This savory vegan waffle recipe combines the best of both worlds: warm comfort and guilt-free noshing.

Don’t you just love it when you can take a beloved comfort dish and turn it “healthy” or, rather, less of a burden on your health? This savory spaghetti squash and quinoa waffle recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free. And, how about the taste, you ask? On. Point.

These waffle fritters are bursting with flavor but aren’t compromising their content because of it. The savory twist makes these waffles fit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Preparation

Easy to put together, yes, but the recipe does require a bit of foresight. The spaghetti squash needs to be roasted for one hour prior to preparation and you’ll also need pre-cooked quinoa, so make sure to keep these in mind. It helps to roast the squash in the evening the day before you plan to make the recipe. Meanwhile, you can either use store-bought nut milk or make your own almond milk for this recipe.

Other necessary items are a waffle iron. If you have no waffle iron, you can easily cook the fritters in a patty-like shape in a saucepan on the stove top.

Vegan Spaghetti Squash And Quinoa Waffle Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (the thickest part)
• 1/4 cup vegan milk (almond milk, rice milk, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh chives for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Place cut side down on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast until squash is tender when pierced with a knife, about one hour.

In a medium bowl, add the squash, quinoa, coconut milk, nut milk, coconut oil, and lime juice. Mix until evenly combined before folding in the flour and spices.

Heat up the waffle iron and grease it lightly with coconut oil. Once hot, add in the batter in batches and press the iron, letting the waffle fritters cook for about one to two minutes before opening the iron and serving the waffles. Continue this cooking process until the batter is finished.

Serve the waffles alone with a garnish of chopped fresh chives,or pair them with this vegan white cheese party dip.

Related on EcoSalon
Can Quinoa Be a Local Food
There’s Quinoa in Your Cocktail: Foodie Underground
Four-Cheese Garlic Spaghetti Squash

The post This Savory Vegan Spaghetti Squash And Quinoa Waffle is an Autumn Delight appeared first on EcoSalon.

This week’s Link Love we get a reminder from Moby on the most important reason for going vegan, a recipe for delicious vegan quinoa milk, bad news if you love kangaroos and Nike shoes and Juicy Couture founders latest venture.

Musician Moby gives us a reminder as to what choosing vegan really means. [via Eat Drink Better]

OMG It’s Quinoa Milk! [via Well+Good NYC]

Oh, those are just kangaroos…in your Nike shoes? Yep. [via GirlieGirl Army]

Meet Pam and Gela: A New Line from the Founders of Juicy Couture. [via Glamour]

We can’t get enough of the Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Vogue magazine cover spoofs. [via Mashable]

Related on EcoSalon

Link Love: Ikea Saves Space + Secrets of Coffee Pods + Vaccines by the Numbers

Link Love: Are You a Closet Diet Coke Drinker? + How to Quit Your Job + CA Stepping Up for Orcas

Link Love: Fast Food as Art + Another Reason to Love Cameron Diaz + Paris Fashion Week

The post Link Love: Moby on Veganism + Quinoa Milk! + The Roos in Your Shoes + The Kimye Spoofs appeared first on EcoSalon.

Quinoa is a superfood staple and is often consumed in place of rice. However, the versatility of quinoa is highly underrated, as it stretches into the dessert category quite seamlessly, like in this cookie recipe.

Quinoa’s nutty overtones and soft texture provide added flavor and texture to your favorite cookie recipe. This recipe for almond butter quinoa cookies is vegan, sugar-free and high in fiber and protein – it’s the perfect way to start the day or stave off mid-day hunger. Enjoy!

Quinoa Cookie Recipe with Almond Butter, Cacao Nibs, Coconut and Cranberry

Makes about 20-24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions, then cooled
• 1/2 cup raw almond butter
• 1/3 cup raw honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs
• 1/4 dried unsweetened cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Fold all the ingredients together in a large bowl until evenly combined but not overly mixed. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and form small 1-2-tablespoon balls and place on the cookie sheet. Flatten the tops to the palm of your hand. Bake for 1 hour, or until aromatic and slightly browned, but not burned.

Aylin Erman is founder of GlowKitchen. There she shares step-by-step picture recipes of her plant-based creations. Aylin lives and works in Istanbul as a writer and editor at the country’s first-ever green-living and sustainability platform, Yesilist. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up with food news and recipes.

Related on Organic Authority

Guilt-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Sunday Recipe: Fig and Almond Energy Bites

EcoSalon Recipes: Oatmeal Harvest Cookies

Image: Kimberly Vardeman

The post Quinoa Cookie Recipe with Almond Butter, Cacao Nibs, Coconut and Cranberry appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIs that quinoa in my cocktail?

Quinoa ranks right up there with kale. Throw it into a dish and you can immediately ensure it’s rise to foodie stardom. Blueberry porridge? Boring. Blueberry quinoa porridge? Yes, please. Ice cream sandwich? That sounds processed. Quinoa ice cream sandwich? Can I get one for me and everyone in my Thursday afternoon hot yoga session?

But while kale is easy to turn into a cocktail (puree and add booze), quinoa is less so. Until now, thanks to Fair Quinoa Vodka, a spirit that is distilled solely from the superfood. You could ask whether or not we need another vodka, but hey, it’s certified fair trade.

The vodka’s quinoa grains come from Bolivia and are distilled in France, which certainly doesn’t quite make for a farm-to-table cocktail, but just like with your coffee and chocolate, better to by from sources that you know are doing a bit of worldly good. The Bolivian quinoa farmers deserve respect for preserving the ancient grain after all; it wasn’t the juice-detoxing, Whole Foods shoppers that did the hard work after all.

It’s not the first time vodka is made from something different – it can be distilled with everything from grapes to corn – and an alternative to regular gluten grains used for vodka like wheat, barley and rye is appreciated by anyone trying to cut out the G word. Plus you can just see how excited bartenders are going to get when they can add a quinoa vodka martini to their menu. Make it dirty please.

But wait, it gets better. You can also get your hands on quinoa whiskey. Granted it’s a barley and quinoa blend, with only 20 percent of quinoa seeds, but it’s produced by a craft distillery that’s all about producing in small batches. You could be swayed to drink a whiskey old fashioned now couldn’t you?

Now let’s just wait for someone to start home distilling with the grain. Homebrewers already have the quinoa lager down. Quinoa Moonshine? Whole Foods would totally market that. Ideally with a sprig of rosemary and a cardamom twist.

Related on EcoSalon:

Can Quinoa Be Local?

10 DIY Cocktail Syrups

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Robert S. Donovan

The post There’s Quinoa in Your Cocktail: Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIf quinoa starts to grow in your backyard, what happens to the farmers that made it big?

In the last decade, quinoa has seen more than fifteen minutes of fame. It has become the beloved grain of vegetarians and carnivores alike, touted for its nutritional superfood benefits of high protein as well as magnesium, iron and calcium. It’s good for the gluten intolerant, can be used in cakes and even got its own year of official celebration.

But despite quinoa’s popularity, there has been one thing that has kept the eco-savvy, locavore feeling just a little bad about its consumption: it’s not often grown in our backyard. Quinoa is certainly not a guilt-free grain.

Quinoa is a grain of the Andes, domesticated some 3,000-4,000 years ago, with locals making it a part of their daily diet for centuries, until the health food craze hit, and every natural food provider from Whole Foods to upscale organic vegan cafes in Manhattan started offering it. Finally, we had a complete protein that seemed to do no harm. Or so we thought.

While a rise in global demand for quinoa helped raise farmers’ incomes – quinoa currently sells for over $3,000 a ton, three times as much as it was sold for only five years ago – it also pushed up prices, making a grain that had for so long been a staple of the regional diet inaccessible to locals.

The healthy juice-cleanse-loving-yogi could eat their quinoa salad in Boulder, but on the other side of the hemisphere, the local Bolivian farmer was forced to opt for more processed foods, and increase in demand threatened the production’s sustainability. Such is the ongoing dilemma of the global food market.

The easiest solution appears to be growing it locally in the regions that demand it. Quinoa cultivation now takes place everywhere from the United States to Sweden to Kenya. But even expanding quinoa production to a global level comes with its own set of problems.

While quinoa has begun to be cultivated outside of the Andes, the grain is still most successful in its native region of cool, dry highlands. Growing it elsewhere will require finding a variety that will not only be successful in other climates, but that we consumers will want to eat. But there’s another thing that leaves many unsettled: the farmers.

At a recent gathering of agricultural researches brought together for a sort of quinoa summit at Washington State University in Pullman, that’s exactly the question that was brought up: what about the farmers? Here is a grain that for centuries has been kept alive by the Bolivian people – even in 2012, Bolivia was responsible for 46 percent of the quinoa consumed in the world – and as it hits the global market, will they be able to reap the benefits?

Ultimately, it’s a question of fairness, and one that the Bolivian government feels so strongly about that it is working hard to keep control over quinoa varieties. As NPR’s The Salt blog highlights, it won’t give samples to plant breeders in the U.S.

While that might seem harsh, it could be the only way to provide any sense of protection to the Bolivian farmers that have been responsible for quinoa’s success. By going global, quinoa ultimately could become a local product, which is good for both economies and the environment, but in this global scheme, protecting quinoa’s heritage is of the utmost importance.

We have seen far too many losers when it comes to the global market, and while quinoa might be the star of the food world, it shouldn’t come at the cost of the people and the land that helped make it so.

Related on EcoSalon:

The Gluten Free Flour Guide

Local Food is Ethical? Tell That To Greece

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Sweet on Veg

The post Can Quinoa Be a Local Food? Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.

Grilling isn’t sport for the meat-savvy only. Next time you whip out the grill this summer, bring a few vegan and vegetarian options to the party. And why not start with a veggie burger recipe?

Alongside vegetables, prepare this veggie burger recipe, and you’ll even have meat lovers asking for seconds. Full of protein and fiber, this recipe fills you up but doesn’t weigh you down. Enjoy!

The base for this veggie burger recipe, and what makes it a protein powerhouse, is the combination of quinoa and black beans. Quinoa has 9 grams of protein per cup and contains all of the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is also rich in fiber and digests slowly to provide a feeling of fullness. It helps keep you “regular”, contributes to liver health with it vitamin B and folate content, and offers 15 percent of the U.S. recommended daily allowance of iron in just one cup, helping to deliver oxygen to the blood and boosting energy and brain power.

Black beans regulate blood sugar levels, are packed with soluble fiber, have anti-inflammatory properties, are full of antioxidants, contribute to nervous system health, and are a rich source of molybdenum, which has detoxifying properties.

Grilled Veggie Burger Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked black beans (about one can)
  
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (prepared according to package directions)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Prep the quinoa and set aside. It’s better to work with it while it is still warm (wetter). In a medium bowl, combine the beans and cooked quinoa with the remainder of the ingredients.

Use cleans hand to mix the ingredients together, mashing the beans as you go, either with your hands or mashing with a fork. This should form a paste-like mixture that is easy to form into patties. Add a little  extra water or oil if you need to the patties to stick tighter. 

Divide the mixture into four equal balls, and pat each down into a patty to desired thickness.

Brush both sides with olive oil and place patties carefully on a grill. Cook for about 3-5 minutes and then turn, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Serve on a whole-grain bun or tomato slice alongside fresh greens and other fixings, such as avocado, mustard, and red onions.

Photo Credit: GlowKitchen

The post Make, Eat, Repeat: Vegan Grilled Veggie Burger Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

Quinoa mixed with olive oil and a big handful of fresh herbs makes a refreshing bed for the scallops and zippy salsa made from oranges and avocado in this delicious recipe. It has become one of my favorite accompaniments to seafood.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Oranges, 2, peel and pith removed(page 127)
Large avocado, 1, peeled, pitted, and finely diced
Fresh basil, 3 tablespoons minced
Shallot, 2 tablespoons minced
Red jalapeño, 11⁄2 teaspoons seeded and minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Sea scallops, 10–12 oz (315–375 g), patted dry
Basic Quinoa, using basil as an addition

Directions

1. Cut the oranges in half, slice them 1⁄3 inch (9 mm) thick and then cut into 1⁄3-inch (9-mm) cubes. Place in a bowl. Gently mix in the avocado, basil, shallot and jalapeño. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper, add to the pan, and sauté until almost springy to the touch, about 2 minutes on each side.

3. Spread the quinoa on 2 warmed plates. Top with the salsa and then the scallops and serve right away.

The salsa is also good with shrimp or any fish as well as chicken breasts or turkey cutlets.

This recipe makes a generous amount of both the quinoa and salsa because I like to toss them with crumbled feta cheese and pumpkin seeds for a light, but filling, lunch the next day.

To time the dish right, start the quinoa cooking just before making the salsa.

Recipe from “Weeknight Gluten Free” by Kristine Kidd (April 2013, Weldon Owen)

The post Sautéed Scallops and Quinoa Recipe with Orange-Avocado Salsa appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tis the season for picknicking-whip up one of our team’s 10 must eat dishes.

With record high temperatures soaring around the world, there’s no better time to keep the cool outdoors—under a tree and on a grassy knoll. And, foodie or not, the principles behind ecopsychology say there’s no better way to reconnect and nurture relationships than out in the fresh air. Breaking bread together with brie (or sticky chocolate cake), makes the whole picnicking affair that much more meaningful.

So, grab a blanket and try one (or  all 10) of our favorite picnic recipes—a compilation of our team’s favorites and enough to make a complete menu.

Snacks & Appetizers:

• Fruits & Nuts
• Brie & Bread
• Picnic-side Guacamole

Main dishes:

• Quinoa Salad
• Smokey Jicama Salad with Kale and Corn
• Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Desserts:

• Sticky Chocolate Cake
• Nutella Donut Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcake

Drink:

• Honey Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary

1. Fruits and nuts

For our shelter writer, K. Emily Bond—who sometimes seeks refuge under trees—fruits and nuts are a staple picnic snack. While it may sound sinfully simple, we know that sometimes it’s the simple things that make life so much sweeter. All it takes is 5-minutes in your kitchen, and you have a delicious medley of homemade trail mix. We love this “Not Your College Boyfriend’s Trail Mix” from our archives.

2. Brie & Bread

If you’re anything like Behind the Label columnist Jessica Marati, whose picnic mantra is “take knife, dip in Brie, slather on baguette,” you’ll love this grab & go solution. It’s literally that simple.

Directions:

• Pick up your favorite brie & local, freshly baked bread
• Grab a knife and voila, enjoy!

3. Picnic-side Guacamole

Crowd pleasers like me, (your Vegan This columnist and fashion writer) will agree, there’s nothing like fresh, made-on-site guacamole to get a picnic party started. My boyfriend and I love this dish because it’s so versatile (avocados are your canvas), so fresh (see everyone’s eyes light up as you whip this up before their eyes), healthy (packed full of heart- and skin- healthy fatty acids and vitamins) and easy to tote (just pre-chop your garnishes, grab a few avocados and a to-go container, and you’re out the door).

Ingredients:

• Ripe avocados (as many as you need depending on the number of people you’re serving—to be safe, plan on 1 avocado per person)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 handful cilantro leaves
• 1/2 red or yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon, or so, salt
• 1 bag organic tortilla chips or crackers of your choice

Other:

• To-go container
• Serrated knife

Note: Adjust the lime, salt and garnish amounts according to taste and the number of people you’re serving

Directions:

Pre-chop the onion, cilantro leaves and bell pepper. Put in a to-go container large enough to hold the finished guacamole (this will also serve as your mixing bowl). Squeeze the lime and sprinkle the salt over the veggies and mix together. When you arrive at your picnic spot, simply cut your avocados open, remove the seeds and scoop out the fruit. Add to your veggie, lime and salt mix and mash together until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Grab some chips or crackers and enjoy!

4. Quinoa Salad

Life, according to Foodie Underground columnist Anna Brones, is all the better when quinoa is involved. “Quinoa salads are my go to summer meals. They’re easy to make and easy to pack, which means that if you make a big batch one day you have leftovers for a few more. They’re also the perfect picnic item, light enough that they feel like summer food, dense enough that you’re full after eating them. As a base I tend to do a mixture of red and white quinoa, greens and some type of vinaigrette. Then you simply add in whatever you have laying around the kitchen. Nuts, vegetables, fruit… whatever you’re in the mood for. But the Summer Carrot and Date Quinoa Salad is one that I can’t live without, so if you’re in need of a recipe, start there.”

5. Smokey Jicama Salad with Kale and Corn 

One of our resident raw foodies and trendy fashion columnists, Johanna Björk, packs her picnics with a healthy punch.
“This cold salad is super easy to make, which makes it perfect for an impromptu summer picnic. It also doesn’t get soggy easily, which means it can keep for a while in that picnic basket, even if you didn’t bring a cooler. The jicama is fresh, somewhat sweet and crunchy, the kale is hearty and nutritious, the fresh herbs are so summery delicious, and the chipotle gives it a bit of a kick. It also just happens to go really well with a cold beer.”

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 jicama (depending on how large it is), thinly sliced or grated
• 6 leaves kale, thinly sliced
• 1-2 cups corn (leave out if you want it to be 100% raw)
• 1 large handful mint leaves
, olive oil, 
hemp seeds
, chipotle chili powder
, sea salt

Directions:

Mix the jicama, kale, corn and mint leaves together. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and chipotle chili powder and mix well. Finish with a sprinkle of hemp seeds.

6. Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Fashion and food really go hand-in-hand, and Rowena Ritchie, our west coast fashion editor, proves it with this dish from none other than Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.

“Goop’s cold soba noodle salad is my go-to pot luck recipe because it’s so easy to make. I generally have soba noodles, mirin, soy, and sesame oil in my cupboards, so I just have to grab some scallions and cilantro. My meat-eating friends seem to love it as a side, and if it’s the only vegan dish at the party, it makes for a full and nutritious meal for me! If you can get hold of Eden Shake’s Furikake, I highly recommend using it—it’s full of protein, vitamins A, B & C and calcium and it tastes great. And, I’ve always found the recipes on goop to be top knotch. Gwyneth Paltrow is known for both loving food and for being health conscious.”

7. Sticky Chocolate Cake

There’s nothing like a fika-style picnic to elevate the mood. Just take it from our Swedish chef and artist extraordinaire Johanna Kindvall. And, if you tend to picnic with a core group of friends, this sweet delight will never get old—change it up with a splash of rum, a dash of mint or even some licorice or cardamom.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs (or one large duck egg)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4-6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
• 1 teaspoon salt (less if using salted butter)
• 1 cup freshly milled almonds (or almond flour)
• 4 oz butter
• mint leaves (optional)
• powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

Whisk eggs and brown sugar together in a bowl. Stir in the milled almonds, cocoa powder and salt. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 9” spring form.

Bake the cake in the oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes. The cake should just be set on top and sticky inside. Let the cake cool down. Decorate with some fresh mint leaves and/or powdered sugar. Serve it plain or with whipped heavy cream.

Note: if you want to spice up the cake I suggest the following flavors: rum, cognac, mint, licorice or cardamom. Just add the flavor to the batter before baking.

8. Nutella Donut Muffins

If you’re picnicking with sensitive foodies like me (think vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and more), then this delicious, easy to pack recipe is the perfect picnic companion. All you need is a re-usable container to carry these in, and you’re sweet-tooth ready.

For the donut muffins:

• 1 ¾ cup flour – follow the following gluten-free flour blend:
  • ¾ cup sorghum flour
  • ¼ cup sweet rice flour
  • 3/8 cup white rice flour
  • ¼ tapioca flour
  • 1/8 cup almond flour
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup oil (I used cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg substituted (I blended 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water)
•  ¾ cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Nutella (I made this homemade, vegan version)

For the coating:

• 3-4 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a muffin tray with vegan butter or coconut oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your gluten-free flour blend, and add in the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, egg-substitute and non-dairy milk. Add the dry ingredients and stir only until fully combined.

Follow these instructions to whip up your Nutella hazelnut spread.

Place 2 tablespoons of the muffin donut batter into your prepared muffin tins. Add 1 teaspoon of Nutella and cover with approximately 2 more tablespoons of batter until the muffin tins are ¾ full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes. (Mine were perfectly done after exactly 18 minutes).

Prepare your coating by melting your vegan butter in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together your cinnamon and sugar.

While the muffins are still warm, shake them out of the pan on to a cooling rack.
Dip your muffin donuts into your melted vegan butter and then into your cinnamon sugar mixture.
Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes. These are perfect when warm and still wonderful when cool (up to 3 days—especially if making these gluten free). Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if storing longer.

Note: These would also be delicious filled with your favorite homemade jam, in lieu of the Nutella, or simply plain, filling-free.

9. Strawberry Shortcake

For an authentic taste of summer, strawberry shortcake embodies it all. Earlier this summer, I packed all the parts of this dish (biscuits, strawberries and cream) and assembled it on-site at a friends-of-EcoSalon picnic. I love this version, adapted from Martha Stewart, for its freshness and simplicity. Vegan, gluten-free or not, you’ll fall fast for this fresh delight.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ pounds (6 cups) strawberries—rinsed, hulled and quartered (For the fullest flavor, I recommend using local and fresh strawberries.)
• 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups gluten free flour blend
  • 1 cup sorghum flour
  • 1 cup white rice flour
  • 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1/2 cup potato starch flour, minus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons cold (1 ½ sticks) unsalted vegan butter, cut into small pieces (I used Earth Balance coconut butter)
• 2 cups coconut cream (I used So Delicious coconut creamer, blended with approximately 3 tablespoons of dissolved agar-agar to thicken)
• 2 egg substitutes (I blended 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons warm water)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, toss the prepared strawberries with ¾ cup sugar. (I suggest starting with ½ cup and tasting to see if more sweetness is needed.) Let sit to bring out the juices.

In a food processor, pulse together your gluten free flour blend. Add the baking powder, ½ cup sugar and the salt, and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles course meal with some pea size bits of butter remaining (pulse approximately 10-12 times).

In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cream (before the agar agar has been added to thicken) and the egg substitute. Pour over the flour mixture, and pulse until some large clumps begin to form (pulse approximately 20-30 times).

Using a half-cup measuring cup, gently pack dough into the cup, invert and tap out on to a lightly buttered or parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat to form 6-8 biscuits.
Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Beat the remaining 1 ½ cups cream, with the prepared agar-agar mixture, 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy (Note, this will not form peaks like a traditional heavy whipping cream, however, I assure you the taste and texture will not leave you craving cream.)

Slice the biscuits horizontally with a serrated knife. Spoon the strawberries and their liquid over the bottom of each biscuit just before serving. Spoon your whipped cream over the strawberries, and top with the other biscuit half.

10. Honey Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary

Amy DuFault, EcoSalon’s Editor-in-Chief says, “I am always the last one to leave the party because I won’t stop talking. This lemonade from our lovely Foodie Underground columnist Anna Brones is a sure cure for talker’s mouth. You can spend an entire picnic having good conversations and the ginger and honey make it so that your voice never breaks. Oh, and that you are of course refreshed. That’s important.”

Ingredients:

• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• Juice of 7 Meyer lemons
• 1/2 cup minced ginger
• 6-10 full rosemary stalks
• 1.25 liter bottle of sparkling water
• Ice cubes
• Optional:
• Your liquor of choice. We recommend bourbon or vodka.

Directions:

To make simple syrup, place honey, water and two rosemary stalks in a saucepan and warm over medium heat while constantly stirring until honey is completely dissolved. Add in ginger. Leave on heat for a 2-3 more minutes, regularly stirring, to increase rosemary flavor. Let sit for 30-60 minutes to cool down. Note: for a stronger rosemary flavor, muddle the rosemary first and let the simple syrup sit for longer.

Strain simple syrup into a pitcher and add in lemon juice, top off with ice cubes and sparkling water.

Garnish with rosemary and serve in mason jars.

Images: Paul and Christa, Rich Anderson, Pink Mochi, Jennifer Barckley, Anna Brones, Johanna Bjork, Goop, Jennifer Barckley, Amy DuFault

The post EcoSalon Team Picks: 10 Picnic Foods to Impress Your Friends appeared first on EcoSalon.

Putting summer’s bounty to good use. 

On a cool Sunday morning I was in the middle of rows upon rows of raspberries. Summer means u-pick season, and there’s something about standing in a field of berries that inevitably leads to overdose. Pick one, eat one, repeat. An hour and a half later I was on a sugar high and had my arms full of two cardboard flats with 13 pounds of raspberries.

13 pounds.

What does one do with 13 pounds of raspberries? Get to know your freezer, that’s what. But freezing berries doesn’t lead to instant gratification. A pile of raspberries on your kitchen table begs to be consumed right then and there. Taking my personal favorite Quinoa Cake recipe, I turned it into a muffin version, complete with summer’s other bounty, rhubarb. A few fresh figs laying around made their way into a quick and easy jam. Result? A raspberry treat that’s perfect for afternoon coffee.

Raspberry Rhubarb Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 3 large stalks of rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup raspberries
• 3 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup organic butter, melted (you can also switch this out for 1/2 cup coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions:

Cook quinoa and set aside. To cook quinoa, bring two cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa and a dash of salt and let simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until water has cooked off.

Mix dry ingredients.

Whisk butter and eggs together and add to dry mixture.

Combine all ingredients, including quinoa, and stir in rhubarb and raspberries. Note that these muffins have a dense, cake-like consistency.

Pour into lined muffin tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F.

Raspberry Fig Jam

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh figs
• 2 cups raspberries
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2.5 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean pod

Directions

Cut the figs into small pieces, and place with raspberries and water in a saucepan. Cut the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and add both seeds and pod to saucepan.

Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Stir in sugar and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes or until jam thickens.

Take out the vanilla pod, pour jam into clean glass jars and let cool. If you’re feeling up to it, you can can the jam too which will allow it to keep longer. But I assure you you’ll eat this up quick enough.

Store jam in refrigerator.

The post Sunday Recipe: Raspberry Rhubarb Quinoa Muffins with Raspberry Fig Jam appeared first on EcoSalon.

Scrounge up some greens at farmers market and make a sweet but hearty summer salad. 

The arrival of summer means the arrival of bags of mixed salad greens at farmers market, or of course, your own from your garden. Instead of basing salad recipes off of them though, I like to throw them in as an extra addition to whatever I am making, a complement to the rest of the dish. That’s exactly what they are in this quinoa salad recipe.

Using both red and white quinoa you get a colorful salad that is full of omega 3s and hearty enough that you can eat it as the main dish. The dates and currants give it a sweeter flavor, which is perfect for warmer weather and a meal outside.

Summer Carrot and Date Quinoa Salad with Basil and Mustard Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Summer Carrot and Date Quinoa Salad

• 1/2 cup white quinoa
• 1/2 cup red quinoa
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup currants
• mixed salad greens

Basil and Mustard Citrus Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• juice of 1/2 an orange
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (depending on how much basil flavor you want)

Directions:

Prepare the quinoa. Place in saucepan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of sea salt and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer until water has cooked off, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large salad bowl combine chopped carrots, dates and currants.

To make the dressing, combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar and orange juice in a small jar or bowl. Add in mustard and whisk until well-blended. stir in basil.

Mix in quinoa with rest of salad ingredients, and top with dressing. Toss together.

Before serving, add in a couple of handfuls of mixed salad greens.

Want more food inspiration? Check out the rest of our Sunday Recipe series.

The post Sunday Recipe: Summer Carrot and Date Quinoa Salad with Basil and Mustard Citrus Vinaigrette appeared first on EcoSalon.