The Happy Gluten Free Vegan

Sometimes, you want to whip up a delicious, filling vegan meal without a lot of fuss and expense. Maybe you have less than an hour to prepare a dish that your whole family — or table of friends — will love. Never fear! This stellar red bean-based dish utilizes cauliflower “rice.” In other words, the finely shredded cauliflower looks like rice, and its texture is quite similar. You and your guests will be amazed! The whole process is much easier than you might think. Here’s how:

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green, red, or yellow bell pepper
1 large head cauliflower, chopped
3 15-ounce cans of red beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, avocado, sliced jalapenos, chopped arugula, chopped tomatoes, salsa, diced scallions, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add chopped onions. Fry onions on medium heat for about five minutes until they become translucent. Add chopped pepper and celery and continue frying for 5-10 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. The aroma will be heavenly! Meanwhile, place cauliflower chunks in food processor and grind them until they attain a granulated, slightly powdery consistency. You won’t believe they aren’t actually rice! Add the cauliflower “rice” to vegetables, along with the red beans and spices. Fry for another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. You can adjust the seasoning level according to your individual tastes. We like ours spicy, but you may feel differently. Experiment and enjoy!

This delightful dish pairs well with gluten-free corn tortillas and an almost endless variety of toppings. We garnished ours with sliced avocados, chopped cilantro, and thin slices of jalapenos and were delighted with the results. Other topping choices include chopped tomato, scallions, salsa (homemade is best) and chopped arugula. Use your imagination! You can also enjoy this dish with gluten-free, vegan beer or wine (check www.barnivore.com to see if your beverage is vegan).

Your simple, but scrumptious meal will serve 4-6 hungry people. You can store it in your refrigerator, reheat the leftovers, and enjoy them for a couple of days. They will taste just as delicious as before! The dish is amazingly filling and satisfying, and your guests will be delighted by its robust flavor. You’ll want to make it again and again! Be sure to save room for dessert.

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Soda doesn’t have to be nasty colas with high fructose syrup, it can be delicious beverages that can be a special treat, without feeling gross after you drink it. One of our favorite discoveries is Nature’s Flavors, which crafts USDA Certified syrups with no toxins, chemicals, or synthetics. Their syrups are vegan, gluten and alcohol-free, as well as kosher.

While they have many flavors, their mango chili syrup caught our attention because we love the mix of sweet and spicy. Here is our favorite recipe for mango chili soda.

Vegan, Gluten-Free and Organic Mango Chili Soda

1 cup of filtered water
1 cup of organic, vegan sugar
1/2 cup Natures Flavors mango chili syrup

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan, then turn down the heat to low-medium, letting the syrup simmer until it’s reduced to about half of it’s volume. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Transfer it to a glass bottle with a tight seal. When ready to serve, combine syrup with carbonated water over ice. Start with a few tablespoons, taste, and add more if you’d like a stronger taste.

To add to this soda, consider additions such mint or blackberries to add a unique flavor to the beverage.

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This homemade vegan hot cocoa mix is not only gluten-free and vegan, but it’s also raw and organic! Just the thing for a winter’s day – or any day! Here’s how to make this delicious, and oh-so-good for you homemade vegan hot chocolate mix:

2 parts raw, organic almond butter

2 parts aw organic cacao powder

1 part organic, vegan sugar

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until of uniform consistency.

Store in cool, dry place.

To make hot chocolate, simply put 2-4 tablespoons of mix in a cup, and add boiling water.

Yum!

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Did you know that it is really easy to make your own peanut butter? It is! And best of all, you can control what does, or doesn’t go into it. While we are going to give you an easy recipe to make a basic peanut butter, there is a lot of room to get creative and play around with what you add!

Vegan and Gluten-Free Peanut Butter

16 ounces of dry roasted peanuts
4-6 tablespoons peanut oil
Sea salt to taste (optional)

Grind peanuts in a food processor until they are finely ground. Keeping the processor running, slowly add the peanut oil until desired consistency is reached. Mix in the salt to taste.

Store peanut butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You should plan on using this delicious peanut butter within a few weeks as, like an good unprocessed food, it has a short shelf life!

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