Orange-Rosemary Wine Cooler Recipe

Makes 2 glasses

• 3 c. Sauvignon Blanc wine, chilled
• 1/3 c. rosemary-orange simple syrup *see below
• 1/4 c. vodka

1. Place all of the ingredients into a carafe and stir.
2. Serve with slices of orange rind and a rosemary sprig for garnish and a boost for more flavor.

Orange-Rosemary Simple Syrup Recipe

• 3 c. water
• 3/4 c. sugar
• Rind from 2 medium-sized oranges
• 5 large sprigs of rosemary

1. Place the sugar and water in a boiling pot. Allow to heat until boiling, stirring often and reduce heat to a simmer.
2. Place rind and sprigs in the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and allow to cool fully. Place in a container and chill in fridge.

You can set out to do something all you’d like but always to open to (and expect) set backs. In fact, allow those set backs to be your teacher and your guide. When you get caught up on your version of how you think life is supposed to happen,  you miss out on what it’s really about. In fact, I know from personal experience that if I am not open to learning from my set backs I become rigid, angry and unwilling to budge. The antithesis of growth.

The best part of staying open to any possibility in life? You create a HUGE cookie that can be enjoyed by everyone at the same time. It’s even more fun to fight over that favorite piece. And that, after all, really is what life is about…

The Ultimate Break-Apart Cookie Recipe

Gluten, egg, and dairy-free

Makes 2 huge cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 c. Cara gluten-free flour blend
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1 flaxseed “egg” (1 Tb + 2 Tb warm water)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 c. chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1 1/2 c. rolled oats

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Grease with cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl .Whisk until well combined.
3. With an electric mixer, blend sugars and oil together for a good minute. Add flax egg and vanilla for another 30 seconds.
4. Pour flour mix into the sugar/oil mix until combined.
5. Fold in chocolate chips, nuts and oats. *You will notice that your cookie dough is not going to completely hold together and that is okay! When the oil is heated and baked it will spread throughout the dough and allow it to create that cohesiveness needed to keep it intact.
6. Pour half the cookie dough onto the first greased and lined baking sheet. Spread flat and evenly with your fingers.
7. 10-12 minutes or until brown along the edges. Keep an eye on it though, you don’t want it to burn. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes so it can harden a bit. Repeat with the remainder of the dough.
8. Place on a platter and allow everyone to dig in!

The secret ingredient given to me from the incredible lifestyle website BlissTree? Rhubarb.

• 1 c. Cara’s gluten-free  flour mix
• 1 c. non-dairy milk + 1 Tb apple cider vinegar (allow to sit for 7-10  minutes)
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tb sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c. thinly chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 c. thinly chopped strawberries

1. Combine the dry ingredients together in a large Pyrex measuring cup (I like  to use this because it’s easiest to pour the batter out onto the skillet but you  can just use a bowl and scoop the batter out with a small measuring cup if you  do not have a Pyrex).
2. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix until just  combined. Allow to sit while you heat up the skillet.
3. Pour batter onto the skillet and quickly place approximately 1 Tb of the  chopped rhubarb and strawberries on the top of the batter. Cook until sides are  bubbly and firm, then flip over. Cook until lightly brown.
4. Serve with Strawberry-Rhubarb syrup (recipe below).

• 1/2 c. chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 c. chopped strawberries
• 1 Tb sugar
• 1/3 c. water

1. Place rhubarb, sugar and water into a small boiling pot. Allow to simmer  for 5 minutes.
2. Add strawberries and bring back to boil another 2 minutes.
3. Allow to cool a little and then place into a blender and mix until smooth.  Be careful! It will be hot still. Feel free to add more sugar or water,  depending on preference of sweetness and thickness. I prefer my syrup to be  thicker and less sweeter.

No wonder as an adult I, 9 out 10 times, gladly choose the veggie version over the real thing.

Quinoa Taco “Meat” Recipe

Gluten, egg, and dairy-free

Overflows approx 6 tacos

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c. cooked quinoa (I like to cook it in veggie broth to give it added flavor)
• 2 Tb green chiles, canned
• 2 Tb thinly chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/1-1 tsp cumin (depending on your taste preference)
• 1/2 tsp ancho chile pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• dash of salt to season

1.  DIRECTIONS:
2. In a skillet, saute the onion with oil for about 3-5 minutes. Add green chiles.
3. Add cumin, paprika, ancho chile pepper, cayenne, and salt. Mix into quinoa and cook another minute.
4. Stir in cilantro last.
5. Serve with favorite taco toppings.

We completely bypassed any sign of winter and went straight into spring. The worst part? It’s already summer now here in LA. Let’s do the math. That’s 6 months of hot, hot heat.

It’s miserable when you only have a window air conditioning unit and the heat sucks out any ounce of energy that you might have left.

The only good thing about summer is the craving for chips and salsa at every meal. This summer, me thinks I will try out as many salsa combinations as possible. Here we go with round one…

 Avocado Mango Fig Salsa Recipe

Gluten, egg, and dairy-free

Makes 1 - 1 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 1 mango, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1/2 semi-firm avocado, cubed
• 3 figs, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, thinly diced
• 1 Tb cilantro, chopped
• 1 Fresno chili, diced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to preference

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all the ingredients into a medium bowl except for the avocado.
2. Add avocado and gently stir in.
3. Serve with favorite chips.

“I would love to try the pizza crust for my daughter and I. We have healthy homemade pizza as a treat after sport on Friday nights. Gluten free dairy free and egg free makes it a challenge but she’s worth it!”

You just won yourself a free mix of Zema’s Focaccia/Pizza Crust. I hope you and your girl enjoy your after sport treat! Email me with your address and we will go from there.

Thank you to everyone who entered to win. Even if you didn’t, lose heart not! I have SO MANY more other opportunities for you to earn free stuff in the near future. Stay tuned…

 In the meantime we all are winners with these fun appetizer quinoa bites recipe. You might wanna make them for dinner, however. You won’t be able to get yourself to stop eating them!

 Italian Quinoa Bites Recipe

Gluten, egg, and dairy-free

Makes 12 balls

INGREDIENTS

For the bread coating:

• 1 cup Rice Chex
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme

For the Quinoa Bites:

• 1/2 c. dried quinoa, cooked with 1 c. water
• 2 Tb gluten-free flour
• 1 Tb flaxseed meal + 2 Tb water, let sit for 5-7 min
• 1 Tb sundried tomatoes (in oil), diced
• 1 Tb non-dairy cheese of choice (optional)
• 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
• 1 tsp non-dairy milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Allow oil to fully heat up.
2. Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3. Form into balls with hands and coat with bread crumb mix.
4. Place into skillet and cook on all sides until golden brown.
5. Allow to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle salt to season immediately.
6. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

I, by no means, intentionally try to promote health over here at Fork & Beans to the extent that I refuse to include fried foods or baked goods that are dipped, drenched, and dunked in (non-dairy) butter in my recipe box.. My goal simply is to make those who have food allergies feel “normal” again. If that means creating a recipe that has tons of oil, loads of sugar, and a hellalotta fat just to get a delicious flavor then dammit, I will go that extra mile for you.

Then there are recipes like this one that is chock-full of veggies and incredibly good for you. See what I’m doing here? Balance. I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for a little more balance in my life…

Spanish Cauliflower “Rice” Recipe

Gluten, egg, dairy and grain-free

Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, pulsed in a food processor until rice-like
• 1 can diced tomatoes (with green chilies), drain lightly
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet, saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add cauliflower until slightly browned.
3. Add can of tomatoes and spices. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Fold in cilantro.
5. Season with salt according to preference if needed.

This is some seriously tasty stuff.

So much so that I want to pay out of pocket for one of you to also get an opportunity to sample it for yourself. Giveaway, here we come!

***This giveaway is closed***

Simply click on Zema’s link here and check out the various ancient whole grain gluten-free baking mixes available. Leave a comment naming which one suites your fancy and one lucky winner will receive a Zema’s Gluten-free mix of their choice. Easy enough, right?

This giveaway will close Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 11:59 PST.

*This giveaway is closed*

I’m obsessed with finding creative and inventive ways to use cauliflower and I cannot be stopped.

If you are ever so brave to test this out and see for yourself that yes you can have your veggies in a bowl for breakfast, check the recipe out over here at the GoodVeg.

There are 3 things you need in life:

1. Something to do.
2. Something to love.
3. Something to look forward to.

When you are not happy, you are not doing one of those things.

 {Thank you “LA Shrinks” on Bravo for teaching me something beautiful this morning}.

Beer-Battered Baja-Style Cauliflower Tacos Recipe

Gluten, egg, and dairy-free

Makes approx 6 tacos

INGREDIENTS

• Half head of cauliflower (cut vertically into slices–do so carefully that the stems are not cut because you want to make sure the pieces stay in tact).
• corn tortillas
• reb cabbage
• beer batter* (recipe below)
• Cilantro Lime sauce* (recipe below)
• cilantro (for garnish)
• lime wedges

Beer Batter:

• 1 Tb flaxseed meal + 2 Tbs warm water, allow to sit for 5-7 minutes until thick
• 1/2 c. Cara’s gluten-free flour blend
• 1/3 c. corn starch
• 1/3 c. gluten-free beer
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1. Combine flour blend, cornstarch, chili powder and paprika–whisk until well-blended.
2. Combine flax egg, oil and beer into the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Batter should be thick but not too thick where it cannot be mixed with resistance. Think thick waffle batter.
3. Heat a medium skillet with 1/2 c. oil. Allow to heat thoroughly (very important).
4. Gently dip each piece of cauliflower into batter and place into the skillet. Fry agood 2-3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.
5. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt to season.

For Cliantro Lime Sauce:

Raw vegan

• 1/3 c. cashews (soaked for 30 minutes)
• 2 Tb lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 Tb water
• 1 Tb cilantro
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp ancho chile pepper
• dash of salt
• dash of cayenne

1. Thow cashews, lime juice and zest, garlic, and water into a high-speed blender until smooth. Add more water in order to reach desired consistency.
2. Add seasonings and blend.
3. Add cilantro in last and shortly blend until chopped but not fully blended.
4. Pour over tacos.

Here’s something to look forward to….