The Wheat-Free Meat-Free Cookbook: 100 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes (8 page)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat a medium to large pot over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook about 5 minutes.
   
2. Add the broth, beans, and herbs. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any bits of tomato paste. Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.
   

Serves 5-6

Cranberry beans are traditional for this dish, but I’ve only located them dried or fresh. If you would like to use canned beans, substitute kidney or pinto beans.

⅓ cup mirin (or sake or dry white wine)

⅓ cup water

3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 small scallions or green onions, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

pinch crushed red pepper

1 pound eggplant, stem removed, sliced into ¼-½ inch thick rounds

olive oil for the baking sheet

1. Combine everything except the eggplant in a small pot. Set over medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly.
   
2. Lay the eggplant slices in a casserole dish or place in a large Ziploc plastic bag. Cover with the teriyaki sauce. Marinate for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet. Remove the eggplant slices from the marinade and set in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, turning once. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, return the marinade to the pot and set over medium heat. Let the marinade cook down to a thick sauce.
   
4. Plate the eggplant and spoon the marinade over the top.
   

Serves 4-6

If using sake or white wine, add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey to the marinade.

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely minced ginger

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons peanut oil, or coconut oil, or ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 cups small cauliflower florets

1 large Yukon Gold potato (¾ pound), cut into ½-inch cubes

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

½ teaspoon salt

1. Place the garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, and red pepper in a small bowl and mix with the water to make a paste.
   
2. Heat a large pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the cumin and mustard seeds. Cover and cook until the seeds stop sputtering, 1-2 minutes.
   
3. Add the spice paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the mixture darkens and the spices begin to release their oils.
   
4. Add the cauliflower, potatoes, tomato sauce, and salt and stir well. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes and cauliflower are soft.
   

Serves 4

The seeds sputtering sounds like popcorn. It starts slow, speeds up, then sputters out.

olive oil for the pan

¼ cup well-packed fresh sage, cut into 1-inch sections

3 small zucchinis (1 pound), ends trimmed, sliced into ⅛-inch thick semicircles

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

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

zest of 1 medium lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Generously coat the pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sage leaves and fry for 1-2 minutes, until the leaves are just beginning to brown. Set aside on a plate.
   
2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the zucchini to the pan and cook about 5 minutes, until softened and yellow. Clear a spot in the pan, and add the garlic. Once fragrant, about 30 seconds, stir in the beans, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle sage leaves on top and serve.
   

Serves 4

2 12-ounce blocks extra firm tofu

1 12-ounce can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

½ cup + 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Rinse the tofu and pat dry. Place between towels on a flat surface. Place something flat (e.g., a cutting board) over the top and set some weight (e.g., a couple cans of beans) on top of that. Let sit for 30 minutes to press out excess water. Cut each drained tofu block into 8 slices widthwise.
   
2. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a large casserole dish. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat. Cook the tofu slices 1½-2 minutes per side, until golden. Place in the marinade and let sit for 1 hour.
   
3. Heat the same pan over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the tofu, about 2 minutes per side, while spooning some of the marinade over the pieces. The marinade will cook down to a thick glaze. If it becomes too thick and sticky, just add a little more marinade.
   

Serves 4-6

The tofu can be marinated overnight, and then the recipe can be continued from Step 3.

¾ cup millet

1½ cups water

salt

⅔ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint

1 medium tomato (½ pound), seeds removed, diced

1 small English cucumber (⅔ pound), seeds removed, diced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1. Place the millet in a medium pot over medium heat. Toast for a few minutes while shaking the pot. The millet will brown slightly and smell nutty. Add the water and a few pinches of salt. Increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Once the water is absorbed, remove from the heat, fluff, and let cool.
   
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked millet, parsley, mint, tomato, and cucumber. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to taste. Pour over the millet mixture, and stir well.
   

Serves 4-6

This recipe can be made with half the oil and lemon juice, but I prefer the fuller flavor of more.

English cucumbers have thinner skin than standard cucumbers, so they are generally sold wrapped in plastic.

½ cup julienned sundried tomatoes (not oil-packed)

¾ cup hot water

olive oil for the pan

1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon dried thyme

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium shallot, minced

10 ounces baby spinach

1. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with the hot water. Let sit.
   
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the mushrooms, a pinch of salt, and a couple of grinds of pepper, and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released all of their juice and the juice has cooked off, about 10-12 minutes.
   
3. Add the vinegar, water, parsley, and thyme to the mushrooms. Stir, and allow the liquids to reduce until the pan is mostly dry, 10-12 minutes.
   
4. When the liquid in the mushroom pan is reduced by half, about 5-6 minutes, heat another large pan over medium-high heat. Drain the tomatoes. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the garlic, shallot, and tomatoes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Start adding the spinach in batches, stirring well between each addition to allow the spinach to wilt. Continue until all the spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
5. To serve, divide the spinach and tomatoes between 4 plates, then top with the mushrooms.
   

Serves 4

Dough

⅔ cup sorghum flour

2 tablespoons brown rice flour

½ cup tapioca starch

1½ teaspoons white sugar

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold butter (1 stick), cut in large chunks

approximately ¼ cup cold water

1 large egg (optional)

3 tablespoons water (optional)

Filling

4 ounces tempeh, diced

1 large stalk celery, ends trimmed, diced

1 small Granny Smith apple (⅓ pound), cut into ½-inch cubes

1 small Yukon Gold potato (¼ pound), cut into ½-inch cubes

½ small yellow onion, diced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. For the crust, whisk together the flours, starch, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt in a medium bowl. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap nearby. Place the flour mixture and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the butter is incorporated but still fairly large in size. Slowly pour the water through the feed tube while pulsing. Stop once the dough looks crumbly and the butter is pea-sized. (More than ¼ cup of water may be needed, but try to use as little as possible, adding just a little at a time.)
   
2. Turn the dough out onto the plastic wrap. Gather up the sides and press the dough into a large ball. Divide the dough into four even pieces and form into disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, stir all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If using, beat the egg and water together in a small bowl to make an egg wash.
   
5. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap. Dust liberally with brown rice flour. Place one of the disks in the middle of the flour. Sprinkle more flour on top, and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough, stopping to add more flour a few times, until it’s a rough circle around ¼-inch thick. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap. Hold the rolling pin close to the edge of the dough. Lift the nearest edge of the plastic wrap up and over the rolling pin, so that the dough drapes over the rolling pin. Pull the plastic wrap away from the dough. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
   
6. Spoon one-fourth of the filling mixture onto half of the circle, leaving about one inch around the edge. If using the egg wash, brush around the edge with a pastry brush. Fold the unfilled half over the filled half until the edges meet. Starting on one side, pinch the edges together, and crimp upwards. Repeat with remaining three pieces of dough. Brush any remaining egg wash over the hand pies, if using.
   
7. Bake for 1 hour, until the pies are lightly browned. If using the egg wash, the pies will be more golden-brown.
   

Serves 4

It’s not required to use the egg wash to seal the hand pies, but it makes them seal much better.

1 small carnival or acorn squash (1-1¼ pound), peeled, seeds removed, cut into ½-inch cubes

olive oil for drizzling and frying

¼ cup fresh sage leaves, cut into 1-inch sections

½ medium yellow onion, diced

¾ cup toasted buckwheat groats (kasha)

2 cups gluten-free vegetable broth

pinch or two of saffron

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the squash on a medium baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with oil, and toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat a large pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Generously coat the pan with oil. Add the sage leaves. Fry for 1-1½ minutes, until the edges of the leaves are darkened and the sage is crispy. Set aside on a plate.
   
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the buckwheat groats and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the vegetable broth and saffron. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 30 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Add the cooked squash. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. Stir to incorporate the squash. Garnish with fried sage and serve.
   

Serves 4-6

Lentil Crepes

½ cup red lentils, picked through

½ cup Arborio rice

1¼ cups water

salt

coconut oil or olive oil for the pan

Filling

2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil + more for the pan

½ medium yellow onion, diced

2 cups medium cauliflower florets

1 cup frozen peas

salt

¼ cup water

¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1 tablespoon minced ginger

¾ teaspoon dry mustard powder

¾ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. For the crepes, place the lentils and rice in a medium bowl and cover with cool water. Let sit for 30 minutes.
   
2. After 30 minutes, drain off the water and rinse the lentils and rice. Place in a blender and add the 1¼ cups water and a large pinch of salt. Blend until a thin batter forms.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Spread a large spoonful of batter into the pan in a circular motion and swirl the pan to spread the batter into an even 6-8 inch circle. Cook 1-1½ minutes, until the edges start to lift from the pan. Flip and cook another 45-60 seconds. Remove from the pan and set on a large oven-safe dish. Continue with the remaining batter. Add a little more oil to the pan every few crepes. Place in the oven to keep warm.
   
4. For the filling, heat a large pan with a lid over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Stir in the cauliflower, peas, and a large pinch of salt. Add the water, cover, and let steam for 7-8 minutes, until the cauliflower is softened with a little bite.
   
5. Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons oil, and stir in the coconut and ginger. Cook until the coconut starts to darken, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook another 30-60 seconds.
   
6. Add the coconut/spice mixture to the cauliflower and stir to combine. Serve with the crepes.