Last night, I made a delicious variation of Corn Grits with Kale, and Goat Cheddar, a versatile recipe from my latest cookbook, Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook. This time I cooked up different vegetables of this glorious autumn season: broccoli, leeks, kale and green bell pepper and left out the melted cheese. Served with a fresh dallop of Vegan Pesto, also a recipe from Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook and a dallop of a Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip, recipe from Going Wild in the Kitchen,.
Just loved it so much, swapped veggies, and this time used cauliflower, broccoli, red onions, thick garlic slices, gogi berries and topped it off with chevre and olives. My friend and I goggled them all up.
Corn Grits with Cauliflower, Gogi Berries, Chevre and Olives
Tomato Lentil Stew with Kale from Leslie Cerier's cookbook, Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook
Serves 4 to 6
This gorgeous and delicious dish is dedicated to my dear friends Mark and Alisa, who love good food—and who don’t eat garlic and onions. Serve it with Amaranth and Corn Flatbread, Corn Fritters, or Corn Muffins. Or, for a heartier meal, serve it alongside Sunny Mountain Rice, Millet and Sweet Carrots, or any of the simple grain dishes in this chapter, or with your favorite pasta with pesto.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
4 1/2 cups water
3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
4 cups tightly packed chopped kale
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the lentils and cook and stir for 2 minutes to blend the flavors. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
Add the tomatoes and kale. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the kale is tender to your liking. Stir in the basil and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired.
Now is the perfect time of year for making delicious homemade soups and stews to keep you warm when its cold outside. Chef, Author and Cooking Teacher, Leslie Cerier is here to show us a quick and easy Warming Winter Tomato Lentil Stew with Kale from Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook.
Tomato Lentil Stew with Kale from Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook
Cook like an artist. Think about color, texture and shape. Heighten your creativity while engaging your senses.
Corn Grits with Sauteed Onion, Kale and Cheddar from Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook by Leslie Cerier, and Photograph by Leslie Cerier
Here is the interview I did with Eileen Williams December 3rd, 2010: WE discuss how to cook like an artist, what to make for great holiday brunches, holiday meals, what is gluten; what grains have gluten and which grains are gluten-free; which gluten-free whole grains are complete proteins, gluten-free gourmet vegan recipes and vegetarian recipes for the holidays, quick and easy vegan recipes and vegetarian holiday recipes, and more. Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook, Leslie Cerier’s new cookbook has it all:
“Celebrated cookbook authors Leslie Cerier and Robin Asbell suggest great ways to cook with cornmeal—in all its guises.
Leslie Cerier, author of Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook, believes that everything goes with either yellow or white cornmeal and cooks and bakes with both interchangeably. That said, Cerier does confess to relying on visual appeal to help her choose one over the other. For instance, if she has kale and leeks or onions on hand, she’ll make cornmeal fritters with yellow cornmeal because of the ingredients’ contrasting colors. “It’s about novelty, versatility, and being playful,” she says.
Cerier recommends making corn fritters with white cornmeal, carrots, and butternut squash, and savory pancakes with white cornmeal and quinoa or brown teff flour because of the way the colors play off the white meal. She also especially enjoys sweet pancakes and waffles made with corn flour.”
“Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook is a buoyant book, one that celebrates the vast offerings of the earth in their seasonal best rather than mourn the loss of gluten-filled grains. Embracing the gluten-free, Cerier leaps joyfully into discovery, leaving gluten-filled grains in the dust without a backward glance. Should you be dealing with gluten-free for health reasons, you will feel worries melt away as you dive into Cerier’s delicious recipes. Should you merely be curious about the wide world of grains, happy discoveries lie ahead. ”
Hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall season. Here are some favorite recipes from my cookbook, Going Wild in the Kitchen that feature the beautiful produce of this colorful season: cauliflower, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and kale. By the way, these delicious vegetables are cooked with gluten free grains teff and quinoa, which are super delicious and nutritious (high in calcium, iron, potassium, and other vitamins and minerals).
Quinoa with Cauliflower and Feta
A wonderful garnish of tangy feta cheese is the perfect crown for this melt-in-your-mouth quinoa dish. Enjoy it as a light main-course or scrumptious side, or use it as a filling for tomatoes, squash, or bell peppers.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
3 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
4 cups cauliflower florets
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
6 cups coarsely chopped kale
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 pound crumbled feta cheese
1. Bring the water to boil in a teakettle or small pot.
2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and onions begin to soften.
3. Add the cauliflower and continue to sauté 5 minutes, or until the cauliflower becomes bright white. Add the quinoa, kale, red pepper, thyme, sea salt, and boiling water.
4. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
5. Stir the mixture, top with feta cheese, and serve.
Flavored with sweet juicy tomatoes, green bell peppers, fresh basil, and garlic, this teff dish is an irresistible summer repast. Serve plain or garnished with grated fontina, Parmesan, or Manchego cheese, or sliced rounds of chèvre.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
2 cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped green peppers
2/3 cup teff
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups coarsely chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1. Bring the water to boil in a teakettle or small pot.
2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions, and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and the onions begin to soften.
3. Add the peppers to the skillet, and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in the teff. Add the boiling water and salt, and bring the ingredients to a boil. Stir in the tomatoes and basil.
4. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the teff is soft and most or all of the water is absorbed. Adjust the seasonings, if desired.
5. Transfer the mixture to an unoiled 9-inch pie plate, and let cool for about 30 minutes.
6. Slice into wedges and serve.
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