Joy the Baker's Strawberry Cream Scones (GF & V)

Joy the Baker is one of my favorite bakers in the world. You can trust that all of her recipes are going to be completely delicious. Unfortunately, she is not gluten-free or vegan, so sometimes I have to make adjustments. (I am not technically vegan, but I am allergic to eggs and partially to dairy, so some of my recipes are.)

I have already made these scones twice, and everyone I have shared them with has loved them. Even my skeptical gluten-free eaters loved these scones. They are sweet, but not too sweet, fluffy, soft, and nutty in flavor.

Another thing I love about these scones is that they are incredibly simple to make. If you are debating between these and pancakes this weekend, go with these. They are just as simple and are a good change from pancakes or muffins. They are also quite healthy, with only 1/3 cup of sugar for the entire recipe. I also used coconut cream instead of buttermilk, so you get healthy fats in there too.

Go ahead and make these already!

Strawberry Cream Scones
Adapted from: Joy the Baker

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup almond flour
1 1/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Jules)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or granulated)
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup of coconut cream** plus more for brushing the top or for whipped cream
3/4 cup of coarsely chopped strawberries
Turbinado, granulated, or brown sugar for topping

Directions:

1. Place baking rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
3. In liquid measuring cup, mix vanilla extract and coconut cream.
4. Drizzle cream into flour mixture and slowly toss ingredients together until incorporated but still slightly dry.
5. Add strawberries and continue gently tossing until cohesive, but not overly sticky. 
6. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough to 3/4 inch thick.
7. Use a small biscuit cutter or small glass lightly floured to cut 1 1/4 inch circles from the dough.
8. Brush each circle with coconut cream and sprinkle a generous amount of turbinado sugar on top.
9. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and serve warm with chilled coconut cream on top.

**Trader Joe's makes this excellent Extra Thick & Rich Coconut Cream that comes out of the can exactly like whipped cream if you do not shake it. I used this in my recipe mixed with a little almond milk to make it like buttermilk consistency and used the rest on top of each scone. Preserves go really well with these too.

Enjoy!!

Spiced Chicken with Wild Rice & Veggies Bowl (GF)

One of my best pieces of advice for those who are busy but want to eat healthy or for people who want to lose weight, is to prepare your meals ahead of time. I make my meals for the week on Monday nights. 

This is what I came up with for this week. This spiced, sweet, and crunchy little bowl contains turmeric and cumin spiced chicken, wild rice, broccolini, sweet potatoes, carrots, pea shoots, and pomegranate seeds. It is quite a great combination of foods. You can also make it vegan or vegetarian by substituting tofu or chickpeas for the chicken.

Spiced Chicken with Wild Rice & Veggies Bowl

Adapted from: Love and Lemons

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken breast or tenders, cubed (preferably free-range; omit if vegan/vegetarian & use chickpeas)

1 cup wild rice

2 sweet potatoes, cubed

1 cup carrots, shredded

2 cups broccolini, roughly chopped

1 cup pomegranate arils

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp of gomacio or sesame seeds

2-3 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

soy sauce or coconut aminos

pea shoots

Instructions:

1. Cook wild rice as instructed on the package.
2. While rice is cooking, dice chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook in large skillet over medium-high heat in 2 tbsp of olive oil.
3. After about 5 minutes, add cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.
4. Cook chicken all the way through and remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Add cubed sweet potatoes and cook until tender. (You may have to add 1 more tbsp of olive oil.)
5. Add broccolini and carrots to skillet, season with salt, pepper, & sesame seeds and cook until tender.
6. When all ingredients are cooked, add all cooked ingredients to a large bowl with a handful pomegranate and pea shoots. You might want to add soy sauce or coconut aminos to your rice. 
7. Enjoy!!

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese (GF & V)

Oh the joys of being able to have macaroni and cheese again. I cannot explain to you how much this recipe saved my life. Whoever discovered that cashews, eggplant, cauliflower, and nutritional yeast tastes like cheese is my hero.

If you are wondering whether "normal" people like this: Yes, my boyfriend liked this recipe and he has no known allergies. 

Its funny how people forget that people with food allergies have normal taste buds just like everyone else. It's actually not funny at all. It gets really old. I've only had allergies for 3 years, so I tasted "normal" things for the first 22 years of my life. 

Let's step away from this little rant before I write 5 paragraphs on it.... This macaroni and cheese actually has vegetables in it, meaning you can eat more of it! Its very thick and creamy. Everything you would want in a mac & cheese. You might want to add more liquid to make the cheese a bit more runny. It might seem like a lot of steps, but its actually quicker than you think.

Vegan Broccoli & Kale "Cheese" Soup

This soup may not sound delicious, but it is. I've already made it twice this year. I think this might be the only dish that I've made twice too, so it's a big deal.

Forget detox diets, this soup is a detox. You get an incredible amount of vegetables in a tiny little bowl. You aren't eating real cheese, so you have nothing to "feel bad" about. My boyfriend made some Broccoli Beer Cheese soup for us the week before, and this actually tasted just like it. I added a bit of gluten free beer to one of my batches because I had it at the house. So feel free to add that as well.

Vegan Broccoli & Kale Soup
Adapted from: Blissful Basil

Ingredients:
4 small heads broccoli, de-stemmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces (you should have approximately 8 cups of florets)
1 large leek, thoroughly cleaned, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 head of lacinato kale, de-stemmed and chopped
2½ tablespoons olive oil
4 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk, divided
¾ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1½ – 2 teaspoons large grain sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
Optional: dash of cayenne pepper & paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Spread the broccoli florets and leeks over the large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
4. Roast the broccoli and leeks in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until just starting to turn golden and brown.
5. While the broccoli starts to roast, spread the lacinato kale over small baking sheet. Drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil and massage oil into kale.
6. Roast the kale in the oven along with the broccoli for 5-7 minutes or until just barely turning golden.
7. While the veggies are roasting, add 3 cups almond milk, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic, paprika, turmeric, salt, and black pepper to a high-powered blender (I used an immersion blender). Blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
8. Heat a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium-low heat. Add the almond milk soup base to the pot.
9. While the soup base starts to cook, add the broccoli, leeks, kale, and 1 cup almond milk to a very high-powered blender or food processor (again, I used an immersion blender) and process until as smooth as possible. This will take 10 minutes or so — patience is a soup-making virtue!
10. Pour the blended broccoli mixture into the pot and whisk into the almond milk mixture.
11. Add in a pinch of cayenne if desired, and simmer for 15 minutes.
12. You may need to use an immersion blender to get the soup as smooth as desired.
13. Serve and enjoy. (It's great with corn bread!)

Simon Majumdar's Life Saving Dahl

It is very easy to say that this is my favorite soup I've ever made when I am sick.

Eating this soup when you are sick, makes you forget the sickness instantly. All of a sudden, you can move your once achy muscles again, you can breathe through your nose, you can smell, you can taste, your sore throat disappeared. It really is incredible.

Unfortunately, they come back about an hour after you are finished, but some relief is better than none.

I found out about this soup and Simon Majumdar after listening to The Alton Browncast, AKA my new current listening obsession. Simon sounds lovely. I also ordered his book "Eat My Globe." It's a lovely read so far. I want to propose that he and I write "Eat My Gluten Free Globe" next. No one take my idea, or I will send you to court. This is in writing. :P

Anywho... on to this Life-Saving Soup....

Life Saving Dahl
Adapted from: Simon Madjumdar

Ingredients:
1 cup of red lentils (Toasted first in a dry pan. I use my fingers to stir and when it is too hot to touch, it is done)
1 unwaxed lemon chopped in quarters
1 onion sliced

1 cup frozen peas
2 cardamom pods (I used ground cardamom, around 1 tbsp)
2 cloves (I used ground cloves, around 1 tsp)
1 cinnamon stick (I used ground cinnamon, around 1 tbsp)
3 cloves garlic
3 fresh green chillies
2 inches of fresh ginger
1 tsp each of ground turmeric/ginger/cumin/coriander seed/hot chilli powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1½ Pints of water or stock (I used chicken stock)
1 Bag of spinach (washed)

1 lb chicken breast (Free Range), cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Instructions:

1. Saute chicken cubes in olive oil until cooked all the way through. Put on plate and set aside.
2. Make a paste by blending the ginger/garlic/fresh chilli with a little salt and water.
3. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a hot pan and when it comes to heat, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick. Cook for 1 minute on a low heat until they release their flavor.
4. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften and turn golden.
5. Add the ginger/chilli/garlic paste and cook for two to four minutes until it loses its rawness.Add the ground spices, sugar and salt and mix well with the onions and cook out for 4 mins until the spices lose their rawness. If the mixture begins to stick add a little water.
6. Add the lentils and mix well so all the pulses are covered with the mixture.
7. Add 1½ pints of water/stock and the quartered lemons and simmer for 30 mins until the lentils have broken down. Add more water if it sticks. Some lentils may take a little longer.
8. 15 minutes after adding the stock or water, add the frozen peas and chicken. Cook for at least 15 more minutes.
9. Add the spinach, cover and allow to wilt.

Enjoy and feel better!!

Roasted Cauliflower and Parsnip Soup

This soup is incredible! It's pretty easy too. I got an Immersion Blender for Christmas, and have been blending up a storm. That thing is incredible. I prefer this to a blender any day, even for smoothies.

It's nice when you are making sauces and soups because you don't have to pour hot liquid into the blender and perhaps burn your hand... or burn your whole kitchen when the top comes off when you are blending. (I've seen my mom do it... it's a crazy, hot mess.) I highly recommend buying that. It really does step up your cooking game.

Okay, so on to the soup. It's creamy. It's savory. It's light and delicate. 

We made it for our meal and soon realized that it needed something to go with it. We ended up making bacon and spinach paninis, which I highly recommend as a side. Troy added cheese to his the second day and crumbled bacon in it. This also tastes delicious and very much like potato soup. Serve it up however you would like! It's so darn tasty.

Roasted Cauliflower and Parsnip Soup
Adapted from: Spoon Fork Bacon (One of my favorite food bloggers!)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons minced thyme
1 tbsp minced sage, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup sour cream** (I made mine dairy free/vegan... See Below)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Spread cauliflower, parsnips, shallots, garlic, sage, and thyme onto a baking sheet, in a single layer, and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and toss everything together until the vegetables are well coated with oil.
3. Roast vegetables for 25-30 minutes, tossing vegetables around 15 minutes into the roasting process.
4. Meanwhile pour stock into a medium pot and bring to a simmer. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
5. Once vegetables have roasted through and stock is hot, use immersion blender to puree.
6. Puree mixture for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is smooth. Add more stock and continue to puree if necessary.
7. Transfer the mixture into the pot that the stock was in and bring to a light simmer. Stir in sour cream and adjust seasonings.
8. Top each bowl with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh sage leaf and serve.

**For the dairy free/vegan sour cream:
Take 1 container of Plain Coconut Milk Greek Yogurt (6 oz) and combine it with 3/4 tsp of lemon juice. Stir together and let chill in refrigerator, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
Many thanks to Cassidy's Craveable Creations for coming up with this alternative!!

Enjoy!!

Maple Roasted Winter Vegetables

Roasting vegetables is a brilliant thing. Roasting brings out complex flavors that are not found in other cooking methods. The best example is probably roasted cauliflower. That usually bland vegetable is transformed into a savory treat by just using the oven.

In this recipe, I've used a few fall favorites-- Sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and cranberries. You can really add whatever you would like, but I highly recommend the sweet potato/cranberry combination. They are the perfect compliment of sour and sweet. Cauliflower would be excellent with this.

Maple Roasted Winter Vegetables
Adapted from: Plainville Farms

1 lb sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
2 cups brussel sprouts
3/4 cup whole cranberries
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
Salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Combine olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Toss sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and cranberries in mixture.
4. Scatter onto sheet pan and bake for 35-40 minutes stirring half-way through.

Quick, easy, healthy, and delicious!

Enjoy!