Summer Watermelon and Tomato Salad

This has become a new favorite of mine. I ran across it at a favorite local restaurant, but just recreated it as I sat there and savored the flavors. I never asked them for the recipe, so as far as I'm concerned this is an original. :o)

1 ripe small-medium seedless watermelon diced in about 1 inch cubes (organic tastes better)
2-3 large heirloom tomatoes also diced into about 1 inch chunks/cubes (again, organic tastes better)
bunch of fresh basil or mint, you choose, and finely chopped (I prefer basil)
salt and pepper to taste, approx 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, but do it to your liking
2-3 Tblsp Olive Oil
Optional:
8 oz. Feta (We have a lot of followers who are not entirely vegan, but mainly plant-based so I include these tidbits for them)

Put it all together in a big bowl, chill for about an hour before serving and invite me over to eat it with you! It makes a lot. Will likely be 6-8 servings.

Mediterranean Salad mmmmmm..... a Favorite!

Here's my recipe for a favorite dish around our house.... Mediterranean Salad. Yum! (In the picture I posted there was hard-boiled egg in the dish since I made it for a friend and it was not vegan.... so if you're wondering what the "white" is, that's it.)

1/2 head torn romaine lettuce leaves
3/4 C cherry tomatoes halved
2 sprigs green onion chopped
1/2 C Kalamata Olives
1 Avocado diced
pepperoncinis to your liking; I like A LOT, so I put in A LOT
3/4 C diced roasted golden beets (see recipe below)

Dressing:
1/3 C Olive Oil
Juice from one lemon
1-2 cloves pressed garlic, using press
Whisk all ingredients together until thickened. It's ready! Pour all over salad and toss. Call me and I'll come help you eat it up. Nom, nom!!

Roasted Golden Beets:
Buy 2-3 tennis ball sized beets from store.  Wash them. Cut off top and bottom. On a sheet of foil, line up 3 or so beets. Drizzle with about 1 Tblsp grapeseed or olive oil. Sprinkle with sea or kosher salt. Fold sides of foil into packet. Place in shallow baking dish. Roast in 375 degree oven for about 45 min, or until fork inserted into center of each proves them tender. Turn off oven and let cool inside. Peel and slice when cool.  (Let me just add, that I'm not a huge fan of regular purple beets. My sister, Denise Daniel, introduced these beets to me and I was very, very pleasantly surprised. They are sweet, mild and full of delicious flavor.  This recipe is her's.)

GF Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

I was reading through these posts and the last several seem so unhealthy.  I want the world to know that my sister Denise and I, who post most of the recipes on this blog, eat a very plant-based diet. The recipes we post on here, especially as of late, are more on the "treat" part of the spectrum. We don't eat this kind of stuff on a daily basis.

On that note here's my favorite recipe for GF Vegan blueberry pancakes.  We probably make these one Sunday morning each month:

1 Cup Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon vegan sugar

2 Teaspoons baking powder

1/4 Teaspoon Bob's Red Mill Xanthum Gum

1/4 Teaspoon salt

2 Teaspoons cinnamon

Ener-G Egg Replacer. Make enough for the substitution of one egg

1 Cup Almond, Rice, or Coconut milk (coconut is my favorite)

2 Tablespoons Grape Seed Oil

8 oz. fresh bluberries, rinsed and set aside

2-4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

1.In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthum gum, salt, and cinnamon. (Something I've learned about cinnamon is that is helps take the "gluteny" taste out of out gluten-free baking). Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.

2.Make the Ener-G Egg Replacer for the equivalent of one egg and set aside. In another medium mixing bowl combine the milk and cooking oil. Add Ener-G mixture to the milk and oil, mix together and then add all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in blueberries.

3.For standard-size pancakes, pour about 1/2 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased (coconut oil) griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or till pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm. Makes 4 to 5 standard-size (6-inch) or 8-9 smaller (4-inch) pancakes (2-4 servings).

Thin Mints

January brings little adorable Girl Scouts selling their delicious cookies.  But alas, the gluten filled treats are like poison for two of my kids and my hubby.  So, I started looking into options for a gluten free, vegan take on the most famous GS Cookie: the Thin Mint.  I noticed that the uberclever Erin McKenna over at Babycakes printed a recipe for Thin Mints in her second cookbook (which I now own.) So I gave it a try.  But her recipe called for arrowroot, which I almost never have on hand.  Hers also suggested dunking only the top of the cookie, but I felt that these thin mints needs full immersion dunking in the minty chocolate.  So, I altered that too.  Here's the recipe I tweaked to make gluten free, vegan thin mints.  Quite honestly, they're fantastic!

1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1.5 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup melted, refined coconut oil, or canola oil (I used the coconut oil)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tblsp. vanilla extract

3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
3 Tblsp. mint extract

Preheat oven to 325.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.

Drop the dough by teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets about 1.5 inches apart.  Gently flatten each mound of dough smoothing the edges with your fingers.  Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the sheets and bake for 7 minutes more.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes after removing from the oven. 

Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and mint extract in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Stir just until melted.  Do not overcook.  Remove from heat. Dunk each cookie into the melted mint chocolate and place in a single layer on a fresh parchment lined cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until the chocolate sets.

Tasty Holiday Treats!

Here are a couple products we are so excited to find each holiday season!  I prefer the "Nog" while the doc prefers the "Pumpkin Spice."  Vegan and GF. Enjoy!

GF Maple Granola

This recipe is from one I adapted from the Bob's Red Mill website. (The original recipe is authored by BRM customer Erin Beck.) I love granola, but I find many of the GF brands available for purchase in the store to be either high in sugar and/or fat as well as costly. Furthermore, some are not vegan.

So, here's what I made today:

2-1/2 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
2 Tb brown flaxseed meal
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tb canola oil
2 Tb pure maple syrup
2 Tb agave (or honey, if you are using honey)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped dates

 Directions Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium sized bowl mix together oats, coconut, almonds and sea salt. In a separate bowl mix honey, syrup and oil until well combined. Combine the honey mixture with the oat mixture and stir until evenly coated. Pour the mixture onto a lined or greased baking sheet with sides and spread to cover pan evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, stir, bake another 5 minutes (depending on preferred doneness.) In a small bowl mix the raisins, dates and flaxseed meal. Stir the raisin mixture into cooked granola. Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate or freeze to extend freshness.

Makes 15 Servings.

Rice Krispie Pumpkins

I found this recipe and just adjusted it for gluten-free! It's very easy, quick, and fast clean-up.  Kids love it, and it's a fun treat to make for a friend.

Here's what you need:
6 Cups Gluten-free Rice Krispies
1 10 oz. pkg marshmallows (sometimes you can find vegan marshmallows at Whole Foods or Sprouts. You can also make your own by googling vegan marshmallow recipes or also visit sweetandsara.com to purchase them)
3 Tblsp. Coconut Spread (like Earth Balance) and some extra for applying on hands
8-10 Tootsie Rolls (these are not vegan, but your creative mind could come up with something else like Glutino Pretzels or something)
1 tube green cake icing/gel, or make your own.
Orange food coloring (it's usually 4 drops of yellow and 2 drops of red)

Make the rice krispies according to the box directions.  Typically it goes like this:
Melt the coconut spread in a large, deep pan on the stove over low heat.  Add the marshmallows and keep heat on low while the marshmallows melt.  Stir periodically so they melt down evenly and do not scorch. Once they are melted stir in the food coloring according to package directions to make the color orange.  Once the color is consistent add in the rice krispies and blend well.  Using some extra coconut spread apply to your hands and roll tennis ball size balls.  Use your finger and make an indentation for the tootsie roll and stick it in.  Let completely cool before applying the green icing/gel.  I just put mine in the fridge for 20 minutes and they were plenty cool for gel application.  Put on some cool Halloweenie plates and enjoy!