Tag Archives: unprocessed

  1. Grain-free Berry Cobbler – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    Grain-free Blueberry Cobbler - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    A week or two ago, I came across this amazing grain-free thick pizza crust recipe from Real Sustenance and it instantly peaked my interest. More and more I am amazed by what almond flour can do and the results you can get when baking with it. It is by far my favorite flour these days.

    When I saw the photos of that crust I couldn’t wait for my order of almond flour from Honeyville to come  in the mail. Oh and what a painful wait it was this time. This wait made me realize I should really stop waiting till I am totally out of almond flour to order more. Once the almond flour arrived it immediately became pizza night at our house and I made a version of my vegan hummus pizza with this new crust recipe. Oh my goodness! Best gluten-free pizza crust I have ever made at home, actually, best gluten-free crust that I have ever had anywhere. It was fluffy, soft and thick, and it has a nice subtle crisp to the outside of it. It was perfect and I couldn’t believe it was totally grain free.

    Grain-free Blueberry Cobbler - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
    As soon as I took a bite I couldn’t help but think about what else I could come up with to do with this dough. That is when I realized I needed to adapt the recipe to make a cobbler topping. It was perfect for it. I wanted to play around a bit to make it vegan, so I replaced the eggs with flax-seed eggs and I also used coconut oil instead of olive oil, plus I of course had to add a little sweetness, so I went with my go-to maple syrup. (feel free to use whatever sweetener you prefer, though)

    Grain-free Blueberry Cobbler - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    This cobbler according to my hubby, is THE best cobbler I have ever made and maybe one of the best cobblers he has EVER had anywhere. Then he declared it might just be the best gluten-free dessert I have ever made. Mark hails from the south, so for him to not just eat my cobbler but to rave on and on about it, has to be the best compliment he could give. He is a harsh critic of cobblers and I have seen him push aside sub-par cobblers if they weren’t to his liking. And don’t even get him started on crisps, he doesn’t understand them and wishes they would just be a cobbler.

    The crust on this cobbler is thick and almost biscuit-like but not at all heavy or too dense. The flax seed eggs besides helping to bind also provide little golden flecks of color and texture in the crust that really makes it feel rustic, homemade and healthy, all of which it is. You can make this berry cobbler with any combination of berries that you choose. I had planned to use just blueberries, but I had a small amount of strawberries leftover that I decided to slice up and add in. You could also use blackberries, peaches, apples or whatever your favorite fruit or combination of fruits might be. I cannot wait to go apple picking in the fall and to make an apple spice version of this. Oh and like most cobblers, this one is of course be great served warm with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream or even some whipped coconut cream on top.

    Grain-free Blueberry Cobbler - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    [print_this]Grain-free Berry Cobbler – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
    Serves 6-8
    Inspired by this pizza crust recipe

    Berry Filling

    • 3 cups of organic berries – I used a pint of blueberries and 1 cup of fresh strawberries, sliced
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (you could also use honey, brown rice syrup, coconut nectar or whatever your favorite sweetener is)
    • 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    Cobbler Crust

    • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds plus 6 tablespoons hot water (or two eggs)
    • 1 cup blanched almond flour
      1/2 cup arrowroot starch (you can also use tapioca or potato starch)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon almond milk
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (you could also use honey, brown rice syrup, coconut nectar or whatever your favorite sweetener is)
    • 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
    • 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
    • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

    Preheat the oven to 425º F. Grease an 8″ square pan (or something similarly sized) with some coconut oil.

    In a medium sized bowl mix the berries with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch, set aside.
    In a small bowl whisk together the 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 6 tablespoons of hot water, set aside to let it thicken.

    In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt. In a second smaller bowl whisk together the flaxseed eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, psyllium husk and lemon juice. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and mix until well combined.

    Add the berry mixture to the greased pan and drop spoonfuls of the dough to the top. Spread it out evenly with your hands or a greased spatula. You can leave it as rustic biscuit-like rounds or spread it to one even dough topping, like I did.

    Place the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet to catch any berry juice that will run out. Bake for 30 minutes until the cobbler topping is golden brown and cooked through and the juices start to bubble up over the crust. Remove from oven, cool slightly, and serve.
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  2. Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    If you have ever been to a restaurant with my husband Mark and I, for a quick bite at a diner, or any type of place that serves sandwiches or burgers, we have a bit of a ritual. Since I am obviously rarely able to order a sandwich at a restaurant, but Mark obviously can and does quite often, we have a little rule where the pickle on his plate is always saved for me. He likes pickles, but he knows how much I love them, so he will gladly gobble up his turkey club and then hand the delicious briney pickle spear or round over to me. Even when I haven’t noticed that he even had a pickle, let alone save it for me, there it is, at the end, waiting for me. What a great hubby I have – he totally supports my obsessive LOVE of pickles!!

    I also have been known to order a side order of pickles if a restaurant is known for having delicious ones. There is a place near Austin, Texas that everyone loves to go to for BBQ, it’s called the Salt Lick. They have delicious food, but since I am not a huge meat eater, I usually get a small order of smoked turkey with all the fixins’ and a huge side of pickles. I usually make a small dent in the food and then eat the pickles until I can’t eat them anymore. I have been to Disneyland in California twice now, and thanks to my friend Summer, getting one of the large dill pickles from one of the fresh food carts there is part of the whole experience. They are so delicious and they are best when eaten very slowly, to savor each and every bite. I seriously could eat pickles until my tongue hurts from all the vinegar. They are the best. But not all pickles are created equal. It is very rare that I buy pickles from the grocery store and just eat them at home, they are never quite good enough. A couple of weeks ago, I bought a jar of pickles from a girl at the farmers market and they were incredible. It was then that I realized that I should really just be making my own at home, especially now that cucumbers are in season.

    Most summers I usually make a batch or two of pickled peppers with the different hot peppers we grow in our garden, but since I didn’t plant any this year, I am not sure I will be doing it. But when I saw the delicious local gherkin cucumbers at the market a few weeks ago, I knew I HAD to buy some and make refrigerator garlic dill pickles. How could I not?

    Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free

    You can play around with the spices in this recipe, too. I added my usual favorites and also tossed in a couple of dried super spicy thai peppers that I had dried out from our garden last year. They brought a very subtle spicy heat, that I really loved. You can omit the peppers all together or add a teaspoon or so of dried red pepper flakes if you don’t have whole dried pepper. Plus, you can use this same brine to pickle other things like peppers, cauliflower or carrots, which I did, since I had some leftover brine. The carrots were amazing and I think I may have eaten them between two sittings.

    OK, so who else is obsessed with pickles? I know I am not alone in my love.

    Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles - Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
    [print_this]Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
    Makes a couple of jars (depends on the size of your cucumbers and your jars, etc)

    • 2 pounds local gherkin cucumbers (you can also use any other small firm cucumber of your choice)
    • 2 1/2 cups water
    • 2 1/2 cups white distilled vinegar
    • 3 tablespoons raw cane sugar or other sweetener of your choice
    • 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
    • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
    • a couple of sprigs of fresh dill (or a couple of teaspoons of dried dill)
    • Optional spicy add-ins: 1 or 2 spicy dried peppers, red pepper flakes or you can add some sliced jalapeños in with the cucumbers.

    Clean the cucumbers very well and slice them as thin as you would like them, I would say I cut mine to about 1/4″ thick rounds. You could also cut them into spears or leave them whole depending on their size. Place them in a large glass preserving jar or two smaller jars.

    In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

    Remove from heat and pour the brine over the cucumbers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate. You can start enjoying them the next day, but obviously they are better after a couple of days. They’ll keep for about 2 months in the fridge.

    * This brine is great on lots of other veggies, like carrots, cauliflower, peppers, etc. You can also add onion slices to the jar with the cucumbers, if you wish. Play with the recipe and make it your own.

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

    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

    [print_this]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.

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  4. Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup (Vegan and Gluten-free)

    Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Vegan and Gluten-free

    I am super excited about how this soup turned out. This soup actually made me realize what a dork I am about good healthy food. It actually makes me stupid excited and I wanna dance around my kitchen! I love when you have an idea in your mind for a dish, you start experimenting, tasting and playing around and it just all falls perfectly into place. That happened with this soup. In fact, it actually came out better than I had imagined it would.

    I topped this soup with a roasted red pepper puree that was inspired by a recipe I came across from Bon Appetit magazine in 2003 and I also drizzled some roasted butternut squash seed oil over top. I realize this oil is a very specialized product, and many of you may not have access to it, so you could certainly just use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, or just skip it altogether. The butternut squash seed oil that I have is from a company based in the Finger Lakes region of NY called Stony Brook Oils, I picked it up at Farmers and Artisans here in Buffalo. You can visit Stony Brook’s web site to get a listing of all of the stores you can buy their various squash seed oils at or you can even buy them online. Honestly, if you ever get a chance to try a pumpkin or a squash seed oil, do it. The flavors are incredible. It brings a unique nutty and roasted flavor to so many different dishes. I have never tasted anything like it.

    I happened to be able to get my hands on some beautiful red bell peppers that I roasted on my stove top to use in this soup and for the puree on top. If the red peppers at your market aren’t looking so hot, just go with jarred roasted red peppers, they will work perfectly fine, too.

    This naturally gluten-free and vegan soup is bursting with flavors and it is so beautiful and colorful. The roasted red peppers in the soup compliment the nutty flavor of the squash and the spicy, garlicky puree on top is a nice burst of bright flavor with a hint of spiciness. The puree was so delicious that I have been using it as a spread on sandwiches and on top of freshly steamed vegetables, etc. I feel like I always need to have a batch of this stuff on hand.

    Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Vegan and Gluten-free

     

    [print_this]Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
    serves 6-8

    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 large butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cubed
    1 large onion, diced
    2 celery stalks, diced
    2 cloves of garlic, minced
    2 roasted red peppers, diced (here is a great page of different options on how you can roast your own red peppers at home, I roasted mine on my stove top)
    1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
    1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    7 cups low sodium vegetable broth

    butternut squash seed oil (or olive oil) for drizzling

    Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and butternut squash and sauté until the onions and celery are tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and roasted red peppers; stir 1-2 minutes. Add thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and vegetable broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until squash is soft, about 45 minutes.

    Purée with an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender or food processor*, until smooth. Return puree to pot. Thin soup with more broth if desired. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of the roasted red pepper purée and a light drizzle of butternut squash seed oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of fresh thyme.

    * When puréeing hot soup in a blender or food processor, do so in small batches, filling the blender pitcher only about halfway. Put the lid on, but remove that small cap in the lid (if you have it) and hold the lid down tight with a towel, otherwise the steam will cause the lid to explode off, spewing hot liquid everywhere. This has never happened to me, but it can, so be careful.

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    [print_this]Roasted Red Pepper Puree
    via Bon Appetit Magazine, November 2003

    2 roasted red peppers (approximately 1 cup)
    2-3 garlic cloves
    1/2 tablespoon olive oil
    1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    Puree all ingredients in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

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  5. Gluten-Free French Onion Soup

    Gluten-Free French Onion Soup

    I can admit that writing this recipe and editing the photos on this soup was a bit painful, in more ways than one. I’ll explain why…

    For the last two weeks I have been feeling a bit under the weather. No cold or flu showed it’s face but I was just not feeling like myself. In addition to feeling a bit “off”, a few other symptoms arose and I was experiencing sharp and abnormal pains on my right side, near my kidney. It started in the back, then slowly made it’s way to the front to my upper abdomen then found it’s way to my lower right pelvis. I also noticed blood in my urine last Monday.

    Being that both of my parents have kidney stones, and I myself was diagnosed with small kidney stones years ago, I decided to make my way to the urologist to rule out any type of infection or the passing of a stone, etc. The stones that I was diagnosed with years ago, were very very small at the time and have caused me no issues at all. Back when I was diagnosed, the doctor explained that it was likely hereditary and with a healthy diet I could keep them that small and probably never have to worry about them. So when I made it to the doctor this time around, they tested for infections and that came up negative but they did say I had a higher than normal level of blood in my urine. I say higher than normal because every time they have ever tested me, I have always had a small amount of blood. They tell me that this is somewhat normal for some people and that it was so microscopic, and normally it wasn’t anything I needed to be concerned with.

    At first, based on my symptoms and the blood, they told me I was likely passing a stone or a stone had moved and caused some irritation and inflammation of my kidney, they tried to talk me into a CT scan, which I declined, sent me home with some pain meds and told me to come back in a few days. When I came back everything was about the same, but the pain had traveled to the front almost exclusively and I was now experiencing digestive issues and pain, the pain still very much only on the right side and now very low in my pelvis. I felt bloated, gassy and I was experiencing indigestion, all things I haven’t experienced in years. There have been other not so pleasant side-effects as well, but I will spare you all the details.

    So, I began speaking with my good friend, Jane, a chiropractor who very much believes in an all-natural, holistic and homeopathic approach to symptoms, first, then looking at all aspects of your life – like diet, stress, etc. to determine the problem and the causes to the problem. Jane has been a part of my life since I was an infant, she and my mom went to high school together and reconnected after my mom had my older sister and I and was pregnant with my little sister and she was experiencing some health issues. Jane now lives in Colorado, so I explained my symptoms to her through email and she told me to have my Chiropractor here in Buffalo look at my ileocecal valve (which admittedly I had never heard of). I googled it before I even got in to see my chiropractor/yoga teacher Elyssa and many of the symptoms of a grumpy ileocecal valve sounded just like what I was experiencing. The ileocecal valve is situated at the junction of the small intestine (ileum) and the large intestine. Its critical function is to limit the reflux of colonic contents into the ileum.

    After a brief examination by Elyssa, she confirmed Jane’s suspicions and I had an explanation – my ileocecal valve was definitely grumpy. The valve is supposed to function on it’s own – opening and closing to release what needs to go to the large intestine from the small, leaving behind what doesn’t need to and shouldn’t go. (You can definitely google and find out even more of the details, I just wanted to keep this brief – a good intro to your ICV can be found here). Our ileocecal valves can get stuck in the open or closed position. Elyssa believes that mine is stuck open. After discussing my diet and trying to determine what may have caused this, Elyssa asked if there had been any major changes in my diet and I told her “no”, I have maintained the same diet that I have for the last nearly 2-years. However, this is when I recalled the cheese that I ate on New Years Eve. I have pretty much completely cut-out dairy milk when I am both baking and cooking, etc and I have cut way way back on cheese. Admittedly and embarrassingly, I consumed a good amount of cheese on New Years Eve with Mark’s family in Kentucky (we were in the South and we did stop at Grandpa’s Cheese Barn in Ohio, afterall). Not really thinking what it could do to my system after not really eating much of it, just thinking about how I rarely eat it anymore and that I would enjoy it just this once. Well the joke is on me. Elyssa explained that because I hadn’t been eating much dairy and more specifically cheese, just eating it this once, it could have just shocked my system, causing my ileocecal valve to freak out!

    Now, let me explain to you that I haven’t been to a medical doctor with the exception of a physical in over two years. I have managed to stay fairly healthy minus a cold or stomach bug here and there, which is far better than my health in the past. I am not one to post around on Facebook or Twitter about how I am feeling and complain complain complain instead of taking the necessary actions to improve my health, I try to stay very positive and not dwell since I really think that has an effect on your health and well being. So, the only reason I even chose to share this on here at all – was that first, I thought it to be an interesting diagnosis, one that I never would have imagined. I have always found my digestive tract to be quite sensitive so finding out I have a part of that system, that I didn’t even know existed, not functioning properly, doesn’t really shock me. Secondly, I wanted to explain why you may not see as many posts for the next week or so, or why some of the recipes may be drastically different and toned down. I am definitely going to take it easy with eating, give my system a break and be very mindful of what I consume as I allow my body to heal. In addition to the dairy, I also plan to cut out caffeine, alcohol, sugar and chocolate. I am still not quite sure of everything involved with the ileocecal valve and what has to be done to heal it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. So, I definitely plan to share more with you as I learn more and I will also share the recipes that I am creating as I figure out what to eat to combat this.

    The reason that I decided to share this diagnosis with you on this recipe, besides that it was the next recipe that was waiting to be written up, is that the biggest thing that I am removing from my diet, at least for the next few weeks, if not for the long haul, is dairy and more specifically cheese, so you won’t be seeing anything else like this cheesy-topped soup, for a while. I have always seemed to have trouble digesting it, but knowing that it wreaked such havoc on my poor ileocecal valve really has me thinking if I should remove it from my diet altogether. I am definitely not making any rash decisions just yet (gosh, even though I know it’s bad, I really do love cheese), but I do plan to start exploring all of my options and to really investigate all of my diet, once again. I obviously made this soup before we could pinpoint that my troubles were digestion related and I was absolutely craving soup. Had I known that my poor body was pissed at the fact that I consumed so much cheese on NYE – I would have just skipped out on the cheese topping and just had the toast on top. The broth to this French onion soup is soo darn delicious on it’s own, you could honestly enjoy a bowl of this without the melted cheese and be just as content. I promise – I know you think I am crazy, but this soup is that good.

    Being that we purchased and shared half of a pasture-raised cow this fall with my parents from Sojourner Farms in Olean, I wanted to use some of the soup bones and beef that we received with our order to make this stock from scratch, I took all the steps to make sure that it was the richest and most flavorful stock I could make. I roasted the bones before I boiled them to make the stock and the results were phenomenal. I have never done this before, but it produced the darkest and most robust beef stock that you could ever imagine. I used this recipe here from Simply Recipes. I enjoyed so many of the different flavors from this soup that I want to attempt it again but next time with a vegetarian or a mushroom stock. I think with the right flavors, possibly roasting the vegetables a bit first and maybe adding in some miso to round out the stock, I could make an equally delicious vegetarian version of this. Stay tuned, I am determined to try it out.

    A note – I would have really enjoyed making a French-style gluten free bread for the top of the soup, but I was a bit limited in time, so I bought these beautiful and tasty gluten-free baguettes from Schär. They toasted up absolutely perfectly and retained a nice amount of that crunch even when floating on top of the soup. What a treat to find those at the store. It was a perfect finish to this incredible soup!

    Gluten-Free French Onion Soup

    [print_this] Gluten-Free French Onion Soup
    Adapted from Julia Child’s Recipe
    Serves 6-8

    5-6 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    2 tablespoons unsalted organic butter (if you wish to skip the butter, you can just add a bit more olive oil)
    1/2 teaspoon raw sugar
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    3 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour (whatever your favorite blend is, I used Bob’s Red Mill)
    8 cups (2-quarts) beef stock* (preferably homemade stock made with pasture-raised beef – I used this recipe to make mine with bones from our pasture raised beef from Sojourner Farms in Olean, NY)
    1/2 cup wine (dry red or white – I used dry white vermouth since that is what I had and it works wonderfully – do not skip this, it really makes the flavor of the soup)
    1 bay leaf
    1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
    salt and pepper

    For finishing:
    12 ounces swiss cheese, grated
    4 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
    1/2 raw yellow onion
    2 -3 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional – sadly I had neither of these on hand so I skipped it)
    8 slices gluten-free French bread (cut about 1 inch thick), toasted until hard

    Place heavy bottom stock pot or dutch over a medium-low heat. Add olive oil and butter to the bottom, melt. Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil and butter. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent. Remove the cover and add the salt and sugar, mix. Raise the heat to a medium. Continue cooking the onions, stirring frequently, allowing them to caramelize and turn a deep golden brown. They will reduce significantly. This will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Don’t rush this step, you don’t want the onions to burn and the caramelization of the onions is what gives this soup it’s classic flavor.

    Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle the flour over the onions. Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes trying not to scorch it. (If the flour does not form a thick paste, you can add a bit more butter here). Stir constantly. Add in the wine, a bay leaf, the thyme and your stock, adding the stock a little bit at a time, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on brown bits. Add salt and pepper to taste (don’t add too much salt as the cheese will also add saltiness and you can always add more – you can’t take it away). Continue adding the rest of your stock. Stirring as you add. Simmer for 30 minutes. After simmering for 30 minutes, find the bay leaf and take it out.

    You can certainly skip the crusty bread and melted cheese on top, this soup is really THAT good. But if you want to go further and enjoy this soup the way Julia fully intended, then keep reading.

    To toast your bread, heat oven to 325º F. Bake the bread in the oven on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes on each side (30 minutes total) or until golden brown and very hard, being careful not to burn it. Increase the temperature of your oven to 350º F.

    To serve – either ladle the soup into individual oven-proof soup bowls or ramekins or one large casserole dish. I personally prefer individual servings. If you are adding raw onions, add that to the soup now and stir. Cover the soup with a single layer of the toasted bread and sprinkle with as much cheese as you’d like, I would say we probably went with about 1/4 cup of total cheese (a blend of the two cheeses). Place the bowls onto a baking sheet and place into a 350º oven for about 20 minutes. Then preheat your broiler and finish the soups under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Remove from the broiler carefully, let cool for a minute or two and serve immediately.

    *mushroom stock would make a great vegetarian substitution

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  6. Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

    Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

    I absolutely love my mom’s apple crisp, it is one of my favorite things about fall! I have been making my own gluten-free version for a while now and it is so delicious. After I made the vegan apple cobbler two weeks ago with palm oil shortening instead of butter, I decided I wanted to make an updated and healthier version of the apple crisp, too. I’ve actually been calling it Apple Crisp 2.0, but I didn’t think that would make for a good title or dish name. This apple crisp is as healthy as dessert can get in my opinion – it is gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, dairy free, egg free and corn free. Besides using organic all natural palm oil shortening in place of butter in recipes to make them vegan, I have also really fallen in love with baking with coconut oil. When solid, it makes a great replacement for butter in many baking recipes that call for cutting it in. The benefits of coconut oil are numerous and can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc. It is great for your skin and hair when used topically and has been found to have anti-aging, regenerative effects. We even use it topically on and feed it to our dog, Seri, when she has itchy skin. She LOVES the way it tastes.

    I was also excited to play with date sugar and maple syrup in this recipe instead of refined white or brown sugar. It turned out so perfectly sweet. Date sugar is totally unprocessed, unrefined and raw. It naturally contains fiber and is loaded with vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, and selenium. Because date sugar doesn’t melt the way sugar does, I knew I wouldn’t get that delicious syrup with the apples that I usually get with the brown sugar, so that is how I decided to add in the maple syrup. It was such a small amount, you can barely distinguish any maple flavoring, if any at all. Other options  instead of the maple syrup would be rice syrup or molasses or if you aren’t vegan, you could also use honey. I am so excited about how this apple crisp turned out. It has so much flavor and I actually think it is better than any apple crisp I have made in the past.

    You could serve this with your favorite vegan (or not vegan) ice cream or whipped topping. Something that I saw a while back on Healthful Pursuit that I have been meaning to try is coconut whip, which I think would be perfect on top of this recipe. I may just need to make that happen this week.

    Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

    Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

    Gluten-free Apple Crisp (Vegan)
    serves 6

    Filling:

    • 4 cups of peeled and sliced apples (4 med)
    • 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    Topping:

    • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
    • 1/2 cup certified gluten-free oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats)
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1/3 cup date sugar, coconut sugar or other granulated sugar of your choice
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup (1 for the topping and 1/2 to drizzle over the top)
    • 1/3 cup coconut oil (make sure it is somewhat solid and not liquid)

    Preheat oven to 375°F.
    Place apples in an 8-inch square pan, pour lemon juice over. Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, spices and vanilla, toss around to combine.

    Mix almond flour, oats, spices, date sugar and maple syrup together in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Cut in coconut oil in to make crumbly consistency.

    Sprinkle over the apples, drizzle remaining 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup over top and bake 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

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