One of my favorite things to do is cook. I love to prepare food and don’t mind if it takes some time to do so. I like anything from putting together an elaborate lunch, prepare a 5 course dinner or bake a gigantic cheesecake. There are 10 recipes that I love to make and that I make over and over again. These are all grain and/or gluten free meals (or easy to make them so) that are a) delicious and b) tried and tested. Some take more times than others, but there are also some easy, breezy recipes that you can whip up in under 15 minutes. Each recipe comes with a link to the recipe if I posted it on here before or if I found it elsewhere. If there is no such post, I will post the recipe below. Enjoy!
2 ingredient pancake (banana-egg)
Perfect late breakfast recipe. The link will bring you to my banana/ peanut butter version. But I have several ways of doing these, but keep the basis the same. Just whip up 2 eggs with one banana and fry in a pan. Version I make: with cinnamon, flaxseeds, warm fruit, drizzled honey/ agave syrup, raisins, peanut butter, oats and just straight up.
Pumpkin soup
My go to soup recipe for fall is pumpkin soup. I tend to make soup once every season (pumpkin soup for fall, pea soup for winter, veggie soup for spring and cucumber mint gazpacho for summer) and I always go for this when the leaves start falling. Carving up the pumpkin requires most work, but after that this recipe becomes easy as pie.
Hummus
Hummus with carrot and celery sticks
Hummus is the perfect recipe for a quick snack or if you have some more veggies, also suitable for lunch. I make mine with yoghurt but you can also use oil for a vegan version. You can’t keep this too long in your fridge and/ or freezer as I find the texture changes.
Sweet potato fries
Sweet potato fries with marinated salmon
Need something to go with your veggies or meat for dinner and you want something other than a standard potato? Go for sweet potato fries. Heat up your oven to 180 degrees celcius and cut up your sweet potato into fries. I tend to use orange sweet potato because it has a sweeter taste. One large potato is enough for 2 servings. I then season it with oil and then I can opt for sweet or savory. The sweet option involves some cinnamon and honey to taste. The savory option is rosemary and sesame seeds to taste. Pop into the oven for 20 – 25 minutes and bake until golden brown.
Vegan Mac N Cheese
Using gluten free pasta and a ‘cheese’ sauce made from cashew nuts or butternut squash with nutritional yeast, you can make the most lovely vegan Mac N Cheese. I’ve tried both and I think I prefer the cashew version, but the squash version is lovely too. It still has a very rich taste and though there is no real cheese that comes near this dish it is delicious and tasty nonetheless.
Omelette with spinach and cheese
Omelette with spinach and goat’s cheese
An easy lunch/ dinner recipe. All you need is 2 – 3 large eggs which you whisk together. Defrost some frozen spinach and stir into the eggs. Now fry it up in a frying pan. Flip it over and spread some cheese over the side that is done. Wait for the cheese to melt. If you’re using soft goat’s cheese like in the picture, just wait till the cheese is soft. Now fold or roll the omelette and enjoy!
Pesto pasta with rhubarb
A favorite since my student days: pesto pasta. Just boil your pasta and add pesto. You can stir in anything you like: some sauteed mushrooms with leak and ham, salmon and pine nuts, cashew nuts (like in the picture), chicken. My favorite pesto recipe is the following:
Ingredients:
- handful of pine nuts, toasted
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, washed
- small block of feta
- a few fresh basil leaves
- squeeze of honey
Instructions:
- Blend together in a food processor. Add oil/ more basil/ more spinach/ more feta according to texture and taste
Cauliflower pizza
When you cannot eat wheat like me, pizza is hard to come by. So when I found this recipe and it worked the first time round, I instantly fell in love. The recipe is for my more elaborate version, but you can leave out the pesto and simply make the base crust and eat it as ‘garlic’ bread. Or put some mushrooms and tomatoes and extra cheese on as a topping. Enjoy, but don’t eat this every week: it requires patience, precision and packs on the calories.
If you’re looking for something sweet but without the guilt, then this sugar free banana bread is for you. I’ve made it several times now, and it’s best with some additions such as nuts, chocolate chips/ cocoa nibs and berries, but it is a foolproof and easy recipe that is delicious and great if you need to use up some old bananas.
Cauliflower alfredo sauce
Last but not least: Detoxinista’s cauliflower alfredo sauce. This is so simple and tasty. Great over pasta, easy to adapt to a particular taste and a great substitute for a standard cream sauce.
What are your favorite recipes?
4 responses to “10 favorite recipes”
That alfredo sauce looks great! I’ll have to try it.
One of my current faves is roasted spaghetti squash (a kind of pumpkin that falls apart into spaghetti-like strands when cooked), either spiced with ras-el-hanout and served with a vegetable tajine, or just instead of regular spaghetti.
And speaking of spaghetti, I’m also crazy about spaghetti with vongole. Yum!
Sounds great! I haven’t found spaghetti squash here in the Netherlands yet, but I’d love to try it!
The saturday organic farmer’s market on Nieuwmarlt in A’dam has it in winter. If you happen to be near it’s worth checking out!
Nope nowhere near it on Saturday’s. Bummer!