The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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

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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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5-Spice + Turmeric Carrot Breakfast Pudding

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What if it were acceptable to eat pumpkin pie filling for breakfast? Would you? Even in summer? I might. Because this 5-spice + turmeric carrot pudding tastes like a breakfasty twist on pumpkin pie – in pudding form of course. The spices are subtle yet warming – the perfect start to your day – and the color is vibrant. And, as an added bonus, the fresh turmeric root provides a nice anti-inflammatory boost!

While this 5-spice + turmeric carrot breakfast pudding screams autumn, I find myself craving warming breakfasts like this year round. Would you expect anything less of a winter ice-cream eater? Anyway, if you’re not much for warming breakfasts in summer, this pudding is also fantastic cold. (In fact, if you chill it, it will taste even more like pumpkin pie filling.) I, however, actually prefer it warm,  with a splash of almond milk, a sprinkle of raisins, and some toasted coconut. The notes of molasses in the jaggery sugar compliment the cloves and pepper in the 5-spice perfectly, and the raisins add a nice bite.

So…breakfast pudding, anyone?

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3-Ingredient Creamy Coconut Porridge

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted a breakfast recipe. And that’s a pity, because it’s one of my favorite meals! Since breakfast has a unique ability to set the tone for the entire day, I like to try to eat something yummy, nourishing, and easy to make/clean up! (Weekends, I get a bit more ambitious. Check out my Savory Waffles, Baked Eggs with Lambsquarters and Harissa, and Maple-Teff Muffins for some favorite weekend breakfast recipes.)

In any case, this 3-ingredient creamy coconut porridge hits all the criteria above. The three ingredients are gluten-free rolled oats, coconut milk, and water. Can you beat that for simplicity? And yet, the finished product is really all you could ask for in a porridge. It’s creamy and nourishing without being heavy. The oats have plenty of fuel and fiber to keep you going until lunch. And no extra sweetener is really necessary here: the natural sweetness of the coconut milk does the job, especially when you top it with the salted maple pecans (recipe included below!) and some fresh fruit.

Let’s get our porridge on!

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Tropical Papaya Smoothie

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A good smoothie in 90 degree weather is like a fireplace in winter  – it’s just what the doctor ordered. Especially if it’s laden with nutrient-rich fruits like kiwi and papaya. There’s some freshly squeezed lime juice in there too, to elevate the kiwi’s natural tang, as well as some creamy coconut milk. The result? A glass of pure goodness – guaranteed to make any heat wave far more palatable.

As I’ve ranted about in the past, I loathe icy smoothies. Now, I’m not above putting a couple (no more than two!) ice cubes in my smoothie to get it colder and lighten up the texture, but I prefer to pack it with flavor instead. That’s where the frozen papaya comes in – in combination with a hefty dose of juicy, fresh papaya, the bit of frozen fruit acts as the ice component without watering down the smoothie. You can buy frozen papaya at most Latin American groceries, or freeze it yourself.

Ready to get tropical? Let’s go!

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Savory Fall Smoothie

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If you live in the Northeast like I do, you are experiencing a very strange December. I mean, it’s been in the 60s this entire week! People seem to be handling the uncharacteristically warm weather in different ways: some are freaking out, some are ecstatic, and some are taking it as a sign that a delicious pumpkin-based smoothie recipe I had thought was doomed to sit around until next fall is actually still very much seasonally-appropriate. (Okay, maybe just me for that last one!) But yes, I have a wonderful smoothie for you to savor during these last few (days? weeks? who knows at this point?) of warm weather, and I highly recommend that you make it before the snow hits!

This smoothie has a savory quality that I really enjoy. The frozen banana definitely gives it some sweetness – but there is also a complexity of flavor that differentiates it from your everyday smoothie. Pungent turmeric and ginger combine with creamy pumpkin puree, coconut milk, and fall spices; I chose to highlight these notes with a bit of celtic sea salt  (more than you would typically put in a sweeter smoothie) and the result was delicious.

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Millet-Apple Hot Cereal

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What’s your perfect breakfast food? For me, it’s hot cereal. If I eat a big fat omelette with homefries first thing in the morning, I generally feel sluggish and uncomfortably full within ten minutes. If I eat a granola bar, I’ll be ravenous within ten minutes. But if I eat a nice, warm bowl of porridge (not too hot or too cold!), in the words of Goldilocks, I feel “just right.”

That’s because porridges and hot cereals are generally considered easy to digest, which is just what your body needs early in the morning. Since your digestion is weaker in the morning than at midday,  its a better idea to awaken your digestive system gradually (with a nice, warming bowl of hot cereal) than to have your breakfast omelette bop it over the head with a baseball bat (IT’S MORNING! GET UP!!!!) In addition to being kind to your digestive system, hot cereal also happens to be a delicious and satisfying way to start the day – especially if it has creamy coconut milk, cardamom, and apples like this one.

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Indian Cauliflower Steaks with Spiced Chickpeas and Spinach

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When I think of vegetables that are naturally beautiful, cauliflower definitely isn’t the first one to come to mind.  It’s oddly shaped, lumpy, blandly colored (although colorful cauliflower does exist, but not in most grocery stores), and just downright unglamorous. I mean, if asked to choose a vegetable based on beauty alone, most of us would go for the bright red, perfectly round and lusciously smooth-skinned cherry tomato, or the beautifully-tiny purple and white striped fairy tale eggplant, or possibly one of endless gorgeous varieties of microgreens. Certainly not lumpy old cauliflower.  Yet cut a cauliflower in the right way, and suddenly you have something that definitely starts to compete – maybe even outright beat – those perky, perfectly shaped, and vibrantly colored veggies in the beauty department.

The cauliflower steak, ladies and gentlemen, is the pinnacle of unexpected elegance – it’s the point in your favorite (or least favorite) teen movie when the nerdy girl lets her hair down at the homecoming dance or house party or wherever else the super original plot sets the pivotal scene, and Freddie Prinze, Jr (or whoever is playing the Freddie Prinze, Jr role) suddenly realizes what he’s been failing to see.  I mean, who would have thought cauliflower could be so elegant? And so visually striking?

And that’s where the She’s All That comparisons can end (phew!) Because while – if memory serves correctly – Freddie Prinze, Jr’s character had to work quite hard to win Laney’s heart, cauliflower steaks are super easy to prepare. They are also incredibly versatile, really fun to eat, and naturally gluten-free (grain-free too!) 

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Leche de Tamarindo

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I don’t know about you, but when late August hits, I start to get a little sad. Summer is quickly waning, and if you’re me, you still haven’t made time to do all of the summery stuff you’d planned! In the New York City area, that means taking advantage of the free outdoor concerts, movies, boat rides, etc. It means braving a long public transit ride to get to something that vaguely resembles a beach. And to many it means getting out of the metro area all together – planning that one, glorious, summer vacation.

This post is a tribute to the vacations I planned, but didn’t take.

In fact, this summer was stacking up to be incredible. One of our friends was getting married in India, another was getting married in Mexico. India and Mexico in one summer? Hell yeah! Unfortunately, the timing of the two weddings was identical. Add  in a new apartment for both of us and a new job for one of us, and we quickly realized a big vacation just wasn’t in the cards this summer. I’m hoping we’ll brave that long public transit ride and get to one of the super crowded beaches New Yorkers flock to before the summer ends. But for now, I’ve decided to channel the tropics whenever I can. And what better way to start than with a fruit that happens to be pretty ubiquitous in both India and Mexico?

Tamarind is a pod-shaped fruit with a tangy flavor that is grown in most tropical areas of the world. If you’ve ever had tamarind chutney (the brown, sweet chutney often served in Indian restaurants), you are already somewhat familiar with its unique taste. Tamarind is thought to have many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory compounds, antioxidants, iron and B vitamins, and dietary fiber to improve your digestive system!

Leche de Tamarindo translates to — quite literally — tamarind milk. Sounds better in Spanish, right? Be that as it may, it tastes amazing whatever language you may happen to speak and wherever you may happen to be spending your summer.

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Yam-Coconut Breakfast Pudding

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One of the many juice chains in the NYC area has this Korean Yam pudding that I really like. It’s smooth, creamy, sweet but not too sweet, has a subtle hint of ginger – I’m a fan. I’m not really a fan of the price tag though, since one small pudding cup will run you close to 7 bucks once tax is added. The solution? Make my own!

Creating something similar proved pretty easy. I got it right on the first try, and tested it again just to make sure. While the juice chain uses agave to add sweetness, I chose to use raw honey in my version. (To make this vegan, just sub agave or maple syrup.) I also just used a regular Garnet yam instead of a Korean yam. And I’m not sure how the juice place makes their pudding, but I chose to simmer my yams rather than bake them so that their sweetness isn’t overpowering.

What I love about this pudding (aside from the taste and texture) is its versatility. My recipe is fairly light on the ginger – it’s more of a subtle hint than a main component. But if you’re feeling gingery, feel free to take it up a notch. You could also add cinnamon and nutmeg for a pumpkin-pie style pudding, increase the sweetener for something a bit more decadent, or top these with cashew or coconut cream for a real treat.

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