Hot Vanilla Rose Tea

This recipe came from a whim. I wanted rose tea, and I wondered how vanilla would taste. And it's actually quite delicious, and with a very delicate taste, it's perfect for unwinding after a long day.

Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 2-3 minutes

Hot Vanilla Rose Tea

1 1/2 Cup Water
1 TB Vanilla Extract (gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon of Agave Nectar
2-3 TB rose tea (small rose buds) (you can add more rose buds if desired)

Combine water, vanilla extract, and agave nectar in a small pot. Stir to combine ingredients, and bring a boil. In a medium to large mug, pour water and add rose buds. Allow to seep for about 5 minutes. You can leave the rose buds, or scoop out.
And enjoy!
You can also chill the tea, and enjoy it on a hot summer's day or evening.

Grilled Curry Squash

I stole this recipe from my dad.
Super easy to make, and complements any dish, especially if you grill out.

Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 15 min.

Grilled Curry Squash

2-3 Squash, washed and sliced
1 TB EVOO
1 TB Curry Powder (if you don't want a strong curry taste use 1/2 TB, and if you want a stronger taste, add an extra TB, or whatever suits your taste).
1/8 tb sea salt

Heat your grill to medium heat (you can use a George Foreman grill or a grill for the stove).

Prepare squash by washing and slicing. You can slice it any size, but usually 1/2 inch slices cook the best.
Now, there are one of two ways to dress the squash. The first is to have a freezer bag. Place squash, EVOO, curry powder, and salt into bag. Seal the bag and shack, ensuring all pieces of squash are covered. The second way, is after slicing the squash on the chopping board, drizzle the EVOO over the squash slices. Rub the squash pieces to coat with oil, and then sprinkle the curry powder and sea salt, again rubbing it in (don't be afraid to show it some love).

Place the squash slices on the grill. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to turn translucent/tender and then flip on the other side. Cook for 5 minutes on the other side.Remove from grill and serve!

Sweet Rice

This was inspired by Korean Sweet rice one of my friends made for me, before I knew I was gluten intolerant. I added my own alterations to it. This rice is very versatile and you can alter the recipe to fit your taste. You can add raisins if you want it sweeter, or if you want a sweet nutty flavor, you can add pine nuts.

Prep Time: 8 hours (time comes from soaking Red Beans)

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Sweet Rice served with stemmed vegetables and
gluten-free vegan veggie burger.

1-2 cups Jasmine Rice
1 cup dried Red Azuki Beans
1 small package of Sweet  Red Kidney Beans* (for best taste, look for beans in refrigeration section in the Asian market)
1 small package of Sweet Pea* (for best taste, look for beans in refrigeration section in the Asian market)


Place the red Azuki beans in a medium bowl and cover with water. Allow the beans to soak overnight.
Once the beans have soaked, drain. Place rice in a pot and cover with water. Add the Azuki beans, sweet red kidney beans, and sweet pea into the rice. If you need more water to cover the rice, add as much needed. Cover with lid. Over medium heat, cook the rice for 20-25 minutes, until all the water has evaporated from the pan. Let the rice sit for 5 minutes with the lid on. Stir rice and serve.

*If you cannot find sweet red kidney beans or sweet peas prepared, you can make your own. Use dried beans, and follow directions on package. Once the beans are cooked, add agave nectar and stir. Sweeten to your taste. To help with consistency, you can add water and potato starch to keep the agave nectar from burning.

Earthy Stir-fry

This is a mock Chinese Stir-fry. This came about me craving Shiitake mushrooms, and then adding ingredients to complement the taste, and voila.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Earthy Stir-fry (Sorry for wacky plating. The noodles
decided to all fall in the bowl. T.T)

2-4 oz. gluten free linguine pasta (Hodgson Mill is my fav. brand for texture and taste)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
1/2 medium onion sliced
7-8 dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked and quatered
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, cubed
1 TB of EVOO or Grape Seed Oil
1 TB of Tamari (or more if desired)

First, prep the shiitake mushrooms. In a bowl of warm water, place the mushrooms and allow to soak for 15 minutes or until tender. Once tender, squeeze the water from the mushrooms and cut off the stems. Slice the mushrooms.

Next bring a pot of water to a boil and add your noodles. Follow the directions indicated on the package.

While the mushrooms are soaking, and the water is being prepared for the pasta, prepare the garlic, carrots, onion and tofu. Place the oil  in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is warmed, place the tofu into pan and allow to lightly brown on all sides. Then add the garlic, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Next add the onions and carrots, cooking until tender. Next add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes.

After the noodles have been cooked and drained, add to the vegetable and tofu mix, stirring to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan. If you need more oil, add about a 1/2 of tablespoon more of oil. Once the noodles are mixed in, add the tamari sauce and stir, ensuring noodles, vegetables and tofu are covered. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally, remove from heat and plate.

Asian Black-eyed Peas with Turnip Greens

Here is a variation on a southern classic of black eyes with turnip greens. 

This recipe requires a bit more cooking time than the other recipes I have posted, but it's definitely worth it.

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

Asian Black-eyed Peas with Turnip Greens on Jasmine Rice

2 cups of frozen black eyed peas

1 cup of Jasmine rice

1-2 TB of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of frozen turnip greens w/ turnips

2-3 TB of Tamari

1 package of Konnyaku* (Japanese yam, can be found in Asian markets), cubed

Place beans in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for 30 minutes or until beans are tender.

Pour 1 cup of Jasmine rice into a pot and cover with 1 1/2 cups of water. Cover pot, and place over medium heat, and cook for 20 minutes or until there is no water left in the pot.

In a skillet, heat 1 TB of EVOO. Stir in the minced garlic, and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Place the cubed konnyaku into the skillet and lightly brown. This is just to add some color and flavor to the konnyaku. Add the frozen turnip greens and cook until tender. If the greens begin to stick to the skillet, add the extra TB of EVOO. Next, add the tamari, and continue to stir the dish, ensuring the tamari is evenly distributed. If you want to add more tamari for taste, feel free. Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes, being sure to keep stirring. 

To plate, place 1/2 cup of Jasmine rice. Top with green mix then the black eyes beans. Sprinkle tamari on top of dish, if you desire, and enjoy!    

*

Picture of Japanese Konnyaku

Update

Hey guys!

So sorry for being m.i.a. I was actually sick. :(
I had eaten some food that had a speck of gluten on it, and I became rather sick. But luckily, I'm feeling totally better, and I will be updating tomorrow. Expect to see 4 recipes. And I may throw in an extra recipe since I feel bad for not posting like I should.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Happy Adventures!!!

Spaghetti Squash

This was really fun to make. I've never cooked with Spaghetti squash, so it was a real treat. Very tasty and very filling. And it's really neat that the spaghetti squash acts like spaghetti noodles.


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

1 medium Spaghetti Squash (sliced in half, and be careful when you slice it!)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 block of  pressed* extra firm tofu, cubed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced (Julian)
5 peeled Roman tomatoes, chopped into quarters
4-5 fresh Basil leaves, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons roughly chopped black olives.

*pressed tofu- cut half a block of extra firm tofu, and train as much water from the tofu. Wrap it in saran wrap, and place it on a plate, and place a small weight (such as a can, or a medium apple or onion). Leave in the fridge for 3-4 hours (or the longer the better).This will help to draw out more water, and make cooking the tofu easier.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the squash and clean out the seeds that are on top. On a cookie sheet, place the squash halves cut side down. Place in oven for 30-40 minutes or until you can pierce a knife in the squash smoothly. When it is cooked, let it cool enough to handle, and spoon out the insides.

Heat the EVOO over medium heat. Place the tofu in the skillet, and lightly brown. Stir in minced garlic, continually stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and carrots, cooking until tender. Add the tomatoes, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add the basil and rosemary, stirring for about a minute. Add salt, and stir thoroughly.

On a plate, place about 3/4 cup of the spaghetti squash, and top with tomato mix. Garnish with black olives, and a sprig of Basil (optional).

Not Your Mama's Biscuits

One thing I do miss is a good homemade biscuit. And one of the many meals I do miss by my mom is her homemade biscuits. So, me being the adventurous type, I decided to take this task on. Which...is either a good thing, or a bad thing. Well... How do I say this...it ended in epic failure. It felt like I was in an "I Love Lucy Episode" and Murphy (Murphy's Law) was in my kitchen, helping me ever so much. If you want a free laugh (mostly snarky comments and poking fun at myself), do read. However, if you have any suggestions, they are much appreciated.

I had all my ingredients set out, ready to tackle my mom's famous biscuit recipe, and I was confident going into the recipe. It was until I started kneading the dough that I realized something wasn't right. My dough wasn't binding. And on top of that, the flour I used to dust my counter top with was readily absorbed. That should have been my first red flag. But I continued on kneading the dough, thinking it just needed more work. The more I worked it, the dryer it became. And eerily enough, it became reminiscent of art gum eraser (you'll see in the picture below). That really...really should have been the second red flag. But me being optimistic (just look at the title of the blog :D), figured this will work out. All of my cooking has worked out before. But the third red flag should have been my biscuits becoming stuck in the glass. You see, I use a glass like a cookie cutter for biscuits, it's a good way to tell if you have enough air kneaded into the biscuits. When you cut the biscuits, you'll hear a poof sound with some flour dusting in the air. Well, my biscuits decided to poof and lodge themselves in the glass, even after flouring the glass. Luckily, I was able to get the art gum shaped biscuits dislodged and onto the cookie sheet.

The formed biscuits, before oven

But allowing myself the benefit of the doubt, I kept trudging on. Well, I placed the biscuits in the oven, and well...they just became more dry, and didn't look or cook right. (On a side note, always check your oven top to make sure you have no plastic on top. It's just a word of advice). The outside was cooked, but the inside was soft. So, I placed them back in the oven on low heat, still hoping it would help, but alas, nothing could save the poor biscuits.

Post oven carnage

They were crumbling (not the good kind of crumbling), dry, and when you dropped it, it shattered like an antique vase (I dropped a biscuit by accident, and well...you can see from the picture) *sigh*. I forced myself to eat one with a gluten-free veggie patty, with a little Veganase, and that didn't even salvage the taste.

It was reminiscent of heavy gluten free vegan bread. :P (which I gave up a while a go).

I will definitely try again, once I clean the plastic from my stove, pick up the crumbly biscuits from the kitchen, and restore some of my confidence, lol.

And on another side note, I should probably try a different flour. I used soy flour, which may not have been the best idea. And maybe xanithum gum wouldn't be a bad idea either...

Asian Fiesta

I absolutely love spicy food, the spicier the better. Though it can back fire, lol.

This dish is a spin-off from sauteed peppers that you will usually get with fajitas. I like to change things up a bit, and add in a little Asian flair (I grew up with Japanese, Korean and American cooking). Hopefully you'll enjoy the spicy yet savory veggies, tossed with tofu and spices. :D



Asian Fiesta


Prep Time: about 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup of Jasmine rice (uncooked)
1 1/2 cup of water
1-2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/2 block of extra firm tofu cubed
1/2 medium onion sliced
1/2 medium *red bell pepper
1/2 medium *yellow bell pepper
1/2 medium *green bell pepper
3/4 cup or 3 baby bella mushrooms, sliced (1/2 large portabella mushroom sliced)
a splash of hot chili sesame oil (found in Asian/Korean food markets)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of tamari
Sprinkle of red chili flakes (for a more spicier taste, add Korean red chili flakes)
*You can find an organic pepper mix in the frozen aisle.

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil for rice. Once water has begun to boil, add rice and bring back to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, and cover for 20 minutes.

In a medium sauce pan, heat EVOO on medium-low to medium heat. Add cubed tofu to the pan, browning on both sides. Add onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, and green pepper, stirring occasionally. Once the onions have started to turn translucent, add mushrooms. Continue cooking and stirring for about 3-4 minutes. Add the hot chili sesame oil (a little goes a long way), stirring to make sure all the veggies and tofu are covered. Allow veggies and tofu to simmer for about 1 minute. Add the tamari, stirring to ensure all ingredients are covered. Finally add the red chili flakes, stirring for about 1 minute.

Plate 1/2 cup of rice and top with the cooked veggies and tofu. Add an extra dash of tarami for taste, if needed.

Summer Salad

After spending time out in the summer heat, you will definitely want something cool and refreshing. It's an ol' favorite but with some twists. Hopefully you will enjoy the smooth avocado paired with the sweet and tart berries.

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes



Summer Salad with Cucumber Water

 Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup  *raspberries and blackberries
1/4 cup * medium strawberries sliced
1/2 avocado chopped roughly
pinch of cilantro (optional)
1/8 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds (optional)

*alternative: buy frozen organic mix sold in the freezer aisle

Rinse the 1 1/2 cups of spinach, and dry thoroughly, snapping off the stems. Rinse off raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, drying thoroughly. Chop strawberries in half, making sure to remove the tops.
Plate spinach, and place berries on top.
Cut avocado in half, being mindful of the seed in the center. Run a small spoon between the avocado shell and the inside, removing the avocado fully. Slice length wise, then cut in half, placing the avocado on top. Top with cilantro and/or sesame seeds. And serve!
And if you happen to make this salad a head of time, squeeze some lemon juice over the salad. This will help to preserve the color of the avocados.


Personally, I like to eat my salads raw (no dressing). However, if you like to have a little taste with your salad, you might want to try a raspberry vinaigrette. Or, if you happen to use the frozen fruit, take the juices from the berries, and mix it with about an 1/8 teaspoon of agave nectar (more or less depending on your taste of sweetness). And to add a little crunch, you can always add almonds.

Heres to good eating, having fun, and living the adventure!

Welcome to the first post of the Happy Gluten-Free Vegan Girl!
I'm extremely stoked to get this up and running~ for a lack of better terms.

My goal for this blog, is to offer different recipes for the gluten-free vegans (gfvs) out there, as well as for others to share their recipes.

And, this isn't simply limited to gfvs, but those who are wanting to try something different, looking for alternatives to recipes, and hopefully for a little inspiration.

I will be offering different recipes, along with pictures, on my little adventures of cooking.

So, heres to good eating, having fun, and living the adventure. :)