To spring forward into March, I have a new dessert recipe for you... Gluten Free Sweet Potato Brownies. They're filled with nutrition and a (naturally) sweet surprise!

Brownies are, by definition, chocolate, but I couldn’t resist making a chocolate-free version with antioxidant-rich sweet potatoes. They are my favorite wholesome, nutritious addition to gluten free baked goods.

If you haven’t baked with them before, I encourage you to give it a try! 

Sweet potatoes can be used to replace up to half the fat called for in recipes like coffee cakes, traditional brownies, and muffins. They add a valuable nutrient boost, too! In this recipe, they are truly the star of the show!

When adding sweet potatoes to my baked goods, I typically use cooked, mashed sweet potatoes. For my Gluten Free Sweet Potato Brownies, I discovered mashed sweet potatoes yield a very dense brownie. After a little experimenting, I found the key to these tasty brownies is using finely grated sweet potatoes. This gives the brownies just the right texture with fabulous sweet potato flavor!

To enhance the natural sweetness of the potatoes is that sweet surprise I mentioned... Date sugar. Have you tried it!?

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Naturally Gluten Free Roasted Veggies are a terrific way to add tasty nutrition to your GF diet!
Roasting vegetables is a simple way to intensify the natural flavors that otherwise go unnoticed in foods like cauliflower.

This simple How-To applies to most veggies... broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, eggplant, etc. Use your imagination and find YOUR favorite roasted veggie dish!


Gluten Free Gigi's Roasted Cauliflower (with Cajun Spice)
1 head cauliflower (substitute any veggie you like here!)
Juice from 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon Olive oil (or other oil of your choice)
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (salt, pepper, cayenne pepper)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Line a large baking pan with foil.

Remove outer leaves from cauliflower. Separate cauliflower into florets, wash, drain.

Add oil, juice from lemon, and florets to a large bowl and toss, coating all florets with oil, juice, and seasonings.

Pour contents of bowl onto prepared pan.

Place in oven and roast for 40 minutes. Turn half way through roasting, at 20 minutes.

Remove from oven when done, edges will become dark and slightly crisp.

Serve hot, or cool to room temperature. Roasted cauliflower is even excellent served chilled!

Then, try this...

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The perfect vegan burger is subjective - we all like different ingredients, different textures - but this burger ranks right at the top of my list - vegan or not! It's veggie and protein packed with a lightly crisp exterior and a moist interior that won't fall apart on you. A must try!
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Simple ingredients that pack a flavor punch!
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And make a pretty dish!
One of my favorite flavor combos is orange and chipotle. The sweet bright flavor of oranges balance the deep warmth of chipotle peppers to yield just the right amounts of heat and sweet!

I use that perfect match on meats and fish, but also enjoy it with sugar snap peas. It's the perfect way to elevate this sweet spring veg to another level, and it's simple to put together, too!
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Few ingredients means less time in the kitchen, more time enjoying the beautiful spring weather!
Simplicity always appeals to me, but never more so than when the weather warms and it's time to spend more time outdoors than inside!

Dishes like this one means healthy "fast food" with plenty of time left over for fun!

This side dish is one that everyone will love, and you'll be in and out of the kitchen in no time. 

It's so simple, anyone can toss these few fresh ingredients together for the perfect side dish anytime!
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A loose interpretation of a Provence tart.
Is is really only Wednesday? If so, then why am I ready for a weekend? I want sunshine, not the rain we're having today, and I want to lounge on the patio without a care in the world. And I'd like a giant Greek salad to go with that wish. And maybe a limoncello cocktail. You didn't make that did you? Didn't think so.
Well, that's ok. Besides, I invited you for dinner. With the dreary day, I thought we needed something warm and savory, but with my longing-for-the-weekend mood, it turned into a very rustic meal.

Here's what we're having:

Onion Tart with Rosemary & "cheese" (were I not dairy intolerant, the vegan shreds would be finely shaved Parmesan, so if you can do so, go for it!)

White Beans with Roasted Red Pepper & Roasted Garlic puree

Braised Bok Choy

Honey "Graham" Wafers
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You can have your 'Q' & eat it, too (even if you're vegetarian/vegan)!
You already know that I'm a meat eater, and I make no apologies for it. The truth is, I spent a total of 8 years of my life as a vegetarian (this was split into 2 different periods). It was totally a personal choice, not influenced by what was "trending" or "cool" at the time...just my preference.

I've never been a big meat eater, really. For most of my life, it's been a take it or leave it thing with me - more often than not a "leave it". I still cannot stomach pork, and always pay the price if I decide to try it again.

And it's not a topic I like to debate. I rank dietary preference right up there with politics and religion in regard to what should probably be off-limits in chats among friends. We all come from different places and have different reasons for our beliefs, and I respect that.

In my recent post for April in the Raw (see my recipe for Raw Nut-free Fudge), I mentioned my interest in diets other than my own, and that includes my vegetarian and vegan friends. A lot of my recipes are vegan, and that is due to the need to eliminate dairy & egg for health reasons (see more about that HERE). For those same reasons, though, I need to consume lean meats to get enough heme iron.

So why a vegan BBQ if I eat meat? Well, remember, I just told you that I'm not such a huge fan of meat - I'd rather have chickpeas. 

Over the past 2 weeks, I have been thinking BBQ - you know, something tender and juicy slathered in a rich spicy-sweet sauce. 
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For a simple tangy sweet sauce, I mix these ingredients (and a touch of hot sauce).
Then I made Lemony Cabbage Avocado Slaw for one of our Now Gigi Serves Dinner! side dishes. During that meal, while eating baked salmon, my mind was on BBQ. Then my friend, Debi, at Hunter's Lyonesse made Lemony Slaw, which reminded me of a lemony basil slaw that I served with...you guessed it...BBQ. It was bound to happen.

I'll give you the menu before you click on to see how I made this yummy vegan Q!

Don't forget to check out my Contributors page! All the dreamy goodness here came from one of them!

Vegan BBQ patties with sweet & tangy sauce

Oven-baked fries with Rosemary Sea Salt(click to see how I make mine)

Simple Spinach Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing (click for recipe)

Individual Vegan Chocolate Pies with Chocolate Granola Crust (I'm loving my Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate Granola)
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I was so excited for the opportunity to review Galaxy Nutritional Foods line of Rice Vegan cheeses! After going dairy-free due to Iron Deficiency Anemia, which you can read more about HERE, I gave up cheese, which was not a big deal. I've really never been a huge cheese fan. And besides, giving up dairy was only a temporary deal that my doctor and I agreed upon since dairy inhibits iron uptake (you can learn about other foods that inhibit uptake of iron HERE). When I was back on my feet again, I was told I could slowly reintroduce dairy in small amounts. That was 8 months ago and I am still dairy-free. I attempted to bring dairy back at the end of last year, ...
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For a healthy gluten free dinner, give this Slow Cooker Root Veggie Pot Pie a try! It's an all-in-one dish rich with flavor and nutrition that will warm and satisfy the entire family.

The inspiration for this dish comes from a recipe by Jeanne Kelley in Cooking Light magazine. For the original recipe, click HERE.  
It was easy enough to adapt to gluten-and dairy-free; I streamlined the prep and adapted it to the slow cooker to save time. 

Enjoy!
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Seitenbacher is a fabulous German natural foods company with distribution centers in the USA. I was fortunate to receive this complimentary Vegetable Broth mix to try, and I love it! It adds a very subtle flavor to many foods as a seasoning as well as makes a delicious vegetarian broth for recipes. This is what I used to make the broth for Slow Cooker Root Veggie Pot Pie, but you could use any veggie broth you like, or make your own Homemade Stock.
In the interest of full disclosure: this product was provided free of charge from Seitenbacher; however, I was not asked to write a review of this product or otherwise promote this product in any way. I am providing a link to this product for your benefit in the event you are interested in learning more.
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Slow Cooker Root Vegetable Pot Pie

Gluten-soy-nut-free; Vegan

2 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1 rutabaga
1 large sweet potato
1 large sweet onion
8-ounce package white mushrooms
3 cups vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 Tablespoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potato, and onion: peel and cut into 1-inch chunks; add to slow cooker. Cut mushrooms in half and add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients to veggies and stir. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until veggies are fork tender but not mushy. At this point, add:

A mixture of 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water.

Stir cornstarch mixture into veggies in slow cooker and top with dough topping (recipe follows). Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour more or until topping is cooked through. 

Topping:
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour blend*(see below)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 – 3/4 cup rice milk, depending on flour blend you use

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with whisk to mix. Drizzle with oil, then add milk and stir. Begin with 1/2 cup milk and add more as needed to achieve a consistency that is not as stiff as biscuit dough, but not so thin that it is “pourable” – you want something in between the two. Spoon  topping onto veggie mixture in slow cooker and cover, leaving lid slightly askew so that a bit of steam can escape (this keeps the topping from being soggy on top from the condensation).

Gigi's Standard Flour Blend with Xanthan Gum:
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup corn starch
4 teaspoons xanthan gum

Combine in large bowl, stir with whisk until evenly mixed; store in airtight container, preferably in freezer for longer storage time.
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I serve this easy side dish with my slow cooker beef chili (pictured at the top of the page) when I want something that is more of a side dish than just cornbread. The roasted red pepper in this moist casserole complements the sweetness of the creamed corn. Enjoy!

Corn Fritter Casserole
1 can creamed corn
3/4 cup corn meal
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons white rice flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except peppers. Stir until well blended, then add red peppers and stir to distribute. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until golden around the edges and center is set.

Note: you can also add diced onion or minced garlic if you like, as well as any other veggie add-ins.

This recipe is linked to Simply Sugar & Gluten Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Gluten Free Wednesdays at The Gluten Free Homemaker.
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