Spoodles (sweet potato noodles) with vegetables (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, vegan)

Here’s another recipe to help us use up all those fresh vegetables we have during these summer months. And again, its one you can adapt to your vegetable overload. The only thing you may want to get from the store are the spoodles or coodles (carrot noodles). Either work great in this recipe. I like it plain but you could easily add a curry sauce or if you can use soy, a hoisin-based sauce. Makes 4 serving.

Dice:

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, medium sized
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1/2 cup pea pods or 1 cup green peas, or 1 cup green beans

Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet and when the oil is hot, add the diced vegetables. If you are planning to add a sauce, use less oil. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add the pea pods, peas or green beans and 1 pound of spoodles or coodles. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 15 minutes for sweet potato and 20 minutes for carrot noodles.

Simple curry-sauce:

In a small sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil then add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of curry, depending on your taste and cook for approximately 30 seconds until you can smell the curry. Add 2 tablespoons of all purpose gluten-free flour. Whisk and cook for several minutes. Whisk in 1/2 to 1 cup (the amount of milk depends on how thick you want your sauce) of your favorite milk (coconut milk works great here but rice, hemp, almond also work fine).

Easy French Onion Soup (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)

Such and easy soup to make and so silky, rich and sweet. If you like French Onion soup but you’ve always thought it was too hard to make for yourself, this is the recipe for you. Makes 2 servings.

You’ll need:

1 large or 2 medium onions (I used a Vidalia but you can use any onion you like)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon gluten-free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 blend
2-3 cups vegetable (or mushroom) stock (or if you can use it, use beef stock but I find the vegetable stock makes a very rich soup)
2 slices of gluten-free bread (I love the DeLong’s millet bread)
2 slices of dairy-free mozzarella or provolone cheese

First, cut onion in half and then cut across into slices. If you want, you can then cut these slices in half. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a 4 quart pot (you want as much space on the bottom as possible while having room to add the stock later. Stir the onions every few minutes to be sure that they don’t burn. You want to caramelize them which takes about 20 minutes and you will probably want to reduce the heat when they begin to brown. This is the longest, hardest part of the cooking process.

Once the onions are caramelized, add the flour and stir to make sure it is absorbed by the oil. Over low heat, let the flour cook out for a couple of minutes. Its okay if it sticks a little to the bottom of the pan since adding the stock will deglaze the pan. Add 2 cups of stock and stir until it starts to boil. If the soup is too thick (you want it silky but not as thick as gravy), add more stock to thin. Reduce heat as low as it will go and cover pot. Let cook 10 minutes.

According to every recipe I’ve seen on making French Onion soup, it tastes best if you chill it overnight and let the flavors melt together. But its so good I won’t blame you if you put it hot into two oven-proof bowls and eat it the same day!

Using a large biscuit cutter if you have one or just a knife, cut the bread so that each slice will fit into one of the bowls. In a fry pan large enough for both slices, heat the 1 tablespoon oil and when hot, add the bread rounds and grill on both sides. Place on top of the soup and then put a slice of cheese on top of the bread rounds. Broil (or microwave) until the cheese melts. If you broil it, you’ll get that great crust on the cheese like in a restaurant. Enjoy!

Egg-Free Mayonnaise

Its been quite a few years since I was able to use mayonnaise products since I became allergic to eggs. Most mass-produced mayonnaise also includes oils that I can’t have like canola or soybean. About three years ago, I learned about agua fava, the liquid that you drain off the can of beans, like garbanzo or kidney, which can be used as an egg substitute. I resisted this for quite a while since I didn’t relish the idea of using this liquid — really turned me off in fact. Last year, I really wanted some cole slaw and was tired of my vinaigrette version. It tasted like the Cain’s mayonnaise I grew up with! I was thrilled. So, with summer approaching and the time for cooler foods, here’s my recipe for egg-free mayonnaise using agua fava and some salad recipes to go with it. And the great thing about it is that you don’t have to worry about it spoiling like you do egg-based mayos.

Put in a blender:

1/3 cup agua fava
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar (I like the rice vinegar but feel free to use your favorite, or lemon juice if you like)

Start blender on a low setting and begin slowly, and I mean really slowly, drizzling in oil. You’ll add 1 cup of oil total for a thick mayonnaise, or 1 1/4 cup for a thinner dressing. I like to use 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup avocado oil. Makes me feel less guilty using oils that are actually good for us.

Makes a little over 1 cup of mayonnaise. Use in your favorite recipes. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference between this and the mayo you buy.