making your range entirely vegan? Replacing the egg with http://hamptoncreekfoods.com Beyond Eggs. Bill Gates is raving about this company. Their egg substitute is AMAZING (I’ve reviewed it) and is way cheaper than eggs. Also, making the wraps sugar free (is your sugar certified vegan?)

We are certainly looking at making all our range vegan and possible products that we launch in the future would be vegan too.

Soup Therapy. MoFo Day 7 - Smoky Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Tempeh Croutons

September 7, 2013 by India Leigh

Happy Day 7 - Vegan MoFo 2013.
My first MoFo recipe. To be honest, since my recent return from Berlin, I’ve been a bit ‘fooded out’. I’ve been craving just simple and familiar flavours. I’m also a bit blue, from leaving behind a wonderful month in Germany. I’ve also just moved into a house sit and besides that being another new situation, I’ve discovered it is not going to be as long as I thought so I’m looking for my next housesit. I’m a bit all over the place, to say the least! I’m going to seek somewhere where I can hunker down, be for a while, and cook until the cows come home.

Therefore, I’m presenting you with a heart warming, favourite of mine. It has a gentle kick too, to liven things up and get you out of a funk…if that is what is needed.

Smokey Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup. I put a new take on it by adding fried, crispy Tempeh Croutons (an idea I stole from Lucky Leek in Berlin)

It is really simple to make (I need that, my head is bloody spinning from all the uncertainty and excitement).

This recipe makes two bowls.

6 small red peppers (I used a couple of yellow instead this time as the bargain bag was…a bargain!..it tasted just as good)
6 organic tomatoes (choose ones that have not spent all their life in a fridge and have had chance for their sugars to develop)
6 cloves of garlic (oh dear, I’ve just seen I’ve created 666 in my soup recipe..add 7 cloves if you are superstitious!)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp pink salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Tempeh croutons

just use enough diced tempeh to garnish the centre of the bowl
1/4 tsp chipotle powder (if you don’t have then just use smoked paprika)

chili flakes to garnish

Roast the peppers & tomatoes in a 180degree oven. For about 25-30 mins, until the shoulders of the vegetables are becoming just slightly charred. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly, this will make the skin easier to peel off and discard (discard the peppers seeds too). You can use the plastic bag trick but the idea of plastic bag chemicals on my food freaks me out a little. If you just wait a few minutes the skin will be compliant with your wishes. Make sure you catch all the delicious juices from the peppers. I don’t oil my peppers & toms. i don’t think they need it. I do however make a little boat out of tin foil and pop my garlic in there and douse liberally, as the garlic needs the oil to prevent the garlic from burning to a charred and bitter crisp. It becomes so sweet and soft this way. I could actually just eat these like candy.

Put peppers, tomatoes and garlic into a saucepan with the seasonings. Add about 1/2 cup water. You may need a little more, but taste and use your judgement. Use a stick blender to blend. Pop onto the gas and bring it back up to a nice heat (don’t boil it).

Meantime, dust the diced tempeh with the chipotle powder and a little salt and black pepper. Pop into a hot, oiled skillet and fry for about 2-3 minutes.

Serve the soup into huggable bowls. Sprinkle the tempeh into the centre and dust with chilli flakes, if you wish. Grind over more fresh black pepper.

Breathe for a moment. Ahh. Dip in a big soup spoon. Eat. Let the flavours play on your tongue and just see how it puts the world to rights!

What did you make today? Let us know in the comments below.

Tofu Scramble Wraps

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