Rice, quinoa and kamut flour pizza dough

I experimented with this recipe at home and found it easy, fast and flavourful. The trick, like in any dough, is in the kneeding and letting rise. You can also play around with the ratios of flours (including all purpose flour) depending on the taste and consistency you want.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup kamut flour
1 cup luke warm water
1 packet of gluten free yeast
salt!


Directions:
Preheat the oven at 450F degrees.
Put one cup of flour in a mixing bowl.
In a small bowl mix the yeast with a bit of luke warm water to get it going. Stir for a few minutes and let sit.
Add 1 cup of luke warm water, the rest of the flours and the yeast to the mixing bowl.
Mix as you go.
Add salt.
I find it helpful to leave a bit of the flour for the end of the kneeding process.
Once its been kneeded as much as possible, pat the dough into a dome leaving a pocket of air in the middle ( a little baker's trick) and closing the bottom of the air pocket with dough.
Transfer the dough to a bowl in a warm place and cover it, plastic works best but a moist cloth also works.
Let it rise until it doubles in size.
Spread the dough on an oiled bake pan. Add all the toppings you want!
Leave in the oven for 20mins. or so, depending on your oven.

Eu-genius Vinaigrette

From Barb all the way from Eugene:
This is a family recipe and I've been making this salad dressing for 40 years. It is so perfect that, when Sali was 8 years old, she had a business plan to bottle it and sell it at our local Farmer's Market. Most people have the ingredients already on hand, it's easy to make, and can be stored in the fridge for up to a month. The vinegar can be whatever is on hand. If I run out of red wine vinegar, I've used balsamic, rice vinegar, white vinegar, or a combo of all. The oil can be anything. I'm mostly a sunflower or safflower oil fan for this recipe. Olive oil not so much.

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup oil
Put together and shake.

Tomato Whisperer's Polish Tomato Salad

This easy recipe is not only fresh tasting and delicious, it is also a fantastic way of reviving those bruised or flavourless tomatos you don't really know what you're going to do with. If you were me you'd think you were going to make some amazing pasta sauce but then discover (again) that you're way too lazy. Enter left scene: this Polish Tomato Salad which has fetched me my new nickname "The Tomato Whisperer" for it's ability to make old or bland tomatos seem young or gourmet. Surprisingly, it also goes tremedously well with perogies and sour cream. Huh.

Ingredients - amounts are just whatever you have on hand and to taste:

Tomatoes - wedges
Red onion - very fine lengthwise slices
Dill - liberal amounts!
Olive oil - a good splash
Red wine vinegar - just a bit
Salt and fresh cracked pepper

Method: Combine, let stand briefly, serve. So easy and so delicious!

Easy and Yummy VEGAN Chocolate Cake!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups (375 ml) flour

1 cup (250 ml) sugar

one-quarter cup (50 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. (5 ml) baking soda

1 tsp. (5 ml) vinegar

1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract

one-third cup (75 ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (250 ml) water

Method:

In medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda until well mixed. All at once add the vinegar, vanilla, oil and water. Stir well, then pour the batter into a well-greased 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

This is taken straight from a book I highly recommend: "The Clueless Vegetarian" by Evelyn Raab

Baked Eggs with Creamy (leftover) Leeks

So after making the Potato and Leek soup (see recipe below) which called for only the white and light green part of the leek, I was left with all the dark green ends and unsure of what to do with them. It seems most people agree that you should throw them out but since I really didn't want to I decided to try this baked egg recipe that recommends the tender leek parts but doesn't demand them. Well, it turns out that if you cut the dark green leek bits really thin they're totally delicious, and if you bake eggs over top of them they're amazing. Next time I make this I think I might try putting partially cooked thinly sliced potatoes at the bottom of the baking dish underneath the leeks to make a gluten free stand alone meal out of it. As it is though, it's really tasty and looks super fancy too. And total prep time was less than 10 minutes! Below amounts worked well for a portion of 2 eggs. *Veggie; gluten free


Ingredients:

• leeks, thinly sliced (I used the ends of two stalks)
• whipping cream (I used 3 dollops of sour cream and a splash of half and half)
• 2 eggs
• butter for frying and for greasing your baking dish
• salt and pepper to taste, any other herbs you might feel like adding to garnish
  
• * grated parmesan or other cheese (I added parmesan halfway through eating it just to see how it would taste and it added a flavour EXPLOSION! This recipe holds its' own without but if you're craving cheesey eggs definitely try it!)

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the base and sides of ramekin type thing (I think a muffin tray would work ok too)
   
2. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook leeks over medium heat, approx. 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, but not browned.
   
3. Add cream (2 of the dollops) and cook over low heat until leeks are very soft and cream has thickened a little. Season to taste.
   
4. Place ramekin in a small roasting pan and portion leek mixture into the bottom of the ramekin. Break egg on top of the leeks (or eggs, depending on how big your baking dish is - mine fits 2 eggs but individual portions would be cute and a larger dish could be practical). Spoon third dollop of cream onto the eggs.
   
5. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come up halfway up the sides of the ramekins or baking dish you're using. Transfer pan into preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until eggs are just set.
   
6. If you want to add cheese you can add it after like I did, or maybe try mixing it into the creamy leek mixture before cracking eggs onto it.
   
7. Enjoy and pretend you're in France, where apparently baked eggs are super popular!

Recipe adapted from:

"Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook," by Jenny White and Joanna Farrow and can be found here: http://www.allabouthealthyrecipes.com/side-dishes-recipes/baked-eggs-with-creamy-leeks.php

Surprising Leek and Potato Soup

Two weeks ago I picked up a couple leeks for some amazing recipe I was excited to try. Evidently I should have made it then, because I've since completely forgotten what I got them for. This morning I was searching through every cookbook I have and couldn't find the recipe I was so sure I had to try, so I settled on making leek and potato soup instead. How else was I going to use up these droopy leeks and softening potatos I had hanging around my kitchen? Well, lucky for me this whole leeky fiasco happenned because the soup recipe I found is surprisingly simple and delightfully delicious. The recipe calls for butter but if you're looking to make it vegan I think any substitute will be delicious too * gluten free; vegan if made with cooking oil or vegan margerine

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter (or vegan alternate)


• 2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only - but don't throw away the dark green bits, see Baked Eggs with Creamy Leeks recipe), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced


• 2 medium potatoes, more or less peeled and cubed


• 3 1/2 cups of some kind of stock (I used veggie Better than Bouillon concentrate)


• *chopped chives to garnish if you're fancy
  

How:

Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with butter. Cover and cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
Puree (I used a blender wand) until smooth. Return to pot if pureed in blender. Thin with additional stock if soup is too thick (or water if soup is too flavourful). Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Garnish and serve.

Original Recipe from:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Leek-and-Potato-Soup-1922

Marinated Zucchini and Flageolet Bean Salad

I got a 3-4 ingredient cookbook last week and have been a bit skeptical of the recipes but I thought I'd give it a chance today and try out this salad. The photo for this recipe (not the one shown here) looked like either it was very well taken or the salad was going to be delicious, and it turns out that the flageolet bean is wonderful!!!! After happily eating this light and tangy salad I looked up this bean, whose name is strangely reminiscent of the effect beans have on most people, and discovered that the flageolet bean "is the caviar of all beans." It definitely is delicious, with an almost cheesey flavour and richness to it. Aside from the beans, which I found at the Italian Centre, this recipe is slightly adapted to what I had in my kitchen and took about 7 minutes total to prepare. *vegan, wheat free

You need:

• 2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 14 oz can flageolet beans, drained and rinsed
• rind and juice of a lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced (if desired)
• salt and fresh black pepper (to taste)
  

Process:

1. 1. Cook the zucchinis in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Drain well and rinse in cold running water.
2. 2. Combine the zuccinis and beans in a bowl with the oil, lemon juice and rind, and garlic
3. 3. Salt and pepper to taste and chill for 30 minutes before serving
   
   

Recipe adapted from:
"Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook," by Jenny White and Joanna Farrow

Mmmm easy butter tofu or chicken

This is a FAVOURITE recipe of mine and is really great both for impressing or comforting. Despite the long list of ingredients it's also super easy to make! *veggie option, no wheat, easy for potlucks

What you need:

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter

2 tbsp (30 mL) tandoori or tikka curry paste

1 tbsp (15 mL) minced fresh ginger

2 tsp (10 mL) minced fresh hot pepper

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin

1 tsp (5 mL) paprika

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) crushed (ground) tomatoes (I like also adding some fresh tomatoes)

1 cup (250 mL) 35 % whipping cream

1-1/2 lbs (675 g) chunks of tofu or chicken

1/2 cup (125 mL) plain yogurt

1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

How:
1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Place half of butter in a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) glass baking dish. Place in oven for about 3 min or until melted. Swirl to coat dish; set aside.
2. In large deep pot, melt remaining butter over medium-high heat. Cook half of tandoori paste, the ginger, hot pepper, cumin and paprika, stirring, for about 2 min or until fragrant . Add tomatoes; bring to boil. Stir in whipping cream; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring often, for 10 min or until sauce is thickened.
3. Meanwhile, in bowl, combine tofu or chicken, yogurt and remaining tandoori paste; toss to combine. Spread in single layer in prepared baking dish. Bake in oven for 10 min. Pour tomato sauce and chopped fresh tomatoes if you're adding them over tofu/chicken; bake for about 10 min longer or until sauce is bubbling and if using chicken until it's no longer pink inside. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and lime juice. Serve with rice.

Recipe comes from:

http://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/easy-butter-chicken

Cult Following Tofu Chocolate Mousse

So sometimes I simply crave something sweet, sometimes I like to treat my friends, and other times I desperately need something easy to bring to a potluck. This not-so-delicious sounding mousse is actually AMAZING. It's acquired cult status here in Edmonton, and today I'm giving my secrets away. Enjoy. *veggie, vegan if you want it to be, no wheat, potluck favourite iwhen quadrupled

You need:

about a cup or two of chocolate(y) chips
1 container (12 ounces) room-temperature silken tofu (or any soft tofu)
a splash of some kind of milk if you want

How:

1. Dump the tofu into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan or metal bowl set into another saucepan filled with boiling water (or in a double boiler), stirring until smooth. Add milk if you want it creamier. Pour the melted chocolate into the blender or processor and blend until the mixture is very smooth and creamy. Spoon into individual dessert dishes and chill.

To fancify you can vary the recipe depending on what's in your kitchen. Options include adding vanilla or strong coffee before blending; setting the mousse over crushed cookes; adding whip cream, chocolate or raspberries when it's done; or substituting carob or dark chocolate chips and soy milk if you need a vegan version. I haven't tried it but apparently you can also use this mousse to fill a baked pie shell (or a graham cracker crust) for a delish chocolate mousse pie.

Steak and Guinness Stew

I made this and it was good!

I've been really drawn to braised meats and stews lately - something about the meat falling apart is integral. This is the recipe I will now go to to get my fix. It's the perfect thing for cold days (in Edmonton, Vancouver, whathaveyou), and has that stewy-comfort food-satisfying quality. I've adapted it (sort of) from a Jamie Oliver recipe.

My friend Nina made this for me first, and swore it was easy so I tried it. You need a bit of time because it takes around 2 1/2 hours of cooking in the oven, but the actual work is quick and easy. The original recipe calls for it to be in a pastry/pie, but I didn't really care for that and felt like it would be better over some buttery-garlicky mashed potatoes. I was right. The photo doesn't really do it justice. It's awesome.

Steak and Guinness Stew with Peas

You need:

olive oil

3 medium red onions, peeled & chopped

5 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped

2 Tablespoons butter

2 carrots, peeled & chopped

2 sticks celery, trimmed & chopped

a big handful of mushrooms, sliced

2 lbs of stewing beef, cut into 2 cm cubes

a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked & chopped

salt and pepper

One 440ml can of Guinness

2 heaped Tablespoons plain flour

potatoes for mashing

frozen peas!

Preheat oven to 375.

In big ovenproof pat, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on low heat. Add the onions and fry gently for about 10 minutes (this is some serious onion chopping. I cried and left the room several times - worst part for sure). Turn the heat up, add garlic, butter, carrots and celery and mushrooms. Mix together before stirring in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of pepper.

Fry fast for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in the Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and place in the preheated oven for about 1.5 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and give the stew a stir. Put it back in and continue to cook it for another hour, or until the meat is very tender and the stew is rich, dark and thick.

I just mashed some potatoes (add as much butter, cream, garlic as you like, boiled up some peas and then served the stew over the potatoes and threw some peas on the side. The sauce is like gravy and the meat is super tender. So Good! I don't even think I'd change anything when I make it again (tomorrow).