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Gluten Free

Gluten FreeMainsTraditional Korean Recipes

EZ No Chop Kimchi Fried Rice

It’s been very cold and very busy in my household these days. This means I’m usually dead tired by the time dinner rolls around and I don’t want to spend a lot of time chopping and prepping vegetables. In these situations, my favorite thing in the world is making fried rice. It’s so easy, takes so much guesswork out of cooking, and your friendly frozen vegetables become a LIFELINE to a home-cooked meal that you can be proud of (while stuffing your face).

Instead of using a knife, I use kitchen shears to cut up my kimchi into bite-sized pieces. Kitchen shears are a main-stay in Korean kitchens. Korean ahjuhmahs use them for cutting up kimchi (as pictured), scallions (as we do in this recipe), and overlong noodles that are not easily slurpable. I once got a nasty comment on my Instagram about using kitchen shears to cut up my pajeon and it was clear the person was not very familiar with Korean dining etiquette (her loss).

The sauce is also a no brainer. Literally two ingredients: soy sauce and gochujang. You can keep this entire recipe gluten free by using gluten free soy sauce and gluten free gochujang. I make it in advance so that I can add it at the end, without any fuss.

Anyhow, I made this earlier today and had to stop myself from eating the whole panful of it before I shared any with my husband it was so so so so good. It’s truly so easy there’s no excuse not to try!!

EZ No Chop Kimchi Fried Rice

5 from 3 votes
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2 people

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Using kitchen shears, cut up your kimchi (if you want).
  • Make the sauce by mixing together gochujang and soy sauce.
  • Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a non-stick pan over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the kimchi. Cook for about 2 minutes, until kimchi starts to change color (gets lighter).
  • Add frozen vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute. Then, create a well in the center of your cooked veggies and add the liquid egg replacer.
  • Allow the egg to cook a little, and then begin to scramble them within the well.
  • Incorporate the scrambled egg into the rest of your vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes (until the egg is cooked). Create another well in the center of your vegetables and add 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add 2 cups of cooked rice.
  • Cook the rice in the well for about 1 minute. Then begin mixing together with the vegetables. Cook for about 1 additional minute. Then add sauce.
  • Add scallion greens, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Mix together before eating.
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FoodGluten FreeTraditional Korean Recipes

Rainbow Jeon (Pancake)

I love cabbage, carrots, green onions, and, of course, the potato. I decided to make a pancake out of them (which you can make GF by using GF flour and GF soy sauce). I call this “Rainbow Jeon” because of how colorful they turned out. And I love the idea of cutting them up into little rectangles, because they remind me of those small mini-sandwiches you get when you go to those fancy afternoon teas.

You don’t need a dipping sauce for these either. The batter is infused with garlic powder, onion powder, and soy sauce, making each bite a massive umami bomb.

I don’t really have much more to say about this recipe (I’m such a terrible blogger), so I’ll leave you to it. Make this. You will love it. My husband ate the whole thing by himself.

Rainbow Jeon (Pancakes)

5 from 3 votes
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4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
  • 1 russet potato, julienned
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 4 leaves red cabbage, julienned
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup JUSTEgg (or plant milk)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup flour (can substitute in GF flour)
  • 2 tbsp potato starch
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oil, for frying
  • 1 tbsp black sesame seeds halved

Instructions
 

  • After chopping up all the vegetables, add them to a large bowl.
  • Add the liquid egg replacer (or plant milk), together with the flour, potato starch, salt, pepper, onion, powder, and garlic powder. Add soy sauce and mix everything together.
  • In a medium non-stick pan, add oil over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, pour the entire contents of the bowl into the pan.
  • Cook for about 3 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Flip using a large spatula. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and then flip once more.
  • Cook for 1 more minute and then remove from the pan. Cut into rectangular pieces.
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Gluten FreeLifeTraditional Korean Recipes

Gluten Free Kimchi Pancakes for the Korean Heart.

kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

My mom is most proud of me when I eat kimchi. Or maybe, she is most proud of herself when her American daughter shamelessly pilfers a sliver of fiery cabbage with her two fingers from the kimchi byung (jar) squatting in the back of her fridge like a rather contented troll. Whenever she catches me doing this, or watches me make a meal out of nothing more than rice, water, and a handful of bright red radishes, she shakes her head and mutters,

“You are so Korean.”

I know what she is thinking of. She is recalling every single time I hurled, “I’m not Korean, I’m AMERICAN!!” in her face throughout my fraught adolescence as a child of immigrants. But there is some truth to her logic. There is something fundamentally Korean about not kimchi, per se (lots of people like kimchi), but its role as more than a condiment or a side dish or an exotic “foodie” thing to write about on your trip to Seoul.

An amazing writer once wrote, “The heart is an organ fire,” to which I would reply,

“The Korean heart is an organ of kimchi.”

kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

I can still feel the prickle of my mother’s anxiety over that squatting kimchi byung in our fridge whenever our next door neighbor came by or I invited white friends over after school. I remember when I used to hate the sight of kimchi at the dinner table because it signified, for the millionth time, that instead of eating meat and potatoes like they did on Family Ties, we’d be eating the same old boring “Korean food.” I remember making fun of my Dad for eating kimchi with his spaghetti when my mom finally relented and cooked us an “American” meal. I remember the first time I treated my entire creative writing class, in college, to Korean food and one of the kids covered his nose and whispered, “God, the smell.” I remember the time I thought about going vegan and how the first thing I worried about was losing kimchi.

Losing me.

One kimchi expert has explained that

“kimchi almost never spoils. Prepared correctly and with enough salt, it can ripen for months, even years, until it becomes mukeunji — kimchi that’s so concentrated in flavor that it burns the tongue and tastes wonderful when stewed.”

Eric Kim, “Think of Kimchi as a Verb,” New York Times, July 2, 2020.
kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

I married the first man I ever loved. When I divorced him, I asked my therapist, “Will I ever love anyone else the way I loved my ex-husband?”

The notion of “first love,” or 첫사랑 (“chut sa-rang”) has gained an almost mythical quality thanks to kdramas and the confucian ideals of repressing emotions for the sake of the greater good. Perhaps some of that filtered into me, as I started to doubt my heart’s capacity for a second or third or fourth love. I viewed my heart as a battery, thumping passionately and vigorously during the first half of my life, but with little juice left after being wrung through a divorce. Was I destined to live out the rest of my life with at most a spectral version of love? Something that reminded me of love, maybe tasted a little bit like love? Maybe that’s all we’re allotted in life–one all-consuming 뜨거운 affair and if you can’t make it work… well, such is life.

These are the questions that made divorce even more agonizing–the uncertainty of the world I was stepping into somehow made the world I was leaving look less uninviting.

kimchi pancake on cast iron pan

I met Anthony through OkCupid. And despite what he claims, I didn’t really think it would go anywhere for awhile. For the first several dates, I didn’t know how to act around him, and I was worried I would hurt him more than I would hurt myself. I distinctly recall one of my girlfriends warning me, “Honey, I would worry more about yourself than breaking his heart.” But eventually, the “piano guy” won out over all the other suitors and before long, I knew I was ready to re-enter the ring.

Only, this time, I was armed with something that resembled self respect, that may have even looked a bit like confidence. My heart had been scathed within an inch of its life, but remained intact and, surprisingly, still in heavy pursuit of elan and joy.

We got married in Rome two years ago.

I woke up this morning and had to repress the urge to ask him, “Will you marry me? Again?” I am 41 years old and I am silly and giddy and hot-headed and moody, but mostly, I continue to marvel at how cluelessly I lived in my 20s and 30s, how little joy I really knew, then, compared to what I know now.

It was salted, it was aged, and now, this heart burns.

GF Kimchi Pancakes

This is a tweak from my prior recipe for gluten free pancakes. By adding a little kimchi juice and chunks of overripe kimchi to the batter, you guarantee a kimchi explosion with every bite!
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8 pancakes

Ingredients
  

Pancakes

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (almond meal will result in less fluffy pancake)
  • 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour (do not replace with regular white rice flour)
  • 2 tbsp cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup potato starch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 scallion whites chopped
  • 2 scallion greens (julienned)
  • 1 Korean green chili (sliced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (sliced and minced)
  • 1 cup kale (cut into ribbons)
  • 1/2 cup overripe kimchi (plus more for topping)
  • 1 tsp kimchi juice

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (tamari is a GF soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 jalapeno or Fresno chili pepper (seeded and thinly sliced)
  • 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp Korean pepper powder (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Stir white wine vinegar into non-dairy milk and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients with whisk or fork.
  • Add minced garlic (1/2 of your garlic should be minced and the other half should be thinly sliced, which you will save for "toppings"), the chopped scallion whites, 1/2 of the Korean green chili, and the kale to the dry ingredients.
  • Add 1/2 cup of overripe kimchi, as well as 1 to 2 teaspoons of kimchi juice. Using a pair of kitchen shears, snip up the kimchi into bite sized pieces (you can also chop the kimch in advance, but it always makes a mess).
  • Add in non-dairy milk mixture and whisk until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The batter will be very thick (almost like cake batter), but if it's too thick to work with, add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time until it gets to a workable consistency.
  • Add a little oil to a skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) to medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add some scallion greens, sliced garlic, and/or kimchi directly to the pan. Then, pour small ladleful (about 3 tablespoons) of batter.
  • Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes before flipping. Cook until both sides are evenly browned and serve with the dressing (which you make just by mixing all the ingredients together).
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EntreesGluten FreeMains

Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw

Why This Black Bean Burger Recipe is Worth Trying

This Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw recipe is one that I’ve worked and reworked for years until I could honestly say that it is the best black bean burger I’ve ever eaten. I have been eating black bean burgers ever since I went vegan (four years ago). The overwhelming majority of the black bean burgers I’ve eaten, while flavorful, lack any sort of real texture. I don’t care how much umami you inject into something—if it’s just a big ball of mush in your mouth, it’s not going to taste great. So, over the years, I’ve employed all sorts of little tricks to maximize flavor while also maintaining texture.

I Hate Black Bean Burgers That Fall Apart, Don’t You?

I don’t know about you, but I hate food that is difficult to eat. It’s one of the reasons I always steered clear of “wings”—I hated getting my hands so messy. Korean cuisine is actually a fairly neat affair—from the eater’s point of view. The use of chopsticks facilitates precision and minimal touching of food, unless of course you want to (like when you’re eating lettuce wraps or rice cakes). It thus always drove me CRAZY whenever I bit into a sandwich or burger and the insides simply oozed out the sides and onto my plat or, worse, my lap.

You Can Watch Me Make a Version of These on my Instagram

So, these Black Bean Burgers with Slaw incorporate all my little tricks, some of which I picked up from veteran cooks, to make sure each bite is satisfying and bursting with flavor. I remember the first time I made these on my Instagram stories (tKV 14 in my Highlights), everyone was AGOG at the “CRUNCH” they heard when I bit into it. When I made these for my husband last night (after wrapping up a Chibo class on how to make these), my husband commented, “MAN!! These are the BEST!!” And let me tell you, he is a right old connoisseur of black bean burgers (it’s one of his favorite foods).

Live Testimonials From Folks Who’ve Tried This Recipe

Here’s a little clip from my Chibo class, where some of the participants raved about this Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw:

Summary of My “Tricks”

I know a lot of you weren’t able to join the class (they sell out pretty quickly). So, I thought I’d put down the recipe here, so that you could try it for yourself. Here is a brief summary of my tricks:

  • Roast the beans in the oven until they split apart, to dry them out and add texture.
  • Add walnuts (toasted if you want!) to provide a little extra fat and bite.
  • Bind the patties with aquafaba (the bean juice left in the can).
  • Add onions and garlic sauteed with soy sauce for extra umami.
  • Dredge the patties in potato starch and coat with bread crumbs for CRUNCH.
  • Top burgers with vegan cheese, caramelized onions, and a slaw to add extra texture and balance out the flavors with a little acidity.

And with all that, you should be more than READY to have the Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw of your ever-loving life. So, have at it!!

Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw

5 from 1 vote
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4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can black beans with liquid
  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/2 large red onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce use tamari to stay gluten free
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1 cup bread crumbs regular or gluten free
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 small carrots
  • 2 small cucumbers
  • 5-6 leaves red cabbage
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 4 slices vegan cheese
  • 4 hamburger buns vegan/gluten free

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Empty 1 can of beans into colander over a bowl to collect the liquid. Donot discard liquid.
  • Once beans are fully drained, spread them in one layer on baking sheet. Place in oven for ~13 mins, until beans begin to split apart.
  • Chop up 1/2 onion and 3 cloves garlic. Saute with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
  • Season with salt and pepper. When onions start to brown, deglaze pan with 11/2 tbsp soy sauce and ½ tbsp of maple syrup.
  • Set aside 1/2 sauteed onions. Place remaining half in food processor and pulse 3-4 times. Dump into a large bowl.
  • Add 1/3 cup of walnuts to food processor and pulse 5-6 times and place in large bowl with onions.
  • When beans are cooked and out of the oven, place in food processor and pulse ~15-17 times until they have consistency of small pebbles. Add to large bowl.
  • Add rice, 1-2 tbsp potato starch, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp chili powder and 2 tbsp reserved liquid from can of beans. 
  • Mix with a spoon or your hands until a "dough" forms. Quarter the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a thin patty. 
  • Dredge each patty in potato starch, coat with reserved bean liquid, and then coat with bread crumbs. Set aside in refrigerator.
  • Julienne 1 carrot, ½ cucumbers, and 2-3 cabbage leaves and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp maple syrup, together with salt and pepper. Mix.
  • Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat.When pan is hot, add patties (do not crowd pan).
  •  Cook for ~5 mins and flip. Add cheese to each patty. Cook on stovetop with lid on the pan to melt cheese OR place in the oven at 450 degrees F for 3-4 minutes. 
  • Assemble by adding patty to bun, topped with caramelized onions and slaw. Serve with your favorite side dish (fries, duh). 
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EntreesGluten FreeMains

The Notorious “RBG”: Rice, Beans, and Greens

beans, rice, broccoli and collard greens together on white plate with gold trim

Simple, humble and nutritious describes this dish perfectly! Greens combine with beans and rice for a nutritional powerhouse.

I named this very simple and humble dish of rice, beans, and greens for one of my favorite Supreme Court Justices, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I think it’s very telling and NOT a coincidence that her initials are also the initials of the one of the healthiest and nutritional bowls of food I like to eat.

As many of you may already know, I’m an attorney by day (and often night). I’ve been a practicing trial lawyer for 16 years, now. I have been to court hundreds of times (I actually just did a trial from my bedroom during quarantine not too long ago—what was weird). And while times have certainly changed since RBG was just starting out and even appointed to the bench, I’m often the only woman, still, in a courtroom full of men.

beans,rice, broccoli, collard greens on plate with gold trim

Take, for example, the trial I was in earlier this year. Between the witnesses, the judge, and the other lawyers, there was a total of 12 men and 1 woman (me). I wonder, often, how this is possible, when more than half the students in my law school class were women, when more than half the candidates selected for internships at my law firm were women, when more than half the interns that were hired for full time positions were women.

I don’t know.

But that’s a rabbit hole that’s I don’t need to drop into right now. Suffice it to say that I admire Justice Ginsberg for spending a lifetime being the “only woman” in thousands of courtrooms, boardrooms, and war-rooms.

Which is why I named one of my favorite dishes for her!

Why is this one of my favorite dishes? Well, I think it’s obvious what qualifies something as a “favorite” for the TKV:

–Delicious

–Nutritious

–Stupid simple to make

This recipe hits all three of the above in a major way. The beans have a smokiness that will remind you of your favorite Chipotle dish and the broccoli have a little sweetness that will make you think of Chinese takeout. But this dish has minimal oil, while being packed with fiber and antioxidants. So the next time you want to end the day with a bang, give this Notorious RBG: Rice, Beans, and Greens a whirl!

Simple, humble and nutritious describes this dish perfectly! Greens combine with beans and rice for a nutritional powerhouse.
I named this very simple and humble dish of rice, beans, and greens for one of my favorite Supreme Court Justices, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I think it’s very telling and NOT a coincidence that her initials are also the initials of the one of the healthiest and nutritional bowls of food I like to eat.

As many of you may already know, I’m an attorney by day (and often night). I’ve been a practicing trial lawyer for 16 years, now. I have been to court hundreds of times (I actually just did a trial from my bedroom during quarantine not too long ago—what was weird). And while times have certainly changed since RBG was just starting out and even appointed to the bench, I’m often the only woman, still, in a courtroom full of men.

beans, rice, broccoli and collard greens together on white plate with gold trim

I don’t know.

But that’s a rabbit hole that’s I don’t need to drop into right now. Suffice it to say that I admire Justice Ginsberg for spending a lifetime being the “only woman” in thousands of courtrooms, boardrooms, and war-rooms.

Which is why I named one of my favorite dishes for her!

Why is this one of my favorite dishes? Well, I think it’s obvious what qualifies something as a “favorite” for the TKV:

–Delicious

–Nutritious

–Stupid simple to make

This recipe hits all three of the above in a major way. The beans have a smokiness that will remind you of your favorite Chipotle dish and the broccoli have a little sweetness that will make you think of Chinese takeout. But this dish has minimal oil, while being packed with fiber and antioxidants. So the next time you want to end the day with a bang, give this Notorious RBG: Rice, Beans, and Greens a whirl!

beans, rice, broccoli and collard greens together on white plate with gold trim

The Notorious “RBG”: Rice, Beans, and Greens

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2

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups brown rice cooked
  • 1 can black beans drained
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 teaspoon maple syrup divided
  • 1 Tablesppon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 head broccoli chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 34 leaves collard greens chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a small pot, add black beans together with ½ clove of minced garlic and all the different spices (chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground turmeric, salt, and pepper). Let it cook for about 5 minutes, until beans are hot.
  • In the meantime, to two large pans, add ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, each. To one pan, add collard greens and some minced garlic. To the other pan, add broccoli and minced garlic.
  • Add salt and pepper to both pans. When collard greens are cooked (usually takes 2 minutes), remove from heat and set aside.
  • When broccoli is fully cooked (usually takes 3-4 minutes), remove from heat and add 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp maple syrup. Stir to make sure broccoli is evenly coated.
  • Add everything to a bowl and serve [with kimchi].
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Gluten FreeMainsPasta and Noodles

Six Ingredient Simple Onion Pasta (Gluten Free)

Simple, delicious and ready to go in minutes? That’s how this simple onion pasta rolls!

This Simple Onion Pasta recipe is the perfect meal for after a long day of work, when the carbs and brain cells have been depleted from your body [basically every day for me]. One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it demonstrates how deliciously simple some of the best recipes can be. This recipe requires so few ingredients (just 6!!) and takes only 20 minutes to make, but ends up tasting like you’ve been cooking all day long.

The secret to this dish are the onions. Ok, I guess since this is “Onion Pasta,” it’s not really a secret. But, hear me out. I use two kinds of onions for this dish—both white and red—in order to maximize flavor. I guess the REAL star to this ingredient is patience. I know, what a boring ingredient, but it’s so true. This is one of those recipes that will taste so much better if you just let the onions sit in their own juices and get caramelized with their own sugars. The more you agitate them, the less likely you will achieve that glorious flavor.

onion pasta in pot

Many people like to use a thickening agent to thicken their pasta sauces. But, not me. I like to use pasta water to do that job. You’ll find that pasta water can create light broths when poured over some toasted garlic, and do all the thickening you need without using ingredients like corn starch, cashews, or butter. Plus, it’s the way the Italians do it! Once you get used to adding pasta water to your favorite pasta dishes, you will never go back, trust me.

I’ve made this dish so often, only because it requires so little effort for the amount of deliciousness involved. So, the next time you have a couple of onions in your house and you don’t know what to do with them, give this Simple Onion Pasta a try. You will NOT be disappointed!

Six Ingredient Simple Onion Pasta (Gluten Free)

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
3

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 red onion julienned
  • 1/2 white onion julienned
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 box Gluten free spaghetti
  • parsley for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Begin cooking pasta according to instructions on box.
  • In a large pan over medium high heat, add extra virgin olive oil.
  • When oil is hot, add onions. Allow them to cook with relatively little agitation for about 3 minutes. Then add garlic and salt.
  • Continue cooking garlic and onions, not stirring minimally, until onions begin to brown (an additional 4-5 minutes). Add more salt.
  • When onions are fairly brown, take 1 ladleful or ¼ cup of the water from your cooking pasta (“pasta water”) and add to cooking onions. Reduce heat. When the sauce has reduced completely, add an additional ¼ cup of pasta water.
  • Add cooked pasta to the onions and incorporate into the onions. Add additional pasta water as necessary if pasta is too dry.
  • Garnish with a little more olive oil and fresh parsley.
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Gluten FreeMains

Kale and Zucchini Salad with Roasted Parsnip Chips

kale salad in bowl with chopsticks

The sweet of salad and parsnip combine beautifully with the bite of kale to make a delicious, easy salad you’ll enjoy over and over!

You all know that I don’t like salad, so you might be wondering why I have a recipe for Kale and Parsnip Apple Salad. Well, in summer time, zucchinis taste just so darn good, you start looking for any old excuse to make something with them. Plus, my husband loves salad and is always begging me to add more salads to our meals, so I decided to put something together that I knew even an anti-salad person would like.

I used to hate kale. I associated “kale” with know-it-all goodie-two-shoes who were obsessed with nutrition at the expense of joy. The only people who ate kale salads were those who also drank celery juice for breakfast and eschewed pasta like a vampire avoids the morning sun. In other words, I automatically assumed that I was a kale-hater, because I will never drink celery juice for breakfast and you’d have to kill me to get me stop eating pasta (or rice, potatoes, and bread, for that matter).

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), my husband really really loves kale (he is one step away from drinking green juices, but thankfully, he’s Italian so he, too, understands the impossibility of giving up pasta), so I started incorporating kale, bit by bit, into various recipes. And soon enough, I realized that I really actually liked kale, in fact preferred kale (I actually made a t-shirt that says, “I prefer kale.”). Kale is sturdy and doesn’t fall apart or turn into a big green mush at the first sign of heat or a rich dressing. It stands up to the elements in the most delightful way, ensuring that every bite has the requisite “crunch,” instead of wilting into an irritating nothingness.

woman holding a salad and food with chopsticks

So, kale is the base of almost all my salads (that or broccoli). Much to my mother’s chagrin, I’ve also started subbing kale in for many traditional Korean recipes that call for spinach. Kale is not a traditional Korean ingredient, but its bright flavor pairs so well with the umami of miso, soy sauce, and garlic, it seemed a natural fit.

Anyway, enough about me waxing poetic on kale. This Kale and Zucchini Salad is a very simple salad designed to address your salad fix, while also making you feel good about eating some of the healthiest foods on the planet. It’s packed with antioxidants, fiber, anti-inuflammatory agents, and other nutrients that will set you up for the week, while also tasting really really good. So, enjoy this Kale and Zucchini Salad and before you know it, you too will want to start wearing tshirts that say “I Prefer Kale.”!

kale salad in bowl

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6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 bunches curly kale chopped
  • 4-5 florets broccoli chopped
  • 1/4 red onion diced
  • 1 carrot julienned
  • 1 zucchini chopped
  • 1/2 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
  • 1/2 avocado chopped
  • 1 parsnip sliced paper thin
  • 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

For the dressing

  • 1 Tablespoon almond butter
  • 1/2 Tablespoon gochujang
  • 1/4 cup coconut water
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice parsnip into paper thin slices (you can use a mandolin or a potato peeler). Drizzle with ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil and place slices on baking sheet in one layer. Place in the preheated oven for ~7 minutes until they are toasted brown. Set aside to cool.
  • Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Season with salt.
  • Create dressing by placing all dressing ingredients into a deep bowl and using an immersion blender to blend until creamy.
  • Add dressing, little by little, to salad (you don’t want to overdress). When greens are just barely coated with salad, use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale and other greens. Place in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes and up to 24 hours.
  • Right before serving, add a little more dressing (to taste). Garnish with roasted parsnip chips.
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Gluten FreeSauces

Mouthwatering Braised Tomatoes

braised tomatoes in white pot on windowsill

Mouthwatering, savory tomatoes blend with the bite of balsamic vinegar and garlic and the sweet of shallots to make a beautiful braised tomato dish that is perfect for dipping in with crusty bread, or topping pasta.

This Mouthwatering Braised Tomatoes recipe resulted from sheer laziness. I think many great recipes are a result of an unwillingness to complete “all the steps” of a traditional recipe and this is exactly how this recipe came to be.

My husband loves tomatoes. Marinara sauce is to him what gochujang is to me (if you’d like to see how I marry these two loves, check out my Red Sauce recipe here). This means that I usually include one marinara based pasta dish during my weekly rotation of meals.

braised tomatoes in white cast iron

But you know how it is. Better yet, you know me. I like simple and easy and not a lot of steps in my recipes. My favorite recipes, in fact, are those where you dump a bunch of things into a pot and let it simmer while you do more important things (like playing Animal Crossing or watching Itaewon Class). So, I came up with a “dummified” version of my red sauce, which included nothing but the basics:

  • Lots of fresh tomatoes
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 shallot
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Dried Italian herbs
  • Bay leaves
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Olive Oil
tomatoes in white pot

So, that right there is the ingredient list. And you rough chop everything (no need to make it look pretty) and stick it in a pot and let it simmer for an hour or so, until the tomatoes are so sweet, they taste like jam. Then, I let the whole pot cool for about another hour and take an immersion blender to it in order to achieve a rustic, chunky sauce for our pasta dish.

Well, the other day, feeling even lazier than usual, I thought, “well, what would happen if I just didn’t bother to blend it?”

WITCHERY is what happened.

I fished out the bay leaves and grabbed a hunk of ciabatta bread (store bought, because we are at quarantine level lows of flour and yeast here in Chicago). I dove in, sweeping the bread right through and parting the rubied sea of tomatoes. My first bite was a sweet, garlicky explosion and I knew, then and there, that no immersion blender would take to these tomatoes.

tomatoes in white pot next to green herbs

These tomatoes are an excellent substitute for the more al fresco “bruschetta” or fabulous poured over some gnocchi. The Korean in me would mix it with a bowl of rice and roasted seaweed. The point is, you make enough to last you a few days and your meals are essentially done. What’s more? Your family will think you are the best cook of all time.

You see guys, as I often tell my clients, my job is to make YOU look good to YOUR clients. And trust me—these Mouthwatering Braised Tomatoes will do just that.

Mouthwatering Braised Tomatoes

Print Recipe
6

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic minced or thinly sliced
  • 1 large shallot sliced
  • 1 carrot small diced
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 18-24 small tomatoes can sub 7-8 heirloom tomatoes, rough chopped
  • 2-3 bay leaves

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot (I like using a massive Dutch oven pot), add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.
  • When oil is hot, add garlic, shallots, and carrots. Allow the shallots to “sweat” (i.e., cook until they start to grow translucent). Add ½ tsp of salt, a little cracked black pepper, and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning.
  • Stir the veggies using a wooden spoon. When the garlic starts to turn brown around the edges, deglaze the bottom of the pot with a balsamic vinegar. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits.
  • Add chopped tomatoes to pot, together with another healthy pinch of salt, and stir together the contents of the pot (so that the veggies are not all at the bottom). Next add a couple bay leaves.
  • Tomatoes will begin to release liquid immediately—continue to stir gently. When liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to low and allow tomatoes to simmer for approximately 1 hour, until tomatoes have broken down (though still retaining some shape).
  • Drizzle another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and serve with crusty bread or pasta.
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DessertsGluten Free

Healthy Carrot Cake (Vegan & Gluten Free)

top view of cake with white frosting and purple flowers and chopped nuts

This Healthy Carrot Cake was born out of necessity. My husband was going through his “I want to be gluten free” phase and I absolutely needed—like truly needed—carrot cake. At that time, I was also experimenting with going “refined sugar free” (why???) and therefore, the cake (not the frosting) has no added refined sugar. I also replaced the vegan butter I would typically include with applesauce. Bottom line, this is probably one of the healthiest cakes I’ve ever developed.

top view of cake with white frosting and purple flowers

And it still tasted AMAZING.

There used to be a restaurant across the street from my office that was famous for its carrot cake. Each thick slab would be lined with elegant cream cheese frosting, with a mini “carrot” piped on the top. The cake itself was moist and soft and carrot-y and was often times the perfect way to end lunch, before heading back to my billable hours.

The problem with this decadent cake, though, was that it always left me feeling slightly sick to my stomach. Not sure how much of this was caused by heavy frosting or the inevitable “food guilt,” but it was unpleasant enough that I steered clear of the carrot cake most lunches, even if it was my hands down favorite item on their menu.

woman behind layer cake with purple flowers and nuts on top

This Healthy Carrot Cake kinda checks all the boxes—no refined flour, no refined sugar, no dairy, no eggs, no processed fat. Not to mention that it’s full of carrots and cinnamon, both of which will give you a shot of antioxidants. Not sure you can get any healthier than this and still call it a cake?

I am very sensitive to “aftertastes,” which is one of the reasons I cannot STAND using pre-mixed gluten free flours from the store. No matter what brand I used, I could always taste “something” that I shouldn’t. So, I came up with my own simple blend. It usually works out pretty well and it created a very moist and soft carrot cake. I honestly wasn’t expecting much when I decided to create a Healthy Carrot Cake, but was pleasantly surprised with these results.

Now, I didn’t include a frosting in this recipe because it’s hard to keep even this cake “healthy” with frosting. But, if you must have frosting with your carrot cake (I hear ya), I include an optional “frosting” recipe at the bottom. Enjoy!

woman standing behind cake that has white frosting and purple flowers and nuts on top

Print Recipe
8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar
  • 3/4 cup plant milk
  • 1 1/2 cup sweet rice flour 170 grams
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup flax meal
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 300 grams shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup golden raisins
  • 2/3 cup shredded coconut

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Spray 7-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  • Add vinegar to plant milk and set aside until it curdles.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together sweet white rice flour, almond flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and raisins.
  • Add shredded carrots, coconut, applesauce, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and curdled plant milk to dry ingredients and stir with whisk until well combined.
  • Pour batter into cake pan and place into oven. Bake for ~50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool completely (15-20 minutes) before attempting to remove from pan.
  • For cream cheese frosting, add 2 cups of powdered sugar to stand mixer. Add 1 cup of vegan cream cheese + 2 tbsp vegan butter. Mix together on low speed with paddle attachment.
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