a day in the life of a gluten-free vegetarian

a friend of mine requested that i post what i eat since she was wondering what i was subsisting upon after announcing i was "going gluten-free" about a month ago.  since i was already a vegetarian, i was used to cooking lots and lots of veggies, but going gluten-free took that to a whole new level!

breakfast - almond meal hot cereal with ground flaxseeds (prepared with almond milk) and topped with cherries and peanut butter

lunch - 1/2 avocado topped with goat cheese, sauteed onions and tomatoes

snack - carrots "chips" (i.e. carrots sauteed briefly with olive oil and curry) and hummus

dinner - eggplant lasagna (all veggies -- no gluten-free pasta here!) and a glass of red wine : )

after dinner - decaf tea with half and half

so, that's what a day of meals looks like for a gluten-free vegetarian : ) yummy!

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foodie: gluten-free eggplant "lasagna"

i have been loving baked eggplant dishes lately -- the combo of buttery eggplant with gooey cheese and fresh tomato sauce is something i never tire of.  for this recipe, i used eggplant layers instead of pasta to create a layered "lasagna" that's scrumptious...and gluten-free!  (this is one of my husband's new favorite hearty meals, despite the fact that it's vegetarian :-)

here's what you'll need for lasagna for 4...

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4-1/3 inch rounds
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup ricotta
2 oz mozzarella, thinly sliced
3/4 cup marinara sauce
basil
salt & pepper
olive oil

1. preheat your oven to 400.  on an oiled baking tray, lay out eggplant and season with salt and pepper.  drizzle more olive oil over top and roast for approximately 30 min, flipping the rounds half way through cooking.

2. while the eggplant cooks, saute the onion in a bit of olive oil until caramelized.  season with salt, pepper and garlic.  once onions are done, mix them into the ricotta.

3. when the eggplant is done, allow it to cool slightly and then put a layer in an oiled pie dish or baking dish.  top with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the marinara and some basil.  add another layer of eggplant and again top with ricotta mixture, marinara, and some mozzarella and basil.  finally, add on more layer of eggplant and the ricotta mixture, and finish it with mozzarella and basil.

4. put the "lasagna" back in the 400 degree oven for 15-20 min or until the edges are bubbling and the cheese is gooey.

trust me, with this recipe you won't even notice the lasagna noodles are missing!!!

enjoy :-)

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foodie: roasted eggplant with avocado salsa

the other night, with craig's request for a "light" dinner, my mind went to a salad.  salads can run the gamut from boring to brilliant, and this one fell more toward the latter...if i do say so myself.  to make our "light" dinner a little heartier, i roasted eggplant and made a chunky avocado salsa to add richness and texture to the dish.  served atop fresh baby greens, this meal was a winner!

what you'll need...

1 medium-large eggplant
1 avocado
2 plum tomatoes
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp grated or shredded parmesan
olive oil
salt & pepper

preheat your oven to 375-400 degrees

1. slice eggplant into 1/4-1/2 in slices.  try your best to keep them uniform, so they cook evenly.

2. lightly coat a baking tray with olive oil and lay out eggplant slices side by side.  mix 1 tbsp garlic with a bit of olive oil, and brush slices.  season with salt and pepper.

3. cook eggplant for 10-15 minutes, and then flip the slices - the underside should be nicely golden brown.  cook for another 10 min or so.  keep an eye on them so they don't burn!

4. in the meantime, roughly chop the tomatoes and avocado and mix together.  season with the remainder of the garlic and a bit of salt and pepper.

5. once the eggplant is done cooking, sprinkle the slices with parmesan - the hot slices will begin to melt the cheese - yum!

serve over baby greens, and feel free to add in other toppings like chopped nuts, minced red onion, or whatever else sounds good to you : )

bon appetit!

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