Vegetable Tart by Pick Up Limes

 Here's a delicious savory pie that can be made ahead of time.  In order to make this gluten-free, I used a store bought Vegan and Gluten-Free crust from Trader Joe's (freezer section), and I skipped using breadcrumbs in the recipe.

Pick Up Limes - Recipe for Vegetable Tart

Gluten-Free Vegan Brownies

 I can't remember where this recipe came from.  Please comment with the source if it looks familiar.

Thank you, B.C.

Dry Ingredients

• 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup gluten-free cocoa powder
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup aquafaba (whipped into a froth)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (from Sur La Table)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Whisk together dry ingredients.
• If giving as gift, pour into jar and add gift tag. If making today, continue to step 4.
• Add coconut oil and stir.
• Add aquafaba and vanilla.
• Stir. Mixture will be thick.
• Equally divide into small ramekins.  Cook at 350 for 25 minutes.  Check for firmness at 20 minutes, then at 25 minutes.  If brownies are still jiggly in the middle, cook for an additional five minutes for a total of 30 or 35 minutes - depending on how gooey or cooked you like your brownies.  Remove ramekins from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.  Serve with your favorite vegan whipped topping or vegan ice cream. 

Oyster Mushrooms (fried)

 This was absolutely delicious!  I used equal parts gluten-free flour (make sure it is vegan) and cornstarch.

Let me know what you think of this dish.

Vegan fried mushrooms

You can also use this recipe as an alternative: 

Vegan Calamari Oyster Mushrooms

Vegan Instant Hot Chocolate mix

 1.5 cups vegan powder creamer 

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Transfer to an airtight container.  For a delicious serving, scoop two heaping teaspoons of this mix into your favorite mug.  Add 8 - 10 ounces of hot water or your favorite plant milk, add marshmallows or vegan whipped topping and enjoy!  Feel free to add peppermint schnapps for an added kick. 

Sticky, Savory, Garlic Eggplant

Excellent as a side dish or as the main dish.  Serve over warm rice. 

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 large eggplant - sliced, salted and sweated (salt and sweat both sides at room temp - this draws out the bitterness) whatever equals 3 cups once it is cubed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 smashed and minced garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons organic white sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon tamari (if you are okay with gluten, use soy sauce)
• 
  Heat the in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir the eggplant until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the water, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. Cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Meanwhile, mix sugar, cornstarch, and tamari (or soy sauce) in a bowl until sugar and cornstarch have dissolved. Stir sauce into the eggplant, making sure to evenly coat the eggplant. Cook until the sauce has thickened.

 All recipes non-vegan recipe that I veganized

Quick and Easy CGL soup

 Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable stock (or 2 teaspoons of vegan Better than Bouillon + 4 cups of water)

1/2 fire roasted corn (frozen from trader joes)

1/4 cup washed and sliced leek (just the white part)

1/4 cup Just Egg (vegan egg substitute)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1 inch peeled and sliced ginger 

In a saucepan:

combine sesame oil, ginger, and leek - sautee on medium high for approximately 5-8 minutes.  Add corn.  Sautee for another 5 minutes.  Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cover.  Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove lid, whisk Just Egg into soup.  Serve and enjoy. 

Nacho "Cheese" Sauce

Ingredients:

2.5 cups water

1 cup peeled and cubed russet potato

1/2 cup peeled and roughly chopped carrots

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/8 cup sunflower oil

1 /4 teaspoon white pepper 

1/4 of a vegetable bouillon cube ( my favorite brand - Edward and Sons) 

If you can't find Edward and Sons or don't feel like ordering online, you can substitute with Better Than Boullion - they have a vegan line and most grocers carry it.

Tools necessary:

Saucepan

Immersion blender

(If you don't have an immersion blender, you'll need to wait until this cools down before you can blend away in your blender.  Trust me on this one - hot liquids in a traditional blender = literal hot mess.)

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer until carrots are soft (15-20 minutes in my case).  Once the carrots are soft enough to mash with a fork, turn off the heat, and put the rest of the ingredients in the saucepan.  Whip out that immersion blender and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately over your favorite tortilla chips!  My resident omnivore liked this so much he asked, "Is this real cheese?"

Vegan forever!