Tag: gluten-free

Stovetop “Baked” Beans with Peaches

Leave a comment

The addition of sweet, local peaches in these homestyle baked beans makes for a comforting dish that everyone will love. Add a few shakes of cayenne pepper for an unbeatable mix of spicy sweetness.

beans2

Stovetop 'Baked' Beans with Peaches

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups cooked navy beans (see Note)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (156mL) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, preferably amber
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari
5 fresh medium peaches, stoned and cut into small chunks
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh parsley, for garnish
2 to 4 green onions, chopped, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the navy beans. Add the water, tomato paste, maple syrup, mustard and tamari to the bean mixture, stirring until well combined. Mix in peaches and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.

Check the seasonings, adding salt to taste. You don’t want to add the salt too early—the beans will toughen. Continue to simmer for an additional 25 to 45 minutes, until reduced and flavours have come together.

Note: Cooking the beans from scratch—as opposed to using canned—will give you the best flavor. If you are using canned beans, lower the cooking time by at least 20 minutes, as the beans will become mushy. You may also need to add less tamari and salt if the beans are already salted.

Three Seed Crackers

6 Comments

Once you have all of the ingredients on hand, you can prep and bake these crackers in under 15 minutes, which is great timing to coincide with heating up some soup to dunk them into. These crackers are ridiculously easy, loaded with nutrition, and make a huge batch: the perfect soup companion. Mix and match the flours and add-ins to your taste–they are pretty foolproof.

crackers

Three Seed Crackers

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 to 3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 450F. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper the size of your baking pan. If you want very thin crackers, use two baking sheets.

Put the sorghum flour, teff flour, baking powder, seeds and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well. Add the olive oil and about 1/4 cup water. Stir to mix, adding additional water for it to become cohesive.

Place the dough directly on the parchment paper. Roll thinly—the thinner the dough, the thinner the crackers will be. If necessary, divide on two parchment sheets for thin crisp-style crackers. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into squares; you don’t have to pull them apart, just cut through to the pan.

Transfer sheets to oven and bake for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are firm enough to move (very thin crackers will take only a few minutes). They will slightly shrink, making it easy to flip the crackers using a metal spatula. Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Let cool on the pan before serving or storing. They will become more firm as they cool.

Tomato and Basil Tart with Sunflower Seed Cheese

1 Comment

An easy to put together tart highlighting juicy tomatoes and fresh basil. Feel free to add herbs, garlic, fresh ground pepper, and other ingredients to the basic “cheese” recipe to suit your favourite flavors. The sunflower seed cheese process needs to be started a day ahead with some soaking.

raw tomato sunflower tart

Raw Tomato and Basil Tart with Sunflower Seed Cheese

Almond Crust:
1 1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons water

Sunflower Seed Cheese:
1 cup hulled sunflower seeds, soaked 8 hours
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
6 large basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Topping:
Mixture of colourful tomatoes, sliced 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick
Small handful fresh basil, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the crust, put the almonds, flaxseed, basil, and salt in a food processor. Process until the almonds are finely ground. Drizzle in the coconut oil. Pulse about 6 times to mix. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until the mixture begins to stick together. Scrape the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Transfer to the refrigerator.

To make the sunflower seed cheese, drain the sunflower seeds and put them in the food processor with the remaining ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary (add a few splashed of water, if needed). Test for seasonings, adding additional salt, pepper, or lemon zest if desired. Spread the mixture onto the crust. Top with the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

raw tomato sunflower tart2