GF, Vegan Sweet Pea Spread and Dip + Avocado Allergies

Free of gluten, soy, dairy, nuts, eggs, soy

Ok, I realize this is going to sound crazy, but this pea and spinach spread is really, really good. And versatile.

As is, it's kind of like a low-fat, avocado-free guacamole (for those of you with avocado allergies, read on!). A cheaper version of guacamole. Substituting the cilantro with basil makes it like a mock pesto, a peasto if you will (yeah, go ahead and groan, I couldn't resist). A nut-free vegan pesto of sorts. A much, much cheaper version of pesto.


See? So versatile that it can be both guacamole AND pesto.

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday - February 25, 2015

Welcome to the Waste Not Want Not Wednesday link party! WNWNW is a place to find (and link up) gluten free recipes, eco-friendly tips, and frugal DIY tutorials. This link-up party is inspired by World Food Day (Oct. 16), and studies such as this one that show that between 40-51% of food in Canada and America ends up in the garbage.  Over-consumption, lack of knowledge, low cost and over purchasing are common causes of food waste in North America. This unsustainable over-consumption extends to so many aspects of our lives.

So perhaps if we all share our tips for consuming a little less stuff in general, cooking more responsibly and frugally, and living eco-friendly, we can each take a small part in making our world a little more sustainable.

And besides, who couldn't save a little bit of $$$?

Going to Europe this week!! Regular programming will continue...

So I'm just posting a quick note to let you all know that I'm heading off to Europe for a month this Tuesday.

Madness? Yes. Yes it is. But despite what it might sound like here, it wasn't last minute. My husband and I have been planning an epic Europe trip for some time. We'll be hitting up three major cities in Greece, Rome, Milan, Paris, and Edinburgh, by train, plane, and car.

But don't worry, for once I've planned ahead and things will pretty much continue on here as usual.

Accidental Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding Pie

Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, nuts, soy-free option

So remember how last week I screwed up a beet chocolate cake and ended up with a bunch of tasty crumbs, and used half of them to make these Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Beet Balls? 

Well here's what I did with the other half. I turned the chocolate cake crumbs into a Chocolate Cake Pie Crust, and slapped some chocolate tofu pudding on top. So if you're ever wondering what to do with extra chocolate cake bits, why not try out this pie crust?

And btw- my husband actually really, really likes the tofu pudding I used for the pie (and he's not vegan).  But if you don't like tofu or need a soy-free option, you can always use the super easy microwave Chocolate Pudding recipe I used to make Mini Chocolate Pudding Pies.

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday - February 18, 2015

Welcome to the Waste Not Want Not Wednesday link party! WNWNW is a place to find (and link up) gluten free recipes, eco-friendly tips, and frugal DIY tutorials. This link-up party is inspired by World Food Day (Oct. 16), and studies such as this one that show that between 40-51% of food in Canada and America ends up in the garbage.  Over-consumption, lack of knowledge, low cost and over purchasing are common causes of food waste in North America. This unsustainable over-consumption extends to so many aspects of our lives.

So perhaps if we all share our tips for consuming a little less stuff in general, cooking more responsibly and frugally, and living eco-friendly, we can each take a small part in making our world a little more sustainable.

And besides, who couldn't save a little bit of $$$?

Accidental Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Beet Cake Balls (+MeatlessMonday)

Free of gluten, soy, nuts, dairy, eggs

I never set out to make these gluten free beet chocolate cake balls. They started out as an attempt as a Swiss jelly roll. Which, obviously, failed. Because I'm crazy and even though I've never made a Swiss roll cake, I decided my first attempt should be a GF, vegan, chocolate beet flavoured one that I completely pulled out of thin air. Because yeah... that's not insane or anything...

So the cake broke apart when I tried to roll it (even though it was warm, I think it needed more moisture). But it was still fairly tasty and I wanted to try and salvage the ingredients. I HATE throwing away gluten free ingredients, or any food for that matter.

So with some quick finagling, I mixed up some beet tinted frosting, mashed some in with the cake, rolled it up, smothered the balls in some more beet frosting and KA-POW!

Crazy vegan, gluten free chocolate beet cake balls. I dare you to try and say that ten times fast...

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday - February 11, 2015

Welcome to the Waste Not Want Not Wednesday link party! WNWNW is a place to find (and link up) gluten free recipes, eco-friendly tips, and frugal DIY tutorials. This link-up party is inspired by World Food Day (Oct. 16), and studies such as this one that show that between 40-51% of food in Canada and America ends up in the garbage.  Over-consumption, lack of knowledge, low cost and over purchasing are common causes of food waste in North America. This unsustainable over-consumption extends to so many aspects of our lives.

So perhaps if we all share our tips for consuming a little less stuff in general, cooking more responsibly and frugally, and living eco-friendly, we can each take a small part in making our world a little more sustainable.

And besides, who couldn't save a little bit of $$$?

My GF Weekly Meal Plan

Soo, I've sort of alluded to this on Facebook a little bit, but we'll be going on an epic trip around Europe this month. We're going to be spending a whole month flying, driving, bussing, and taking trains across Western Europe. (Yes, wish me luck, I'm actually going to be driving in Greece, this also means parking on medieval cobblestone streets that were never designed for cars in the first place...) We're starting out in Greece and making our way down and around and over, ultimately to Scotland.

I'll give some more deets soon in a separate post, but the point of this is that over the next couple of weeks I'm going to be frantically writing as I try to finish off the first full draft of my second Ancient Egyptian romance novel. It's a fun (and steamy) story about a former pirate and the daughter of an Egyptian noblemen who are tasked with investigating the deaths of the high priest and priestess of the Temple of Mehyt.

So what that ultimately means is that I will be spending less time cooking this week, and more time writing. Here's how I'm going to make that happen...

Versatile Marinated Chickpea Salad (gluten free with vegan options for #MeatlessMonday)

Free of gluten, nuts, soy, corn, egg, dairy free / vegan option

This simple, versatile chickpea salad comes together in about 2 minutes, and was a lifesaver the other week when we hosted three dinner parties in a row, plus a lunch.

I made a double batch and served it alongside a big bag of mixed greens and some other bowls of things as part of a salad bar. It works particularly well if you're feeding vegetarians or vegans, as it's protein-packed, filling, and flavourful. 

Waste Not Want Not Wednesday - February 4, 2015

Welcome to the Waste Not Want Not Wednesday link party! WNWNW is a place to find (and link up) gluten free recipes, eco-friendly tips, and frugal DIY tutorials. This link-up party is inspired by World Food Day (Oct. 16), and studies such as this one that show that between 40-51% of food in Canada and America ends up in the garbage.  Over-consumption, lack of knowledge, low cost and over purchasing are common causes of food waste in North America. This unsustainable over-consumption extends to so many aspects of our lives.

So perhaps if we all share our tips for consuming a little less stuff in general, cooking more responsibly and frugally, and living eco-friendly, we can each take a small part in making our world a little more sustainable.

And besides, who couldn't save a little bit of $$$?

My Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan

After last week's entertaining madness where we had three different sets of people over three nights in a row, this week we're keeping things simple and low-key. Dinners will be quick, easy, and involve leftovers.

Here's what we're eating this week:

Vegan, Gluten Free Apple and Parsnip Cake + #MeatlessMonday

Free of gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, eggs

 

This was supposed to be a carrot cake. But as it turns out, I was out of carrots. We were at the end of our shopping budget and, regardless, I didn't feel like running out to the store just for carrots.

But we had parsnips. And parsnips can actually be kind of sweet when they're baked or cooked. So why the heck not make a parsnip cake?

And you know what? It was really, really good. Surprisingly good. Shockingly good. And I would totally make it again. In fact, my husband had a friend over when it finished baking (who is neither vegan or gluten intolerant) and he had two pieces. I think that says something, right?