We love leftovers. Seriously. When you're cooking family-sized meals for two people, you always have leftovers. Tanya makes sure of it—I always have the most delicious lunches and, when she works late, I have incredible re-heated dinners. 

Dumplings, aka pre-potstickers

My dad has a great job; his career has taken him to many exotic corners of the world. I'm jealous! He spent last week in Hong Kong, eating good food like congee and dumplings. I miss dim sum—dumplings are always my favorite, but we couldn't find any gluten-free wonton wrappers that I could eat (they all seem to have egg in them) so we decided to make our own. 

Have you ever eaten dim sum? It's great. The term is Cantonese, roughly translating to "order to your heart's content," and refers to a tapas-like style of eating. Dim sum restaurants go like this: you sit at a table and servers bring over a cart filled with little plates—some carts are all dumplings, some are noodles, some are salted fishes, some are exotic foods that you've possibly never seen before. You order a plate or two to share with the table. A few minutes later, another cart comes around; then another, and another, until you're so full you can't eat another bite. It's like a buffet that comes to you, and it lets you sample a lot of foods that you've never tried before. Of course, I remember dim sum from my pre-allergy days—I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with gluten or soy problems, but Asian foods is great for those with dairy and egg allergies! Double check, though, of course.




This was one of our more time consuming culinary adventures, but the results are well worth it. Plus, we got to use two kitchen gadgets that we rarely touch—our Kitchenaid pasta roller and our bamboo steamer!



Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10–15 minutes
yields 20–25 dumplings




Ingredients:

Wonton Wrappers—

1 1/2 cup rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
(We mixed our own flour; however, rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch may be substituted for 2 cups all-purpose baking flour)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
4 egg, substituted (we used Ener-g brand egg replacer)
4–8 tbsp. warm water

Filling—

1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. red chili paste (or red curry paste)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coconut aminos (we used Coconut Secret, or you can use gluten-free soy sauce)

Sweet And Sour Sauce—

1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. tomato-free ketchup (we used Nomato brand)
1 tsp. coconut aminos (or gluten-free soy sauce)
2 tsp. arrowroot powder mixed with 4 tsp. water

1. Make Your Wonton Dough
Combine flour and xanthan gum in a medium-sized bowl. Beat in egg substitute and 4 tbsp. of warm water until it comes together. Wet your hands and squish the dough—it should stick together when you press it, but it should still be stiff. Add more warm water, a splash at a time, and continue squishing the dough until it comes together well. Separate into four balls to prepare for the pasta roller.

2. Make Your Wonton Wrappers
Sprinkle some flour onto the counter, flour your rolling pin, and flatten one of the dough balls into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Run the dough through your pasta roller on the largest setting to create a rectangular sheet. Use a circular cookie cutter (or whatever you can find—we used the lid of a large mason jar) to cut circles about 3 inches in diameter. (Note: If you don't have a pasta roller, don't worry! Just manually roll out the dough until it's about 1/8 inch thick) Keep your wrappers in a damp paper towel while you're working with them to keep them pliable.

3. Fill Your Dumplings
Mix your ground pork (it's uncooked, but that's okay; it will cook thoroughly in the steamer!), onion, cilantro, red chili paste and spices. Hold the wrapper in one hand and drop a tablespoon of filling into the center. Bring the edges together, wet them with your finger to help them stick, and press them together.

4. Steam Your Dumplings
Set up your steamer—we use rice paper liners, but you can also use cabbage leaves or oil. Place your steamer in a wok over 1 inch of boiling water and fill it with dumplings. Steam for 10–15 minutes, or until the dough becomes glossy.

5. Make Your Sweet And Sour
In a small pot, bring your vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup and coconut aminos (or soy sauce) to a boil. Mix the arrowroot and water to make a slurry. Add it to the pot, turn off the heat and continue to stir until it begins to thicken.

You have to trust us on this one; it's a little bit of work, but the results are well worth it. Definitely make enough that you'll have left overs! On Wednesday we'll show you how to repurpose them—stay tuned!




Enjoy!

See you soon,
Becky + Tanya

Fish used to freak us out. We didn't know if we liked it, we didn't know how to cook it, we didn't want it to stink up the house. We didn't eat much of it until two years ago, when we vacationed in Barcelona and tried it fresh-caught from the Mediterranean. That won us over; although we definitely prefer it when the texture is light and the taste isn't too, for lack of a better word, "fishy." 

Fish has a bad reputation—and sure, some of it's more difficult to handle than others—but tilapia is one of the easiest things to whip up. This particular recipe is incredible; the spices caramelize on the outside while the fish turns to butter in your mouth. And remember that leftover blackening spice rub we made for the cajun chicken alfredo, here? Guess what—you'll use it for this recipe.



Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tilapia filets (fresh or frozen and thawed)


Blackening Spice Rub—
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. granulated onion
1 tsp. chipotle pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. chili powder
this will make more than you need; save the rest in an airtight container and use for cajun chicken alfredo!

1. Dredge Your Tilapia
Mix your flour and spice rub. Dredge your tilapia on both sides—spread the flour mixture on a flat surface and pat it into both sides.

2. Cook Your Tilapia
Put one tablespoon of butter substitute in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, drop in your fish. Cook for 3–5 minutes, add another tablespoon of butter to the pan, and flip. Cook 3–5 minutes on the other side. Temp your fish, or watch for it to begin flaking apart.



That's it! So incredibly easy, right? We served it with sweet potatoes and asparagus for a colorful, healthy, delicious meal.

Enjoy!

See you soon,
Becky + Tanya

I. Love. Baked. Goods. People think, oh, gluten free and dairy free, you must eat a lot of veggies, right? The answer is no—I mean yes, sure, we eat a lot of veggies—but no, you'd better believe we eat cupcakes and brownies and muffins. And more than that, we sincerely believe it's possible to make gluten-free, vegan baked goods that taste better than their conventional counterparts. If you don't believe us now, it's our mission to convince you!



Allow us to introduce you to the most incredible muffins in the world. They're so perfectly moist, with a nice little caramelized crust on top. I eat them for breakfast but they literally taste like cupcakes.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 20-25 minutes at 350˚F
yields 2 dozen




Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
2/3 cups potato starch
1/3 cups tapioca starch
(We mixed our own flour; however, rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch may be substituted for 3 cups all-purpose baking flour)
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, substituted (we used Ener-g brand)
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 cups grated zucchini (or more... more never hurts!)
1 cup currants

preheat your oven to 350˚

1. Rehydrate Your Currants
Fully immerse your currants in a bowl of hot water. This will give them a wonderfully soft texture and will prevent them from sucking moisture out of the batter while baking.

2. Mix Your Wet Ingredients
In an electric mixer, whip together your egg substitute, sugar, and vanilla. Pour in your oil and mix well.

3. Sift Your Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, sift together your rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into your wet mixture.

4. Fold In Your Zucchini and Currants
Strain your currants. With a spatula, fold in your zucchini and currants until they're evenly distributed throughout the batter.

5. Scoop And Bake!
Line your muffin tins with liners. Scoop your batter (we use an ice cream scoop, filled about 2/3 full, and it works like a charm!) and fill your cups. Stick them into your 350˚ oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.


I'm serious about the whole cupcake thing—you could totally top these with a buttercream and call them dessert. But hey, they're muffins, so you can eat them for breakfast without guilt. . . right?

Enjoy!

See you soon,
Becky + Tanya

Exciting news: we found a new cheese. Okay, maybe that's not that exciting—certainly not as exciting as, say, we got a puppy or I got a job offer (both of which I would very much like)—but hey, the dairy-free, yeast-free cheese world is a pretty small one. Every time we find a new, fabulous product we jump up and down. 

So, what's this new cheese? It's called Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella from the brand Follow Your Heart. It melts, it stretches, it has a decent raw texture (not watery or not gritty), it tastes really good, and it looks like this:


The only drawback is that it's tofu-based, which means it has soy. While soy's a lighter sensitivity for me, I try to avoid it because it's estrogenic and not the best thing for my body. This cheese is worth it, though—if soy isn't a deal-breaker for you, you should definitely check it out.

(By the way, we talk about products sometimes, right? We're firm believers in giving you our straight-up opinions about alternatives that work. . . and alternatives that don't. Now, it's no secret that some blogs get paid to give product promotions, but we don't. Quite frankly, food and beverage companies don't quite know we exist. So when we get super excited about new products, we're just that—super excited!)

Anyway. This dinner is one of my all-time favorites. I've been saying that a lot lately but really, truly, honestly, this dinner is "the one." It's the dinner of all dinners. If I were on death row, I'd ask for this dinner. (Actually, who am I kidding. . . If I were on death row getting my last meal, I'd eat every fatty, delicious, allergy-inducing, gluten and dairy deliciousness known to man. Why are we talking about this?) For real though, this chicken is that good. It's back-of-the-throat spice meets herb-infused creaminess over pasta. Heaven. 


Prep + Cook Time: about 1 hour
serves 6

Ingredients:

Blackening Spice Rub—
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. granulated onion
1 tsp. chipotle pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
1 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream substitute (1 cup butter, 2 1/4 cups milk, 3 tbsp. flour; see procedure below)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 lb. gluten-free fettuccine (we used Tinkyada)
1 cup grated dairy-free cheese (we used our favorite new cheese: mozzarella from Follow Your Heart)
1/2 cup sliced green onions

How to make a heavy cream substitute:
Melt your butter. Heat your milk to room temperature and whisk your butter into your milk. Whisk in 3 tbsp. gluten-free flour to thicken.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

1. Prepare Your Chicken
Mix the blackening spice rub ingredients. Dredge both sides of your chicken: pour the mixed spices on a flat surface, like a cutting board or a plate, and lay each piece in the mixture. Flip, gently patting down the spices.

2. Cook Your Chicken
Place a large skillet over high heat and add a tablespoon of canola oil. Sear both sides of the chicken, about two minutes on each side. Put them on a baking sheet and slide them into the oven for 10–15 minutes to finish cooking. Once it's finished, take it out and slice it into strips on a bias. Cut the strips in half to make smaller pieces.

3. Start Your Sauce
Add the olive oil and minced garlic to a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly brown the garlic, 2–3 minutes. Stir in your wine and pour in your heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, whisk frequently, and cook until the sauce reduces to about half. Add chicken, mushrooms, and cheese and allow to simmer while it comes together.

4. Start Your Pasta
Cook pasta according to the package instructions. You'll need about a pound of pasta—most likely the whole box or bag.

5. Combine!
Once your pasta is done and your sauce has thickened to your liking (we used about a tablespoon of potato starch to make ours a little thicker), mix them together. Sprinkle your green onions over the top and serve!



If you aren't obligated to share this with too many people, you'll have the greatest leftovers ever! Enjoy!

See you soon,
Becky + Tanya

I hate to talk about the weather, but it's been unseasonably weird. This is the first winter I've spent in Cincinnati for several years—last winter I was in Wisconsin (amongst several feet of snow) and the year before that, Berlin (which was an ice skating rink for a solid month). Those were winters; they were cold and long and dark and, when Spring finally rolled around, you knew you deserved it. This Cincinnati winter has been fickle—it was warm late into December, then snowy for a moment, and now it's quite warm again. I might be the only person in this city complaining, but I can't help it! I like seasons to be the way they "should" be. And I'm sort of concerned that the planet is dying, you know?

So it's been a warm-but-rainy weekend. We spent it inside, eating banana muffins. I don't know about you, but I go for months without eating muffins; then Tanya makes some and I remember how good they are and I just can't stop. And these are good for you because they contain bananas! Potassium, right? We save up bananas just for this—whenever we have one that gets a little too ripe, we stick it in the freezer; then, when we want to use it, we thaw it and squeeze it out of its peel. So easy!



Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25–30 minutes
yields 2 dozen 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
note: you can substitute the above for 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (we used King Arthur's)
omit the xanthan gum also if your flour blend contains it
1 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
6 over-ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 egg substitutes (we used Ener-g)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

1. Sift Your Dry Ingredients
Sift together your flour, starches, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

2. Mix Your Wet Ingredients
In an electric mixer, combine the bananas, canola oil, maple syrup and egg substitutes. Use the whisk attachment to make the banana very smooth.

3. Combine Dry Into Wet
Switch to the paddle attachment, and slowly pour your dry mixture into the wet. Add your chocolate chips.

4. Fill Your Muffin Tins
Line two dozen muffin tins with paper and scoop in your batter mixture. We use an ice cream scoop, filled 2/3 full, and it works perfectly! Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the tops are nice and golden.

We eat them warm with some jelly or a pat of butter... mmmmmm. Enjoy!

See you soon, 
Becky + Tanya

So, we eat really well—I mean really well—but, every once in a while, a meal comes along that blows all of the rest away. This pork is one of those meals; perfectly seasoned with a hint of spice, it'll be one of the most delicious meals you'll make all winter. I mean it. And the best part? It requires very little time in the kitchen! Prep it, set it, walk away, and come back to savory, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. This one's must-try. 



Prep Time: 5 minutes, done the night before so the flavors have time to marinate
Cook Time: 8-10 hours on low

Ingredients:

2 1/4 lbs. pork butt
1/2 cup stock (we used chicken stock)

2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp oregano
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. chipotle powder
dash of cinnamon

1. Make Your Spice Rub
Combine brown sugar and all spices.

2. Season Your Pork
Place pork in large ziplock back. Pour in spice rub, seal bag securely, and shake until pork is coated. Release any air from the bag, seal, and stick in the fridge overnight.

3. Set Up Crock-Pot
In the morning, pour stock into crock-pot and place in your meat, fat side up. 8-10 hours later, come home to the most aromatic, mouth-waterly delicious smell your nose has ever encountered. Remove the fat and use two forks to shred the rest—it will fall right apart.



We served ours with sweet potatoes and sautéed kale for a nice balance of super greens, fibrous starch, and protein. If you want to add BBQ sauce, go for it—but trust me, with this amount of flavor, it's far from necessary.



Enjoy!

See you soon,
Becky + Tanya

Happy Sunday, friends!

It's been a very big weekend for two reasons. First, yesterday was my mother's birthday! My mom is really awesome—a lot of the blessings I have in my life link directly to her. She sparked creativity and a thirst for knowledge in all three of her kids, helping us see the importance of education and hard work. She's often a voice of practicality and reason, and continues to support me—enough, but not too much!—as I go through all of these new, crazy, adult stages of life. Someday I'll be a mom too, and I'm thankful to have such a positive role model to base my own parenting on. So happy birthday, Mom!

This weekend has also been a big deal because I go back to school tomorrow. YUCK. I stand up in front of a jury of my peers to present the thesis work I've been doing for the past seven months—and I cross my fingers that I'm on a good track, that they understand my concept and they feel confident about my execution. Then I take a really deep breath and dive straight into a hectic, sleepless, crazy, marker-throwing semester that won't end until April graduation. Wish me luck!

Although the next four months will be crazy, I have an incredible in-home chef making sure I'm properly fed. Lately we've been making larger dinners that last us for days, which is perfect because I always have a delicious lunch the next day!

My mom's family is Italian—I love the food incredibly much but, with allergies to gluten, dairy and tomatoes, I'm often left wanting. So, when Tanya suggested we make a gluten-free, tomato-free, vegan lasagna, I said HECK YES.



Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour at 350˚
yields 6-8 servings

Ingredients:


Sauce—
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tbsp vegan butter (we love Earth Balance's soy-free option)
4 tbsp all-purpose flour (we used King Arthur's multi-purpose flour)
4 cups milk (we used unsweetened coconut milk)
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil

Lasagna—
1 box gluten-free noodles, precooked if necessary (we used DeBoles Rice Lasagna noodles, which don't require precooking)
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash
6 cremini mushrooms, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 handfuls spinach
2 handfuls arugula
1/2 head of cauliflower, shredded (for a ricotta-like texture)
about 5 oz. cheese (we used Teese Mozzarella for this too)

The cauliflower totally looks like cheese, right?!

preheat your oven to 350˚

1. Make Your Sauce
Sauté garlic in butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, long enough for it to become fragrant (about 2 minutes). Whisk in flour and stir until smooth. Let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Add milk, one cup at a time, whisking continuously until creamy. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Add your onions. Stir in cheese gradually until it reaches a desired consistency. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and stir in seasonings—salt, oregano, thyme, basil—to taste.

2. Layer Your Lasagna
Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Lay down one layer of noodles (precooked, if necessary) and top with another thin layer of sauce. Top with one layer of zucchini and yellow squash, a sprinkling of mushrooms and peppers, a handful of spinach and arugula, cauliflower, and cheese. Drizzle with another layer of sauce, lay down another bed of noodles, and repeat! Once you lay down your last noodle layer, top the dish with sauce, cauliflower and cheese.



3. Bake!
Spray a layer of parchment paper with canola oil and place it, oil side down, on the lasagna to prevent the tin foil from sticking. Then, cover with tin foil and stick in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the tin foil and parchment paper and bake for another 15 minutes so that the top turns golden. Wait a few minutes to eat—it's going to be hot!

We served ours with some gluten-free flatbread (recipe: here) topped with garlic butter. YUM.



In the words of my grandmother, mangia! 

See you soon,
Becky + Tanya

HOLY CRAP WE MISSED YOU.

Did you have a fabulous holiday? Did you eat some good Thanksgiving turkey and bake cookies and give gifts and have family time? We did. Our holidays went like this: bourbon, turkey, family, cookies, family, vegan egg nog, family, presents, red wine, family. It was a marvelous month of fun and good eats and snow.

Here's our little virtual Christmas card to you:



So anyway, we took some time off—thanks for understanding. But hey, it's the new year and we're back! 2012 was good, but 2013 is about to be epic. Between now and April I will somehow finish my thesis and graduate (finally... you guys, I've been in college since 2006!). You'll have to bear with me until then—life might get craaaazy—but afterwards we're going to be blogging fiends! We have so many fun recipes to share with you, so make sure to stop by every Sunday and Wednesday to share in our allergy-friendly culinary adventures. 



See you soon,
Becky + Tanya