Dandelion Salad - Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan Options

Cicoria or Dandelion Salad Two Ways

Super Green Dandelion Salad
https://youtu.be/Ctrc_D5I4Sk

This green is super healthy for you. You can eat it raw in a salad or cook it. It can be very bitter and tough which is why I like to buy organic. They tend to be younger and more tender. I planted some in my garden and once they  start to grow I pick them while still young so I can eat them while tender and not so bitter.

I bought one bunch of organic dandelion and I am using half of it. I soak them in water and wash thoroughly.

I then cut off two to three inches off the bottom of the stem as they can be tough.

I then cut into bit sized pieces. 

I split them in half so that I can make a non dairy version.

The first salad has sliced Vidalia  onion, one sliced hard boiled egg, 2 - 3 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsps or more of wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Toss.

For the second version, and for those of you who can’t eat dairy or egg, I replaced the egg with half a diced avocado  and I added a tsp of vegan mayonnaise to make it a little creamy.  

I hope you try this green. If you like bitter, you will love this.

Rhubarb and Berry Cobbler - Dairy Free, Egg Free

Rhubarb And Berry Cobbler - so delicious and dairy and egg free! WHAT!!  Flavour and texture is incredible! You can also bake this on the “Q” in a cast iron pan.....at a 350 degree temperature!!

Rhubarb .......makes delicious pies when mixed with berries. It is a vegetable but it is used as if it were a fruit. Strawberries, blueberries or raspberries all work great when mixed with rhubarb.  I have rhubarb growing in my garden and June is the time to harvest. 

I have about12 thin stalks of rhubarb. This is enough for one pie or cobbler. If your stalks are thicker, then reduce how much you use.

You cut the leaves off and trim the bottom ends off by at least two to three inches making sure you cut the white parts off. Then wash and cut rhubarb into one inch pieces.

You will also need two cups of berries. I am using a combination of blueberries and raspberries. Your combination of rhubarb and berries need to be heeping...as it will all shrink once cooked.

Put rhubarb and berries into either a large pie dish or an 8 inch square pan. To that you will add half a cup each of brown sugar and regular sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Stir well until all evenly coated.

Place all into your dish.

I lined the pie dish with pastry dough but this is not necessary. You can place berries directly onto dish.

 

For the topping combine the following in a large bowl

2 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Add 1/2 cup butter - I used vegan margarine and use a pastry blender to cut it into coarse crumbs

Then you will need to stir in 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk. I substitute this with almond milk and add 1.5 tsps of white vinegar to give it that buttermilk flavour.

It will be a wet dough

Spoon onto rhubarb and berry mixture.

Place into preheated 350 F degree oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until bubbly and golden.

You will want to put foil underneath to catch the drippings.

Oh my!!!!😋

Quick Polenta with Tomato Sauce - DairyFree And a Vegan Options

Quick Polenta with Tomato Sauce
https://youtu.be/o9Ph6rzgpBw

How to Make Marinara Sauce Recipe
https://youtu.be/KBCZGHFdDK8

How to Make Italian Sausage (Hot or Mild)
https://youtu.be/BtVgCWP-CWw

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free and vegan options!! And all in one pot!!
Makes a great side dish or you can make it your main meal!
There are many options when making this dish and the reason it’s quick is that I use instant polenta.
Instead of using corm meal and stirring for at least half an hour while cooking it in a pot, I now buy the pre cooked cornmeal. It also comes in a bag and looks exactly like the regular corn meal but on the bag or box it states that it cooks in one minute. Some other brands will say it cooks in two or three minutes...buy it. It’s instant.

Let’s begin with the ingredients needed for this dish.

You will need 3 cups of water, one cup of instant polenta and one tsp of salt or to taste. Very simple.
I am using water because I will be topping it with tomato sauce which will give it its flavour.
If you want to eat it plain without the sauce then you can replace the water with either vegetable or chicken broth for flavour. Salt to taste if your broth is salted.

Bring your water to a boil. Add salt. Remove pot from heat and whisk in your polenta.
Lower heat and return pot to heat. Continue whisking until thickened.
Be careful. It will splatter as it bubbles and may burn your hand as you stir.
Remove from heat as soon as it thickens. Add one tbsp of butter, margarine or vegan margarine and stir in about 3 Tbsps of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese. If you need it to be dairy free then add vegan cheese instead.
Top with a simple marinara sauce. I also added Italian sausages.
You can also top it with fava beans and leave out the meat. You have many options.
Creamy and delicious!! Enjoy!

Asparagus Risotto with Saffron- Dairy Free and Vegan Options

How To Make Asparagus Risotto with Saffron
https://youtu.be/qO0bgpa2OC0

How to make easy Chicken Broth - Brodo Di Nonna
https://youtu.be/agH3VD-XLQI

How to Make Homemade Vegetable Broth
https://youtu.be/AJz-wu40v1E

This is a gluten free dish and can easily be modified to make it dairy free and vegan. Creamy and delicious!! It’s asparagus season and I try to incorporate fresh, locally grown asparagus into as many recipes as I can.  If you love asparagus, you will love the risotto recipe.
Start with 6 stalks of asparagus....or more if you like. You can pile it on. Wash it because asparagus grows in sandy earth so you can find sand on it.
In your pan, start with a few tbsps of olive oil and fry your asparagus until fork tender.
Remove asparagus from pan and set aside.
Drizzle pan with a few more Tbsps of oil and over medium heat add your half chopped onion and one medium size garlic, minced. Cook a little then add your one cup of Arborio rice and stir and cook until rice is opaque. This should take a few minutes. Add your half a cup of dry white wine and stir until wine is absorbed.
Add a splash of broth....you can use chicken or vegetable broth. Stir then add a pinch of saffron, which you’ve soaked in a bit of warm water. If you don’t have saffron, leave it out.
Stir and let the rice absorb most of the liquid, then add more broth. And repeat this process until you are happy with the texture of your rice. It took me 25 minutes of stirring to get the rice creamy as I like it.
Remove from heat and stir in your asparagus and 3 tbsps of Romano or Parmesan cheese. You can substitute for vegan Imitation Romano cheese.
So delicious and creamy! You can substitute asparagus with mushrooms, peas or butternut squash.
Rice continues to cook after you’ve removed it from heat, so you can add liquid before serving if necessary. I recommend serving immediately.
You control the salt content of this recipe. My chicken broth has 30% less salt. Taste the rice as it’s cooking and determine whether or not you need to add more salt.
Enjoy!!