Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

I have been dabbling with the gluten free life, just here and there. I like it.  These are some sunday morning cinnamon rolls adapted from "Cinnamon Quill", a gluten free blog.  Please keep in mind that measurements are not exact; I don't really use measuring utensils, more like spoons and one measuring cup. Ha. Anyway, I enjoyed one of these puppies with a cup of fair trade english tea. YUM!

Dough:
2 1/4 cup "gluten free flour mix" (I found this in the bulk section of my natural foods store, it had chick pea, brown rice, tapioca and a few other flours)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sugar or other dry sweetener (fair trade)

3/4 cup melted dairy free margarine and/or raw coconut butter, divided
1 cup almond milk + 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (combine and set aside)
1/2 cup rice milk (or whatever) + 2 teaspoons ground flax seeds (combine and set aside)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling:
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dairy free margarine and/or raw coconut butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon (less or more to your taste)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Frosting:
1 tablespoon dairy free margarine and/ or raw coconut butter
1/2 cup + organic powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons almond milk


Preparing the dough:
Preheat oven 375 - 400
Mix dry ingredients together with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients (more than half of the melted butter) and mix together with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in more flour or milk to get the dough to be stiff but not totally dry. Knead a few times.  Let sit for 10 -20  minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile...
Filling:
Mix together all the filling ingredients with a spoon and adjust cinnamon if necessary.

Assembling the rolls:
Spread flour on your surface and roll the dough into a 9 x 13 rectangle, use your hands and fingers to get those corners nice and 90 degree-ish.

 Brush the remaining melted butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the filling evenly, leaving an inch around the edges.

Now, roll it up, length wise. I did this very slowly and reassembled the log as I was rolling, maybs the "breaking apart at the seams" is normal in the gluten free-vegan world, but whatever, it was fine, just took a little more t.l.c. and time to roll it up all nice and pretty.

Slice the log into 1 inch rolls.  Place on a cookie sheet leaving 1/4" between the rolls.

Bake for 12-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  Remove cinnamon rolls from pan as soon as you take them out of the oven, and frost.

Frosting:
Beat the butter with the powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla and more powdered sugar if you need.

This is a picture of the frosting ingredients.

I sprinkled the cinnamon rolls with some fine coconut flakes.


heart,
lindsay

The Best Quesadilla Ever

I can't even describe this one. I've been on a quesadilla bender for the last week or so, and it's only getting better. Today's hit the spot quite well. Here's what's in my single serving quesadilla-
1 large tortilla,
1 small tomato, thinly sliced and then halved
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1-2 tbl safflower oil
3 oz extra firm tofu
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp olive tapenade
1/4 lime
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
salt, pepper and red chili flakes

Here's how I made it-

Slice the tofu very thinly and then into 2"by 3" rectangles. Heat the safflower oil over medium high and cook the tofu for 3-5 minutes, turning often, until it is golden brown. Then cut the tofu into matchsticks, either using the end of your spatula or take the tofu out and slice it on a cutting board. Add the cabbage and garlic, stif fry for 3 minutes or until the cabbage is soft.  Remove tofu mixture and set aside in a bowl.

Add a little more oil to the pan and heat the tortilla, flipping a few times. Turn the heat down to low or medium low and spread  the tomato slices evenly on half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and flip a few times, allowing the tomatoes time to soften and break down.

Open the tortilla and spread the avocado on the other half, mashing it with a fork so it gets all soft and juicy.

Squeeze the lime over the whole tortilla and sprinkle with salt, pepper, red chili flakes, olive tapenade and cilantro.

Add the sesame oil to the cabbage mixture and mix.  Spoon this mixture on top of the avocado side of the tortilla, sprinkle with more salt and pepper and fold in half. Allow to heat for a minute or so. Cut in half or thirds and enjoy! You'll need a napkin for sure.

Baba Ghanoush Quesadilla

After a busy week of work I have a day off to relax, catch up and do the things I love.  Like eat. Today is Thursday and our  Community Supported Agriculture produce boxes are arriving in hours. So, time to kick the fruit and vegetable consumption up a notch. This mornings' breakfast consisted of almost a whole honey due melon. Lunch is using up more veggies and I squeezed in some carrot zucchini cup cakes somewhere in my morning. I'll consider posting that recipe, although it is harder for me to post baking recipes because I don't use measuring utensils. Anyway, they are cooling now. Here's the dilla I made. 

1 large tortilla
1/2 tomato, thinly sliced
1 leaf chard, rolled tightly and sliced diagonally
8 slices cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 tbl baba ganoush (recipe to follow)
1/4 zucchini, in thin match sticks
1 tsp olive tapanade
1/2 tsp gomasio (you can make this by blending toasted sesame seeds with salt in a blender or food processor, or buy it at your local natural foods store)

 Baba Ghanoush:
 1 large eggplant, sliced in half and roasted at 400 for 45 minutes or until soft
1 can drained and rinsed chick peas
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp water
1/2 lemon squeezed (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Allow eggplant to cool slightly and then scoop out the inside, leaving the skin. Add the rest of the ingredients to food processor or a good blender and blend until smooth.

To assemble tortilla:
 Lightly grease the bottom of a large skillet (cast iron is my skillet of choice), heat the tortilla over medium low. Spread baba ghanoush and olive tapenade evenly over the tortilla and heat for a few minutes. Layer the rest of the ingredients, sprinkle with gomasio and fold in half. Dip in salsa if you like.

Eating in Guam

Okay, I'm in Guam! I just bought a computer and now I am connected to the world wide web. Feels good. I got a job working as a Clubmate for Pacific Islands Club. My job is working at the beach, water park, trampoline,racquet center, kids club and doing dance shows at night. It's fun and high energy and I've met some super cool people out here. Guam, my birthplace, is magical and refreshing. I'm having a blast and loving the island style.

Eating in Guam is great. I've totally gotten better at eating since moving into a hotel room and eating at cafeteria 3 meals a day. The idea of food has changed a little in my mind. I'm still totally obsessed with it, but, for the first time in my life, it also feels like a chore sometimes. I'm learning more that food = fuel. I 'm not perfectly healthy all the time, but I'm getting better at picking foods that nourish and energize me.

Some of my fellow Club mates and I have started doing a food club on Monday nights. It starts at 10:30 when everyone gets off work. We cut, chop, blend, spread, grate, slice and mix while sharing knives and cutting boards and sprawling out all over our hotel rooms. Here's what we've made so far.

Cabbage, Carrot, Apple, Onion, Tomato, bell pepper and kale wraps with rice vinegar and agave nectar
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Bean Salsa. This was Natalie's recipe. SO GOOD!

corn, black beans, white beans, red onion, cliantro and salsa.


Pizza.

Daiya vegan cheese, onion, tomato, black beans, bell pepper, fresh garlic, organic mushroom, garlic marinara, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and a feta cheese. We made different combo's of all the ingredients. SO GOOD. Toaster oven. Amazing. Oh and this was on a whole grain pizza crust.





And Hummus. It was unreal. Christina's a master.

Garlic, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon, black beans, garbanzo beans, roasted bell pepper and tomato, roasted garlic. Again, we made different combos using an immersion blender and a regular blender.


photos by Rene.

Potato Stir Fry

Lately, I've been really into potato stir fries. I make the same sort of meal often, and just switch up the ingredients depending on what I have or what I'm trying to use up. This is a pretty quick meal... Maybe 30-45 mintues start to finish. I realize that I love to be in the kitchen, so a meal that takes close to two hours doesn't phase me. But, I dont' make those kind of meals every night. This is something I would make when I don't feel like making a totally kick-ass dinner, just a kick-ass one.


1 lb potatoes (I used small yellow ones this time), cut into large chunks
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced (3/4 inch squares)
8 oz tofu, pressed (even if it's only for 5-10 minutes, do it!)
1-2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tsp tumeric
2-3 tbl earth balance or other butter substitute
2 leaves of rapini ,rolled tightly and sliced thinly diagonally, (rapini looks like chard, any leafy greens would work here)
1/2 cup collard greens roughly chopped
1-2 carrots, grated
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup green chili or other salsa
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional)


Guacamole
1/2 avocado, smushed
1 tomatoe, diced
1 tbl red onion, diced
1 tsp lemon or lime juice
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and onions. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the tofu by crumbling with your hands. Add the soy sauce and tumeric. Continue to cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is drying out and getting crispy on some sides. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.

When the potatoes are finished, add the earth balance to the same pan you used for the tofu. Add the potatoes, coat them all with butter and let cook for 5 minutes or so, until the one side is crispy. Stir occasionally, cutting the potatoes into bite size pieces with the end of the spatula. Cook until the potatoes are as crispy as you want. Add the tofu mixture back to the pan along with the carrots, rapini and collard greens. Stir fry for 3-5 mintues. Add the green chili and garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if you desire. Top with the guacamole and DIG IN!

This is what rapini looks like.

Tofu Nuggets, Garlic Fries and Sautee'd Fall Veggies

I love tofu nuggets! The key to tofu is marinating and then cooking until it changes texture. So, these take awhile, but a lot of the time is inactive. I don't make this very often because I rarely remember to start marinating the tofu ahead of time... but yesterday I did. We were on our way out to go paint at All Fired Up (super fun by the way), and I threw the tofu in a plastic bag with the soy sauce and water and walked out the door. Easy Peasy. I also added some frozen garlic french fries from Trader Joe's to this meal. French fries are vegan, thank GOD. And then of course, the obligatory vegetable. I'm not going to lie, sometimes eating vegetables is like a chore. But as with all chores, it is necessary and you'll probably feel better after. I was using up some veggies from our veggie box for this stir fry, not sure I'd pick this variety of vegetables out of the grocery store. Anyway, on with the recipe-

Tofu Nuggets:
16 oz tofu (any firmness is fine)
2 tbl soy sauce (or tamari)
2tbl water
1/4 cup nutrional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Cut the tofu into 4 or 5 strips and place in a plastic bag (a produce bag is a good size). Add the soy sauce and water, you can add a little more of both if needed. Then place the plastic bag in a bowl and let sit in the fridge for 1.5 hours or more. Rotate the tofu slabs once or twice.

Heat oven to 375. Mix the nutritional yeast with the spices in a small plate. Cut the tofu slabs into 5 or 6 pieces, to make cubes. Roll the cubes in the nutritional yeast mixture and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the cubes one to three times.

Garlic Fries:
I put these in the oven half way through the cooking time of the tofu nuggets. Flipping fries once.

Veggie Stir Fry:

1/2 small white onion, cut into 1/2 squares
4 turnips, sliced and then cut in half
leaves of four turnips, chopped roughly
1/2 cup green beans, ends chopped off and cut in half
1 clove garlic
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper
thyme

Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium with the olive oil. Add the onions and sautee for 2 minutes. Then add the turnips and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and turnip leaves and sautee for 2-3 more minutes. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
Enjoy!

Tortillas con vegetales y salsa verde

I don't really know what to call this dish, so I'll just say what it is, but in Spanish. It reminds me of a dish called "chiliquiles' that we serve at the Blue Onion. I have never had the one at the B.O.; in my imagination it would taste like what I made tonight- hearty, chewy, rich and savory. I had some potatoes that I cooked the night before, so this came together in flash. I served it with a side of black beans.

1 orange bell pepper, sliced 1/8"- 1/4" thick
1/2 medium onion, sliced 1/8"-1/4" thick
2 cups cooked potatoes chopped roughly into small pieces (1/4 -1/2 inch cubes)
4 6" inch corn tortillas, ripped into bite size chunks (if they're a little stale, that's even better)
1/4 cup ish earth balance (I know, it's crazy, you can cut it in half if you're trying to be low fat)
1/4 cup green chili salsa (I used Salsa Verde from Trader Joe's)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Garnish
avocado, tomato, cilantro, whatever really


Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the earth balance (or olive oil) and add the red peppers and onions. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes and then add the potatoes. Continue to stir fry while adding the rest of the earth balance. Smush the potatoes a little with the end of your spatula. Add the tortillas after 2 minutes. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the green chili, soy sauce, cumin and red pepper flakes. Stir fry for another few minutes and then turn the heat to low. Continue to stir occasionally for 2-5 minutes.

Serve with beans and garnish. And tortilla chips if you've got 'em.