gluten-free | Avocados and Ales

Archive | gluten-free RSS feed for this section

Mushroom and Onion Risotto

A while ago I challenged The Friendly Fig to face her fear of making risotto, and I would do the same. It’s been over a month now, and I finally figured it was time to attempt a recipe. I’m so glad I did!

This was delicious and creamy and wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I discovered the trick to making risotto is not leaving the stove for very long, but it didn’t require the constant stirring that I had been previously afraid of. I added a little almond milk and nutritional yeast to give it a flavor boost that dairy would normally give. I served this with a batch of chickpea cutlets, another Post Punk Kitchen recipe.

Continue reading →

Tags: dinner, food, italian, mushrooms, plant-based, recipe, risotto, vegetarian

Comments 3 Comments
Categories casseroles, gluten-free, grains, Italian, vegan

Spanakorizo

6 Dec

When we visit my husband’s family, we often go out to dinner at a restaurant called Greek Islands. One of my favorite sides there is the spanakorizo, which translates to spinach rice. This can be made with or without the tomatoes, either way is delicious.

This dish is much better with fresh dill; use it if you have it. My dill plant didn’t last the summer, unfortunately. We like to serve this with a squeeze of lemon, a little olive oil, and some fresh pita bread.

Continue reading →

Tags: dinner, food, greek, meatless, recipe, rice, side dishes, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 3 Comments
Categories gluten-free, greek, vegan

Eggplant Parmesan Quinoa Casserole

20 Nov

I was inspired by a post by Princesses and the Peas and I just had to try this recipe. I love quinoa right now (but seriously, who doesn’t) and eggplant is still abundant in my garden. This was a delicious recipe that’s super filling and healthy. I added some zucchini and tomatoes from my fridge. I loved the big bursts of sweet cherry tomatoes in between bites of quinoa. You could easily use regular diced tomatoes or even a can of tomatoes if that’s what you have.

This was perfect with my coconut milk cheese, especially blended into the mixture-I kept finding big chunks of cheesy goodness as I was eating. It was even better the next day, as most casseroles are.

Continue reading →

Tags: casserole, cheese, dinner, food, marinara, plant-based, quinoa, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories casseroles, gluten-free, Italian, vegan

Mapo Eggplant

3 Nov

This could easily be called sichuan eggplant, but I prefer to think of it as mapo eggplant, as that’s what inspired the recipe. I’ve expressed how much I love mapo tofu in my previous post and this dish runs a close second. I came up with this to use up our abundance of eggplant in our garden this year; my desire for spicy foods prevailed over traditional dishes like moussaka.

The eggplant gets a perfect soft and chewy texture when fried, and soaks up the sauce perfectly. I use mushrooms and seitan to mimic the pork in traditional mapo tofu and add some green onions for color. I usually grind my own sichuan peppercorns and make my own chili oil, but you don’t have to go through all that effort if you can buy them both. The fermented black beans and chili bean paste are key in this recipe; you can make it without them, but they add a depth you can’t get without them.

Continue reading →

Tags: asian, chinese, eggplant, food, mapo, recipe, rice, vegan

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories asian, chinese, gluten-free, vegan

Chipotle Chickpea Salad

17 Oct

I’ve already expressed my obsession with Just Mayo in my previous post, and I was excited to find the Chipotle mayo in a nearby store. I should be receiving a jar of their new product Just Cookie Dough in the mail next week, so I plan on doing a review here. Check back for it!

I wanted to use the Chipotle mayo for something more exciting than just a sandwich, and I couldn’t imagine a better application than in chickpea salad. I love recipes for chickpea salad as a tuna salad/chicken salad replacement because I grew up eating those for lunch over the summer. The chipotle mayo adds a really nice kick; I would love to try this with some chopped cilantro or in a lettuce wrap. You could even serve this as a warm dip with hot sauce and chips.

Continue reading →

Tags: chickpea, dinner, food, gluten-free, recipe, salad, sandwich, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 1 Comment
Categories dips, gluten-free, vegan

Chickpeas and Eggplant in Red Curry Peanut Sauce

14 Oct

Thai curry is a pretty common go to in our household – just a few ingredients and you have a rich, filling meal. This recipe features my favorite vegetables, eggplant and mushrooms, but I often use anything in the refrigerator that needs to get eaten.

I started adding peanut butter recently, as we both love peanut noodles, and we really like it. It’s just as good without the peanut butter, so feel free to leave it out. Try to use a natural version if you can; the flavor and texture is better. I also use coconut oil, because I’m addicted to the stuff, but any neutral oil will work. I used Black Beauty eggplant, because that’s what is growing in our garden, but if you use Asian eggplant, there’s no need to salt. Chickpeas are my current protein of choice, but tofu, seitan, or tempeh are all equally good here.

Continue reading →

Tags: chickpeas, curry, dinner, eggplant, food, recipe, thai, vegan, vegetarian

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories asian, gluten-free, thai, vegan

Our favorite sliceable, meltable vegan cheese

9 Oct

Since I’ve been spending more time at home, as I only work part time since the birth of my baby, I’ve been experimenting with different recipes for vegan cheese. As much as I love Daiya, it gets expensive, even with coupons.

I’m a big fan of Vedged Out’s foxy moxy mozzarella, but I wanted something that held up to slicing and grating. I tried a recipe with cashew cheese, but without investing in a Vitamix blender (hint hint family members:Christmas is coming) the consistency was too grainy for my taste.

Continue reading →

Tags: cheese, coconut, dinner, food, recipe, vegan

Comments 62 Comments
Categories dips, gluten-free, personal, pizza, vegan

Chickpea, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Casserole

8 Mar

Hello everyone! It’s been a while!!

I recently graduated from school and began a new job at a large local salon, so I’ve had less time to focus on blogging. I’ve also been devoting a majority of my time to couponing, which has result in a plethora of free groceries. With all this free food, I’ve had to come up with creative ways to use it (because who really needs eight bottles of barbeque sauce?)

Today was sunny and beautiful; the type of spring day that makes me want to wear a skirt and cook a casserole. Yes, the type of casserole your mom used to make with condensed cream of chicken soup and fried onions (those were free too.) However, this recipe replaces the cream with soymilk and the chicken with chickpeas. The brown rice will make you feel less guilty when you top it with extra cheese and fried onions. Feel free to adjust this recipe to your dietary preferences.

Continue reading →

Tags: casserole, dinner, food, gluten-free, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories casseroles, gluten-free, grains, personal, vegan

Baba Ghanoush

19 Jan

Every food blog needs a recipe for hummus, guacamole, or the eggplant equivalent-baba ghanoush. I have been craving baba ghanoush for weeks, so I picked up an eggplant on sale at the beginning of the week. I finally had time on Friday to fulfill my craving-I served it with pita bread and madras sambar. Roasting the eggplant gives it an amazing smoky flavor and I found myself eating it on slices of cucumber and tomato when my pita bread was gone.

Continue reading →

Tags: baba ghanoush, dip, food, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories dips, gluten-free, vegan

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

4 Jan

I’ve had a lonely acorn squash floating around my kitchen for weeks now. I kept moving it from surface to surface, hoping I’d find the proper night to cook it. In flipping through the few cookbooks I own, I found a recipe for a roasted root vegetable soup that called for butternut squash. I figured I couldn’t go wrong substituting it with acorn squash and I was right. (I love being right.)

The original recipe can be found in this book, and calls for turnips and leeks, but adds the note that you can use other vegetables depending on what’s in season. I think celery or sweet potatoes would be a wonderful addition as well. I tasted the soup partway through cooking and thought it needed a little more sweetness, so I added brown sugar. You could alternatively roast the acorn squash with brown sugar instead of adding it later. I hope you enjoy, it’s a perfect recipe for the cold winter months.

Continue reading →