The Wheat-Free Meat-Free Cookbook: 100 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes (9 page)

Makes approximately 8 crepes

Fajita Marinade

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons tequila

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 large jalapeño pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely minced

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon ground cumin

salt

Fajitas

2 small green or red bell peppers (¾ pound), sliced

2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced

½ medium white onion, sliced root to stem

olive oil for the pan

8 corn tortillas (see below)

1. In a small bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients together, seasoning with salt to taste. Place in a large casserole dish or Ziploc plastic bag. Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Toss to coat. Let marinate for 1 hour, mixing once or twice.
   
2. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. Generously coat the pan with oil. Add the marinated vegetables, draining as much of the marinade away as possible.
   
3. Cook, stirring infrequently, until marinade has cooked off and the vegetables are starting to sear at the edges, 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately with warmed tortillas.
   

Serves 4

Fresh Corn Tortillas

1 cup masa harina

salt

⅔-1 cup warm water

1. Mix the masa harina and a couple of pinches of salt in a mixing bowl. Add ⅔ cup water. Stir until dough forms. If that is not enough liquid to form dough, add a little more water. Knead a few times and form into a ball. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
   
2. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll into balls. Smash a piece between two sheets of parchment paper, by pressing firmly with the bottom of a dinner plate. Roll the tortillas out to 6-7 inches. Alternatively, press each dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper using a tortilla press. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
   
3. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla in the pan. Cook about 1½ minutes, until brown spots appear. Flip and cook the other side for 1½ minutes. Place in a towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
   

Makes 8

Make the tortillas while the vegetables marinate. Roll from the center of the tortilla, not quite all the way to the edge. It’s important to keep them warm in the towel so they stay pliable.

Depending on the size of the pan, the filling may need to be cooked in batches so that the pan is not crowded. A crowded pan prevents good searing.

Masa harina is a special kind of corn flour frequently used in Mexican cuisine. Look for it in the Mexican food section of your grocery store.

8 ounces short variety dried gluten-free pasta (e.g., fusilli, penne, macaroni)

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons white rice flour

1 tablespoon potato starch

1 cup gluten-free vegetable broth

½ cup gluten-free hard pear cider or dry white wine

4 ounces gluten-free blue cheese, crumbled

2 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese

2 ounces shredded asiago cheese

freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a medium to large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10-12 minutes. Drain.
   
2. Meanwhile, once the water is near boiling, melt the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and starch. Cook for 5 minutes, until golden.
   
3. Add the vegetable broth and cider or wine. Increase the heat to medium. Simmer, while whisking frequently, for 4-5 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
   
4. Stir in the cheeses until the sauce is smooth, around 2 minutes. Season with black pepper to taste. Stir the noodles into the cheese sauce.
   

Serves 4

olive oil for the pans

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 medium stalk celery, ends trimmed, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound crimini mushrooms, cut into ½-inch cubes

½ cup white wine or gluten-free vegetable broth

salt

2 cups pecans

1 cup walnuts

1 cup fresh gluten-free bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
   
2. Heat a medium to large pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and just beginning to brown.
   
3. Clear a spot in the pan and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, wine or broth, and a pinch of salt. Stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. Allow the mushrooms to release their juices. Continue to cook until most, but not all of the liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
   
4. Meanwhile, pulse the nuts in a food processor until evenly ground, but not a fine powder. Place in a large mixing bowl with the bread crumbs. Stir in the herbs, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
   
5. Add the cooked mushrooms to the mixing bowl and stir well. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, and then stir into the nut mixture.
   
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, firmly press it down, and smooth the top.
   
7. Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges are browned and a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Run a knife around the edges if necessary. Place a serving platter over the loaf pan, serving-side down. Invert the two together. Remove the parchment paper and serve.
   

Serves 8

salt

4 large collard green leaves

½ cup water

3 ounces dried apricots, minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

olive oil for the pan

4 ounces tempeh, stood on side and cut in half, then cut into fourths lengthwise (8 pieces)

2 ounces sprouts

2 ounces gluten-free blue cheese, crumbled

1. Fill a medium pot with water, salt liberally, and bring to a boil. Add one of the leaves and simmer for around 1 minute, until bright green. Remove and set on a towel to dry. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
   
2. In a small pot, mix the water, apricots, mustard, and red pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and let cool.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil, then add the tempeh. Cook around 2 minutes, flip, then cook another 2 minutes, until lightly browned.
   
4. To assemble, cut the stem out of each leaf, about two-thirds of the way through the leaf. Lay flat and cross over the cut ends of the leaf, to form a continuous surface. Spoon one-fourth of the apricot mixture onto the uncut end of the leaf. Lay two pieces of tempeh on the apricots. Cover with one-fourth of the sprouts and one-fourth of the cheese. Taking care to hold the cut ends overlapping each other, pick up the uncut end of the leaf, and roll over the filling. Fold in both sides. Continue until completely rolled. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
   

Serves 4

2 cups gluten-free vegetable broth

2 cups water

⅔ cup wild rice

½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 bay leaf

½ large yellow onion, sliced root to stem

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 large peach (½ pound), diced

1 cup Bing cherries, pitted and cut into quarters

1 cup chopped curly endive/frisée

1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the broth, water, rice, rosemary, and bay leaf in a medium pot. Set over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 1-1¼ hours, until the rice is opened and tender. Remove the bay leaf. Drain any remaining liquid. Place rice in a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and reduce the heat to just under medium. Cook, stirring frequently, for around 15 minutes, until the onion is brown and frizzled.
   
3. Stir the onion, peach, cherries, endive, and lemon juice into the cooled rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   

Serves 4-6

The amount of time it takes to cook the frizzled onion varies quite a bit. Keep an eye on it. Stirring frequently, especially once the onion starts to brown, helps to prevent burning.

1 pound eggplant, stem removed, sliced ¼-inch thick

salt

olive oil for the pots

½ medium yellow onion, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup finely ground dried gluten-free bread crumbs

4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese

1. Set the eggplant in a colander or on a cooling rack in the sink. Sprinkle each side liberally with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to draw moisture out of the eggplant.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium pot over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Stir well, cover, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer while you prepare the eggplant.
   
3. Thoroughly rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry. Set out a shallow, wide bowl with the eggs, and a shallow, wide bowl with the bread crumbs. Set a large pan or pot with a lid over medium heat, and lightly coat it with oil. Individually coat a piece of eggplant in egg, then in breadcrumbs and set in the pan. Add as many slices of eggplant as will fit. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are browned, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove the eggplant and wipe out the pan. Repeat the process with the remaining eggplant slices, until all have been breaded and fried. Wipe out the pan.
   
4. Set the pan over low heat. Carefully add the eggplant slices, in one overlapping layer, starting around the edge of the pan and working inwards. Top with tomato sauce. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
   
5. Remove the lid and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
   

Serves 4-6

Since the pan is thoroughly preheated, it may take the 2
^nd
and 3
^rd
batches of eggplants less time to cook and/or you may need to lower the heat.

olive oil for the casserole dish and pan

1 small acorn squash (1-1¼ pound), cut in half, seeds removed

salt

6 ounces short variety dried gluten-free pasta (e.g., fusilli, penne)

10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper (¾ pound), cut into ½-inch pieces

½ pound collard greens, stems removed and chopped (about 3 cups)

¼ cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease an 8×8-inch casserole dish and arrange the squash cut side down. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
   
2. Bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil and salt liberally. Meanwhile, score the inside of the squash into sections about ½-inch square and scoop out the flesh.
   
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat the pan with oil. Add the garlic and bell pepper, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the collard greens and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add a couple of splashes of water if the greens stick to the pan. Remove the pan from heat.
   
4. Drain the noodles while still slightly crunchy, about 8 minutes. Add the noodles, squash, pine nuts, parsley, paprika, and a pinch of salt to the pan. Stir well.
   
5. Spread one-third of the pasta mixture in an 8x8-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with one-third of the cheese. Layer on another one-third of the pasta, followed by another layer of cheese, then the rest of the pasta, and a final layer of cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
   

Serves 4-6

Lentils

olive oil for the pot

¼ bulb fennel, white part only, minced

1 large shallot, minced

1 cup gluten-free vegetable broth

⅓ cup beluga lentils, picked through

zest of 1 small orange

1 bay leaf

Polenta

1½ cups water or gluten-free vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened soymilk

pinch ground cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup finely ground polenta (cornmeal)

Olive Topping

3-4 Greek black olives, diced

3-4 green olives, diced

3-4 Castelvetrano olives, diced

2 tablespoons diced roasted red pepper

1. For the lentils, heat a small to medium pot over medium-low heat, and lightly coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Add the fennel and shallot and cook for 10 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, zest, and bay leaf. Increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
   
2. When the lentils are nearly ready, start the polenta. Heat the water or vegetable broth and milk in a medium to large pot over medium heat. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low, and add cayenne, a pinch or two of salt (more if using water), and a few grinds of pepper. Slowly stream in the polenta while whisking to prevent lumps. Cook while stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid is absorbed and the polenta is creamy and smooth. With finely ground polenta this should only take a few minutes; coarsely ground polenta will take longer.
   
3. Drain any remaining liquid from the lentils. For the olive topping, stir the olives and roasted red peppers together in a small bowl.
   
4. To serve, spoon the polenta into the bottom of a serving dish. Spoon the lentils over the polenta, then top with the olive mix.