Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms,  The Gluten-Free Vegan p 79 by Susan O'Brien

4 large portobello mushroom caps
1 tbsp olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 small red pepper, seeded & chopped
1/4 c chopped yellow sweet pepper
1/2 c finely chopped zucchini
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes
6 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
3/4 c seeded & chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, or to taste

• Preheat your oven's broiler. Clean the mushroom caps and remove the featherlike substance on the underside as well as the stem in the middle of the cap. Do this carefully, so you don't break the mushrooms. Lightly coat the mushrooms with olive oil, then place them on a cookie sheet and broil on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are soft. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 350F.
• In a large skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the peppers, zucchini, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes, and pine nuts, and continue to cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Italian seasonings, basil, salt, and pepper.
• Carefully stuff the mixture into each mushroom cap, dividing the vegetables evenly among them, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

** Lucas and I added cheese to the top about halfway through the cook time. (use vegan cheese of course!)

This recipe gets 5 out of 5 stars. Oh if you can't have pine nuts you can swap for cashews or no nuts. =) Use this as a base recipe and tweek it to your liking.

Tofu Feta

"This stuff isn't exactly like feta cheese, but it's pretty close and makes a great addition to salads, pizzas, and hors d'oeuvres. I like mine extra salty, but feel free to adjust to your own taste."

Yield: 10 servings, about 2 ounces (55g) each

1 block (1 pound, or 454g) extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove any extra water

3 tablespoons (45ml) apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons (45ml) kalamata or other olive juice (from a jar of olives packed in water, not oil)

6 tablespoons (90ml) lemon juice

2 to 3 teaspoons (10 to 15g) sea salt

The night before, freeze the pressed tofu overnight in a freezersafe plastic bag. The next day, let the frozen tofu thaw for about 4 hours and then press again to remove any moisture. Crumble into 1/2-inch (1.3cm) chunks into a medium-size bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive juice, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons (10g) of the sea salt. Drizzle over the tofu and stir to combine,

Let rest in the fridge for 1 hour, stir again, and let rest 1 hour longer, Add the remaining 1 teaspoon (5g) salt to taste, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 weeks.

recipe note

tofu can easily be pressed to remove all water either by using a handy-dandy gadget such as the TofuXpress or by wrapping tightly in several paper towels, placing between two plates, topping with a couple of heavy canned items (two 28-ounce [784g] cans works well), and allowing to rest for 1 to 2 hours, replacing the paper towels halfway through.

source:

Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats, p. 29 , Allyson Kramer

Chocolate Chip Cookies

What You Need:

2 cups flour

1 tea baking powder

½ cup coconut oil

¾ c brown sugar

¼ cup almond milk

2 tea vanilla extract

3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I could have been okay with ½ cup really…)

And I added ¼ cup walnuts, just because I had them - and I love walnuts.   

The Fun Part:

Mix wet ingredients

Add dry ingredients

Add chocolate chips, and walnuts if you wish.

Form into balls – however big or small you like

Cook 350 for 10-13 minutes, depending on how big your balls are (hehe)

I found it to be very dry so I needed more non-dairy milk. 

Source

Vegan Banana Bread

Vegan Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-4 Tablespoons soy milk, as needed to form a good consistency

Method

1. Mash the bananas with a fork. Add powdered sugar and oil to the mashed bananas and mix well.
2. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, ground flax and crushed walnuts in a separate mixing bowl.
3. Add the mashed banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well to make a batter. Add soy milk as needed to adjust the consistency.
4. Grease a loaf pan with little oil and add the batter to it.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 – 60 minutes, or a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle of the loaf.
6. Remove to a cooling rack, cool completely before slicing (if you can wait that long.)

I used coconut oil and coconut sugar instead in the recipe and it smells great!

Coconut sugar will make the bread a darker brown, but don't worry it's not burnt. You can't even taste the coconut. It's super moist and it'll be hard to stop at one slice.

Source

Hummus

2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed (reserve liquid)
5-6 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/3 cup sesame tahini (or more if desired)
2 cloves of garlic, minced freshly
1/2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Olive oil

Place the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, use the reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans and add a small amount, a little at a time, until the mixture blends smoothly. Remove from the blender and add the salt, pepper and cayenne. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top. Serve with veggies.

Source:
The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien p. 24

Guacamole

2 1/2 cups peeled and mashed avocado (2 large avocados)
1 tbsp Tofutti soy sour cream (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup seeded and finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground pepper


Source:
The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien p. 23

Curried Bean Dip

This is a great appetizer for a party. Serve with veggies or chips and watch it fly out of the bowl!

1 (15-ounce can) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce can) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed if possible
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Place all of ingredients into a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings, cover, and chill for a few hours to really let the flavours blend together. Serve with cut vegetables or chips.


Source:
The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien p. 22