Red Lentil Soup

Today's down pour was enough to discourage any hope of summer's coming. Cold and damp, I was craving soup for dinner. Refusing to relent entirely to the winter like weather, I chose a soup that was warming yet still had aspects of spring. This red lentil soup is one of my favorites and always impresses dinner guests. They never guess it's so easy to make. It is vegan and gluten free. I hope you enjoy it.

Red Lentil Soup

Apple Salsa (placed on top of prepared soup)
1 apple, chopped (granny smith or pink lady are good picks)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
Juice of half a lime
Combine all ingredients and set aside.

1 onion chopped
1 c red lentils
3.5 c vegetable broth
1.5 c coconut milk
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp tumeric
Juice of half a lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in a medium to large stockpot with oil of choice until tender. Add lentils and vegetable broth. Cook until lentils are tender. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients, puree with an immersion blender or in small batches using a standard blender. Serve immediately or return to stockpot and keep warm until ready to serve. Once served top with apple salsa.

Jamba! Juice, that is.

The other day I was in a wicked hurry and in desperate need of something to eat. There was no time to be slowing down so it had to be food on the go, no other option. For a person living with food intolerances that can be a treacherous position. Fortunately I found a Jamba Juice enroute. I'd been steering clear for awhile because I can't tolerate the immense fruit content in most smoothies. However, to my surprise they now serve vegetable and fruit smoothies. YUM!!! Add some protein powder and I was set. The apple and greens smoothie provided me with the nutrients I needed and the convenience my schedule demanded. Besides, how can you not love a place whose slogan is 'It's hard to frown with a straw in your mouth'?

Breakfast Yumminess

Little beats a good egg sandwich for weekend breakfast fare. They are so easy to make and so tasty to eat! An exciting food find was discovered while shopping for the ingredients; gluten, nitrate and preservative free, minimally processed sandwich meat by Hormel. There are several choices, I used honey baked ham for the egg sandwich which had good flavor. We had fresh eggs from my man's neighbors. These deliveries are making it nearly impossible to eat store bought eggs anymore.

So here are the simple preparation instructions: toast your favorite gluten free bread (Rudi's is one of my new favorites), top with a fried egg and toppings of choice. I topped mine with Daiya vegan cheese and the ham, but the options are limitless. A pinch of salt and pepper and you have breakfast!

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!!!

The man had a great surprise in store for me Friday, dinner that he planned and prepared without any assistance from me. He sure knows a way into a girl's heart. To my delight he made me gluten free pizza with my favorite toppings. One of our first dates was at a wood fired pizza kitchen and until I learned I couldn't eat gluten any more going out for pizza was one of our favorite date nights. We've tried to go out still but the gluten free crust is so expensive and rarely good. After Friday night we both think we've found the perfect replacement, homemade crust using the Bob Redmill mix.

The mix is very affordable, easy to prepare and had a good texture and flavor. We added dried Italian herbs to give the crust even more depth of flavor. Topped with vegan mozzarella by Daiya, pepperoni, green pepper, onion, olives, pineapple and freshly crushed garlic it was a culinary masterpiece to behold. It is so rewarding to find those products or recipes that replace the foods that are so missed. I definitely recommend Bob's Redmill mix and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

COOKIES!!!

A recent trip to Trader Joes resulted in several splurge purchases, one being snickerdoodle cookies. These tasty little treats are free of 8 common allergens including gluten, soy, dairy, eggs,  and nuts. The sugar content is surprisingly low at 14g for two cookies. Not bad for a splurge. However, such a mindset resulted in the consumption of one third of the box in a single sitting. Woops.

The texture is amazingly soft and the flavors are sweet with a solid cinnamon presence and a hint of a butter. I found them above the freezer section but it may be quicker to just ask.  Snickerdoodles are a great treat for trips, camping or just when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. I'll be posting my other TJ finds over the next couple of weeks.

Taste of the Nation

Tonight I attended a fundraiser by Taste of the Nation, an organization focused on ending childhood hunger in America.  The event was held at the Luxe in NE Portland and it was packed! Even OR's  governor made an appearance. 50 local restaurants, approximately 20 wineries and several local distilleries were present. Each vendor supplied arrays of tasty treats, drinks and spirits. It truly represented the amazing culinary talents that exist in this town.

Some of my favorite bites were the smoked mussels by Simpatica Dining Hall , rainbow chard mesa dumplings by La Calaca Comelona, smoked meatloaf  with whipped mashed potato by Screendoor, the fava bean salad on thin corn chips from Andina and the coconut saffron sorbet by Fifty Licks.  My favorite non-alcoholic drinks were the Smith Honey Brew  Tea, the Dry Soda lavender being my favorite flavor but rhubarb coming in at close second and the rosemary kombucha produced by Captured By Porches. The best spirit was the Cachaca by Novo Fogo. The spirit is unlike anything I've had before with notes of whiskey, tequila and rum. It's  made from pressed sugar cane in Brazil. This list is a very minor representation of the foods and drinks served.

As I've said before, food is the common denominator among humankind. Tonight it brought the local businesses and community members of Portland together for an important cause, to end childhood hunger. It is an organization worth supporting and an issue that must be exposed and resolved.

Spring Dessert

Two of my favorite dessert ingredients are coming into season, strawberry and rhubarb. Those two ingredients inspired tonight's dessert, strawberry rhubarb crisp. Topped with Coconut Bliss vanilla ice cream it was the essence of spring in a bowl. It is a go to dessert; simple ingredients that are full of show stopping flavor. I served this to friends and family without food intolerances and it got two thumbs up from them as well. Sorry there's no picture, we devoured it all faster than I could get the camera out.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

1 pint organic strawberries
2 stalks rhubarb
2 Tbs unrefined brown sugar

Topping
1/2 c almond flour
1/4 c gluten free oats
1/4 c agave nectar
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1 tsp salt (I used vanilla infused)

Wash, hull and quarter strawberries, place in a bowl. Wash and chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch slices, add to strawberries. Stir in unrefined sugar. Place in a lightly greased baking dish. In a separate bowl combine all topping ingredients. Once combined, sprinkle topping over strawberry mixture. Bake at 275 until bubbling and browned on top. Let the crisp rest so the natural syrup thickens slightly. Top with your favorite ice cream or whipped cream and ENJOY!!!