Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook (9 page)

Maca powder, made from the root of an herbaceous plant, has been revered by Andean cultures for centuries, if not millennia, for both its delicious earthy, nutty flavor and its healthful properties. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals and said to increase stamina and libido. Because its flavor is strong, a little goes a long way.

serves 2 or 3

3 eggs

2/3 cup peach juice

2 tablespoons melted butter or extra-virgin coconut oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

½ cup corn flour

½ cup quinoa flour

1 tablespoon maca powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the waffle iron.

Whisk the eggs in a medium-size bowl. Stir in the juice, melted butter, maple syrup, and extracts. Add the flours, maca powder, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined.

Brush both the top and bottom surfaces of the waffle iron with oil, then ladle in enough batter to almost cover the bottom surface of the iron. Cook until the steaming stops or the waffle is golden brown. Serve immediately, or
keep the cooked waffles in a warm oven
until you’re ready to serve.

Variations

For a bit more texture, use blue cornmeal or regular cornmeal instead of corn flour; all yield excellent (and delicious!) results.

Use another tablespoon of corn flour or quinoa flour in place of the maca powder.

Swap other juices, such as apple juice, for the peach juice.

Swap any type of dairy or nondairy milk for the juice.

Fresh corn is the sweetest the day it’s picked. However, for convenience I often steam more than I can eat so I can snack on it and add it to dishes the next day. Here it’s combined with other seasonal vegetables and tofu for a hearty late summer breakfast treat. Tumeric lends the tofu an appealing golden color. Nutritional yeast gives a rich, almost cheesy flavor, and is also a great source of B
12
and other B vitamins.
Corn Muffins
would be a great accompaniment to this savory breakfast dish.

serves 3 or 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups coarsely chopped collard greens

1 cup cut green beans, in 1-inch pieces

1 cup coarsely chopped scallions (white and green parts) or red onion

2/3 cup steamed corn kernels

1 teaspoon turmeric

14 to 16 ounces soft tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes

½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro

¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tablespoon tamari

Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the collard greens, green beans, scallions, corn, and turmeric and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables brighten in color and become fragrant. Gently stir in the tofu and cook for about 3 minutes, until the tofu takes on a yellow hue. Stir in the cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the yeast and tamari. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Serve immediately.

Variations

As the seasons change, replace the collard greens with whatever greens are freshest and most vibrant: spinach, tatsoi, chard, or even broccoli.

Substitute mushrooms, summer squash, zucchini, or asparagus for the greens and green beans.

To take the flavor in a different direction, add a few cloves of chopped garlic when you sauté the vegetables, and substitute basil for the cilantro.

Miso soup is a nice way to start your day, and is so good for you too. Miso enhances your immune system and has other health benefits. Just be sure not to boil it, or you’ll miss out on its digestive enzymes. You can easily build a meal around the soup; serve it alongside cooked brown rice or a combination of millet and amaranth, or enjoy it with boiled eggs, scrambled tofu, or savory muffins, such as
Corn Muffins
.

serves 3 or 4

4 cups water

1 (3-inch) piece of dulse

1 bunch of watercress, chopped

14 ounces tofu, cut into bite-size pieces (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons miso

Sliced scallions (white and green parts), for garnish (optional)

Put the water and dulse in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the watercress and tofu and cook for just a minute or two, until the watercress takes on a brighter green color and the tofu is heated through.

Dissolve the miso in a bit of the hot broth, then stir it into the soup. Add more miso if you prefer a saltier broth. Serve immediately, topped with scallions if you like.

Variations

Use Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari instead of the miso. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger.

Substitute kale, collard greens, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, or
fresh nettles
for the watercress.

The most delicious meals are made with the freshest ingredients (local and organic as much as possible), a joyful mind, an open heart, and a sense of adventure. In this chapter, you’ll find a wide variety of colorful and tasty main dishes, from simple to elaborate. Most are easy to make, and all are highly nutritious and completely satisfying.

Beyond using seasonal produce, there are other important ways to cook with the seasons. When it’s hot out, you’ll probably prefer lighter fare, like
Summer Pasta and Bean Salad
,
Soba with Tempeh and Broccoli in Coconut Sauce
, or
Quick Miso Soup with Nettles and Spicy Thai Noodles
. These quick-cooking meals are an eco-friendly choice too, as they won’t heat up your kitchen so much or make your air conditioner work overtime. Another great choice for warm weather is versatile vegetarian nori rolls—the topic of
chapter 5
.

When winter’s chill sets in, it’s the perfect time to make long-cooking stews and baked dishes. Not only will they warm you from the inside out, they’ll also help heat your home. This is the perfect time of year for dishes like
Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Casserole
,
Savory Stuffed Winter Squash
,
Shiitake and Kale Lasagna with Marinated Dried Tomatoes and Chèvre
, or a variety of
grain-based loaves
.

This chapter also includes a bounty of flavorful stews from around the world that are fulfilling any time of year. Look to quicker-cooking stews when the weather is warm, and when it gets chilly, fill your home with the enticing aromas of a long-simmering stew. Either way, you can round out the meal with a green salad and a simple grain dish from
chapter 6
, either on the side or as a base for the stew.
Corn muffins
,
Amaranth and Corn Flatbread
, or
Corn Fritters
also make nice accompaniments for most of these dishes.

And remember that you can always put together a great meal by combining several side dishes, or by serving a simple grain dish with sautéed or stir-fried veggies and a sauce. Check out chapters
6
and
7
for recommendations—or go wild in the kitchen and create your own seasonal meals using the recipes in those chapters as your basic building blocks. This is a fun way to cook: going to the market and choosing whatever looks freshest and most appealing, then combining that bounty of fresh produce with staples to create meals that reflect the seasons, your preferences, and your creativity. By playing with all of these variables, you never have to settle for the same meal twice!

This Mediterranean-inspired salad is light and refreshing, yet satisfying enough to serve as the centerpiece of the meal. For a nice summertime lunch or dinner, serve it atop of a bed of garden greens, with
Amaranth and Corn Flatbread
on the side.

serves about 6

12 ounces brown rice spirals or penne

2 cups
cooked chickpeas

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup cut green beans, in 1-inch pieces

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup minced fresh dill

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup capers, rinsed

1 teaspoon sea salt

Cook the pasta in a generous amount of boiling water until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and gently stir until evenly combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Mediterranean Two-Bean Salad:
Substitute other beans, such as navy beans, for the pasta.

Most varieties of tempeh are gluten-free, but occasionally you’ll come across a multigrain version or another type that contains gluten, so check the label to be sure. This is of even greater concern with soba; many varieties use a combination of buckwheat and wheat flour, so read the ingredients to be sure you’re getting 100% buckwheat soba.

serves about 4

8 ounces tempeh, cubed

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

8 ounces 100% soba noodles

2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons chickpea or adzuki bean miso

Put the tempeh, coconut milk, and onion in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles in a generous amount of boiling water until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Add the broccoli and ginger to the tempeh and stir to combine. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green or tender to your liking. Stir the miso into some of the hot broth to form a paste, then stir it back into the tempeh mixture.

Gently stir the soba into the sauce. Serve immediately.

Dulse is an unusual addition to a red sauce, but it’s tasty and also helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Substitute 1 teaspoon of sea salt for the dulse if you like, or if you don’t have any dulse on hand. For a divine meal, top this dish with grated Manchego or your favorite cheese. Of course, you can serve this sauce with any type of pasta you like, but I think it pairs well with spirals—especially the brown rice spirals made by Tinkyada. Or think outside the box and try the sauce over kasha or other cooked grains.

serves about 8

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

7 cloves garlic, pressed, or more to taste

6 cups sliced plum tomatoes

1 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup dulse

3 cups cauliflower florets

1 cup pitted whole black olives

¼ cup capers, rinsed

1 pound brown rice spirals

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, onion, and dulse and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot and bubbling. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower, olives, and capers and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender to your liking.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a generous amount of boiling water until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings if you like, then pour it over the pasta and stir gently. Serve immediately.

This recipe features a somewhat unusual method of cooking grains. The quinoa is roasted with root vegetables, garlic, and basil, infusing it with their rich flavors. Make this colorful and tasty casserole on a cold day, when the heat of the oven will help warm your house. Red quinoa is particularly attractive in this dish, but if you can’t find it, “plain” tan quinoa will do just fine. If you’ve never tried celeriac, which tastes like celery, this dish is a great way to get acquainted with it. It’s a good winter keeper and can be stored for months in the refrigerator or root cellar. To prepare it, simply cut away the tough, knobby skin and then cook it like a potato.

serves 4 to 6

4 cups cubed butternut squash

3 cups cubed beets

2½ cups cubed celeriac

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1½ cups water

8 ounces crumbled chèvre or feta (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Combine the squash, beets, celeriac, quinoa, garlic, oil, basil, and salt in a large casserole dish. Pour in the water, cover, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the vegetables are tender to your liking. Serve immediately, topped with the chèvre if you like.

A perfect offering on any cool autumn evening, this flavorful dish is so satisfying and festive that it can serve as the centerpiece for Thanksgiving or any holiday meal. Delicata, sweet dumpling, acorn, and butternut squash all work equally well with the delicious stuffing which also makes a side dish, with or without the cheese. As always, I recommend a local, artisanal cheese, preferably made with goat’s or sheep’s milk or milk from grass-fed cows. The Jade Pearl rice stuffing is so delicious and attractive that you could forgo the squash and serve it on its own—or beef it up by adding French green lentils, as in the variation below.

Jade Rice Pilaf with French Lentils and Toasted Walnuts:
Forgo the squash. While the rice is simmering, cook ½ cup of French green lentils in a generous amount of boiling water, along with 2 bay leaves. When the lentils are tender (about 20 minutes), drain them and discard the bay leaves. Stir the lentils into the rice when you add the thyme and sage. Serve as is, or topped with the cheese if you like.

serves about 6

3 medium winter squash

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup diced red onion

¼ cup diced celery

1 clove garlic, minced

1¼ cups Jade Pearl rice

¾ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2½ cups boiling water

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon chopped fresh sage

2 cups grated Gouda or Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Leave the squash whole. Place them in a baking pan and bake for about 1 hour, until tender; an inserted fork should go into the center of the squash easily.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a large dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until they begin to smell fragrant. Add the oil, onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the rice, bell pepper, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat, then slowly pour in the water. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.