I haven’t always had a good relationship with mushrooms. In the past, they didn’t agree with me, and now I suspect it was my body crying out for attention. I had the same problem with red wine — my body was trying to tell me that something in my system was causing me a lot of harm. Since I’ve been gluten free, I’ve been able to enjoy mushrooms *and* red wine without any problems. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Ingredient Crush: Mushrooms”
Leafy Greens: Gluten-Free Superfood!
I don’t think I need to tell any of you that I’m a huge fan of leafy greens. I try to eat them every day (some days, I fail, but that’s just between us). I toss spinach into my lunch. I add salads to dinners. If there’s a way for me to squeeze chard into a meal, you know I’m doing it. Heck, lately I’ve been noshing on collard green wraps filled with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, capers, and other goodness. Continue reading “Leafy Greens: Gluten-Free Superfood!”
Garbanzo Bean “Tuna” Salad
Let us be clear, there is no tuna in the recipe. In fact, I’m only using the word “tuna” to give you a sense of how I use this great dish. I have nothing against tuna, but since I’m not eating a lot of meat these days, I wanted an option that is simple, delicious, and filling.
For example, if I were to make the Nicoise salad mentioned here, I’d simply substitute this recipe for the tuna. Of course, I mostly use it in these extremely addictive collard green wraps. I cannot get enough of these…to the point where I will eat them for lunch every day for two or three weeks. Let everyone else have their gluten-filled wraps; my version is gluten-free, tasty, and doesn’t leave me feeling bloated.
Yeah, I *do* get that excited about collard greens and chickpeas.
Lies Bloggers Tell You
Here’s a little secret about the Internet: nobody knows if you’re an expert on a topic or not. I read lots and lots of websites over the course of the week. My chief goal, of course, is to find interesting ideas and recipes for my own site(s). While I sometimes point to larger organizations or more established food publications, I prefer to link to recipes by great bloggers with interesting perspectives on food and health. Continue reading “Lies Bloggers Tell You”
Mongolian Tempeh Stir-Fry
As part of my mission to turn old favorites into plant-based recipes, I discovered gluten-free tempeh* is a perfect stand-in for steak in a stir fry. The fermented soy in the tempeh will soak up loads of flavor from the sauce, and sauteeing your tempeh for a few minutes helps bring out the flavor (uncooked tempeh may be a bit weird, flavor-wise, for some people, but once it’s cooked, it is amazing!).
If you saw my recipe for Egg Foo Yung, you’ll recall that one suggestion I made is using the stem of broccoli to make the vegetable filling. This recipe uses broccoli florets, so maybe serve the two dishes in the same week (that’s how I did it!). Also, if you have leftover green onions, they can be put to use here as well.
*: Make sure your tempeh is gluten free as not all brands / flavors are.
Egg Foo Yung
Confession: when I was growing up, I was wary of Egg Foo Yung. I wasn’t 100% certain what it was, and, frankly, when I looked at it, it seemed like something I wouldn’t like.
Ah, the mistakes of youth! Egg Foo Yung is, basically, an omelette. A simple, vegetable-filled, delicious, customizable omelette. For a gluten-free, mostly plant-based athlete, it’s also a great way to get lots of protein after a long run. I have a habit of making breakfast-for-dinner meals on Saturday nights since my body is craving loads of protein, and this gives me that plus lots of veggies.
Black Pepper Tofu Curry
As my diet has become increasingly plant-based, I find my self paging through my favorite magazines and mentally substituting plant-based proteins for the animal proteins. It’s actually a great exercise, if only because I love messing with recipes.
I’m also trying to add more vegan recipes to my diet, so this recipe also checks that box. I’ll admit to be intimidated by vegan cooking in the past, but now that I’ve wrapped my head around the basics, I’ve discovered that cooking vegan meals isn’t as hard as I’d once thought…though, yeah, the meal prep does take a bit more time.
Thus, this fantastic (and fast!) black pepper curry. The original recipe calls for chicken, and you can certainly use chicken if you prefer. The black pepper gives a hint of heat and loads of flavor, and it’s a great way to add vegetables to a meal.
Oh, like all curries, it’s even better as leftovers!