The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Carrot Tea

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Wait, what?! Carrot tea?! Oh, yes.

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while, but it’s been such a busy couple of weeks that I haven’t had time to actually sit down and write it up until now. You may think I’ve gone nuts during that hiatus and that my carrot obsession has crossed a line – carrot breakfast pudding and carrot lokshen kugel were fair enough, I guess, but carrot tea? Really?

Yes, really! I urge you to reserve judgment until you try the recipe. It’s really quite lovely.

You can make your carrot tea savory or sweet, hot or cold. I recommend the savory version hot and the sweet version iced. If you have kids, see if they like the iced version – it has a lot less sugar than juice or soda but tastes like a new kind of lemonade, if lemonade wasn’t tart.

I love to drink the savory version when I’m feeling like my system needs a bit of extra help  – there is something very healing about it, and the celtic sea salt provides mineral support.

So, am I crazy? Let’s find out!

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Golden Porridge

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When the sun decides to stay hidden for multiple days in a row and the weather is dark and gloomy, there’s nothing better than a bit of gold to brighten up your morning. Especially when that gold takes the form of a warming, hearty breakfast that will give you the fuel you need to start your day, sun or no sun.

This golden porridge is delicately spiced with turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon and uses a mix of gluten-free oats and quinoa flakes for a really lovely texture that is reminiscent of steel cut oats. Don’t panic though – there is a VERY big difference between this porridge and steel-cut oats: it doesn’t take forever to cook!

Finally, I love this recipe because you can customize it to your liking. I happen to be a turmeric freak and often make this with a full teaspoon of turmeric, but I’ve tried to tone it down for my readers. If it’s still a bit heavy on the turmeric for you, or you think it could really use more cinnamon, or maybe you’re feeling a nutmeg vibe, this recipe is yours to fiddle with. Spice it however you’d like. The same goes for sweetener: add a bit of maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey…whatever floats your boat. Or leave it unsweetened, which is what I’ve opted for lately. With some fresh fruit and a bit of candied ginger, I find that I really don’t crave any extra sweetener at all, and my body is happier for it.

So, ready to whip up a batch of porridge? Just make sure to store any leftovers far away from Goldilocks.

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Red Velvet Pancakes (Baked!)

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Red velvet cake is often an appalling maroon color that can really only be achieved with copious amounts of red food coloring – not that appetizing. However, this iteration of red velvet apparently only surfaced during the Great Depression, when an extract company created a food coloring-heavy recipe in an attempt to boost sales. Before that, it was a much more natural color, with the “velvet” term referring to the smooth texture. In fact, the key characteristics of red velvet are buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar – not red dye.

Be that as it may, there is something luscious about the color red, especially when Valentine’s Day is coming up. So I decided to give these pancakes a slightly redder tint with sustainably-harvested red palm oil, a buttery-tasting oil with a lovely hue that is high in Vitamins A and E. This also has the added benefit of making them dairy-free!

Finally, just in case you wanted to make these for a Valentine’s Day breakfast, I wanted to give you a recipe that didn’t leave you slaving over the stove frying pancakes on a weekday morning. Thus, the batter for these pancakes is actually made the night before and is simply poured out onto a sheet tray and baked the next morning. You can then use your favorite cookie cutters to make pretty little dainty pancakes, that – slathered with a “red velvet butter” and fresh strawberries – make for an elegant breakfast.

And yet, despite their elegance, there’s a heartiness about these too. They are made with whole grains like teff and sorghum that will give you an excellent morning boost.

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Quick & Dirty Coconut Chutney

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Let me just say right off the bat that this is not a traditional coconut chutney recipe. For starters, instead of using fresh coconut that you then have to chop or grate before grinding to a paste, I use shredded, dried coconut softened in boiling water. There is also no tempering oil – I just add a little chili, cilantro, and lime juice and away we go!

The result? A surprisingly close approximation to the coconut chutney you might be used to eating. It can certainly be served immediately; however, if you want it to more closely resemble a chutney made with fresh coconut, let it sit in the fridge overnight. The chutney will absorb more liquid and the texture will be closer to fresh. Of course, if you go this route, you may need to add some extra lime juice the next morning as acid tends to mellow in the fridge. So, if this happens, just remember the words of Harry Nilsson.

Now, you may not want to DRINK this coconut chutney a la Nilsson, but you will want to dollop it on all manner of dishes. It is wonderful on Indian-spiced potatoes, dals (Indian lentil stews), or spicy vegetables. Try it on these buckwheat kati rolls, chickpea cakes, cauliflower steaks, or with this lovely mung bean salad.  And vegans – wherever you might crave raita, try this instead.

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Sample Thanksgiving Menu + Stuffed Kabocha Recipe

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Thanksgiving in my family usually involves a lot of arguing. It’s not the arguing you’d expect. Questions like Who’s going to host? When’s it going to be? and Who’s coming? are not major issues. What can fuel heated debates, however, are questions like What’s on the menu? Who’s cooking? and When can I put my dish in the oven – yours has been in there forever!

This year, I (somewhat miraculously) managed to get complete menu control, in exchange for cooking and hosting. Since my brother is vegan and I’m still on a mostly Low FODMAP diet, holidays can be tricky, and we generally end up with a menu where everyone has multiple options, but nobody can eat everything. This year, however, I decided to create a menu that is entirely on both of our diets, and still screams Thanksgiving. I hope it gives you some ideas!

Thanksgiving Menu 2017 (Vegan & Low FODMAP)

Assortment of dips with crackers and crudite
Buckwheat crackers
Blue corn tortilla chips
Veggie spears

Roasted red pepper dip
Garlic oil, red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin

Walnut dip (similar to this one)
Walnut, hemp, hot paprika, thyme

Oyster mushroom dip
Mushroom, zucchini, carrot, chive, basil

Main Meal
Stuffed kabocha squash (recipe below)
Quinoa, walnuts, herbes de provence

Mashed potatoes with oyster mushroom gravy
Yukon golds, garlic oil, fresh thyme

Balsamic-roasted green beans
Dijon, balsamic, toasted pumpkin seeds

Brussels sprouts
Hot paprika, fresh dill

Coriander-pepper tofu
Chives, coriander, black pepper, tamari 

Veggie cakes
Millet, cabbage, lentil, middle eastern spices

Roasted carrots
Citrus, garlic oil, red pepper flakes

Herbed focaccia

Cranberry Sauce

Dessert
Chocolate pudding 

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan-coconut crust

Salty Oat Cookies (vegan version)

Berry Crisp
Crispy quinoa flakes, berries

And now, for the stuffed kabocha recipe, read on!

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

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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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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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Kiwi-Papaya Sherbert

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What do you do with four very ripe kiwis, some basil, and an ice-cream machine that’s anxious to be used before autumn descends? Make sorbet! Well, actually, since I couldn’t resist adding in some sweetened condensed coconut milk for a creamier texture, this is actually a sherbert. (In case you’re rusty on your ice-cream classifications, when you add a little fat to sorbet, it becomes sherbert.)

Whatever it’s called, it’s incredibly difficult to stop eating. This sherbert is bright and fruity, but it also has a wonderful, melt-in-your-mouth creamy texture, thanks to the sweetened condensed coconut milk and a little bit of gin. The savory hint of basil goes perfectly with the sweet, tartness of the kiwis, the papaya adds some body, and the lime gives it just the right amount of pop. In fact, it’s a very good thing this sherbert recipe only yields a couple servings because, if left in the freezer, I definitely don’t think it would be safe from eager spoons. (I’m exercising quite a bit of will power now, in fact, trying to finish this post before devouring the couple spoonfuls I have left. If there is some sort of record for the highest number of glances at one’s freezer in a single hour, I’ve definitely broken it today.)

So, in the interest of not making this post too long (and limiting the amount of time I have to wait until I can finish off the sherbert), let’s get to the recipe.

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Chinese-Style Broccoli with Brown Sauce and Crispy Ginger (Soy-Free & Sugar-Free!)

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One of my favorite things about cooking for people with dietary restrictions is developing personalized recipes. This sauce was born a couple years ago, when I used to cook for a client who was soy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, and dairy-free. Some people might conclude that your standard American-style Chinese food was out of the question, since it’s normally loaded with soy and sugar. But I had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

One week, the menu leant itself to an Asian-style glaze. I knew I could replace the soy component and some of the sugar with coconut aminos, which is not only a great soy-sauce substitute but also lends a nice sweetness to marinades and sauces. For the rest of the sugar, I decided to use just a little bit of mandarin orange juice. Next, I added a touch of toasted sesame oil and boiled those three simple ingredients together until…voila…I had a soy-free, sugar-free Asian-style glaze. And I couldn’t stop eating it…

This recipe uses a very similar procedure to yield the brown sauce, but instead of mandarin juice, I’ve used navel oranges. These have a lower sugar content than mandarins, so the glaze takes a bit longer to reduce and becomes more of a sauce (as opposed to a sticky glaze) once you toss it with your broccoli. (By the way, I’ve also chosen to roast the broccoli, which I find is one of the easiest ways to get perfectly cooked, crispy-but-not-oily, lovely little florets!)

Since this dish is so simple (you basically roast some broccoli – easy peasy – boil the three ingredients to make your brown sauce  – even easier – and toss the two components together), I decided you’ll definitely have the time and energy to make some awesome crispy ginger to really take this dish over the top. Believe me, it’s well worth the extra 5 minutes!

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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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