Another Gluten-Free, Vegan, Kid-Friendly meal that will fill your families tummy and save you lots at the grocery store! Yea for bargain meals!
I made this recipe last Sunday night for my family and it was surprisingly good! My husband was super skeptical coming to the table and wasn’t sure about the ‘combination’ of ingredients but they all went very well together. The best part is that this is a super fast and easy recipe that can be a good last minute dinner if you have run out of time. The brown rice can be made far in advance and everything else just takes a few minutes. I also made a Green Bean and Sesame Salad recipe to go with the meal (gotta get your vegetables in) but it was terrible, so I won’t share that really bad recipe. To the credit of the recipe it called for rice miso which I wasn’t able to add because it is not gluten-free (or I couldn’t find a gluten-free version) so I had to try to substitute and I think it went badly. Steamed Green beans next to the Brown Rice and Kidney Beans would be delicious and will fix the need for a green something at the table.
Last night, Wednesday night, I served this as left overs but added an extra can of black beans so that it was very heavy on the beans. I really like it when there are more beans rather than less so that is another option. The black beans with the kidney beans also looks really good together. We ate a green salad next to it last night to get in the veggies.
Dinner 9/20/2009:
Dilled Kidney Beans and Brown Rice
Salad:
Dressing:
Directions:
1.) Mix oil, vinegar and dill with whisk or shake in small jar
2.) Pour dressing over rice, beans and onion, toss gently.
If possible, let sit an hour or tow as flavors mellows with time.
From Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair. Moon Smile Press, Seattle, WA.
Today I felt like I needed to cut costs even more and so I have decided to make my Hummus instead of buying it at Costco! It is actually one of the easiest and most delicious little dishes I have ever made. Who knew Hummus had just a few ingredients? I would warn you that this makes A LOT of Hummus. I like to leave out Hummus as an O’rderve with Rice Chips or Carrots and Celery or as an afternoon snack or lunch treat. Enjoy!
This Middle Eastern dip is traditionally made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Prepare and refrigerate it a day ahead; let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with a lemon wedge and fresh parsley sprig, and serve with Rice Chips or Vegetables.
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Hummus
Ingrediants:
preparation:
Remove white papery skin from 2 whole garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.
Place garlic pulp, Traditional Hummus, and 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed and drained cannellini beans (or other white beans) in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until chopped (I used my blender). Add all other ingredients; process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Stir in chopped fresh rosemary.
CALORIES 45 (40% from fat); FAT 2g (sat 0.3g, mono 1g, poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 1.8g; CARB 5.3g; FIBER 1.2g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.4mg; SODIUM 81mg; CALC 16mg.
Laura Zapalowski, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008
Dinner 9/19/2009:
Last night I made a great Vegan and Gluten Free Chili. It had a bit of spice so keep that in mind when adding the jalapeno if you have an audience that doesn’t like spice. My one year old didn’t mind the spice so it might be OK for most people. It definitely feeds 8 people so feel free to make half or be ready for left-overs.
Black Bean and Quinoa Chili
Ingrediants:
Directions:
Combine quinoa and water in saucepan, cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick pan; add onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno. Saute 7 minutes over medium heat. Stir in fresh tomatoes and carrots; saute 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in beans, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings; cook about 25 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in quinoa; cook 5 minutes more.
Ladle chili into bowls and top with green onions if desired.
Yields: 8 servings.
After a delicious breakfast of oatmeal and peaches yesterday, just about everything went downhill. I had a Mom’s group to be at by 10am and ambitiously thought maybe I would walk there with the kids (about an hour walk) but then Emmy’s nap went long and that went out the door. Then I thought to be economical and take the bus and walk back but we missed the bus too. So then we are in the car, being your typical consumer, when with a little planning and forethought I could have actually made my morning goals. Uhg.
We arrive at the Mom’s group and everyone was supposed to bring something ‘brunchy’ and I thought to myself to bring sausages, not because I was going to eat them but because they were still in my freezer and I am trying to find creative ways to work the meats and dairy out of the kitchen/our home. So I cooked up those once-tasty little guys and brought them with me. They were very well received but by the end of group – while Emmy is screaming and I am desperately trying to get out the door – the sausages are not finished off. So there we are in the car, again, with those smelly, amazingly smelly, little buggers. I down 4 sausages and hand the 5th to my daughter who is making hungry clucking noises at me.
I immediately feel guilty and ashamed at my inability to control myself. I had packed snacks! Why didn’t I eat them? Being a Gluten-Free Vegan makes you very hungry a lot more often (eating about 5-6 times per day vs. 3 times if you are eating meat and dairy with high protein counts). We all got home, took a nap and felt a lot better. It was a very discouraging moment but I learned I need to bring a Gluten-Free Vegan option to the Mommy deals because it is not likely that anyone else will and I do like feeling included instead of having to dig out my personal baggy of nuts. We’re human and we like to fellowship over food, good food, mine just needs to be Gluten-Free and Vegan. More inspiration for next time – two weeks to plan till the next Mom’s Brunch.
Breakfast 9/18/2009:
We had our first Gluten-Free/Vegan breakfast this morning! I went to Manna Mills in Mountlake Terrace yesterday to buy bulk Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats. I was able to purchase them for $2.99/lb which I was pretty happy with considering how expensive GF alternatives are ! Looking at the Bob’s Red Mill website I can actually purchase them cheaper but then I have to pay for shipping – if you get them in a case though you can get a %10 discount!
We have used Agave Juice before as a natural sweetener and I really like how it tastes, we do get the light kind to reduce the sugar content even further. Peach season is here right now and I picked up a beautiful flat of peaches at Costco yesterday (bad me for not supporting my local market last weekend). Super delicious anyway.
So we had big bowls of GF Oats, Rice Milk on top with a little Agave juice and some sliced peaches. It was so refreshing! We have a house guest staying with us right now and he seemed very pleased with breakfast as well! Tonight I am going to make Black Bean and Quinoa Chili for dinner. Off to the local market for me today!
Dinner 9/17/2009:
la Carta de Oaxaca has been our favorite restaurant in Seattle for the past 4 years or so. It is located in downtown Ballard (where we live) and has great night life around it. We have gone there on many if not most date nights and have eaten almost the same meal every time. This week, being our first Vegan week, we had to change things up a bit!
Caleb, tried and true to his meal, ordered the same thing: Tacos Carne Asada and Quesadilla Fritas. I decided to branch out and get my seafood for the week. I ordered the Cocktail de Camarones and their Halibut (not listed on the online menu). It was all amazing. I didn’t eat Caleb’s at all but have been eating that dish for the last 4 years so I know it was very tasty. It is gluten-free but is in no way vegan as the tacos have beef and the Quesadilla’s are made with cheese. So really, he cheated big time.
My dinner, since I allow seafood, was amazing. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this restaurant if you don’t eat at least seafood as I think the substitutions might be more difficult but it is certainly a talented kitchen! The Halibut Tacos were truly the tastiest halibut tacos I have ever had and more than enough to fill one’s tummy. The Cocktail de Camarones is not my favorite but was in no way not good, I’m just not a huge shrimp person. No cheese on anything which was nice not have to omit things that were supposed to be in the dish – I hate doing that.
Overall I give this restaurant a 5 out of 5 if you can eat Seafood and a 3 out of 5 if you are a strict vegan. I also highly recommend their Margarita’s or any mixed drink for that matter – the bartender is fabulous!
I am learning that snacks are very, very important when eating a plant based diet. My dear friend Julia is teaching me a lot about how best to keep my man with a happy tummy. The first night we ate gluten-free/vegan he came into our bedroom at about 10pm and said “I feel great and am really really hungry – what else do you have to eat!?!” Most of the time he just feels bad and uncomfortably full so it was good that he was hungry but I needed to come up with some good snacks to keep him going when he is working late or between meals.
My first snack:
Roasted Nuts!
I went to Costco and got an array of nuts to try out both raw and roasted. We found out quickly that my hubby is allergic to Walnuts (opps!) but everything else he really liked – here is what I got:
I came home and roasted them (Almonds, Pecan, Walnuts) in the oven (single layer) at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. They I turned off the oven, let them sit and dry out inside the oven for 30 more minutes and then cool with the oven door open for another hour.
I put a bowl of nuts on Caleb’s desk and he ate them throughout the day – so happy! The extra’s went into a tupperware so that I can refill his bowl daily. A total success. My 15 month old also really really loved the Pecans – she sat on the kitchen floor munching for quite a while. Good day in finding a new favorite for our household!
Dinner 9/16/2009:
This dinner was so supper tasty and filling! My 15 month old liked the Kidney beans the best second to the soup. She was not a huge fan of the corn but my hubby loved the corn and dressing on the salad! It took about 1 hour to do the whole recipe with some yelling from the kids and a break to breastfeed Zeb (the 3 month old). The Kitchen smelled fabulous!
Squash Soup
with Side Salad of Kidney Beans and Corn
Butternut Squash with Shallots & Sage
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook shallots and squash, stirring until shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth or water, brown sugar, sage and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until squash is tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vinegar, pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
(I make this Squash into soup by adding about 1 – 1 ½ cups vegetable broth, heating on the stove in a soup pot until it goes to mush and then blending it in the blender until it is completely smooth. It makes a lovely soup for about 6 people.)
Compliments of Bastyr Website.
Kidney Bean and Corn Salad
with Cider Lime Vinaigrette
Kidney beans and fresh corn have a sweet flavor and are good sources of protein. Paired with a cooling cider lime vinaigrette, this salsa inspired salad is great on a hot summer day.
Prep time: 15-20 minutes (salad), 5 minutes (vinaigrette)
Serves 4-6
Soak kidney beans overnight. Pressure cook beans for approximately 20-40 minutes in 6 cups of water. Drain beans and let cool until room temperature.
Remove husks from corn. Bring water in a pot to boil. Place corn in boiling water. Turn off heat. Remove corn after 4 minutes, let stand until corn returns to room temperature. With chef’s knife, remove kernels from cob. Combine cooked beans, corn kernels, pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro in large mixing bowl.
For the Vinaigrette
Whisk together all ingredients in a mixing bowl until mixture thickens slightly. Combine with kidney bean salad until all ingredients are well coated.
Original Recipes Copyright 2009 by Genevieve Sherrow
Compliments of Bastyr Website
I have been gluten-free for about 4 years now and am just embarking on a vegan lifestyle as well. I have a 15 month old and a 3 month old (born on the same day one year apart!). They are amazing kiddos and I am really looking forward to making meals that my 15 month old likes too! I was a vegetarian before I found out I had Celiac’s Disease and now want to get back to a more meat/dairy free world since I really loved it before I had Celiac’s. We are however going to encorporte fish into our diet as Omega-3′s are so important for brain development for all of us but especially my kids. Yea for healthy breastmilk!
My first project is to embark on a challenge to find 30 Gluten-Free and Vegan Dinners that are Kid-Friendly. I plan to post all of the recipes online to share with those of you who are trying out the same kind of diet. Maybe this diet will help me loose some of this baby weight I am so ready to be rid of!
