GLUTEN FREE ROSEMARY OLIVE COCKTAIL LOAVES

Yesterday, my cocktail loaf recipe was featured on Bob's Red Mill's site and Facebook page. This is a great little bread for entertaining or solo snacking. Thanks, Bob's!

GLUTEN FREE VEGETARIAN COOKING CLASS: WHOLE FOODS BOWERY NYC

Join me June 15th for a cooking class on summer entertaining!

Summer Entertaining: Wheatless and Meatless
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Hands-On and Demonstration, $55 (Vegetarian, Gluten-Free)
REGISTER NOW!

If you’re gluten-free and vegetarian, you must get tired of settling for plain lettuce
at social gatherings while everyone else is digging into burgers hot off the grill.
Let gluten-free baker and cooking instructor Bernice Mast show you a few easy,
flavorful ways to remain meat- and gluten-free, while still enjoying your food and
being the life of the party. After tonight, you’ll never run out of potluck options
or fun recipe ideas to feed a crowd.

On the Menu:

Tangy Lentil-Walnut Burgers

Pan-Fried Portobello “Steak” Strips
Spicy Bean-and-Cheese Tortilla Pie

Jicama, Cannellini, and Citrus Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Instructor: gfveg, Cooking Instructor, Gluten-Free Baker, and Blogger.

Hope to see you there!

GLUTEN FREE FROM NYC FACEBOOK PAGE

Gluten-free food, vegetarian and vegan food, and news and commentary

on all of those topics, as well as links to popular gluten-free baked goods

at glutenfreefromNYC.etsy.com are all posted daily at our Facebook page.

Some recent posts to the page:

Manufacturers of Gluten-Free Food: Are They Testing for Gluten?

Best Fruits and Vegetables for Juice Diets

vegansaurus!

What to Do with the Plastic You Can't Do Without

CSA directory

End of Market Day by Judith Harris : The Poetry Foundation [poem]

Finger food perfect for a spring bridal brunch

________________________________________________________________

all these and more at http://www.facebook.com/glutenfreefromNYC

BETTY CROCKER AT OUR GLUTEN FREE VEGAN SEDER

I hardly ever use cake mixes. For some reason, the only mix we had in the house when I was growing up was Bisquik. Maybe because the concept of Southern biscuits to a New York Jew was all too challenging. But then, I think it was mostly used for pancakes. Strange, in a house where so much was homemade. Perhaps it was seen a "modern luxury" of some kind.

For holidays, foods were always made from scratch, so this past year held two departures from tradition for me. The Marble Bundt Cake for Hanukkah and the treats pictured above. Both were raging successes. I can't comment on the use of these mixes as they come from the box, but altered, they were delicious!

HOW I TURNED TWO BASIC GLUTEN FREE CAKE MIXES INTO FOUR DELICIOUS DESSERTS

Devils Food Cake:

Where instructions asked for 3 eggs and 1 stick of butter, I used 1/2 cup of Earth Balance Spread and 3 eggs worth of EnRG Egg replacer.

Once the batter was mixed according to instructions on the box, I divided it in thirds. I left one third plain, added 1/3 cup sweetened coconut shreds to one third, and added 1/3 cup chopped walnuts to the last third.

Yellow Cake

Where instructions asked for 3 eggs and 1 stick of butter, I used 1/2 cup of Earth Balance Spread and 3 eggs worth of EnRG Egg replacer. Where the 2 tsp vanilla was called for, I used 2 tsp orange extract. I also added 1 T freshly grated orange rind.

Once the batter was mixed according to instructions on the box, I divided it in half. I added 1/2 cup sweetened coconut shreds to one half, and left the other plain.

THE PLAN

I used the chocolate nut mix for the small hearts and topped them with more nuts.

I used the chocolate coconut mix for the large hearts.

I used the orange coconut mix for the small squares.

I used the plain orange and plain chocolate mixes for the mini bundts.

I used the box's cupcake timing for them, a bit less time for the squares and hearts.

If you don't have these exact pans, just use what you have: muffin tins, mini muffin tins, donut pans. Marbleize some, make lemon cake instead of orange, or add sugar decorations -- customize and enjoy!

GLUTEN FREE VEGETARIAN HERO SANDWICH IDEAS

It's picnic weather here in NYC today and what else comes to mind but the most portable of main dishes, the hero sandwich, deliciously capable of delivering several food groups in one bite! Here are several gluten-free vegetarian or vegan suggestions for lunching al fresco. The beautiful breads you see are sold at our online bakery.

Edamame Hummus•Red Onions•Sliced Sweet Yellow Peppers

Sliced Portabello Mushrooms Sauteed in Tamari and Balsamic Vinegar•Roasted Onions

Ricotta Salata•Roasted Plum Tomatoes•Fresh Basil

Cream Cheese•Sliced Green Olives•Roasted Red Peppers (Hot or Sweet)

Asiago•Red Pepper Hummus•Grilled Zucchini

Gruyere•Mango Chutney•Kalamata Tapenade

the gluten-free hero hoagie sub sandwich bread pictured above

and the dessert sweets below are on sale at

www.glutenfreefromNYC.etsy.com

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN BREADSTICKS AND VEGAN DIPS

When the days get longer and sunnier, I always love to have dips and vegetables around, but somehow they don't quite make a light meal for me, maybe because, even though I'm gluten-free, I'm really such a carboholic at heart. There is just never a time that isn't right for bread, as far as I'm concerned! Because of that, I've pulled an old favorite from the files, the tricolor plate of hummuses, and paired them with one of the best bread products I sell in my online gluten-free bakery, glutenfreefromNYC, these vegan, crispy thin Italian-style grissini breadsticks. They are lightly salted with coarse sea salt, and ideal for dipping into the sweet red pepper, edamame or garlic dips below. It's party time!

I was buying these tomatoes because of their beautifully patterned skin. The cashier asked, "You know they're hollow, right?" I hadn't known, and became even more interested in them!

Cut in half, they really are almost hollow. With hardly any waste, they're quick to fill.

This is the recipe for the edamame pate:

2c shelled, cooked edamame beans

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tsp horseradish paste

4 tsp oil olive

1 tsp salt or to taste

1/4 c cilantro

Process, scraping down sides till all is smooth.

Fill the tomatoes , chill 30 minutes, then slice.

In the small green dish above is lemon and lime hummus. Here's the recipe:

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 /2 tsp tahini

1 tsp salt

2 crushed garlic cloves

2 oz lemon juice

2 oz lime juice

Blend/process all till smooth, adding more liquid if desired.

In the endive leaves is roasted red pepper hummus:

2 cups cooked chickpeas

1 c roasted red peppers (I used part of a jar of Trader Joe's)

1 1/2 tsp tahini

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ancho chile powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

6 oz lime juice

2 tsp salt

Blend/process all till smooth, adding more liquid if desired.

These recipes, together, would be enough for five trays like the one shown, enough for a real party!

DON'T MISS A GLUTEN-FREE RECIPE OR REVIEW--SUBSCRIBE!

HERE ARE SOME OTHER ITEMS FROM glutenfreefromNYC THAT YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

GLUTEN FREE VEGETARIAN BROWNIES FROM BETTY CROCKER

These gluten-free brownies came out perfectly despite the changes I made. First, I used a package that said "best by September 2010" and it is now April 2011. Not something I'd normally advise doing, but apparently, no harm done.

Second, I baked the brownies a good 5 -7 minutes beyond the recommended time because, as anyone who knows me knows, I prefer burnt to raw in almost all situations. Not that these turned out burnt, but the outer layer has a definite crispness which I enjoy as a contrast to the fudgey interior. So....perfect! Oh, and thirdly, despite the fact that the mix comes with its own walnuts, I added as many chopped walnuts as could fit in one layer on top of the brownie batter. Added protein. Added Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils. And, of course, added taste and texture.

I rarely use mixes but I think, like commercial cereals that are now gluten free (yay, Chex! yay, Rice Krispies!) I still am SO appreciative of mainstream companies making an effort to include us 1 in 133 Americans who can't eat gluten when they think of busy cooks who might not always have the time to start from scratch. Thanks for these delicious brownies!

And speaking of the 1 in 133 of us who can't eat gluten, please takemoment to sign up here to show the FDA your support for government-supervised gluten-free labeling. Good health for one and all!

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN MIDDLE EASTERN RED QUINOA

Here's the last dish of the four that my niece, Taibi, pictured below

made for me while I wasn't feeling well. I'd never had red quinoa before, and really loved this. Especially the mint. Isn't almost anything better with fresh mint?

MIDDLE EASTERN RED QUINOA

3 cups cooked red quinoa (be sure to rinse quinoa several times before cooking)

1 15oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained

4T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup torn spinach leaves

1/4 cup roughly chopped mint leaves

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Saute chick peas in garlic and 2T olive oil. Cool.

Make a vinaigrette with lemon juice, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Toss spinach, quinoa, mint and chick peas in vinaigrette to coat well.

This collage is one of a series Taibi did in a collaboration with writer, Matt Briggs.

For more info on Taibi Mastelse's collages, paintings, drawings and sculptures, look here.

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN ITALIAN MAIN DISH PASTA

My niece Taibi, shown below at the opening of a show of her collages,

cooked up this delicious pasta Italiano for me. I ate it at room temperature with a veggie burger, recipe here, but it could easily stand on its own as a vegan main dish, heated or cold, since it's full of beans (and I mean that in a good way!). Here's the recipe:

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN ITALIAN PASTA AND VEGETABLE SALAD

1 cup steamed broccoli florets

1 cup yellow squash, thickly sliced

2T olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves

3 cups cooked Trader Joe brown rice pasta

1/2 cup Trader Joe tomato sauce

15 oz rinsed and drained canned navy beans

1 cup fresh basil leaves torn into medium size pieces

Saute squash, basil and garlic in oil until squash is cooked through.

Add beans, sauce and broccoli.

Remove from heat.

Add pasta.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve warm, cold or at room temperature. Pretty as a work of art. Speaking of which....here's another piece of Taibi's art I really like. More can be see at her blog, here.

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN BROWNIES, HIGH PROTEIN WITH BLACK BEANS

These gluten-free, vegan, high-protein, sugar-free high-fiber brownies made by my niece Taibi, shown here with her 18-year-old cat, Glinda,

were so delicious I've been having them for dessert at every meal during my recuperation from surgery. I'm recovering quickly. Could it be the brownies?? Taibi used this recipe:

http://myallergenfreelifestylemanual.com/2010/02/fudgy-black-bean-brownies/

Since she is vegan, she substituted ground flaxseed for the eggs and egg white. 1T ground flaxseed whisked with 3T water is a good mix for one egg.

Here's another collage by Taibi,

this time from a show of her work which took place in Brooklyn in 2010. Each piece in the show was inspired by a ghost story told to her by a friend or relative. You can see more of Taibi's collages, drawings, paintings and sculpture here.

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN MARVELOUS MEXICAN MEAL

Last week I had very minor surgery, but the kind that would have made it difficult to stand chopping vegetables for a long time, which, I have to admit, is a lot of what my daily meal prep is about. I'd planned to do all sorts of cooking ahead, but all I managed was a vat of chili, so when my lovely niece, Taibi,

took it upon herself to cook up some dishes for me, oh, boy, was I happy, especially since she is vegan and easily made these dishes gluten-free for me, and because she is such a fine cook!

MEXICAN RICE SALAD

3 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup cooked black beans

1 diced sweet red pepper

1/2 cup corn kernels

1 cup chopped cilantro

juice of one half lime

2T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cilantro,salt and pepper into a vinaigrette. Saute onion, pepper and corn until onion is translucent. Mix into beans and rice. Toss well to coat with dressing.

This was a refreshing addition to the meal of store-bought tortillas and homemade high protein chili. Recipe for chili is here.

Taibi is not only an accomplished cook but a graduate of Pratt Institute, where she majored in painting. Here's a collage of hers I love. You can see more of her work here.