Posts filed under ‘vegan’
kelp noodle salad with baked tofu.
Kelp noodles, huh?
Before you dawg us and declare us hopeless California hippies, imagine this: a noodle that is cool & refreshing, crispy like a mouthful of sprouts and neutral in flavor. It could very easily be an alternative noodle in your run-of-the-mill Vietnamese Bún, or it could just be a member of the supporting cast in soups and stir frys.
So in preparation for the weather warming up, and in favor of not having to cook these noodles over a hot stove (score!), we introduce our Kelp noodle salad with baked tofu recipe.
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Kelp noodle salad with baked tofu
Serves 4
FOR NOODLES
1 12-oz package Sea Tangle Noodle Company Kelp Noodles
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon wheat-free tamari
chili garlic sauce (optional)
FOR TOFU
1 16-oz block extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup wheat-free tamari
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 – 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (optional)
TO SERVE
a few handfuls of mixed baby greens or shredded leaf lettuce
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix ingredients, tamari through chili garlic sauce, in 7×11-inch oven-proof glass casserole pan. Set aside and slice block of tofu horizontally into 8 pieces. Place into tamari mixture, turn to coat each slice, then bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn tofu over and crank heat up to 450°. The remaining liquid should evaporate and tofu should become very dark in color in the next 15 minutes of baking. Remove tofu from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare kelp noodles. Rinse noodles per package directions, place in a large bowl, then add remaining ingredients, cilantro through chili garlic sauce. Mix well (fingers are best!) and let rest in fridge until tofu is cooled to room temperature or overnight. Feel free to add more mix-ins that appeal to you. Cucumber cut in julienne and/or shredded carrots would be delicious and would also add some nice color to the mix.
To serve, place a handful of marinated noodles and a handful of mixed greens in a bowl. Top with 2 slices baked tofu.
gluten-free baked tofu with sweet potato curry
That right there? That’s lunch! This was a surprise hit born out of starving necessity last night…a quick throw-together Sunday evening meal that did NOT lack in flavor and produced just enough leftovers to make it to the office for lunch. It’s 4 o’clock. Is that too soon to be hungry for more tofu & curry?
. . .
Gluten-free baked tofu with sweet potato & shiitake mushroom curry
Serves 2 with a bonus serving for lunch the next day!
FOR TOFU
1 1-lb block extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate (or 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed OJ)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon hot chili garlic sauce (optional)
FOR CURRY
1 large leek, white & light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise & sliced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
2 teaspoons gluten-free fish sauce (vegans substitute Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
1/2 teaspoon red curry paste (or more to taste)
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
15 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed & sliced
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
juice from 1/2 lime
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove tofu from packaging and remove excess liquid by wrapping in a kitchen towel, and weighing down with a cutting board and a few cans of tomatoes. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients for tofu in an 8-inch glass baking dish spritzed lightly with non-stick cooking spray, tamari through hot chili garlic sauce. Unwrap tofu from kitchen towel and cut crosswise into 8 slices. Place in tamari mixture, turn to coat, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
While tofu bakes, start making curry: In a small bowl, combine coconut milk, fish sauce and red curry paste, stirring to combine. Set aside. Place the sliced leek in a fine sieve and rinse under tepid water to remove all grit. Set aside. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat. Add leek, shallot and ginger, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato; stir to incorporate. Add coconut milk mixture and shiitake mushrooms. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Uncover curry and stir in frozen peas and lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
To serve, place a heaping spoonful of curry in a bowl and top with two slices of baked tofu.
cocoa pebbles & fruity pebbles go gluten-free.
The Gluten Free Lab’s penchant for sweets is pretty apparent. If one were to browse through all of the posts we’ve put up over the last couple of years, one might make a pretty solid bet that a majority of the posts are recipes for or product reviews of something sweet. Plus we have a sweets cookbook full of our own delicious gluten-free dessert recipes available for purchase on this website, sooo…yah. We’re sweet on sweets.
But our opinion on “sugar cereal,” as mom used to call it, holds some real weight. Sugar cereal was a treat reserved for special occasions only. Sometimes sleepovers, but always on birthdays. When my birthday rolled around, I would lovingly and lingeringly peruse the cereal aisle, weighing the options of my favorite sugar cereals against the promise of a free prize that may or may not enhance my overall sugar-cereal-eating experience. Since mom was doing the household grocery shopping whilst I made my decision (which generally was a lengthy process), I had a lot of time to weigh my options carefully. I’d finally meet her at the checkstand, my decision firm and my sweet tooth aching. So get ready to hear our inner kids’ cry of “boooo-yea” because two of Post’s classic Pebbles cereals – Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles (introduced to the Post cereal family in 1971, incidentally) – are now gluten-free! As in: this is the only version of this cereal now available. As in: there are no taste compromises Post could see in making this cereal out of entirely gluten-free ingredients in a certified gluten-free facility. As in: we wish it were our birthday yesterday so we could go pick up a box of this cereal and grin ear to ear while eating bowl after bowl (mom: take note!).
We’d say this release of Pebbles (and Pebbles Treats!) significantly ups Team Gluten Free’s score. We still may not be winning, but now we’ve got Fred Flinstone in our corner.
tia’s bakery: gluten-free & vegan sweets.
We loooove getting packages here at The Gluten Free Lab! And last week we got two: One from Mama Baretta (more about that soon, stay tuned), and another from TIA’s Bakery, pictured above, which is a gluten-free, soy-free, wheat-free facility out of California making yummy baked goods like peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, almond tea cookies, macaroons, grandma’s chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, german chocolate cake, tropical banana cake, chocolate bean brownie and nana’s orange cake. For starters, this all sounds really good…and what’s more: all of the ingredients are high-quality, all natural, and preservative free, making for rich, flavorful goodies.
We didn’t receive the entire catalog of TIA’s Bakery products (which means we’ll be looking for the rest in our neighborhood grocery stores, ‘cus we want to try EVERYthing. You know. To remain in-the-know.), but here is our recap of the goodies we tried:
Black Bean Brownie
This brownie comes packaged in an individual serving, and the texture is not the typical dense slab of brownie, but rather a lighter — almost mousse-like — experience. Bits of nuts provide an additional layer of texture and flavor, while the coconut flour adds some interesting complexity. Trust us when we say there is absolutely no hint of bean in this black bean brownie!
Grandma’s Chocolate Cake
Inexplicably, this is a vanilla cake frosted with chocolate pudding, and the moment we tasted it we were in heaven. Moist with hints of coconut, and topped off with a perfectly balanced chocolate icing, the sweets-fiend in us wishes we could find this in a full size cake as opposed to the generous single-size serving.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (vegan)
These vegan cookies come in a small box of 5. They have a sort of “raw” vibe in that they’re not a cakey cookie, but rather a dense and moist cookie. Very chewy with lots of oats, and a generous smattering of pecans & raisins.
Peanut Butter Cookies (vegan)
These vegan cookies, like the oatmeal raisin cookies, come in a small box of 5. They are chewy and moist with a mild peanut butter flavor.
. . .
TIA’s Bakery products are available nationally, generally in the freezer section (which is a boon to consumers, because it means we won’t be buying stale products off the shelves!). To find out where to purchase, click here.
get your bliss on.
The Lab just stopped in at Bliss Bakery in Santa Rosa. YUM! Go there now for:
Savory Mediterranean bread pudding
Flax bread
Tomato tart
Sweet potato curry soup
Apple pear cinnamon bars
Chocolate bread pudding
Blueberry muffins
Chocolate chip cookies
Toffee cupcakes with frosting hearts on top
Or go there Saturday or Monday for special Valentine’s treats!
463 Sebastopol Avenue, Santa Rosa
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10-4
up and coming resource: XGFX.
Always vegan. And also gluten-free. Keep an eye on this up and coming resource that will feature a blog, a community recipe hub (cool!), vegan and gluten-free tips & more!
taking a page out of our book.
Once upon a time we ate a cookie called a cow pie and deemed it good. Many years later, we converted this cow pie into an easy, no-bake gluten-free treat and included it in our cookbook, Dig In: Sweets. This recipe has been floating around the web (see here and here, thanks girls!), so we thought we’d share with you a page out of our book. Literally.
Vegans, we love these cookies just as much with non-dairy butter and coconut milk in place of the regular butter & milk…give ‘em a try!
lightening up: tuber soup.
Hooooooo-boy. There is nothing quite like the over-indulgence of the holidays to make a person feel like enough is enough. Time to say “NO!” to those cookies in the cupboard! Lighten the load! Eat healthfully and deliciously! At least that’s what we were saying to one another last night when dinner time came round. With very few ingredients kicking around the cupboards, we whipped two varieties of tubers – garnet yams & russet potatoes – into shape and supped on this light, filling and delicious soup. (hint: try a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for an extra warm & fuzzy meal!)
Two tuber soup
2 tablespoons olive oil (we used Merchants & Millers Olio Nuovo)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 slices turkey bacon, diced (omit for vegan option)
2 medium garnet yams, peeled and cut into small dice
4 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
8 cups water
1 tablespoon Chicken Better Than Bouillon (vegans use No Chicken Better Than Bouillon)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon Zatarain’s Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice blend
2 5-inch sprigs fresh thyme
Heat oil in a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and bacon; cook until onions are translucent and bacon is browned, 5-8 minutes. Add diced garnet yams and russet potatoes. Stir to coat, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add water, bouillon, white wine, concentrated shrimp & crab boil, and Cajun spice. Turn heat to high, cover pot and allow to come to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the diced potatoes. Add the sprigs of thyme (the hot broth will cause the tiny leaves to fall off on their own) adjust seasoning to taste, and keep soup at low heat for another 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to come together.
Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche. Grilled cheese sandwiches & hard cider make a perfect accompaniment!
gluten free snacks by snyders of hanover. yum.
In the food biz, patience is a virtue. Remember long ago – last March, to be exact – when The Lab trekked down to Los Angles to the Natural Foods Expo for the specific purpose of scouting out new gluten-free products? There were so many delicious finds that we were eager to share with the world, but alas, there were so many that would not reach grocers’ shelves for months, or in some cases, a full year! Snyder’s of Hanover’s new gluten-free pretzel sticks and muligrain tortilla chips are two of those products. We fawned over the brittle snap of the pretzel and the whole-grain vibe of the tortilla chips. With a release that’s just in time for holiday entertaining, we look forward to many an hors d’oeuvres tables complete with veggie crudité, dip, and crunchity, crackery pretzles and multigrain tortilla chips.
If you can’t find these at your local grocery store, be sure to request them from the natural foods buyer! And in the meantime, purchase the pretzels and the tortilla chips online.
party food: paella with sugar snap peas
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks [vegans omit]
4 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices fully cooked smoked Spanish chorizo [vegans omit]
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
2 cups low-salt chicken broth [vegans use veggie broth or the juice from the jar of roasted red peppers]
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers from jar
1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
2 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 8 ounces) [vegans use 14 ounces snap peas]
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix white wine and saffron threads in small measuring cup; set aside. Combine salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper in small bowl; rub spice mixture all over chicken thighs [vegans, add spice mixture to onions in step 2]. Heat heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and sauté until fat begins to render and sausage browns, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer chorizo to large plate. Add olive oil to skillet. Add chopped chicken to skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate with chorizo.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add long-grain rice and stir to coat. Add wine-saffron mixture and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add chicken broth [vegans use veggie broth or juice from jarred red peppers], tomatoes with juice, roasted red peppers and olives. Bring to simmer. Stir in browned chorizo and chicken [vegans omit]. Cover skillet tightly with foil, then cover skillet with lid. Bake paella until rice is almost tender, about 25 minutes.
- Stir rice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter snap peas over. Return chicken to skillet, nestling into rice. Cover with foil and lid. Bake until snap peas are crisp-tender, rice is tender, and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.
** Spanish chorizo, a pork-link sausage flavored with garlic and spices, is milder than Mexican chorizo. It’s available at specialty foods stores and Spanish markets, or spicy Andouille sausage is a good substitution.
