The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Easiest, Fluffiest Gluten-Free Pancakes

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Out of all the gluten-free pancakes I’ve eaten (and I’ve eaten my fair share), these probably have a texture closest to your standard white-flour variety. They are neither bready nor gummy, which is a hard balance to get right in the gluten-free pancake world. At the risk of sounding like I’m describing coffee, I would call them “medium-bodied,” by which I mean that they are in the just-right category between very thin and very thick. Best of all, they come together in your blender, contain no sugar or sweetener, and brown up beautifully.

So what’s the secret? A very ripe plantain. This lends the batter a delicious, sweet flavor that makes these beauties enjoyable even without any syrup on top. (For those of you who eat pancakes for the syrup, don’t worry: slathering these with butter and syrup is also a win.) You’ll be blending up your ripe plantain with some whole-grain gluten-free flours (oat and sorghum), baking powder, a bit of oil, a non-dairy milk of your choice (I like almond), and a couple eggs. And that’s all it takes!

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Miso Egg Drop Soup

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This miso egg drop soup is simple to prepare, nourishing, and delicious. At the risk of angering the FDA with these statements (haha), I 100 percent guarantee that it can help you survive the polar vortex, recover from copious amounts of baking (see last week’s post), or fight off the sniffles.

Let’s take a closer look at why:

Kombu & Nori:  Seaweeds are some of the most underrated “superfoods” there are. They are rich in minerals – especially calcium and iodine – and alkalizing to the body, which means they are a great antidote to too much sugar, which is acid-forming. Kombu is also fantastic for digestion.

Miso:  Also alkaline, miso contains beneficial bacteria that can help fight off illness.

Egg:  Eggs are the most bioavailable form of vegetarian protein that exists, meaning they contain protein that is easy for our bodies to metabolize and use.

Carrot:  Rich in minerals and fiber, and – of course – good for the eyes!

So, ready to fuel up for this polar vortex? Let’s do it!

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Strawberry & Cream Blini Rolls (Grain-free!)

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Hibernation is one of the coolest things about the winter. I don’t know about you, but I always feel at least a small twinge of envy imagining all manner of creatures –  from bears to bats to turtles – hiding out until the sun comes out and the world is a warm and happy place again. Turns out I missed the hibernation memo, though, because I’m emerging from my cave smack dab in the middle of winter and spent most of a mild autumn outside of my daily routine. Of course, my hibernation period was also a little less envy-producing;  my cave was filled with work and school and dwelling in it throughout the autumn season meant a longer than usual break from blogging. So I’m super excited to rejoin the world, even if I have to do so from beneath a few pounds of outerwear.

And what better way to bring some brightness to this cloudy January than with these delicious blini rolls! For those who aren’t familiar with blinis, they are Russian pancakes that vary in thickness and can be served sweet or savory. My grain-free version is a little thicker than a crepe but much thinner than your standard American pancake. It is filled with strawberry preservers and a delectable sweet cream, then rolled and sliced into elegant little spirals for your eating pleasure. These guys are fairly simple to make – the blinis have just three ingredients and come together in the blender and the filling is even easier. And, provided you let everything cool completely, unmolding them from the parchment paper, rolling, and slicing is really no big deal. In fact, the most difficult part of this recipe is probably separating your eggs! (But don’t worry, I have plenty of ways for you to use up those yolks – see notes below.)

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Pumpkin Spice Hemp Milk

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Hemp milk is one of my absolute favorite milks. While some might say it’s an acquired taste – and there is definitely something very unique about the flavor that “nutty” doesn’t quite capture – once you get used to it, hemp milk can’t be beat. It’s super nutritious (all those omegas!) AND you can make it without any straining, soaking, or waste. All you have to do is blend up some hemp seeds with some filtered water, add in whatever sweeteners or spices you’d like, and drink up. You do have to blend it for a couple minutes to really get a nice consistency, but this makes it even better: when it comes out of that blender, it’ll be warm, frothy, and altogether beautiful.

You can totally make hemp milk completely plain, and that is actually what I do most often. Since it does get so warm and frothy, I find that I like it without any sweeteners at all. But, since fall is here, why not try it with a bit of pumpkin spice flava?

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Blueberry-Fennel Salsa

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Tis the season to eat salsa! And oh, how numerous are the possibilities. I’ve always been one for experimenting with new flavor combinations so when I looked in the fridge and saw some blueberries fresh from the Union Square Greenmarket, along with some jalapeños and cilantro, I immediately thought blueberry salsa.

Now, I’m quite familiar with fruit salsas  – your standard pineapple one, for example, is pretty ubiquitous. But I couldn’t remember a time when I’d eaten a version made with blueberries. I also wasn’t 100 percent sure it would be a success. But I was fairly certain that one ingredient might be the key to marrying the sweet, fruitiness of blueberries to the savory spicy notes all good salsas should have, and that ingredient (drumroll please) was fennel. Specifically sautéed fennel, which has an onion-like texture and a lovely deep flavor.

So off to the market I went, eager to test out my theory. I thinly sliced my freshly-purchased fennel, sautéed it in some olive oil for 10 minutes or so (stirring frequently to promote caramelization as opposed to frying) and pulsed it up in a food processor with some jalapeño and cilantro. After seasoning with salt and lime, I sampled a bit. Yum! I almost wanted to eat it then and there – blueberries be damned – because it was really tasty! But delayed gratification is supposedly the mark of intelligence, so in went the berries. And voila! Blueberry-fennel salsa complete; snacking commencing in T minus…and that’s as far as my countdown got before my mouth was full of chips and salsa.

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White Gazpacho

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Have you ever tried ajo blanco? Popular in Spain, it’s a white gazpacho made with blanched almonds and lots of garlic, thickened with bread. Even though I visited Spain before going gluten-free, I sadly never came across it.

If I had, I would probably be better able to describe to you whether my pecan gazpacho is indeed similar to ajo blanco. I can venture a guess that it is – it’s creamy, nutty, tart, and refreshing – and certainly resembles that classic Spanish white gazpacho visually. But there are several differences between this recipe and a traditional ajo blanco, which I’ll enumerate for my fellow cooking nerds below. For the rest of you, all you need to know is that this pecan-based version of white gazpacho is one of the best cold soups I’ve ever had.

So, how does this recipe differ from a traditional Spanish white gazpacho? Well, as I alluded to above, I’ve used pecans instead of almonds, soaked overnight for a smooth texture. Additionally, while ajo blanco does often feature green grapes, they aren’t typically blended into the soup, like I do here. Finally, there’s no bread at all in my recipe (don’t worry, the soup is still the proper texture without it!), I’ve used garlic-infused oil instead of raw garlic, and I’ve added a secret ingredient to top it all off: fennel. Blending in some fennel bulb with the pecans and grapes really creates a luscious, complex flavor that you probably won’t even be able to place right away. You’ll just know that you want to keep eating it.

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Spiced Cacao Breakfast Pudding

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There’s definitely no shortage of breakfast puddings and porridges on this site. While these types of warming breakfasts always make me feel the best, I have a compulsion for variety and I simply can’t just eat plain old oatmeal every morning. In fact, I often use the thrill of an exciting breakfast the next morning as a bargaining tool to prevent myself from late-night eating.

If I go to sleep now, I’ll feel refreshed in the morning and have time to make my golden porridge…or 5-spice+turmeric breakfast pudding…or 3-ingredient creamy coconut porridge…or (my newest addition to the breakfast porridge rotations) –  this spiced cacao breakfast pudding. 

When morning comes, the promise of an already-decided-upon breakfast also helps get me out of bed! (There is nothing worse than getting up and realizing you don’t have anything appetizing to eat for breakfast.) In addition to being a great incentive for starting the day, here’s what I like about this spiced cacao breakfast pudding, which is made by simmering teff flour on the stove:

-Easy to prepare

-Nutrient-rich (Teff is high in protein, iron, and calcium!)

-Contains raw cacao powder, for a chocolaty boost of energy

-Is delicately spiced, light, and warming – the perfect food to eat early in the morning!

Oh, and you can top it with salted-maple pecans if you like!

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Vegan Salty Oat Cookies

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, there’s a chance that the title of this post sounds familiar to you. I do, in fact, already have a salty oat cookie recipe – created way back in May of last year – that has since become a staple of mine. It’s so quick and easy to whip up a batch, and said batch is so satisfying to munch on, that I find myself making these sweet and salty confections to bring to all manner of occasions, from game nights to family events. But it’s always been my intention to eventually post a vegan version, since I had a hunch these could taste just as good without the butter and egg. And in fact, I’ve known that hunch to be correct ever since November, when I buckled down and perfected these vegan salty oat cookies as part of our Thanksgiving menu. So it’s high time to share the love!

The secret to veganizing the recipe? Freshly ground chia seed (pre-ground didn’t gel as well and yielded crumbly cookies while flax meal made them take on a too-healthy taste that wasn’t cookie appropriate), coconut oil, and toasted hazelnuts. Other than those minor changes, this recipe is pretty similar to the original. Every time I make either version, I’m convinced I like it better than the other, so I really can’t say for sure which one I prefer. But toasted hazelnuts do have a special place in my heart – and tummy – and definitely lend these cookies a buttery quality that makes it very hard to tell that they are, in fact, vegan.

So if you’re looking for a scrumptious, coffeeshop-like cookie that’s both vegan and gluten-free, look no further! (Especially if you are also a fan of oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.)

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Plantain “Nachos” with Jalapeño Crema

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Do nachos have to contain chips? I’m of the opinion that they don’t. Because when oven-fried sweet plantains are covered with beans, feta, and cilantro and then drizzled with jalapeño crema, it sure feels like I’m eating a hefty plate of delectable nachos. Except that my teeth actually have something to sink into – that meaty, sweet plantain – instead of just crunching through dry chips. And also I need a fork.

But if you fall in the “Hardline Traditionalist” category of this sandwich chart, I’m guessing you are also a hardline traditionalist when it comes to nachos. In that case, just think of these as loaded plantains.

Whatever you choose to call it, this dish is really quite delicious and would make the perfect Cinco de Mayo grub. The aforementioned toppings are just suggested – you can top your oven-fried plantains with whatever fixings your heart desires – but I do advise that you drizzle the final product with some jalapeño crema (recipe included). It’s tangy and spicy, making it the perfect compliment to those sweet plantains.

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Turmeric-Ginger Hot Chocolate

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As a morning person, I’m generally refreshed and energized as soon as I open my eyes – ready to tackle whatever the day has in store for me. I do my best work in the morning, and I don’t need coffee or anything else to wake me up. (Afternoons and evenings are an entirely different story, of course.) When I woke up this morning, though, something was off.

I had gotten plenty of sleep, but felt tired and grumpy. I had to leave my apartment early to make it in time for student teaching but couldn’t bring myself to rush. And it felt like a layer of fog covered everything I heard, said, or did. When I arrived at the school where I was student teaching, I was amused to see that the class’s word of the day was “lethargic.” Yup.

Things declined from there. I went to the grocery store to buy zucchini, and they were out. I bought a water bottle that turned out to be unnecessary, and it made my bag uncomfortably heavy. The app I use to display my bus pass kept bugging out, and when I tried to uninstall and reinstall, my connection died after the uninstall. (Of course the bus arrived as soon as this happened!) In short, I was beginning to think I was the new protagonist of the childhood classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  

Luckily, when things go wrong or I’m feeling downright irritable (which I was by this point), I know what to do: eat chocolate. Or in this case, drink chocolate. Generally, ingesting chocolate one way or another (has anyone tried a syringe?) is a pretty solid mood lifter. And I’m happy to say it did the trick today.

Of course, don’t wait until you have a bad day to make this epic hot chocolate. It’s thick, creamy, rich, and comforting, with subtle warming notes from the turmeric-ginger combo. And I do mean subtle: the main flavor here is dark chocolate, but I melt it into a mix of coconut cream, almond milk, and ginger-turmeric tonic for a truly special cup. Whether you feel like you’re on top of the world, at the bottom of a dumpster, or somewhere in between, this hot chocolate is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

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