The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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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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Lime-Roasted Hakurei Turnips with Chimichurri and Smoked Salt

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I guess I haven’t been to the Greenmarket in a while because it’s suddenly changed – the spring produce is out in force! And these hakurei turnips were calling my name.

Have you heard of them? They look like radishes, and in fact – I almost passed them by altogether for this reason (I do love radishes, but they always manage to go bad before I can use them all up!) Then I realized they were about the cutest little turnips I’d ever seen. So I snatched them up.

Whenever I buy full-sized turnips, I always end up roasting them, so that’s what I decided to do. I’ve also recently become obsessed with this Alder smoked salt grinder (Frontier brand) which is the exact same type of smoky as Laphroaig whiskey – in other words, the type I like. (See more about my love-hate relationship with smoky flavors here.)  My original thought was to toss in some fresh-squeezed citrus – preferably orange – but I was out and too lazy to go to the store. Luckily, it’s a pretty quick cognitive leap from whiskey to tequila, which led me to the answer – lime and salt!

Well, I’m happy to say this was a complete home-run. The turnips are so tender you don’t even have to peel them; just wash them and cut them in half, toss them with some olive oil, lime juice, and smoked salt, and roast them for 20 minutes at 425°. The result will amaze you! They were so flavorful I was almost sorry I had made the chimichurri sauce – until I tasted them together, of course :p

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Spring Carrot “Pasta” with Herbs and Hazelnuts

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Oh Spring Carrot “Pasta” with Herbs and Hazelnuts, how do I love thee. Let me count the ways:

  1. You’re ready in minutes and completely grain-free; all that beta carotene really balances my Qi.
  2. You’re beautiful and bright, with a pleasant little bite
  3. You’re elegant and delicate, mounded high on a plate; you’d cost $19 in a restaurant, but to make you’re less than $8.

Okay…Elizabeth Barrett Browning is probably turning over in her grave right now. That’s got to be some of the worst meter ever put to page! Thankfully, it doesn’t come close to describing all the merits of this recipe, which – in sharp contrast to my poetry – is actually really good. (Not that you probably trust my judgment right now…) But seriously, this is one of those shockingly simple recipes that tastes and looks far more complex than it really is. There is some (dare I say poetic?) quality that makes this entirely vegan pasta dish taste like it has oodles of butter in it – a richness, a depth, that will keep you twirling those pretty orange ribbons around your fork bite after bite. Spoiler alert: it’s definitely the hazelnuts.

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Chestnut Hummus

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Large quantities of chickpeas and garlic (two of my absolute favorite things!) are unfortunately prohibited on the Low FODMAP diet. For me, this meant going through some pretty severe hummus withdrawal.

Incredibly, I created a pretty darn good hummus substitute completely by accident, one lazy evening when I wanted pizza but had absolutely nothing in the way of typical sauce fixings. There were no tomatoes, no pesto-making herbs, and no olives for a tapenade. To make matters worse, the crust I had thrown together definitely did not lend itself to a white-pizza set-up, especially since I didn’t have any cheese. As I often do in these situations, I pulled out a blender and started throwing some random stuff inside, in the hopes I could come up with something spreadable and yummy. Lentils went in, then chestnuts, then some herbes de provence, olive oil, and spices. When I tasted the concoction, I was elated. It was a complete failure in terms of being a pizza sauce,  but it tasted remarkably similar to hummus!

After dancing around the kitchen for a good half hour rejoicing over having hummus back in my life again, I had one of the worst pizzas of my life for dinner (the absence of both cheese and sauce proved devastating) and promptly abandoned it in favor of some chips and chestnut “hummus.” Back to dancing – I could eat this stuff all day!

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Parsnip Mash

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Passover is coming up and I know one dish that will be on my table this year: parsnip mash. Have you ever made it? If not, you are definitely missing out!

Parsnip mash is quite similar to mashed potatoes, but much less fussy. The parsnip has a lovely sweetness that adds to the comfort-food factor and lends itself beautifully to fresh herbs like the rosemary and chives in this recipe. Parsnips also have a unique consistency that (if you follow the directions below) yields the loveliest of mashes:  as you dig into billows of light, fluffy,  pillowy goodness, you’ll be left wondering why potatoes still have a monopoly here.

In fact, they really shouldn’t. Here are three reasons why parsnips are actually a better fit for the infamous mash:

1. You can use your food processor. 

If you tried to make mashed potatoes in a food processor, you’d end up with a gluey, starchy, heavy mess. Not so with parsnips! Processing, in contrast, yields a mash that is  light, airy, and fluffy. No gluiness or starchiness at all.

2. Parsnip mash reheats beautifully.

Ever tried to reheat mashed potatoes the next day and failed miserably? They are a finicky food to reheat and tend to become grainy or otherwise unappealing after refrigeration. This parsnip mash, in contrast, can easily be reheated on the stovetop. You don’t even have to add liquid; just stir until hot!

3. You don’t need to add copious amounts of fat and liquid to get it right.

Mashed potatoes are not mashed potatoes without the addition of lots of butter or oil and a liquid like cream, non-dairy milk, or vegetable broth. You also have to add the fat before the liquid if you don’t want to end up with a grainy texture. All you need with this parsnip mash – though it might taste like it has a ton of butter in it – is a bit of olive oil and a little bit of the water the parsnips were cooked in. Nothing else!

Did I convince you? If so, let’s get to the recipe!

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Mexican Chocolate Chia Pudding

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Yes, this is the second recipe I’ve posted recently involving Mexican-spiced chocolate. But can you blame me? I was so enamored with my Mexican chocolate hamantaschen filling that I just had to keep the love fest going with a delicious chia pudding. Especially since — despite making and eating chia pudding on a regular basis — this is the first chia pudding recipe I’ve posted in two years of blogging!

How can this be?!  Chia pudding is one of the world’s most perfect breakfasts. It is remarkably filling, nutrient-packed, and exceedingly versatile. All you need are some chia seeds, some liquid, and some “seasonings.” I’ve made chia puddings “seasoned” with matcha, raspberry-black sesame, maple, you name it. I even recently made a savory chia pudding with turmeric and ginger. But today, I wanted to share this Mexican chocolate chia pudding with you, because it’s just what you need to start your day off right: with flava.

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Hipster Hamantaschen Fillings

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Purim is around the corner which means it’s hamantaschen time! Last Purim, I created a 15-minute hamantaschen recipe that happens to be raw, vegan, grain-free, and sugar-free (sweetened with dates), so be sure to check out that recipe if you haven’t yet.  It’s super easy and really delicious!

This year, I decided to focus on fillings, because I feel like there is just so much wasted potential there. I mean, donut fillings have gone way beyond your standard cream or chocolate at this point (dulce de leche, passion fruit….there are a ton of donut shops in NYC that really understand the opportunity that comes with the word “filling”). But hamantaschen? Every year,  I walk past bakeries and see hamantaschen filled with your typical jam and poppy seed. It’s  nothing to complain about of course — those fillings are traditional and delicious — but can we get some creative ones too? Let’s enter the world of “artisan” hamantaschen fillings already!

I’ve attempted to do that here, with three fillings that would probably be on the docket if your favorite hipster joint started selling hamantaschen. (Disclaimer: I don’t consider myself a hipster, so I could be wrong about this.) They are Mexican-Chocolate Chestnut, Salted-Maple Peanut,  and Poppy-Seed Cream Cheese (the least hipster and most Jewish of the lot). They are all low FODMAP as long as you don’t overdo it; the Mexican Chocolate-Chestnut is vegan, and the Poppy-Seed Cream Cheese is nut-free. Last year’s 3-ingredient chocolate filling (vegan and raw) is also worth revisiting if FODMAPs aren’t a concern.

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Simple Citrus-Roasted Fennel

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We’ve been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster weather-wise lately, at least in New York City. Beautiful, warm days followed by raw, biting cold. If your moods are severely impacted by weather (as mine are), it can be hard to stay uplifted when the temperature plunges and the wind picks up.

But there is a mood lifter – food. Rejoice in the fact that you can leave your oven on for 45 minutes, which in the warmer months feels at best irresponsible (if you have AC) and at worst like death (if you don’t). Embrace hearty, umami-laden foods like fennel and let your senses feast on bright, vibrant citrus (winter’s best candy). You’ll be feeling better in no time.

This dish is extremely simple but tastes quite complex. Sliced fennel is drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper; then covered with orange slices. The fennel becomes tender and meaty when left in the oven and is made even more delicious with the addition of a citrus-glaze which takes almost no time at all to prepare and which really takes this dish to the next level. (Once you make this glaze, I guarantee you’ll want to use it on other veggies too!) When everything comes out of the oven, you’ll be ready to emerge from your pile of blankets, no matter how cold it is outside.

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Coconut-Peanut Collards with Fried Plantains

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Collard greens are one of my absolute favorite vegetables. They do take a bit of work to prepare properly (blanching is a must, IMO) but when you do so, they have a wonderful, sweet flavor that lends itself to all sorts of spice mixes and dishes.

If you’ve ever had Ethiopian food, you’ve probably had collards sautéed with copious amounts of garlic and ginger (delicious). They are also great with cumin, cayenne, paprika — all the strong, bold spices. After they’ve been spiced like there’s no tomorrow, I like to throw in a sweet vegetable or two like carrot or sweet potato. But most importantly, they are amazing with creamy, zesty, coconut-peanut sauces like this one.

This dish is uber satisfying: warming, nourishing, and flavor-packed. The creamy, nuttiness of the collards combined with the sweet, crisp, and wonderfully starchy fried plantains is divine. It can easily be an entree or a side – if you want to make it a heartier entree, throw in some chickpeas and/or serve it with your favorite grain (though I think the plantains provide the perfect grain-free starch element). Finally, it fits the bill for all kinds of diets: gluten-free, vegan, grain-free, and Low FODMAP. If you wanted to make it Paleo, I’m pretty sure you could just use almond butter in place of peanut and you’d be all set. Yay for deliciousness that almost everyone can eat!

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