Falafels (Gluten Free)

This recipe is: dairy free, egg free, soy free, wheat free, gluten free, vegan, rice free, corn free

Contains: As far as I can tell it is allergen free. The choice of flour is up to the chef so anything can be avoided.

1 cup dried chickpeas

1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper

4 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)

2-4 tablespoons brown rice or potato flour (really any will do)

vegetable oil for frying

Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in the baking powder and 2 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for 15 minutes.

Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.  Heat the oil on high in a deep pan and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Goes great with the quinoa tabbouleh...



Vegan Stir Fry

This recipe is: gluten free, wheat free, corn free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, nut free, egg free

Contains: Rice, Sesame Seeds

Alternatives: If you need to do without the rice, try blanching some baby potatoes and adding it to the mix. Sesame seeds and oil do add to the flavor but if you must do without try peanut oil and crushed peanut to top. (If peanuts are out of the question just add a bit more olive oil. It will still taste great but you may need to add more herbs, salt or peppers.)

Who doesn't love stir-fry? But when you have a soy allergy getting your fix can be a little bit of a challenge. So after a little research I began to see ways of getting around this pesky ingredient. Thankfully not much trial and error was involved since the majority of the ingredients are bursting with flavor.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 scallions, finely chopped (white and green parts)

1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb fresh asparagus, woody ends removes, cut into 3 inch strips

10 oz sugar-snap peas

1 small orange bell pepper, chopped

1 package bunapi mushrooms (white beech mushrooms)

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

2 handfuls chopped cilantro leaves

1 handful chopped mint leaves

Add salt and red chili peppers to taste

Heat both the oils in a wok over high heat. Add scallions and cook, stirring continuously, about 1 minute. Add the ginger, bell pepper and garlic. Stir in asparagus and cook, stirring continuously, 1 minute.

Add the snap peas and mushrooms, cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Finally stir in the chopped herbs and sesame seeds. Add salt and red chili flakes to taste. Serve over rice or rice noodles.

**Recipe adapted from A Cook's Bible

Roasted Pork with Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This recipe is: wheat free, gluten free, rice free, nut free, dairy free and soy free
Contains: Corn

I found this in Everyday Food and like all the recipes I've found in this cookbook it didn't disappoint.

For the pork:
1 tbsp paprika
1tsp dried thyme
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 pork tenderloins (10 to 12 ounces each)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the black-eyed pea salad:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can (15 ounces) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

For the pork, preheat the oven to 450. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, thyme, cayenne, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Place the pork on a rimmed baking sheet and rub with oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over and rub in gently. Roast about 20-25 minutes; let cool for a few minutes before slicing. thinly

For the salad, in a medium bowl whisk the mustard, vinegar and oil. Add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

This recipe is: vegan, dairy free, wheat free, gluten free, soy free, egg free, nut free, rice free, corn free

Pair with gluten-free, vegan falafels and you've got a winner!

3/4 cup quinoa
2 large vine ripe tomatoes
2 scallions, finely sliced
a handful of mint
a handful of Italian flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, juice of lemon only
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

In a saucepan add quinoa and 1 cup of cool water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Empty cooked quinoa into a large bowl to cool. Meanwhile, cut an X into the tops of the tomatoes, place in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water, let steep 2-3 minutes. Remove from water, peel off the skins, take out the seeds and dice.

Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl of quinoa and mix. Serve at room temperature.

Green Chili Pork Burritos (aka, Carnitas)

This recipe is: dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free
Contains: gluten, wheat

Alternatives: If you're allergic to wheat or gluten like my son is substitute the beer for water.

This is a recipe contributed by my dear friend Jennifer and I can't thank her enough. It is flavorful, juicy and just plain delicious!! She sent me this recipe a few weeks ago and I was saving it for when we were on our ski trip in Colorado. For some reason I just new that this would be the perfect place to try it out. It worked perfectly for our post ski meal and I'm pretty certain it would be great on a hot day with a couple of margaritas.

2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into chunks
1 bottle of beer
1 (7 oz) can diced green chiles
1 tbsp fresh garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped

Serve with:

3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped

1/2 small white onion, finely chopped

2 limes, cut into 8 pieces

1-2 avocados, sliced

1 cup cooked rice

corn tortillas, warmed

1 can black beans, rinsed

salsa

Cube the pork into chunks that will allow them to brown evenly in a sauté pan. Coat the pork chunks with olive oil, salt and pepper. Preheat a sauté pan until very hot. Evenly brown the pork on all sides to a dark caramel color. Place the pork, beer, diced green chiles, fresh chopped garlic, and fresh cilantro into a slow cooker and cook for 8 to 10 hours on low or 4 hours on high. When done, remove the pork from the cooker and reserve the liquid. Shred up the pork and spoon sauce over pork. Fill tortillas and serve with rice and beans! Great with guacamole and sour cream!

It can also be served as a bowl, which I did with the leftovers...muy bueno!



Rice Pasta with Spinach and Raw Garlic

This recipe is: vegan, vegetarian, soy free, dairy free, wheat free, gluten free, nut free, egg free

Contains: Rice

This recipe was a creation on hunger with little in the kitchen. Sometimes these are my favorites because you never know what exciting meal you will create.

1 package brown rice noodles ( I like the Trader Joe's brand)

4 to 6 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

juice from half a lemon

1 10oz package fresh baby spinach

4 cloves of garlic, good size (use more if smaller)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile in a large pan sautee the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil; about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook down; about 2 minutes. Add the pasta, juice from half a lemon and another 2 tbsp olive oil, toss. If the pasta seems dry add a little more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, mix well. Serve and top with raw garlic

Moroccan Turkey Meatloaf

This recipe is free of: soy, dairy, nuts, gluten, wheat, beef

Contains: egg and rice

Substitutions: If egg is an issue try subbing the egg for 2 tbsp oil. You can also sub the rice for quinoa or couscous (couscous contains wheat and gluten).

1 1/2 cups raisins

1 small red onion, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 pint grape tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the raisins, half the onion, the rice, salt, curry powder and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon. Add turkey and egg; mix well. Pat mixture into a foil lined greased 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Bake in the top third of the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile for the chutney, in a saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup raisins, half of the onion, remaining cinnamon, the tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cook, covered, over medium high heat, until tomatoes pop. Lift meatloaf from pan with foil. Cut into slices and serve with tomato chutney.

* Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

German Potato Salad

This recipe is: gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, soy free
Contains: eggs, bacon, potatoes
Alternatives: To make this egg free chose a vegan mayonnaise, to make it vegan omit the bacon


At the local farmers market I came across an stall selling locally made sausages. While I am not a bratwurst fan, my boys are and at being gluten and casein free I was sold. The potato salad made a perfect pairing.

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, scrubbed
1 tbsp olive oil
4 strips bacon, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
2 to 3 tbsp relish
1 stalk celery finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon or German mustard
3 tbsp dairy free/soy free mayonnaise
2 tbsp chives, chopped (red onion also works)
1 tbsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste


Cook the potatoes in a pot of salted water for 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and let cool for 5 minutes, then slice thickly and set aside in a bowl.
Meanwhile, in a fry pan cook bacon until crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
In the fry pan keep 2 tbsp bacon grease, add lemon juice and olive oil then pour over the sliced potatoes. Add the celery, onion or chives and half the bacon. Mix well. Let cool.
Blend the mustard in a small bowl with the mayonnaise, parsley and salt and pepper. Add to the potatoes and toss well to coat. Spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl or onto plates and top with remaining bacon.