Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free » Nut-Free

Dreena’s Falafels (and a FABULOUS cookbook give-away!)

Amy — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:46 +0000

I met Dreena through Maggie and Ricki. I must say I am so very grateful!

Shortly after Nate was born and I started eating a very heavy plant-based diet. Not completely plant based, mind you. But I could just sense that my body needed lots of fresh, whole foods after giving birth to get itself back in shape.

There is a huge transition in diet and cravings after giving birth, and Let Them Eat Vegan! helped me make that transition beautifully.

The first thing you notice when you read Dreena’s book is that she’s the kind of lady you’d love to have coffee with. She’s witty, fun, and she’s easy to relate to. You get the strong sense that you’d be fast friends with her. You want to bring her into your kitchen. It just adds to the deliciousness of her food.

Let’s talk about her Panfried Falafel Patties for a minute. Who needs cookies when you can eat these? Really! When I told Dreena on Twitter that I’d been making batch after batch, she asked if I was dipping them in her Smoky Spiced Tahini Sauce and I replied that, yea, the sauce is delicious but I’d just been pulling them out of the refrigerator and eating them. No sauce necessary.

In true Dreena style, she replied, “Now that’s some falafel lovin’!” And, yep, I do love her falafels. In fact, I’ve made them more times than I can count and I’ve never gotten a photo of the finished product. (Guilty as charged.)

When you make her falafel, you must – and I mean must – make her Quinoa Tabbouleh. I used to live in Columbus, Ohio and frequented The North Market. There was a little middle eastern restaurant that served the best tabbouleh I’ve ever had. Since going gluten-free, I’ve tried to replicate it several times but just couldn’t get it quite right. Well, Dreena did. It’s got the perfect balance of acid, veggies, parsley and quinoa.
(...)
Read the rest of Dreena’s Falafels (and a FABULOUS cookbook give-away!)

Melted Leek & Red Pepper Quiche

Amy — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:22 +0000

For those of you still sorting through recipes to plan your Mother’s Day menu, I thought I’d share a quiche that has been a big hit at our house.

I actually started toying with this recipe back in January. My intention was to serve it as a meat-free, dairy-free option for Nate’s first birthday party. His party was in Ohio and we landed just 24 hours before the guests were scheduled to arrive. I barely had time to get the grocery shopping and the cupcakes baked. So, the quiche didn’t make it on the table. Thank goodness I had lots of help with the rest of the food from my sisters, aunt, and mom.

I’ve made this dish several times since. Like most quiches, you can make it the day before and serve it cold, at room temp, or warm. The pie crust can be mixed up and refrigerated for several days before baking. It’s an easy-peasy dish fancy enough for entertaining.

Some ideas for dishes you can serve with this quiche include:

a green salad with Blueberry Pomegranate Vinaigrette
S imple Berry Salad
Lavender-Infused Lemonade
Cucumber Basil Herbal Water
Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

You can also find more Spring Brunch recipes here and here.

And, if you haven’t downloaded your FREE copy of A Gluten-Free Mother’s Day do it now! There are 8 recipes with menu suggestions, each developed by moms. For more details about the book, read this post.
(...)
Read the rest of Melted Leek & Red Pepper Quiche

Lemon Pudding Cakes

Amy — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:00:20 +0000

I’ve been obsessed with lemon lately. Maybe it’s because it’s nearly summer. Or, maybe it’s because I’m pregnant. Regardless, lemon just hits the spot.

Since Nate was born, and especially since he started walking, I have less and less time for baking. There’s always something else that HAS to be done. Washing diapers, picking up toys, folding clothes, scrubbing the high chair. You get it, right? The list is never ending.

When I do have time to be creative in the kitchen, it’s usually when I’m making dinner. And, dinner isn’t my favorite thing to make. Joe looked at me one night and said, “Honey, I know you’d rather be baking but you’ve got Nate to feed and we’ve got another one on the way. You’re a great cook. Just enjoy it.”

I’ve been working on that. And, I do enjoy it much more than I used to.

But, gosh, it doesn’t compare to the joy I get from whipping up dessert, or even a fresh loaf of bread.

So, I stayed up way too late getting these lemon pudding cakes just right. I wanted something sweet-tart, creamy, and light. In my mind, I’d envisioned something you could eat at the end of a summer cookout that would fit the dessert bill without leaving you weighed down. You know, the kind of dessert that has you begging for just one more bite.
(...)
Read the rest of Lemon Pudding Cakes

Grilled Chicken, Asparagus, and Mushroom Pizza with Blackbird Bakery Pizza Crust

Amy — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:00:15 +0000

This is hands-down the best gluten-free pizza crust I’ve ever had.

No joke.

The crust tastes so much like the pizza I remember from my childhood that I actually started craving soda when I eating. It’s just that good. When you take a bite of crust, you get that pizzeria chewy, bready bite.

It’s so good that deep down inside I wish I would have come up with the recipe. I didn’t though. My good friend, Karen, from Blackbird Bakery created a Gluten-Free Bread Blend, which is what I used to make the crust. Her pizza crust recipe is on the back of the package and it’s quite simple.
(...)
Read the rest of Grilled Chicken, Asparagus, and Mushroom Pizza with Blackbird Bakery Pizza Crust

Homemade Vanilla Wafers for Attune Foods

Amy — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:00:37 +0000

Ready to make gluten-free vanilla wafers that are better than the ones you buy in the store? I know you are.

Being gluten-free has certain challenges. Over time, they’ve become less daunting. But, there’s still the occasional hurdle in my path.

I’m not one to shy away from hurdles. Ever. I tend to have an extraordinary tolerance for pain, quite often fueled by my desire to have things done my way. I’ve never been one to take no for an answer. My husband says I’m stubborn. So did my dad.

I call it tenacious.

Regardless, it has served me well.

In the kitchen, there are certain mainstream foods that are iconic. So iconic that they’re called for by name in recipes. Think about cream of chicken soup, lady fingers, Oreo cookies, and yes, Vanilla Wafers.

For the average person, there is no challenge here. They simply pull a box from the shelf at their favorite grocery store and, presto, they have exactly what they need.

For someone on a specific diet – be that gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, egg-free, vegan – it’s not so simple. We obsessively read labels, search for creative solutions, and often go another route all together just so we can feed our families delicious foods.

And, when we really want to eat one of those iconic foods, we put on our aprons, get out our mixers, and start creating. And, yes, it mandates tenacity.

I was in one of those moods when I decided that I must have Vanilla Wafers.

And now you can too. Just hop on over to the Attune Foods blog and get my recipe. While you’re there, leave a comment and let me know what iconic foods you’ve been missing lately.

Note: I am a Brand Ambassador for Attune Foods. This post is sponsored by Attune. Truth be told, I loved their products before I started working with them. Their gluten-free, refined sugar-free, GMO-free cornflakes got me through the first several months of my pregnancy when I could rarely stomach anything else. So, you can rest assured that I am sharing my honest opinion of their products.

Let’s make Vanilla Wafers!