The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Green Bean Chutney

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If I were the subject of one of those desert island thought experiments – you know, where you have to choose things to bring with you – I’m pretty sure my blender would be one of them. (That’s assuming, of course, that this desert island scenario included ingredients for me to put in said blender as well as some sort of electrical power – either run off currents or magic, I’m not fussy.) Why would I choose to bring a blender? Well, first of all, it would probably be hot so I would definitely need to make shakes like this one (yum, salted caramel!) and this leche de tamarindo. Ooh, and this tropical papaya smoothie would definitely help me cool down too. I also wouldn’t know what kind of protein sources would be available and how they would taste, so the ability to make vegan sauces like this creamy garlic staple, this decadent walnut sauce, and this spicy serrano cream would make anything taste delicious. (Hemp seeds would have to go on the list too as they are the BEST vegan sauce base, IMHO.) And, to finally get onto the topic of this post, my blender would also enable me to whip up bright and flavor-packed chutneys like the green bean one detailed here – keeping life fresh and beautiful.

Chutney was actually the middle name of one of my childhood pets, Mango. (Yes, Mango Chutney). No, I did not name him – my parents get credit for that. (Where do you think my love of food comes from?)

Anyway, this green bean chutney floated into my head one day after wondering what to do with the 1/2 pound of green beans I had left. I knew they’d be gone all too soon if I roasted them with balsamic, which is usually my go-to, and I was feeling kind of like a sandwich for dinner but didn’t really have anything to dress it up with and make it pop. So…I steamed some green beans, then whirred them up in my trusty blender with cumin seeds, tamarind paste, a bit of sugar, cilantro, lemon, some cayenne for spice, and some oil to help it blend. Delicious!

Bright, fresh, and tangy – but with some warmth from the cumin – this chutney is so versatile. I first enjoyed it on a sandwich with goat cheese and a fried egg, but it would also be amazing on potatoes, grain bowls, or mixed with a bit of yogurt/sour cream for a creamy sauce. You can also enjoy it by the spoonful, which I did rather too much of that first night. (I mean, gotta scrape out the blender, right?) Luckily, the recipe made a cup so even after binging on it, I had plenty to pack up and store in the fridge – ready to make the next meal pop.

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Swiss Chard & Feta Hearts with Spicy Marinara

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While I typically go the sweet route for Valentine’s Day (check out my matcha custard, red velvet pancakes, and chocolate-whiskey sandwich cookies from years past), I decided a savory treat was in order this year. Something elegant – yet hearty – with plenty of Valentine’s Day symbolism. That meant breaking out the heart molds, whipping up a spicy marinara, and choosing red chard over green.

In addition to possessing beautiful, Valentine’s Day-appropriate stems, red chard happens to pair beautifully with feta, lemon, dill, and the other Mediterranean flavors at play here. In fact, these hearts are kind of like a Greek twist on risotto cakes, but made with millet instead of rice, and much easier to put together. (No need to actually make risotto!)  They are quite nice on their own and even more romantic with the marinara.

No heart mold? No problem. Just use your hands to make round cakes (patties) instead. If you find yourself missing the heart element, you can always dip your finger into the marinara and finger paint a heart or two on your serving plate. Perhaps your special someone will want to help decorate too!

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Asian Tofu Salad

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If you’ve ever taken any sort of culinary or food science class, you may know that there are two types of cooking methods: dry-heat cooking and moist-heat cooking. Dry-heat is where your sautéing, roasting, baking, and frying lie. And moist heat is your boil, steam, simmer, and stew! (That’s by no means an exhaustive list of all moist/dry heat cooking methods, but it gives you a general idea.)

Anyway, it turns out I’m a dry-heat girl by nature. My go-to cooking methods are sautéing, roasting, baking, and pan-frying. Sure, I steam and boil on occasion (fried pasta would be pretty gross and I do like to blanch my greens and boil potatoes for mash now and then) but on the whole, my cooking routine generally begins with a skillet, some oil, and an onion.

In this heat, however, standing by a hot skillet babysitting a stir-fry is just not appealing. So when the craving for some tofu hit, I decided to boil it. Now if you’re like me, and you’ve spent your entire tofu-eating life baking, frying, or sautéing it, you may have some doubts about whether boiling is even possible. I know I did. But guess what?! It is! And it’s quite delicious and refreshing when seasoned well, chilled, and made into an Asian tofu salad like this one. In fact, taking foods I’m used to cooking one way and giving them a completely different treatment is definitely something I’d like to do more of. It helps me stay inspired, be creative, and not get stuck in any cooking ruts (which 90 degree weather can definitely precipitate!)

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Lemony Chive and Spinach Pesto (Vegan/Dairy-Free Option)

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Sometimes you gotta change it up a bit. Basil pesto is great – no argument here. But we’ve now reached the part of summer where it is HOT. And that means I need something a bit zingier – something with more freshness, more brightness. Because I’m sure as hell not going to find that in the swampland that is NYC right now.

Are you with me? Good. You should be. Because this pesto is yumtastic. Or yumtacular. Or whatever your favorite made-up compound superlative conveying deliciousness happens to be. Bright and grassy, it has a complexity of flavor that you don’t often get with a standard pesto, where everything hits you all at once. Taste  a spoonful of this, and your first impression will be fresh, lemony, and zingy – then the flavor will begin to evolve, giving way to something much fuller, richer, and creamier. If you are used to using raw garlic in your pestos, you’ll notice that the sautéed chives lend a flavor that is deeper, subtler, less abrasive, and more complex. Those delicious chives will begin to strut their stuff, and you’ll marvel at how such a small stalk  – when given the proper treatment – can bloom and blossom into a full-on umami symphony.

Or  – since not everyone is as food-obsessed as I am (you guys, I just typed the phrase “umami symphony”), you’ll just be like: “Mmm, this is yummy. I should put it on pasta.”

And indeed you should.

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Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing (Soy-Free and Nut-Free!)

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I’ve always been a caesar salad coveter. At restaurants, potlucks, cafeterias … I’ve often caught myself ogling that pile of romaine with the luscious, creamy dressing and fantasizing about bite after bite of delicious, crispy, creamy, sinful goodness.  I was devastated the first time I learned that, while there was no visible meat to speak of, the dressing harbored what I considered to be a dark secret: anchovies.

Mind you, I was well aware of most foods that had hidden meat – beef stock in French onion soup, chicken stock in so many classic veggie soups, lard in Mexican beans – and I was never that enraged by any of it. The hidden meat was enough to keep me far away, but that was fine with me; there was no coveting – no looking longingly at a neighboring table’s order and imagining what it would be like to eat it.

With caesar salad, however, I’ve embarrassed myself more than once. There is something about it that is just so tantalizing. So when vegan caesar dressings started popping up in some vegetarian restaurants, I was super excited. Until I went rice-free, that is. Because guess what all vegan caesar salad dressings (that I’ve ever seen) have in common? Miso! And guess what miso is made from? Soy and rice.

So I decided to create a vegan caesar-style dressing that is soy-free, nut-free, and grain-free. It uses sunflower seeds as a base, and is caesared-up with roasted seaweed sheets (the ones that come in the little seaweed snack packages) and umeboshi vinegar. It is very easy to make, requires zero planning (you don’t have to soak the seeds or anything), and has a creamy, salty, savory, tangy flavor that should work for all your caesar salad needs. I’ve tried it massaged into kale, on romaine, and as a dip for carrot sticks. While you won’t taste anchovies, you will get that creamy texture and savory flavor that (in my opinion) is the defining feature of a caesar dressing.

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Mung Bean and Apple Salad

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At the greenmarket this morning, I started noticing “First Crop of 2015” signs on some of the apples. If that’s not a sign of fall on the horizon, I don’t know what is.

Much as I’m still holding fast to summer (and I’m certainly not about to stop posting summer recipes just yet!), I’ve begun mentally preparing myself for fall. And there are some nice things to think about: colorful trees, crisp air, squash, pumpkins … in fact, if it didn’t signal the impending doom of winter, fall would probably be my favorite season. But I’m not quite ready to let go of summer just yet.

So I would call this a transitional salad.  It’s the perfect light bite for a hot summer day, but there is also something about it that forecasts the coming of fall. Maybe it’s the nuttiness and heartiness of the mung beans, conspiring with the crisp tartness of the apple. Or maybe it’s the pinch of nutmeg in the cumin-spiked lemony dressing. Perhaps it’s something else entirely. While I can’t pinpoint exactly why this salad seems to straddle the line between summer and fall, I can tell you that you should make it. And then eat it. And then make it again.

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Poppy Seed Bars

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Before going gluten-free, I used to bake all the time. I had my knock-’em-dead brownie recipe for those casual but chocolate-warranting events, my decadent layer cake recipe for birthdays and anniversaries, and the ultimate coffee cake recipe for those weirdos who don’t like chocolate.  These were all recipes I had collected due to my habit of reading (or should I say drooling over) any dessert cookbook I could get my hands on.  Since I was such an avid dessert cookbook reader, I quickly learned how to tell whether a recipe was worth making just by skimming the ingredients and procedure. (Hint: Look for copious amounts of chocolate and butter :p) But this was as far as I got with regards to bringing in my own creative process – I never created my own dessert recipes or experimented too much with the recipes I collected. It was only after going gluten-free that I started creating my own desserts, and it’s been a total blast.

My absolute favorite flour to bake with is almond flour. That’s because it makes gluten-free desserts taste like regular desserts – it’s moist, holds together well, has a great texture and flavor, and, as if that wasn’t enough, it’s also packed with protein! I’ve been seeking out almond-flour based dessert recipes for a couple years now, and in the last year or so, I’ve finally felt comfortable enough working with this miraculous substance to be able to play around with it on my own. It’s a great feeling to be able to easily whip up a dessert when the craving hits, with whatever you happen to have around the house!

And that’s exactly what I did a few weeks ago, when these poppy seed bars were born.

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Roasted Broccoli with Creamy Hemp Seed Dressing

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Have you tried hemp seeds yet? They are a staple in my kitchen! Touted for their health benefits (just 3 tablespoons of these guys will give you a walloping 10 grams of protein and they also happen to contain nearly the perfect ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6), these little seeds are great in salads, soups, and sauces. They are also a wonderful vegan creamifier. (Yes, I think I made that word up because it’s not in the dictionary.) In case it’s not apparent, let me define it for you:

Creamifier, n.  A substance that can be used to make something creamy. Example Sentence: Some non-vegan creamifiers are milk, yogurt, and sour cream, while some vegan creamifiers are hemp seeds, tofu, tahini, and nuts.

Now that we’ve all learned a new (fake) word, let me tell you about this dressing.  [Read more…]