BAKING BACKWARDS: dinner

Gingery Yellow Rice (glutenfree, vegan)

6:12 PM

Alright, I'm just gonna say it -- I f#$%ing love ginger...

Its just so versatile and delicious. I love it in curries, in smoothies and juices, in soup, in salad dressing, pickled, on sushi...if ginger is in the house -- I will try to eat it. One of my absolute favourite uses for ginger is this Gingery Yellow Rice recipe.

This simple-to-make one-pot rice dish constantly finds its way to my plate, probably because its got a well-established place in my heart. My favourite thing about making it is how it makes the whole house smell heavenly. All you do is add some delicious spices to brown basmati rice, boil and simmer it away until ready to fluff and voila -- an exotic tasting pretty bowl of deliciousness. If you like garlic, ginger and basmati you will love this dish. The rice gets its bright yellow hue from turmeric which is an incredibly healthy spice to add to your diet -- its an anti-inflammatory and a natural anti-histamine. Ginger and turmeric are actually related so both ingredients boast these benefits. This recipe is very allergy-friendly -- its vegan, gluten free, nut free, soy free and delicious.

This post, like this recipe, will be short and sweet. Go make this amazingly fragrant rice.

GINGERY YELLOW RICE (SERVES 1-2)

A little over 1/2 cup brown basmati rice
A little over 1 cup water
dash of turmeric
1/2-1- tsp garlic powder
a few cranks of black pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped small
2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into a few pieces
OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp olive oil
OPTIONAL: Tiny handful of fresh cilantro or fresh mint (optional garnish)

Rinse the rice in cold water and drain to remove excess starch. Add to a small pot and cover with the water. Add in all spices and the onion. Bring to a boil. Once boiling cover with a tight fitting lid and keep heat high for one minute. After one minute, reduce heat to low and allow to cook (undisturbed) for 40 minutes. Remove from heat (with lid still on!) and allow to cool for 10 minutes, covered. Once cooled, fluff with a fork and stir in the olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt if desired. Serve warm with a little chopped fresh cilantro or mint on top.

Baked Fish N Chips (Vegan, GF, Soy-free)

1:16 PM

I recently discovered a fantastic youtuber named Edgy Veg. I'm not sure exactly if it was her idea to substitute eggplant for fish in her recipe for vegan fish n chips (she mentions it in her video in a way that suggests she didn't come up with the idea) or if she picked up the idea from other vegans. I'm guessing that this is a well known idea that I just stumbled on -- like seeing a recipe for vegan "tuna" featuring chickpeas for the first time -- its definitely new to you, but its been done. Either way I'm grateful to have stumbled on it and happy to report that I gave it a go and it was amazing. PLEASE NOTE: I DID NOT FOLLOW HER RECIPE, THE RECIPE BELOW IS MY OWN. After watching Edgy Veg's video for veganized deep fried fish n chips I merely took away the idea to use eggplant as a fish substitute, created my own new cooking method and changed the batter ingredients dramatically to make this recipe gluten free and pretty healthy -- oh and baked not fried. That's right, I bring you BAKED, healthy vegan fish n chips! This recipe can also easily be made oil free.

I grew up loving fish n' chips and I have eaten it all over the world. My dad has always been a big fan of it too so I have a lot of nice family memories tied to it. The best I have had was in London England and Santa Monica California. My dad took me and my sister to Santa Monica Pier for lunch when we were in LA visiting friends. We ate really delicious beer battered fish n chips with the most gorgeous view on the pier. I even somehow snagged a Sam Adams for the first time (it wasn't commonly found in Canada back then) which was the perfect accompaniment. The fish was light and delicious and almost sweet (not fishy tasting), and the batter was crisp and delicate like tempura.

The first person I thought of when making this recipe was my dad. I am always trying to make him try vegan recipes of mine. He loves vegetarian food and his influence is probably the reason I went vegetarian in the first place. Now to turn him vegan! Muahaha...

For a vegan and baked variation on the classic fried fish recipe, this 'fish n chips' looks and tastes almost exactly like the fish and chips I remember. My husband still eats fish and chips once in a blue moon and was thoroughly impressed by this recipe (woohoo!). We both couldn't believe how much it LOOKED like real fish and chips. The texture was pretty spot on too. Win win.

Give this vegan baked fish n chips recipe a try. If you aren't health conscious this would of course also taste fantastic deep fried, but its still pretty amazing either way -- still crispy and light. I love it this way because after eating a ton of it I still felt like I could eat more with no deep-fried-food-coma at all. This is one awesome and kind recipe. In other word -- woohoo!

VEGAN FISH N CHIPS

* PLEASE NOTE THAT THE EGGPLANT "FISH" NEEDS TO MARINATE FOR 3-5 HOURS BEFORE BAKING.*

Vegan Fish:

1 eggplant (stem removed, peeled, sliced into 1" thick slices lengthwise)

Marinade:

Water
1 tbsp kelp flakes
1 tbsp dulse flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp maple syrup

Place the eggplant slices in a mixing bowl. Fill the bowl to the top with water and the seasonings. Stir everything, cover the bowl securely and store in fridge for 3-5 hours. After the time has passed prep everything in the order specified below.

Oil-free Fries:

2 large potatoes, washed and sliced into wedges
1 sweet potato, washed and sliced into wedges
Dash of garlic powder and salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 420F before prepping your potatoes. Wash and cut the potatoes and add your potato and sweet potato wedges to a steamer pot and steam for 5 minutes. Spread out the steamed wedges evenly on a nonstick baking sheet. Place in the oven while you prepare your vegan fish. Carefully flip the wedges after 10 minutes in the oven, sprinkle on the spices and return to the oven until crispy and ready to eat.

Vegan Fish Batter:

1 cup brown rice flour (Plus extra brown rice flour (optional, for dredging)
1 cup sparkling water or beer
SPICES: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp each (cayenne, paprika, black pepper), dash of salt, 1 tsp kelp or dulse flakes
1 tsp neutral flavored oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Squeeze of lemon

After marinating the eggplant slices, remove the eggplant slices from the marinade. Pat each slice dry with a clean towel or with clean hands gently squeeze out a little of the excess water into a bowl (discard the liquid), set the squeezed slices aside as you prep the batter. Whisk batter ingredients together until there are no lumps. Dip the eggplant slices to coat one at a time on both sides. Then dip in a shallow bowl of extra brown rice flour if desired for crispy edges. Place all the coated slices spread out on either a non stick baking sheet or a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle each with leftover wet batter (dilute the leftover batter if it has gotten too thick). Bake in 420F oven for 15 minutes, carefully loosen and flip each slice over and return tray to oven to bake another 10-15 minutes until the edges are golden and crispy. Prepare the accompaniments below while the fish bakes. Serve with fries which can be baked at the same time.

Once everything is ready, serve with lemon wedges, pepper, vinegar and a few dadhes of kelp or dulse and a dash of salt to get the fishy flavours going.

VEGAN ACCOMPANIMENTS:

Coleslaw:

1/4 green or red or savoy cabbage, thinly chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and broken up
Garlic powder
1.5 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp coconut milk
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp maple syrup
A dash of hot sauce or sriracha
Dash of salt

Mix everything together by hand in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Vegan Tartar sauce:

1/4 cup of vegenaise OR coconut cream OR vegan unflavoured yogurt
Chopped dill pickle
Lemon juice
Salt

Mix everything together by hand in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Vegan chickn' with mashed potatoes, gravy and greens (gluten free, soy free, nut free)

9:30 AM

A little bit colder now. A little bit colder now. A little bit colder now. A little bit warmer now!

Sorry for anyone who didn't get that reference. The sentiment is intact though I think -- its a little bit colder now in my part of the world! Some people mutter expletives as they realize this but not me! Though I'm not a big fan of winter, Fall has always had my heart. With Fall comes baking, and apples, and mashed potatoes with gravy...and other deliciousness. To honour the changing of the seasons I decided to remove my air conditioner and make a vegan (soy-free) roast dinner!

Today's recipe made me insanely happy. Like grinning from ear to ear happy. Why? Because I don't eat soy or gluten (I am allergic) so there are few to no mock meats for me on the market. I actually like it that way for a few reasons. When I became vegetarian I did not yet know I was allergic to soy or wheat so I ate a LOT of fake meat as I transitioned. Why? I blame laziness and having no clue how to assemble a proper plant based meal without the alternatives I found. I ate a lot of tofu, 'ground round', and fake chicken. I'm not totally knocking these things -- I just think they should be consumed in moderation if at all. I think whole foods should be the basis of a healthy lifestyle and everything else should just be, well, gravy. I honestly don't miss the mock foods much -- they never tasted like meat to me, just like fast food meat which I always thought was gross anyway. But load up a veggie burger with toppings and you won't find yourself to jealous of your family members at a summer barbeque! Once I discovered my allergies I quickly began to make my own vegan meat replacements -- mostly based on beans. These are pretty good but honestly beans hurt my stomach. I really try to limit them these days. Today's recipe is totally different. I have been a fan of roasted cauliflower as a substitute for chicken for awhile now. I'm not saying its a dead ringer for meat but I really enjoy making the swap. I use cauliflower as the base of today's 'chick'n' dish but I don't roast it -- I steam it! Why? Because to me what I loved most about chicken when I ate it was the moist yet firm texture of the meat and the savoury flavour. Roast cauliflower is not moist at all -- its dry and crunchy. Therefore not a great match for roast chicken. Steamed cauliflower however is moist, firm and not crunchy at all. Now I assure you I'm not crazy. I know what chicken tastes like and I know that steamed cauliflower is not an obvious substitute. But steamed cauliflower coated in brown gravy, onions and chives? Pretty amazing alternative in my books! In fact it is the most satisfying alternative to roast chicken that I've ever had (mock meat not included and no I haven't tried beyond meat and cannot try it so bear with me here).

What's roast chicken without potatoes? Today's accompanying dish is a winner. If you don't like potatoes because of their high starch high carb profile, you might like this recipe. It's also lighter than mashed potatoes (and more delicious in my opinion). In my version, potatoes team up with cauliflower to create a smooth and creamy mash. No dairy (butter or cow's milk) is used -- just healthy coconut milk and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. I add lots of garlic as well and some fresh chopped chives for flavour and colour. This velvety smooth mash is delicious on its own but awesome with some easy vegan brown gravy. In fact this entire recipe was inspired by a vegan 'beef' bouillon cube...

Ok so the backstory on the cube -- I found these 'beef' flavoured vegan bouillon cubes at my local health food store. I always look but leave empty handed because most contain wheat or soy or both. These contain neither! Plus the ingredients aren't too shabby at all -- virtually fat free, low in sodium, loaded with dehydrated unsulpherised veggies and spices, a little non-active yeast and molasses. I brought them home and immediately made a cup of broth from one and to my amazement it really tasted like beef broth (consume). I knew I needed to make gravy.

This gravy is light and so easy to make. Basically you sweat some onions, add water and the boullion cube, thicken it all with a roux of rice flour, buckwheat flour and water and add some extra spices and a touch of coconut milk. It only takes a few minutes to make and is so so so good! The gravy is what makes the "chickn" dish taste like roast chicken. In fact I like it BETTER than roast chicken! Why? No dry meat! I hated dry meat my whole life -- hand me dark meat please. The cauliflower is ANYTHING BUT dry. Its moist and delicious, and once the gravy is on top its amazing and flavourful. But the real reason I love this meal so much is that for years as a vegetarian, roast chicken has been the one omni meal I missed (and the one I broke my own rules for once a year). In my opinion its hard to fake and as far as cravings go, hard to make vanish (especially during the holiday season). But for the last year or two I have been totally abstaining from meat whether or not I crave it. I just think the industry is awful and I don't want to support it in any way. This usually results in me feeling a little bummed during the holidays. I'm usually relegated to gravy-free sides unless I make my own (which I often do at home). I still often feel like the meal is incomplete when there's no chicken but now I know that I'll be reaching for this cauliflower dish instead with no regrets!

Even though the whole meal is plant based as it is, I felt the need to add some greens for balance. I simply steamed some kale and topped it with this really rad dill dressing. The combo makes for a really healthy flavourful green veggie dish. To add a little colour and punch I added some sriracha because hot sauce.

If you are vegan and avoid soy, I strongly encourage you to at least try out the cauliflower 'chickn'. You may love it. If you are an omni eater unsure what to feed a vegan or vegetarian this holiday season, I think a lot of people would appreciate a meal like this.

Vegan chickn' with mashed potatoes, gravy and greens (gluten free, soy free, nut free)

BROWN GRAVY:

2-3 cups water
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp evoo
1 vegan 'beef' bouillon cube (I used a low sodium vegan 'beef' bouillon cube from Pastariso, a really good gluten free option)
1 tbsp coconut milk
a few cranks of black pepper

1 tsp brown rice flour + 1 tsp buckwheat flour+ 1 tbsp water (mixed into a slurry)

Add oil to a small soup pot, heat over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add water and bring to a simmer. Add bouillon cube and mix well until dissolved. Add the slurry mixture and stir very well to dissolve. Once mixture is thickened to your preferred consistency add the coconut milk and whisk in. Add as much pepper as you like and whisk. Reduce heat while you prepare everything.

Chicken:

1-2 cups cauliflower florets
Half of the gravy
1 tbsp chopped chives
Black pepper
Steam cauliflower until totally tender. Place in a bowl with gravy and stir well to coat. Top with chopped chives and a little pepper.

COCONUT MASHED POTATOES:

3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen cauliflower florets
Garlic powder
Pinch of salt
1-2 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp chopped chives
Black pepper
1 tsp evoo

Boil your potatoes and cauliflower together until the potatoes are soft and mashable. Add to a food processor along with coconut milk and oil and salt and pepper. Pulse until everything is mostly smooth and creamy. Add half of the chives and pulse to incorporate. Scrape onto your plate, top with half of the gravy and the other half of the chives.

GREENS:

2-3 leaves chopped kale or swiss chard

Serve everything with some steamed mixed vegetables or steamed green vegetables. I added some of my creamy dill salad dressing to my greens for colour and flavour.

DILL DRESSING:

1 ripe avocado
1 tbsp coconut cream or coconut milk
1/8 cup water
black pepper
garlic powder
salt
handful fresh dill
squeeze of lemon

Blend everything together in a blender and adjust spices to your taste. Chill if not using immediately. Makes a delicious salad dressing.

Indian Fusion Green Tacos (gluten-free, vegan, grain-free)

12:44 PM

It's too hot today...no oven will be used today...Thank goodness for green tacos.

I love tacos -- especially "green tacos". Basically it consists of taco inspired fillings wrapped inside collard greens...I've experimented with many different fillings for wraps like these, from raw to cooked, and I always enjoy them.

Green tacos are a perfect summer meal because of their minimal cooking time. If your home is anything like mine, your thermostat will skyrocket when you use the oven in August. This is why you may have noticed very few desserts on my blog this summer. It's just too damn hot to bake right now.

I promise when the leaves start to change I'll be back at it again though, I don't last long without dessert...

I call these tacos Indian fusion because they merge elements of Mexican and Indian cooking. Mexican and Indian cuisine have some major similarities when it comes to key ingredients and spices. Cumin, lime, chili, mango, garlic, tomato and beans feature prominently in both. So I used these ingredients plus a few distinctly Mexican and Indian ingredients to create these wraps. Oregano and avocado are two heavily used ingredients in Mexican food so I threw them into the mix. I countered my Mexican ingredients with some Indian staples -- turmeric, mango chutney and coconut milk.

The "meat" in these tacos is basically a lentil dahl spiced with Mexican and Indian spices, and thickened with coconut cream. Its really flavourful, creamy and delicious. The meat is topped with mango chutney for a sweet flavour contrast and a smooth vegan "sour cream" made from avocado and coconut.

Try these tacos on a hot summer day.

Lentil "Meat":

1.5 cans lentils, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp evoo
1/2 small white onion
My Spice Blend (see below for My Spice Blend recipe) or SUBSTITUTE 2 tsps of a store-bought Indian spice blend
2 carrots, very finely grated
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tomato, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
Squeeze of lemon

Grab a pot. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions in the oil until translucent. Add grated carrot, chopped tomato, and spice blend and saute a minute. I like lots of spices but the measurements above are more modest... Add tomato paste and lentils and coconut milk and lemon and mix well. Simmer for a few minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings and salt to your taste. Serve as 'meat'.

*MY SPICE BLEND*

1 tsp or more Garlic powder (lots), 1 tsp or more Cumin, a couple cranks of pepper, a pinch of oregano, a dash of cayenne or hot sauce, a few dashes turmeric, a pinch of pink salt

Avo-Coco "Sour Cream":

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 large avocado
SPICES: Garlic powder (to taste), Salt (to taste)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Squeeze of lime or lemon

To serve:

Avo-coco sour cream (easy recipe above) OR substitute store-bought vegan sour cream
Store-bought mango chutney
Washed and dried collard green leaves
Hot sauce or sriracha

Puree or mash by hand all 'sour cream' ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY: Fill the center of each collard leaf with a bit of the lentil meat, sour cream, mango chutney and hot sauce. Fold or wrap and eat like a soft taco.

Cinco de Mayo Brunch: Fiesta Porridge Bowl!

11:00 AM

Cinco de Mayo Week continued: Chili Night and a thirst quenching surprise

11:47 AM

Chili Night! Vegan 'Chili con Quinoa' with 'No-Corn Bread' and 'Chilly Chili Limeonade'! What a fantastic meal!

Chili is one of those great dishes that can be personalized, not to mention it is well-rounded enough to be an entire meal in a bowl. Veggies, protein, spice, its a pot of gold sure to leave you satisfied.

I love chili.

Chili was a regular meal in my house growing up. My dad was the cook in our family and made what he enjoyed most. He loves anything spicy and hearty so chili was a staple. He made it in a few different ways. He made a great bean-filled fiery vegetarian chili and a delicious chili con carne (meat chili). My dad always leans towards vegetarian cooking when given the opportunity. He enjoys many meatless meals and loves beans more than anyone I know. The food he cooked the most for us as kids was definitely Tex-Mex. He loves cowboy-style baked beans, chili, tacos, fajitas and nachos. He douses anything and everything with hot sauce, hot pickled banana peppers and red chili flakes for an extra kick. I can remember a few meals where the food was so spicy my mom refused to eat.

Beyond my dad's cooking, I enjoy chili every summer at an annual 'corn roast' held at my mom's book editor's farm. The couple invites all their friends and family for a day of hay rides, homemade chili, corn on the cob, baked beans, and more desserts than you can try. I love going out there. The food is delicious and the setting is breathtaking. The last time we went, I introduced my husband to our tradition. Several plates of potato salad and seven slices of pie later and we could barely muster the energy to play anymore ping pong (barely).

This week, in honor of my dad, our corn-roast roots, and Cinco de Mayo (this Sunday May 5th) I made a hearty vegan chili.

The chili was an experiment and turned out totally awesome. It was also bean-free!

I have really cut back on eating beans for the past few months. As a vegetarian with a soy allergy, this choice has been hard to stick to. For the past several years, beans have been a staple in my diet and my main source of protein. I love Middle Eastern food, especially hummus and falafel, so going without beans has been hard. I made the choice because I have a really hard time digesting beans and pulses. I often end up with intense stomach pain right after eating them and end up bloated the next day. I decided the flavors weren't worth the sacrifice and began to seek alternative protein sources.

Enter quinoa.

Quinoa is such a fantastic food -- a super-food in fact. It is loaded with protein and amino acids. My husband has been pushing it on me for years but it was only recently that it became a staple in my kitchen. I now bake with it and add it to a variety of savory meals.

After falling in love with quinoa I discovered amaranth.

The distinctions between the two seeds are small. They are nearly identical in fact. Amaranth is not bitter, it has a bit less protein but higher levels of vitamins and minerals per serving. I use the two super-seeds in different ways. I prefer quinoa for heartier meals and amaranth for thickening and for desserts and porridge.

I used both amaranth and quinoa in my chili recipe. I used amaranth flakes as a thickener for the chili and used whole quinoa as a meat substitute.

What I ended up with was 'Chili con Quinoa', a delicious and hearty vegan take on 'Chili con Carne' without a bean in sight.

The day my husband and I settled on making my new chili I started thinking that chili really needs a bread accompaniment. Its one of those dishes that needs something to mop up the flavor. My first thought was to fry some small savory pancakes or flatbread but then inspiration struck -- cornbread!

Since I had set my sights on a bean-free chili, I decided to challenge myself by making a vegan corn-free cornbread.

Instead of corn meal I used millet grits, amaranth flour and amaranth flakes. I added savory spices, pumpkin seed butter and nutritional yeast for cheesiness, grated zucchini for texture, and some pear sauce for a hint of sweetness. Sounds gross but trust me it comes together beautifully!

What I ended up with were cheezy, savory vegan zucchini no-corn bread muffins.

Once they cooled in the fridge their texture was perfect as they really firmed up.They were the right savory flavor but a bit too soft (but delicious anyway) right out of the oven. They keep well too, we have some leftover muffins in our fridge from last Friday that my husband is still enjoying.

To make up for the lack of beans in the chili, I added a ton of veggies and some amaranth flakes to thicken the tomato base. I also added red and black pre-cooked quinoa which gave the chili a real meatiness. I even topped our bowls of chili with a batch of "Danielle's Tex-Mex Quinoa Meat" to add another layer of texture and flavor.

I have been collecting chili trade secrets for years so I added a few special spices and condiments to make the flavor of the chili come together.

The result was some damn fine chili, even my husband agreed. It was also damn filling! He could only get through one serving of it before he was too stuffed to continue (and he can eat a lot). The fact that he loved this chili speaks volumes because he was very skeptical that a vegan chili could be good without beans.

"But chili needs beans" No, it doesn't.

I know that some of my ingredients may sound a little unusual but trust me and use them. The cocoa powder makes this chili amazing and the pumpkin seed butter and nutritional yeast create a richness that takes the chili to another level of awesome.

WARNING: THIS CHILI RECIPE IS SPICY!

Chili is a dish that begs for serious spice. If you can't handle the heat you can always use less chili powder -- I wouldn't recommend this. To me, chili powder provides more than heat, it adds a unique flavor that can't be replicated. I really encourage you to use the full amounts and specific spices I list in the recipes below. My suggestion is to serve your chili with some cooling sides.

Chilli needs heat and accompaniments to cool the burn. The no-corn bread is great for numbing the fire. I have also included a recipe for a vegan lime crema which is flavorful way to cut the heat. Think Indian raita or sour cream.

If you plan to prepare this meal I highly recommend making a batch of my Chilly Chili Limeonade along with it (recipe follows). This vibrant and healthy tonic will not only compliment my chili con quinoa and no-corn bread perfectly, it will also soothe your body and soul. Spicy lemon water is an elixir for the liver as well as a truly detoxifying tonic. By using chili powder instead of cayenne pepper (traditional recipe), and lemon and lime juices instead of only lemon juice, this drink bursts with Mexican flavors. With natural sugar-free sweetness from the addition of stevia, you've got yourself a seriously healthy and addictive lemonade.

All of the following recipes are:

Chilly Chili Lime-onade
Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings.

1/2 large organic lemon, juice of

1 1/2 large organic limes, juice of

10-15 drops liquid stevia (or more if needed)

cold filtered water to fill your glass

1/4 tsp chili powder

Mix all ingredients together well in your chosen LARGE drinking glass. Taste! Add more stevia drop at a time if not sweet enough. Add more lime if not tangy enough (depends on how much water you add) Garnish with a slice of lime or lemon inside the glass or on the rim.

Zucchini No-Corn Bread
Makes 18-20 muffins.

Preheat to 350 F

Dry Ingredients:

3 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tbsp kelp flakes
3 dashes coarse sea salt
2.5 tsp chilli powder
1/3 cup nooch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup millet grits
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup amaranth flakes
1/4 cup quinoa flakes

Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Wet Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp chia seeds soaked 10 mins in 1/3 cup veg broth and 1 tbsp pumpkinseed butter, mixed well
2 cups grated zucchini
1/8 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup veg broth
1 cup filtered water
2.5 tbsp pear sauce
2 dashes rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

Add olive oil to dry mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add chia mixture and stir to incorporate. Add veg broth and stir through. Add water and stir through. Add zucchini and stir through. Add. pear sauce and stir through. Add vinegar and stir through. Leave batter alone 5 minutes. Scoop into muffin/cupcake cups in a muffin pan(s) and fill 2/3 full. Should fill 18 muffin cups.

Bake in center rack in oven until slightly firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. These muffins are the right texture after some time in the fridge. They can also be enjoyed hot from the oven but you may find them too soft in texture. After refrigeration they can be heated up again before serving in an oven or toaster oven.

Chili Con Quinoa
Makes 4 large servings or 8 small servings

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 small zucchini, chopped

1.5 large red bell peppers, chopped

1.5 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 dashes sea salt

1.5 tbsp Kelp flakes

3 tsp Cocoa powder

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 cup amaranth flakes

2 tsp chia seeds

2 tbsp chilli powder

4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup veg broth

1 large can diced organic tomatoes

4 tbsp pear sauce

3 dashes rice wine vinegar

1/2 lime, juice of

1 tsp pumpkin seed butter

Saute oil , onions and spices (not nutrtional yeast) together over medium heat until onions are soft. Add garlic, and peppers and zucchini and stir. After a minute add 1/2 cup veg broth and stir. Cook for 3 minutes then add tomatoes. Stir, reduce heat to simmer. Add pear sauce, amaranth flakes, lime juice, vinegar and chia. Stir and bring to a simmer.

Add nutritional yeast and stir. Cook 2 minutes. Add pumpkin seed butter and stir through, cook 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of your cooked quinoa and stir, reduce heat to low.

Use the rest of the cooked quinoa to make Danielle's Tex-Mex Quinoa Meat .When making the linked recipe for the quinoa "meat", add a 1/2 tsp of cocoa powder to the onions (when frying the spices in the beginning of the recipe) for extra flavor.

Lemon or Lime Crema
Makes 1-2 servings

3 tsp vegenaise
1.5 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1.5 tbsp water
1 heaping tsp chia seeds
1.5 tsp onion powder
2 tsp kelp flakes
1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp chilli powder or 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients except vegenaise together thoroughly in a small bowl. Allow to sit in room temperature for 5-7 minutes before stirring through vegenaise. Allow another 5 minutes to thicken. Stir and refrigerate until ready to use.

To Serve Chili:
Makes 2 large servings

1/2 english cucumber, grated with a cheese grater

1 batch Danielle's Tex Mex Quinoa Meat

1/2 batch Chile con Quinoa

1 batch vegan lime crema

2-4 no-corn bread muffins

Once the "quinoa meat" is ready, serve warm chili in large bowls, topped with half the "quinoa meat", grated cucumber and a drizzle of the vegan lime crema on top. Each bowl should be served with 2-4 no-corn bread muffins.