Pesto With A Twist

(For this vegan pesto, the Happy Belly Baker had the brilliant idea to use nut butters to make up for the missing parmesan cheese. I loved it so much that I demanded a recipe, pronto. HBB regrets that because he wasn't expecting this one to end up on the blog, he wasn't too precise with his measurements. He wishes you luck.)

Bunch of fresh basil (as much as your hands can hold)
Small package of fresh spinach (ours was 4 ounces)
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 cloves of garlic
olive oil (HBB says 3 glubs, as in glub glub glub from the bottle)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Add the following:

2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons macadamia butter

Blend and enjoy on rice pasta!

Almond Breakfast Cake

(Knowing that some of you have oat issues, I requested a recipe using a non-oat flour. The Happy Belly Baker kindly obliged, and here's the result. Note: he's pondering trying garbanzo flour next...)

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix together dry ingredients. Process the following in coffee grinder until smooth:

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup raisins

Place almond/raisin mixture in a small bowl and gradually add 2/3 cup milk (soy, rice, etc.) and 1/4 cup oil, stirring to loosen globs. Add to dry ingredients and mix until blended. Top with more sliced almonds, if desired.

Bake in an eight-inch iron skillet or small cake pan for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

(My firstborn says these are his all-time favorite. Wow!)

1 cup oat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats

1 apple, grated
3/4 cup milk (soy, rice, etc.)
1/4 cup canola oil

Combine flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Put raisins and 1/3 cup of oats in coffee grinder and process until relatively smooth. Repeat with walnuts and remaining 1/3 cup of oats. Add to flour mixture and mix together.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Into it, add apple, milk, and oil. Mix the liquid ingredients, then quickly stir in the dry ingredients.

Divide among 12 muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Ginger Peach Breakfast Cake

(Now here's the thing: Mr. HB Baker didn't even want to write out this recipe for me, because he believed the product to be a failure. "Too grainy," said he. "I liked last week's version better." Big Lad, age 10, agreed. However! Little Lad, age 3, and I LOVED today's version. Last week's? "Too goopy," said I. "And too peachy." So...give this a whirl and see what you think. And if you, like the HBB, find it lacking, he suggests omitting the rice flour, using buttery spread instead of oil, and throwing in more peaches. And we agree that fresh ginger could be an exhilarating substitution for the powdered stuff!)

2 cups old-fashioned oats, ground fine in coffee grinder
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons ginger

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add 2 medium carrots, grated fine. Mix to distribute carrot throughout.

Peel 2 ripe peaches; mash with a fork. Add peaches, 1/2 cup canola or olive oil and 1/2 cup milk (soy, rice, etc.) to dry ingredients. Mix.

Pour into greased 9x9-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Marinated Tofu and Summer Vegetables with Rosemary

(I almost didn't post this recipe because my photos made it look sort of grotesque. You'll have to trust me when I say we all found it delicious! The HB Baker suggests that you might want to grill the tofu and veggies; he chose the quick and easy frying route instead.)

1 package firm tofu
wheat-free tamari (or Bragg's)

Drain tofu, then slice into small slabs. Place flat in a single layer on pan and shake tamari to coat (flip and coat other side, too). Refrigerate and marinate for several hours, flipping once or twice. Sprinkle on more tamari if all is absorbed.

Heat skillet and coat with oil. Fry tofu pieces, turning them when crisp and brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Chop the following:

1 onion
1/2 red pepper
1 yellow summer squash

Combine and fry until soft. Add a few shakes of tamari and some fresh rosemary (needles stripped from two six-inch stems and chopped fine).

Place tofu on a platter and cover with the veggies.

(We enjoyed ours with fresh sweet corn and potato salad -- see below.)

Banana Spice Muffins

(Sorry to bring you another banana item so soon, but the cupboard was bare and the only fruits we had were frozen bananas.)

1 cup old-fashioned oats, ground fine in coffee grinder
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves (more or less)

Mix together all dry ingredients.

Add the following:

1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
squirt of agave nectar

Mix briefly to incorporate. Spoon into muffin cups; bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Simple Summer Pasta

Moving away from baked goods for a moment...

Doing without wheat doesn't have to mean doing without pasta. Here we have a bit of rice rotini topped with sautéed yellow squash, red pepper, spinach, fresh basil and toasted sunflower seeds. Yum!

Amerikaner

(The Happy Belly Baker dubbed these "Amerikaner" because he felt they looked more like cookies than biscuits. We, the testers, found them delicious whatever their name.)


1 cup old-fashioned oats, processed in coffee grinder until fine
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix together all dry ingredients. Cut in 1/4 cup butter substitute (we like Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread, but it does contain corn and soy), using pastry blender.

Add 2/3 cup milk (soy, rice, hemp, almond, etc.), soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar. Also add a squirt of agave nectar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Process oatmeal and raisins in small batches in coffee grinder until finely ground.

Mix all dry ingredients; set aside.

Mash large, ripe banana, then add:

1/4 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons butter substitute (we like Earth Balance spread; note: contains corn and soy)

Mix together moist ingredients, then add to dry ingredients. If needed, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk (soy, rice, hemp or other) to loosen batter.

Bake in iron skillet in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

My House is Dark, My Camera Basic

That's my quirky little way of saying that this will not be one of those food blogs with luscious photographs or attractive step-by-step demonstrations. (For that sort of thing, I highly recommend VeganYumYum.)

Instead, it's a no-frills offering of recipes created by my husband (The Happy Belly Baker) during our family's transition from the Standard American Diet to one that excludes wheat, dairy and most sugar (we do use agave nectar, sparingly).

I hope you'll feel free to ask questions, make suggestions, even offer recipes of your own. Most of all, I hope this provides reassurance to those of you just beginning the journey. I remember wandering aimlessly about the grocery store one day in January 2008 wondering what on earth we were going to eat! Eventually we got things figured out, and now at least two of us don't even miss the "white stuff."

Again, please feel welcome to comment below or to email me at bloglynn@gmail.com.

A votre santé!