Gluten Free Spritz Cookies

This fabulous buttery cookie is very popular at Christmas and can be decorated with a fun amount of versatility. The word "spritz" is German for squirt because these are a cookie that is shaped by pressing it through either a cookie press or you can use a large frosting piping tip.

Gluten Free Spritz Cookies

• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 1/8 cup corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (Penzey's and Spice Island are both gluten free)
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1.  In a food processor or in a bowl (either a stand mixer or using an electric mixer) combine brown rice flour, potato flour, corn starch, baking soda and sugar. Blend until thoroughly mixed. 

2. Add butter, egg, vanilla and almond extracts. Mix till combined. 

3. Slowly add milk till desired texture is achieved. Part of this will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, you are trying to create a soft smooth cookie dough that can be pressed easily through a frosting bag but not runny as to lose it's shape. I find 1/2 cup of milk achieves this. 

4. Preheat oven to 350. Pipe cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheet in desired shapes. 

5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the edges are turning golden brown. 

6. Allow to cool on baking sheet before removing to decorate. 

7. Suggestions for decoration: You can sprinkle the unbaked cookies with colored sugar or leave plain and once removed from oven and still warm set chocolate chips on top, which will melt but set once cool. I also drizzled some of mine with frosting and decorated with chopped up dry cherries and pistachios. Feel free to decorate in whatever festive way you choose! 

Enjoy! xoxo Happy Holidays! - Iris

Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies

I'll be honest, the main reason I made these vegan is because we were out of eggs in the house but the results are FANTASTIC! This is the one of the most perfect sugar cookies you will ever have the pleasure of gracing your tongue with, haha! The cookie itself is not overly sweet so it does not become excessively sugary when frosted and they maintain the perfect crunch while not being brittle or chalky.

So this cookie will be the first recipe I post of my holiday Christmas cookies and I hope you enjoy!

Vegan Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup shortening (you can also use another vegan butter alternative here if you wish)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (you can use soy or almond milk here as well, what ever you prefer, I advise choosing a milk that clearly indicates it is gluten free and has fewer "thickener" additives)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (Penzey's and Spice Island are both gluten free)
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1.  The simplest way to make this recipe is with a food processor but you can just as easier use a hand or stand mixer. 

2. Combine all dry ingredients (powdered sugar through cream of tartar) in food processor bowl and pulse till combined. 

3. Add shortening, vanilla and almond extracts and pulse till combined. Will be meal texture. 

4. Slowly add unsweetened coconut milk till dough is soft but not "wet."

5. Remove from bowl and shape into 4 flat patties. Seal in a plastic bag and place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes. 

6. Preheat oven to 350. Foil cookie sheet pans.  

7. Remove dough from fridge. Dust counter or cutting board with brown rice flour and roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters of preferred shape or shapes... Carefully move over to baking sheet using spatula. I sometimes run a flat knife under the cookie before lifting off the board to ensure its loose. 

8. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to turn golden. 

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet, using spatula transfer to plate. 

Now for the icing... You can pretty much use whatever icing you prefer on these cookies but I decorated as such:

In a bowl combine 3 cups powdered sugar with a tablespoon of coconut milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir till thoroughly combined. You can add more sugar to make the frosting thicker or more coconut milk to make it thinner, be careful though, just a few drops of milk make the frosting thinner very quick so sneak up on it!

Once you cookies have cooled spread or decorate with frosting and then allow frosting to "dry" without stacking the cookies. I used pearl sugar to decorate the white star cookies I made because it was a safe, pretty, vegan, gluten free, dye free "sprinkle" or sorts. 

Enjoy! XOXO Happy Holidays! - Iris

Gluten Free Vegan Breakfast Sausages

I woke up this morning with a very specific craving. I've been a vegetarian my whole life and occasionally have really enjoyed those little vegetarian soy/wheat protein based breakfast links. But that was back in my wheat eating days, now it's seldom I find a faux meat product that isn't held together by wheat gluten.

I'm visiting my mom over the holidays and have been spending a lot of time in her kitchen making a delicious mess! So this morning I decided to start experimenting with making a gluten free/vegan breakfast link. The results were not just satisfying and simple but also tasty! In just a few short minutes I was able to whip up a batch of tofu links that satiated my desire for crispy crunchy golden sausages and yet filled with aromatic breakfasty delight!

Vegan Gluten Free Breakfast Links

• 1 package firm tofu (approx 15 oz)
• 1/2 tsp fresh sage chopped
• 1 Tablespoon tamari sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground fennel
• 1/2 tsp dry ground garlic
• Dry mixed herbs to taste of your preference (about 2 Tablespoons): thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, black pepper, smoked paprika
• 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (find at health food store or Whole Foods)  
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour

Directions:

1.  In a bowl pat tofu block to remove excess water, and then crumble till fine. 

2. Add all ingredients into bowl and combine till thoroughly mixed. 

3. Because this is a vegan dish you are safe to taste this uncooked mixture and adjust seasoning to meet your personal preference. 

4. Heat skillet greased generously with olive oil. 

5. Shape tofu mixture into desired shape. I opted for a link but if you prefer you can make little patties. 

6. Fry in oil till golden brown on all sides. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil. 

7. Allow to sit for a minute which will prevent the sausages from being so delicate. Serve warm with desired accompaniment. 

Enjoy! xoxo- Iris

Vegan Gluten Free Lentil Loaf

I know the moment I say lentil loaf a lot of eyes started rolling but actually lentils have amazing health benefits and while I've been vegetarian my whole life so I don't know what meatloaf tastes like, this is delicious and also just so happens to be vegan and gluten free!

You know how I love to carry on about the health benefits of certain foods and this is definitely going to be one of those times!

Lentils are a low fat, low calorie, high fiber, cholesterol reducing bean with six important minerals, two proteins and are high in manganese and iron!

Vegan Gluten Free Lentil Loaf

• 3 cups cooked lentils
• 1/2 block of firm tofu
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 small carrot
• 1/2 small onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup potato flour
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup catsup + 1/3 cup catsup
• 2 tablespoons mustard + 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  

Directions:

1.  Cook lentils in water with a sprinkle of sea salt till tender and remove any excess water. 

2. Measure out 3 cups of cooked lentils into a large mixing bowl.

3. Using a blender combine tofu with vegetable broth and puree. 

4. Add pureed tofu to lentils, do not stir. You will want to only have to mix everything once to prevent the lentils from simply becoming mush. 

5. Finely dice carrots and onion and garlic and sauté in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt. 

6. Add sautéed mixture to lentils. 

5. Add quinoa flour, potato flour and brown rice flour.  

6. Add 1/2 cup catsup and 2 tablespoons mustard. 

7. Add finely diced parsley and 1 tsp sea salt. 

8. Now gently mix to thoroughly combine. 

9. Lightly grease the inside of your loaf pan. 

10. Transfer the lentil loaf mixture into the pan and shape into loaf with curved top. 



11. Combine in a small bowl 1/3 cup catsup, 1 tsp mustard, a pinch of sea salt and brown sugar.  Mix till thoroughly combined. 

12. Top over lentil loaf to cover. 

13. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

14. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 






15. Serve by slicing and frying in a pan with olive oil till edges are crispy. Delicious with a side of wedge oven baked fries!

Enjoy! xoxo- Iris

The BEST Buttermilk Pancakes Ever! And they just happen to be GLUTEN FREE!!

Saturday's are meant for sleeping in late, hanging out in your pajamas, and pancakes!!!

So on this Saturday my gift to you is a recipe for the best ever buttermilk pancakes!

Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
• butter for pan

  

Directions:

1.  Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. 

2.  In a small bowl beat together buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil.

3. Slowly add wet to dry and stir till just combined. 

4. Set aside to let batter poof up a little. 

5. Meanwhile heat large skillet and grease with butter. 

6. Fry up pancakes to size preferred. I personally like a little stack of small pancakes.

Serve hot with your favorite syrup. I would say this more than comfortably feeds 2 people but more if you are eating the pancakes along with eggs or other breakfast foods. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Vegan Tapas and product review: Heidi Ho Veganics Cheeze

Probably something like 8+ years back when I was first working in Hollywood at the film school I met and became friends with a really awesome woman, Heidi K. Lovig. Heidi had the spirit of hardly anyone I've every met and in Hollywood finding someone so genuine, loving and non-judgmental is rare combination. She had this little apartment over on Shrader off Hollywood Blvd. and we used to gather with a few friends to watch movies and I'd cook dinner. Most often requested was mushroom paprikash, still to this day one of my favorites.  We both had an immense of love of food!

Heidi left LA and began a journey of self discovery and development. She spent time in Hawaii and Thailand and eventually found herself in culinary school and began her own company, Heidi Ho Veganics which she lovingly and passionately runs with her partner Lyssa.

Heidi Ho Veganics cheezes have already made their way all down the West Coast and are available in Whole Foods and other select smaller health food and vegan markets. The products are also available via mail order online.

I of course did not have the patience to order online and wait. I've been hearing amazing things about her chia cheese sauce but unfortunately the Viva la Vegan Market in Santa Monica only had the monterey jack, feta crumbles and smoked gouda. I bought one of each!

Since I was overindulging in my vegan cheeze purchases I decided to do a little spread of tapas. Tapas is just spanish for appetizers but I decided it sounds nice than saying: "I decided to make snacks!" haha!

I picked up a bag of Plentils which I have heard good things about, they are a lentil based gluten free vegan crackers. When I opened the bag I must say I has expected the cracker to be bit larger, but it worked for the bite size plans I had for them.

Hummus

• 1 15 oz can chickpeas (I do not like the unsalted ones)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 small garlic cloves

Directions:

1. Strain off extra liquid from chickpeas and dump into bowl of food processor. Add sea salt, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic cloves. 

2. Puree till smooth consistency achieved. 

3. If not smooth enough you can add cold water but do this carefully as no one liked runny hummus!

I served this by the spoonful topping the Plentil crackers and then adding a piece of the Heidi Ho Veganic Feta crumble and a sliver of kalamata olive. 

I had a friend over and she and I definitely think this was our favorite combination. There is no way that you could tell that the feta was vegan. On its own I would almost say you could taste a hint of lemon but overall the texture and saltiness met and exceeded our expectations. 


Next I made some mini corn tortillas to top with black beans and the monterey jack cheeze.

Mini Corn Tortillas

• 1 cup masa harina
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

  

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix together masa harina with salt, garlic powder and cumin, add warm water. Mix till combined. Add more water if needed. Should form dough but not be sticky. 

2. Roll into 1 inch round balls. 

3. I have a tortilla press but if you do not you can place balls between parchment paper and press flat with a plate, otherwise use tortilla press to flatten balls. 

4. Fry in vegetable oil over high heat till golden spots begin to appear. 

I topped my corn tortillas with warmed blacked bean and grated monterey jack cheeze and a dollop of Toffuti sour cream.  Please note I did look at other brands of vegan sour cream and none were also gluten free! 

For appearance sake I sprinkled them with a bit of paprika. :) 




And! Last but not least! I made a vegan tempeh sandwich, which was more of an assembly then a recipe...

I got some vegan gluten free bread which I toasted. I think mixed Veganaise with a bit of mustard and a sprinkle of garlic powder. I smeared this onto the toast. I fried up some tempeh in a pan with olive oil, please make sure the tempeh you get from the store is gluten free, not all are. I then topped the tempeh with thin slices of the smoked gouda cheeze. To lighten the sandwich up a bit I shredded carrot and dressed it with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.

BAM!!!!

So to summarize... "Yum, yum, yum.  Yum, yummy, yummerz!"

I mean: Everything was delicious, the cheezes were tasty! I would say my favorite was the feta hands down, next the smoked gouda and then the monterey jack. And I'm looking forward to trying out more things with them. They were not rubbery, not fakey, not dry or chalky, they were flavorful and diverse and excellent to use in a sandwich or tacos! :)

xoxo - Iris

GLUTEN FREE THANKSGIVING FOR EVERYONE: THE THANKSGIVING AND HOLIDAY TABLE

My friend Marcos in Chicago who got
his copy right away!

My friend Cristina, another East Coast
friend supporting the book!

I'm really excited that I was able to complete and release my Thanksgiving cookbook just in time for the holidays! It is now available on kindle and in paperback on amazon.com and it has been amazing to see the support I am getting from my friend's on this publication. Gluten Free Cooking for Everyone: The Thanksgiving and Holiday Table  is my first cookbook but trust me not my last! I absolutely loved the process, as I'm sure did all my friends who got to eat many Thanksgiving feasts throughout the seasons in preparation, haha!

The fun part about the book is that I feel it is super accessible to everyone even those who do not have sensitivities because after all the holidays should be about inclusion and therefore I wanted to showcase recipes that everyone could make and enjoy. However if you are someone who has sensitivities I wanted to ensure that meal planning was easy for you too with this great easy to follow key to common dietary restrictions.

 

I'm sure the "gluten free" part goes without saying, but if you are anything like me you enjoy the constant reminder that what you are eating is safe!

Example of interior: click to enlarge.

Above is an example of two interior pages, my wild rice and brown rice pilaf. This is great vegan and gluten free substitute for stuffing as it is rich with herbs and aromatics but contains no dairy, meat or eggs. As you can see I tried to make the recipes as easy as possible to follow that even the cook who only cooks at the holidays should have an easy time following the instructions. 

Well I hope everyone picks up a copy and enjoy their holidays! I know I'm pretty excited for mine. I'll be traveling this year which is going to be a new big challenge in eating and I plan to journal my experiences here, so keep an eye out for that. Travels to begin in a few weeks.

Thank you all for you support, happy and healthy eating! xoxo - Iris

Product Review: Rice Thins and Recipe: Artichoke-Olive Tapenade (Gluten Free and Vegan)

I was at Albertson's earlier this week trying to hunt down some gluten free crackers. Crackers and cheese is

always my easy go-to snack... I was having difficulty finding any speciality section in the store when I happened onto Nabisco's newest product, Rice Thins. You will find Rice Thins beside Wheat thins on the shelf and are clearly labeled as GLUTEN FREE. I have to wonder if this is their response to the fact that they had earlier released a brown rice Triscuit cracker which was NOT GLUTEN FREE and people were kind of irritated because it seemed unfortunate that this new cracker had been released that seemed like it had gluten free potential but was not. I, for one, am very pleased to see more gluten free options being released by mainstream larger companies because while I live in a large city with a lot of options for shopping there are a lot of people who can not eat wheat and live in smaller town with fewer options. 

I bought the plain flavor and the cheddar flavor of the crackers. I think they are both really good. They do taste as expected, they are the plain rice crackers, very similar to the ones you get in like as asian style mix of little crunchies. The crackers are not crumbly, nor do they have a chalky taste and the cheddar ones are seasoned in such a way that I think would be very palatable to a kid too so they are a great thing to pack as a snack for a child's lunch. 

They are definitely a product worth having around and I'd say they are a darn good cracker as far as crackers go. 

Now on to my recipe... On the same shopping trip I picked up a jar of something that was called artichoke pesto... It was basically a artichoke puree and I ate it with crackers and feta and polished off the whole small overpriced jar within a few days. I've had a can of artichokes, the unseasoned kind, sitting on my shelf for a few weeks now, not entirely sure what to do with it and so today I decided to make my own version of said artichoke dip but modify it a bit. Here are the delicious results!

Artichoke- Olive Tapenade

• 14 oz can of artichokes (I used the Trader Joes brand, you can probably use the frozen ones too.)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup black kalamata olives
• 1 cup green olives
• 1/4 of one red bell pepper

Directions:

Artichoke-Olive Tapenade on Cheddar Rice Thins

1. Chop up artichokes, peel and split garlic cloves in half and add to a pan with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and water. 

2. Simmer over low heat until garlic pieces are soft and tender. 

3. Turn off heat and transfer to the bowl of your food processor. Blend till smooth. 

4. Rough chop red bell pepper and add along with olives to the food processor. 

5. Pulse till desired texture is achieved. 

6. Serve on crackers or bread. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris