Roasted Tomato & Pepper Soup

This past month, as part of my yoga journey, I was asked to look at my eating patterns. This required that I start recording my current diet and examine it. A simple process that showed me how I eat, and where I can make a few positive changes. I found myself asking questions like: How much sugar or processed foods do I consume? Do I know where my food came from and how was it produced? Do I eat when I’m stressed or happy or sad?

What stood out for me? Processed Foods. Even on my gluten & dairy-free diet, I (surprisingly) consume many processed items. With the current demand for GF & DF, many retailers are creating foods that are allergy safe… but that doesn’t mean they are healthy! With this mind-set, I began last week on a quest to create flavorful foods, from scratch.

Today, I’m sharing one of the highlights, Roasted Tomato & Pepper Soup. I’m a HUGE fan of roasting because it brings out the natural sweetness and flavors of the fruits/vegetables. It is one of the easiest ways to make everything yummy. And this soup is no exception to yumminess! It’s creamy and savory, with the perfect balance of heat, to leave your mouth wanting more. Enjoy!


Roasted Tomato & Pepper Soup
by Laura Friendly
Start to Finish: 10 minutes (does not including roasting time)
makes: around 4 cups

• 3 large roasted tomatoes
• 1 large roasted green bell pepper
• 1 roasted poblano pepper
• 1 roasted jalapeno
• 4 cloves roasted garlic (or more to taste)
• 1 cup coconut milk, room temperature
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
• juice from ½ a lime, about 1 tbsp
• salt & pepper to taste
• shredded coconut

Roughly chop the tomatoes, peppers and garlic. Place into a blender and puree until smooth. Add in the coconut milk and lime and blend for about a minute. If the soup is cold, transfer mixture to a small sauce pan. Warm over medium-heat, for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

While soup is warming, toast shredded coconut. Over medium heat, warm a small non-stick pan and add in shredded coconut, spreading out evenly. Stir frequently and allow coconut to toast. Once the coconut is just beginning to brown, remove from the heat. Sprinkle over soup before serving.


How to oven roast vegetables:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Slice tomatoes and peppers in half, lengthwise (removing the seeds from the peppers) and place skin side up in a large oven-safe baking dish (or a 4-sided sheet pan). Do not overlap the vegetables but give them space (this may require 2 baking dishes). Evenly coat the skins of the tomatoes and peppers with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. note: If you desire more heat, do not remove the seeds from the jalapeño.
3. Remove skins from the garlic cloves. Create a small bowl with aluminum foil and place the garlic in the center. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and fold over the top of the foil to seal in the garlic. Place foil into the baking dish next to the peppers and tomatoes.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skins blacken and blister (the garlic should be soft but not burnt). Remove from oven and take out the garlic. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Allow vegetables to cool and then remove all skins.

You can also view this recipe on HelloGiggles!

Roasted Salsa

Why homemade salsa? (1) It is so easy to make. (2) It is much cheaper than buying pre-made salsa. (3) Finding good, gluten-free salsa can be a challenge, because most salsas are not gluten-free. 

In the beginning of my gluten-free journey, I bought many pre-made items: bread, vegan cream cheese and salsa, for example. I quickly realized that eating gluten-free is not cheap and most items are often double the price. After spending $6.50 on a 16oz. jar of salsa (I put my foot down at the $9.00 jar) I realized it was time to start making my own. 

Part of the fun of creating your own salsa, is the ability to play with the flavors. I like to try different peppers, add freshly squeezed orange juice, or load-up on the cilantro. Depending on my mood, I switch between roasting my vegetables or using them raw. Basically, the sky’s the limit when it come to creating salsa, and the corn tortillas are on stand-by. 

Roasted Salsa

by Laura Friendly

• 7 to 8 medium roasted tomatoes, chopped 
• 1 roasted green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 roasted poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 to 2 roasted jalapeno peppers, chopped (depending on your heat level)
• 1 medium fresh onion, chopped 
• 5 roasted garlic cloves, (or to taste)
• juice of 2 limes (about 4 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 to 2 bunches of fresh cilantro, cleaned & stems removed

Place tomatoes, bell pepper, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt and cilantro into a food processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined to your liking. For chunky salsa: pulse ingredients slowly. For a more smooth salsa: blend until creamy. 

How to oven roast vegetables:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Slice tomatoes and peppers in half, lengthwise (removing the seeds from the peppers) and place skin side up in a large oven-safe baking dish (or a 4-sided sheet pan). Do not overlap the vegetables but give them space (this may require 2 baking dishes). Evenly coat the skins of the tomatoes and peppers with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. note: If you desire more heat, do not remove the seeds from the jalapeño.
3. Remove skins from the garlic cloves. Create a small bowl with aluminum foil and place the garlic in the center. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and fold over the top of the foil to seal in the garlic. Place foil into the baking dish next to the peppers and tomatoes.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skins blacken and blister (the garlic should be soft but not burnt). Remove from oven and take out the garlic. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Allow vegetables to cool and then remove all skins.

You can also view this recipe on HelloGiggles. ;)

Chocolate Cake for One (or Two)

There are days when all I really want is cake. Chocolate cake to be precise, but I’m not in the mood to bake an entire cake. All I want is one serving (or maybe two), so I won’t be tempted to break my scale the next morning… Insert the Mug Cake (aka: microwave baking). 

I must admit microwave baking just sounds outrageous, but I decided to dive into uncharted Laura Friendly baking territory, and give it a shot. I will be honest, the instant gratification made this whole adventure worthwhile. When you only have 10 minutes to spare and you really want cake… you can’t beat this! 

So, today I have for you, one personal-sized, gluten-free chocolate cake, with a very tasty peanut butter frosting. The entire thing only takes about 15 minutes to make, and most of that time is just measuring! Enjoy! :) 

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake for One (or Two)

by Laura Friendly

Start to Finish: 10 minutes

makes: 1 cake (or you can split this into two smaller cakes)

• 4 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free All Purpose Baking Flour

• 4 tbsp sugar

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

• ⅛ tsp baking powder

• ⅛ tsp baking soda

• ⅛ tsp gluten-free xanthan gum

• ⅛ tsp salt

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

• 2 tbsp applesauce, room temperature

• 2 tbsp soy milk, room temperature

• ¼ tsp gluten-free vanilla

• 2 tbsp gluten & dairy-free chocolate chips, optional

• 1 tbsp peanut butter, optional

Lightly grease a 16oz microwave safe mug (or ramekin) with coconut oil and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: egg, coconut oil, applesauce, soy milk and vanilla. 

Combine wet and dry ingredients together, whisking until smooth. Pour cake batter into the prepared mug (or ramekin), only filling halfway. If desired, drop a tbsp of peanut butter into the center of the batter, and sprinkle the top with gluten & dairy-free chocolate chips.

Place the mug (or ramekin) onto a microwave safe plate, and bake in the center of the microwave for 2 to 4 minutes. After 2 minutes, check to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the center – if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If the toothpick has cake batter on it, bake for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, checking every 30 seconds. note: because the microwave cooks so fast, you can over bake this cake very easily, making the whole experience very dry and unappealing

Remove the cake from the microwave and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting

by Laura Friendly

Start to Finish: 5 minutes

• 4 tbsp creamy peanut butter

• 4 tbsp powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp soy milk 

In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, powdered sugar and soy milk, until the texture is very smooth and creamy. Slather onto your microwave cake and dig in!

You can also view this recipe on HelloGiggles!

Spring Rolls with a Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce

This past week marked another gathering of my book club, affectionately known as The Yogi Book Club: food, fun, great conversation and perhaps an occasional yoga pose thrown in for good measure. Our book of the month was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I know… it’s not yoga, but a captivating story just the same, and to be honest, I couldn’t put the darn thing down.

In honor of The Hunger Games, we decided to create dishes that had a freshly-picked feel. My offering, and what I’m sharing today, is the lovely Spring Roll. They are the perfect appetizer and usually a crowd-pleaser, plus they are good for you. Gluten-free, dairy-free and so easy to make, I think this might be something you add into your recipe arsenal. Enjoy!

Spring Rolls

by Laura Friendly

Start to Finish: 45 minutes

makes: 12 to 14 wraps

• 1 package of gluten-free spring roll wrappers

• 4 oz. dried bean threads or rice noodles

• 1 large head of lettuce, cleaned, bottoms removed, cut to about 4 inches long

• 1 cup of shredded carrots

• 1 large English cucumber, sliced into thin ribbons

• 1 cup of cilantro, cleaned and stems removed
• 2 to 3 spring onions, thinly sliced

• sea salt

Cook bean threads or rice noodles according to instructions, drain and cut in half, length-wise. Set aside.

Place one spring roll wrap into a bowl of warm water. When the wrap has become pliable and bendy, around 15 seconds, remove from the water and place onto a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.

Starting on one end of the wrap, place a piece of lettuce. On top of that add a little carrot, bean threads or rice noodles, cilantro, onion and cucumber. Sprinkle with sea salt and roll up the wrap, being sure to fold-in the sides. Continue until all rice wraps have been filled. 

These are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container, for about 24 hours. 

Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce

by Laura Friendly

Start to Finish: 15 minutes

makes: about 12 oz.

• 1 tbsp corn starch

• ¼ cup cold water

• 1 cup water

• ½ cup sugar

• ¼ cup agave nectar

• 4 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce (I use San-J Organic Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)

• 2 tbsp fish sauce (to make this vegan, use more soy sauce instead)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 Serrano pepper or hot pepper of choice, minced
  (you can remove the seeds to reduce the heat)

• juice of 2 limes (about 4 tbsp)

Combine corn starch and ¼ cup of cold water, mix until corn starch is dissolved and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, over medium heat, combine 1 cup water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add in agave, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, pepper, lime juice and bring to a boil, mixing well. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add in cornstarch mixture. Stirring continuously, allow to simmer for about 2 to 5 minutes, until the sauce has started to thicken up. 

Allow to cool completely, then transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate. 

You can also view this recipe on HelloGiggles.  :)