gluten free zen
Taking The Stress Out Of Gluten-Free Grain-Free & Dairy-Free Living
Garlic & Thyme Roasted Potato Wedges
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3 or 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into wedges
Olive Oil
Fresh Thyme Sprigs, about 15
Sea Salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Garlic, minced
Slice the potatoes into wedges and place them in a bowl.
Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, several grinds of sea salt, the minced garlic, and the thyme. Slide your fingers down the stalks of the thyme to remove the leaves easily.
Toss and place potatoes upright (if possible) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Some of them will want to lie down. Just let them, it’s not worth the frustration of trying to get all of them to stand upright.
Bake in a preheated oven until golden. About 45 minutes.
Vegan Walnut Pesto
Vegan Walnut Pesto
Fill your food processor up with fresh basil (I usually use 3 big boxes from Trader Joes)
Add about 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
Add about a handful of walnuts (you can also omit the nuts)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Sea Salt
Pulse until thoroughly combined.
Turn food processor on and slowly drizzle olive oil in until it comes to a somewhat smooth consistency. You can make it very creamy by adding more olive oil and continuing to process the mix, or, leave it a bit thick, or somewhere in between.
Roasted Tomato, Pepper, & Basil Soup
Roasted Tomato, Pepper, & Basil Soup
1 16oz. Container of Compari Tomatoes On The Vine (About eight)
8 Large Tomatoes On The Vine
Three Small “ish” Bell Peppers (I used a yellow, orange, and red)
1/2 Sweet White Onion
1 Whole Head of Garlic (Yes, an entire head, don’t panic, the roasting smooths it out nicely)
1 32oz. Container of GF Chicken Broth
1/4 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped
2 Bay Leaves
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Dutch Oven or Medium Soup Pot
Heavy Duty Blender
Heat grill to high (about 450-475) and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and dry tomatoes and peppers. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the Compari tomatoes in half and remove the core, seeds, and stem piece. Place on parchment and drizzle with olive oil. Grind a little sea salt over the top.
Place the peppers on the hot grill and grill until they are charred, turning every now and then. Remove from grill when they are mostly charred. Place them in a zipper plastic bag and seal so that they can steam and cool.
While the peppers are charring and then steaming, roast the Compari tomatoes in preheated oven for about 35 minutes or so, or until they flatten and begin to look concentrated.
Remove from oven onto dish and set aside.
Quarter the large tomatoes and remove the core and stem end only. Leave seeds intact. Place on the same parchment lined sheet you did the Compari tomatoes on and drizzle with olive oil. Grind sea salt over the top and sprinkle with garlic powder. Place in preheated oven and roast for about 45 minutes or until they begin to slightly caramelize on top. Remove from oven onto dish and set aside.
Once the peppers are cooled, remove from the bag and peel off skin. Remove the membranes and seeds.
Then, slice the peppers and set aside. Cut the top part of the head off of a clump of garlic. Place on a medium-sized piece of tin foil and drizzle (generously) with olive and a few grinds of sea salt.
Wrap the head up tight.
Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour until the individual cloves are roasted nicely and are mushy.
Remove from oven, unwrap and squeeze out all of the heads into a ramekin or onto a plate and set aside.
Dice the 1/2 onion and place in a dutch oven with a medium drizzle of olive oil. Saute slowly until they are translucent and golden. Remove all onions and bits from pan and set aside.
Do not rinse the pan, you will use it after a couple more steps. Gather all of your ingredients. Place the vine tomatoes in the blender first (they are the juiciest), then the Compari tomatoes and the peppers. Next, add the onion, garlic, basil, and half of the chicken stalk. Blend (starting on low so you don’t end up with soup on your ceiling) until smooth. Pour into the dutch oven and add the remaining chicken stock and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer very slowly for 1 hour.
Makes about 6 nice sized servings and also freezes well.
Gluten Free Croutons
Gluten Free Croutons
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Leftover gluten-free sandwich bread or french bread
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Seasoning of your choice
Cube bread. (I used leftover Italian french bread that I had previously made for another meal.)
Place cubes in bowl and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, and seasonings and toss. (My bread was already seasoned with garlic and Italian herbs but I added more garlic powder and sea salt, then tossed with oil.) Pour out onto the covered baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, turning once, until they are golden brown and crispy. Store in a plastic zipper bag or airtight container once they have cooled completely.
Simple Green Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing
Looking for an easy and refreshing summer dinner? Look no further. This couldn’t be easier. It’s light and refreshing but filling enough to call a meal. Perfect for a hot summer evening when you don’t feel like standing over the stove.
1 Small Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1 Chicken Breast, grilled
Salad Dressing of Your Choice
I used 1 Heaping Tablespoon of Olive Oil Mayo, about 3 or 4 teaspoons of Rice Wine Vinegar, and about 1/4 Block of Sheep’s milk cheese. Put it all in a bowl, seasoned with pepper and stirred with a fork until combined.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl, toss together and plate. Can it get any easier?
Toasted Coconut and Pecan Haystacks
Toasted Coconut and Pecan Haystacks
8oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Squares or Dark Chocolate
About 1 cup Shredded Sweetened Coconut
About 3/4 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
Melt chocolate in a double broiler or in a bowl over a pan of hot water until smooth. While chocolate is melting, toast pecans in a medium-hot skillet. Be careful, they go from toasted to burnt in a nano second. Set pecans aside to cool slightly and toast the coconut in the same skillet. Toss frequently so it doesn’t burn. Pour coconut into melted chocolate, pour almost all of the pecans into the melted chocolate. Stir until completely combined and spoon (tablespoon) onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment. I got about 16 pieces out of it. Sprinkle with a little bit of un-toasted coconut and the remaining nuts. Pop them in the freezer just until set. Store in an airtight container…if they last that long.
Clementine Carrot Cookies
Clementine Carrot Cookies
2 Cups Mama’s Almond Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Cup Spectrum Shortening
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Grated Raw Carrots
2 Tablespoons of Grated Clementine Rind (about three)
1 teaspoon Clementine Juice (reserve the remainder of the juice for frosting)
1 egg
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Powdered Sugar
Reserved Clementine Juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl and set aside. In a mixer cream the shortening and sugar scraping down the sides once or twice. Add Carrots, rind, juice, and egg. Mix until thoroughly combined. It will be a gorgeous orange color.
Next, with mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients, and then mix on medium until thoroughly combined scraping down bowl once. Don’t over mix.
Drop by teaspoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes and remove to a rack to cool. While cookies are baking, pour powdered sugar into a small bowl and slowly add the reserved clementine juice. Whisk until it is thoroughly combined and is of drizzling consistency. Not too runny, about what I would call medium thick.
Wait for cookies to cool and then drizzle with a little frosting.
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 Jar of Organic Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar, packed
2 Large Organic Eggs
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
About 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place all ingredients except the chocolate in a mixer. Mix just until thoroughly combined, do not over mix. This will only take maybe 10-15 seconds.
Rough chop your chocolate.
Add chocolate chunks to mixer and mix just until combined. Maybe 5-6 seconds. Do not over mix, if you do, the chocolate will separate itself from the dough and you will end up with a pile of chocolate at the bottom of the bowl with the dough on top and once this happens, it’s not fixable.
Next, scoop out little mounds, about 1 1/2 Tablespoons each, onto the parchment lined baking sheet. I usually do about 12 per sheet. They don’t spread much but I like to give mine plenty of room to “breathe” during cooking.
Bake for about 12 minutes.
Mixed Berry Sorbet
Mixed Berry Sorbet
2 Quarts of Mixed Berries, frozen (I used fresh picked and then frozen – blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Try not to settle with the freezer section store bought berries. It makes all the difference in the world in flavor when you buy them at a farmer’s market or pick them yourself and then freeze them. Simply pour them out on a cookie sheet and place them in your freezer until they are completely frozen. This keeps them from sticking to each other and becoming mushy.)
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Cups All Natural No Sugar Added Mango Peach Juice
1 Cup Water
Juice of 2 Limes
Place all ingredients in a large blender. You may have to do it in two batches depending on the strength and size of your blender. You could probably also do it in a food processor in two batches.
Blend until completely incorporated and somewhat smooth. I like mine to have a little body, but you can blend it as smoothly as you like. Then, spread it out into an 8 1/2 x 11 glass or ceramic dish.
If you’re making it in the morning, cover with plastic wrap and freeze all day. If not, cover it and freeze it over night. Next, remove from dish and scoop out into a large bowl. I stirred mine a few times. Cover and freeze until ready to use. Scoop into pretty dishes and garnish with mint or fresh berries.
gluten free zen 