Spicy Chickpea Crackers with Chives – Gluten-free + Vegan

by tastyyummies

Spicy Chickpea Crackers with Chives - Gluten-free + Vegan

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, or just a wonderful weekend if you are outside of the US. We had a very busy one, filled with so much fun, great friends and my amazing family! Short of being away on vacation, I don’t know if I have ever had that much fun, that many days in a row. Some of the highlights of those 5 days was a super relaxing Thursday night massage after work at my good friend Erika’s newly opened place here in Buffalo, Phoenix Rising and a nice dinner at Trattoria Aroma with my hubby. Friday night after work we had dinner with some of my absolute most favorite people at La Tee Da in Allentown. Saturday, after yoga I took my first trip to the farmers market of the season with my friend Dana, my sister Vicky and my niece Teagan. Then Mark and I had a little cookout at home in the evening. Sunday morning, I woke up early to take a trip, with some very lovely ladies, to Rochester to take two yoga classes in a row taught by our friend Lyndsey  at Breathe Yoga. In June, she is moving to Africa for 6 months to teach yoga, so I am so glad we were able to see her before she left. Sunday night there was a super fun and chill Memorial Day party at our friend Sarah and Brian’s and we got to spend time with some of my favorite people. Monday we were able to beat the insane heat with with a super fun afternoon pool party at our good friends, Karen and Vinnie’s house, which was so relaxing. After a few hours in the pool with sun beating down on us, we followed it up with a nice weekend-ending BBQ and some super quality hang time with my parents, my sisters and my niece and nephew! Seriously it was non-stop awesome.

So yeh, I am not sure anyone besides me will even read that last paragraph, but I was on such a happiness high all weekend, that I had to share. We usually spend this time of year traveling for work or getting ready to hit the road, that I forgot how amazing this time of year can be. For once, going back to work yesterday after a 3-day weekend, was a little bit challenging, normally I cannot wait to get back to it all. It is so rare that we allow ourselves that time away from our work, but we decided with our pending move, that we wanted to enjoy our time here as much as we could! However, since we had so much going on and it was insanely hot, I also decided to not worry to much about cooking or baking over the weekend. When we were actually home, we threw veggies or some of our local meat on the grill and we ate out on the patio. It was really nice and super simple.

I did find time to pull together a really tasty Mexican quinoa salad to take to our friends BBQ, which I will have to make again so I can share it with all of you. I also made these simple crackers for snacking. I grabbed a copy of LA Yoga Magazine when we were out in California a few weeks ago and they had a simple recipe for some chickpea crackers that intrigued me. I wanted to add some things to the crackers to really make them my own, so I added some red pepper flakes, because I love spicy thing and I also added some fresh chives from my garden. These crackers are great on their own, or even better with some salsa, hummus or whatever your favorite dip is. You could even crumble these up a bit and use them as a topping on a salad. I am calling my crackers “rustic”, because they weren’t perfect little squares like I am sure they should be. I kinda dislike perfection with food. I want my food to look like someone made it with their hands and lots of love. Besides, it was so insanely hot in the kitchen when I was making these that I didn’t have the patience to be meticulous. If you want fun little shapes, like animals, stars or triangles, you could use small cookie cutters or cut any other shapes with your hands.

These crackers would be great for a snack or even better, package them up in little zip lock bags as a perfect travel snack. You could play around with different spices and herbs, maybe adding things like small diced up sun dried tomatoes, etc.

Spicy Chickpea Crackers with Chives - Gluten-free + Vegan

Spicy Chickpea Crackers with Chives – Gluten-free + Vegan
adapted from LA Yoga Magazine, May 2012
makes about 40 crackers

1 cup sifted chickpea flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add as much or as little as you’d like or leave this out, if you don’t want the heat)
1-2 tablespoons fresh chives, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 tablespoons water (you may need more)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine the flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, sea salt, red pepper flakes and chives in a medium sized bowl. While stirring, add the olive oil to the flour mixture, then begin adding the water 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough forms that can hold together. Knead the dough several times until smooth and firm, adding more flour or more water, as needed. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the rested dough in half. Place one of the halves on a clean work surface that is dusted with chickpea flour. Flatten the dough a bit with the palm of your hand and sprinkle the top with more chickpea flour. Using a rolling pin that has been dusted with flour, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch squares, or whatever your desired shape, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough. Before baking, prick the tops of the squares with the tines of a fork to prevent them from blistering and bubbling up as they bake. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let the crackers cool on the sheet. As they cool, they will become crisp. (Test one after it cools. If it isn’t crisp, return the pan to the oven for a few more minutes.) Store in an airtight container up to a week.

{ 8 comments }

Salted Chocolate Tart – Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan

by tastyyummies

Salted Chocolate Tart - Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan

When you are craving something very specific and you want it just how you envision it in your own head, there is nothing left to do but to just figure out how to make it yourself.

I had been wanting a delicious but not too rich simple chocolate dessert, with just a touch of saltiness. There is nothing better than a good quality chocolate treat and tad bit of good quality sea salt. Yum, one of my very favorite things. I decided to just write up a recipe first, that I thought would work and just play it by ear, adding things as I went if I thought it needed it and then hope for the best. I find this to be one of the best ways to cook and bake and I am pleasantly surprised at how often it actually works out.

Salted Chocolate Tart - Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan

Salted Chocolate Tart - Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan

This tart was super simple to make and it was exactly what I was looking for. A slightly crunchy and nutty crust that needs the littlest bit of baking and a super creamy and velvety filling that is the perfect amount of richness, without going overboard and crossing into the world overly heavy and too rich. One of my biggest complaints of so many desserts. The sea salt on top is so perfect, both in how it looks on top of the glossy chocolate and the delicious treat that it provides your taste buds.

I ended up melting some dairy-free semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (from Enjoy Life) that I had on hand in my pantry, but you can also just use your favorite bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped for melting. If you want to make this refined sugar free, you could also try melting unsweetened bakers chocolate, and sweeten it to your liking with whatever you choose, such as stevia, maple syrup, palm sugar, etc.

I am super excited at how simple the crust was on this tart, I definitely plan to make some really fun tarts this spring and summer with this recipe

Salted Chocolate Tart - Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan

Salted Chocolate Tart – Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan
serves 8 to 10

Crust
2 cups almond flour, aka almond meal
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling
10 ounces non-dairy bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or dairy-free mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used a blend of coconut and almond milk)
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (You could also use tapioca starch or corn starch)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
High quality sea salt for topping (see below note)

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch tart pan. In a large bowl, add all of the crust ingredients and mix very well. Add the crust mixture to the tart pan and press down firmly into the pan, going up the sides just a tad bit. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a glass bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, add the non-dairy milk and arrowroot starch and whisk very well to combine and remove any lumps. Over a medium-high heat, heat until it just barely starts to boil. Remove from the heat and add in the coconut oil and stir well to melt the coconut oil (if it wasn’t already) and to combine well. Pour the milk mixture over the chocolate and let sit a few minutes until the chocolate is melting, add in the vanilla extract, then stir very well for a few minutes, until the mixture is smooth, glassy and creamy.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared crust and allow it to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until fully set. Pop the ring from the tart pan off, sprinkle with a small amount of high quality sea salt, cut into slices and serve chilled.

NOTE: Sprinkle the sea salt on just before serving. If you sprinkle the salt on before the tart has fully set, it will start to dissolve into the surface, I had sprinkled a small amount on after it had chilled a bit, but before it was fully set, since I didn’t really think about that happening. It did start to dissolve a bit, so I just sprinkled just a tad a bit more on top before serving and for taking photos.

{ 18 comments }

Coconut Mango Banana Smoothie – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

by tastyyummies

Coconut Mango Banana Smoothie - Gluten-free + Vegan

Not only did I live through my first run on Thursday evening, but I even went again today! So far, so good, I’m actually really enjoying it and I wasn’t even sore after. I definitely need to take it slowly and not try to do too much, but I could already see a slight improvement from my first run to the second.

In addition to adding running to my weekly fitness routine, I also decided I am going to try to wake up every morning at 6am (or thereabouts). I have found I am quite productive in the morning hours, so I really should be getting up as early as I can. With the sun already being up that early this time of year, it’s actually quite easy. I’ve done it every day this week since we returned home and I’m loving it. Even if I don’t jump right out of bed, at least I’m awake and getting my day started.

This morning I was up at 6 am and out of the house by 8:00 for a 90-minute vinyasa yoga class at East Meets West. Then I got home, grabbed my hubby and my iPod and we went for a 2-mile run together. It felt great to run after being nice and stretched out from yoga. I was hungry but I really didn’t have a huge appetite for a big meal after doing all of that. Since I had an afternoon’s worth of house cleaning to do, I decided to make this deliciously satisfying smoothie and it kept me full for many hours after while I washed flours, did dishes and cleaned the bathtub.

This filling and creamy little drink is so smooth and thick, almost milk-shake like. The flavor from the mango and banana are so bright and fresh which pairs so nice with the smooth creamy taste of the coconut and vanilla. I had grabbed a carton of unsweetened almond milk/coconut milk blend at the store the other day so I used that, but you could use straight coconut milk , almond milk or whatever your favorite non-dairy milk is.

Coconut Mango Banana Smoothie - Gluten-free + Vegan

Coconut Mango Banana Smoothie – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
serves 1

1 cup unsweetened almond milk / coconut milk blend (or any other non-dairy milk)
1 organic mango, sliced
1 organic banana, peeled
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or any other sweetener of your choice, dates, stevia, hone, raw sugar, etc)
1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil
1 handful of ice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes for topping, optional

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately. Sprinkle some coconut flakes on top, if you wish.

{ 5 comments }

Creamy Indian-Spiced White Bean Dip – Gluten-free + Vegan

by tastyyummies

Creamy Indian-Spiced White Bean Dip - Gluten-free + Vegan

I am back home from our trip to California, we landed late last night and I am feeling insanely invigorated. We spent nearly a week out there, exploring neighborhoods and all the different towns, we went to the beach, we celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary at Disneyland and fell even more in love with everything Southern California has to offer! This was the trip we needed to light that fire under our behinds to get the last few things done before we get our house on the market here in Buffalo and move out west! It is looking like our new home is going be in Long Beach, in a quaint little neighborhood by the beach. We cannot wait to start seriously looking for a house and to get this party started!

We are headed back to California in less than 2 short months for our good friends’ Patrick and Summer’s wedding, so who knows, maybe even by then we will have sold the house and be ready to start the whole process. I really hope so.

Ever since we decided to move out there, I told myself that given we would be living somewhere that has beautiful weather all year long, that I was going to be way more active outdoors. I want to get into running and biking as part of my weekly fitness routine, since both feel like a wonderful compliment to my daily yoga practice. Rather than waiting to get out there to start anew with so many things, I decided on the plane ride home that I was going to get started right away, particularly with the running since I have never really given it a serious shot. I have always found running to be painful and not my favorite way to sneak in exercise. But, the more I have read about running and getting started on a serious plan, it is best to ease your body into it and not try to do too much, too soon, which is probably what I have always done. So, I am going to take advantage of the beautiful spring and summer weather here in Western New York and start my training now, so I can hopefully just hit the ground running (pun intended) whenever we finally get out to the west coast.

Tonight is my first run, I have a good pair of Nike+ running shoes that I bought years ago and only ever wore to the gym, I have a couple of iPhone apps downloaded to help me properly ease into running, so they can tell me when and how I should be running and walking and for how long. I even have a running partner, my hubby, who is ready to get back into running himself. Now, the only thing I have to fear is my annoying low back issues. I tend to keep that all at bay with yoga and an incredible chiropractor, but I am a bit concerned on how the running will affect my back. I have a herniated disc in my low back that is known to cause me issues now and again and from what I have read about running, the pressure and the shock from it can sometimes be a bit hard on that type of injury. Here’s hoping I have strengthened my core and stretched my muscles enough from yoga, that my body can handle it. I really want it to work for me since running seems like the perfect compliment to my lifestyle, especially when we will be living so close to the beach.

My plan, if running and my body can agree on it, is to continue with my daily yoga practice, and getting to at least five 90-minute yoga classes a week, and now adding in 3 days of running. So, every day I will have some type of physical activity going on and on only a couple of days will I have to manage getting to the yoga studio and squeezing in a run, too. Even though yoga doesn’t always have to be a 90-minute thing, I really do prefer to have a practice that is that long and I really enjoy going to the studio. I practice at home on occasion, but I find since I work at home, it can be hard to focus on yoga and not get distracted by everything else around me. That is one thing about running I think I am most drawn to, the change of scenery, being outside and engulfed by nature and the elements and being in control of when, where and how it happens. As long as the weather cooperates and there is a safe and somewhat smooth surface, it seems like you can run virtually anywhere.

Do you like running? Have any tips for someone that is just getting started?

OK, so onto the dip… I made this dip this afternoon as a light snack. With us being gone for a week, I couldn’t wait to get home and get back to eating foods that I prepared. The food is the only downside to traveling for me, eating unprocessed foods that are gluten-free and as often as I can find, also vegetarian, can get a bit tricky when you are away. I did the very best I could and found so many great options, but I still ate so much different than I would ever eat at home. I debated doing a juice cleanse for a couple days after returning home, but with me wanting to start training for running, I didn’t think both were such a good idea, so I decided to start the running and just eat extra light this week. Now that our local farmers market is open for the season, I will definitely be stocking up there on Saturday and doing a lot of juices, smoothies and salads this week. This morning, I made a version of my banana almond butter smoothie for breakfast, adding in a scoop of ground flaxseeds and a scoop of cocoa powder and it kept me full all day. About 3:30pm I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since the smoothie and I had cleaned the whole house and totally unpacked my suitcase. I decided I would make a simple mid-afternoon snack and a creamy white bean dip was calling my name. The bold flavors from the Indian spices were so perfect and subtle and the garlic gave it all a great punch. The white beans made for an incredibly smooth and creamy dip that was delicious on some gluten-free crackers. I wish we had some fresh raw veggies, those would also be great in this dip. That is the other bad thing about traveling, coming home to an empty fridge. If you don’t love garam masala, substitute some yellow curry or another one of your favorite spices. If the heat from the garam masala and the raw garlic is enough, skip the chili powder.

I will check back in tomorrow with a new recipe and to let you know how the running went this evening.

Creamy Indian-Spiced White Bean Dip - Gluten-free + Vegan

Creamy Indian-Spiced White Bean Dip – Gluten-free + Vegan
makes about 1 cup of dip

1 can white beans
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
dash of chili
1 clove garlic, peeled and very roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Add of the ingredients, except the olive oil, to the food processor. Start pureeing and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the processor is running, until it is all added. Puree the dip until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator and serve chilled. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

{ 20 comments }

Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

by tastyyummies

Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

Hey guys, hope everyone has been well! Sorry for the lack of posts as of late, it has been a bit busy over here with us getting our house ready to get on the market and everything else we have going on, with work and otherwise. We leave tomorrow morning to head to California for the week, where we plan to explore and really dive into what will soon be our new home. Both my hubby and I agreed that with such a HUGE life decision pending, we owe it to ourselves to be 150% positive that this is where we want to move and that this is what we want to do. We are both 99.9% sure, but the last time we were out there, last July, we were talking so casually about it, more like a 5-year plan. Since we really never do anything half-assed, we decided why would we wait so long? Let’s get our house here in Buffalo on the market, sell it and go! So after this week long trip, we plan to get back home, get our house on the market and when it sells, we are gone. We have been painting, putting up lights, decluttering, ebaying, craigslisting and just getting ourselves and the house ready! It has been exciting and worth it though, we can see the progress being made and we are getting that much closer. It looks like if the house here in Buffalo goes on the market in early June, there is a possibility we could be living in California by late Summer. That is so exciting and terrifying, all at once.

As you can imagine, this is partially why I haven’t had as much time to play in the kitchen, play around with recipes, etc. I have been cooking and baking but I have been sticking with trusted and favorite recipes, or just simple throw together things that require very little thought. Though I did try to create a new recipe on Friday night and it just didn’t go as planned, I was trying to make grain-free, vegan ginger snap cookies and they just didn’t come out quite as I had imagined. They tasted amazing but the dough was a bit too thin and the cookies spread out more than I had wanted. So back to the drawing board on those.

Saturday we had a fun little Kentucky Derby party at my parent’s house. So I, of course, did a little baking and cooking! I made oven “fried” okra (vegan and gluten-free), which turned out pretty good and these corn bread muffins. I also made a little something for everyone else, a Louisville favorite, “hot browns”! These are totally not gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free or anything else Beth friendly, but it’s one my hubby’s favorites and it reminds him of home. Rather than butchering a classic trying to make it healthy for me, I took one for the team and made a mini version of the traditional sandwich. Basically a hot brown is roasted turkey served on top of thick toast, topped with a thick, creamy white cheese sauce, some bacon and a slice or two of tomato. All of that is just put in the broiler until browned and bubbly, and you have one happy hubby! This may have been the first time I have ever made something that I couldn’t take a single taste of. I made the cheese sauce from scratch, but since it was thickened with regular flour, I couldn’t taste it. I was relying on everyone else’s taste, it felt strange and foreign. Kinda fun though, too.

Mini Hot Browns

Mint Juleps

My mom made some oven baked “fried” chicken, we had some delicious beans and greens, some vinegary coleslaw and my dad made pulled pork. Oh, and of course, the bourbon and the mint juleps were flowing freely. My sister made a hysterical horse head cake and for me, she made some incredibly delicious and super beautifully decorated gluten-free and vegan chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, totally from scratch. They were so amazing. My mom also pulled out some of my great grandmother’s (my great Yia Yia) old hats and we all picked one out to wear.

Gluten-free, Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes made by my sis

Kentucky Derby Cake

Since I always make sure to make at least one or two things that I know I can eat that are somewhat healthy, besides the simple corn meal crusted fresh okra bits that I baked up to make crispy, I decided to have some fun with these corn bread muffins and add in a little heat with the jalapeños. You could certainly leave those out if you don’t like jalapeños, or you could try chipotle or some roasted poblanos, etc – but I would recommend trying it. The heat and spice is very subtle and it is so nice with the gritty corn flavor. If you like your corn bread more on the sweet side, than savory, just add in a more sugar (or sweetener of your choice).

Our Derby party was super fun and laid back. As we always do, Mark and I hit one of the seedy OTB’s (Off Track Betting) before heading to my parent’s house. It is the only time of year we bet on horse racing. It is our tradition. I always like to bet on one favored horse and one underdog. I put just $10 to win on each of my two picks and didn’t expect much! My underdog horse, #19 – “I’ll Have Another”, actually won and I walked away with $155! Yay!

I am so glad we got to have this little party! This is one of the times of year that Mark gets homesick and we all love a good excuse to party! With us gearing up to move, I cherish these moments more than ever before!!

Our Derby Hats

Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
makes 12 muffins

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 large farm fresh brown eggs, lightly beaten at room temperature (you could try using an egg replacer here to make vegan, but I haven’t done so yet, myself)
1/3 cup olive oil (you can also use canola oil or melted coconut oil)
1 cup gluten-free stone ground, whole grain medium grind corn meal (If you can’t find whole grain, regular will work and if you prefer fine grind over medium, that’s ok, too)
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used a blend of tapioca, potato starch and sorghum flour)
1/4 cup organic raw cane sugar (regular sugar will work, too)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a full-sized muffin tin with paper liners.

Mix the vinegar with the milk, and set aside. In a large bowl mix together well all the dry ingredients, corn meal, all-purpose flour, cane sugar, baking powder and sea salt. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil and milk/vinegar mixture. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture slowly, mixing all the while. You can use a spoon or a mixer on low, just make sure the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Fold in the finely chopped jalapeños, make sure they are evenly mixed throughout.

Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is firm and the edges are slightly browned. Serve warm if you wish.

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