sweet spicy tangy persimmon chutney

 

This is the second time I've made persimmon chutney for Thanksgiving week but the first time I've blogged it. Really, it's just wonderful, and it helps when your friend gives you a bag of homegrown persimmons from her allotment! 

This comes from Allrecipes, but I've changed it just slightly. (For instance, do NOT add as much apple cider vinegar as the original recipe calls for. I found the amounts listed below to be fine.)

It's not hard work, but give yourself some time to chop everything and simmer it, then to let it cool before you refrigerate the jars-ful. 

You'll need:

• 4 persimmons, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion (about one small onion)
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup white or brown sugar (I used brown)
• 1 cup raisins (golden if you can get them, or regular if you can't)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot garam masala powder (instead of the chilis and cloves originally called for)

Do this:

Combine everything except the persimmons and simmer till thick. Keep stirring! Then add the persimmons and simmer till they're soft. 

Everything should be tangy, thick, sweet, and spicy. Refrigerate it after it's cooled. 

Serve with chicken, turkey, or ham, and I bet it would be good with cheese too (no dairy for me). 

gluten-free dairy-free chicken potato quiche

This was from a random video on Facebook, so I'm sorry that I can't share the origin story with you. Anyway, I'm sure you want to jump right to the recipe! This is my Mamatouille-d version.

You'll need:

• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• dairy-free shredded cheese
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• a couple Japanese piman (green peppers), chopped
• tomato paste to taste
• dried or fresh parsley
• paprika
• turmeric
• thyme
• powdered coriander
• 3 eggs
• dairy-free milk or cream
• peeled and chopped potatoes (4 Japanese small ones)

Do this:

Line a deep pie pan with baking paper. 

Make mashed potatoes, but not too soft or milky. 

Mash them into the bottom of the pan and cover with shredded cheese.

In a frying pan, cook the chicken in some oil with the onion, green peppers, tomato paste, salt and pepper, parsley, paprika, and turmeric.

Ladle that over the mashed potato and cheese mixture. More cheese.

Beat 3 eggs with milk or cream plus thyme and coriander, then pour over and add a bit more cheese. 

Bake at 180 C for 35 minutes. Let it cool a few minutes and then slice.

 

gluten-free dairy-free banana-yogurt pancakes

 

These are a Mamatouille original and a variation on a rice-flour pancake theme that we all really enjoy devouring. 

You'll need:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cups soy milk (or milk of choice) - start with 1 cup and see if you need more because these pancakes also have yogurt
• 3 tablespoons katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) or cornstarch
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt
• lots of shakes of cinnamon
• raisins

Do this:

Mix it all up, fry up on your griddle, and enjoy with peanut butter or honey. 

gluten-free dairy-free black-bean chocolate brownies

 

A friend sent me this recipe from Poland, but she's American and I'm assuming these are too. I can't give you the source, but they're delicious and more-ish nonetheless.

As you can see, half of us like walnuts. :)

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup black beans, dried, soaked overnight, and cooked till soft, or 1 can of cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chicory powder (or you can use instant coffee)
• 1/3 cup flour (I used half rice and half almond)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 50 g dark chocolate (dairy free)
• 50 g chopped walnuts

Do this: 

Make a puree of the beans in a food processor, then add in everything else except the chocolate bar and the walnuts. Stir those in at the end. 

Line a square baking pan (8 by 8 inches or 20 cm x 20 cm) with baking paper, pour in your batter, then bake at 170 C/325 F for 15-20 minutes. 

Let it cool completely before cutting and serving. 

CHOCO FIX! 

gluten-free dairy-free homemade tomato soup

 

Craving creamy and spicy tomato soup, I made up a Mamatouille special! 

You'll need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine
• 3 tablespoons rice flour
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 cups dairy-free milk (I used soy)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• paprika to taste
• dried parsley to taste
• Italian mixed herbs to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 sachets veggie bouillon
• 2 cans chopped or whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Do this:

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add margarine then slowly whisk in flour. Then slowly whisk in the milk a bit at a time till smooth and let it simmer. 

Add your spices and sugar and bouillon. 

Throw in your tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Simmer a few minutes, then use an immersion blender to smooth it all out. 

Top with fried onion bits! 

Yuuuummmmm. Sweet. Spicy. Creamy. Great with a sausage roll. 

gluten-free goya chanpuru

 

This is not the Goya brand of seasoning in the US; it's the goya vegetable, also called bitter melon, that grows in Japan and is seasonal only in the summer. It's bitter and lovely and super healthy. 

Recipe comes mostly from Just One Cookbook. 

You'll need:

• 1 goya/bitter melon (I used a white one that my neighbor gave me from her garden--it was riper than the usual green ones that you buy in the store)
• 1 teaspoon salt (for the goya)
• 300g firm tofu
• 500g thinly-sliced pork
• 6 eggs
• neutral-flavored oil
• salt and pepper
• a few tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 or 2 small packets katsuobushi fish flakes (usually a Japanese package will have about 6 packets in each)
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Do this: 

First, make your fish stock: Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over 1 or 2 packets of katsuobushi fish flakes and let it set. When you're almost ready for the stock, strain out the fish flakes and keep the stock. 

Then, slice your goya lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and throw away, slice it up, then toss 1 teaspoon of salt on the goya in a salad spinner insert. Let that set at least 10 minutes then rinse and spin.

Wrap your tofu in paper towels and put a flat pan on top and then some kind of weight to squeeze the water out. 

Cut your pork up into bite-sized pieces.

In a bowl, crack your eggs and beat. 

Tear the drained tofu into bite-sized pieces. 

In a large frying pan, heat up some oil and brown your tofu on both sides. Don't turn it often. When it's brown all over, put on a plate. 

Then brown your goya with some salt and oil and then put that on the plate with the tofu.

Brown your pork with oil, salt, and pepper, then add the tofu and goya back in. Add in your strained fish stock and your 3 tablespoons or so of soy sauce.

Toss to combine, let the liquid evaporate a little bit, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Add in your beaten eggs and let that set, then scoop it out and serve over rice in a bowl with more fish flakes on top. Eat with a spoon and enjoy to the hilt. We all love this. 

(Make sure you give yourself enough time for this dish. Each separate ingredient that needs browning takes a chunk of time.)

updated gluten-free dairy-free chocolate tofu peanut-butter pie

I used to make this with a storebought graham-cracker crust (when I could find that at an import store) or a homemade cookie crust, but since finding out about these food allergies that I have, I hadn't made this delectable pie in a long time. 

But I wanted to welcome our boys home from overseas with one. With just a bit of rejigging, here's my latest gluten-free and dairy-free version.

You'll need (for the filling): 

• 450 g (about 1 lb.) block of silken tofu, drained
• 2/3 c. creamy peanut butter (I make my own with just salt, no sugar)
• 1 c. melted dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

You'll need (for the crust):

• 2 cups almond flour or meal
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• a sprinkle/pinch of sea salt

Do this:

For an 8.5-inch/22 cm springform pan, oil and line the bottom with baking paper. Toast the almond flour in a dry pan on the stove for a few minutes, until it turns a bit darker and is fragrant. Put that into a food processor and whiz up with the other ingredients. (Don't whiz it too long or it will liquefy!) Press it into the bottom of the springform pan and bake at 170 C/350 F for about 8 minutes or so. Let it cool and rest while you get on with making the pie filling. 

For the filling, just blend those 4 ingredients and pour into your cooled pie crust. Refrigerate it till set and then enjoyyyyyyyy that sucker! 

gluten-free dairy-free tuna chickpea veggie pasta

 

I originally saw a recipe like this here, but it's one of those recipes where you use what you have and it turns out delicious anyway.

Here's how I did it.

You'll need:

• gluten-free pasta, cooked and drained
• grated carrots
• chopped onion
• minced garlic
• chopped zucchini (or whatever seasonal veggies are available; maybe cabbage in the winter)
• chopped red pepper
• salt and pepper
• oil
• lemon juice
• thyme, if you have it (haha)
• can or two of chickpeas, drained
• canned tuna, drained

Do this:

In a frying pan, saute the veg in oil, then add in the tuna and chickpeas. Mix with the spices and cooked pasta, and serve it up with love and laughter (I mean, you didn't even have to go to the grocery store). 

vegan nutella

 

This jar of deliciousness comes by way of a video recipe from Epic Mint Leaves.

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then dry them off.

Roast them at 220C for about 27-30 minutes.

Throw them in a blender with 6 pitted Medjool dates, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1 cup hot water.

Blend, eat a bit and jar the rest. Nestle it safely in le fridge. 

gluten-free dairy-free roasted carrot and chickpea salad with cashew-cream sauce

This recipe came by way of Bon Appetit, though I can't access the recipe anymore. I understand why paywalls are necessary sometimes for a business and also they are frustrating.

Anyway, I think I changed it enough to be my own. 

You'll need:

• lettuce
• cress
• carrots (2 or 3, sliced into matchsticks)
• 1 onion, sliced
• chickpeas (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• paprika
• olive oil
• turmeric
• garlic powder
• cumin
• salt and pepper
• dried parsley
• 1 cup cashews, soaked for a little while then drained
• 1/3 cup water
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice to taste
• fresh garlic
• olive oil
• more dried parsley

Do this:

In a big bowl, mix carrots, onions, and chickpeas with paprika, olive oil, turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and dried parsley.

Roast on a pan at about 180 C for about 20-25 minutes, or until browned.

Blend the cashews, 1/3 cup water (more if the cream sauce is too thick), salt and pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh minced garlic. 

On the plates, arrange lettuce, then the roasted veg and bean mixture on top, and drizzle with cashew cream sauce. Toss some chopped cress on top for an extra peppery sharpness and beauty. 

gluten-free dairy-free rose tteokbokki

This is a wonderful Korean dish using mochi-mochi (soft and chewy) rice-flour tubes and gochujang (spicy chili paste) along with soy sauce, brown sugar, milk, cream, and cheese (I use all dairy-free ingredients). It's a great mix of spicy and creamy and sweet. Try it! 

I changed it just a bit to use what I could get here in Japan, but you definitely need the tteokbokki tubes and the gochujang, at least! 

Here's the recipe I based it off. 

(The photos above and below are the same dish, but the second time I made it, which is the above photo, I think I added more milk and didn't cook it off as long. Both times it was super tasty.)

You'll need:

• tteokbokki (rice tubes, like thick chewy pasta)
• 200 ml soy cream
• 200 ml soy milk
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/4 cabbage, chopped
• 1 bunch komatsuna greens, washed and chopped (or spinach or mustard greens)
• green onions, chopped
• fish cake (kamaboko), chopped
• age dofu (fried tofu) strips
• Canadian bacon, chopped (I use 4 slices)
• grated soy cheese
• 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
• 2 tablespoons raw brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce

Do this:

In a frying pan, cook the vegetables and Canadian bacon in oil till slightly soft but still with some al dente bite. 

Mix the gochujang, sugar, and soy sauce, and then stir into the pot. Add the milk and cream. 

Then toss in fried tofu strips and chopped fish paste. Stir everything well and then bring it to a simmer.

When it's simmering, add the tteokbokki and cook it all till the tubes are soft but not mushy. Stir in the dairy-free cheese and then in the bowls, sprinkle with green onions. 

Enjoy this stuff to the max! 

gluten-free dairy-free chocolate-ginger mug muffins

Another take on my mug muffins! So delicious.

You'll need (for one person):

• a microwave
• a cup/mug
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil plus more oiling
• 3 tablespoons almond flour
• pinch salt
• pinch baking powder
• 1 teaspoon chicory powder
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
• sprinkle cinnamon
• splash of soy milk
• chopped dairy-free chocolate
• chopped crystallized ginger

Do this:

Oil your cup/mug. Crack an egg in and whisk with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chopped chocolate and crystallized ginger. Whisk together till smooth, then toss in the chopped chocolate and crystallized ginger. 

Cover and microwave on 600 W for 1.5 minutes. 

Add another little splash of soy milk and dig in with a spoon.

 

funky gluten-free dairy-free bacon sweet-potato and white-potato summer salad

This was unexpectedly made and unexpectedly delicious! It was for an international potluck and because I'm an international woman this is what I conjured up with what I had on hand in my international home.

You'll need:

• frozen and then thawed cooked sweet potato slices, or fresh sweet potatoes, cut into chunks and cooked
• white potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks and boiled till tender
• 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• mayo 
• plain soy yogurt 
• parsley, fresh or dried
• regular mustard
• Dijon mustard
• paprika
• bacon slices, cooked, drained, and chopped
• green onions, sliced
• grated carrots
• frozen and shelled edamame, thawed 

Do this: 

Drain your cooked potatoes and mix with the apple cider vinegar and let it set for a few minutes.

Mix your dressing ingredients: mayo, soy yogurt, salt and pepper, two kinds of mustard, paprika, and parsley.

Stir it in with the potatoes, bacon, green onions, grated carrots, and edamame. 

Put it in the fridge to chill, and you take a little moment to chill yourself too. Have a big glass of ice water, put your feet up, and then head to a potluck. Don't forget to take the potato salad! 

gluten-free dairy-free zucchini cashew-cream and chickpea pasta

I found this idea on one of those 30-second Facebook videos that they throw at you, so I can't give a source. Basically I just got inspired and then made it my own Mamatouille way. 

You'll need:

• pasta of choice (I used brown rice swirly pasta)
• 1 cup cashews, soaked in just-boiled water for a few hours (can put in fridge if needed)
• 3 zucchini, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• olive oil
• salt 
• pepper
• about 1/2 - 1 cup soy milk
• 1 or 2 cans chickpeas, drained
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• dairy-free margarine
• about 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast powder

Do this:

Soak your chickpeas for a few hours and then drain. Roast in a 170 C oven for 25 minutes: zucchini, onion, garlic, olive oil, and salt.

In a blender, add the cashews, roasted veg, salt, pepper, margarine, 1 can drained chickpeas, soy milk, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Blend.

Cook your pasta in a big pot and drain, then mix the pasta, blended creamy veg mixture, and the other 1 can of drained chickpeas. 

I served ours with avocado and homegrown tomatoes from Kahoku-gata, and it was all more-ish. 

gluten-free and dairy-free chicken shawarma salad

 

It might look like a mess on a plate, but with spices like cumin and turmeric and cayenne pepper, this is absolutely more-ish. Comes by way of Our Salty Kitchen. 

This is basically a veggie-full salad topped with roasted spiced chicken and then drowned in tahini-lemon dressing. Here's my take on the recipe.

For the chicken, you'll need:

• chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds
• a big Ziploc bag
• 1/2 cup oil (I use grapeseed)
• 2 juiced lemons or equivalent bottled lemon juice
• several minced garlic cloves or big shakes of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 t. cumin
• 2 t. paprika
• 1 t. turmeric
• sprinkles of cayenne pepper

Do this for the chicken:

Throw all of the above into the Ziploc bag and squish it around till coated, then fridge it for a few hours or overnight. After it's all succulent-ized, roast it in the oven with the juices at 425F/220C for 30 minutes, then let it cool. 

For the lemon-tahini dressing, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced, or equivalent bottled lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Do this for the dressing:

Blitz it with a hand blender and fridge till ready. Can do this ahead of time! 

For the salad, you'll need:

Whatever salad ingredients you like. Nice with lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, mint, parsley, grated carrots, radishes, watercress. 

Plate it up:

Salad first, then chopped up chicken, then douse in the fab dressing.

MORE-ISH, I tell ya.