Spaghetti and Beanballs, Gluten-free

It's been pretty gorgeous outside and it's finally starting to feel like spring. The days are longer, the air smells like pollen and I am craving pasta. What? Why?

I've never been a big pasta eater. On average, I would say I eat it about 5 times a year. The starchy, plain business of it has never appealed to me much. Until now. Maybe it's because I've been running more, working longer and generally creating more of an appetite for myself, but hot dang, a big plate of filling pasta has never sounded better than before this week.

You would think that would be enough. But of course not. How could MEATBALLS fit into this gorgeous mess? Obviously, meat was out. But beans? Totally doable. Enter the beanballs.

These babies turned out fantastic - about 8x better than I thought they would. I used my go-to bean patty recipe (which I just realized I haven't been on here. Soon!) and slightly adapted it to make itty bitty balls for my not-so itty bitty batch of pasta. One main adaption being that I loaded them up with chunks of cheese, which as you see wanted to seep out into the world.

Seriously, these were so good and SO satisfying. I think my pasta ache has been met for the next while. We will see what counts as a "while."


Spaghetti and Beanballs

Ingredients for spaghetti:
12 oz gluten-free spaghetti (or however much you think you will need. I always make extra for leftovers)

2 leeks, sliced
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 package sliced button mushrooms
2 leeks, sliced
1/2 small white onion, chopped


Ingredients for beanballs:
2/3 cup gluten-free oats - separated
1/4 small white onion, chopped
2 garlic gloves, minced
2 Tb. ketchup
1 T dried oregano
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
5 oz cheddar cheese, cubed into

To do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put a large pot of salted water on to high heat for your pasta water. Prepare a baking sheet with sprayed olive oil or a silpat.

2. In a food processor,  grind 1/3 cup of the oats, onion, garlic, ketchup, and oregano together until ground fairly well together. Add in the chickpeas and process until the mixture is chunky and still holds together. Dump into a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1/3 cup oats. It will be a little wet and sticky, but that's ok.

3. roll together roughly 1 tablespoon of the beanball "dough" and form it around a cube of cheese. Place on the baking sheet and repeat until the dough is gone.

4. Pop the beanballs into the oven for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the pasta.

5. Your pasta water should be boiling now. Add it in and swirl around a bit to get it all submerged and separated. Gluten-free pasta is tricky as it liked to stick together, so make sure you give it a good swirl every 2 minutes.

5. Heat the onion and leeks over medium heat in oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. (Remember to stir your pasta!) Add in your tomatoes when the pasta is done so they don't get too mushy.

6. When your pasta is done, scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water to add in later. Drain your pasta, rinse with cold water, and immediately transfer to the pot you cooked it in. Add your sauce and mushroom mixture stat so the noodles don't stick together. Give it all a good stir and pour in 1 tablespoon of the pasta water at a time until you obtain the consistency you desire.

7. The meatballs should be finishing up about now - they should be slightly crunchy on the outside. Plate the spaghetti with the beanballs on top and enjoy!

Vegan Corn Chowder, Gluten & Soy-Free

The first January I started going Vegan for the month, I somehow stumbled across the internet to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM is much easier and less weird to say). At this point, I was craving some vegan recipes that were easy and fulfilling, since all I was eating were carrots and apples and being VERY hangry. Shutter. I signed up for their weekly "Food for Life" e-mail that sends recipes and Vegan tips to keep you full and motivated, which is exactly what I need during January.

I've been getting recipes from them for about three years now, and the one this past week just called to me. I love a good chowder, but I also love to cram as many nutrients as I can into a meal. It's a little difficult to throw a balanced meal into chowder, but somehow this recipe just does it. I guess the absence of cream helps, but let me tell you, it will not be missed.

I tweaked the recipe by adding in vegetables I had on hand, along with white beans for protein and a can of green salsa for some extra kick. Oh, and I added nutritional yeast, because it thickened it up and made it a little cheezy. So essentially, follow my  version and you get some kicks, salsa, and yeast. Yes, it sounds like the sketchy part of town, but did you SEE the first picture?! I will not lead you astray. So tasty.

Corn Chowder, Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-Free
Adapted from PCRM

You will need:
3 cups chopped red potatoes, skin on (I used Idaho red, Klondike Rose)
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic gloves, minced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup leeks, sliced - separate the white and green parts
1 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t turmeric
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can roasted tomatoes, with liquid
1 can corn
2 ears corn
1 4-oz can green chilies
1 small can salsa verde (or about 8 oz)
1 cup rice milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

To Do:
1. Put the chopped potatoes in a large pot with the vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to a simmer and cook until soft.

2. Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup cold water in a medium-sized sauce pan and turn heat to medium. Add in the onion, garlic, mushrooms, the white leek parts (reserve the greens for topping), and all the spices. Mix it up and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until soft and intermingled.

3. In your food processor or blender, blend the can of corn (with liquid) until smooth.

4. Cut off the corn from your two ears of corn and set aside until later. 

3. When the potatoes are done, leave them in the pot with the broth and mash lightly with a fork - I wanted more potato chunks, so I did less of this. Add in the beans, tomatoes, onion mixture, blended corn, cut corn, green chilies, salsa and nutritional yeast- stir together. Feel free to add in more water, 1/2 cup at a time, if you would like it less thick.

4. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the rice milk and let it reheat to a high temperature.

5. Dish into two large bowls and garnish with the leek greens, and Greek yogurt if you're feeling wild. I found it took the heat down a notch, and added some extra creaminess to it. Do what you want. :)

Taco Pie, Guten-Free / Soy Free

I was talking with a friend the other day who has just moved back from Australia. Yes, I know - the down under seems so lovely, right? WHY would you leave?!

Well, I'll tell you why (not that this was her reason. It would have been mine, though). There's no Mexican food. And if there is, they include balsamic vinegar in their most commonly used ingredients, which is a wam-bam-no-thank-you-ma'am in my book.

I went home that night craving rice, beans, and some taco flavor in a BIG way. I feel so lucky to have all those ingredients at my beck and call, especially since the man needs those to essentially remain a thriving human being.

This was so simple to make. I actually had some cooked rice already in the fridge from the night before, which cut down on some time. As with many of my recipes, please add in what ingredients you love to eat the most. I used tomatoes, leeks, mushrooms, onions and black beans since that's what I had on hand. As long as you get that taco seasoning in, it will be a pie-dish full of that wonderful South-of-the-border taste.

Taco Pie
Makes one standard 9-inch pie dish

Ingredients
1.5 cups cooked white rice, hot
1 egg
1/5 cup chopped leek
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste


1. Preheat your oven to 350 degree; grease your pie dish.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the hot rice, eggs, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped leeks. Spread this mixture on the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish, as you would a pie crust. Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.

3. For the filling, pour some olive oil in a medium-sized skillet  and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, dump in the onions and remaining leeks. Let cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the mushrooms and taco seasoning. Give it a stir and let cook while you mash the black beans.

4. Dump your black beans in the bowl you used to make the rice mixture. Mash the beans with a fork until they are mostly mushy, with a few recognizable chunks.

5. Once the onion and mushroom mixture is cooked and soft, add it to the beans. Stir it all up nice. By this time, your rice crust should be ready to come out of the oven - it should be slightly hardened. Add the filling to it and smooth out.

6. Place the sliced tomatoes on top, cut side down, and cover with cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese has melted and it's all nice and hot. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

Gluten-free Polenta Vegetable Loaf

I love my loaf pan. Basically because it gets me though many a quick bread, which have been quite abundant around here lately. But today, it upped it's standard.

Enter: the polenta loaf.

Polenta has consumed my thoughts before, so this is nothing new. I love it when foods can swing different directions - feeling pasta sauce? Throw it on. Have leftover pesto? Mix it in. Have two leftover cans of beans in the fridge who have nowhere to go? Yes - they go in, too. SO GOOD. So right.

By the way, polenta is a schmancy name for corn meal. It's WAY easier to find it under it's given name, like in the bulk food section of your nearest WinCo. Which is a store that just appeared 2 miles away from me, and has already made a bulk foods lover out of me for life. Bulk food is cheaper than the pre-packaged stuff, and you can control how much you buy. It's a beautiful thing.

For the vegetables, I used leftover stir fried veggies from the night before, but feel free to use whatever floats your fancy. These just had mushrooms, carrots, beans, peppers and tomatoes with a balsamic-gravy thing going on. Use something you love.

This has the casserole feel to it and isn't structured to stay together once you dish it up. As you can see by the sliding slice on my plate in the background, it will be juicy. However, if you prefer saucy over dry, this will work out just fine. If you don't, you'll be so happy with the flavor it won't matter anyway.

Polenta Vegetable Loaf
Makes one 8x5 loaf

Ingredients
3.5 cups water
1 cup polenta
1/4 cup prepared pesto
one 2.25 ounce can sliced olives
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup spaghetti sauce (your choice)
1 cup cooked vegetables
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

To do:
1. Preheat your oven on to 300 degrees and grease your loaf pan.

2. Boil the water in a medium pot; slowly add in the polenta, continually stirring so it doesn't clump. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and stir every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of your pot. Once the polenta has significantly thickened, add in the pesto, olives and parmesan cheese; stir to incorporate and take off the stove.

3. Spoon and smooth 1/3 of the polenta in the loaf pan and layer with half the spaghetti sauce, then half the veggies, and lastly 1/2 of the beans. Repeat this, ending with the last 1/3 of the polenta on top.

3. Pop in the oven for about 15 minutes, until slightly hardened and "crusted" on top.

4. Let cool for a few minutes; slice and serve!

Breakfast Quinoa Cups

Have you jumped on the quinoa train yet? I feel like everywhere I turn, there's someone else discussing the bounty and glory that all this complete-protein crop has to offer. I hear about it as often as I do kale, as if they are cahoots. Married. Quinoa and kale, forever and always.

It's great for vegetarians! It contains essential amino-acids! It will teleport you to Bermuda at first bite! Yeah, all it's benefits can get a little exhausting. Especially if you're type A and need more than a moments notice to travel to a foreign destination.

However, we can't kid ourselves. Quinoa is GOOD. As in, tasty good. And it plays well with others, like cinnamon, berries, and coconut. Making it a completely fantastic breakfast idea.

I've played around with quinoa cups before, but it's always been the savory kind for dinner. These buggers are super quick and easy to make, which makes them ideal for rushed mornings or frantic evenings. And really, you can add whatever you have on hand. For these, I used cottage cheese since I couldn't jive with cheddar. I'm sure goat cheese would be phenomenal, or ricotta.

 Breakfast Quinoa Cups
Makes 12 cups

Ingredients
3/4 cup dry quinoa
1 t cinnamon
4 beaten eggs
1/2 cup shredded pear
3 ounces of your favorite cheese
1/4 cup silvered almonds
1/4 cup dried coconut
2 T brown sugar
1/2 cup frozen berries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.

2.  Measure out 3/4 cup quinoa and the cinnamon in a medium pot; fill with 2 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil on the stove. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium and let simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa.

3. While your quinoa cooks, combine the beaten eggs, pear, cheese, almonds, coconut and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add in the quinoa when it's done. The mixture wild be slightly soupy.

4. Ladle equal portions into the greased muffin tin, filling all 12 holders. Place a few berries on top of each cup and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they are slightly browned and firm to the touch.

5. Cool for 5 minutes before eating. If you can.

Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

Don't think I haven't noticed how drastic my ratio is of savories vs. sweets is on here. Trust me - I love my sugar! However, my baking undoubtedly lends more towards pastries than sweet dessert-like treats. Although I haven't questioned too much on why this is, I guess it's because gluten-free flour is expensive, and I would rather put it towards more practical goods. Pastries (muffins, scones, quick breads) can be sweet and decadent, but can also be geared to more of a breakfast item for those quick mornings.

However, that being said, I love having a specific reason to baking. Like birthdays! I seriously get mildly depressed when a birthday doesn't come with some kind of dessert. It's what makes it so special.

Enter: Peanut butter banana cupcakes, in honor of The King. My mother-in-law happens to adore that man, and it happens to be her birthday, so these had to happen with all the happenstance going on. (Happen just happened a lot).

I followed this recipe subbing in my own gluten-free flour blend and they turned out perfectly! I'm actually pretty excited, because I totally winged it on the flour. The crumb is light and airy, but still dense enough to bond well with the heavier peanut butter buttercream. I'll be using this recipe again for other versions. Coconut frosting might be key in the future.

Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes
Adapted from Mark Matusmoto
Makes 9 large, 12 small


Ingredients for the cupcakes:
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon xantham gum
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter


Ingredients for the frosting:
8 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (I wouldn't suggest using the natural kind)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cupcakes To-Do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Mash together the banana and lemon juice until smooth, then whisk in the eggs. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use a fork to whisk together the flours, xantham gum, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using the paddle attachment, beat in the butter until well incorporated. Add the banana and egg mixture and mix until just combined.

3. Fill the cupcake molds about 2/3 of the way full and put the pan in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to prevent the cupcakes from overcooking and becoming dry. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Buttercream To-Do: 1. Beat the butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until it is light and fluffy. Spread on the cupcakes with a butterknife or pipe on for a more refined look. I'm hardly a refined person, so I went with the former option. ;) Enjoy!

Arugula and Walnut Pesto

Sundays are pretty low-key around here. We go to church (Scott helped me in Sunday School today. That was pretty cute), we get fed lunch at his parents, stuffed with dessert at mine, and then we head to Freddie's for some grocery shopping. We return home late-afternoon, which leaves me more time than our usual week nights to prep dinner. This extra-long stretch means I can get super wild in the kitchen...which also means Sunday dinners result in adding another recipe to the books, or adding some more contents to our trash.

While we were wandering around Fred Meyer grabbing the usual suspects, I got to thinking of how I could use the arugula that was slowly dying in our fridge. I knew pasta was in the plan for dinner, so pesto came to mind. It didn't take me long to walk straight to the bulk department and fill up on some walnuts. Hi-ho, bulk department TOTALLY the way to go. 3/4 pound for six dollars? This equals out to many more walnuts happenings soon.

This turned out way better than I had expected. I used various other pesto recipes to form a base of how-to-do, including these two. While the peppery taste arugula holds was delish, it was really the salty parmesan that blew it out of this world. But that's me, who could have a hunk of parm in my lip the whole day and be totally content.

This played well with pasta, but I would definitely suggest warming it up in a sauce pan (while your noodles are boiling) and adding spoonfuls of boiling pasta water as necessary to get it all creamy and juiced up.

Arugula Walnut Pesto
Makes about 1 cup

3 cups loosely packed arugula
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 cloves garlic (preferably roasted)
1/4 cup heaping walnut halves
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
S&P to taste


1. In a food processor, get your arugula, lemon juice, garlic, walnuts, and cheese roughly grated and mixed up.

2. Stream in olive oil as the processor is running to get it all smooth and pureed.

3. Taste. Add salt and/or pepper. Taste again. Say "mmm."

4. Use as you wish! Leftovers will be on my sandwich tomorrow.