This recipe is an adaptation of one I first made about 30 years ago (in my vegan days) from The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen by Marilyn Diamond. Better hot but also good cold IMO!
There have been many incarnations of this soup in my life, including as a staple at the health food deli where I worked–along with a catering job–to finance an 8-week trip to an ashram in India (that, my friends, is a story for another time.)
Lately I’ve simplified the soup to the bare bones for a quick and delicious low allergen side dish. Sometimes I have this with a side of tempeh, sometimes chicken, and it’s a really great side with salmon.
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The lovely Ellen Goldsmith, LAc interviewed me on gluten-free diets for her podcast series: Health Currents Radio. Just click on the orange arrows below to listen.
After part 1 “What is Gluten-free?” you’ll be able to answer the following questions and more:
- What is gluten?
- Who should avoid gluten and how would they know to avoid it?
- What is gluten sensitivity and how is it different than celiac disease?
- What symptoms are associated with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity?
- How do I get tested for celiac disease? Are there certain tests I should ask my doctor about if I think I might have a problem with gluten?
- How strict do I have to be if I have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity
PART 1: What Is Gluten-free?
And after part 2 “Is gluten-free a healthy diet?” you’ll be able to assess whether or not a gluten-free food is healthy and how YOU can eat a healthy gluten-free diet. Here is just some of what we cover:
- What are the basics of a healthy gluten-free diet?
- How do I know if a grain or product is gluten-free and if it is healthy?
- If a label says “gluten-free” is it safe to eat?
- Should I just substitute “gluten-free” options for the things I normally eat?
- How do I choose a healthy and decent tasting bread or pasta? Or should I just skip it?
- How do I manage to eat a gluten-free diet and maintain my social life?
PART 2: Is Gluten-free a Healthy Diet?
If you’d like a copy of my free gluten-free breakfast strategy and recipe book, click here and grab it!
Enjoy!
Part two of my interview with Ellen Goldsmith of Pearl Natural Health and Health Currents Radio.
Is Gluten-free Healthy?
Here’s what Ellen had to say:
Just a few years ago most gluten-free products on the shelf were questionable tasting at best. Of course there are naturally gluten-free foods, but I am talking about the other products that are more grab-and-go or frozen foods. Now, in 2013 things have changed but to what degree? You can eat gluten-free food that tastes really good, but if you look closely at the ingredients how much cane sugar, tapioca and potato starch is actually in it?
Just because you’re on a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean you don’t have delicious and healthy options. You do!
Listen and find out more from Dr. Samantha.
At Health Currents Radio, we want you to eat your best and be your best, so in the episode we have enlisted the help of Dr. Samantha, naturopathic physician and curator of Gluten Free Portland an online resource for all things gluten-free in PDX. Listen and learn about what you should really be paying attention to when it comes to gluten-free food. She’ll walk us through how to assess whether or not a gluten-free food is really healthy, and how to step up your gluten-free game both at home and when you’re out and about.
And if you are interested in her free gluten-free breakfast strategy and recipe book, you can find it here.
Enjoy!
People often ask me if I feel deprived or if I crave the things I ‘can’t’ have on a dairy-free and gluten-free diet. The answer is typically no. If I do, it’s rare, and usually has nothing at all to do with food but has to do with a mood I’m in or the crowd I’m hanging with.
That said, I do occasionally come across a food or dish I used to eat that I miss. One of those is eggplant parmesan. Until a few years ago there weren’t any cheese ‘alternatives’ that were even worth bothering with. Those that weren’t nasty (that’s a technical term) either had casein (dairy protein), or soy in them. Enter Daiya ‘Cheese.’ It’s not cheese by any stretch of the imagination (get it, stretch?) but it’s decent. Quite. And it melts. And it’s great in certain recipes or as a substitute in certain meals. This recipe does contain some Daiya, but it’s really just as good without it as we replace the ricotta with a basil cashew cheese that is absolutely delicious (recipe adapted from my sister’s kitchen.)
GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY-FREE EGGPLANT “PARM”
INGREDIENTS
1. Cashew Ricotta
- 2 cups of raw cashews soaked overnight in fridge
- 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic
- medium bunch of fresh basil
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water
2. Red sauce of choice, I like arrabiata
3. 2 large eggplants- roasted (see below.)
4. 1 bag frozen or 1 lb fresh spinach sautéed with a little garlic.
5. Daiya Cheese- mozz flavor
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Roast Eggplant. There are many opinions about how to properly roast eggplant. I cut off the top and the bottom, slice lengthwise to about an inch thick then lay the eggplant out on baking sheets and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let the eggplant sit and ‘sweat’ for an hour, then rinse, squeeze, wipe off baking sheets and return them to sheet. Next baste with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes until soft and slightly browned. I often do this the day before so it’s all ready to roll. If you do it at the same time you’re assembling and cooking the dish, turn the oven down to 350 when you’re done. You could also skip the salting and sweating but the texture is a little creamier and the vegetable a little less bitter when you go through the whole process.
Basil ‘Ricotta’
2. Make ‘Ricotta’. Drain cashews and put in Vitamix or food processor. Add all ingredients except water. Pulse until mixed. Add water a little bit at a time to desired texture.
3. Assemble in 7 x 11 pyrex dish, layering in whatever creative way you like. I usually go red sauce, eggplant, ricotta, spinach, a sprinkle of daiya, spinach, repeat, ending with Daiya on top.
4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30-45 minutes until the entire concoction is bubbly and your kitchen smells divine.
5. Let sit for 10 min then serve the gloopy, gloppy, utterly delectable mess. You’ll probably need a spoon.
Enjoy!
Dr. Samantha
For 6 years the FDA has been weighing if and how to regulate gluten-free labeling for packaging. One of the main questions was how much trace gluten to allow in products called “gluten-free.” Typically the medical establishment calls it at 20 PPM (parts per million) but many celiacs and people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity can’t tolerate anywhere near that. It is a victory in that there will be clear regulations but there are some folks in our community who are a bit disappointed that they didn’t call it at 5, or 10 PPM. Here’s a video I made this morning explaining a little more about the new gluten-free labeling regulations. Feel free to post any questions in the comments!
In Health,
As a rule I’m more of a protein and veggies girl rather than a protein and starch girl. And that said, I do really enjoy the occasional potato dish. Home fries are probably my favorite, then truffled french fries, and I can also dive head first into homemade potato skins with broccoli and turkey bacon, or a nice fat latke with applesauce on a cold winter’s night. Uh, ok, it seems I am a potato girl after all. Duly noted.
Anyway, mashed potatoes? Not so much on my radar. I’ve been dairy-free for decades now, and it’s nary a mashed potato dish that isn’t full of cream and butter. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried it…with hazelnuts, olive oil and rosemary, or Earth Balance and sea salt, but it’s just not the same.
When the paleo craze hit I started seeing recipes abound for Cauliflower mash to sub for mashed potatoes. I tried 3 different recipes, all giant fails.
Then a few months ago a local author dropped her new cookbook Delightfully Free: 141 Gluten-free, Dairy-free & Sugar-free recipes off at my office along with some gluten-free black bean brownies made from one of her recipes. She almost lost me when I popped one in my mouth and spit it right back out to find it was heavily sweetened with stevia, which I cannot stand. But the others at the office, who don’t have such strong disgust feelings about stevia said the brownies were quite yummy.
As she went out of the way to bring us a copy of the book I thought I should take a peek, at least. I love the actual book itself which is some kind of hardcover/spiral hybrid. The recipes are clear and easy to follow. The photos don’t make the food look particularly appetizing but again, something that shouldn’t keep me from trying the recipes. I decided to start with the Garlic Mashed Cauli, and am quite glad I did. It was great! Her secret, I think, is the addition of beans (which technically would make it not paleo now that I think about it.) I’m quite sure it would have been lovely as-is but I did of course make a few tweaks. I just can’t help it. And, I’m looking forward to trying some additional gluten-free and dairy-free recipes from her cookbook! Here it is with my tweaks.
GARLIC MASHED CAULIFLOWER
with caramelized onions
Ingredients Mash
- 1/2 large or 1 small head cauliflower, chopped
- 1 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
- 1 stalk of fresh rosemary (optional)
- 1 TBSP + 1 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup white beans (I used cannellini)
- 3 cloves pressed garlic
- Salt to taste (appx 1/2-1 tsp)
How to do it- Mash
- Steam cauliflower until just soft. Place the rosemary stalk in the water if you’re using it. Rinse in cool water when done.
- Put cauliflower and all ingredients on list in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency- keep a little bit of texture. I ended up adding a little water to smooth it out a bit.
Ingredients Caramelized Onions
- 1 large or 2 small yellow onions
- 2-4 TBSP olive oil
How to do it- Onions
- Heat oil in a saute pan on medium, add onions and sauté until just translucent.
- Turn pan to low and cook for 45-60 minutes stirring regularly until golden, soft, and very sweet.
Enjoy!
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