Few recipes at a very freezing day.

It's so freezing today, a very cold day and perfect for staying at home and to some cooking and some christmas decoration inclusive some cookies already done.

 

Eggplant and Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous Wraps

 

 

Ingredients for about 20 wraps:

• 3 cups cooked brown rice couscous
• 1 quart gluten-free vegetable broth, I use Trader Joe’s low sodium vegetable broth
• 25-30 basil leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. gf nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, I use Trader Joe’s brand for this because it is labeled GF
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 globe eggplants
• 1 cup pesto
• 1 bottle of gf marinara sauce

Directions:

Eggplant Wraps

Sun-dried Tomato Couscous Salad

Prepare the brown rice couscous according to the directions on the package replacing the vegetable broth for the water. I normally make the entire box at once and then reserve some of the couscous for a different recipe or for lunch the next day. Once the couscous is cooked place 3 cups of it into a large bowl and add the chopped basil, nutritional yeast, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. If using in the eggplant rolls allow the couscous to cool before continuing any further.

 

Assemble

Preheat oven to 350°F. On a flat work surface layout one eggplant “skin” and spread a small amount of pesto from one edge to the other creating a thin layer of pesto across the entire surface. Take a large soup spoon and scoop up some of the couscous salad, use the palm of your hand to squeeze the couscous tightly into a small oval shape. Lay the couscous ball onto the eggplant skin about an inch from the bottom. Wrap the extra inch of eggplant up over the couscous and begin to roll towards the opposite end using your fingers to gently push any of the couscous that falls out back into the roll. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat these steps with the remaining skins and couscous until all the rolls have been made.

Once all of the rolls have been made place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes to warm through. Serve with heated marinara sauce on the side to ladle over the top.

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Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Gnocchi with Vegetable Tomato Stir Fry

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 flax egg (1 tbs flax meal w/ 2 tbs warm water, mixed and left to combine for about 5-10 minutes)

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (I used Pink Himalayan Sea Salt)

• 1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour (This doesn’t have to be gluten-free – Feel free to use all-purpose or whole wheat)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 onion, chopped

• 1 can whole tomatoes/2-3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• large handful of baby spinach
• 4-5 black olives, sliced

• red bell pepper, chopped

• mushrooms, sliced (I accidentally ate all the mushrooms last night, so I replaced them with pineapple :p)
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1/4-1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil / virgin coconut oil (for sautéing)
• Optional toppings: Vegan Parmesan topping (Can be found already prepared in the refrigerated section of vegan/vegetarian products in grocery stores or you can make your own by blending nutritional yeast, almonds/pine nuts/walnuts in a blender until it is the consistency of crumbled parmesan), Daiya shredded vegan cheese, Salt & Pepper, Nutritional Yeast.

Directions

 Making the Pumpkin Gnocchi:

1. Prepare the flax egg and set aside. (See my flax egg directions above) In a large bowl, add in the pureed pumpkin, the flax egg mixture, the 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Slowly add in the flour, stirring as you are adding it into the bowl. Once it is all added, keep mixing it until everything is fully combined. It may also help to use your hands to mix everything together. Your dough should be able to hold together but it will still feel a bit sticky and not completely dry.
2. At this point you may want to start boiling a pot of water while you prepare the gnocchi. Get out a large cutting board or prepare a clean flat surface and sprinkle a bit of flour down and also add a bit of flour to your hands. Take about 1/4 or 1/5th of the dough and start to roll it out into a rope. Try to make it as even as possible and about 1 1/2″ wide and 1/2″ high. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the dough into small bite-sized pieces. Put to the side and repeat with the rest of the dough.
3. Once the water has come to a boil, place the gnocchi into the pot and wait until they rise to the surface. It took about 2-3 minutes for mine to float to the surface. At this point, use a straining ladle to remove them and place them on a plate. I cooked my gnocchi in about 3 batches, but once the water has boiled, it really takes no time at all to cook them all.

At this point, you can either follow my recipe for the sauce or use your favourite sauce recipe. If you’d like to follow mine, keep reading

 Get out a non-stick skillet and add a small amount of oil. Heat it up to med-low heat. Add in the minced garlic and chopped onion and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add in the cayenne, italian seasoning, 1 can whole tomatoes (not the juice) or freshly chopped tomatoes, spinach, olives, chopped bell pepper and mushrooms. You can add in a few tbs of the tomato juice if using canned tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes. Stir and cook for a few minutes. During the last couple of minutes of cooking, add in the pumpkin gnocchi and stir until it is coated with the tomato mixture. Remove from heat and serve as a side or a main dish.

 I sprinkled vegan parmesan and daiya shredded vegan cheese on top when I served this, as well as adding a bit of pepper on top.

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Spicy Gingersnaps

 

Makes 48 cookies

These gingersnaps get an extra spicy kick from black pepper. (If you prefer a milder flavor, omit the pepper and reduce the ground ginger to 2 teaspoons.) The gingersnaps depend on tub-style shortening–not butter, margarine, or shortening sticks–for their crisp, firm texture and crackled tops.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¾ cup tub-style shortening
• ⅔ cup plus ½ cup sugar, divided
• ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbs. plain rice milk or soymilk
• ¼ cup molasses

1. Whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream shortening, 2/3 cup sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Add rice milk, and beat until smooth. Beat in molasses. Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until soft dough forms.
3. Divide dough in half. Transfer each dough half to large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper. Use plastic wrap to shape dough into 2 2-inch-diameter logs. Wrap tightly, and chill 2 hours, or overnight.
4. To bake cookies: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in shallow bowl. Slice dough logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices, rolling logs 90 degrees between slices to keep edges round. Dip one side of each slice in sugar, and place sugar-side up on greased or parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies are crackled and dry on top. Cool 2 to 3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

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