Archives for October 2017

Pumpkin-Sage “Nut & Seed” Bread (Nut-free, Vegan, GF, Low Fodmap)

October 30, 2017 By Alana Leave a Comment

One of the frustrating things about packaged gluten-free breads is the lack of variety. Most of them tend to imitate white sandwich breads. Every once in a while, you’ll find a whole-grain version, and if you’re very lucky, you might discover a crusty, artisan-style loaf. But I’ve yet to find a packaged gluten-free version of those flatter, denser, heartier, nut & seed breads that were so much a part of my childhood. Breads reminiscent of this sunflower loaf, for example.

Luckily, imitation “nut & seed” breads are super easy to make; MUCH easier than your typical yeasted loaf. The recipe I’ve developed below can be whipped up in about 10 minutes, and then only bakes for 25. It’s composed of healthy, fuel-packed ingredients like oats and quinoa flakes, with a lovely sweetness from the pumpkin and savory notes of sage and marjoram. Better yet, the whole thing can be baked in the tray of your toaster oven! (Unless of course, you want more bread than that, in which case I recommend doubling the recipe and baking it in a regular oven.)

This bread is delicious with all manner of toppings: hummus & avocado, mustard & swiss, tempeh, lettuce, & tomato – you name it. It’s pictured below with a vegan cheese spread and some fresh veggies. So, how about some hearty pumpkin bread to offset all that Halloween sugar?

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Creamy Cilantro Dressing

October 23, 2017 By Alana Leave a Comment

I was fairly shocked to see cilantro at the greenmarket last week – I mean, it’s almost November, for cripes sake! Yet buy a bunch I did, with zero regrets. I love having fresh herbs in the house because they always give dinner a lift – you’re only a quick blend away from a lovely dressing, dripping sauce, or drizzling sauce that will always take your meal to the next level.

This creamy dressing is one of those easy meal lifters. It, like most of my sauce recipes, is also quite versatile. You can use it to dress a salad or grain bowl, drizzled over a protein, or all over your quesadillas. In other words (for you Dr. Seuss fans) whether you eat this in a house, with a mouse, in a box, or with a fox … you’ll definitely enjoy it.

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Easy Chocolate-Teff Pudding (Vegan & Low-Fodmap)

October 13, 2017 By Alana Leave a Comment

Chocolate pudding has to be one of the all-time best comfort foods. Especially the type that comes in the little individual cups at the grocery store. While I never ate the really commercial kind, I have been known to buy the Zen brand (made with almond milk) on occasion, and it sure does hit the spot. It’s not where I go when I want something super rich or decadent, but rather a nice, comforting reminder of childhood.

I’ve also made my own dairy-free pudding on occasion, since it’s not too difficult to make and I get to eat a lot more than what comes in the tiny little cup. However, the recipe I usually use calls for egg yolks to thicken the custard, and I wanted a completely vegan version. I also wanted something that was super quick and easy to make, which means I shouldn’t have to separate any eggs or labor over the stove while it thickens.

Enter teff flour, a high-protein gluten-free flour that should definitely be a pantry staple. (For more teff flour recipes, check out my maple-teff muffins, savory waffles, or pumped-up jam bites). How did I come up with using teff flour in chocolate pudding? Well, I recently added sorghum flour porridge to my breakfast rotation, which is made by whisking a sorghum flour paste into boiling water until thick. Out of sorghum one morning, I discovered it’s just as good – if not better – made with teff. In fact, since teff has a chocolatey-flavor anyway, I ended up throwing in some cocoa powder and cinnamon to spice things up and the flavor was surprisingly close to chocolate pudding. And it thickened so quickly.

My curiosity was piqued. While this teff-chocolate breakfast pudding was more teffy than chocolatey – and far too grainy to be a sub for my imitation Zen brand pudding – perhaps one could use teff flour to thicken an actual chocolate pudding. In case you haven’t guessed already, one definitely can! And there are some definite advantages:

Advantages of using teff flour in chocolate pudding:

More protein, which is always good when you’re eating sugar
Thickens in minutes
No starch
Nutty flavor that pairs well with chocolate
You can let the pudding simmer/boil without worrying about ruination (NOT true if you use eggs to thicken)

Advantages of this recipe:

All of the above, plus:
Vegan, gluten-free, and Low-FODMAP (it’s difficult to find desserts that are all of these things)

Oh, and don’t worry about the coconut milk: there is absolutely no detectable coconut flavor to this pudding.

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