GINGERBREAD COOKIES

2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour, (more for flouring surface)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons water

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil, molasses, and water. Mix well, then knead with hands. Roll out onto tapioca floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters or knife into desired shapes. Cut squares and triangles for gingerbread houses. Brush cookie with a tiny amount of water, then decorate cookies with dough scraps. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup per person of white beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 large onion, diced finely
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1-2 tsp dried mint or parsley leaves
1 tsp paprika
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight in a large pot with twice the amount of water as beans. Then boil.

Or, quick boil the beans 3 times (bring the water to a boil and then strain). Be careful to always use warm water so the beans don't split. After the third boil, leave the beans in the pot and continue.

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius.

Add the small onion, red bell peppe and dried leaves to boil for 1.5 hours. Check that the water level is always above the beans and seal the top of the post with a tight lid. After 1.5 hours, the beans should be soft enough to squash gently between two spoons. If not, leave boil for 15 minute increments and check often.

Place a casserole on the top of a stove burner and turn on medium heat. Add the diced onions and the salt. Mix to taste (not too salty, not too light) and then add the oil. Slowly fry the onions in the oil for 10-15 minutes on low-medium heat until they become clear, or caramalized. Add the paprika and stir in well. Now, strain the bean mixture and add to the casserole until the bottom of the casserole is covered 1 inch thick with the bean/onion mix. Gently coat with the mixture with stock from your pot until the beans are just covered in it. Mix well. Place in over for 5 minutes.

Then, reduce heat to 150 Celsius and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Voila!

White bean delight.

P.S. You can add a fried egg on top before serving, or place it on the side for some extra protein.

BAKED PUMPKIN WITH VEGETABLE PILAF

1 5-6 pound pie pumpkin
1 tablespoon oil
1 small diced onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 small zucchini, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 ½ cup wild rice, or brown rice
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups water
8 medium broccoli florets, blanched (or frozen, thawed)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)

To cook pumpkin, preheat oven to 375. With a sharp knife, cut a 4 inch lid off the top of the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers. Cover the hole with a sheet of foil and set pumpkin lid back on top. Place in a baking pan with ½ inch water and bake approx 50 min, until inside is tender. Remove and keep warm.

To make pilaf, heat oil in a large saucepan, add onions, red bell and jalapeno peppers, zucchini, and shallots. Saute until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in rice, raisins, pepper, turmeric, and salt. Cook 1 min. Add water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, until liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in broccoli and cilantro, if desired. Spoon the pilaf into the pumpkin when finished and serve by scooping out pumpkin with the pilaf.

8 ox fresh spinach leaves, washed
1 in. piece fresh ginger root, grated
2 garlci cloves, crushed
1 fresh green chilli, roughly chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp natural (plain) yogurt
16 oz. cubed cheese

1. Cook the spinach, without water, in a tightly covered pan for 5 minutes. Put the spinach, ginger, garlic and chilli with a little water into a food processor and process to a puree.

2. Heat the oil, add the bay leaves and peppercorns and fry for 2 minutes. Add the onion and fry for 6-8 minutes more.

3. Add the copped tomatoes to the pan and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add the curry poder, salt, and chilli powder and stir well to mix. Allow to cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the spinach puree to the pan, and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the yogurt, about 1 tbsp at a time, and simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Add the cheese. Cook until warm and serve.


HINT: to save time, blend the onion and tomatoes in a food processor instead of chopping. If you're chopping, be sure to cut into very small pieces.

My favorite Gluten-Free cookbook that I recommend is called, "Healthy Gluten-Free Cooking." It is by Darina Allen and Rosemary Kearney. It has 150 awesome recipes!