COFFEE OATS CREAM

This is such an easy recipe to make… if you have an ice cream machine.* My allergy to dairy products as well as coconut has limited my ability to purchase ready made frozen desserts. A local restaurant used to offer an oats cream that was delicious but the company went out of business. So I was thrilled when I found a possible alternative recipe on-line that I could modify to fit my allergies. My son has made a chocolate variation and my grandson a vanilla one so those alternatives are listed under the recipe. As usual, feel free to modify to suit your needs.

First, in a small saucepan heat:

1 cup oats milk

1/4 to 1/3 cup gluten-free organic oatmeal (regular or quick cooking work equally well)

1/4 teaspoon salt (or this can be added later)

Bring just to a boil and turn off heat. Stir and leave to cool before going to the next step.

In a blender, process until smooth:

the cooled oatmeal mixture

2/3 cup chopped dates (Amazon has several varieties of chopped dates available including one with oat flour and another with rice flour) OR 10 large pitted dates

When well blended add:

1 cup oats milk

3/4 cup nuts or seeds (my son used cashews since they are a mild nut and I use Tahini since I’m allergic to all nuts) OR 1/2 cup nut or seed butter

Blend again until smooth then add:

1 1/2 cup oat milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup instant coffee

Blend until smooth then pour into ice cream freezer and process. My machine holds four cups and usually takes about 45 minutes to churn. Enjoy immediately or freeze in airtight container(s).

If, like me, you’re always looking for ways to add protein, you can add several scoops of protein powder in the last mixture.

*If you don’t an ice cream freezer, put the mixture in a shallow pan. Put it in the freezer and in 20-30 minutes, stir it. The more frozen it gets, the sooner you’ll have to stir it before it’s frozen. This adds the air that makes the mixture creamy. Time consuming but it works as long as you don’t let it freeze too much between stirrings.

VARIATIONS:

Coffee chocolate swirl: Remove paddle from the mixture then swirl in any ready-made chocolate sauce (I found on Amazon, a sugar free chocolate syrup made with date syrup that’s delicious. It’s made with cocoa and doesn’t affect my chocolate allergy as long as I don’t add too much of it!).

Chocolate: Instead of the coffee, add 4 ounces melted chocolate (my son uses milk chocolate but any type works). Or, of course, carob works as well.

Vanilla: Delete the coffee and add double the vanilla extract along with 1/4 cup vanilla paste or 2-3 pods (the inside scrapings only not the pods themselves).

Brown Rice Bread

I’m always looking for different gluten free bread recipes. Most of the light, fluffy gluten free breads use eggs for that lightness. But it is possible to make gluten-free breads using baking powder instead of yeast and/or eggs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Liberally grease an 8×5″ loaf pan (preferably glass for even cooking). In a medium bowl, combine:

2 cups brown rice flour

1 cup of all-purpose gluten free flour (oat, white rice, etc., would also work)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk or stir to combine and aerate. In a smaller bowl, combine:

2 cups non-dairy milk

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Whisk or stir before adding to the dry ingredients. Using a large spoon or hand mixer on low, mix until combined. Batter will be the consistency of a cake batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

Refried Beans

I spent twelve years in Arizona and learned to love a lot of Mexican foods. Not being able to eat most of them anymore, refried beans and rice was always one of my favorites which I can still enjoy. A recent trip to Mexico reminded me how much I love refried beans. So when I came home, I started checking cans of refried beans at various stores. However, all the cans of refried beans at the stores (and believe me, I’ve checked them all – Whole Foods, Jerry’s, Lund and Byerly’s, and Cub), all contain at least one ingredient I can’t have, most often vegetable oil. So, I decided, what the heck, I can probably make this dish myself. And sure enough, plenty of recipes come up, most used dried beans which is too much for me. It would just take too long. Here’s a recipe using canned beans that came out nice and creamy, oh so tasty!

In a skillet, heat:

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add:

1/2 cup diced onion (a small onion)

1 teaspoon oregano

Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent then add:

16 ounce can of pinto beans (you can use another bean but pinto is the traditional bean used for these) – if your can has a lot of liquid in it, strain the beans out and reserve 1/2 cup of the bean liquid before adding to the pan*

Stir, heating the beans for several minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the beans with the onions until you have a fairly smooth consistency. Add sufficient water to get the mixture to your liking. Don’t let the mixture dry out, it should be creamy.

*I used a can of Trader Joe’s Organic Pinto Beans which had very little liquid visible, so I poured it into the pan and about a quarter cup of liquid came out. It was the perfect amount.

Asparagus and Mushroom Galette

My grandson loves asparagus so when I saw a recipe for this in a magazine, I knew I had to make it for him. And it was a big hit! So big in fact that he ate the entire thing, except for a couple of pieces his parents managed to snitch. It’s easier to make than a pie and just as tasty. And the asparagus and mushrooms can easily be replaced by other veggies to meet your family’s tastes. I’m thinking about making another one using green beans and mushrooms or some of those great roasted veggies I prefer like parsnips and carrots.

First, prepare a gluten-free pie crust, enough for one 12-inch crust (I have several recipes on this site or use your favorite) and put it in the frig to chill.* Then, prepare the vegetables. You’ll need:

1 pound asparagus
1 medium sweet onion (or 2 stalks of leeks, white part only, or 4 shallots)
1/2 pound of baby bella or shitake mushrooms
4 ounces of soft vegan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and other herbs to your taste

To make the galette:

Wash and cut into 1-2″ pieces One pound of asparagus
Peel, cut in half, and then into slices, a medium sweet onion (or if you prefer, you could use shallots or leeks, washed and cut into 1/4″ slices)
Clean and slide a half-pound of baby bella or shitake mushrooms
Heat over medium heat, 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil before adding the vegetables
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon (depending on taste) of salt and cook until veggies are softened, about 5 minutes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Take the pie crust dough out of the frig and roll it out to a 12″ round (I did this on a piece of parchment paper already on a baking sheet (without sides) for easier assembly)
Crumble your favorite vegan soft cheese over the cooled vegetable mixture and add the fresh thyme
Spoon the mixture onto the pie crust to within 2″ of the edge (want to leave that 2″ to fold back up over the vegetable mixture)
Fold up the edges of the crust, pleating it as you go, leaving the middle of the galette open
Brush the folded crust with non-dairy milk (optional, or if you can have egg, you could use one beaten egg for this)
Sprinkle with more cheese to taste
Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown
Let stand a few minutes before cutting