GLUTEN FREE VEGAN MINTED LENTIL POTATO SOUP

Ingredients

1 vegan chikn bouillon cube (see note)

1 cup boiling water

4 cups defrosted shredded cabbage (see note)

2 cups roasted potatoes (see note)

1 cup cooked lentils

28 oz canned plum tomatoes

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes

2T oil

1c diced onion

1/3 c dried mint leaves

2T dried oregano

1 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

Note:

I use chikn bouillon made by Edward & Sons.

If defrosted shredded cabbage is not available, lightly steam shredded cabbage before including in recipe.

For roasted potatoes: Heat oven to 400. Peel and cut potatoes into one inch chunks. In roasting pan, coat with olive oil, rosemary and garlic cloves. Roast until crusty and soft.

Instructions

Saute diced onion, mint and oregano in oil, until onion is translucent.

Add potatoes, cooking till they are coated with herbs.

Add tomatoes, lentils, salt, pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for about fifteen minutes.

ODE TO MINI-MANDOLINE

Just thought I'd take a moment to talk about how much fun kitchen tools can be. This mini-mandoline, from a Japanese dollar store in San Francisco, is a perfect example. This is something I didn't (and still don't) expect years of life from, but it's just so darn cute, and for the 99 cents I think I paid for it, it's a bargain.
I don't really use it for slicing grape tomatoes (which, at the moment, it is too dull to do a good job of) but for salads it's a dream gizmo. My sister makes fun of the itsy bitsy vegetables in my salads, and many of them got that way with this mandoline. It's not adjustable like my large one, but if you can get used to the size slice it produces (almost paper-thin, but not quite), it's great for Persian (seedless) cucumbers and for carrots and celery. I love how it almost turns celery into a vegetable that functions as an herb, since the slices are so small and thin the aroma and taste permeate every bite of the salad.

Love this little guy. Wish I'd bought more of them. Will start searching NYC for them, as this one is barely sharp. If you're reading this and have come across them in NYC, please let me know, and if you're near any of the Japanese dollar stores on the west coast, definitely pick one up!

GLUTEN FREE VEGETARIAN TOFU PUP CASSEROLE

I grew up with Hebrew National Kosher franks. And not just on buns. One of my favorites was a deli omelette. Usually salami (Hebrew National, too) but occasionally including browned slices of frankfurters embedded in the egg, frittata style. Below is not a picture of a frittata, I'm sure you've noticed. It's more ridiculously fast than even that dish.

Ingredients

2 sliced tofu pups (the only brand I've found that's vegetarian AND gluten-free)

8 oz frozen broccoli (my favorite is Trader Joe for quality and price)

1 cup roasted vegetables (shown here, potatoes and onions with olive oil and rosemary)

Instructions

Microwave until heated through.

Add salt and pepper to taste OR 1T whole grain French mustard, stirred to coat everything evenly.

And that, is that.

Note: I find keeping versatile roasted vegetables in the fridge or freezer a fast beginning for casseroles, soups, or, of course, a side dish ready with brief nuking. Handy!

I hesitate to state the exact number of servings this recipe provides, since I am capable of eating the whole darn thing for lunch. Others might choose to share with a friend.

NEW GLUTEN FREE VEGAN GRANOLA BARS FROM BAKERY ON MAIN

These gluten-free granola bars sent to me by Bakery on Main have pretty impressive ingredient lists, full of quinoa, amaranth, brown rice and certified gluten-free oats, all the high-protein ingredients you'd want to use if you were making your own bars. They also have no GMOs, no trans fats, and no cholesterol. With chia seeds and flax seeds, they're also a great source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.

My favorite was the chocolate almond, but all the flavors were great. The only downside to these healthy treats: their soft and chewy texture makes them a bit messy to eat on the go.

These might be perfect candidates for freezing before eating, just to give them a bit more firmness. Another thing I would suggest trying (especially with the chocolate almond) would be to leave it unfrozen and top ice cream with bits of it. Now that would be a match made in gluten-free heaven!

Note: I was not paid to write this review.

WHERE WOMEN COOK BOOK SIGNING AT CHELSEA MARKET NYC

The crowd was large and the lines were long on Dec 10 from 2-5pm at Posman Books In the Chelsea Market in NYC, where fans gathered to purchase cookbooks by Ree Drummond, Maryjane Butters, Serena Thompson, Celeste Shaw, Elizabeth Maxson, Wendy Addison, Marcy Iverson, Molly Wizenberg and Sarabeth of Sarabeth's Kitchen, as well as to purchase and have signed the premier issue of Where Women Cook, a new magazine.

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, is featured on the cover of the first issue and Molly Wizenberg, Orangette, is written about and photographed for the second. She is pictured at the left of the above collage in a blue dress. Ree is the redhead on right side of the postcard in the collage. The blogs of these two women are fascinating, in very different ways. See for yourself:

Here is a post of Ree's I particularly like, about a snake named Herman.

Here is a podcast of Molly's I particularly like, about scary food.

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN 12-MINUTE MINESTRONE

Even though I never knowingly cheat on my gluten-free diet (the memory of how miserable I was before my celiac disease was diagnosed makes cheating a very unappealing option), I find that the fastest (and most economical) foods I can make a meal of are often those without any or with few gluten-free labels because they are naturally gluten free foods. See below:

12 Minute Minestrone: Vegan & Gluten-Free

1 cup uncooked gluten-free rice pasta

15 oz can tomato soup (no gluten-containing ingredients)

3 cups diced frozen butternut squash

15 oz can kidney beans

2 cups cooked frozen haricots verts (not shown)

1T dried oregano

1 tsp salt

boil salted water in medium saucepan

add pasta and cook until slightly underdone (approximately 8 minutes)

mix rest of ingredients in 2 qt casserole or microwaveable bowl.

add pasta and stir.

cook in microwave until all is heated through (approximately 4 minutes).

2 generous or 4 smaller servings

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN MARBLE BUNDT CAKE WITH SOFELLA BAKING MIXES

Does this cake pan appear to be levitating? Does it appear somewhat mysterious? A bit terrifying, even? Well, maybe not to you, but to me bundt pans have always been frightening.

You measure, you melt, you separate, you whip, you blend, you stir, you pour, you time, you are transported by heavenly aromas, and then, the moment of truth arrives and the whole damn cake, or more likely, just the bottom-soon-to-be-top of the cake is stuck in the pan. Not that I can remember that happening, exactly, but it just seemed logical that failure would be more common than success with this culinary tool.Or maybe I was thinking of jello molds.

In any case, because of these crazy notions held for so many years, this Hanukkah was the occasion of two firsts: my first bundt cake, and my first marble cake. Forget the miracle of the eight days of oil, it's a miracle I survived the stress of cake night.

The folks at Sofella had sent me a package of chocolate cake mix and a package of all-purpose baking mix, which just screamed marble cake to me. My niece recently began following a vegan diet, so our version would be vegan and gluten-free. The Sofella website has tons of recipes, and I easily found one for a vanilla cake. I used EnRG egg replacer and almond milk for cow's milk. I used a nonstick (but not teflon, just one of those slickly painted ones) bundt pan and sprayed it liberally with Trader Joe's Canola Oil Cooking Spray.

Oh, and if, like me that day (I've since moved on to sophomore status--yay!), you've never made a marble cake, there are many videos on youtube to guide you through the embarrassingly simple process. (I think bundt cake fear has its legitimate points, but marble cake? Why hadn't I ever made one? It's such a snap!) The main point, repeated ad infinitum on each video is to not overmix. If you become overly enthusiastic in that department you will probably end up not with a marble cake but with a taupe cake, or tan cake, or toast-colored cake. Definitely not the goal.

The rest of the story is short. Cake came out of pan without a hitch. Put plate on top of pan. Flipped pan. Cake on plate. Really! Dusted confectioners sugar on cake. Presented to admiring family and friends.

Excuse poor lighting and odd placement of cake slice on cake. (Beautiful marbling, though, isn't it!) Family and friends emit suitable oohs and aahs. Yours will, too! Follow instructions on the Sofella chocolate cake box. Here's the recipe for the yellow cake.

I don't ordinarily use mixes, but on a day when two kinds of latkes, roasted carrots, fennel salad and assorted appetizers had me tied up for some time, these cake mixes were just what I needed. And even the family member who notoriously eats like a bird had two slices!

I may just keep a couple of these boxes in the cupboard for other busy days. Excellent products: delicious, convenient and gluten-free, even vegan if you'd like them to be! Perfect!

GLUTEN FREE HOLIDAY COOKIE COUNTDOWN

I've come up with a cookie everyone you know can enjoy!

The gluten-intolerant, the lactose-intolerant, the celiacs, the vegetarians, the vegans in your family or circle of friends, those co-workers allergic to peanuts, corn, soy, and even people who have absolutely no dietary restrictions....they will all love this lemon walnut cookie!

You can find my recipe for it at dish towel diaries, which is the site of Silvana Nardone, former editor at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and author of Cooking for Isaiah.

Silvana was kind enough to invite me to join her Gluten-Free Holiday Cookie Countdown, and my cookie recipe is being featured there today. I was so flattered to be included among the other recipe sources (Saveur and Dorie Greenspan--wow!).

I hope you'll check out the Cookie Countdown, and if you try my recipe, please let me know!