Tag Archives: vegetarian

January 20, 2014 · 5:23 pm

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings, Gluten-Free

cauliflower whole

cauliflower half

cauliflower buffalo wings

Hot and spicy cauliflower Buffalo wings, gluten-free

This month, the Kosher Connection challenge is Super Bowl foods/finger foods. I knew right away that we had to include this recipe for hot and spicy cauliflower Buffalo wings — a vegetarian version of Buffalo-style chicken wings slathered in hot sauce. The cauliflower wings are gluten-free and can also be made dairy-free, making them a great appetizer for all.

Last summer, we took a road trip to Rochester, NY, to visit family. We ate dinner at The Owl House, which offers a large selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. We ordered the cauliflower wings and, surprisingly, my daughters gobbled them up, even though they were incredibly hot. My oldest daughter asked to make the recipe at home, which we did over New Year’s.

These cauliflower wings have the same spicy hot flavor as Buffalo chicken wings, but they are vegetarian, baked not fried, and made gluten-free and guilt-free. Plus, you don’t have to pick up the chicken wings and try to gnaw the meat off the bones, getting your hands full of hot sauce in the process — something I never liked very much.

Traditionally, Buffalo wings are served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing to cool your palate. But I can’t abide blue cheese, so I’ve included a recipe for homemade herby dressing made with Greek yogurt, as a healthy alternative.

If you are making a dairy-free meal, just omit the dip. Also, I’ve made this recipe both with almond milk and with whole milk. I don’t know if it was just the luck of the draw, but when I made it with whole milk, the batter around the cauliflower started to turn too brown, where it was a nice golden color using the almond milk. Also, I used chickpea (garbanzo) flour to impart a little nuttiness, but any gluten-free flour (or regular flour, if you eat gluten) is fine.

Since these gluten-free cauliflower Buffalo wings are hot and spicy, they pair excellently with beer (gluten-free beer, of course). The red hot wings make a nice nosh during the Super Bowl — especially during the half-time show with the Red Hot Chili Peppers (the part I am looking forward to).

For Super Bowl and finger food recipes from other bloggers (please note that not all are gluten-free), please check out the Kosher Connection linkup by scrolling to the end of this post and clicking on the frog icon below, which will take you to a page with thumbnails of other Super Bowl/finger food recipes.

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings, Gluten-Free

(gluten-free, dairy or dairy-free, vegetarian)
By Gluten-Free Nosh
printable recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 cup chickpea flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour)
  • 1 cup milk or almond milk
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
  2. Cut cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Combine the flour, milk and garlic powder in a large bowl, and beat well with a fork to combine.
  3. Drop the cauliflower pieces in the bowl, and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.
  4. Pick up cauliflower pieces, letting extra batter drip back into the bowl, and put them on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.
  5. In a large bowl, mix hot sauce with olive oil.
  6. Remove cauliflower from the oven and toss it in the hot sauce.
  7. Serve with celery sticks and Homemade Herby Dip to cool your palate. (For a dairy-free meal, omit the dip.)

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Homemade Herby Dip

(gluten-free)
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving to let flavors mingle.

Yield: 1 cup

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October 22, 2012 · 6:42 pm

Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

butternut squash soup

Honey-roasted butternut squash soup, gluten-free

Today, a fall rainfall brought down a cascade of leaves from the maple tree in front of our house. In shades of gold, bronze, ocher and amber, the leaves fell, thickly carpeting the sidewalk. In weather like this, I crave the comfort of a warm bowl of soup. And what better soup than a perennial fall favorite: butternut squash soup, made gluten-free and dairy-free.

For a while, I was turned off by butternut squash soup, with its one-note sweet taste and pablum texture. But that’s certainly not the case with this complex honey-roasted butternut squash soup, laced with the smoky spice of chipotle chile pepper and the slightly exotic taste of cumin.

What’s even better is that this butternut squash soup is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian, making it well-suited for a variety of people (except for my kids; shall I admit that they don’t like this grown-up soup?). For a vegan version, use maple syrup instead of honey.

Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Gluten-Free

(gluten-free, dairy-free, pareve, vegetarian)
By Gluten-Free Nosh
Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray the aluminum foil with cooking oil. Place butternut squash, carrots and red onion on the baking sheet, and toss with honey, olive oil, cumin, chipotle chile pepper and salt until well coated. Bake for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
  2. Place roasted vegetables in a large soup pot and add vegetable broth. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. In batches, carefully pour soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Do not fill blender to the top, and hold down the lid with a kitchen towel to prevent spattering. Transfer blended soup back to pot and heat before serving.

Yield: 10 servings

Following is a collection of root vegetable recipes from The Kosher Connection link-up. Please note that not all the recipes in the collection are gluten-free.


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April 17, 2012 · 9:24 am

Smoky, Spicy Black Bean Chili

black bean chili, vegan and gluten-free

Spicy vegetarian black bean chili, gluten-free of course.

In Chicago, it’s almost the end of chili season, when we turn from heartier soups and chilis to lighter summer fare. In winter, this vegetarian black bean chili is one of our favorite gluten-free meals. With plenty of toasted cumin, chipotle chili powder and smoked paprika, the flavors are strong and smoky, lingering long on your tongue with a spicy spike. I’ve made this several times and have dialed down the heat until I got to this version — spicy but not numbingly so. The recipe was inspired by “Lisa’s Superior Vegetarian Black Bean Chili,” a recipe handed down from a co-worker 20 years ago. This gluten-free black bean chili makes a satisfying entree, accompanied by a side of gluten-free cornbread.

Once a few years ago, I toasted the cumin in our toaster oven at a higher temperature and for a longer time than I now recommend (the amount listed in the following recipe is fine). The cumin started smoking ferociously. When I opened the toaster oven’s door, pungent smoke curled outward, singeing our noses and throats and setting off the smoke alarm. I handed my kids baby wipes, told them to put the wipes over their faces and yelled at them to go out into the hall. We all left our apartment, leaving the windows open (killing the plants by the windows, because it was a freezing wintry day) and went to a museum and out to dinner so we could vacate the apartment. At the museum, we quickly noticed that everyone was looking at us funny. That’s probably because the pungent burnt cumin scent lingered on our clothing and smelled like the worst-ever stinky feet.

Lesson learned: Toast spices at low temperatures and watch them carefully!

Smoky, Spicy Black Bean Chili

(gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan)
By Gluten-Free Nosh
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin (don’t skip this!)
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cans black beans and 1 can cannellini beans, as in photo)
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed whole tomatoes

For serving (optional):

  • Cilantro
  • Green onions, chopped
  • Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt or soy yogurt

Method:

  1. Heat cumin, chipotle chile powder and smoked paprika in a small skillet over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until spices are fragrant; stir constantly to make sure spices don’t smoke or burn. Set aside.
  2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions become soft and translucent. Add salt and spices and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in black beans and crushed tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
  4. Serve hot with side dishes of cilantro, green onions and Greek yogurt. Leftovers taste great and freeze well.

Yield: About 8 to 10 servings

 

This post is linked to Slightly Indluglent Tuesdays.

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February 9, 2010 · 12:00 pm

Two-Way Three-Bean Chili

Three-Bean Chili

Two-Way Three-Bean Chili

For Super Bowl, we usually make chili. It’s our tradition, even though we don’t have a Super Bowl party and barely watch the game.

We made this chili recipe on Super Bowl Sunday. A rare thing happened. Almost as rare as seeing the Chicago Bears play in the championship. Both girls ate their whole meal and didn’t complain at all. That’s a huge victory, as there’s usually fussing over dinner.

We’re not big meat eaters, so we usually make a vegetarian chili loaded with an assortment of hearty, healthy beans, tomatoes and spices. Any combination of beans works well.

Just before I add the spicy seasonings, I remove a portion for the kids in a separate pot, so they get their own mild chili. The adults get the spicy version, with smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. (Find canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store.) Thus, I’ve dubbed it two-way chili.

Now, if you know anything about Cincinnati chili, you know that two-way chili means something totally different. But I live in Chicago, not Cincinnati, so that’s not what I’m referring to.

For the record, Cincinnati chili is a saucy, meaty chili with unusual flavors of cinnamon and chocolate. Two-way Cincinnati chili consists of spaghetti topped with chili. Three-way chili is spaghetti, chili and shredded cheese. Four-way is spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese and diced onions. Five-way is spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions and beans.

To make the Gluten-Free Nosh Two-Way Three-Bean Chili even more kid friendly, set out a few ramekins with a selection of garnishes. My kids love choosing their own toppings. It makes them feel more vested in the meal and more likely to eat it.

For a Cincinnati touch, serve the chili over gluten-free spaghetti. A guaranteed victory!

Click for the recipe

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