Red Lentil and Carrot Soup

3 tbsp olive oil

1 L of vegetable broth

1 cup dry, red lentils

1 large onion

2 large carrots

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 cup finely chopped cabbage

1 cup of dried rice noodles

pepper to taste

water

Saute onions and lentils in olive oil until onions begin to soften. Grate in carrots and saute for a few more minutes. Add vegetable broth bring to low boil. Stir in spices and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high. When it starts to lightly boil, add cabbage and rice noodles. Cook 5 - 7 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Serves 4

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup - Vegetarian and Gluten-Free

1 butternut squash

1 medium onion chopped

4 small or 3 medium sized apples, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

4 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 c white wine (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Slice squash in half and remove seeds. Place halves, open face down on a baking pan brushed with olive oil. Bake at 350 F until tender, about 1 hour. When squash is cooked, saute onion, cilantro and apples in olive oil and butter until onion is tender. Add squash, wine and broth. Cook until apples are tender. Blend the mixture with a hand blender or food processor until smooth. Serve hot with fresh cilantro garnish.

Gluten-free/Dairy Free Banana Pancakes

Gluten-Free/Dairy Free Banana Pancakes

1 c whole organic oats (make sure it is a gluten-free source)

1/2 c rice, buckwheat, quinoa or other GF flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 frozen or very ripe banana

1-2 cups of soya milk ( I used organic SoNice vanilla)

2 tbsp olive oil

Olive oil (to brush on the pan)

In a food processor, first process the oats so that they become a coarse oat flour. It takes about 2- 3 minutes. Add all other dry ingredients. Mix. With the food processor running, add the egg, oil, and banana then slowly add in the milk until the mixture reaches the consistency of pancake batter. Thicker batter will make thicker pancakes; thinner batter, thinner pancakes. Heat a cast-iron or non-stick frying pan to medium. Brush the pan with olive oil (or other cooking oil) and drop pancakes onto the heated pan. When the pancakes a really bubbling, flip them and cook on the other side. Remove from pan. Serve with sliced banana, lemon, butter and maple or other syrup.

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 large ripe red, pink or yellow tomato, chopped
1/4 c of fresh basil, chopped
4-6 leaves of fresh oregano, chopped
1 clove of fresh garlic, finely grated
2 tbsp of parmano, romano or parmasan cheese.
1/4 c feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c mozerella, finely grated
1 handful of spinach, torn up
2 tbsp butter (optional)
2 servings of dry pasta (rice, wheat, or whole wheat)

Instructions

Drizzle olive oil all over the pasta bowl coating it well. Add all the ingredients except the pasta. Toss together coating all the ingredients with oil. Cook the pasta to your liking and add the hot pasta to the pasta bowl with the other ingredients. Toss and serve immediately. Add a blop of butter to the hot dish.

Wheat-Free Veggie Tempura

Ingredients:
Peanut or other "hot" oil. Heated in a wok or pot
1 c tapioca Starch or corn starch or both (I used 2:1 tapioca to cs)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Gluten free beer or water
Veggies (zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower or other veggies of choice)

Heat oil to deep frying temperature.
Mix dry incredients in a bowl. Gradually add liquid (beer is the best) until a thick batter forms.
Dip veggies in tempura batter until thickly coated and drop in oil. Cook until brown. Serve with gluten-free soya sauce.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes

This is the milk free version of the recipe; however, this recipe can be made with regular milk.

2 cups of buckwheat flour (preferrably organic)
2 eggs (free range if available)
Soya milk (I like the sugar-free "So Nice")
1 tbsp olive oil (or other cooking oil)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of xantham gum (optional)
pinch of salt
Blueberries (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add soya milk to the consistency of thinkness that you want for your pancakes. Adding more liquid will give the pancakes a more crepe-like finish. Using less liquid will give a thicker, fluffier pancake. Pre-heat the pan. I use a cast iron frying pan, however, any frying pan will do. If you are using a non-stick pan, brush the surface lightly with oil. If you are using any other pan, put a good amount of oil, so the pancakes don't stick. Heat the pancakes on one side until it starts to bubble. Flip and cook until there is almost no steam coming from the pancake.

Bon Appetit!