Pinto Bean Melt

Wild Salmon Melt

gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free (uses goat cheese)

• Four Grain Flatbreads
• chicken, chicken salad, wild salmon salad or pinto bean spread
• Shredded Goat Cheese

Under the broiler of the oven or in a counter-top toaster oven, toast both sides of the flatbreads. Spread with desired topping(s) and then top with shredded goat cheese. Put back under the broiler until cheese is melted and browned. Serve immediately. Yumm!

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.

With the weather warming up, we sure feel like having lighter, cooler foods. This is a deliciously simple chicken salad. We like to eat it with Quinoa Dinner Cakes. Yesterday when we were out clearing brush and cleaning up our property, I brought out a bowl of this chicken salad and a bunch of the dinner cakes. Yummy lunch — or dinner!

Yummy Chicken Salad

• 1/4 to 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 2 to 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
• sea salt and pepper
• few pinches of dried basil
• generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• few splashes of balsamic vinegar
• finely grated goat cheddar cheese (optional)
• chopped olives (optional)

Toss all ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve atop greens, in a sandwich, or alongside Quinoa Dinner Cakes.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.

The recipe calls for 2 eggs. Since we can’t do those due to allergies, I subbed 1 teaspoon xanthan gum plus 1 tablespoon water for the 2 eggs. I put the xanthan gum in with the dry ingredients and added an extra tablespoon of warm water for the yeast-proofing stage.

Thanks, Tiffany!

Our terrific and yummy dinner last night:

Warm Quinoa Dinner Cakes filled with Wild Salmon Salad,
topped with shredded raw goat cheddar cheese and sliced avocado.

Quick Sandwich Bread — Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free
a variation on a recipe shared by a friend

makes 2 loaves

• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 4 cups warm water
• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 cups buckwheat flour
• 1 cup millet flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 5 teaspoons guar gum
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup raw honey or raw agave
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or grapeseed oil, grease two bread loaf pans.

Put water and yeast in mixing bowl. Let yeast get bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Fill each loaf pan with 1/2 the batter. Spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes or more, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Let cool on rack, in pans, for 15 minutes. Turn loaves out of pans and return to cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container.

This bread is delicious toasted! We made grilled goat cheddar cheese sandwiches out of it today.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon.

• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup filtered water (or more if needed)
• handful of parsley, chopped

Cream tahini and lemon juice together. The lemon will thicken the tahini. Add water to thin the sauce until it has a creamy, spoonable consistency. A handful of chopped parsley added to the sauce gives it an interesting texture and delicious taste. Sauce may be prepared ahead of time.

© 2007 by Martha Bisharat

My mom submitted this recipe to a newspaper’s cooking contest back in 1984 and she won first prize — $50. I have upped the seasonings a bit, but other than that, this is the same great recipe.

• 4 cups dry garbanzo beans
• 3 large onions
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic
• 2 bunches parsley, with stems removed
• 3 to 5 jalapeno peppers (optional)
• 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 5 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda (when ready to fry)
• expeller-pressed canola or grapeseed oil (for frying)
• Garnishes: whole wheat pocket bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, shredded greens, sliced avocados, sprouts

Soak the garbanzo beans in water overnight. Wash and drain. In an electric or manual meat grinder*, grind together the garbanzo beans, onions, garlic, peppers and parsley. Grind a second time. Add salt and pepper, cumin and baking powder and mix thoroughly.

When ready to deep fry, add the baking soda to the mixture and mix again. Shape the falafel mixture into patties which are 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. You may also use a Pampered Chef small scoop to shape the balls easily. Deep fry the patties in hot oil until golden brown.

While the falafel is still warm, serve the patties in half rounds of pocket bread. Garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded greens and top with 2 tablespoonsful of tahini sauce.

*You may also use a food processor or Vita-Mix to grind the ingredients. Grind the ingredients separately. Do not puree the onions or the parsley, but keep them fairly chunky. Otherwise, the parsley is likely to turn the whole mixture green or the onions may make the mixture too watery. Add a small bit of flour or commercial falafel mix if too watery.