Roasted Beet and Butternut Squash Soup

OMG this soup is so good!  My neighbor gave me some lovely butternut squash, so I roasted it up along with some beets and sweet potatoes.  A few days later I still had squash and beets leftover, so I blended them up into a super flavorful and hearty soup.  I seasoned it with cinnamon and nutmeg, but I bet sage or thyme would also be good.  This brightly colored soup will warm you up this winter!

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 large beets, or a few smaller ones
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• About 2 cups of vegetable broth (depending on how thick/thin you like your soup)
• 2-3 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of ground ginger
• 1 tsp of nutmeg
• Olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Carefully cut the squash in half, the long way.  Place onto lined baking sheet and coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, and half of the cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Wash beets and cut into big chunks (trimming the stem first).  Place onto another lined baking sheet and coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, and the rest of the cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Roast the beets in the oven for about 35 or so minutes until soft.  Squash will take about an hour in the oven to get soft.
5. Once vegetables are cooked, scoop out the squash from the skins and process with the beets in a food processor or blender until smooth.
6. In a pot, saute the garlic for a minute and then add the pureed vegetables.  
7. Stir in the vegetable broth until it is the consistency you like.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Enjoy with a nice slice of gluten free bread!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013!  I hope you are all having a good start to the new year.  As you can tell by the date of this post, mine is starting out at a slow pace, which is a good thing.  I was so busy last semester, constantly moving to stay on top of my full schedule.  But I have spent a lot of time this winter reading, doing yoga, and relaxing with friends and family.  One of my new year's resolutions is to find more balance in my busy life.  Another resolution I have is to go out to nice restaurants more often.  This may sound frivolous, but for me it represents a real change in attitude.  Sometimes I get stuck in seeing the glass as half empty and limit myself from my own happiness.  For example, I've been going to the same little restaurant almost every Friday night for a year, because it has great cheap food and is close to my home.  But it is also the kind of place that rushes you out the door, asking if you're finished before you've even had a second bite of your dinner.  It occurred to me one day, as the inevitable moment came when the waiter put the check down next to my nearly full bowl of noodles, that enough was enough.  It was laughable really, that I was placing myself in the exact same, very predictable situation of being rushed through my dinner week after week.  As if I had no other choices of where to eat in the whole city of San Francisco!  At the start of the new year I resolved to start trying new restaurants, and even some "fancy" ones too.  Last weekend, the time finally came when I invited some friends out to a new restaurant I've been dying to go to, Namu Gaji, in the Mission.  (I know always the Mission, next year's resolution will be to venture out of my hood more...)  It's a Korean fusion restaurant, with a beautiful interior (old naturally shaped wood tables, etc.), and a well labeled menu for gluten free folks.  My friends and I splurged on array of dishes including the stone pot, crispy fried kobacha squash, saucy oxtail, garlicky brussel sprouts, beef tongue, octopus with pumpkin, and of course pretty little pickled samplings.  It was an amazing experience to leisurely feast with friends, talking and laughing, and getting lost in the moment.  And though I can't afford to go out like this often, it is certainly within the realm of possibilities for me to do every once and a while.  This new year's resolution is really connected to having an "attitude of gratitude."  I am lucky enough to live in a great city full of delicious food, so I may as well appreciate it while I can!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!  I have to admit that I love Christmas time, I love the twinkling lights, the hustle and bustle, the first snow fall, and even Christmas music!  But with my nose stuck in the books all month working on my grad school finals, I almost forgot that Christmas was coming.  Living in San Francisco where the weather is 60 degrees all year round, it is hard to feel any sense of seasons, especially the Christmas Season.  I had barely noticed any Christmas tree lights up and I hadn't heard a single Christmas song, since I don't listen to the radio and Rainbow Grocery, a hippie coop, is the only place I have been shopping and they don't play Christmas music!  Luckily I finally heard my favorite Christmas song of all, because my roommate was playing it at our house: Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas!

All I really want this year, is to fly to Boston for a real east coast Christmas and meet my new baby niece!  It is what I have been looking forward to all semester!

But if you're looking for something else sweet for Christmas, here are some of my recipes for yummy (wheat/sugar/dairy-free) desserts you can make for your Christmas party:

Christmas Ginger Spice Cookies

Chocolate Cream Pie (vegan too!)

Fig Almond Cookies 

Chocolate Rosemary Bread

Salmon and Soba

The other night I splurged on a beautiful piece of wild Alaskan salmon, and paired it with 100% buckwheat soba noodles, shitakes, spinach, carrots, and peas.  It was a refined dish, with delicate and earthy flavors, yet pretty simple to make.  Soba noodles are usually made from a combination of buckwheat flour (which is totally gluten free) and regular wheat flour (totally not gluten free), but you can find 100% buckwheat soba noodles at Whole Foods.  If you still can't find it, you can also use rice noodles instead for this dish.  Enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 fresh piece of salmon that serves 2 people
• 1 package of 100% buckwheat soba noodles (check ingredients!)
• 1 cup of shitake mushrooms
• 1 carrot 
• 1 bag of baby spinach
• 1 cup of peas or edamame beans
• 4 gloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tsps of freshly grated ginger
• 2 tbs of wheat free soy sauce/tamari
• 1 tbs of umeboeshi vinegar
• 2 tsps of miso paste
• 1tsp of sesame oil
• 1/2 tb of sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together the ginger, one clove of the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, miso, and sesame oil.  Let sit and marinate.  
2. Boil soba noodles in a pot of water according to directions on package, only takes about 8 minutes!  Rinse well in colander.
3. While noodles cook, slice up the shitake mushrooms and carrots.  Saute with the rest of the garlic in olive oil on medium heat until soften.  Add the peas and spinach at the last minute.  
4. Saute the salmon in a pan (cast iron is nice), with olive oil for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on how thick it is.  It will be done when flesh turns a light shade of pink.  
5. In a serving bowl mix together the sauce and noodles, add the vegetables and top with salmon.  
6. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and enjoy!

Gluten free sandwiches!

I recently stumbled upon a cafe in the Richmond neighborhood that serves gluten free sandwiches!  I've walked by this little cafe on Clement street a million times, always heading to Burma Super Star or one of the other Asian restaurants, never giving this place a second look.  But last week I had some time to kill and walked into Blue Danube Coffee House to get some tea.  As I walked in the door I noticed a sign that said, "gluten free sandwiches."  In disbelief I asked the waitress, "Do you really have gluten free bread?"  With a smile she said, "yes," so I ordered a bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato sandwich.  The bread was nicely grilled, and filled with fresh avocado and loads of bacon!  It also came with a fabulous mixed greens salad with a zesty Italian dressing.  I ate every last bite on my plate!  This place also has great teas, beer, and is open till 10pm.  If you're in the Richmond neighborhood in SF, check it out!

Purple Cabbage Smoothie

Cabbage smoothie...sounds weird I know.  But this pretty purple smoothie is delicious and packed with immune boosting/anti-cancer nutrients.  Some people say you should eat 2 lbs of vegetables a day, so why not pack them into your smoothie at breakfast time?  You gotta try it!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of blueberries
• 1/2 cup of shredded purple cabbage
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 1/2 cups of almond milk (or soy/rice/hemp milk)
• 1 scoop of Vega One nutritional powder (or add a little honey if you want it to be sweet!)

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

Happy Tummy Thanksgiving Menu

 

Don't know what to bring to Thanksgiving?  Check out a collection of my favorite wheat/sugar/dairy-free Thanksgiving recipes:

Sweet Potato Rosemary Rolls

Cornbread

Winter Kale Salad

Red Beet Quinoa

Sweet Potatoes: roasted, mashed, or made into a pie

Persimmon Crisp

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

Or, if you're strapped for time, order a pie from San Francisco's Sweets Simply (Gluten Free/Vegan baked goods)!