Vegan Mondays: Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry)

So in the wake of going gluten-free, it seems that my lactose intolerance (which I've known about forever, but been able to mostly ignore) is also beginning to flair up.  Which is common once one goes gluten-free with Celiac/intolerance--your digestive system can now process things the right way again, so any intolerance you already had before gets worse!

It is with sad news that I announce that I must (mostly) break up with cheese.

Which leads us into today's recipe!

I *may* have posted this recipe before, but I am making it again and it may be a tad different.  So oh well!  Enjoy it again!

I have combined two recipes to make this.  From here and here.   They are not horribly different, except for their spice amounts.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced (or use canned, like I did...maybe a 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes)
1 T. cumin seeds
1 t. ground turmeric
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala
1/2 t. red pepper flakes/powder
1/2 t. ground fenugreek
1/2 t. mustard powder (I didn't have this, so I used some mustard in the fridge)
1 large eggplant, or 2 medium, cubed
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper, and saute until cooked-through.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  Toss in your spices and allow the scent to bloom.  Add the tomatoes, and allow this to cook for about 10 minutes.

Add in the eggplant and place a lid on top.  Turn the heat down and allow this all to cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the eggplant is tender and the flavors have blended.  Lastly, taste for salt and season to taste.

 (I was bad about taking pictures as I was in a huge hurry.)

Serve plain, over rice, or with naan.  Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf and Maple-Dijon Brussels Sprouts

Somehow I have never posted this recipe.

And yet, it's one of my favorites, and completely worth all the effort.  I've made it for guests and they say it's the best meatloaf they've ever had--and I have to agree!

Total credit to the original recipe!  The only thing I have ever changed is leaving out the panko--which kind of works, but you have a more crumbly loaf.  Or, instead of panko, I toast GF bread and then grind it up in the food processor.

You can go to her website to get the recipe since I change nothing.

Now, the Brussels sprouts, I will give you that one.  Roasted, caramelized Brussels sprouts are DELICIOUS.  Try them.  Really.  You must.

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
2 T. maple syrup
2 T. Dijon mustard (I used large grain)
2 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Toss everything together and place in a baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, or until caramelized and tender.

Slightly Sweet & Spicy Baked Beans

I threw this together, not wanting typical sweet baked beans, not quite wanting charro beans, but something in between.  We had it with our delicious barbecue pork!  (It was then somehow glutened, so, alas, I cannot eat the delicious leftovers.)

Ingredients:

6 oz. bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 t. yellow mustard
1 T. (or more) sriracha
3 T. fancy molasses
1 T. worcestershire sauce
3 T. red wine vinegar
Dash of liquid smoke
2 t. dried oregano

Instructions:

Stir all ingredients together!

Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed.  Uncover if it's not absorbing enough!  Taste and adjust any seasonings.

Eat the deliciousness!

Adventures in Sausage & the Search for the Perfect Poutine Sauce Recipe

While my (also Celiac) sister was visiting, we got the bright idea (or, rather, Charles did) to make our own sausages while taking a lovely stroll through Parc National d'Oka.  We gathered recipes and our supplies and went to work!

I don't have the exact recipes saved, but we made two types: chicken-sage-apple and pork-chipotle-beer.  Both were GF (I actually found a halfway-decent Quebec-made GF beer) and delicious!

If you want recipes and information about making your own sausages, Charles found them here, on TheSpicySausage.com.

Getting it started after the casing had to be cut.

Yeah, sausage!

The completed raw pork sausages, in natural casing.

Now, for poutine.

If you don't know what this is, fret not, you just haven't been to Montreal or Canada and had the heart-attack-in-a-bowl that is (at its very basic state) fries (fried in lard, typically), cheese curds, and "poutine sauce".

The recipe for poutine sauce has eluded me for ages.  No one's online recipes seem to get it right.  Something is always MISSING.  It is NOT just chicken gravy, like many people would have you believe.  But this time around, I HAVE DISCOVERED THE MISSING INGREDIENT.

It is soy sauce.

Not much.  Not more than a few dashes.  But just a tad to deliver its heavy umami flavor.

I didn't write down my recipe (good job, Amy), but, basically, it is:

1 1/2 cups each chicken and beef broth.
A few dashes of soy sauce.
Salt & pepper.
2 T. each cornstarch & water to thicken.

Heat broths in a saucepan until boiling.  Add in soy and S&P.  Add in cornstarch and allow to cook down to a gravy consistency (or thicker).

The taste was DEAD-ON this time, but it was a little thin.  I was too excited.

Also, cheese curds are a necessity.  No substitutions work quite as well.  They are fresh from the cheese factory here and they squeak when you bite into them.

Gluten-free poutine!

We baked our sausages on a bed of peppers and onions.

Complete meal!

Salmon with a Dill, Sour Cream, & Mustard Sauce

(And broccoli on the side. Can you tell what's been on sale lately? :P)

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets
1/2 t. chili powder (I thought it added a nice kick)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste

1 T. olive oil
3 T. onion, finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 T. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup minced fresh dill
1 cup sour cream
Juice of 1 lime

Instructions:

Place the salmon on a plate and sprinkle with spices and lime juice. Cover and let sit for about an hour in the refrigerator.


Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Sautee the onion and garlic until onion is translucent.

Add Dijon and dill and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.


Add sour cream and lime juice. Stir together and allow to cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature.


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread a small amount of oil over it.

Place marinated salmon onto the sheet. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over salmon. Bake for 20 minutes, or until salmon is opaque in the center.



I tossed the broccoli in garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil and just placed it on the same sheet.

When done, use the rest of the sauce as you desire (I thought it was tasty on the broccoli, too!).