Gluten Free Recipes - The Healthy Apple » Vegetarian

Crispy Quinoa Bites

Amie — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:43 +0000

Ahhh; quinoa. How I love thee.

I love your soft, fluffy texture.

I love cooking up a batch on Sunday night and picking on your leftovers with my little fingers before tossing it into salads, soups and desserts for the week ahead.

I love how every time I cook you up, you remind me of a cozy family dinner when I was a kid. After being on lockdown at the dinner table with Brussels sprouts and a crock pot meal – quinoa never looked so good or tasted so good, for that matter.

Sigh. I love you quinoa. And so do my clients- they can’t get enough lately.

Actually they’ve been eating so much of it that they asked me for some other ways to prepare it.

Well, have no fear Amie is here.

And wait until you see how cute these little bites are that I’ve created.

If you, too love this darling qunioa seed then I know you’ll love this recipe with tiny flecks of basil, onion and chives. It’s the perfect touch that makes this recipe the best I’ve had in a long, long time.

There’s just something special about it that I can’t put my finger on….

Maybe because it’s a fun lil’ finger food that you’ll love to dip right into a fresh tomato sauce.

Or maybe it’s just because I love quinoa.

One bite of these and you’ll be batting your eyelashes while smiling ear to ear. And you’ll probably wanna make ‘em again next week…because they’re a bit too good to be true.

I added dairy-free cheese to this recipe but you can use regular cheese if you prefer. The amount of cherry tomatoes depends on their ripeness. Right now, if your tomatoes are as ruby red n’ juicy and sweet as mine- you probably only need about 7-8 of those little guys. But you’ll have to be the judge!

I used regular muffin tins to make this recipe an entree but you are welcome to use mini muffin tins if you’d like to create bite sized appetizers as they’d be awfully cute for a summer BBQ, wouldn’t they?

There’s nothing better, folks, than the smell of savory quinoa bites baking in the oven. Well, I take that back. The only better thing is actually eating these bites.

Obviously.

Perfect for Memorial Day Cookouts.

Just don’t forget your sunglasses and sunscreen.

Crispy Quinoa Bites

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 24

Gluten-Free and Vegan

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup uncooked black rice
2 large eggs
1 cup Vidalia onions, finely chopped
1 cup dairy-free shredded mozzarella cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/3 cup grape tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
2 chives, finely chopped, for garnish
2 cups of homemade tomato sauce, for serving

Instructions

Cook quinoa and rice according to package directions. Prepare muffin pan with nonstick baking spray.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa and rice with remaining ingredients, except chives and pasta sauce; mix well to combine.
Transfer quinoa and rice mixture to prepared muffin pan. Using a tablespoon, fill each muffin cup to the top, then using a spatula, press down on the mixture to create a flat surface.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Using a teaspoon, gently remove rice and quinoa snacks from the muffin cups.
Transfer to a serving platter; serve with a sprinkle of fresh chives and a side of tomato sauce for dipping.

Gluten-Free Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms

Amie — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:19 +0000

Mmmm.

My o’ my are these ever yummy.

If you’re a big stuffed mushroom fan in general, you’ll go wild for these cute lil’ pine nut stuffed mushrooms. You’re probably going to giggle when I say this, but these cute bite sized snacks are the 2012 of stuffed mushrooms.

Seriously.

Maybe even the 2013 stuffed mushroom- they’re that far ahead.

Hehe.

They’re not difficult to make and literally take 30 minutes from start to finish. That’s right- no slaving in the kitchen over a hot oven.

But what really makes these mushrooms the wave of the future is that they’re gluten-free and incredibly delicious. Ya see, every Thanksgiving and Christmas my Aunt Val serves her famous stuffed mushrooms- but they’re loaded with gluten- so I just sit there and stare at my family devouring each bite- and it kills me.

So, now that the holidays are past us and I wanted to make a refreshing stuffed mushroom that could be enjoyed year-round…something light yet a bit hearty but not like those heavy breaded mushrooms often served during the winter months.

Nope; this guy’s different.

And you can pop ‘em into your mouth in an instant.

It’s kinda fun.

Yes, I am playing with my food.

So, get it over with- laugh at me all you want. I know you’re laughing at the gal on the other side of the computer who lives vicariously through her family’s glutenous lives.

He he he.

Anyway, back to the stuffed mushrooms…they’re tender and soft. Now normally, I prefer a chewier mushroom but I love the soft feel and texture of these. They’re perfectly savory and would be lovely drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

To make em, just mix a bit of cooked quinoa and rice with some carrots, pine nuts, onion and salsa- then plop this ol’ stuffing into the mushroom caps and bake away.

And, yes they taste better when eaten at a summer BBQ – not a holiday party. So toss the whole eggnog idea and get your iced tea brewin’ because these shrooms are worth the brief oven heat in the Spring and Summer.

Trust me.

Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms

Recipe type: Appetizer

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 24

Gluten-Free and Vegan

Ingredients

24 large button mushrooms
1/4 cup white onion, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup pine nuts, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. organic salsa
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 chives, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Set mushroom caps aside; discard stems.
In a small skillet over medium heat, cook onion in olive oil until translucent, approximately 6 minutes.
Add cooked brown rice, quinoa, carrots, pine nuts, salsa, sea salt and pepper; cook until warm, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Using a teaspoon, transfer rice mixture in each mushroom cap. Slightly over-stuff mushroom caps with rice mixture.
Place stuffed mushrooms in a single layer on prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven; garnish with fresh chives.
Serve warm.

Dairy-Free Creamy Avocado Soup

Amie — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:30 +0000

Happy Monday.

It was a glorious sunny weekend in Manhattan.

I spent all day on Saturday downtown at the Union Square Market where I loaded up on avocados, kale, collards and asparagus.

And all day Sunday with my family wandering around Central Park- passing the Great Lawn, Sheep’s Meadow, the reservoir and the lakes…climbing rocks and heading down trails- we were so deep inside the park that we couldn’t even hear a car or see any buildings…just pure trees, grass, fresh air, water and good ol’ Mother Nature.

It was a perfect weekend and a fabulous Mother’s Day spent with my amazing mother whom I miss already.

The sun was shining and it was in the 80′s…a bit hot in the sunshine but so nice and breezy. It was pure bliss- and a nice welcome to the summer weather that’s right around the corner.

I came home from a long day in the park and wanted to make a refreshing dish. I took one look at my food processor and the nice big bag of avocados on my counter and thought — chilled green soupy!

I swear it tastes better than it sounds.

It’s not like a green eggs n’ ham kinda thing.

So let’s make some soup, shall we?

This is my new favorite avocado soup recipe that was inspired by my cooking buddy Kirstin who made an incredible asparagus soup last week and totally gave me the yearning to whip this soupy doupy up. It’s nice n’ thick and creamy- full of yummy things like cashews, fresh herbs and green tea.

The super-ripe avocados makes it extra creamy and it’s best topped with a few diced chives and possibly another dollop of yogurt.

Trust me, the name ‘creamy’ rings true here as the dairy-free yogurt adds a smooth, rich touch.

Now don’t go thinkin’ this is some watery, chicken broth bland soup ’cause it’s not.

This is a belly chillin’-sun-shinin’-love-in-a-bowl-soup.

So go ahead whip out your food processor and be true to your inner avocado goddess. You know you’ve got one.

You can easily make it tonight with a quick trip to the market, guys and gals- I assure you- it’s a green winner.

Dairy-Free Creamy Avocado Soup

Recipe type: Appetiser

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Gluten-Free and Vegan

Ingredients

3 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 cups plain dairy-free yogurt such as SoDelicious
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup vidalia onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 cup green tea, brewed and chilled
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
2 chives, finely chopped

Instructions

In a food processor, combine avocado, yogurt almonds, cilantro, onion, balsamic vinegar, green tea, sea salt and pepper; pulse until smooth.
Remove from blender; transfer to a bowl and cover. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Ladle soup into four bowls; serve chilled. Garnish with chives.

Dole Summit

Amie — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:05 +0000

O what an amazing trip…

Last week I had the pleasure of working with the Dole Fresh Vegetable team out in Monterey, California.

One word sums up the delicious vegetables, beautiful sights and incredible people.

Exceptional.

I had such an amazing time and was truly honored to be invited out to Monterrey. The folks at Dole were fabulous and I learned so much about how the vegetables are grown and was able to see the process from the fields to my plate.

We had a fabulous Salad Party on the outdoor patio of our hotel where we grilled romaine at the BBQ station, enjoyed crudites with guacamole and salsa in fun popcorn containers and had the chance to taste a little bit of everything- so many fun ways to eat veggies.

And you all know how much I love my veggies.

We took a trip to the Dole plant where they gave us a Lettuce Quiz and had us guess the type of veggie in each container- let’s just say there are more forms of lettuce that I had ever imagined.

I actually thought I knew every lettuce variety, but apparently not.

Dole has so many and it was fun to taste the distinct textures and tastes of each one from Romaine to Butter to Radicchio to Bibb.

Then we were off to the fields…

My pretty toes were mushed in the iceberg field.

And here’s the core of an iceberg lettuce head- I actually ate a whole head right on the fields. I’m sure you saw the funny pictures of me on Twitter with this- it was pretty hysterical but tasted SO fresh and delish.

I’ve never had better tasting iceberg in my life.

Honestly.

And I’m usually not an Iceberg Cheerleader.

Pretty rows of lettuce all in a row with the beautiful backdrop of the Monterrey mountains.

It was breathtaking and for a moment I thought I was dreaming. I mean- I’m surrounded by yellow cabs in Manhattan everyday and then all of a sudden here I am in the California sunshine eating heads of iceberg with tractors and mountains.

We spent a whole morning driving along the 17 mile drive and tour of Pebble Beach, which had by far the most beautiful and breathtaking views I’ve ever seen.

I kinda wanted to just jump into the water- veggies in hand and all. But I think it was a bit too chilly for that.

So I just decided to snap some pretty pictures for you to see – and I stayed dry, munched on my Dole cherry tomatoes and explored Pebble Beach.

The Pebble Beach Golf Club- O my goodness what a beautiful spot. I’d be happy camping out there amongst some pretty fancy schmancy people and pro golfers.

Thank you Dole for an amazing trip. I for one am not kidding when I say I’m actually going to pick up more Dole Salad mixes than I did before this trip.

Why?

Well, ya see we learned about pesticide use and so many other incredible things that Dole does with their vegetables and it made me realize that I’m missing out on something pretty darn good.

They use such a small amount of pesticides and everything was incredible clean and perfectly monitored.

This trip was well worth the trip to the West Coast- I love California and met amazing foodies as well as the talented Dole team and learned a great deal about how Dole salads and vegetables are brought from the farms to our plates.

I don’t know about you but I’m having a Dole Salad Party on Memorial Day Weekend at my beach home and I can’t wait to serve the Dole Salad Mixes and start chowing down.

You probably already know I’ve never met a veggie I didn’t like but these salads and veggies are topping my list as favorites. Plus, they look so pretty on the table- almost too nice to eat.

But that’s not stopping me.

I just munched on a head of Butter lettuce this morning with an avocado, cherry tomatoes and eggs.

So perfect. So simple. So Dole.

Mother’s Day: Breakfast in Bed

Amie — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:00:49 +0000

Mother’s Day is fast approaching…

Well, you have six days to think about what you’re going to do for your special Momma.

And boy o’ boy do I have a plan for you.

Ya see, back in November I met one of my dearest friends, Carrie who writes the most amazing Deliciously Organic blog and we bonded- then we reconnected again in March here in NYC and even though we live on opposite coasts- live totally different lives and come from completely different parts of the country- we’re like, well- sisters.

At least, that’s how I think of her. Like a big sister.

‘Cause I don’t have one and she’s just pretty darn fabulous. We’ve both been through quite a bit in terms of our health and have similar stories of how we both searched for many years to find an answer to our unexplained medical problems- I think the two of us combined exhausted every doctor from California to New York. And now, through the journey of Eastern medicine- we’ve regained our health and our passion for darn good food.

So, since she’s a mother to two beautiful children we thought it would be fun to get together (virtually) to share with you our Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed.

We’ve paired a sweet recipe and a savory one- like Carrie’s sweet breakfast waffles and my savory morning “pillows”- laid out a shopping list for you below and a play-by-play on Carrie’s blog for your special morning with tips on how to whip cream, cut an avocado and pour waffle batter into a waffle iron- so you can serve the perfect Mother’s Day breakfast in bed to your mother.

So, grab Dad and rally the kids because this is going to be a Mother’s Day to remember.

I for one am going to be celebrating the day with my amazing mother, Joann here in Manhattan- we have a picnic in Central Park every year and I am so excited to see her and spend the day with my family- just the four of us perched on a rock in the middle of Central Park enjoying some fresh grub from Whole Foods Market.

I wish I could serve my momma this breakfast in bed- but since her bed is quite far away…

These pillows are so cute- they’re like miniature cookies but instead they’re morning ‘pillows’ because who eats cookies for dessert? Not me.

And not my mom. But, pillows – yes – I’ll take a few bites of these fluffy “pillows” with breakfast.

I think I’ll whip up these waffles and “pillows”- wrap ‘em in a pretty bag with a pink ribbon and serve them at our picnic.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain.

Because soggy waffles and cookies just wouldn’t look so nice.

Hehe.

Savory Flax Morning “Pillows”

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1 large organic egg
1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour mix
¾ cup gluten-free oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, very finely ground
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup organic salsa, for serving
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together margarine and sugar. Beat in egg.
Mix together dry ingredients in a separate medium sized bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients; mix well to combine.
Drop heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven; set aside to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
Serve with a spread of salsa and mashed avocado. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Enjoy.

Mother’s Day Shopping List

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Plain Whole Yogurt
1/2 cup Salted Butter, softened
5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 cup Honey
1 Tbsp. Gluten-Free Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Gluten-Free Oats
1 cup Heavy Cream, whipped
1/2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
1/2 cup Whole Milk
1 pint Fresh Strawberries, sliced
2 Tbsp. Ground Flax seeds
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup Walnuts, finely ground
1 cup Organic Salsa
9 large Organic Eggs
1 ripe Avocado