A Quest for Quick Easy Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes

I have a love-hate relationship with cooking.  I admire people who cook as a way of expressing their creativity, who love to feed others, who experience it as a joy.  For me, not so much.  I'd just as soon take that block of time and make artwork instead of a good meal.  Although I do enjoy cooking with other people.  Now that's fun.

But I was diagnosed as gluten-intolerant a few weeks ago and I've also been eating mostly-vegan, partly as a stand against global warming and partly as a weight management tool. Well, eating gluten-free vegan pretty much means C-O-O-K-I-N-G.  So I've decided to go on a quest for recipes that fit the bill.  Here's my criteria. 

The recipes I'm looking for must be:

- quick and easy
- delicious
- gluten-free
- vegan or mostly vegan
- use fresh veggies in season.

I've been perusing Gluten-Free Goddess and Gluten-Free Girl as well as the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook that my nutritionist and his wife put together.  But I gotta tell you, most of these recipes require spending more time in the kitchen than I prefer.   

So yesterday I threw together an enchilada casserole that I thought tasted pretty darned good (inspired by Amy's Organic Frozen Enchiladas.)  I used ingredients I already had in my fridge or pantry.

I sauteed up a bunch of garlic, red onions and red bell peppers.

I diced up some zucchini and chopped up some spinach.

I layered corn tortillas, black beans (from a can!!), the sauteed stuff and the veggies in a casserole dish.  If I'd had any corn, I would have added it.

I poured enchilada sauce over the whole thing (no I didn't make it from scratch).

Sprinkled some crushed Que Pasa chips over the top.

Baked it for a half hour or so at 350.

Served it up with brown rice and a big green salad.

Yum!!!!

(It goes without saying that I buy organic and local products as much as possible. Shopping at Terra Organica makes this pretty painless.  I don't have to think.)   

It would be easy to make a non-vegan version by adding cheese and/or meat.  Also I need to make sure the canned enchilada sauce I use is gluten-free.  I had assumed that it was, but I'm learning that you can't assume anything when it comes to gluten.  The nasty stuff hides everywhere.

So the next step will be trying it out on Craig.  Will it pass the Craig-Taste-Test?  Will it be spicy enough and filling enough for a Guy?   Stay tuned and find out . . .

And please, if you have any suggestions on how to make this recipe even better, send 'em on!   And if you have any of your own favorite Quick Easy Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan or Mostly-Vegan Recipes, send those on too.

PS  The Guardian of Fire is almost done!

Comments

[glasbeth]

Hi Joanna - I just wanted to direct you to my daughter's blog - Rice and Beans. http://ricebeans.cherrytaco.com/
She's a vegetarian who just started on a gluten-free diet as well. But she loves to cook and bake and this blog is about her adventures in gluten-free cooking.
BTW, thanks for a wonderful blog! I check it every day!
Beth

[joanna]

Hi Beth, thanks for reading my blog. And a big thank-you for pointing me to your daughter's blog. I love the photos, she's got a great sense of humor! I plan to try out her acorn squash recipe — I notice Karina at Gluten-free Goddess has an stuffed acorn squash recipe too. I guess it's the season, and time to try it out. Blessings to you!

[joanna]

For anyone else who's interested in gluten-free killer recipes, Sister Kim Mermaid reminded me that she's got some great ones on her blog . . . check out these links:

http://www.furiousspinner.com/2007/07/vanilla-chocolate-and-saffronand

http://www.furiousspinner.com/2007/06/nourishment

http://www.furiousspinner.com/2005/12/its-just-all-soup

http://www.furiousspinner.com/2007/06/refugio-part-three

[Angelica]

Here's a wonderful muffin recipe:
BananaBerry Bombs

1 C quick cooking oats
1/2 C ea - Brown rice flour, Amaryth or Spelt (=1 cup)
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 teas. baking powder
1 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas
2 egg whites
1/2 teas. vanilla
1/4 C butter melted
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries or cranberries

Preheat oven to 375

Combine dry ingredients, set aside

Mix and Whisk bananas, egg whites, vanila and melted butter until smooth.

Add banana mix to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Gently fold in berries

Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin papers in muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes, or until wooden stick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy! Angelica

[joanna]

Angelica, thanks so much for this recipe. It looks great and I can't wait to try it!

[xfildchild]

Cooking is a sharable creative art for those of us who are, shall we say, otherwise artistically challenged :P

I am pretty well-versed on vegan foods, but gluten-free is a little harder (you're right - it IS in everything!).

I have a quick and easy recipe for yummy brownies that I would like to share, but I am not sure as to the gluten content.

You take a can of black beans and whirr it up in a blender until it forms a paste. Add it to a regular boxed brownie mix and cook according to package directions. I know it sounds really gross, but they come out dense and fudgy and delicious, and contain no fat, and high amounts of protein and fiber.

[xfildchild]

Oh, just another quick recipe that crossed my mind as I hit the submit button -- We got the last of our eggplant out of the garden this weekend (sigh) and now it's time to put it to good use.

My mother makes a mean ratatouille! Granted it does involve a significant amount of chopping time, but the cooking part is pretty light. And you can always do what I do and bribe your family/friends/roommates/neighbors into doing the menial labor for you with the promise of some of the finished product afterwards!! It usually works for me! Here is the recipe:

1/3 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 onion, sliced
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried savory, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
3/4 pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon, thyme, savory, fennel seeds and ground coriander and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant.
Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

The ratatouille may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated before serving.

[Grace Looney]

I've always loved the site, and am pleased to be able to contribute something to the cause.

I've found with my wheat gluten allergic friends, the south american Quinoa grain is a wonderful substitute. And it's also the only grain (according to the box) that contains complete protien...

The salad that gets raves is below...and you can drop the feta cheese if you want to be on the vegan side of the dish...

Keep in mind, I wrote this upon begging of friends who wanted the "recipe" - I usually cook by feel rather than distinct measure...so play as you like. The only thing that really is important is keeping the 2 cups dressing to the 12 oz uncooked Quinoa

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Dressing:

2 Cups Newman’s Own Oil & Vinegar Dressing (or use your own salt & pepper vinagrette - don't use an italian)
4-8 cloves garlic
¾ Cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives (do not rinse, and do not use the ones cured in oil)
1 medium white onion

Press or micro-plane garlic. Should yield between 1 & 3 heaping tablespoons-depends on how many vampires you want to ward off!
Finely chop onion.
Mix dressing, pressed garlic, olives and onions together. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours (I prefer leaving it overnight, so the garlic infuses the ingredients and the onion absorbs the oil & vinegar)

(Side note on the dressing – this is a REALLY good marinade for zuccini (sliced thick then grilled after - or anything else...)

Salad:
1 12 oz box traditional quinoa.
6 oz pkg. reduced fat feta crumbled (I use reduced fat, so cheese absorbs dressing)
2-3 cups quartered grape tomatoes.
1 bunch curly leaf parsley

Prepare quinoa according to box directions – if using a rice cooker, be careful, this grain has a tendency to overflow. It has a sort of an icky grassy smell while it’s cooking – it’s normal and it won’t affect the final product. If not all water is absorbed during process, pour off extra and heat until steamed out.
Cool quinoa until no longer steaming – be sure to turn it, it holds heat in the center of the batch.
Stem and finely chop parsley, do it by hand – food processor will liquefy parsley before reaching the fine chop you’re after.
Mix dressing in with warm quinoa – the cold dressing will bring the grain down to a temp that won’t melt cheese or wilt parsley.
Mix in feta, tomatoes and parsley

Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours until it is cold all the way through.

The refrigeration is key to this working. The longer it sits the better it is. This is not something you can dig into the second it’s done and have it taste like it’s supposed to!

Enjoy!

~Grace

[joanna]

Yum! Thank you both so much . . . I'm looking forward to trying out the ratatouille and the quinoa salad too.