A Colourful Crepe Filling -- naturally gluten free, vegan, and yummy

Come on, how pretty is that? I know what you are thinking: can I come over for dinner? Absolutely, you can. I always make enough to share. Unless what you were really thinking was that I must be daft. In which case ... um ... on to the next.

I used very little seasoning in this, just a little sea salt, a touch of black pepper, and a wee bit of dried marjoram. The combination of flavours gives a bright and savoury taste that wants for nothing. I was thrilled with the outcome, and am already looking forward to the left-overs tomorrow. Yum! In the house I grew up in, we all hated left-overs, but now to me they are practically a gift. One hour preparation on a meal that then lasts for three dinners. How awesome is that. If you are someone who likes to make a fresh meal every night, well, my hat is off to you, and unless your family is quite big, you might want to reduce the quantities. ;)

ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 small onion, diced -- about 1/2 cup
1 garlic clove, minced -- about 1 tbsp
1 med carrot, sliced
3 small tomatoes, diced -- about 3/4 cup
1 cup kidney beans (already cooked)
1/2 cup frozen corn (organic)
1/2 cup frozen peas (organic)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp marjoram

250 g broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (about 1 1/4 cup)


directions:

1. begin to saute the garlic and onion in a large saute pan with the coconut oil
2. add the carrots, tomatoes, peas, corn, kidney beans, and sea salt, and cook until the tomatoes start to break down, and the onions are nice and translucent.
3. add the marjoram
4. add the broccoli, and cook just until the broccoli is as tender as you like it

Serve as a filling for our fabulous crepe recipe, or eat it by the bowlful with grunting noises and glances over your shoulder.

Crepes for Dinner!

It's a simple thing, really. But almost everyone loves crepes. You can fill them with whatever you like, savoury or sweet, and it's a very pleasing meal.

At four o'clock I realized I didn't know what to make for dinner. So, I thought of crepes. I whipped up this batter, then let it sat while I began to compile the filling. For the uninitiated, crepe batter (especially one with chia seeds in it) needs to sit for a while before using. The filling was a result of a quick scan of the freezer, and some of the lovely tomatoes sitting in a bowl on the counter. Kidney beans, tomato, onion, garlic, corn, peas, carrots and broccoli made a bring and very very tasty filling. By five o'clock, all the crepes were finished, and the filling was cooked and ready to fill. The crepes were interesting, comprised mainly of almond flour, water, and eggs, with some chia seeds (I might grind them next time) and a wee bit of kamut flour. They are thin, with a delicate and yet fluffy texture. I wish I had a gluten-free flour to sub in that would keep the same sturdiness and flexibility. If you know of one yourself that you like to use, please let me know how it goes. 

These high protein crepes and their veggie-full filling make a very satisfying, belly filling meal that's nicely colourful, and full of deliciousness.  And enjoyable for all ages. The recipes for both the crepes and the filling will follow on the heels of this one.

Savoury Gluten-Free Polenta Baby Cakes -- Sauteed Tomato with Corn

In our dairy-free and gluten-free theme, I made these savoury corn muffins. I started with grape tomatoes, which I sauteed into submission with minced garlic, finely chopped onion, and some carrot for sweetness. A little chili powder, sea salt, and marjoram jump up the flavour to mouth-party. I thought these would be a nice little brunch treat, especially because I don't prefer a lot of sweet flavours myself. So, yes, I was really just indulging myself. The almond meal, flax seed, organic eggs, and coconut flour make these little cuties practically a meal in themselves along with all the sauteed veggies. Or at least a tasty and guilt free snack. Great with soup or salad for a light lunch or dinner, too, in the summer. 

The sauteed tomatoes that I did up are pretty much a sauce, and any extras would go very nicely on our green pasta recipe -- which it did that very night. ;)

sauteed tomato recipe:

ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp finely minced garlic

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

300 g finely chopped tomatoes (I used a combination of grape and vine tomatoes, because that's what I had)

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tbsp marjoram

directions:

1. saute the garlic and onion with the coconut oil until translucent

2. add the carrot and the tomato, sea salt, and herbs, and saute until well thrashed and reduced

This recipe makes 1 cup

polenta muffin recipe:

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sauce (from above)

2 organic eggs

1/2 - 3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp marjoram

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp ground chia

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 cup stoneground organic corn meal

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 cup corn kernels (organic)

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345

2. combine the warm water and coconut oil to melt the oil

3. mix in the sauce (make sure it's cool)

4. mix in the eggs (make sure the mixture is not too warm before doing so)

5. add the herbs, spices, and sea salt

6. add the flax and chia meal

7. add the almond flour and corn meal

8. add the baking soda

9. add the coconut flour

10. stir in the corn kernels, and scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups

11. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

makes 12 muffins

Cornmeal Muffins -- Savoury or sweet, gluten free and dairy free.

Despite rarely using corn, I was still in the mood after our delectable chili con broccoli on polenta this week. So, I decided to make cornmeal muffins. I wanted to make them gluten free, and although they have 2 xl organic eggs, they are dairy free. These muffins are super versatile. I made this batch with some cinnamon and vanilla, and a little coconut sugar. But they could easily be make with some salt and pepper, a generous dose of chili powder, and a couple of handfuls of corn kernels thrown into the batter. Super yummy to go with soup, me thinks. I think these muffins would take blueberries beautifully, but I didn't add anything this time, because I wanted to make sure the texture of the pastry would be suitable.

So, plain with just a hint of cinnamon and vanilla, they are simple and homey tasting, perfect with a cup of tea, and could take a little butter or honey beautifully.

Unlike some cornmeal muffins, the coconut flour keeps these ones nice and moist, and the texture is light and delicate, with that lovely cornmeal crunchiness.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 cups water

2 xl organic eggs

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground vanilla

2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup flax meal

1 cup almond meal

1 cup organic cornmeal

4 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

optional, to be added at the end:

1/2 cup blueberries (frozen are fine --  add them at the end when they are still frozen fully)

and add 5 minutes to the baking time

or 

1/2 cup corn kernels -- these you can defrost before using

(eliminate the vanilla and cinnamon, increase the sea salt to 1 tsp, add some black pepper, and 1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder)

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. pour warm water over the coconut oil to melt it

2. add the apple cider vinegar, and eggs (makes sure the water is not too warm)

3. add the coconut sugar, if using

4. mix in the spices and sea salt

5. add the flax meal

6. add the almond flour

7. add the corn meal

8. add the baking soda

9. add the coconut flour

10. finally, when the batter is fully mixed, add the blueberries or corn kernels if you are using any

11. scoop into 24 prepared muffin cups, and bake at 345 for 25 to 30 minutes (in the upper half of the oven), until the muffins feel resiliant to the touch

12. remove the muffins from the muffin cups shortly after taking them out of the oven