The Wheat-Free Meat-Free Cookbook: 100 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes (3 page)

Serves 8-10

This is a local specialty from my hometown (St. Louis). While it says cake in the title, most people eat gooey butter cake for breakfast, usually as a special treat on the weekends.

olive oil for the pan

½ medium yellow onion, diced

½ medium green bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces

½ medium red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 medium Yukon Gold potato (½ pound), cut into ½-inch cubes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a large pan with a lid over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add the peppers and fry another 4-5 minutes, until softened. Set aside in a bowl.
   
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Coat the pan with a thin layer of oil. Add the potatoes, stir well, then spread in an even layer, and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stir, cover, and cook another 5 minutes. Stir, cover, and cook a final 5 minutes.
   
3. Remove lid, increase the heat to medium. Cook another 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are lightly browned.
   
4. Return the cooked peppers and onion to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to heat through, 1-2 minutes. Serve warm.
   

Serves 4-6

4 small-medium yellow onions (⅓ pound each)

olive oil

¼ pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

¼ cup fresh gluten-free bread crumbs

3 tablespoons mayonnaise or Vegenaise

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
2. Trim the ends off of the onions and cut in half horizontally (not root to stem). Remove the skin from the onions and pull or cut out the inner layers of the onions, leaving 3-4 layers (about ½-inch of onion). Rub each onion all over with oil. Set on a baking sheet and cover the sheet with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
   
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the Brussels sprouts, garlic, bread crumbs, mayonnaise or Vegenaise, dill, and horseradish. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
4. Spoon the Brussels sprout mixture into the middle of each onion. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
   

Serves 4-8

10 radishes (½ pound without tops)

2 small Pink Lady apples (⅔ pound)

2 small turnips (½ pound), peeled

4 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon celery salt

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

½ cup cashews

2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
   
2. Trim the ends off the radishes and thinly slice root to tip. Core the apples and thinly slice into pieces the same size as the radish slices. Trim the ends off the turnips and thinly slice into pieces the same size as the radish slices.
   
3. Mix all spices, herbs, salts, and pepper in a small bowl.
   
4. Place the radishes, apples, turnips and cashews in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Add the spice mixture and toss to coat. Spread on two large baking sheets in a single layer.
   
5. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, stir, and spread the mixture into a single layer. Return to the oven, switching the racks the baking sheets were on, and bake 1 hour. Switch the baking sheets between racks once more, and bake 15-20 minutes. If the veggies and fruit start to look brown at any point, remove from the oven. The chips will harden as they cool.
   

Makes 7 cups

Keeping the radish, turnip, and apple pieces the same size is important to ensure they are equally crispy. I used Pink Lady apples because they are firm and not too juicy. If you cannot find them, substitute any other not-so-juicy apple.

This snack mix is fairly spicy. You can leave out the cayenne to avoid some of the heat.

6 large eggs

½ cup gluten-free soy sauce or tamari

4 bags of black tea

3 star anise

1 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon white sugar

1. Place the eggs in a medium pot. Fill with cold water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch.
   
2. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2½ minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and place in an ice bath or run under cold water.
   
3. Once eggs are cool enough to be handled, crack the shells all over using the back of a knife or the side of a spoon.
   
4. Place the eggs back in the hot water and add the remaining ingredients.
   
5. Bring the pot back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer 1-3 hours. Turn off heat. When the pot has cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight.
   
6. Peel and eat. The unpeeled eggs will keep for about 4 days in the liquid.
   

Makes 6 eggs

The longer the eggs are simmered the more flavorful they will be. The difference is more noticeable right after simmering, but even holds up after soaking overnight. However, the yolks of the longer simmered eggs are bluer around the edges, and have more of a sulfur taste, which dissipates slightly after the overnight soak.

¼ cup olive oil + more for the muffin tin and pan

½ medium yellow onion, diced

1 cup sorghum flour

½ cup almond meal

½ cup potato starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup unsweetened soymilk

¼ cup small broccoli florets

3 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)

freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
   
2. Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Sauté for a few minutes, until the onion is softened.
   
3. Stir together the flour, almond meal, starch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
   
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and ¼ cup oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the broccoli, cooked onion, cheese, and a few grinds of pepper. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
   
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Once the muffins are cool enough to handle, remove from the tin and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
   

Makes 12 muffins

6 ounces dried apricots

¾ cup shelled pistachios

salt (optional)

10 ounces pitted dates

1. Place the apricots and pistachios (and a couple of pinches of salt if using) in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Place in a large bowl.
   
2. Place the dates in the food processor and pulse until they form a large ball. Add the dates to the bowl and knead, like dough, until the apricots and pistachios are thoroughly incorporated. Form into a cylinder.
   
3. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap about 1½ feet long. Place the cylinder on the plastic wrap and fold the plastic wrap over in thirds. Use a rolling pin to roll into a large rectangle a little longer than a foot and about ½-inch thick. Cut horizontally into 12 bars.
   

Makes 12 bars

This recipe is very easy to customize with the fruit and nuts of your choice. The dates are important though to hold everything together. I usually use salted pistachios, avoiding the need for extra salt, but I would encourage a couple of pinches if your pistachios are unsalted.

olive oil for the baking sheet

2 cups gluten-free vegetable broth

¾ cup finely ground polenta (cornmeal)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large baking sheet. Place the broth in a medium pot and set over high heat.
   
2. In a small bowl, stir together the polenta, spices, and nutritional yeast.
   
3. Once the broth is simmering, reduce the heat to medium. While stirring, slowly pour the polenta mixture into the pot. Cook, stirring continuously, until the broth is absorbed and the polenta is stiff. With finely ground polenta this should only take a few minutes; coarsely ground polenta will take longer.
   
4. Turn the polenta out onto the baking sheet and spread into ¼-inch thickness. Allow to cool about 10 minutes. Cut into strips about ¾-inch wide and a few inches long. Space the strips out so they are not touching. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the fries over, and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve warm.
   

Serves 4

olive oil for the pan and baking sheet

1¼ cups sorghum flour

1 cup tapioca starch

½ cup almond meal

2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed

1½ teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoons baking soda

1¾ cups buttermilk

½ cup blackstrap molasses

1 cup raisins, chopped

¼ cup millet

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
   
2. Whisk the flour, starch, almond meal, rosemary, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Whisk the buttermilk and molasses together in the well, then stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in the raisins and millet.
   
3. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth down, then lightly score lengthwise along the top of the batter.
   
4. Bake for 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
   
5. Once the bread is cool, preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large baking sheet.
   
6. Slice the bread ¼-inch thick, then cut each piece in half. Lay each piece flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes per side. Repeat until all of the loaf has been toasted.
   

Makes approximately 40 mini-toasts

When baking the mini-toasts, 10 minutes per side will produce a chewy center, while 12 minutes per side will provide crunch all the way through. These pair nicely with a mild cheese like Brie or Havarti.

peanut or vegetable oil for frying

¼ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup potato starch

¼ cup almond meal

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

½ teaspoon baking powder

pinch crushed cardamom seeds (seeds from 2 pods)

¼ cup unsweetened soymilk

1 large egg

1¼ cups sauerkraut, drained

1 medium Granny Smith apple (½ pound), diced

¼ cup dried cherries, diced

1. Lay out paper towels near to the stove. Add about 2 inches of oil to a wok or heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the oil to 350°F.
   
2. Whisk together the flour, starch, almond meal, mustard seeds, baking powder, and cardamom in a large bowl.
   
3. Whisk the milk and egg together in a small bowl. Right before the oil reaches the proper temperature, stir the egg mixture into the dry mix. Stir in the sauerkraut, apple, and cherries.
   
4. Drop tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 1½ minutes per side, until golden. Remove and set on the paper towels to absorb excess oil. Make sure the oil comes back to 350°F before adding the next set of fritters.
   

Makes approximately 25 fritters

It may not look like the batter will hold together, but the egg and flour puff up as they cook. To avoid loose pieces, pack the batter into the tablespoon before dropping it in the oil.

If you’re leery of sauerkraut, don’t let that stop you from trying this recipe. The sauerkraut is not very potent.

olive oil for the pan and muffin tin

1 large yellow onion, diced

1½ cups + 2 tablespoons gluten-free hard pear cider or vegetable broth, divided

½ cup millet

2 bay leaves

salt

2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (approximately 3½ cups), drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped curly endive/frisée

1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden-brown, 45-50 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, place the 1½ cups cider or vegetable broth, millet, and bay leaves in a small pot. Add a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
   
4. Combine the beans, caramelized onion, endive, thyme, remaining 2 tablespoons of cider or vegetable broth, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a food processor. Process until smooth.
   
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bean puree with the cooked millet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. Cover the tin with aluminum foil.
   
6. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven, and let cool completely before removing from the tin.
   

Makes 12 mini-casseroles

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon dark rum

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari

¼ teaspoon liquid smoke

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 medium yellow summer squash (½ pound), ends trimmed