Gluten Free Vegan Living

Grains and Legumes are the staples of a Gluten Free Vegan Pantry — at least in my house, they are!  Although most of my meals are full of veggies (fresh when I can get them, frozen next and canned as a last resort!), I complement dishes with grains and legumes.

Here is a list of the Grains and Legumes I keep in My Pantry:

Grains

• Rice — There are lots of different rices to chose from.  Right now, we have short grain brown rice because we got a good deal on a large package.  Some of my other favorites are Jasmine and Basmati which are a sweeter white rice.
• Popping corn — Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks.  I pop it on the stove in coconut oil and add seasoning salt!  Don’t forget to buy organic popping corn so it is free of GMO.
• Quinoa –One of my favorites for breakfast, lunch or dinner recipes.
• Rolled Oats — Not just for breakfast as it is good in granolas, meatless dishes and cookies.
• Teff, Buckwheat, Millet and Amaranth — I keep small amounts of those just for some variety.  I have mostly eaten those cooked for a breakfast dish, but occasionally, I find an interesting recipe that calls for one or the other.

My favorite is a grains mix by TruRoots called Sprouted Rice & Quinoa Blend.  The blend consists of organic sprouted brown and red rice along with organic quinoa and wild rice.  I absolutely love the stuff and use it in soups and casseroles.

NOTE:  If you are interested in more information on grains, check out my Squidoo page:  Gluten Free Grains.

For legumes, we have a variety of different types of bean and lentils that we use interchangeable in some dishes.  I use to eat lots of beans until I found out that my uric acid level was unusually high.  I still eat beans, but I need to limit the amount to a couple times of week instead eating them everyday.

Legumes:

• Black Beans –King of the beans in my opinion.  I use these as a base for many of my Mexican dishes (I am allergic to pinto beans).  They are very flavorful and taste much better than pinto beans.
• Garbanzo or Chickpeas — Wonderful in minestrone soup, salads, and as a base for my husband’s hummus recipe.
• Red/Orange Lentils (Red Chief?) — Quick cooking lentils to eat alone or with veggies
• Sprouting Mung Beans — we sprout and put in our salads and stir fry dishes.
• Great Northern White Beans — I like these in salads, mock ‘chicken’ salad and in our white chili recipe.  They are a mild bean that does not overpower the taste of the ingredients you add to them.
• Red and Pink Beans — we have a limited quantity of these beans for variety.

I also have a favorite Bean mix from TruRoots called Sprouted Bean Trio.  The mix includes organic sprouted mung beans, green lentils and adzuki beans.  This quick cooking mix takes only 15 minutes to prepare.  I have mixed it with the TruRoots grain mix and added veggies for an interesting soup.  Last night I cooked up a batch, added sauteed onions, celery and mushrooms and poured diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over the mix.  Delicious!

TruRoots makes lots of other nutritious sprouted mixes.  Check them out below:

Okay, now that we have Halloween and the elections behind us, I want to focus on some wonderful Gluten Free Vegan recipes for Thanksgiving.

Beth of Tasty Tummies posted a recipe from her friend Sherrie of Living Simply Gluten Free (Isn’t it great how we all work together!) for a interesting Gluten Free Quinoa Sage Stuffing.  Since stuffing, to me, isn’t stuffing without sage and since I love quinoa so much, I couldn’t resist sharing this recipe with you.

Our church is having a special Harvest Dinner this Sunday and this recipe will make a great addition to the menu!!  I think, though, that I will add mushrooms to the mix — and maybe raisins or apples to add some moisture.  What do you think?

If you have an special Thanksgiving recipes you would like to share with us, I would love to hear from you.   I will be featuring these special recipes over the next couple weeks.

Quinoa is my favorite grain.  I think I like it better than rice or corn!  One of the reasons why I like it so much is because it is so versatile:  You can eat it for breakfast, for lunch or for dinner!

The Benefits of Quinoa are overwhelming — Quinoa is more beneficial than any other grain.  Finding Quinoa was one of the most important side effect of becoming Gluten Free!!

The Made Just Right by Earth Balance website/blog featured an article on Quinoa that is very interesting and informative.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

5 Benefits of Quinoa for Vegan, Gluten Free Diets

1.it is considered a complete protein because it contains all essential amino acids.

2.it is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which have important anti-inflammatory (and more!) properties

3.it is a good source of the antioxidant, Vitamin E

4.it is high in nutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and zinc (many with Celiac disease lack some of these nutrients)

5.it is high in dietary fiber (36% soluble, 64% insoluble)

The articles goes on to explain how to prepare and cook Quinoa.  Make sure to check out the extra tips included in the original article.

Personally, I eat Quinoa as a breakfast cereal.  Just cook up a cup or so, add coconut milk, raisins, and cinnamon and enjoy!

My favorite Quinoa recipe, by far, is Quinoa Tabouli Salad which works great as a lunch dish.

For dinner (or supper), Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa sounds delicious

Gluten Free Vegan Living has lots of recipes and posts about Quinoa.  What is your favorite way to eat Quinoa?

With the summer barbequing season in full swing, there are LOTS of  “burger” recipes floating around. A Quinoa “Hamburger” recipe was posted yesterday.  Today, the featured recipe is Vegan Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers.

Quinoa makes a healthy nutritious base for the black beans in these burgers.  Add the chipotle and cumin to add a bit of ‘south of the border’ flavor!

Gluten Free Vegan Chipotle Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 – 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 4 cups cooked black beans)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 green onions, green and white parts, chopped
1/3 Chipotle Vegenaise
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup plus 6 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour or all-purpose gluten free flour
Olive or grapeseed oil

Directions

Combine the quinoa, water and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan with a lid. Bring to boil, lower the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Alternately, you can use 2½ cups cooked quinoa.

Place half of the black beans in a food processor with the ground cumin, green onions, Chipotle Vegenaise, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining beans and pulse a few times until you have a somewhat chunky puree. Put the bean mixture into a mixing bowl, add the cooked quinoa and 6 tablespoons of flour, stir to combine. Place the remaining ½ cup flour on a dinner plate. Portion the bean mixture into 6 equal sized patties.

Add just enough oil to a large skillet to coat the bottom and heat over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Place the patties into the flour and coat both sides. Add the patties carefully to the hot skillet, do not over crowd the skillet. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

READ FULL POST

Personally, my body does not like overly spicy foods — so I would substitute Grapeseed Vegenaise over the chipotle.  But don’t omit it as it helps bind the ‘burgers’.  Some vegan cheese would be nice or even some salsa on top!

What would you add to this Vegan Black Bean and Quinoa Burger?

More Meatless Recipes here!

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you probably already know I am a big Squidoo fan.  Personally, I have written dozen of lens.  (Here is my Gluten Free Vegan Living lens).

In my research, I have compiled of list of my Favorite Gluten Free Vegan Squidoo Lens. Here they are — and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

• Easy Vegan Tamale Recipes
• Gluten Free Quinoa Recipes
• Vegan Chili Relleno
• Vegan Zucchini Pasta Recipes  
• Raw Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipes
  
• Healthy Eating Recipes
• Alternative Flours and Starches for Gluten Free Baking
• Vegan Sushi

Squidoo sponsors a GoodVeg ‘magazine’ that also posts some excellent recipes.  Here are my favorites from the GoodVeg list:

• The Many Qualities of Quinoa
• Soba Noddles with Portabella Mushrooms Chick Peas
• Why Soak Nuts, Legumes and Seeds
• Chocolately Brown Rice Treats

Do you have some Squidoo Lens you would like to share?  I would be happy to add more to the list!!

Quinoa, nicknamed “the mother of all grain” for its high nutritional value, is actually a pseudo grain belonging to the Goosefoot family

Read more about Quinoa on my Squidoo Lens:  Gluten Free Grains!

Quinoa Salsa Salad

Dressing
3 tablespoons gluten free salsa
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked wild rice
½ cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
½ cup rinsed and drained canned red kidney beans
½ cup corn kernels
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

1.    Prepare the dressing:  In a small bowl, whisk together salsa oil, vinegar, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside for at least 1 hour.  Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

2.    Prepare the salad:  In a large bowl, combine quinoa, wild rice, black beans, kidney beans, corn, celery, red pepper, red onion and cilantro.

3.    Pour dressing over salad and toss well to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop and blend.

Recipe Source: Complete Gluten-Free Cookbook: 150 Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free Recipes, Many with Egg-Free Variations

Resources: Amazing Grains: Creating Vegetarian Main Dishes with Whole Grains

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&profile=default&search=quinoa+&fulltext=Search&uselang=en

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

Quinoa is one of my favorite grains.  It is so versatile — you can use it in breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes.  Quinoa is higher in protein and other important nutrients than most grains.  And most important, it tastes good!

But, not everyone agrees with me!  Following is an except of an article written by Abby Laub who is a freelance writer.  She has a different spin on Quinoa and Vegan and Vegetarians in general ….

Quinoa Is Not Chicken

Why vegetarian and vegan diets should be approached with caution

Lexington, KY – I hear a lot of people raving about quinoa. It’s gluten free. It’s a complete protein source. It’s low-fat. Health fanatics, particularly vegetarians and vegans, love this grain-like crop. It sounded like soy or black beans –– another way to fill the void of meat from a diet.

At the same time, after working on a series of health stories relating to diets, I had countless conversations with people who were either recovering vegetarians; vegans or vegetarians who were always at the doctor; and vegetarians who struggled to meet simple fitness goals due to a lack of strength.

READ COMPLETE ARTICLE

I felt some important facts were missing from the article.  The most important was that the author was drawing conclusions ONLY from her experience.  In my honest opinion, not everyone’s body is suited for vegan eating.  If you follow the The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry, some people do better with less meat protein and more veggies and grain while others are the opposite (my house is a perfect example as I thrive on a more vegan style diet while my husband is a definite carnivore!).  If I even try to eat a bunch of meat, I fill bloated, fight with acid reflex ….. and I am allergic to eggs and dairy!

Because I eat very little meat and no dairy or eggs, I take B12 vitamins everyday.  My iron level is high, so I don’t take iron pills — because I don’t need them (even though I am vegan!).

After reading the article, what are your thoughts?

Vegan Spinach Soups, which is also Gluten Free, is a good option if you are looking to add more spinach in your diet.  This recipe also includes a secret ingredient:  lavender!!  Add to that, nutrition packed quinoa and you have a wonderfully health meal!

Creamy Vegan Lavender Spinach Soup (gluten-free)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
1 large sweet white onion, diced
2 cups fresh baby spinach
2 large zucchini, diced
2 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1/3 tsp. orange zest
1/2 cup Quinoa, cooked
4 cups green tea, brewed
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 ripe avocado, peeled, cored and diced
1/8 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. dried lavender
12 macadamia nuts, crushed

READ FULL RECIPE

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Vegan Quinoa Casserole with ‘Cheese’! If you love quinoa (like I do) and miss the cheese in your food, make sure to try this recipe. Two parts to the recipe, so don’t forget to click on the link to view the second part of the Cheesy Vegan Quinoa dish!

FitSugar readers pure2raw share a “cheesy” quinoa casserole recipe that’s actually vegan as well as gluten-, soy-, and dairy-free. They posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Gluten Free Vegan Quinoa Dish with ‘Cheese” Ingredients (Part One)

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
2 cups chopped raw yellow squash
2 cups steamed cauliflower
2 handfuls arugula (or spinach)

Directions for quinoa

To cook quinoa, bring 4 cups water to a boil.
Then add in 2 cups dry quinoa and bring back to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or till water is gone.

READ THE FULL RECIPE (including the ingredients for the “cheesy” sauce)

So many good ingredients in this recipe: Quinoa, squash, cauliflower,arugula, tahini, nutritional yeast ….  I’ll add this to my collection for sure!!

Click here to visit the original source of this post

I love quinoa.  You can make so many great dishes with this simple little grain.  Quinoa was completely foreign to me until I found out I was gluten intolerant.  What a blessing in disguise!

Following is a recipe using some very nutritious ingredients …

 Quinoa Salad Recipe with Roasted Beets, Chick Peas, Baby Spinach and Orange

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked quinoa
2 beets, trimmed and quartered
Olive oil
Sea salt
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons organic gluten-free tamari sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon organic raw agave nectar or local honey
1 cup drained rinsed chick peas
2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 fresh orange, peeled, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/01/quinoa-salad-with-roasted-beets-chick.html#ixzz1lNbyyiWw