Thanksgiving for me!

Why hello, it's officially the holiday season. Thanksgiving last week and Christmas and New Years right around the corner. These are my first holidays completely gluten/dairy free so they should be exciting. Thanksgiving went well because my family let me make versions of things I could eat. Christmas will be hard with all those cookies though! At least there's always chocolate. So I got to make the Pumpkin Pie for my family! My first time making a pie! It went pretty well. My wonderful brother is sugar free at the moment, hopefully not forever, so he wanted me to make the pie sugar free but I refused because I was making my own pie for me and if he wants his own pie then he can make one. The recipe called for 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup so I tried to convince him that it was natural sugar and he could eat it. He wouldn't and it turns out the pie needed more sugar. My grandma informed me that regular pumpkin pies have 1 cup of sugar in them. Wow, so that's a big difference. Needless to say the pie wasn't that sweet. Could kind of taste the tofu. But if there would have been more it would have been amazing, like normal people food! So add more sugar when you make it. I don't know how you do that, just add it in or do you have to alter the whole recipe. Next year I'll just look for a new recipe. This one was from Whole Foods. They would have one with less sugar..... The cornbread was a complete winner though! It was super easy. I decided to add another ingredient to my GF flour library, soy flour. It was less than $4 so I decided why not. Now I have it and can make cornbread whenever I want! It calls for stuff I usually always have, eggs, butter and milk. Then I just have to have corn meal which is super cheap. Anyways, I made the cornbread again this week, when I got back to Colorado because I was making chili! Ah I need to blog that also! Ok well that's enough blabbing for tonight. Hope you like the recipes! And Happy Holidays!


Gluten/Dairy Free Pie Crust

3/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup vegan butter
2 TBS cold water

1. Stir dry ingredients together, making sure xanthan gum is evenly distributed.

2. Cut in butter or oil and add honey.

3. Add cold water a little at a time until a ball is formed. (I had to add 2 TBS more)

4. Roll dough to 1/8" thickness between two sheets of aluminum foil.

5. Peel top sheet of foil off, and invert dough onto a 9" pie pan.

6. Peel off other foil sheet.

Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Filling

2 cups pumpkin purée (1 can)
2 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup, honey, or rice syrup
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 (14-ounce) package silken tofu
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (in pie pan)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Put pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, salt, pumpkin pie spice and tofu into the blender and purée until smooth. (Super FUN!)

3. Pour pumpkin mixture into unbaked pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

4. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 45 minutes, or until set.

Gluten/Dairy Free Cornbread

1 TBS vegan butter
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup soy flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 cup soy milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place butter in a 9-inch square baking pan or in a small cast iron skillet. Put the pan in the preheating oven until butter is melted.

3. Remove from oven and tilt the pan back and forth to coat. Set

aside.

4. Mix corn meal, soy flour, brown rice flour, salt, brown sugar and baking soda together.

5. Add egg, milk and melted butter.

6. Combine with a few strokes, not overbeating.

7. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enchiladas!

Hello! I saw this recipe (well 2 of them) in The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien. It's actually the reason I bought the book.... It turned out pretty well. I acidentally added the black beans to the sauce instead of putting them with the yams inside the tortillas. And I guess I'm just not a big garlic fan because the garlic was a little too overpowering. I could just smell when I opened the container of leftovers. Sometimes I just like things bland and this was one the times. I'll probably try it again with beans on the inside and no spices. And this did make a lot. I had to freeze 2 servings because I wouldn't be able to eat all of them before going bad just in the fridge. I also served it on top of brown rice for extra nutrition and topped with avocado slices for amazingness! Here's the epic recipe:


Yam and Black Bean Enchiladas with Pomegranate Sauce


3 Large Yams
1 medium yellow oinion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic (I only put in 2 and that was too much for me!)
1 TB crushed coriander seeds
1 TB cumin seeds
1 TB cocoa powder
1 TB chile powder
1 tsp brown sugar
2 TB dried oregano
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or diced)
Seeds and juice from 1 pomegranate
Vegetable Oil
12 small corn tortillas

1. Microwave yams for about 5 minutes after pricking with fork.
2. Saute the onion in a large skillet over medium heat until transparent.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and continue to saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cocoa, chile powder, brown sugar and oregano. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and pomegranate seeds/juice.
6. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, adding water as necessary to create a medium thick sauce.
7. Cut up the yams into small squares. Put in a bowl.
8. Drain the black beans and add to the yams in the bowl.
9. Heat up a skillet with vegetable oil in it. Warm up the tortillas in it as needed, if tear as rolling.
10. Place enough sauce in the bottom of a 9x11 pan to cover it. Fill the tortillas with the yam and black beans, place in the pan.
11. After all the tortillas and pan in filled then pour the rest of the sauce on top. Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
12. Serve with avocado and brown rice for a superfood meal! And don't forget to freeze the leftovers!

More Boxes

Happy Birthday to the boyfriend. A friend gave me this mix and I had been waiting for a good time to use it and this seemed like it. I was a little wery of using a box cake mix, especially GF. But I added the stuff it said to in the mix. You had to add 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of yogurt (I used plain soy yogurt), vanilla, butter (vegan Earth Balance) and I think that's it. I mixed it all together and it got really thick. I got excitied and started eating the batter. yummm I can taste it now...... I used partchment paper because I wanted the cake to come out well to decorate it. But I didn't know cakes had to bake for so long! I've actually never make a cake by myself before ;) And I ended up doing this late on a friday night, which worked out well because I made the AMAZING frosting while it was baking, did dishes then the cake was done. Took it out and left it to cool overnight, then frosted in the morning. In the end, it turned out super well. I would highly recommend this mix. Now I want to try all the Whole Food's GF mixes! I finally got to try the cake after I gave it to my boyfriend. We both loved it. It stuck together quite well and was moist. So I was proud for making yet another desert! Here's the recipe for the frosting! Cheers to a gluten and dairy free cake!

Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) dairy-free margarine, room temperature
2-1/2 tablespoons honey (really added to the texture!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dairy-free 100% cocoa powder
2-1/2 tablespoons water
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Place margarine, honey, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Sift cocoa into this bowl. Using electric beaters at low speed, cream these ingredients together. Add water and sift powdered sugar into mixture. Beat with electric beaters on medium speed until well mixed. Use frosting to frost cake.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups frosting, enough to frost a 9-inch double-layer cake.

Finished!

I wish.

COOKIES! Oh my gosh I wish I could eat them more often. I banned myself from making desserts awhile ago. But last weekend I just had a craving for cookies. I wish there was a place in this small of a town that I could just buy a cookie. But no so I had to make them. Making gluten free cookies from scratch = nightmare. So I bought this box mix at Whole Foods and it was even on sale too. It was really simple, only called for you to add, 1 egg, butter (I used vegan Earth Balance) and vanilla. I mixed everything up and snacked on the yummy yet very crumbly dough. What else about being gluten free is new though?! I squeezed the dough into balls and baked. When I pulled them out of the oven I was amazed to see a real cookie. Not a super flat or spread out mess. The cookies looked real, like in those old days of so called food. I was amazed and ate one when they cooled a bit. Satisfied the craving! Thank you. I froze the rest so I didn't eat them all at once (the reason for the ban on baking) and I still have some a week later. So it worked. Anyways, I recommend this mix, it's pretty quick. I also have the chocolate cake mix that I'm making for my boyfriend's birthday in a few weeks so I'll let you know how that turns out. Good eating!

It was different and delis!

My friend and I try to make dinner every Tuesday night. She has the same food standards that I do, very healthy. And she knows that eating gluten, dairy and meat free is amazing. I saw this recipe in the Whole Foods Market Local Food Magazine also. Told you it has amazing recipes. I wanted to try a different kind of quinoa recipe because I feel all of them are kind of weird. This one was very good. It made a large bowl full! So we had extras for lunch the next few days. I like it because it has all the food groups in it. Protein (3 kinds- nuts, grain, yogurt), veggies, fruit and yeah that's all I eat so yes. Anyways try it out for yourself and enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Stone Fruit and Basil
1 1/2 cups quinoa
6 Tbs. Olive Oil-divided
4 Tbs. lime juice- divided
1 bunch fresh basil (we only used 4 leaves because we didn't want it too strong, but you could use a few more)
2 cups halved fresh cherries or sliced plums, nectarines, or apricots (I also used pears)
1 cucumber, diced
1 can (1 1/2 cups) cooked chickpeas
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts (we used pine nuts-yummy!)
1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to medium, cover and let sit for 15 minutes, or unitl all the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Remove from heat and cool. Transfer to serving bowl and toss with 3 Tbs. olive oil and 2 Tbs. lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Lay 5 or 6 basil leaves flat on tip of one another on cutting board. Roll tightly into cylinder, then slives into thin strips.
4. Add basil, cherries, cucumber, chickpeas, shallots and alomonds to quinoa mix. Toss. Chill for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
5. While that is going on, whisk together yogurt, remaing 3 Tbs. olive oil, and remaining 2 Tbs. lime juice in small bowl. Serve salad with yogurt dressing.

Colors!

I love the colors of this meal. Pretty sure I need to get a white plate like this because it just makes the food stand out so much more. I was at my boyfriend's and we were deciding on what to do for dinner. We thought about going out to P.F. Chang's, Maggiano's or Beau Jo's Pizza, or we could just make our own. Haha usually what I opt for, him the other. So he had these great salmon burgers from Costco that are so versatile. I thought of putting fruit on it because my friend and I did that over the summer. And we both love asparugus and it's pretty cheap right now again. And then we need some gluten free carbs and potatoes are yummy! So there's the meal. It was great and super healthy and my stomach felt wonderful afterword!

-Cut up pieces of rasberries and pineapple. (Could also use mango, peach, blackberry, lemon)
-Grilled Salmon Burger from Costco
-Steamed Asparagus
-Wash, cut off ends, place on plate, put 1/4 cup water onto plate. Microwave for 3 minutes.
-Could put tamari or lemon juice on. I didn't have any.
-Roasted Red Potatoes
-Cut up potatoes into about 8 pieces each.
-Saute in olive oil until brown on a few sides. Can also cover for faster cooking. Makes them softer also.

Trying for normalcy

Hello! It's been awhile but I have been busy with classes starting and all the randoms that come along with that. But my boyfriend did come up the other weekend and I made wonderful dinners for him. He is the new person I cook for. He is a full meat, dairy and gluten eater so I really have to impress. But he's a good sport, eats what I make and says it's wonderful. The way it should be of course. I know he loves burgers, I was going to actually make real burgers with real meat. (Local of course) But I saw this great recipe in the Whole Foods Market Magazine- Local Edition. (I swear I don't live there) Surprisingly, most the recipes in that edition were gluten free. It was a nice surprise. But anyways, back to the dinner. First of all, it took FOREVER. Somehow I labored over these burgers for 2+ hours! I think it was just the rice cooking (but I was cutting up veggies), mixing in the different steps, letting it cool, then refrigerating the burgers after I made them before grilling them. It was kind of lame. Should have had a glass of wine because I was frantic. But the burgers turned out very well. Had a little kick to them. I put in more sauce then it called for I think. But it was a different flavored mexican dish so that was nice. The guacamole on top was the icing on the cake. And I added Alexia Gourmet Sweet Potato Julienne Fries which are amazing! I had extra burgers of course so they are sitting in my freezer, waiting to be grilled on a busy day.

Hot Tamale Burgers (Makes 8 burgers)

1 cup short-grain brown rice

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

3/4 cup corn kernels

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced, plus 2 tsp. sauce (I bought a can in the mexican section)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I despise this stuff so I left it out)

1 1/2 Tbs. lime juice

3/4 tsp. lime zest

1. Boil rice and 3 cups of water. Simmer after until soft, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, corn, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin and salt. Saute 2 minutes, reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Whisk 1/2 cup water with cornmeal in a bowl. Add to skillet mix. Stir in and let cook for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, stir in rice, cilantro lime juice and zest. Cool 20 minutes. Shape into burgers. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Grill!

Guacamole

2 avocados

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 TBS lime juice

1 tomato, finely chopped

1. Smash avocados in bowl.

2. Mix in other ingredients.

3. Eat with everything!

Is anything too healthy?

My doctor told me that I needed to diversify the grains that eat. Because I was eating rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She suggested breakfast as an way to add them in. Quinoa and amaranth were top on her recommendation list. I saw this recipe on the Closet Cooking Blog, that I love by the way. Is this guy single?! Really. But the recipe, yes, it was for quinoa with yogurt and fruit. I was so excited for a new way to eat quinoa. But it does kind of taste funny and all the salads I make with it for dinner kind of taste the same. So I figured I could do that and then just mix in some ammerath and we'd have a monster combo. Plus, I don't have to buy cereal anymore. Which is really expensive, not very good and not that healthy for you(?!). Sticking to whole foods, yes! So here's what I put in it:

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup cooked amaranth
soy yogurt
fruit (I used pineapple and coconut flakes for a tropical theme, usually I'm the berry type)
nuts (I used slivered almonds)

(There is left over grains for more mornings or a group of people)

It was pretty delis. I wasn't very sweet though. That's why I like berries. So maybe I'll just sprinkle some sugar on top tomorrow morning ;-)

That was one long summer.

Wow, I have not blogged in over a month. Maybe that's because I've been hidden up in the Colorado mountains attempting to do something called school. For those of you that don't know, I had to attend a required summer field course in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. It was probably the hardest month of my life considering there was nonstop class, papers, tests, quizzes and group work. I barely got through it but I made it. Now I'm back home, which is priceless, waiting until classes start again next week. So eating in the middle of nowhere was not good. I was prepared with lots of food in a mouse proof container. But I didn't think I would basically be able to eat nothing in the cafeteria. Luckily, there was another GF girl (my new friend) so they bought special sandwich bread for us. But it turned out it had GF oats in it so I was sick the whole first week. I finally asked them to get different bread and then they got the Whole Foods brand, which is super gross, and it had milk in it. Who puts milk in bread?! Then I realized that I basically can't eat anything, if they can't even get the right bread. Those were the closest things to my diet that I could eat there. They basically never had food I could eat for breakfast or dinner. I was worried about cross-contamination and the quality of ingredients they used were not up to my standards to say the least. So I ate my own cereal, used my own bread for lunch, ate their fruit and veggies. And then ate frozen dinners I had made for dinner. Needless to say, it was a boring month for eating. I thought 2 weeks in Europe was bad. But at least I figured out that I really just need my own food all the time so if I ever go anywhere I can just plan on that. My first dinner back home was no very exciting just a veggie burger, roasted red potatoes and black beans. I was too tired and stressed to make anything else. But last night I made pizza! That was yummy and still have left overs for tonight. Anyways, I don't know when I'll make something epic again. But I will blog when I do. As a parting gift, here's a picture of the beauty of the mountains. (I still love the ocean more)

A Gluten Free Santa Fe and Albuquerque

Traveling this summer has taken me many of places. Abroad, road tripping the US and to my final destination of Santa Fe, NM. Heading to Santa Fe is exciting because I love the food, culture and feel of the city. Mexican food is mostly GDF except for a few flour tortillas and cheese fillings here and there. I mostly eat mostly Mexican themed meals at home so heading down gives me new ideas to spice up my meals. Googling "Santa Fe Gluten Free" did not return with many hits. I was surprised with this health minded town. But I decided not to worry because I can just eat mexican food anyways. I kept my eyes open around town. When I visited in the spring I went to this great cafe/yoga studio called Body. The cafe has a great atmosphere. I went for Friday dinner and there was a solo guitarist playing in the background. The menu was marked with vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic and gluten free entries. I had a great gluten free vegan burger. Who know that was possible! Highly recommended! I also want to try the yoga..... The next two places I ran into accidentally. Attending the Santa Fe International Folk Art Festival, I was overwhelmed with the amount of crafts and more or less crap these people trek across the world to sell for hundreds of dollars. But considering how many people were there, maybe I'm missing something.... Already upset because I did not grab an emergency granola bar and a sweatshirt for a potential monsoon, I was not prepared for the crowds. Thumbing through the program while my mom looks around I think to look at the map for the food area. International food was well represented. I thought, oh great they'll never understand my english questions. Meanwhile, walking around I run into this booth with, wait big breath, chocolate! Just what I need. Knowing that some chocolateirs use flour, I politely ask for an ingredient list. They say it's on the items and ask what I can't have. I say gluten, and it turns out the lady I was chatting with also gluten free. She exclaimed that all of their chocolate products (chocolates, brownies, drinks) is wheat free with much gluten free. (I saw alternatives to milk used as well) Needless to say I was thrilled. I bought a GF chile brownie and chocolate pack. The brownie had some kick at the end. But not too much to burn your tongue. I have yet to try the chocolates though. The shop is called Kakawa Chocolate House. Highly recommended as well!

Well finally I'm so hungry and decided to be brave. I push threw the crowds, I start scanning the food booths for something somewhat safe and easy. The second one is Indian. Not being a huge eater of Indian food, but knowing it is mostly gluten and dairy free, I find myself a spot in the extensive line and squint to read the menu. The few entries actually seem pretty good. Rice with chickpeas, kale, carrots and broccoli. A big YUM. And it was. I saw they also have gluten free cookies and such at the restaurant in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Much to be tested out on my next visit. The place is Annapurna's World Vegetarian Cafe.Lastly, my mom and I spent sometime in Albuquerque. Googling this city I actually turned up with a few hits. Mainly looking for pizza because I hadn't had it in a while. I found an Italian restaurant with pretty much everything with a gluten free option. We arrived at Paisano's early on a weekday night. The first customers, the service was great. And the food was out fast. The pizza was very good (probably rice flour), very puffy, it felt like normal pizza. It was nice because my mom could get regular flour pizza (she said it was fine) and I could get my special food. I tried a new kind of pizza. Green Chiles! They put that on everything here. Never seen that on a menu so I had to try it. Let me say it pretty much put my mouth on fire. So be warned! I have a moderate to low tolerance of heat though. Anyways I imagine the place fills up nicely on the weekends. Recommended of course! Cheers to being GDF and traveling and not eating rice cakes and granola bars the whole time!

Does the trick.

No, I didn't make cookies. I gave up doing that a long time ago. They turn out horrible and I just stuff my face with them. Two very bad things. So I usually just stick to the chocolate bars. "When coffee dreams, it dreams of chocolate." On a box of Starbucks Chocolate. That stuff is amazing by the way. The Espresso Dark Chocolate Bar, a personal favorite. But anyways, I do love chocolate and usually eat that but sometimes it just doesn't do the trick. So off to Whole Foods to buy a prepackaged cookie. Last night I had this one by Wow Baking Co. It's pretty amazing! It does have dairy, usually I try to stay away. But the texture is like a real cookie so I give myself a treat. Anyways, it does the trick. This is from a local Seattle company and they do not have them in Colorado. Usually I buy a cookie from the Whole Foods Bakery that they make that is flourless. However, they do not make that at the Seattle ones. I guess that's good that not all stores are exactly the same. So if you're in the Seattle Area try these out! Let me know what you think. Thanks all!

It's a party

And it's graduation time. My brother graduated from high school yesterday. So of course with big events like this come the parties. Well yeah I basically can't eat anything at parties ever so I made my own food. This is "Wonder Cake" from The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook. It's gluten, dairy and sugar free. My brother is currently living sugar free so I wanted to make a treat for him that he can eat. So needless to say the cake turned out pretty well. The texture was moist and fluffy. A little crumbly like all GF things are. Then I made royal frosting in his school colors for people who eat sugar. The weird thing was the recipe called for olive oil and not vegetable oil. I could kind of taste the olive oil and it was kinda gross. So maybe next time I'll make it with just vegetable oil. Anyone have any thoughts?

Wonder Cake
1 egg
1/3 c each honey and molasses (I only used honey)
6 TB olive oil
1 3/4 c rice flour
dash of salt
2 ts cinnamon (I used 3)
2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1 cup apple juice
1 small apple, chopped
1 small pear, chopped
1/2 c raisins (I used Craisins)

Cream the egg. Blend in honey, molasses and oil. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and soda. On low speed mix in the juice. Stir in the chopped apple, pear, raisins. Pour into a parchment lined 8 or 9 inch cake pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Royal Frosting
1 egg white
1 3/4 c powdered sugar
2 TB water

Mix all together. Add more powdered sugar/water if needed. Can add food coloring.


I also needed to make something with substance to eat for dinner. So what better than quinoa?! I actually had this recipe for lunch at PCC last week. I immediately tried to find the recipe online when I got home. I came up with one pretty close. It's really easy and doesn't call for many crazy ingredients. Remember you can buy some them in the bulk section. Pumpkin seeds, quinoa, pepper. Anyways, the salad turned out really well, my family was impressed. And it's just super healthy and makes you feel good! Oh the perks of being gluten, dairy, meat free!

Aztec Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 scallions, minced
1-pound can pinto, pink, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 heaping cup diced canned tomatoes (I used 1 fresh)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c Pumpkin seeds

Optional:
Black olives
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add quinoa and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes. When the quinoa is done, remove it from the heat, fluff it with a fork, and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Combine the quinoa with the remaining ingredients and toss well. Also good when served chilled.

Cornmeal Pizza

Pretty sucky weather over here in Seattle. It's June, and it's rainy. I finally braved the rain and went for a run this morning. It actually wasn't that bad. Quite refreshing. But now I'm cold. Even when surrounded in fleece. But last night I made a quite epic pizza. I went to the Bellevue Farmer's Market for the first time this season. There was this amazing toffee. I will get some next time. I was expecting to get all the vegetables for the pizza from the farmer's market. In Fort Collins, the market has any vegetable you could possibly want. But not here. So I only bought onions and scrumptious heirloom tomatoes. I saw the recipe for polenta in one of my cookbooks, "The Gluten-Free Vegan" by Susan O'Brien. I'd never had it before so it's been enticing me for quite a while now. I saw that my mom had cornmeal in the cupboard (I don't have that at home) so it reminded me and motivated me to make it. It was actually really easy. and yummy too. Actually, it didn't really taste like much. If anyone has any suggestions about what herbs to add that would be wonderful! But I'm definitely going to make it again. I think you can buy cornmeal in bulk from Whole Foods.....

Polenta Crust
3 c soy milk
4 c cornmeal

Boil the soy milk, then gradually add in the cornmeal. It should be like really thick oatmeal. I just stopped here and started making 3 inch diameter pizza crusts on a oiled cookie sheet. The recipe said to let it sit on the stove for 20 minutes. I think it would burn and dry out. Then bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Pizza Toppings
Sauce (I had premade from the store)
Cheese (Mozzarella?)
Veggies (Onions, Green Pepper, Tomatoes)
Pineapple (no pizza is complete without)
Meat or protein topping (black beans*)

After crusts have baked for 20 minutes add the toppings and then put back in the oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

*I also made sorta of a mexican style pizza (as you can see in my photo). Didn't use any sauce but put black beans, veggies on. It was good of course. Can't go wrong with mexican. So this polenta is very versatile!

Quiche

After a day of driving around in the pouring rain, my mom and I made a GDF quiche. I have the Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour a friend gave me. I hate that stuff. I bought it once to make cookies with. Who the heck turns beans into flour and then puts it in sweets. I swear I'm the only one who can taste it (my gluten friends can't.) I figured it would be fine the crust because it's thin and a fraction of the dish. It did turn out well. And I will probably just use the flour for this from now on.

Crust

1-1/2 c. Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 c. Margarine (I use Earth Balance)

4-5 Tbsp. Plain Soy Milk

From Bob's Red Mill

Filling
1 c vegan cheese
1 c chopped tomatoes
1 c chopped asparagus
1/2 c chopped ham slices
3 eggs
1/2 c plain soy milk
First, make the crust. Combine flour and salt, then cut in margarine using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle milk, one tablespoon at a time, while blending, until all ingredients are moist. Using wax paper, place dough onto one sheet, flatten with palm, place another sheet on top and roll out to desired size. Remove the top sheet and invert into pie pan. This made just enough for the pie pan. Not enough the roll the edges over :( Bake this for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees. While that is baking cut up the veggies. Beat eggs, add to soy milk. Grate cheese. After crust is baked, put cheese in the bottom, then the egg/milk mix, then put in veggies. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool 5 minutes.

and so I begin!

Hi Everyone! Today starts one of many! I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now. Now, that I'm on summer vacation there is no better time than now. I plan on posting comments about cooking (Gluten and Diary Free, mostly vegetarian too) and on my running and yoga practices! I was inspired by Shauna the "Gluten-Free Girl" and her amazing book. Also by random other blogs I have come across in the last few days that have amazing recipes that inspire me to cook all day. Cheers to more to come!