Roasted Vegetables Layered with Goat Cheese and Ricotta -- naturally gluten free

For this dish, I was inspired by my cousin Emily, queen of all things sandwich, and by 

The Chubby Vegetarian. Hello ...  Just when I was thinkin' I was unique and creative, in walks the Chubby Vegetarian and his grilled vegetable terrine. ;)

Now, I didn't end up making a terrine, nor did I barbecue. I don't even have a barbecue. Sorry. I hope that didn't make you cover your eyes in disgust. What I did instead was oven roast my sliced vegetables until they were reduced in water content and very sweet, simmer down my grape tomatoes until they were reduced and vivacious, and drain both my ricotta and my spinach very well. So, I started with very little moisture in my dish, and didn't need to press it out. I layered vegetables with goat cheese, and with ricotta, and then baked it all for a couple of hours.

The results were a many layered affair with a symphony of flavour and colours. Pretty, and yummy.

I used a 12 inch springform pan (those are those cool ones that have the detachable base so you can easily remove whatever you bake in it) lined with a circle of parchment and coated well with coconut oil. Regardless of what kind of pan you use -- springform, loaf, square, etc -- I advise liberal application of coconut oil and lining the bottom with parchment. Anytime you need to remove something from a pan (such as a cake or this baked vegetable and goat cheese layered thingy), I would highly recommend lining the bottom or base with parchment and liberally coating the pan with coconut oil.

Now, when you look at the directions below, it might seem like a lot of work. But if you slice and roast your veggies one day, saute your tomatoes another, and then finally mix up your cheese mixtures and assemble your layers, it really isn't a lot of work in one go. Which is important if, like me, you can rarely rely on large chunks of time. The baking itself took 2 hours, so you need to set aside enough time for that before serving the dish.

ingredients:

3 medium red peppers, cut in half with the guts removed

2 very large or 3 medium yellow peppers, cut in half with the seeds removed

3 chinese eggpants, sliced about 1/2 cm thick, lengthwise

4 enormous portobello mushrooms, stems removed, and stems and caps sliced about 1/2 cm thick

goat cheese and sundried tomato mixture:

300 g goat cheese

1 1/2 oz sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 organic eggs (large)

ricotta and spinach mixture:

1 lb of ricotta, drained in a towel while weighted down

300 g of spinach (either blanched and squeezed dry, or defrosted and squeezed dry)

2 organic eggs (large)

1 tsp sea salt

black pepper

dash nutmeg

grape tomato sauce:

4 pints grape tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp garlic, finely minced

3/4 cup onion, finley chopped

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp marjoram

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

black pepper

directions:

1. place the mushrooms, peppers, and eggplants on individual baking sheets. Brush with coconut oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Bake at 345 for 60 minutes, or until done and a little reduced. You don't want to have too much liquid in your layered vegetable dish. After your peppers are roasted, you will have to peel and slice them. If they are cooked enough, the peeling is very very easy.

2. To make your sauteed grape tomato sauce: saute your garlic and onions in coconut oil, then add your tomatoes and seasonings, and simmer until reduced.

3. To make your goat cheese and sundried tomato mixture: chop your sundried tomatoes in your food processor, then add your eggs and goat cheese and process until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. My sundried tomatoes were salty, so I needed no salt.

4. To make your spinach and ricotta mixture: chop your spinach in your food processor, then add your eggs and ricotta cheese and seasonings to taste, and process until smooth.

5. Assemble your layers. Mine were as follows:

a) I made an interesting pattern on the bottom layer using the portobellos. Because, once the dish is done, I will invert the whole thing onto a platter, and presto the bottom layer will be the top layer.

b) I layered 1/2 of the spinach and ricotta mixture. This would have been a little easier if the mixture wasn't quite so dry ...

c) next, a layer of eggplant

d) 1/2 of the sauteed tomato mixture

e) 1/2 the spinach and ricotta mixture

f) the red peppers

g) the goat cheese and sundried tomato mixture

h) a layer of eggplant

i) 1/2 the sauteed tomato mixture

j) the yellow peppers

I sprinkled a little balsamic vinegar and sea salt on the top layer of yellow peppers. Now, you can layer yours however pleases you. This just worked for me. And you can mix it up, use different veggies, go crazy. Whatever.

6. Store the compiled layers in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. 

7. bake at 345 for 2 hours in the top half of the oven

8. allow to cool fully, then invert onto a large plate or platter

the finished layers, ready to go into the fridge

arial view ...

after baking!

sorry, too many pictures ...

inverted onto a plate

a vegetarian feast!

ready to cut into it ...

Delectable, savoury layers

pretty!

Matza -- It may not be kosher, but it is unleavened, and it tastes great

For those of you who do not know, matza's nickname is 'the bread of affliction'. The reason we eat unleavened bread at Passover is because the Israelites were in such a hurry to flee slavery under Pharoah that they didn't have time for their bread to rise. Now that's affliction.

When the first batch came out of the oven, my husband broke off a piece and popped it in his mouth. He then shook his head and said: "This bread does not taste like oppression."

Thanks, Erin, for directing a recipe for homemade matza my way. This is a variation on it, because being me, I can never leave well enough alone. I always have to make it my own. Make it bigger, better, faster.  Instead  of using white flour and olive oil, I used kamut and coconut oil. And other things. Additionally, my flour has not at any time been blessed by a Rabbi, nor will it ever be. Then again, I'm such a sinner it probably wouldn't matter anyway ...

This matza is dead easy. You put the dry ingredients and oil in the food processor, and pulse to combine. Then you drizzle in just enough water so that it forms a ball. 

You then divide the batch into 12, roll them out super thin, prick them all over with a fork, and optionally sprinkle them with sea salt before baking.

I think next year I will add a cup of almond meal, for texture and taste.

ingredients:

2 cups kamut flour (whole grain please)

1/4 cup extra virgin organic coconut oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup water

directions:

preheat the oven to 375

1. put the flour, sea salt, and coconut oil in a food processor, and pulse to combine

2. turn on the processor, and drizzle in water just until it forms a ball. Do not add too much water!!

3. divide the dough into 12 pieces. 

4. roll each piece until it is super thin. Place it on a lined baking sheet and prick it all over with a fork (and optionally sprinkle with a little more sea salt)
5. bake it for 10 minutes, or until crisp and browned.
6. store in an airtight container


variation chili: 
1. increase the sea salt by 1/2 tsp (total 1 tsp)
2. add 1 tsp chili powder
3. add 1/4 -1/2 tsp granulated garlic
4. add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
5. add 1 tsp marjoram


variation oregano:
1. increase the sea salt by 1/2 tsp (total 1 tsp)
2. add 1 tbsp oregano
3. add 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
4. add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

my matza has oregano

my matza has heat ...

Leek and Vegetable broth for Matza Ball Soup

Broth by any other name is still soup, so don't sweat it. Soup's easy once you get the hang of it. The secret to soup is that there is lots of water, so you need to layer your flavours in there, and don't skimp on the salt. Don't over salt, but also don't under salt. Because under salted broth has a whole lot in common with warm dish-water ... Enough said.

A bunch of organic leeks beckoned to me, taunting me with how great they'd taste in a broth. I chose to believe them. The cool thing about leeks is how buttery the tender parts get when you saute them in coconut oil. And how flavourful the fibrous green parts are when you boil them in your broth. You just have to remember to remove them before serving.

ingredients:

2 cup celery, sliced

2 cup carrots, sliced

1 bunch of leeks, well washed (leeks can have a lot of dirt between the layers). Slice the 'whites' thinly, and leave the 'greens' in large pieces

4 tbsp coconut oil

4 tsp sea salt

black pepper

12 cups filtered water

directions:

1. put the leek greens in a large pot with 12 cups of boiling water

2. simmer the leek greens for at least 30 minutes

3. saute the celery, carrots, and leeks in the coconut oil with the sea salt until they are happy and sweaty

4. add the sauteed veggies and simmer for around 20 minutes

5. remove the leek greens

6. your broth is now ready!

7. before serving, reheat it with the matza balls in it.

8. put one matza ball in a bowl, ladel soup over it, and garnish generously and foolishly with copious amounts of parsley from your window garden

Matza Balls -- the whole-foods, vegetarian version

Who doesn't love matza ball soup? So what if it's chicken soup and you're a vegetarian? It's a taste of childhood. Eat, eat, it's good for you. At least that is what your bubbi will tell you. Or your auntie Voula who might just make it out of lamb. Fear not, for those who eschew meat, there is a perfectly good way to make both the broth and the matza balls that doesn't involve anything that ever had a face -- except for the person making it, who probably has one. I'm going to go with most likely.

For the broth we made, please check out the Leek and Vegetable Broth for Matza Ball Soup. This broth rocks, and is delicious and easy.

The matza balls are super easy too. There are very complicated ways to make matza balls if you want to look for one. I adapted my recipe after doing much research. I make it with whole wheat matza that I turn into matza meal using the food processor. However, if you have a source for whole wheat matza meal that comes in a box, be my guest. Or if you are more traditional than me, you can always go for the white matza meal. But you know me. I'm a bit of a white-food-a-phobe. (Or should I say a lot ...)

In my recipe, I added 1/2 cup of almond meal, which is entire optional. I should tell you that the addition doesn't seem to affect the taste or the texture in an adverse way, and we've had them both with and without. So, if you are a nut-phobe or allergic, or don't have any almond meal, you can happily skip it with equally gracious results.

ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat matza meal (approx 5 sheets of commercial square matza in the food processor if you don't have matza meal)

1/8 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp vegetarian bouillion (optional -- if you use one, choose one without msg)

plenty of black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

4 eggs

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup almond meal (optional)

directions:

1. combine the matza meal with the seasonings

2. stir in the coconut oil and the beaten eggs

3. add the optional apple cider vinegar and almond meal if you are using them

4. allow this concoction to sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes

5. roll the batter into balls (they will get bigger when you boil them). I made 18, and they seemed like a good size when cooked.

6. boil the finished matza balls in water for 40 minutes. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon.

7. store the drained matza balls in an airtight container without any addition liquid.

8. before serving, reheat the matza balls in the broth. This will allow them to absorb some of the broth flavours. Yummy.

Candy! Healthy? Bet your ass :)

Call me crazy, but I've had a hankering to experiment with making some version of chocolate using vast quantities of raw cacao and coconut oil. Because coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, I thought we could come up with something quite beautiful. Raw cacao gives you this amazing chocolate hit that seems to affect users on a psychological level. I hoped it would be possible to make something delicious that would also be reasonably good for you.

I decided after making it with coconut oil to try also making it with coconut butter
Success?

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground vanilla
1/4 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup raw cacao
2 tbsp coconut sugar


combine ingredients and press into a square silicone pan (8 x 8)
chill for 30 minutes then score
return to freezer to fully chill

divide into pieces, and store in an airtight container in the freezer

I scored this pan into 64 pieces (8 lines in each direction), and each person had one or two. Fantastic, and just enough to tantalize you, and give you a truly remarkable raw chocolate hit. Plus the almond butter will help keep blood sugar stable, although the sweeteners are very low on the glycemic index. Don't forget raw cacao is a superfood. I'm not a chocolate lover, but even I could get down and dirty with this fudge. Woowee.

Yes folks, you have it here: guilt free chocolate. Unless you eat the whole thing in one sitting.  I'm not saying I did. Just, you know, you probably don't want to. ;)

Passover -- our eclectic, non-traditional meal. Recipes will Follow!

The Bread of Affliction 

We consider ourselves equal opportunity feast attenders. And nothing puts the feast in holiday the way Passover does. In our house, it's not that Passover is pot-luck, but everyone does bring part of the meal. Which is great, because if just one person had to make the whole of this elaborate ritual meal, that would mean cooking for a week, and putting life on hold for the duration. As I had a movie to work on, a house to run, a son to raise, and a husband to argue with, I thought it was a good idea to limit my contributions to:

homemade matzot (that's the plural of matza, for the uninitiated: unleavened bread aka the bread of affliction )
soup with matza balls
a layered roasted vegetable dish inspired by the terrine made by the chubbyvegetarian at chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com
and
our famous gluten-free brownies

I ended up throwing in some fabulous healthy fudge, and made three kinds of matza instead of just plain.

The matza is the same as what we had last year, and it was so good that of course we're having it again this year. It was motivated by a recipe shared with me by Erin McGuire. Thanks Erin. Everyone loved it.

 The soup will be a new one. I was inspired by a bunch of organic leeks I saw at the store, and was imagining something starting with leeks sauteed to luscious perfection in coconut oil, and a broth of simmered celery and carrot for depth and sweetness. Buttery leeks and the savoury matza balls together, garnished with plenty of parsley from our window garden ...

The layered vegetable and goat cheese dish was an experiment. It involved roasted vegetables, goat cheese, ricotta, spinach, sauteed grape tomato sauce, and some organic eggs, so how bad could it be? I personally thought it was pretty terrific. Hope I wasn't the only one.

The brownies have been a favourite since their inception. I made a double batch a week ago, and we went through 2/3 of it in less than 24 hours as people dropped by just to nab one or two. Just for kicks, I upped the ante this time by throwing in a handful of Callebaut chocolate morsels. Death by chocolate, anyone?

The secret, in my opinion, has nothing to do with asking the universe for what you want. Pish tosh on that, I say. The secret is as follows: when preparing for any big holiday meal, or party for that matter, break your tasks down into small manageable bites that you can accomplish in the week leading up instead of having to do it all at once, over the course of many many hours, on the day of. Much, much better, in my opinion.

One of the things I appreciate about these gluten free brownies is their content of coconut flour, which keeps them super moist and fluffy even days after they are made. So, these are a gimme as far as making ahead goes. Ditto the fudge, and certainly the soup broth. You could also make the matza balls ahead, and store them in an airtight container. Just heat them up in your broth and you're good to go.

The layered baked vegetable and goat cheese dish was a little time consuming, but I broke it down as follows: three days ahead and prepped and roasted all the vegetables. I also sauteed up the grape tomatoes. Two days ahead, I made my cheese mixtures, and assembled the beast. Finally, on the day of, three hours before dinner, I put it in the oven, baked it for two hours, and then let it cool for one before I de-panned, inverted, and plated it. And I've got the pictures to prove it.

So, really, all I actually had to do on the day of was make the matzot -- so many flavours, we'll be eating matza until Rosh Hashannah -- heat the soup up, and put the layered baked vegetable and goat cheese dish in the oven. Easy peasy. Of course, because the week leading up to Passover was so busy, I actually ended up making almost everything the day of.  There you have it.

This was by no means all the food, however. Everyone brought something. Sandra brought a tofu and parsley dish, Ben brought a warm spinach salad, and his version of a spanakopita. My Sarah and Ted brought oven roasted vegetables, Kathryn and Hendrik brought wine, and Sharon brought farfel, the fixings for the seder plate, and meringue macaroons and fresh fruit to go with the brownies and fudge. Needless to say, everyone will be eating leftovers for a week ...

:)

Lasagne -- not traditional, not vegan, not dairy free, and not gluten free

But, boy, it tastes great :).

My challenge was to make a lasagne that involves no visible vegetables other than tomatoes, and still have it both tasty and healthy. Of course, we enjoyed it with a side of sauteed broccoli and cauliflower, and some really luscious and creamy lima beans.


ingredients:

12 whole wheat lasagne noodles, soaked in water for 10 minutes
1 container ricotta
4 organic eggs
170 g mozarella cheese, grated
100 g parmesan cheese, grated
sea salt
pepper
4 cups simmered sauce, pureed


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the ricotta with 4 beaten eggs. add in a pinch or two of sea salt and a little pepper. Throw in a little of the grated cheeses for fun
2. either use one large, 3 L rectangular glass pan, or 2 small square pans. Grease the pans lightly with coconut oil
3. if using square pans, cut the noodles in half so they are short enough
4. spoon a little sauce into the bottom of the pan
5. layer on three noodles side by side
6. spoon a little sauce on top of the noodles
7. spoon 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles, and sort of flatten/spread it with a fork
8. layer the next three noodles side by side
9. repeat the sauce and the cheese mixture
10. repeat the noodles, the sauce, and the last of the cheese
11. finish with your last 3 noodles. Top with the last of the sauce, and top that with the grated mozarella and then the grated parmesan
12. bake covered for 45 minutes, and uncovered for the last 15, for a total of 1 hour.
13. alternatively, the pasta can be frozen before cooking, and then cooked from frozen at some point in the future. It can be handy to make two lasagnes in one go, and freeze on for next time.

Simmered Tomato Sauce -- A hearty, sweet sauce for all your sauce needs

The sauce I make is typically a sauce of minced garlic, chopped onion, and diced tomato, with some herbs thrown in for good measure. When the tomatoes are sweet, this sauce is sweet. When the tomatoes are sour, this sauce is more sour. This sauce is cooked until the tomatoes break down a little, but it's not a long cooking sauce, and it has the fresh taste of its components. 

Today, I wanted to make lasagne, and I wanted a sauce that was a little more grounded, a little more well rounded, a little more ... substantial.  I accomplished this by the addition of carrot to my sauce, and a rather extended low temperature cooking time. Yep, I simmered this sauce for 2 hours. The result is a reduced sauce, robust, full bodied, a little sweet from the carrots, and bold enough to hold its own, but mellow enough to soften all the edges and please all palates.

I pureed it after cooking (using an immersion blender -- such a great kitchen tool) to make a smooth sauce, which suited my purposes.

I'm of the opinion, when making sauce: go big or go home.  What I mean is, you might as well make as much as your pot will hold, because it freezes beautifully in glass jars, and then you have some ready the next time you need it -- for a quickie dinner when you're pressed for time, or for whatever meal you've lovingly planned -- and it's one thing less you'll have to do then. In harvest season, I will buy as many tomatoes as I can carry, and use every pot in the house. There's no point in doing that now, because the tomatoes are neither local nor cheap (but Loblaws now carries organic romas in pound packages, which is great), but because of the long cooking time of this sauce, it's a great idea to make more than just your needs for the day.

The following recipe, after cooking for 2 hours, made 2 L (8 cups), which I sadly used all at once because I made an extra lasagne for the freezer. 

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup garlic, finely minced

3 cups onion, finely chopped

2 cups carrots, finely chopped

5 lbs roma tomatoes, diced (about 10 cups)

2 tbsp sea salt

2 tbsp marjoram

1 tbsp oregano

black pepper

directions:

1. saute the garlic, onion, and carrot in a covered saute pan with 1 tbsp sea salt until well sweated and translucent. Use low heat.

2. add the tomatoes, herbs, pepper, and rest of sea salt, and stir

3. cook on low heat (just enough for a low simmer) for 2 hours or so, until the sauce has achieved lift-off

4. use chunky, or puree. Use now, or freeze for later. If you freeze it, make sure you leave a little space at the top of the jar for expansion. It would be a shame to break the jars after all your hard work chopping.

This sauce really was perfect in the lasagne. I think it would be really nice with the addition -- either in the sauce or in the lasagne itself -- of a full-bodied mushroom. Alas, my spouse is not only not a mushroom lover, he is a mushroom hater.  I look forward to trying this sauce again for pizza -- ooh, with thinly sliced king mushrooms -- or portobelli. Yum.

Roasted Fennel, Roasted Beet, and Royal Gala Apple Salad -- gluten-free, dairy free, vegan

We received another fennel bulb and some beets in our organic box, and I thought it might be interesting to make a roasted vegetable salad.

I oven roasted the beets and the fennel individually after tossing them with coconut oil. The addition of some royal gala apple, a little lime juice, some sea salt, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar completed the dish. I think fresh parsley would have been a nice addition. I like the way the whole dish turned quite pink. Pretty.

ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, cut into slivers

1 lb of beets, diced

2 small royal gala apples, cut into eighths and sliced

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

lime juice

apple cider vinegar

sea salt 

black pepper

honey (optional)

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. toss beets with coconut oil and a little sea salt, and place in a baking dish

2. toss fennel with coconut oil and a little sea salt, and place in a separate baking dish

3. oven roast beets and fennel until they are cooked to your liking (I did 1 hour, but there were other things in the oven at the same time so the cooking was slower)

4. toss the beets and fennel with the apple

5. add sea salt, black pepper, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar to taste

6. optionally serve on a bed of baby spinach 

I know beets are good for you ... I'm just not a big fan. But I really like fennel and apple together. :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies -- dairy free, sugar free, high protein

Elaine was waxing poetic about her love for pecan meal, so I was reminded of the oatmeal cookies I used to make that involved dates and pecan meal. Pecan meal and dates together do lovely things that put me in mind of brown sugar. Yes, alchemy afoot. These cookies use good things like ground nuts and coconut flour, some spelt flakes, chewy raisins, sweet spicy cinnamons, and fragrant ground vanilla. There is no cane sugar, although there is a little coconut sugar, which won't elevate blood sugar levels, to sweeten along with the dates and raisins.

The flavour is complex and yet homey, with a lot of the traditional oatmeal cookie about it. However, the ingredients elevate it to a health food, and make it a reasonable, high energy snack.

My three year old is crazy about these, and I myself find them seriously yummy. I'm not sure my husband would sit in the dark with a glass of milk and eat them by the dozen, but he does like them, too.

They are not gluten free because of the spelt flakes, but they are an updated twist on an old favourite. If you prefer oat flakes to spelt flakes, you can certainly use those. Or, you can try any other type of flaked grain you please, if you have a preference. I like spelt because of the texture, but pretty much any flaked grain will work here. To be honest, I used spelt flakes because we'd run out of oat flakes  ... I guess that just proves that I am an opportunistic cook.

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 egg

6 tbsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp ground vanilla

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp flax meal

1/2 cup pecan meal

1/2 cup blanched almond meal

1 cup spelt flakes (or large oat flakes or whatever flakes you fancy)

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 cup thompson raisins 

directions:

preheat your oven to 345

1. soak the dates in the warm water for 10 minutes, and then puree (I use a stick blender, but you can also use a food processor)

2. melt the coconut oil in the warm date puree

3. mix in your coconut sugar, your vinegar, and your egg

4. sitr in your cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt

5. add the flax, pecan, and almond meal

6. mix in your spelt flakes and your baking soda

7. mix in your coconut flour

8. add the raisins

9. place spoonfuls on a lined baking sheet, and flatten with a wet fork

10. bake at 345 for 20 minutes

makes about 2 dozen (fairly large) cookies

yum!