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Cashew Mushroom Gravy

Posted June 29, 2013 By Sandy

You don’t have to give up rich tasting gravies if you are a Gluten Free Vegan.

Malcolm and I have done some research and have developed a wonderful gravy recipe into a GREAT Gluten Free Vegan Cashew Mushroom Gravy recipe.  Mushrooms and cashews are the ‘secret’ ingredient in this recipe that make it so special and delicious!

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Cashew Mushroom Gravy

Cashew Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of water
  • ½ cup of cashew pieces (soak overnight and drained for increased nutrition)
  • ½ cup of mushrooms (if dried - re-hydrate overnight first and drain)
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • ¼ - ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ - ½ tsp Celtic or Himalayan salt
  • 3 Tbsp Braggs or Coconut Aminos
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • Favorite spices to taste (e.g. cumin - basil - thyme etc.)

Instructions

  1. Blend the ingredients in a heavy duty blender.
  2. Blend all ingredients on high for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Pour into saucepan and cook on medium heat until it starts to bubble, stirring regularly to avoid scorching.
  3. Serve gravy over lentil loaf.
  4. Can also be used as gravy over potatoes, rice or biscuits.
https://glutenfreeveganliving.com/cashew-mushroom-gravy/

Try this gravy recipe next time you are craving the gluten and dairy filled counterpart and tell me what you think!

We have even used this for sausage and biscuits — although it did taste a bit different, it was still good!

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Marti’s Squash Soup

Posted January 29, 2013 By Sandy

My friend, Marti, is gluten intolerant just like us!  One of the classes I attended with her, she brought her homemade Squash Soup.  Of course, my first thought was …. well, not favorable!  I had tastes Squash Soup before, and hated it — terrible mouth feel and lacked good flavor.Soup Tureen 1

“But this soup has a secret ingredient,” she assured me with a slight twinkle in her eye.  Okay, I told her, I would try it, and boy, am I glad I did.  It was wonderful!!  Soon after, I made a batch at home and my husband, Malcolm, loved it as well.

Here is Marti’s Famous Squash Soup:

Marti’s Squash Soup

Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Marti Wilkison
Ingredients
  • 4 cups baked squash
  • 1 box of veggie broth (I just used what I had – about 2-3 cups
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove of garlic, pressed
  • 1 Granny Smith or other apple, chopped (SECRET INGREDIENT!)
  • Coconut oil for cooking
  • 1 tsp. cumin
Instructions
  1. Saute onion, garlic and apple in oil. Add veggie broth.
  2. After they are cooked, run the ingredients through the Vitamix.
  3. Add squash and more broth or cream (I used coconut milk) until smooth.
  4. Heat until warm and serve.

Simple, good and nutritious.  Tastes great on a cold snowy day — or anytime you might want to try some wonderful Squash Soup!

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Potato Soup

Posted January 18, 2013 By Sandy

When I was little, my mother use to make a version of Potato Soup that I greatly disliked.  Don’t know why (although, I did not like much of my mom’s cooking as found a whole new world of food when I got out on my own!!) — I just didn’t like it.

Soup Tureen 2Fast forward about 30 years, and potato soup is a regular around our house.  It is simple to make and can easily be varied depending on the veggies you have on hand.

Here is my basic recipe:

Potato Soup

Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Sandy Dell
Ingredients
  • One onion, diced
  • Couple stalks of celery, diced
  • Couple carrots, diced
  • 4-5 potatoes, chopped
  • Vegetable broth or water
  • seasonings
Instructions
  1. Saute onions, celery and carrots in a large pot.
  2. Add chopped potatoes
  3. Cover with water or a mix of water and broth.
  4. Bring to a boil and simmer until the veggies are soft.
  5. Pour about half the mixture into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot and add seasoning.
  6. Re-heat if necessary and serve.

You could easily add any leftover veggies you have on hand or substitute zucchini for the carrots.  Mushrooms also add some wonderful flavor.

I received a post from Jule’s with another potato soup recipe that is a bit different than mine, but sounded just as good.

Here are here ingredients:

  • Vegetable stock or water
  • 8-10 medium-large potatoes (Russet or other white potatoes)
  • ½ large head of cauliflower
  • 3-4 carrots
  • 4 thick stalks of celery
  • 1 onion
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cayenne pepper, cumin or red pepper flakes, to taste, if you prefer spicier soup (optional)

Click here to check out the directions for Jules Vegan Potato Soup (she also has a link to a cornbread recipe that sounds equally as good!)

What are you having for supper tonight?

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Minestrone Soup – Gluten Free and Vegan

Posted January 15, 2013 By Sandy

Vegetable type soups have always been my favorite – even when I was a little girl!  The old standby, Chicken Noodle soup, was good when I was sick, but veggie soups were my favorite.

When I got older, I graduated from the ‘Campbell’ soups to Healthy Choice soups and I loved Minestrone.  Naturally, when I became Gluten Free and Vegan, I went to work to find a Minestrone soup that worked for my new lifestyle — and one that tasted good.

After a few tries, I came up with the following recipe — thick enough to eat with a fork!:

Minestone Soup

Minestrone Soup – Gluten Free and Vegan

Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Sandy Dell
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 3/4 cup zucchini, sliced
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 cup vegetable bouillon or liquid
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 can kidney or red beans
  • 1 can white beans
  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 – 14 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup carrots, sliced
  • ½ cup marinara sauce
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or favorite mixed seasoning)
  • 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
  • ½ cups GF shell pasta
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in large kettle. Sauté garlic, onion, celery and zucchini until tender.
  2. Add bouillon, water, tomatoes, beans, carrots and spices. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Next add pasta, spinach and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Rather than add so many canned beans, I will often cook up a large batch of mixed beans (I keep several different types in my pantry) and freeze some of them for later use.  If you use this method, you will need 6 – 7 cups of cooked beans.

I have also tried this recipe with various other Gluten Free pasta.  Tastes good with any or all of them!

Of course, if you want a thinner soup, you can adjust the water accordingly.

Great soup to eat on a cold snowy day!

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Winter Soup: Healthy “Clam” Chowder

Posted January 10, 2013 By Sandy

Been out of the loop for a few days.  Our internet had been down and I am finally getting back on line.

This is the time of the year that I focus on soups and stews.  Personally, I love to snuggle up to a warm bowl of soup and watch the snow fall.  We don’t get out and about as much this time of the year, so I tend to spend more time in the kitchen or into a good book!

So, for my first soup post, I’d like to share a recipe by Livvy of 86 Lemons.  Don’t let the title confuse you — the recipe is Gluten Free and Vegan!!

ClamChowder86L09

Winter Soup: Healthy “Clam” Chowder

Recipe Type: Soups
Author: Livvy of 86 Lemons
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup water*
  • 1 cup soy creamer, plain*
  • 1 cup soy milk, plain
  • splash of truffle oil (white or black)*
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp fine black pepper
  • spices of your choice*
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast*
  • 1 medium potato, peeled, boiled and cut into quarters*
  • ⅓ cup white onion, cut into large chunks
  • 1¾ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in salted water*
  • MUSHROOM “CLAM” SAUTÉ: 2 tsp safflower oil
  • 3-4 king oyster mushrooms, cubed 1/4″ thick
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • (I also added a clove of garlic, minced)
  • splash of liquid smoke
  • splash of truffle oil*
  • a few dashes of salt (or seasoned salt)
Instructions
  1. If you forgot or don’t have time to soak your cashews overnight, an alternate method is to simmer cashews over medium heat in salted water for 25 minutes. Either way, drain and rinse cashews. Add all of the ingredients (except the Mushroom “Clam” Sauté ingredients) to a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. Add liquids first, then spices, then soft ingredients, then firm ingredients. If you don’t have a high-speed, heavy-duty blender, you may want to split the ingredients in half and do two batches. Start on low and slowly increase speed until the cashews are puréed and the mixture is creamy. You can add more liquid if you prefer a thinner soup. Taste soup and adjust seasonings as needed. Pour soup into a sauce pan over low heat.
  2. Heat safflower oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion and mushrooms (and garlic, if you are using) to pan; sauté over high heat for about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add a splash of truffle oil and liquid smoke halfway through the cooking process.
  3. Add most of the mushroom mixture to the sauce pan with the soup. Reserve some of the mixture for garnish. Stir the soup and continue to heat until warmed through. Serve in soup bowls or in bread bowls, if you like. Garnish with reserved “clam” mixture.

I’m going to add this recipe to my special home recipes as it sounds absolutely wonderful!  I have never been overly found of clams (when I was eating them), but find that the mushrooms sound like a perfect substitute.

Make sure to check out the beautiful photos and tips that Livvy includes on her website.

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Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

Posted October 9, 2012 By Sandy

These short cooler days bring on the end of our gardens and what to do with all the odds and ends of veggies.  Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup is a perfect answer — warm soup for the cooler days and nights!

I personally, am a big Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup lover.  And I love it that it is Gluten Free and Vegan!!  Actually, you can use any veggies in this soup, but this is what Diane Eblin of The Whole Gang website recommends in her recipe below:

Photo courtesy of Diane Eblin of The Whole Gang

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Diane Eblin of The Whole Gang
Ingredients
  • • 1 onion, chopped
  • • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • • 2-4 zucchini, chopped
  • • 2 yellow squash, chopped
  • • 2 cups green beans, chopped
  • • 2 peppers, chopped (use your favorite ones)
  • • 2 – 4 pint boxes of tiny tomatoes, greens removed
  • • large handful of parsley, chopped
  • • large handful of fresh basil
  • • large handful of fresh spinach
  • • large handful of fresh amaranth greens
  • • Enough stock to cover all of these wonderful vegetables
  • • Salt and pepper to taste
  • • 2-4 teaspoons of your favorite spice profile: Italian, Mexican, Cajun, Creole, or Southwest
Instructions
  1. Toss them all into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Let them cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 4 hours on high and 6 hours on low. Cooking time will vary according to your slow cooker.
  2. You can serve it up this way or I love to either put my immersion blender in there or ladle the soup into the blender to make is thick and creamy.
  3. If you want it even creamier add in some dairy free milk or include potatoes in your vegetable mix.
  4. Another option is to add in some corn off the cob.This will also make it more creamy.
  5. This soup is also a great base for adding in whatever proteins you would like such as beans.

The original recipe had references to meat and meat stock, but of course, I left those out!

I make a similar recipe to this one but include beans, gluten free pasta and Italian seasoning.  Adding Mexican spices, corn and beans would make this a Latin dish!

Another variation I use it to take about 1/3 of the soup, run it through my blender and add it back into the soup.  The finished product is a creamy chunky soup.  And, like she states, that variation is even better when you add potatoes.

So what is your favorite “End of the Summer” soup?

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Vegan Spinach Dip

Posted September 11, 2012 By Sandy

I really love Vegan Spinach Dip — but I cheat and and use a pre-made dry veggie mix that I buy at our local alternative food store.  Then I found the following recipe that also sounds really good.

This Vegan (and Gluten Free) Spinach Dip is found on the Elevated Existence website.  According to the post, this recipe is originally from Susan O’Brien’s cookbook:  Gluten-Free, Vegan Comfort Food: 125 Simple & Satisfying Recipes, from “Mac and Cheese” to Chocolate Cupcakes.

Photo courtesy of http://www.elevatedexistence.com/blog/2012/08/30/gluten-free-vegan-spinach-dip/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gluten-free-vegan-spinach-dip

Vegan Spinach Dip

Recipe Type: Spread, dips, topping
Author: Susan O’Brien via the Elevated Existence website
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup packed fresh spinach, steamed and drained
  • 3 tbsp Tofutti sour cream
  • 1 tbsp lemon or orange juice
  • 1 cup ground raw cashews, finely ground in a food processor
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onions and sauté until soft – about 4 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and sauté a few minutes longer.
  4. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  5. Place the steamed, drained spinach, and all the other ingredients listed in a food processor and pulse until they are well blended.
  6. Place mixture in a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate before serving.

 

This recipe looks pretty good — but if you know me, you know I will avoid the tofu sour cream.  I would substitute Grape Seed Oil Vegenaise!

If you are interested in Susan’s cookbook, click the link below:

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Peanut Sauce

Posted August 24, 2012 By Sandy

Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and fell in love with one of their sauces and wanted to make it at home?  Well, if Peanut Sauce is one of those sauces you would like to make, we are featuring it here:

Peanut Sauce- Gluten Free, Vegan

I am sorry, but the original authors request that I remove this post from the blog.  Unfortunately, she did not see the value of having her recipe and website referenced on my blog. 

 I have posted numerous recipes on this blog — always giving the original author credit.  This is the first time I have been blasted on twitter for doing this!

My goal has always been to share the best recipes with everyone as there are so many excellent ideas out there.   Personally, I would be thrilled (and am so when it happens) if someone republishes any posts or recipes I have on my blogs!

So my Gluten Free Vegan friends, have a wonderful day!!

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Gluten Free Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Posted August 20, 2012 By Sandy

Good Gluten Free Vegan sauces are hard to find and somewhat difficult to replicate from traditional recipes.  I really miss my “mushroom soup” sauce, but I think this Gluten Free Vegan Alfredo Sauce will work well by just adding mushrooms — or at least work well enough!

Vegan, Gluten-Free Navy Bean “Alfredo Sauce”

  • 2 T Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free AP Flour (this flour is mostly made from protein rich garbanzo bean flour…very good for you!)
  • 2 T alternative to butter.  I used soy free Earth Balance.  (I plan to try it with coconut oil as well at some point)
  • 1 cup Rice Milk, unsweetened (or Oat or Soy milk)
  • 1 can organic Navy Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 container veggie broth
  • Nutritional Yeast to taste
  • Organic Worcestershire
  • Salt n black pepper to taste

READ COMPLETE RECIPE and POST

Personally, I am allergic to navy beans, but I would think any while bean would work.  And of course, I would also add mushrooms!

How would you use this recipe?

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Raw Cherry Snack Bar

Posted June 12, 2012 By Sandy

Simple recipes are the best!  Being the lazy cook that I am, I don’t like to fix something that has dozens of ingredients — or ones that are not normally on my pantry shelf.

I love this Raw Cherry Snack Bar from Dr. Josh Axe.  If you are not familiar with Dr. Josh Axe, you might want to check out his website!  He list lots of great recipes, health tips, and lots of plain good sense advice.

Very Cherry Snack Bar

Ingredients

  • 1/4 c. dates
  • 1/4 c. dried cherries
  • 1/3 c. pecans, almonds or walnuts
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

  1. Place dates, dried cherries and cinnamon in a food processor and blend to a paste.
  2. Set aside in a bowl.
  3. Place nuts in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  4. Add nuts to bowl and knead together with fingers and form into bars. Store in refrigerator.

READ FULL POST

If you want some variety, you could substitute raisins, apricots, prunes or any dried fruit for the cherries — although the cherries sound really yummy!

Check out Dr. Axe’s books here:

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