Gluten free spring pasta

I've been seeing so many recipes for spring time pasta on all the food blogs I follow (and YouTube), that I just had to make some for myself.
As I am cutting gluten out of my diet (trying to at least), I decided to use some buckwheat noodles (soba noodles). Buckwheat is non allergenic, as well as a complete source of protein, containing each of the eight essential amino acids. How's that for pasta?


Ingredients:

-1/2 package of soba noodles
-1 bunch asparagus
-2 large tomatoes
-1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 tablespoon vegan pesto (recipe will be coming)
-Sriracha (completely optional, I just have to have spice in 99% of my meals)


1. Set a pot of water to a boil.
2. Wash, and cut off dry ends of asparagus.
3. When water is boiling steam asparagus for 5 minutes.
4. Add in a pinch of salt to water and throw in noodles with asparagus steaming on top. Stir occasionally. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Cut tomatoes in half, de seed with spoon, and dice in cubes.
5. Drain noodles, toss in olive oil.
6. Cut asparagus, and toss with remaining ingredients.

Enjoy it in your mouth!

Mushroom pizza bites

So today in the midst of running errands I spent some time at the beach in Santa Barbara. The weather was perfect, sunshine, slight wind, and basic California heaven. As I later stepped into Lassen's (a health food store) I got a peek at a soy vegan pizza. And I wanted pizza. So badly I was as crazy (crazy hungry) as the man in the next lane talking about how he should have stabbed a woman after she accidentally bumped into him with her cart.
Anywho, I'm cutting out gluten and I LOVE mushrooms, so I decided to use them as my crust base. And holy cow, these were so good I just inhaled them. I did allow myself some processed food such as pizza sauce, daiya cheese, and sriracha.

Ingredients:
-7 medium shiitake mushrooms
-Can of pizza sauce
-Daiya mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese of your choice)
-Toppings (optional)
-Sriracha


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit ( 176 degrees Celsius)
2. Wash, dry, and cut off stems of mushrooms.
3. Broil mushrooms on slightly greased pan or foil for 10 minutes. Then flip and broil top of cap for 5 minutes.
4. Spoon sauce, and top with Daiya or toppings.
5. Broil several minutes till cheese melts.

Enjoy them in your mouth!

Simple burger sandwich

I love burgers, and I love sandwiches. Maybe it's because I worked at Subway for a whole month when I was seventeen, or maybe it's because I don't have to eat it with a fork. Lets face it, food tastes better when you eat it with your hands.
The past two months I've also been cutting down on gluten. Hasn't worked out too well the past few days. Between sandwiches and crepes, I've been making my taste buds happy.


Ingredients:
-Trader Joe's low fat mayo, or vegenaise.
-Organic ketchup
-Greens (I used a mix)
-Onion
-Small tomato
-Veggie burger
-1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
-lemon juice
-Ezekiel bread

1. Toast two slices of bread.
2. Heat up burger in a pan in coconut oil, till both sides are brown.
3. Slice tomato and onion.
4. Put mayo on bread, lemon juice, veggie burger, tomato, onion, greens, lemon juice, and ketchup.


Enjoy it in your mouth!

Chia smoothies

I LOVE chia seeds! I regret that I never had a chia pet in my youth, but I discovered them some time ago and just always want to eat them. I put a few scoops in coconut water as an omega/electrolyte filled drink. And in smoothies they always thicken up.

Ingredients:
-1 cup greens (kale and spinach are my favorite)
-1 cup frozen berries (I use blueberries)
-splash of coconut milk
-2 scoops chia seeds
-2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder
-2-3 tablespoons stevia or 6-8 dates
-2 frozen bananas
-2 tablespoons gogi berries
-splash of noni juice

1. Blend all ingredients together
2. Top with gogi berries, berries, and/or coconut.

Enjoy in your mouth!

Fruit pizza

So this was my favorite dessert I've ever made. I got this recipe from a church cookbook when I was eleven. The original version was not vegan but I'm going to veganize this recipe.

Ingredients:
-1 cup powdered sugar
-1 1/2 cup flour
-3/4 cup vegan butter
-8 oz. vegan cream cheese
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 tablespoons cornstarch
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup fruit juice
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-FRUIT! (Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius)
2. Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar, flour, and vegan butter together till mixed to make crust.
3. Roll mixture into a circle on greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Beat vegan cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla till smooth for "sauce".
5. After cooling crust, spread cream cheese "sauce" and top with sliced fruit in any imaginable arrangement.
6. Heat cornstarch, sugar, pineapple ad lemon juice constantly stirring till smooth to make glaze.
7. After glaze cools brush on pizza.

Enjoy it in your mouth!

P.S. this tastes SO much better the day after, when all of the flavors soak into the crust.