Roasted Vegetable Frittata

Pretty much the best frittata not made with cheese or bacon (aka flavor cheating).  AND so pretty.

1 bunch asparagus
1 delicate squash
handful sundried tomatoes (if I had real tomatoes, would’ve roasted those too)
1 medium onion
1 head garlic (only need ~6 cloves, but why the heck not roast the whole thing??)
6 eggs
few splashes of almond milk
smoked paprika
dried tarragon

Snap off bottoms of asparagus, lay on baking sheet with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Slice delicata into thinnish rounds, remove seeds in center with a spoon, and place on another baking sheet with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Wrap garlic head in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil. Put everything in a 450F oven, turning/checking ~7-10 minutes in – the asparagus will be done first, the garlic last. Meanwhile, slice onion and saute in an oven-safe pan under medium-ish heat for ~20 min until soft and brown and gooey. Splash in a little red wine or balsamic and simmer, and add water if too dry. Chop sundried tomatoes and throw in with the onions once they’re done.  When the veggies are roasted, turn down the oven to 350, chop the asparagus and 5-6 cloves of roasted garlic and add to the pan, mixing everything. Scramble the eggs in a bowl with almond milk, salt and pepper, dried tarragon, and smoked paprika. Lay the delicata slices gently on top of the other veggies, then pour the egg mixture over everything. Let it cook for maybe 5-7 min, tilting pan to distribute eggs, then throw in the oven for 10-12 min until everything’s set.

Tahini Stir-fry

Holy cow.  So I always thought of tahini as hummus makings, maaaaybe good for a salad dressing or two.  But after throwing away yet another half-full, spoiled can of months-old tahini, I was determined to find delicious ways to use up the remainder of a new can after making a fresh batch of hummus.

This turned out to be the best thing ever!!!  I am officially obsessed.  I’ve thrown it on salads, on brown rice, in smoothies, and best of all, in stir fries, where the creamy nuttiness beautifully complements the sharp hot chili and salty soy sauce.   I make stir fries a lot because they’re easy, tasty, quick, and use up all the leftover whatnots I have in the fridge.

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion of some type (I used green)
1 tsp garlic-chili sauce
chopped kale or other green
chopped carrots or any other firm veggie
handful of lentils or beans, pre-cooked or sprouted or canned
handful of rice or other grain
swirl of gluten-free tamari (gf soy sauce)
1 tsp tahini
fresh lime juice (maybe half a lime?)
cooking oil (regular olive or blend or whatevs)
cilantro

Chop everything up onto a cutting board or plate and surround yourself with the sauces so it’s all ready to go.  Heat some oil in a skillet to medium, then add garlic and onions.  Saute a few minutes, then add the other veggies and saute some more (less time for delicate stuff like spinach).   Add rice and lentils.  Add tamari, lime, and tahini to taste, then serve topped with cilantro and more chili sauce if you like it hot!!   And marvel at how a spoonful of tahini totally transforms your boring old stir fry.

Peach-mango-basil granita

Yet another granita (they’re just too easy!).  I also attempted a blackberry-mint one, but it needs some work before going public.

3 peaches
1 mango
lime
basil (6-8 leaves?)
honey
salt

Peel and pit peaches and mango.  Put in blender or food processor with basil, juice of lime, a tiny bit of salt, and honey to taste.  Liquify, taste and adjust honey.  Add water or juice if too thick and pasty.  Pour into large plastic freezer bag and place in freezer for 4-6 hours, removing every 1.5-2 hours to break up lumps.

Quinoa-collard salad

Lazy BBQ side – perfectly delicious after sitting out in the sun for a bit while you’re off carousing.

3/4 cup quinoa (I used rainbow, but whatevs)
1 bunch collards
chopped green onions (to taste – green parts are less oniony)
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
chopped roasted garlic (to taste – could also use a bit of raw garlic)
sliced almonds
chickpeas (optional – I had some in the fridge to use up)
salt & pepper
bunch basil
cherry tomatoes

Cook quinoa and let cool. Blanch collards by plunging them (I keep the ribs in at this stage to use as handles) in boiling pot of salted water for 30 seconds or so, then immediately rinse under cool water.  Let collards dry and cool, then remove ribs and slice leaves into ribbons.  Carefully combine collard strips with quinoa, chopped green onions, splash of olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Slice basil leaves into thin ribbons and carefully add just before serving. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes.

Cucumber-lime-mint salad

This cucumber-mint salad paired well with gluten free veggie falafel and chard-stalk hummus.  I used chard leaves in the falafel – great way to use every part of the chard.  Both recipes were fantastic, so I didn’t tinker much, just added a bit more more seasoning and tahini in both cases.  (well, ok – I did add chickpeas to the chard-stalk hummus to thicken it up.  shhhh.)

1 cucumber
1 lime
mint, chopped (adjust amount to taste)
1-2 green onions, green parts chopped
splash of extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Slice cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a teaspoon.  Slice thinly, place in colander, sprinkle with salt, and leave for 30 minutes.  Rinse, pat dry with a dishtowel.  Place in bowl with juice of 1 lime, chopped mint, chopped green onion, and splash of olive oil.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Combine and let sit in fridge for a bit if you have time for the flavors to marinate.

Socca

Holy mother of gluten.  Socca is my new favorite thing in the universe.  It’s a Mediterranean flatbread/pancake/crepe made with chickpea (garbanzo) flour.  Dead easy, cheap, tasty, and versatile.  This one’s a keeper.

1 cup chickpea flour (Bob’s Red Mill makes it)
1 cup plus 1 tbsp water (add a bit more for thinner, crepe-ier batter)
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp or a bunch of grinds of sea salt

Put everything in a blender on high for 1-2 min.  Walk away for 2 hours.  Heat a pancake-friendly skillet/grill on the highish end of med-high and swirl in some olive / veg oil (NOT extra-virgin olive oil).  Once it’s hot, turn down to lowish medium high. (yes. you know what I mean.)

Pulse the batter in the blender to re-combine, then pour 1/4 into the pan and quickly swirl into a thin pancake.  Cook for a few minutes until the top dries out, then flip and cook another minute or two.  Both sides should be a rich golden-brown – better to overcook than undercook.  Remove, cover with foil and put in microwave or oven to keep warm, and repeat until the batter’s gone.

Roasted Garlic Asparagus & Collard Chips

Double trouble for spring.  And your mouth.

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
4-5 collard green leaves, chopped into large chunks, ribs removed
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped roughly into chunks (small pieces burn easily)
olive oil
sesame oil
sesame seeds
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Make sure veggies are dry before preparing, or they won’t crisp up.   Place asparagus in a single layer on one end of long roasting pan, and collards on the other.  Sprinkle both halves with garlic, then drizzle with olive oil and sesame oil and toss each end until coated.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Roast in 400F oven for about 45 minutes, checking for burning and to toss around.  Serve right away or cool and store.  Or eat right out of the pan, like I did.

Cran-Coco-Almond-Oat-Buckwheat Granola

I love spouted buckwheat cereal.  Love, love, love.  Craving it, I headed to the store, but could only find “brown” buckwheat.  I figured it was just a different variety (like rice) and attempted to spout them.  Gah!  Giant smelly unsprouted mess.  Apparently “brown” buckwheat is just toasted white groats, called kasha.  You can eat it either soaked overnight (which was gross), or cooked like oatmeal (decent).   I made granola instead, which also used up some random stuff in the kitchen.  This isn’t terribly sweet, so you may want to add some sugar.

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups toasted/brown buckwheat (kasha)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cranberries
1/4 cup almond slivers
few handfuls of coconut flakes
few sprinkles of flaxmeal
few sprinkles of chia
few sprinkles of sesame seeds
few shakes of pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of sea salt

Mix everything up, press flat onto parchment paper covering a cookie sheet, and bake for about an hour at 300F.  Turn a few times while cooking, then cool before storing an air-tight container.

Gluten Free Lemon-Berry Bread

I adore any sort of lemon baked good, so have been tweaking recipes to create my dream bread – moist, crumbly, not too sweet, and super-lemony.  I’m not there yet, but this is the latest.  Any berry will do, but I like raspberries or blueberries.   It’s based on Gluten-Free Girl’s  lemon bread, but living in bone-dry Colorado, I have to take into account a complete lack of moisture when baking.   I sub flaxseed for some of the flour (it helps retain moisture and adds nutrition), and molasses for some of the sugar (I’m obsessed with molasses lately).  The batter looks really watery when it goes into the oven, and takes forEVER to bake in the middle, but at least it doesn’t tastes like sawdust.

230 grams gluten-free flour mix (I combine random leftover flours into a 70% grain/30% starch ratio)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (neutralizes the acid in the molasses)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs @ room temp
160 grams brown or cane sugar (the darker the sugar, the darker the bread)
60 grams molasses (or honey for a lighter, sweeter bread)
zest of 2 small or 1 large lemon
115 grams coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon oil extract (yeeeeah, more lemon, I know, I know)
230 grams soy milk (or whatever kind of milk, just keep the weight even)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.  Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.   In a stand mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and molasses with the whisk attachment for about five minutes until fluffy.  Add lemon zest.  Pour the coconut oil into the mixer very, very slowly while it’s running so it can incorporate without deflating all the egg-beating. Add vanilla and lemon extracts.  Slowly add some of the flour mix, then some of the soy milk until everything’s mixed in, scraping the bowl occasionally. Pour batter into the loaf pan, and ignore how wrong it looks.  Don’t panic.  Just put it in the oven.  I like to turn on the oven light and check it a few times for over-browning (I love using flaxseed, but it can burn easily).

Check the bread after an hour, but it may take longer until the top is springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Restrain yourself from sampling a slice.  Take it out of the pan and let it cool completely.

Peach Ice Tea Granita

1 cup peach juice (from canned peaches)
1 cup iced tea (I used mango-chamomile)
2 tblsp raw sugar (use more for sweeter tastes)
handful each chopped mint and chopped basil

Mix everything and and pour into large plastic baggie or container (could simmer for a few few minutes to let flavors intensify if desired).  Freeze, but pull out every 2 hours or so to mush up or scrap ice to keep it from freezing solid – texture should be like Italian ice.