My favorite food blog, Every Last Bite just published the PERFECT gluten free and vegan Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto recipe. Ideal for a Fall dinner, this recipe is healthy, hearty and totally delicious. Now, as it is vegan and missing rice (which you could sub in if you wanted to), the taste is not exactly the same as classic risotto.

Every Last Bite writes: "Don’t get me wrong, this grain free risotto isn’t identical to the traditional dish, but the flavors are very similar. By ensuring the cauliflower rice remains chunkier in size, and stirring in a few spoonfuls of coconut cream (which adds creaminess without any extra flavor) you can emulate the same chunky texture and cream rich flavor without any starch or dairy."

I highly recommend adding this dish to your dinner line-up this Fall!


Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Serves: 4
Grain/Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free, Nut Free

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 sticks celery, finely diced
• ¼ cup white wine
• ½ cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegan)
• 4 cups cauliflower rice (approximately 1 small head of cauliflower)
• 1½ tbsp coconut cream
  
  

Instructions

1. In a bowl soak the dried porcini mushrooms in ¾ cup hot water for 20 minutes. Once soaked remove from the water and chop, save the liquid the mushrooms were soaking in.
2. In a frying pan sauté the sliced mushrooms, soaked mushrooms and crushed garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil on low heat, season with the chopped thyme and salt and cook until the mushrooms are golden in color (approx 8 minutes). Once cooked, set aside.
3. Cut a head of cauliflower into quarters and place in a food processor. Quickly pulse until the cauliflower is broken down into pieces the size of a grain of rice (don't blend for longer then necessary, you don't want the cauliflower to become too fine)
4. In a sauce pan heat the white wine, chicken stock and the water the mushrooms were soaking in and keep it on a low simmer.
5. Place a large pan on high heat, add the chopped onion, celery and a large spoonful of the stock/white wine mixture. As the liquid begins to evaporate, add another spoonful.
6. Add in the cauliflower rice along with a spoonful of the broth. as soon as the liquid has begun to evaporate add in another spoonful of broth. Repeat this process once or twice more, tasting the cauliflower each time for tenderness before adding more liquid. The cauliflower rice should be tender but not mushy.
7. Stir in the coconut cream and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving.

No, you are not hallucinating — these incredible Pecan & Carmel Shortbread bars are totally gluten free, paleo and dairy free. Thought up by the amazing Carmen of Every Last Bite, this dessert is literally perfect for a celiac disease and / or otherwise restricted diet. If you haven't checked out Every Last Bite yet, go browse through all of the incredible recipes. Almost all Carmen's recipes are gluten free, grain free and dairy free and beyond creative. So no more complaining from anyone gluten free out there that there is nothing to eat!

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 30 mins  
Recipe type: Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal, Grain/Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Paleo
Serves: 20 bars

Ingredients:
Shortbread Base

• 1½ cups almond flour
• ⅓ cup coconut flour
• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
• 3 tbsp honey (or other sweetener)
• ½ tsp baking soda

Caramel Filling

• 1½ cup dates
• 1 cup coconut cream
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil

Topping

• 1¼ cups toasted pecans, chopped
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius and line a 9 x 9 inch baking tin with foil
2. In a mixing bowl combine the ingredients for the base
3. Empty the dough into the tin and pat down to form a 1.5-2 cm thick base. Place in the oven and let bake for approx 10-12 minutes until it begins to turn a golden brown
4. Place the dates in a food processor and blend until they form a thick paste, add in the coconut cream (make sure you use only cream and not coconut water), vanilla extract, salt and coconut oil. Blend until smooth.
5. Once the shortbread has cooled, pour the caramel on top and evenly distribute with a spoon across the base
6. Toss the chopped pecans with the salt in a bowl and then sprinkle the nuts over the top of the bars.
7. Place the baking tin in the fridge for approx 20 minutes to allow the caramel to become firm. Cut into small slices and serve.
8. These can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

I'm not a huge fan of making pasta at home. It's one of those dishes that tastes better at a restaurant, and it can be a high calorie meal to eat on the regular. This is a healthy, organic bolognaise recipe that I do like to make from time-to-time though. The recipe is very simple, and takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. For the sauce, I use Dave's Gourmet Organic Roasted Garlic & Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce which is incredibly delicious and marked gluten free.

Ingredients:

• One organic roma tomato, sliced
  
• One half of a large organic zucchini, sliced into cubes 
• Half a cup of organic sweet onion, diced
  
• One jar of Dave's Gourmet Organic Roasted Garlic & Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce
  
• 1 lb of grass fed, antibiotic free extra lean ground beef
  
• Gluten free quinoa spaghetti (1/4 of package per serving)
  

Method:

• Cut up vegetables and saute in a saucepan for five minutes on high with a tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
  
• Boil water and begin cooking your pasta.
  
• Saute ground beef in a saucepan until cooked. Once it is cooked, add back in your vegetables and the jar of pasta sauce. Simmer until pasta is done cooking. Sauce will yield 4 servings.
  
• Once your pasta is cooked, drain the water and serve. Top with bolognaise sauce. Serving should be 1/3 pasta and 2/3 sauce.
  

Enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac

This Coconut Milk Whipped Cream is totally guilt free, vegan and gluten free. It makes for the perfect topping to a dessert, or fresh berries. It is also very easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of full fat, gluten free coconut milk
• 1 tsp of organic gluten free agave nectar

Method:

Place your can of coconut milk in the fridge over night. The next day, open the can from the bottom and drain all of the liquid out. About 1/4 of the can will remain liquid, and the rest will have solidified. Scoop out the solid coconut milk and place in a large bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer for two minutes. Add in your organic agave nectar and continue to beat until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

— The Healthy Celiac

The Tasteful Pantry shared this awesome Mother's Day gluten free breakfast recipe with me and I had to re-post. It is a simple (kid and Dad-proof) recipe that is perfect for celebrating Mom this weekend. The recipe is free from sugar, and can be made savory or sweet depending on what you like. I personally like to top them with fresh fruit and coconut milk whip cream, but you can also go the bacon and egg route too. Added bonus, these crepes can easily be made dairy free.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 12 crepes):
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil plus additional for skillet
3/4 cup nonfat milk (or alternative milk like almond or coconut for non-dairy)
1 1/4 cups (or more if needed for consistency) water
1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD:

Place the flour in a medium bowl. While continuing to whisk, add in eggs, 1/4 cup oil, milk, 1 1/4 cups water, and salt.

Heat a 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; brush the pan with oil (not too much or the oil will start to spatter – be careful with the hot pan!)

Add 1/4 cupful batter to the pan; tilt it around to coat the entire bottom of the pan.

Cook the crepe until it’s golden on the bottom (you’ll have to lift a tiny bit of it up to peek), adjusting the heat down to prevent burning, 30 to 45 seconds.

Using a spatula, turn the crepe over. Using a wider spatula will make it easier to flip – don’t forget to be gentle! Cook another 30 seconds then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking crepes between sheets of plastic wrap.

Top with whatever toppings you think Mom will like! Get creative and have some fun with it!

— The Healthy Celiac

•photo via of The Tasteful Pantry