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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
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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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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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MainsSoups, Stews, and Side Dishes

Green Lentil Stew

green lentil stew in white bowl next to silver spoon on blue napkin

On Mondays, I like to make sure my meals are as green as possible which is why I came up with this Green Lentil Stew for the first weekday. Why, you ask? Well, I dunno about you, but Sundays are sort of my “indulgence” days. I don’t like to use the word “cheat day,” because it implies a sort of rigidity to the rest of my days (sort of a recipe for disordered eating). Rather, I like to call Sundays my “day of rest” (as God intended, y’all), which means that I don’t run, I don’t work out, I don’t work (if I can avoid it). I eat whatever I want to eat (vegan, of course), watch whatever K-drama I feel like, and wear the rattiest most comfortable clothes I own.

green lentil stew in white bowl with a silver spoon

I usually go to bed feeling extremely satisfied, but sometimes a little icky in the stomach, you know what I mean? Now, this is usually where some folks might spend paragraphs regaling you with the so-called benefits of juicing or detoxing or blah blah blah. I am not one of those persons. Again, I don’t like to govern my eating with extremes. I don’t ever want to feel deprived at the end of dinner. Whether I’m eating the greenest “healthiest” thing on the planet or a bucket of French fries, I want to walk away from that meal saying, “Man that Green Lentil Stew was the BOMB.”

green lentil stew in white bowl on wooden background

It’s not really just about avoiding sugar and fried things, though. It’s also about adding all the things that Dr. Greger tells you to eat every day. Cruciferous greens (my favorite is collard greens, what’s yours?) and legumes (I love love lentils). Whole grains, etc. So, I created this Green Lentil Stew with those things in mind, while also adding a few “Korean-y” items to make them extra tasty to my Korean palate.

The result is an incredibly nutritious but still absolutely delicious stew that you can add into your weekly rotation. Whether it’s Monday or Friday, you will LOVE this Green Lentil Stew because it’s so easy to make and will leave you feeling like a rock star.

green lentil stew in white bowl with a silver spoon on wooden background

Green Lentil Stew

5 from 1 vote
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4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup green lentils uncooked
  • 4 Tablespoons brown rice uncooked
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable paste can sub miso paste
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 stalk celery small diced
  • 1 carrot small diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup red onion diced
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 7-8 leaves collard greens chopped
  • 1 cup rice cake balls optional

Instructions
 

  • Rinse rice and lentils thoroughly under hot water until water drains clear. Place in large soup pot, together with vegetable/miso paste, spices, and water. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer.
  • In the meantime, in a large pan, saute all veggies with oil, seasoning with salt.
  • When onions are translucent, dump veggies into pot with lentils. Stir until all veggies are evenly coated.
  • Add vegetable broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until lentils are tender and rice is cooked.
  • Add frozen rice cake balls (you can find these in frozen foods aisle at a Korean grocery store) and chopped greens. Stir until rice cakes are soft and hot. Taste and add salt as needed. Serve over rice or by itself.
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MainsSoups, Stews, and Side Dishes

Lentil Miso Soup

This Lentil Miso Soup was an inevitability. I love lentil soup and it was only a matter of time before I came up with my own. This soup will taste a lot like the lentil soups you would order at your local Mediterranean restaurant, but, of course, with a little Korean twist. One of the reasons I love lentil soup is because it is so darn good for you. When we were little, it always seemed like all the “healthy” foods tasted horrible. As an adult, I’ve learned there are so many delicious and good-for-you foods, and lentils definitely fall into that latter category.

Lentils form the backbone of both Indian and Mediterranean cuisine and it is no coincidence that heart disease, obesity, and diabetes happens a lot less frequently in those two regions of the world than in the United States. “Pulses” (think beans) have a ton of fiber in them and studies suggest that fiber may be the thread to long life. Fiber also helps you to feel fuller faster, meaning you end up consuming less calories. I’ve read enough about legumes and fiber to start trying to sneak lentils and beans into everything I eat—even desserts!

Now, before you tackle my Bean Ice Cream recipe (just kidding…sort of), try your hand at this soup. It’s perfect on one of those “I’m to busy to cook” evenings because you basically chop up the ingredients, throw it into a pot, and forget about it for like 30 minutes and voila—you have a delicious and hearty Lentil Miso Soup at your service.

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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup red lentils uncooked
  • 1/2 cup rice uncooked
  • 1 Tablespoon veggie base can sub with miso paste
  • 2+6 cups veggie stock
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 7 cloves garlic minced
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • 1 cup kale chopped
  • 1/8 cup parsley chopped
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions
 

  • In a large soup pot (I used a Dutch oven), add lentils, rice, miso paste, veggie base, and 2 cups stock.
  • Bring to a boil and then let simmer until all liquid is evaporated.
  • Meanwhile, sauté all veggies (except kale and parsley) and spices in a little oil.
  • Once softened, add veggies to pot of lentils/rice, together with 6 cups of veggie stock and bay leaves.
  • Bring to boil and let simmer until rice is cooked.
  • Before serving, remove bay leaves and add kale, parsley, and lemon juice.
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EntreesMains

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This Chickpea Salad Sandwich is designed to staunch all your sandwich cravings. Full stop. I mean, what’s not to like? You mean the fact that it’s not chicken or tuna? Yeah, I know for some folks avoiding meat, it can sort of suck not being able to eat the things we grew up eating. But, I gotta tell you—I chowed down on this sandwich and didn’t miss a GD thing. And, my stomach was a lot happier about the whole thing too—no dairy, no heavy dressings, and plenty of healthy fibers and protein in my chickpeas!

But here’s the secret to this sandwich—grape jam.

WHUT?

I know. Grape jelly has no place in a savory salad sandwich! It belongs exclusively with its soulmate, PB! This is downright sacrilegious and unAmerican to boot!

Keep your pants on.

This is the itty bitty of “Korean” in this Korean Vegan recipe. This Chickpea Salad Sandwich is a take on the various sandwiches you can buy at one of those impossibly adorable cafes in Korea. You know—where all the sandwiches are individually prepared and packaged and you have to place them on a tray with a pair of tongs? And it works. You may not think it will, but give it try. The sweetness allows your tastebuds to truly appreciate the combo of flavors in the salad, in a way they simply would not if it was all savory savory savory.

So give this Chickpea Salad Sandwich a try! It’s easy to make, delicious, good for you, and just a little big weird. But in the best possible way.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 can cooked chickpeas or use 1 3/4 cups
  • 1/4 medium red onion diced
  • 1/2 large carrot diced
  • 1/8 each red bell pepper diced
  • 1 stalk celery diced
  • 1/8 cup leeks diced
  • 9 bread pickles diced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons vegan sour cream
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons hummus
  • 1/2 Tablespoon mustard
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 12 slices favorite sandwich bread
  • 6 teaspoons grape jam

Instructions
 

  • Throw everything (except for jam and bread) into a large bowl and mash it up with pestle or masher or fork.
  • pread jam on 4 slices of bread. Place another slice of each of these. Top with chickpea salad and another slice of bread. Slice in half before serving.
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MainsTraditional Korean Recipes

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

So, this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice is the culmination of having lots of odds and ends (like one single solitary kale leaf) in my fridge and not enough energy in my body to come up with anything else for dinner. I remember, when I went paleo for a little bit (it was a very bad decision, guys, don’t recommend it), my meals consisted of a daily dump (wow, bad imagery, but so appropriate) of random meats into a big pan, together with whatever veggies I had on hand. While it didn’t always taste that great and left my stomach feeling even worse, it was easy and somewhat thoughtless. Funny enough, I think some of the most popular Korean recipes are those that were derived by people who simply didn’t know how to, or didn’t have adequate brain power, to cook.

You see, every Korean kitchen will have rice and kimchi. Start with those two things, and you’re like 90% there. Then just add in oil and every vegetable known to man in your fridge, and you’re done. Basically, that’s how I came up with this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice.

Where’s the egg? Well, go ahead and add your favorite egg replacer in there, but honestly, I made this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice last night with like 50 ppl on Chibo, and none of them missed the egg.  My husband—who gobbled up about 80% of it before I could get in a spoonful—certainly didn’t miss no eggs.  So, do yourself a favor.  Make this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice and find out what all the fuss is about!

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 + 1 tbsps vegetable oil
  • 3 cups day old/cooled rice
  • 1/4 medium onion (diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
  • 1 cup kimchi (chopped)
  • 1 whole carrot (diced)
  • 1/2 head broccoli (chopped)
  • 3-4 shiitake mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1 small Yukon gold potato (diced)
  • 2 Leaves kale (julienned)
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 tbsp gochujang*
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 green onion chopped
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • optional garnish: roasted nori strips

Instructions
 

  • Begin preparing kimchi fried rice by mixing sauce—2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp maple syrup.
  • Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to a very large pan over highest heat setting.
  • When oil begins to shimmer, add 1 cups of day old or cooled rice. Do not crowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Fry rice in oil until it starts to toast and remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining rice.
  • Add 1 tbsp of oil. Sautee all veggies, including kimchi. Season with a little salt.
  • When veggies start to brown, add sauce and stir until all veggies are coated.
  • Add back fried rice and mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the heat and add 1 tsp sesame oil for shine.
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds and roasted nori.
  • Snip a little green onion over the top of both the kimchi fried rice.
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MainsPasta and Noodles

Mushroom Gochujang Pasta

This Mushroom Gochujang Pasta, like many things, was an borne out of a need. And that need was to not waste all the mushrooms I had. You know the drill—you see something on Pinterest full of mushrooms and you KNOW that you can do it, so you go all out at the grocery store (when that was a thing…) and buy every variety of mushrooms known to man, because you are SO going to do that Pinterest mushroom recipe thing.

But then, life—i.e., the kids’ soulless fetish for Mac ‘N Cheese—gets in the way and your mushroom dreams look a little grim. Well, here’s your chance to redeem yourself!! Actually, this was really more about my own redemption, guys, not gonna lie.

But, you are the happy beneficiaries of my funghi soul searching! So, don’t let this be that pinterest post that dies on the vine—whip out those shrooms and try this amazing Mushroom Gochujang Pasta!

Mushroom Gochujang Pasta

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Ingredients
  

  • 10-15 each mushrooms sliced
  • 3/4 medium white onione sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons gochujang
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon hummus
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin
  • 1 cup mushroom broth can sub any broth or water
  • 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1 box pasta cooked according to directions on box
  • 1 cup pasta water

Instructions
 

  • Make sauce by mixing together gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, and hummus. Set aside.
  • Add extra virgin olive oil to pan over medium high heat. When oil starts to shimmer, add mushrooms to pan. Do not mess with them for about 1 minute. Give them a stir with a wooden spoon or tongs and then let them sit for another 1 minute without bothering them.
  • Next add onions and garlic. Similarly allow them to sit with the mushrooms without messing with them for about a minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add sauce mixture to cooked veggies, along with broth/water. Bring to a quick boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked chickpeas.
  • When pasta is ready, add to pan with sauce and veggies, along with a little pasta water (2 tbsp at a time) if sauce is too dry.
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Mains

Vegan Wellington

Vegan Wellington

Delicious, flaky crust is filled with vegetables and covered with your favorite gravy for an easy weeknight meal that is comforting and filling.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 package puff pastry thawed and pliable
  • 1 package field roast Italian sausage
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 8-9 cremini mushroms roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot rough chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 stalk celery chopped
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 teaspoon thyme dried
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375° F. In a non-stick pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat until it gets hot.
  • Add mushrooms and cook for ~ 2-3 minutes, until they start to get soft. Next add onions and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Then add carrot, garlic, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for ~3-4 minutes. Set aside.
  • In food processor, add Field Roast sausage links and pulse ~8-10 times until sausages are the consistency of small pebbles. Add to large bowl. Repeat with walnuts and add to bowl with ground Field Roast. Repeat with sautéed vegetables and add to same bowl.
  • Add flour, breadcrumbs, and tomato paste to bowl and using a large wooden spoon or your hands, incorporate all ingredients and shape into a thick log, approximately 10 inches long and 4 inches across.
  • Place the log onto the thawed sheet of puff pastry. Wrap the log completely with the puff pastry by pinching the seams, cutting off any extra (which you can save for future use).
  • Using a very sharp knife, create slits in the top of the puff pastry. Mix together 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 1 tbsp non-dairy milk. Brush the top of the puff pastry with mixture.
  • Place in the oven and cook for approximately 34-40 minutes, until puff pastry is golden brown. Serve with your favorite gravy.
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MainsPasta and Noodles

Mushroom Pasta

Mushroom Pasta

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Ingredients
  

  • 10-12 cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2-3 sprigs thyme
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 Tablespoon baba ghanoush
  • 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup mushroom both or pasta water
  • 4 leaves lacintao kale cut into ribbons

Instructions
 

  • Begin cooking your preferred pasta according to instructions on packaging. The sauce will take ~7 minutes to prepare, so plan accordingly.
  • In a large pan, add extra virgin olive oil and when it is hot, add mushrooms. Cook for ~2-3 mins, then add garlic and onions, together with salt & pepper and thyme leaves (not the sprigs themselves!).
  • After about 1-2 mins, deglaze the pan with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and reduce heat to a simmer.
  • Add baba ghanoush and nutritional yeast and once dissolved, add mushroom broth or pasta water (i.e., the water your pasta is cooking in). This should start to thicken to about half its original volume pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it.
  • Once pasta is cooked, add to pan with sauce, together with kale, and incorporate. Add additional pasta water if pasta gets too dry. Add extra black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
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