The Next Great Devour

I am very excited about the prospect of cooking THIS and THIS sometime soon!

Dutch Baby (stolen directly from One Frugal Foodie)

Healthy Wheat-Free / Dairy-Free Dutch Babies

This recipe is Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, Wheat-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Low Sugar, Relatively Low in Fat, and optionally Gluten-Free (seek out some of those certified gluten-free oats)

• 1 Cup Rolled Oats (can sub 1 cup of your flour of choice)
• 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Regular or Unsweetened Milk Alternative (I used unsweetened coconut milk beverage from Turtle Mountain – it was on sale! Rice, Almond, or Hemp Milk should also work well)
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup, Honey, or Agave Nectar (I used pure maple syrup)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 Medium Eggs, brought to room temperature if you have time
• ½ Tablespoon Coconut Oil or Dairy-Free Margarine (I used coconut oil)

Preheat your oven to 425ºF

Place half of the oats in a spice / coffee grinder and whiz for about 30 seconds, or until the oats turn into a flour. Repeat with the remaining oats. I believe this can also be done in a food processor, but it is so quick, easy, and clean in a cheap little spice grinder ($15 at the grocery store!), why bother.

Sift the oat flour and salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk alternative, sweetener, and vanilla, stirring until everything is well combined.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time until incorporated.

Put the coconut oil or margarine in a 9″ pie plate, cast iron pan, or similarly sized baking dish, and place it in the oven for a few minutes, or until the oil / margarine is melted and the pan is good and heated.

Removed the dish (with a pot holder!) and swirl the oil / margarine around a bit to coat. Pour in the egg batter, pop it in the oven, and leave it be for 25 minutes.

The batter will climb up, swelling a bit like a souffle (it is really fun to watch). When you take it out of the oven, it will deflate …

Spicy Black Bean Coconut Soup (hijacked from GirlieGirl Army)

INGREDIENTS:

2 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1-2 T fresh oregano, chopped or 2-3tsp. dried
1 tsp. sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
2-3 carrots, diced
1 bell pepper (red or green), diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 whole sprigs cilantro
2 cans black beans
2-3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 can coconut milk (taste of thai brand is best; lo fat or regular)
handful of cilantro, chopped

MAKE IT:

1. Heat olive oil on medium high heat in bottom of pot. Add onions, sautee until transluscent. Add garlic. Add oregano, 1 tsp. of salt, and cayenne. Sweat for 1 minute.

2. Add carrots, sautee for 2-3 minutes until carrots soften slightly. Add bell pepper, celery, and cilantro springs. Sautee for 1 minute.

3. Stir in beans and mix well. After combined, add all of the stock or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/medium low. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary.

4. After the beans have simmered about 7-10 minutes, add half of the coconut milk, adding more until you have a consistency and flavor you like. Simmer covered for 20 or so minutes, stirring occasionally and testing for seasonings, and adding more stock/water/coconut milk to taste.

5. The soup is ready when the beans are very tender and melt in your mouth! (Though you could technically eat it after the coconut milk has mixed in and heated through).

Add other vegetables if you’d like, and be careful with the cayenne– it gets hotter as you cook it, so don’t add too much in the beginning– if anything, add it at the end!