-
Vegan Grain-free Stuffed Mushrooms (Gluten-free + Vegan)
If you know me even just a little bit, you’d know how much I love a good party, especially those centered around eating, and OK yes, drinking, too! Everything in moderation, right? I love an excuse to wear a fun outfit, make some special treats and just enjoy myself. Our house is fairly small so it is very rare that I entertain at home, so I have to wait on other people to have parties and invite me, but when they do, I always jump at the chance to create something yummy to share with others. Besides the joy I get by making people happy with the food I make, the biggest reason I enjoy bringing something to share is the guarantee that I will have at least one thing to eat. Being that I am gluten-free and dairy-free and I also refrain from eating processed foods, it can be quite hard to indulge at parties and other get-togethers.
The other reason I love being able to bring some food to share to a party, is so I can spread the good word about eating clean and healthy. I think many people attribute the words “clean”, “processed-free” or even “gluten-free”, to mean taste-free and unexciting. I love changing people’s perceptions on food and eating and showing them just how much fun you can have with your food, even with a clean diet.
This recipe would be great for many different types of cocktail parties, whether it be a casual sports party for the Super Bowl or a fancy New Year’s Eve bash. They are as dressed down or dressed us as you need them to be. These stuffed mushrooms are grain-free and vegan, they are perfectly bite-sized and so full of flavor and texture. They are so quick to make, too. Plus, you could make these ahead of time, stuff them and put them in the oven just before the guests start to arrive.
These Vegan Grain-free Stuffed Mushrooms are so simple to make and are the perfect small-bite party food. If the party isn’t at your place, make them ahead and pop them in the oven just before serving at your holiday or cocktail party destination. They are of course perfect for any gluten-free and/or vegan eaters, but I promise all of the party guests will enjoy them and the bonus is they are easy on the waistline at a time of year when temptation is around every corner.
It was fun making these on a random work day (since we work from home) and eating them in the middle of the day, felt like we had a little party of our own.
Do you like bringing a dish or a treat to share when you go to a party or would you rather just eat what others make?
This recipe was originally shared on Cara’s Cravings as part of her Clean Eating Cocktail Party. Cara’s site is full of creative and delicious recipes that are always seasonally inspired and clean. Cara’s recipes will always give you the excitement and comfort we crave from food, but without any of the guilt.
[print_this]Vegan Grain-free Stuffed Mushrooms
YIELD: 4-8, depending on size and quantity of mushrooms
What’s a party without the ever-popular stuffed mushrooms? These ones are loaded with walnuts, spinach and sundried tomatoes, a savory burst of flavor to feed any appetite.- 1 1/2 lbs. mushrooms, you can use baby portobellos, cremini or button
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped – reserve a little for serving
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely diced
- 3/4 cup walnuts, finely, roughly chopped
- 1 cup baby spinach, finely, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.Remove the stems from the mushrooms, set aside to dice and add to the filling. Brush mushrooms with a little olive oil, place stem side up and bake for 8-10 minutes.
In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the shallots, bell pepper, garlic and sun dried tomatoes for about 3 minutes until they start to get tender. Add in the parsley, finely chopped mushroom stems and chopped walnuts, cook another 2-3 minutes. Add in chopped baby spinach and allow it to wilt. Salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven, pour off or soak up any water that accumulates in the mushrooms. Spoon the filling into the mushrooms and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Topped with fresh, raw diced red bell peppers and serve warm.[/print_this]
-
Seasonal Shopping: Fresh Fruit & Veggies to Buy in November!
I am not sure how, but November is now upon us. So many of the beautiful, colorful leaves have fallen from the trees, there is a crisp coolness to the air that reminds us that winter isn’t too far off (OK, well that’s the case over here in Western New York anyhow), I know you Southern Californians have been dealing with a super HOT fall! I am still getting myself used to the idea of that for when we eventually get there.
Considering how cold it actually has been, it is always so surprising to me how much produce is still growing around here and just how delicious and tasty it all is! We are loaded up on squashes and peppers from our CSA, I think I could be set for the winter just on those two, but we’ve been getting so many other delicious fresh goodies too, like kohlrabi, collards, broccoli, beets, turnips, and so much more! It’s a really fun time for fresh produce.
I still think the squash is my absolute favorite thing this time of year, how about you?
Seasonal Shopping: Fresh Fruit & Veggies to Buy in November!
Broccoli
Winter Squash
Collard Greens
Turnips
Parsnips
Brussels Sprouts
Cranberries
Apples
Arugula
Garlic
Kale
Onions
Potatoes
Carrots
Radishes
Beets
-
Spicy Dark Chocolate Bark with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Sea Salt – Gluten-free + Vegan
I know I mention not being one of those people that is overly obsessed with sweets, and while that is true, one thing I can never walk away from is really good dark chocolate. That bitter bite with the subtle sweetness is the perfect combination, add some spice, crunch and salt and then you’ve really got me hooked.
I started making bark a year or two ago, as the perfect treat to make for a dinner party, or you can wrap it up in some really nice handmade packaging and even give it as a gift. I always buy the highest percentage of cocoa containing dark chocolate I can find since that darker and more bitter, the better. Lately I have been loving Endangered Species 88% Dark Chocolate, and the bonus is that instead of refined white sugar, the sweetness in their bars comes from unbleached beet sugar. How cool is that?
One of my favorite things about making my own chocolate bark is all of the fun combinations you can create with different ingredients. You can use dried fruits, different nuts and seeds, spices, herbs, etc. You can really make something special every time. Since I was creating another healthy Halloween treat for my ongoing series this month with Free People, I thought that adding toasted pumpkin seeds was the perfect seasonal twist on this, and the addition of the spices bring a nice unexpected heat, and the chipotle powder has a nice subtle smokey flavor.
Feel free to play around with your own favorite add-ins, and make this your own. Here is another dark chocolate bark recipe that I made a while back, that I love.
This recipe was originally shared on the Free People Blog BLDG 25.
[print_this]Spicy Dark Chocolate Bark with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Sea Salt
- 12 ounces of gluten-free, vegan dark chocolate (I used this)
- 1/2 cup of hulled, unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon of smoked chipotle powder, plus a bit extra
- 1/4 teaspoon of chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse grey sea salt (Fleur de sel)
Place the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over a medium heat. Toast the pumpkin seeds for about 3-5 minutes, until they jump around a bit in the pan. Set aside to cool.
Line the bottom of baking sheet with parchment paper leaving a small overhang. (I drizzle a small amount of oil on the pan first so the parchment paper will stay put and not wrinkle).
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water, or in a microwave on low in 30-second bursts. Stir often with a rubber spatula so it melts evenly. Stir in the spices and half of the pumpkin seeds.
Pour the chocolate onto the baking sheet and smooth with a spatula into an even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining pumpkin seeds and a pinch or two of additional smoked chipotle powder and the sea salt. Chill in the refrigerator until completely set, about 20-30 minutes, or in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Peel the bark off the parchment paper and break into irregular pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it is best in the first a couple of days but can be stored up to two weeks.
[/print_this]
-
Vegetable Stir-Fry with Kelp Noodles – Gluten-free and Vegan
I had a wonderful birthday complete with the perfect yoga class, a fun day of work, dinner with hubby and so many wonderful friends, a delicious cake and I finished the night off with a glass of wine and a visit to my parents house. A wonderful and blessed day, indeed.
Besides it being my birthday month and my absolute favorite season, the only thing (besides the cold) that I really dislike is how early the sun sets this time of year, and it’s just gonna keep getting earlier, too. I miss the beautiful and perfect end-of-day light when I am in the kitchen cooking, after I am done working for the day. Most nights as of recent, by the time we are done working and dinner is made and ready to eat, it is pitch black outside. For some reason I find that to be so depressing. This also poses a problem for taking photos of the dinner that I prepared, if I plan to share the recipe on here. So this fall and winter I am going to try something a little different, since we work from home, on the days I have a recipe I want to create to share with you guys, I am going to actually cook it and serve it for lunch, this way I can take all of my photos, and we can eat it fresh and hot. Win win. Then I can work a bit later in the day and we can just eat a light dinner. I am pretty excited about this as most days I am much hungrier in the middle of the day anyhow, since I got to yoga in the mornings. I think hubby and our assistant are both going to be more than happy about this new schedule, too.
For this stir-fry I used some of the beautiful veggies we got in this week’s CSA. Bok choy, leeks and lots of peppers, plus I added in some shitake mushrooms and carrot that I grabbed at the Co-Op this morning. I served it all with some kelp noodles that I have been so excited to try. After my obsession with zucchini noodles this summer, I thought kelp noodles sounded like another fun grain-free noodle alternative, especially for Asian meals like this one and woah, was I right. They were perfect in this stir fry and I am already dreaming of other fun Asian inspired dishes that they would be great in. (Please note that kelp noodles do have a unique crunch to them from the kelp and their texture is different from that of regular noodles.)
I included some notes below on preparing the kelp noodles, since they technically do not need to be cooked. I ended up rinsing them and running super hot water over them for a while to heat them up a tad, then I tossed them right in the wok with the stir-fry so they would get mixed right in and served right away.
Have you ever tried kelp noodles? How do you like them served?
[print_this]Vegetable Stir-Fry with Kelp Noodles – Gluten-free and Vegan (Grain-free)
Serves 4Kelp Noodles:
1 16-ounce package of kelp noodles, I used these
Kelp noodles come ready to eat, no need to cook. You just need to rinse them, however they are very crunchy so I rinsed them and ran them under hot water for a bit to soften them up. I found the noodles were best tossed with the vegetable stir fry and the sauce and heated up a bit, they softened up a tad this way rather than just spooning everything over. I have also read that letting them soak in water and lemon for about 30 minutes and massaging them a bit with your hands (as you would kale), makes them a bit softer and not as crunchy. I like the crunch and found it to be a nice texture in the stir-fry
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon of corn starch or arrowroot starch
- optional: 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, if not vegan
Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Stir Fry:
feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand, I went with what we had on hand from our CSA and the market
- 2 tablespoons sesame or peanut oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 leek, rinsed very well, slice thinly the white and light green parts only
- 2-3 bell peppers, sliced (I used a purple bell, red bell and red cubanelle pepper)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled then grated
- 1 bunch Bok Choy, sliced thinly the long way, you want about 3-4 cups
- 1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
- 4 ounces of shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
Additional ingredients:
- Scallions, sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Roasted Peanuts
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately. Add oil, then stir fry onions, leeks and bell peppers for about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the remaining ingredients to the wok, the bok choy, carrot ribbons and mushrooms. Toss around and cook until the vegetables are just tender. Add in the sauce, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in some of the scallions, peanuts and sesame seeds, leaving some for sprinkling on top.
Serve over the kelp noodles or add the kelp noodles to the wok and toss it all around. Serve topped with sliced scallions, peanuts and/or sesame seeds.[/print_this]
