Faux Pasta :: The Illustrated Recipe

Faux Pasta illustrated recipe © Kim Buchheit
Here's my latest submission to They-Cook-&-Draw's wonderful website where you can find a bevy of illustrated recipes to delight all the wee aspiring chefs in your home. Enjoy!

Update 06/05/14:The second photo shows an alternate design for making fun, fresh tea towels. Order your fabric today and make one or more to brighten your kitchen this summer!

Crustless Quiche

This gluten-free crustless quiche, or "frittata", is great for Sunday brunch. The first frittata I made didn't include the sun-dried tomatoes and I felt it lacked something — so, I added a side of olive tapenade, which rounded the tastes out nicely. This morning I added sun-dried tomatoes to the recipe and it all came together beautifully. I forgot how wonderful this ingredient is to have on hand... sparking dishes with that sweet je-ne-sais-quois that makes your loved ones smile and ask for seconds.

• 1/4 onion (chopped; optional)
• 1/2 bucket (~ 4 oz.) mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach (chopped)
• 1 stalk celery (diced; optional)
• 6 eggs (beaten with fork)
• 1/3 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes (slivered; oil drained - save 1 Tbsp. oil for sautéing)
• 3-5 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 tsp.+ dried sage (crushed)
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried basil 
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. In saucepan on stovetop at medium heat, sauté onion, mushooms, spinach, and celery in a tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes until onions are clear and mushrooms give up their moisture. Drain off water and set aside. In mixing bowl, beat eggs, then add feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and seasonings. Mix thoroughly then stir in sautéed mixture. Pour ingredients into lightly oiled (again, with sun-dried tomato oil) ceramic pie dish. Bake 45 minutes or until done. Serve with avocado slices, olive tapenade, or sliced fruit.

Pancrépes :: The Illustrated Recipe

This past weekend my sister-in-law turned me on to these amazing flourless pancakes that consist of just two (!) ingredients: eggs and bananas. Of course, you can add other goodies as you like. My husband and I are in love with this oh-so-simple recipe that allows us to eat pancakes guilt and gluten free — woohoo!

The Simplest Gluten-free Pancrépes Ever
Makes 4 cakes / Serves 2

• 1 mashed banana
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. oil for pan (ghee or coconut oil)
• 1/4+ cup crushed walnuts (optional)

In bowl, mash banana with a fork then stir in two fresh eggs and a few dashes of cinnamon; mix well. Add walnuts if desired. Heat oil in frying pan. Pour a 1/4 cup of mix into pan for each pancake. Brown to your liking, then flip with spatula and brown other side. Serve as is or with a side of berries or smear of jam.

Update 01/14/14: I recently illustrated this recipe and submitted it to a great site for artists who love to "draw and cook" (see topmost pic) — check out all the wonderfully illustrated recipes (and cookbooks!) here. You're free to print my illustrated recipe out for personal use. Also, I created an alternate design for these fun, fresh tea towels. Order your fabric today and sew one up for your bestie!

Tahini Sauce

Hot summer days call for easy cooling dishes like gazpacho soup or garden-fresh salads. Even Vata constitutions can enjoy raw vegetables this time of year, especially when combined with a nutrition-packed dip like hummus or tahini. This tahini sauce recipe is my latest fave — it's great to have on hand for healthy snacking all season long and it's extremely versatile as a spread, dip, sauce, or dressing.

Tahini Sauce

• 1 c. toasted white (hulled) sesame seeds (toast in dry skillet until lightly golden brown)
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• juice of one small lime (2-3 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice)
• 1/4 c. cold water
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 heaping Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (or cilantro)
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt (optional)
• 1/2+ tsp. ground cumin

Toast 1 cup white sesame seeds in a dry cast-iron skillet till lightly golden brown. Allow to cool in glass or stainless steel bowl. Once cooled, grind seeds finely in coffee grinder (optional: set aside 1/4 tsp. whole seeds for garnish.) Add 1/4 cup olive oil to ground seeds and stir with fork into a creamy paste (may add more olive oil if needed). Mix in lime juice. Stir in thoroughly 1/4 cup cold water (or more as needed for desired consistency). Mix in grushed garlic, minced parsley or cilantro, cumin, and sea salt. Garnish with a few whole seeds and a fresh herb leaf or two.

Serve with fresh veggies such as slices of red, orange, yellow, purple, and/or green bell peppers. May also serve as a sauce with falafels or on pita sandwiches or apple slices. Thin with water to create a drizzle sauce or salad dressing.

Ayurveda Note: Sesame seeds are pacifying to Vata and Kapha, but can aggravate Pitta.

Meditation Mondays :: April Classes

Today is the first day of spring and the perfect time to invite you to join me and my husband, Mike, for our spring Meditation Monday classes! These 1-hour classes will include 45-minute talks on all things Ayurveda (ie. Ayurveda lifestyle, eating for one's dosha, chakra toning, compassionate communication, and more) along with 15-minute guided meditation sessions (details below). Subscribe to OO's mailing list to hear about future courses and events.

Meditation Mondays (4 classes total) at the Grand Canyon Rec. Center (in the Piano Room) — April 8, 15, 22, and 29th; 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm; Free

Pumpkin Soup & Rosemary Flatbread

Sure signs of autumn are the dropping temps, wilting wildflowers, and pumpkins brightening the grocery stores. I bought my first sugar pumpkin of the season yesterday and raced home to make this nourishing soup that really packs some heat! The accompanying rosemary flatbread is a household favorite — it's a tasty replacement for the excessive amount of corn chips we eat. (Note: Both recipes are super flexible; you can swap out and add whatever you like to the base recipes.) 

Pumpkin Jalapeño Soup 

• 2.5 c. pumpkin purée (from 1 small sugar pumpkin)
• 2.5 c. water
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1/4 red onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 small jalapeño pepper (seeded, veined, and diced)
• 4 Tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds, or pepitas (for garnish)

Wash pumpkin, slice in half, and remove seeds and stringy pulp. Place pumpkin halves face-down in shallow baking pan with 2 cups of water; bake at 350° for ~ 45 min.-1 hour (or until flesh is soft when pierced with a fork). When done, allow pumpkin to cool and drain off any excess water. Spoon out soft flesh and discard skin. In food processor, purée 2.5 cups of baked pumpkin flesh, 2.5 cups of water, curry powder, ginger and jalapeño.

On low heat in saucepan, brown onions in coconut oil on stovetop. Add pumpkin mix to saucepan and bring soup to a simmer; reduce heat and warm for 10 minutes. Pour into bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds. Optional garnishes: a swirl of plain yogurt and a squeeze of lime.

Gluten-Free Rosemary Flatbread

• 1 c. almond flour/meal (or, use raw almonds and simply grind to flour consistency in coffee grinder)
• 1/2 c. sesame seeds (1/4 ground to flour; 1/4 unground)
• 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary (ground) — (or, use 1 Tbsp. whole caraway seeds)
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• pinch of sea salt 
• 1 egg
• Optional: May wish to sprinkle rolled-out dough with sea salt prior to baking

In mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Add egg to mix and blend thoroughly with a fork. Dough should be moist enough to pack into a ball. If too moist, dough will stick to the parchment — add more almond flour as needed to get the right consistency. If too dry, add a little more egg white. You may need a friend for this part: Using a rolling pin on the countertop, roll out dough between two 9"x12" pieces of parchment paper (roll tortilla-thin). Peel off top-most parchment layer and discard. Place dough and base parchment layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut or break into ~3"x3" pieces and allow to cool on baking racks. Variations: This recipe is versatile; play with your own favorite herbs, spices, nuts and seeds (e.g. flax seed, anise, etc.) and make it your own!

Good Morning, Guilt-free Scones

Gluten-free, sugar-free, guilt-free goodness: For those who must avoid gluten, bread-like breakfast options are often disappointing substitutes full of sugar and other nasties. In my quest to find a scone recipe that satisfies my bakery hankerings, I stumbled upon Writing in White's lovely recipe. I've adapted this recipe to eliminate the sweeteners (honey and stevia) and to bake up as scones vs. muffins since I don't have a muffin pan. You won't miss the sugar or flour in these sweet, muffin-like goodies. And with autumn on the horizon, I can't think of a more cozy addition to chilly weekend mornings by the fire with coffee and loved ones. Enjoy!

(Adapted from Writing in White's Primal Morning Glory Muffins recipe.)
Makes ~1 dozen scones.

• 1 c. ground almonds (ground into fine powder)
• 3/4 c. ground coconut flakes (grind 1/4 c. into fine powder)
• 1 Tbsp. ceylon cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large carrots (washed; shredded in food processor)
• 1 medium apple (washed; shredded in food processor)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. crushed walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. In coffee grinder, grind almonds into a fine powder (avoid over-processing into nut butter). Grind 1/4 c. of the coconut flakes into fine powder. Add both powders to mixing bowl; add cinnamon, baking soda, salt to dry mix; stir well. In food processor, shred carrots and apple; add to dry mix. Add eggs, oil, vanilla; blend thoroughly with a fork. Stir in the remaining ingredients (raisins, walnuts, 1/2 c. coconut flakes).

Using a tablespoon, drop large dollops of mix onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until browned on bottom. Cool on baking racks.