Macaron Cookies

These Macaron Cookies came as a happy mistake, when I tried to make peanut butter cookies but realized I only had almond butter. They aren't as beautiful as their French counterpart, but they're simple to make and have a light almondy flavor that's reminiscent of the popular colored cookies.

Macaron Cookies





1/2 c. canola oil
1.5 c. almond butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. almond milk
1.5 c. rice flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350
Combine oil, almond butter, sugars, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until dough forms
Scoop cookies onto baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between cookies b/c they will spread
Press fork into tops of cookies
Bake 9-11 minutes

Strawberry Coconut Icecream

- 1 can of coconut cream
(If you can't find coconut cream, refrigerate two cans of coconut milk, and scrape the cream of off the top)
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1c. non dairy milk

 
Blend ingredients in high powered blender until smooth. Pour into ice cream maker, and follow manufacturer's instrcutions. 

Franchia- NYC

On our weekend trip to New York, we also tried Franchia, an Asian fusion vegan restaurant. We tried the Veggie Bibimbap and "Chicken" Curry, both in a hot stone pot, and a Gluten Free Black Forest Cake for dessert.

For us the cake was the highlight, and the curry was quite good. Ambiance was great, but overall we thought it was a little over priced for similar dishes that you could find for half the price in Chinatown.

Peacefood Cafe- NYC

A weekend trip to my sister's place in New York meant visiting some of our favorite free-from joints, as well as trying some new places. We happened upon Peacefood Cafe in Union Square and will definitely be returning next time we're in town!

As an all vegan restaurant, you can rest assured whatever you order will be free from meat or dairy, but they also had a great number of gluten-free and raw options.

Favorite Potato Salad

Summer is in full swing, and this free-from Potato Salad has been a hit. While this recipe is sans mayonnaise, it does not lack in creaminess and taste.

Small bag of potatos

1 medium red onion

4 stalks of celery

2.5 tbs Olive Oil

1tbs white vinegar

Half a bunch of flat parsley

1 tbs. of whole grain mustard

Sea salt to taste

Pepper to taste 

Cut and Boil potatoes until softened, but still firm. Let chill.

Slice onion, celery, parsley, and set aside.

Mix mustard, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in small bowl

Mix potatoes, celery, onion, and dress with liquid mixture. 
Add parsley and season to taste. 

You can serve immediately, but I prefer to let potatoes sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

My Thai Vegan Cafe

A funny little spot on the second floor in the heart of Chinatown, Boston, My Thai Vegan Cafe has a large menu filled with Thai and Chinese dishes.

Pad Sew with tofu and my favorite wide rice noodles

Panang curry...

It's not the best thai food, but the vast menu and coconut-milk boba tea, make it a great late-night bite. 

Today's Eats

Today was busy and left me little time for food preparation...actually most days are like this.

 

Breakfast was a smoothie of Kale, Spinach, Spirulina, Blueberries, Strawberries, and Almond Milk, and a piece of Gluten Free bread while running out the door.

Lunch was a simple gluten & dairy free enchilada from Trader Joe's

For supper I made a tofu scramble with spinach, zucchini, bell pepper, and GF toast.

London Eats

It's been a while since I've last posted, and a lot has happened in our lives since. The biggest being that the Queen would not renew our UK visas, and we had to leave London. It still pains me. We've settled in Boston, and are still exploring the food scene, but I'll surely post my food adventures.

In the meantime, let me share some of our favorite free-from-friendly cheap eats in London.

Vitao, which is no longer an all you can eat buffet and has therefore lost 5 points in my book, would serve up hot tasty Indian multi-ethnic dishes with a small cozy ambiance. 

Cost: $$; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !

A small cozy joint that's equally satisfying and light.

Cost: $$; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!

An international chain that is great on a budget, on a cold day, or just when you want some high calorie noodles. Opt for the rice noodle or veggies, and hold the egg to make it vegan & gluten free.

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!!

Another chain, but some of the best falafels you'll find outside of Paris (you read that right, Paris)

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!

My former place of part time employment. Extremely quick, delicious salads, hot bar, smoothies, and juices. Expert tip: Muswell Hill location has the best food, by far.

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!!

Oh how I love and miss Indian Veg Buffet. When on a strict budget, you can't beat all you can eat, pretty great quality, Indian food for only £5. Exper tip: embrace the vegetarian propaganda smattering the walls, it's quite entertaining.

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!

Falafels- Paris

Falafels are a vegans best friend. They are quick, cheap, and a lot of non-veggies like them as well.  While a falafel sandwich is best enjoyed in its original pita form, for the gluten-intolerant, you can often ask for a falafel platter. It's basically a deconstructed falafel sandwich- all the elements laid out on the plate.

I am no expert, but I have had my share of falafels, and I can confidently say that the best I have ever tasted have been in the Marais district of Paris. Falafel houses line the streets, and all have a decent sized line running out the door. Don't let the lines deter you though, it's definitely worth the wait. 

On our recent trip to Paris, we tried three different falafels places and tried to determine once and for all which was the best.

We got take out, and therefore didn't get a platter. I just picked out the insides and let my husband finish my pita.

 

King Falafel Palace: Best toppings 

26, Rue des Rosiers

 

Mi Va Mi: First falafel I had in Paris five years ago, and still fantastic. They had the best falafel balls, bright green and soft on the inside.

27, rue des Ecouffes

Chez Hanna: Really great all around flavor.
54 Rue des Rosiers

L'As Du Falafel: Often rated the best falafel place in Paris, unfortunately it was closed when we went. So I guess I'll never know if it lived up to its hype.
34, rue des Rosiers

Pancakes!

Sorry for the long hiatus. But in good news, I've decided to get this blog up and running again, so be on the lookout for more posts. We've done some traveling, and I'll be posting about how to find free from food in Paris, Italy, Wales, and of course here in London. Today though, I am sharing our favorite weekend treat- Free From Pancakes. 

With pancakes, I usually use a store bought mix. It's not the cheapest way to go, but it's definitely the most convenient. I really like the Hale & Hearty 4 Grain mix. The recipe calls for an egg and milk, but you can easily adjust the recipe to be vegan. Here's how!

For an egg replacement in pancakes, one mashed banana is a good substitute and it adds a great flavor. My favorite though is 1tbs. of ground flax mixed with 2.5 tbs of warm water. This adds a bit of protein and nice nutty flavor.

 

Thoroughly mix the flax before adding the rest of the ingredients or mix it separately, then add.


The milk replacement is just a simple one to one switch with a non-dairy milk. I like coconut milk a lot, but using soy is definitely the cheaper option- just make sure you use organic.

Note: I like my pancakes really thin, so I doubled, maybe even triple the amount of milk

Now on to the fun part, toppings. I really like Hale & Hearty's Agave maple syrup. It has a great flavor, has a lower GI, and is cheaper, than the all authentic counterpart, but I'm not going to lie- nothing beats Grade A Vermont maple syrup.

As you can see, we were running low on maple topping, so we used jam and powdered sugar.

Another UK find!

Breakfast is the least enjoyable meal for me. I don't know why it is, but I will often actually eat lunch food for breakfast. Anywho, I recently found a great freefrom yogurt here in London that is currently proving to be the cure to my anti-breakfastness.

Yogurt is great because it has probiotics, is rich in protein, and low in carbs, but unfortunately, most freefrom yogurts are full of sugar. Alpro Soya; however, makes a plain yogurt that only has 2g of sugar per serving and still has a fantastic tangy flavor.

My only gripe is that it isn't organic. I typically try to stay away from non-organic soy products as it is one of the most heavily genetically-modified crops, but I would like to think that the UK has stricter regulations on that sort of thing. Here's to hoping!

snacks- oatcakes

Since moving to the UK I have been hard pressed to find freefrom snacks that are both affordable and healthy. You can find lots of chips (french fries) and crisps (chips)- but healthy freefrom snacks are harder to come by. So imagine my excitement when I discovered Nairn's oatcakes. Imagine thin flaky Scottish oat crackers that aren't too heavy but are perfectly filling.

I like to enjoy my Nairn's with hummus & olives, or pb & honey.

 

Now, oats in and of themselves don't have gluten, but because of growing practices oats can become contaminated with wheat gluten. So if you have celiacs or a severe wheat allergy then you should opt for their gluten-free line.



 

Eating Out- Thai

Thai is another cuisine that almost always uses rice over wheat, thus making it a great option for gluten-freers. On top of that, you can usually sub tofu for meat. And if that's not an option on the menu, the curries are just as flavorful sans meat or tofu. One thing to note however, is many "vegetarian" dishes may still contain fish sauce, so either ask if it can be made without it or ask for something that isn't made with fish sauce.


My favorite dishes include:

Appetizers
Som Tam: green papaya salad
Tom Kha: coconut soup
Spring Rolls: raw veggies in rice paper and dipping sauce

Entrees
Pad Ke Mao: a wide rice noodle in a brown sauce
Pad Se Ew: similar to Pad Ke Mao, but different flavor
Green Curry
Red Curry
Panang Curry
'Fancy Eggplant'

Dessert
Mango & Sticky Rice
Thai Iced Tea sub coconut milk

Eating Out- Japanese

Japanese is a great option when dining out with non-free-fromers, frankly it's great even if it's just you. Given that the main starch is rice almost everything is gluten-free (careful though, soy-sauce contains wheat so ask if they have tamari), and you can get a variety of vegetarian rolls. Some restaurants will have a large selection of vegetarian sushi on the menu, but if they don't you can always request one from the sushi chef. My favorites are the simple cucumber & avocado roll or at more authentic places, natto sushi (natto is fermented soybean).

Aside from veggie sushi, most Japanese restaurants serve miso soup and a variety of freefrom salads.

eating out- Chipotle

Chipotle is my go-to restaurant when traveling. I'm not big on chain restaurants, but Chipotle is a great option when you aren't familiar with local eateries. One thing that makes Chipotle so nice is the menu is designed to be make-it-yourself. So you eliminate the annoying, I'll order a #2 but hold the ___, ___, ___, and sub ____. You get the picture. And as a bonus, the vegetarian options come with free guacamole, so you actually leave full.

Here's my typical order.

Vegetarian salad with black beans (pinto aren't veggie); rice; grilled vegetables; corn salsa; pico de gallo; medium salsa (hold the dressing), and guacamole.

And, as a bonus-bonus Chipotle touts being eco-conscious and farmer friendly as evidenced by this cute video found on their website.

Little Diagram

I love this diagram because it is so true! Vegans or anyone living free-from can actually enjoy a wide variety of foods and flavors. You just have to get creative.

via vegan.com