Tag Archives: wheat free lunch

Young Collard and Crimini Mushroom Tacos

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This is the kind of summer brunch that fills me up but still leaves me feeling light and frisky enough to want to put on my bikini.

Typically, I’m not a huge fan of using collards for wraps at most times of the year. They’re just too darn tough. I want a sandwich, not a personal challenge. However, at this time of the year I can usually find young, local, just pulled from the dirt collards in the tenderest pale green. Those I can work with, as demonstrated by this summery vegan brunch. Some pretty Swiss Chard might make nice taco shells too.

I’ve made an avocado-walnut sauce to add brain-loving Omega 3s and a sweet corn salsa for texture but you can feel free to just make one of those, or make none of those.

Raw Corn Salsa and Avocado-Walnut Sauce posing prettily on my favourite beach towel.

A little dollop of regular salsa, hummus or sliced avocado would work just fine. Whatever. Just make it. Eat it. Get your trunks on.

Will you get your cute behind to the beach already! The sun’s almost setting!

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Young Collard and Crimini Mushroom Tacos
A light lunch for two
Ingredients
4 large collard leaves
3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms, stems removed Crimini mushrooms are baby portobellos
2 teaspoons crushed chipotle pepper
1/4 cup plus one tablespoon boiling filtered water
1 clove garlic, grated fine
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, optional

Directions
Soak chipotle pepper in boiling water for at least half an hour, water will turn the color of soy sauce. Strain pepper out of water reserving both soaked pepper and water. Prepare two plates with two large collard greens per plate.

 Heat medium sauce pan on medium-high flame. Add 1/4 cup of chipotle soak liquid and the garlic. When mixture bubbles, reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms. Cook about five minutes or until mushroom have absorbed the liquid and are quite soft. Remove from heat. Spoon mushroom mixture onto collard greens, top with corn salsa, avocado-walnut sauce and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and salt to taste.
Avocado-Walnut Sauce
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup walnuts  Feel free to soak and rinse the walnuts to increase their nutritional value but then reduce the water to 1/2 cup plus two tablespoons
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup filtered water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Raw Corn Salsa
Makes about twice as much as you need for the tacos but is wonderful to have around as a side for other dishes.

Ingredients
Kernels sliced from two cobs of corn
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
Zest from 2 limes
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper that has been soaked in hot water for at least 1/2 hour and then drained
salt to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and stir well.

Spicy Gluten Free East West Pasta

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The house is empty. Bill is heading back out on the road and I am de-camping to my little nest in Vancouver, where dogs are not allowed. Today I packed our Roxie to go and stay in Atlanta with her beloved Auntie Liz and Uncle Zac. Enough about that; I’m going to start crying(again!). So what does a sad Canadian do in an empty West Virginia house with lightning flashing and rain beating down outside? She pours herself a big ‘ol glass of wine and makes CARBS!  However, even in my somewhat sodden state, I am upholding my experiment with living wheat-free. So to that end I’m seeking carb comfort with some flat, Vietnamese rice noodles.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from one the New York Times published in 2010 from the chef at Del Posto for a whole wheat spaghetti with chick peas, vegetables and bonito flakes(by the way, I couldn’t find these anywhere and had to order them but they’re delicious, delicately smoky and well worth the sourcing effort).

I made the recipe a couple of times and liked it but I just somehow wanted more: more spice, more smoke, more veggies, more tang and now I want gluten-free as well.  And since my body is heading west while my heart is still east I think this is quite an appropriate dish for this evening. Without further ado, here is my effort:

Spicy Gluten Free East West Pasta
Serves two hungry and heartsick souls and it’s GREAT cold.

Ingredients
1/2 lb wide Thai rice noodles I used Banh Pho.
2 medium carrots, diced If they’re not too gnarly, leave the skins on; that’s where the nutrition is.
2 stalks celery diced
1 tablespoon canola, safflower or grapeseed oil 
2 tablespoons black olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped and rinsed of oil
1 can chick peas
2 tablespoons light miso
1/2 cup warm filtered water
1 teaspoon crushed chipotle pepper
1/4 cup of bonito flakes
copious amounts of freshly ground pepper

Directions
In a large pot, start water boiling; you will be cooking your noodles according to package directions. In a large skillet( choose your biggest one; your pasta will need to fit in there with the sauce) heat oil over medium high heat, add chipotle, carrots and celery. Sauté until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 7 minutes, adding pasta to the boiling water about halfway through. While vegetables are cooking mix the miso into a the warm water until smooth. Pour miso mixture, olives, artichokes and chick peas into the pan and stir. Raise temperature slightly until sauce reduces by half and the chick peas are warm. While sauce is reducing grind as much black pepper as you dare into the sauce; chickpeas should be quite freckled with pepper. Using tongs, put the pasta into the sauce. Toss until combined. Top with bonito flakes and serve with a glass of medium bodied red wine, a Shiraz or a Grenache will do nicely.

Look at that face.