Recipe Category Archives: Gluten-Free Recipes

Mushroom Eggplant Shakshuka Recipe

Adapted from Levana Cooks using Mushroom Medley Levana Nourishments

Eggplant Shakshuka?

Yes, you heard that right! I was on a kick for all things Israeli the whole past week, so it is no wonder that all the dishes I developed recently were Israeli or Israeli-inspired.

The starting point for Shakshuka is always the classic mother Shakshuka Recipe. Although my basic recipe includes many variations on the all-tomato one, this eggplant shakshuka variation came out so fantastic I thought I would give it pride of place in a post all by itself. Every ingredient is a star in its own right: portobello, eggplant, tomatoes, cheddar or other cheese including dairy free. Even no cheese at all would still make a great dish.

You can play with this recipe!

Go ahead and get your inspiration from the basic shakshuka above, and get an exciting variation every time. It all depends on what seems inviting at shopping time.

Make Eggplant Shakshuka the utilitarian way

Don’t divide the recipe, even if you are just two people eating. Rather, pour your eggs only over the vegetable section that will get eaten, and save the rest for the next shakshuka meal. It will freeze very well, but if you intend to use it in the next couple days, simple store it in the refrigerator.

Bingo: Get two meals with the labor of one!

The second time around, pour the vegetable mixture in a smaller skillet, and crack your eggs right on top, cooking the mixture just long enough to get the eggs cooked but still nice and runny.

Remember, you always want runny gooey eggs!

Getting the eggs harder will result in an uninspired and uninspiring dish. When it comes to eggplant shakshuka, and any shakshuka for that matter, gooey is the operative word! It always means the eggs go in at the end of cooking.

Don’t obsess about the perfect Saute!

Remember you will covering the skillet with a lid, so the vegetable mixture will soften and come together nicely.

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Hot Cereal Recipe. All Variations

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Mixed Berry Levana Nourishments

hot cereal

Hot cereal is for all of us to enjoy!

My idea of breakfast for Champions! Recently my very pregnant daughter Bella mentioned that her ob-gyn recommended she include more fiber and more vegetable protein in her diet. Always tinkering with the whole gamut of grains, I welcomed the opportunity to experiment, this time setting as my goal, making a hot cereal breakfast that would be at once quick, delicious and nutritious.

I started right in my own kitchen, where I found everything I need, and then some. If my daughter’s enthusiasm and that of everyone who tasted and reported feeling full of positive energy, then I conclude I am onto something great!  Needless to add, this included the children as well. I just love the idea of adding a great number of nutrients, fiber and protein, in minutes and for pennies, without the “help” of those dreaded protein bars loaded with soy and whey protein isolates. You will find as I did that this treat would be suitable as part of lunch or dinner on days where you don’t feel like cooking.

Always the perfect place to start, I opened the doors to my pantry and checked out its contents. Dozens and dozens of glass jars, full of every grain imaginable, and neatly labeled (more about this at the bottom of this post). I was on my way!

My hot cereal combination is just my own personal taste.

You can certainly adjust it to your own preferences. You don’t need to mix so many grains, even one or two is enough. I only mixed them to be sure I get the most benefit from them, not only nutritionally, but for flavor. This amount will last you months, so you will spend those few minutes mixing only once in about six months.

Even though I am not a future mom (I am a perennial mom!), and even though I am not running in any marathon, I immensely enjoy the delicious taste, and the welcome energizing feeling it gives me with: Let me know how yours comes out, and how you feel on a day you eat it: I am getting ready to mix another batch soon!

 

A word on storing grains:

I found out at my own expense, from a long-ago Hitchkock-style invasion of moths which came from an old carton drum box of rolled oats and left me and everyone in my house terrified for days, that moths wholeheartedly share our love for grains, sugar, nuts, raisins and so on, as they easily eat away at the porous paper, plastic or cardboard containers.  Hence my obsessive-compulsive habit of storing everything in glass jars! I hope I pass it on to you: good-bye moths, good-bye rancidity!

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Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia Fillets

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Garden Vegetable Levana Nourishments

cornmeal-crusted tilapia

Tilapia might suffer from mild neglect in the States.

It is so underrated! I suspect one of the reasons is because tilapia raised in China gets a reputation for being farmed quite recklessly, and in less than sanitary conditions. But we can still enjoy tilapia from all other sources.

Tilapia is economical, versatile and flavorful: there’s nothing I don’t do with it!

This is one of the few recipes I fry, and it is a real treat. For a crust, I find cornmeal gives matzah meal a good shove. The crust you obtain using it is much more flaky and tender (I’ll bet our gluten-free friends are happy to hear this!)

Tilapia has two halves, marked right down its center:

A thinner half, and a thicker half. This is why I prefer to halve the fillets, so each half cooks no longer than its thickness requires. Likewise, look for larger fillets, 7 to 9 ounces each, they are moist and meaty.

Try this delicious Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia recipe

There’s plenty of room to play with this Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia recipe: any other kind of milk can be substituted for the coconut milk, including buttermilk for a dairy treat; other herbs and spices (oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, etc); other nice thick white flesh fish fillet can be substituted for tilapia (cod, scrod, bass etc)

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Natural Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments

chocolate frosting

Chocolate Frosting: Who doesn’t love it?

I have very recently perfected my Natural Chocolate frosting when I developed My Almond Apricot Chocolate Chip Torte, showcasing Chana Shusterman’s new and delicious brand California Gourmet Vegan Chocolate Chips. In addition to being suitable for Passover, it gets us health-minded bakers right up to the Holy Grail: An all-natural chocolate frosting, easy, dairy-free, gluten-free, low maintenance and above all fantastic.

I know you will think I lost it when I share my chocolate frosting secret, something I have been experimenting with for quite some time:

My Chocolate Frosting secret: Potato Flakes.

All-Natural 100% pure potato flakes. Ingredients: Dehydrated Potatoes. Period. Making dessert with potato flakes, hello? I know what you’re thinking: I’m a crazy old hippie. But here’s the thing: It’s funky, but IT WORKS!

I remembered the wonderful tricks we used during the photo shoots for my cookbooks.

My son in law, talented photographer Meir Pliskin, and Hannah Kaminsky, no less talented food stylist and Vegan  Cookbook Author.  Potato flakes were our best friend: All we needed to do with a recalcitrant food composition was mix equal parts potato flakes and boiling water, and mix thoroughly with a fork until the mixture got smooth, fluffy and creamy.  Pretty soon the mixture would get totally stiff, would mix with anything we  wanted to fold in (spinach for green,  tomato  paste for red and so on), and obediently hold its shape, and look perfect at photo shoot  time. I could pretend it was a fish or a vegetable or a meat terrine.

Recently I decided to see if my potato flake photo racket would work in scenarios where the mixture would in fact get eaten. I observed it was totally bland and therefore totally unobtrusive, more to the point, it had a totally undetectable flavor, and absorbed any flavor it was paired with, even while it held its shape beautifully. In short, my potato flake mixture became my blank canvass, waiting to be painted on. I tried a dozen combinations with ingredient amounts, and my last try was a triumph: a delicious and glossy chocolate frosting that contains nothing but the best, and won’t drive you crazy at decorating time or at serving time.

This chocolate frosting is just the beginning

I will take my discovery places and try using potato flakes with many other exciting combos (frostings, fillings, with chocolate, fruit, nuts etc…). I am delighted with my results, and so is everyone big and small I gave a taste to (my granddaughter licked her chops).

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Oat Coconut Chocolate Tart Recipe

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments

oat coconut chocolate tart

My newborn Oat Coconut Chocolate Tart is a rustic new-age version of its nutty once-removed cousin, the beloved Linzertorte. My Chocolate Tart has no nuts, but its texture is very reminiscent of Linzertorte, a great boon for those nut-intolerant people who want their Linzertorte and eat it too.

Having said that, if a nutty chocolate tart is what you prefer, no problem substituting almond flour for the old fashioned oats (just to be clear: In this case you would use 1 2/3 cups almond flour, and 1 2/3 cups oat flour) and proceed with the recipe just as instructed.

It is also worth noting that my Chocolate Tart is made with rolled oats and oat flour, making it naturally gluten-free, no substitutions needed. Plus I’m an Oat Nut: Take a look at my Chocolate Pots de Creme!

I have matched some of my great flavor favorites in this delicious  Oat Coconut Chocolate Tart: coconut, apricot jam, chocolate and oats. It tastes as wonderful as it looks.

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