Tag Archives: vegetarian

Cashew Cookies (GFDF)

07 Monday Jul 2025

Posted by in Cookies, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegetarian

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Five cashew

Adapted from https://whattocooktoday.com/cashew-nut-cookies.html

1 cup roasted salted organic cashews plus 30-ish half cashews
⅔ cup organic powdered sugar
1 cup 1-for-1 gluten free flour mix*
1/4 cups cooking oil plus more as needed (I used a blend of sesame and canola)
1 organic egg, separated

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Separate out the 30 ish half cashews (crescent moon shapes) from the 1 cup of cashews. These will go on top later.

Using a food processor, pulverize the cashews into bits slightly larger than a flour.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar, the flour, the food processed cashews, and the egg white. Slowly add in the oil of your choice until the dough makes a round ball. It will be oily to the touch.

Make small balls of dough about 11-13 grams in size. These are very small cookies. Arrange on a cookie sheet without the edges touching. These do not spread at all, so you can pack more on than a typical cookie recipe.

Add a crescent moon half-cashew to the top of each cookie.

Using a pastry brush, brush on the egg yolk onto each cookie as an egg wash.

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. The oven I am using cooks a little slow, so be sure to check your cookies before 15 minutes. They will be very lightly browned.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool on plates or racks. Makes about 30 cookies

*I used my own blend of 1/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup organic cornstarch, 1/4 cup millet flour, 1/4 cup sorghum flour, 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum.

©2025 NaturallyElizabeth.com

Creamy Cajun Veggie Pasta (Gluten Free, Vegan, Organic)

04 Sunday May 2025

Posted by in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

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creamy cajun veggie pasta close up with penne pasta, red peppers, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, and green onions

This recipe can easily be halved; I was making a huge batch for a potluck. It also works really well with a bundle of kale instead of zucchini or asparagus if you prefer; add the kale with the second batch of veggies.

Organic olive oil
1 large organic zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into ¼” pieces
1 pound organic asparagus, chopped into small pieces with stalks and tops separated
2 organic bell peppers (red, yellow, green, orange- whatever the store has)
1 8 oz package fresh organic white mushrooms (or others of your choice)
6 organic green onions, chopped into small pieces
1 13.5 oz can organic full fat coconut milk
2to 3 T organic cajun seasoning (depending how spicy you like it)
1 t organic garlic powder
1 t organic black pepper
Sea salt to taste (about 2 t for me)

1 12-16 ounce package organic gluten free pasta of your choice

In a large pot, cook the package of pasta and drain. Set aside.

In a very large frying pan, saute the zucchini, the stalks of the asparagus and the bell peppers until mostly cooked in olive oil. Add in the tops of the asparagus, the green onions, and the mushrooms. Continue to saute until mushrooms are cooked. Add in the coconut milk and seasonings. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add in the pasta and stir well. Serve.

Cherry Crumble (gluten free, vegan, mostly organic)

04 Sunday May 2025

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Cherry crumble in a glass pie pan

3-4 cups organic cherries, fresh (or any fruit you’d like) (if frozen, defrosted and juices drained) 
1/4 cup organic cornstarch
1/4-1/2 cup organic brown sugar (depending on sweetness of cherries)

1 tsp organic vanilla extract
2 tsp organic cinnamon
2/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 gluten free flour (or your favorite gf flour mixture)
2/3 cup organic pecans, chopped into small pieces (I used my Cuisinart)
2/3 cup organic gluten free oats
2/3 cup organic dark brown sugar
1/2 t organic nutmeg
5 T organic coconut oil, preferably solid
1/2 t sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix together the cherries, cornstarch, and brown sugar and put in a 9” pie tin. In the mixing bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients, using your fingers to knead in the coconut oil if solid. Put on top of the pie filling mixture in the pie tin. 

Bake for 60 minutes at 350F or until crumble is golden and cherry juices are bubbling. Cover with foil if it begins browning too quickly before the cherries are cooked.

Allow to cool before serving. Tastes better slightly warm.

Asparagus and Red Potato Salad (GF, DF)

02 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Nut Free, Side Dishes, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Vegetarian Option of Asparagus and Red Potato Salad
Vegetarian Option of Asparagus and Red Potato Salad

½ cup organic canola or other neutral oil
¼ cup organic red wine vinegar
¼ c organic minced green onion
2 T organic fresh dill weed, minced (do not use dried)
1 T organic Dijon mustard
Salt to taste
Organic Pepper to taste

2 pounds organic red potatoes, unpeeled, cooked until tender, cooled, and sliced/diced
1 lb fresh (or frozen) organic asparagus, lightly steamed and sliced into bite sized pieces
4 hard boiled organic eggs, diced (optional, omit for vegan option)
6 slices of organic bacon, crumbled (optional, omit for vegan and vegetarian options)

Combine oil, vinegar, onion, dill, mustard, salt and pepper in bowl or jar and mix well. Toss gently with potatoes and asparagus in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.  Add eggs and bacon before serving if desired.

Tastes great warm, too!

Yield: 6+ servings.

Cream of Asparagus Soup (GF, DF and Vegan Options)

25 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soups, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Creamy green asparagus soup served in a purple bowl with a spoon.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1 white or yellow organic onion, diced
1 bunch of organic rainbow chard, stems and leaves separated and chopped (can also use kale)
2 organic carrots, thinly sliced
4 cloves organic garlic, minced
½ organic poblano pepper, chopped (or substitute 1T organic dried tarragon for a non-spicy version)
2 bunches of organic asparagus, chopped into pieces
4 c organic chicken (or veggie) broth
2 c or so water
2t sea salt
2t organic black pepper
1 c organic heavy cream (or substitute one can of full fat organic coconut milk and use less water for a vegan, dairy free option)

Saute the onion, chard stems and carrots in vegetable oil of your choice.  When the onions are partially cooked, add the garlic and poblano pepper.  Continue sautéing until the onions are close to done.    Add in the asparagus, broth, water, salt and black pepper.  If needed, add a bit more water to just cover all the veggies.  Bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat.  Continue to cook uncovered until the asparagus is soft heading towards mushy.  Add in the chard leaves.  Turn off the heat and allow the chard to cook in the cooling soup.  After the chard is cooked and the soup is cooled a bit, Add the cream, and then puree with an immersion blender.  Makes about 12 cups.

Roasted Squash Seeds

16 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Other, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

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raw organic butternut squash seeds

raw organic butternut squash seeds

Credit for this recipe goes to Kim Lane of Austinmamas fame. I’ve adapted it a bit to meet allergy needs, but the heart of it is the same. The most important thing she taught me was that you don’t wash the seeds. You leave the goop on them. It makes them much more flavorful and is a lot less of a pain!

This recipe works with seeds of any kind from the squash family which includes melons. You can use butternut, acorn, pumpkin, honeydew or cantaloupe. I generally stick to the more vegetable seeds.

Roasted Squash Seeds

Ingredients

Seeds from one or more squash (do not clean!)
A few teaspoons of oil that is safe for you or melted butter
A few shakes of salt of your choice (flavored salts work, too)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250F.

Take the seeds out of the squash. Remove any huge chunks of squash strings from the seeds, but do not wash or remove little bits. They add flavor! Place the seeds in a pan that will hold them all in a single layer, and lightly coat the seeds with the oil or butter of your choice. Shake a bit of salt over them. Stir until all are relatively coated.

Bake the seeds for one hour, pulling them out every 15 minutes and stirring, pushing them back into a flat layer every time.

Allow to cool and then eat. They can be stored in a sealed bag or container on the counter for a short amount of time, but I rarely have any left since we tend to eat them all while they are warm!

©2020 NaturallyElizabeth.com

roasted and salted organic butternut squash seeds

roasted and salted organic butternut squash seeds

Dairy Free Peach Cupcakes

11 Saturday May 2019

Posted by in Cakes, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Sweet Breads, Vegetarian

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a freshly baked dairy free peach cupcake

a freshly baked dairy free peach cupcake

These are somewhere in between a muffin and a cupcake. The original recipe had a frosting on them, but they really don’t need it.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups organic all purpose flour
  • 2 t baking powder
  • ½ t sea salt
  • 2/3 c organic rice milk
  • 2 t organic pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ c organic palm shortening
  • 1.5 c organic evaporated cane juice
  • 4 large organic eggs
  • 4 medium-large organic peaches, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped (~1.5 cups) (nectarines, plums, apricots, or any stone fruit will work)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sea salt).  Set aside.
  2. Stir vanilla extract into the rice milk in a liquid measuring cup.
  3. In another bowl, beat palm shortening and evaporated cane juice with a mixer on medium speed.  Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating twice with milk mixture.
  4. Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups. This recipe will not work right without paper baking cups! Fill each with 3 layers: 1 tablespoon batter, 1 tablespoon chopped peaches, and an additional 1 tablespoon batter. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tin.

Makes about 18-20 cupcakes.

picture of dairy free peach cupcakes

dairy free peach cupcakes

GFDF Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Sweet Breads, Vegetarian

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IMG_8198-ps

Not long ago, Jenny of Websy Daisy posted to her Facebook friends that she had had a bumper crop of 192 lemons on her tree in her yard.  She was offering to share, and I happily took her up on the offer of fresh local lemons.  Their smell was amazing (to the point of being overpowering) when they first arrived at our house.  Grocery store lemons don’t smell that fabulous!

These muffins are mildly lemon flavored.  I found they become more lemony after sitting for 24 hours.  However, if you would like a stronger lemon flavor to your muffins, add another 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract or another teaspoon of lemon zest.

***

GFDF Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Greatly adapted from Bon Appétit, May 2009

1/2 cup almond meal*
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup organic brown rice flour
1/2 cup organic tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons organic poppy seeds
2/3 cup organic rice milk
6 tablespoons fresh organic lemon juice
1 cup organic sugar
1/3 cup organic palm shortening
1 tablespoon organic lemon zest (about 2 large lemons)
2 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon organic lemon extract
1 teaspoon organic GF vanilla extract

Organic powdered sugar
Organic canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil muffin tins with canola oil. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, lemon juice, sugar, palm shortening, lemon zest, lemon flavor and vanilla extract in a large bowl.  Using a spoon, mix almond meal, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, baking soda and poppy seeds in a medium bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Stir in rice milk.

Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full.  Bake muffins about 20 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and cool.  Generously sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Makes 14-16 muffins.

*Almonds are not true nuts but carry a cross-contamination risk. To make this recipe nut free, substitute organic millet flour.

©NaturallyElizabeth.com

GFDF Everything Muffins

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by in Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Sweet Breads, Vegetarian

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The more appropriate name for these muffins is “Use up the produce on the kitchen counter before it goes bad” Muffins, but that just doesn’t have a very good ring to it.  So I’m just calling them Everything Muffins instead.  This is what I whipped up for afterschool snacks today in a fit of ambition.

GFDF Everything Muffins

Wet ingredients:
2/3 cup organic sucanat
½ cup organic palm shortening
2 organic eggs
3 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
3/4 cup organic rice milk

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic brown rice flour
1/2 cup organic tapioca starch
1/2 cup organic millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons organic ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt

Stir-ins:
2 medium organic bananas, ripe to overripe, mashed (about ¾ cup)
2 small organic pears, diced into small pieces (about 1 cup)
1 cup finely diced organic fresh pineapple (canned would work, too)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded organic coconut
¾ cup gluten free oats
¾ cup finely chopped organic walnuts or pecans (optional, not in this batch)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Oil the bottom of 24 muffin tins.  (I used organic canola oil.)

In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients using a whisk.  In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon.  Stir in all the remaining stir-in ingredients.  Divide the batter between the 24 muffin tins, filling each about half full.

Bake at 350F for about 15-17 minutes.

©NaturallyElizabeth.com

GFDF “Crack” Cookies

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Cookies, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegetarian

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Within the past six months, recipes have started popping into my head in a way they never used to.  I will suddenly have the thought, “Oooh!  Wouldn’t XYZ taste good?”  And until I get around to creating XYZ in the kitchen, the thoughts of that recipe haunt my brain.  This is one of those recipes.

When I first made them, I thought, “Yeah, that’s ok.”  I ate one and walked away.  And then I needed another.  And then a third.  They have this addictive quality to them.  You don’t think they’re amazing, but they have you coming back for more.  I gave some to my friend Melia who dubbed them “Crack Cookies” and the name has stuck.  Another friend tried them, and she too refers to them as Crack Cookies.

They are a bit on the crumbly side which makes you feel obligated to eat the pieces that break off into the storage container so no one sees the broken pieces.  Crack cookies, I tell you.

You could leave out the dried cranberries or substitute raisins, but I think the cranberries are part of what’s so good about these.

GFDF “Crack” Cookies

Dry ingredients:
¼ cup organic coconut flour
¼ cup organic brown rice flour
¼ cup gluten free oat flour
¼ cup organic tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup organic light brown sugar
½ cup organic evaporated cane juice (white sugar)
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt

Wet ingredients:
¾ cup organic palm shortening
3 organic eggs
2 teaspoons organic GF vanilla extract

Stir ins:
3 cups gluten free quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup organic dried cranberries (which also contain organic sugar and organic sunflower oil)  (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, mix together palm shortening, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well blended.  Stir in the oats, coconut, and cranberries.

Using your hands, shape the dough into approximately 3” flattened cookies.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet a few inches apart.  They will not expand much.  Bake for 9-11 minutes at 350F.  Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to plates or racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately 36 cookies.

©NaturallyElizabeth.com