Recipe: NSA Oat Protein Bars

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 - 2 cups Oats (I used mix of Large and Quick)
2 Extra Ripe Bananas
1 Small Apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2 cm pieces
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1-2 tbsp Protein Powder ( I used Pea Protein)
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt




Preheat oven to 350F

In a medium bowl, mash bananas with lemon juice, cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of oats, protein powder, baking powder, salt and the apple. If the mixture is runny, add the rest of the oats. If it has a thickened oatmeal texture, you're good. Once that consistency is reached, flatten it all into a lined or greased bread pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes for chewy and 25-30 for a firmer bar. Cut into bars and let cool before removing from pan.

Sunday Brunch: Spicy Tofu & Plum Scramble

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 brick X-Firm Tofu, large crumbles
1/2 small Onion, diced
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Dried Chili, crushed
Salt + Pepper to taste
1 Plum, chopped + pit removed

In a pan, saute the onions in a bit of water over high heat. Add the tofu and stir, splash in a little more water if it dries up. Stir in the spices until everything is evenly coated. Add the chopped plums and stir until the plums soften. Serve with oatmeal for a complete gluten-free breakfast.

Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February): Lumberjack Breakfast

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Onion, thinly sliced and quartered
1/2 package X-Firm Tofu, crumbled
1/2 Bell Pepper (any colour).
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
2-4 tbsp Salsa, to taste
1/2 cup Hashbrown Potatoes (from frozen or fresh)
1/2 Avocado, diced
Sliced fruit for a side




Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry onions until translucent and then add crumbled tofu. After 1 minute, add spices and stir until tofu takes on a 'scrambled egg' look, then add diced pepper. When pepper is soft, stir in salsa and cook for a minute or so, until salsa is warm. Serve over hashbrown potatoes and top with avocado, serve with your favourite fruit on the side (I am eating Cara Cara oranges as much as possible until they're out of season). Chili sauce also goes well on top of the scramble.

 

Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February): Apple Pie-Style Rice Pudding

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Rice, short-grain, uncooked
1 cup + 1 tbsp Water
1/2 Apple, small, peeled and diced
3/4 cup Almond Milk, divided
2 tbsp Rice Flour (or Nut Flour)
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Egg Replacer (Ener-G is GF)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract



Boil the water in a medium saucepan and add a dash of salt. Add rice and diced apple to the pot, cover and simmer for 18 minutes.

With about 5 minutes left on the timer, bring 1/2 cup almond milk to a low boil. Meanwhile, combine rice flour, sugars and 1/8 cup almond milk in a small mixing bowl. Add the Ener-G (already mixed by the box), vanilla, cinnamon and another 1/8 cup almond milk. Add the spiced mixture to the heated milk and stir frequently until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in finished rice. Serve hot or cold as desired.

Sunday Brunch: Icelandic Brunch - Porridge w/ Veggie 'Blood' Sausages ***Bonus Gluten-free February option

I've been dreaming of a trip to Iceland lately, so I looked up what their style of breakfast is this week. Unfortunately, they have a very heavy reliance on meat over there, so it was mostly that. No better time to try my hand at sausages from scratch! Thank you to The Post Punk Kitchen for the base recipe, which I altered.

Secondly, I am going to post BOTH the gluten-free and the very much not gluten-free recipe. The oats are GF by nature, as long as you get ones that aren't processed in a plant that also processes gluten products. ***The Gluten-Free recipe will be in bold.


OATS INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Water
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk(1 cup unsw. Almond Milk + 1 tsp Vanilla)
1 cup Porridge Oats
1 tsp Salt

Bring the milk, salt and water to a low boil and add the oats. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until smooth and top with a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar and pour Almond Milk over top. I topped with some blueberries because I can't get enough.

SAUSAGE INGREDIENTS GF:
1/2 cup Cooked Navy Beans, drained
1 cup Vegetable Broth (should be GF, but double-check to find one that is)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Tamari or other GF Soy Sauce Alternative
1/2 cup Bean Flour
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (again, should be GF, but check label to be sure)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Crushed Fennel Seed
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
3-4 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, chopped well

For preparation, get a large pot with a fitted steam basket (or whatever steaming option you have) and get it boiling. Prepare 4- 5 pieces of tinfoil, each 5-6 inches wide x box length (regular, not wide box).

Mash the beans into a paste with minimal chunks. Then add the rest of the ingredients in order, stir with a fork or spatula until a (wet) dough is formed. separate the dough into 4-5 pieces and form into tubes about 5 inches long (5 pieces will yield skinnier sausages). Lay along the foil and wrap up tight, spinning the ends like a Tootsie Roll. Place wrapped sausages in the steamer for 40 minutes, then fry or grill at mealtime.  I fried them up and drizzled with some maple syrup.

SAUSAGE INGREDIENT (NON-GF)
1/2 cup Cooked Navy Beans, drained
1 cup Vegetable Broth (should be GF, but double-check to find one that is)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 1/4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (again, should be GF, but check label to be sure)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Crushed Fennel Seed
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
3-4 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, chopped well

Follow directions as listed above.

Sunday Brunch: Raw Peanut Butter Cookies

I was going to a potluck this past weekend and I knew there were some raw foodies going and decided to make items for each group. It was Good Friday and I couldn't procure the items to make the thing I wanted, but found this recipe on The Rawtarian. It turned out amazing and I would certainly make it again when I am catering to GF and/or Raw Foodies. They went fast, so no picture this time.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Raw Almonds
1 cup Pitted Dried Figs
1/2 cup Raw Peanut Butter
1 1/4 tsp Vanilla
Sea Salt

Run the almonds through a food processor to create an 'almond flour'. Add the other ingredients and blend until smooth and doughy (add more peanut butter if needed, probably will need to scrape side of the food processor every so often).

Roll dough into small balls about a teaspoon each, then press down with a fork on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Sprinkle with a half-pinch of sea salt each. Put the sheet in the fridge for a minimum of an our, but overnight would work too.

Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February) - White Bean 'Sausage' Patties

INGREDIENTS:
1 can White Kidney Beans, drained (regular kidney beans, pinto, black beans would all work)
1/2 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, pressed or pureed
1 Egg Replacer (Ener-G is gluten-free)
2 tbsp Tamari (or gluten-free soy sauce)
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (more if you like spice) 
3/4 cup Quick Oats

In a large bowl, combine beans, onion, garlic, egg replacer, tamari and spices. Mash with a fork or a potato masher until there are some chunks of beans, but no full ones remaining. Mix in the oats and combine until well mixed (may require more or less oats, add a little by little until chunky and not liquidy).

Flatten potions into small patties and fry in oil until golden on each side. Serve with maple syrup or ketchup.

Not Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February) - Onion Rings

*Modified from the Martha Stewart recipe.













INGREDIENTS:
1 cup GF Flour (rice or potato would be best) + more fore dredging
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
dash Cayenne (optional)
1 cup GF Beer (I used New Grist, but any GF lager would work)
2 tbsp Ice Water
2 Medium Vidalia Onions
Peanut Oil 

In a large stock pot, heat 2-3 inches of oil to 375F (a few minutes on medium-high).

Meanwhile, peel the onions and cut into 1/2 inch rings. In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, pepper, baking powder and cayenne. Whisk in beer and water. Dredge onions in extra flour, shake off excess. Dip in batter and fry 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove and pat with a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Saucy Beans and Rice (Gluten Free February)

IGREDIENTS:
1 cup Rice (uncooked, brown or white)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Kidney Beans
1 cup Frozen Corn
1/2 cup Salsa
Water (1/4 cup for white rice, 1/2 cup for brown, more as needed)
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Basil
dash Hot sauce (optional)
Small Onion, chopped
Garlic Clove, minced
Cooking Oil


In a tablespoon of oil, saute onions and garlic until soft. Add in the rice and stir until coated. Add tomatoes, beans, chili powder, basil and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add corn and cover. Check periodically to see if more water is needed (test by whether the rice is firm or not). Stir in the hot sauce and salsa, warm for 5 more minutes and serve.

Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February): Nanaimo Bars

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Margarine
1/2 cup Sugar
5 tbsp Cocoa
1 Egg Replacer (Ener-G is GF)
1 3/4 cup Curshed GF cookies (GF Arrowroots or mild ginger cookies work)
1/2 cup Finely-Chopped Almonds
1 cup Coconut
1/2 cup Margarine
2 tbsp and 2 tsp Soy Milk (Soy Creamer is best)
2 tbsp Vanilla Custard Powder (most brands GF)
2 cups Icing Sugar
4 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate
2 tbsp Margarine

Melt 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup sugar and cocoa in a double boiler. Stir in egg replacer and stir to thicken. Remove from heat, stir in cookie crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press into 8x8 pan. Cream 1/2 cup margarine, soy milk (or creamer), custard powder and icing sugar together well, beat until light. Press over bottom layer. Melt together semi-sweet chocolate squares and 2 tbsp margarine in double boiler. Set aside to cool. When cool but not firm, pour evenly over top and set in the fridge to cool. When cool, cut in squares and serve.

Gluten-Free February - Warm Pasta Salad w/ Grilled Asparagus & Tofu

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Rice Pasta (or other GF pasta)
1/2 bunch Asparagus, rinsed
1/2 brick Firm Tofu, cubed
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Pinch Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Dash Sugar


Cook rice pasta in salted boiling water. Drain and shock with cold water to prevent sticking, set aside in a covered dish/tupperware. Set oven to broil and chop asparagus into thirds or quarters. Put in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic and sea salt, toss to coat. Broil until al dente (or desired consistency). Meanwhile, fry tofu in a small amount of oil until very lightly golden. Coat with a mixture of remaining olive oil, balsamic, black pepper, sugar and a bit of sea salt. Mix until heated, not boiling. Toss together pasta, asparagus and tofu/dressing mixture and serve at or just above room temperature.

Sunday Brunch: Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

My sister's birthday just passed and she can't have gluten, so I am going to do gluten-free recipes in the month of February in honour.



INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Rolled Oats
1 cup Rice Flour (or other GF flour)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Vegan Margarine
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt (less if using rice flour)
3-4 tbsp Soy Milk


Mix together dry ingredients. Knife in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Add milk slowly until mixture just sticks together. Spoon out tablespoon-sized balls onto lightly greased cookie sheets and bake at 350F until edges are lightly golden. Set on rack to cool.