Tag Archives: holiday

Pi Pie – gluten-free, vegan, delicious, and covered in Pi

Posted on by March 15, 2018
2
Pi Pie

 

To use a plastic bag to decorate the pie, first tape the edges

To use a plastic bag to decorate the pie, first tape the edges

 

Happy Pi Day! March 14th can be written as 3.14, which is the first three digits of pi. We are geeks at my house, so we always celebrate Pi Day with Pi Pie — that is, a pie with lots of digits of pi written on it.

This pie recipe is creamy and chocolatey and delicious. Yum!

For writing with frosting, I like to use a ziplock bag. I add pieces of scotch tape to reinforce the seams and edges, then cut off a corner and (optionally!) add a frosting tip. Put the frosting in the bag, try writing

Then put tape diagonally, near the corner.

Then put tape diagonally, near the corner.

a letter on a plate to make sure that everything is working okay, and then start writing on your pie!

This pie tastes amazingly yummy at any time of the year, whether or not you draw any digits on it. Don’t wait for Pi Day!

 

 

 

Fold down the ends of the tape. Put another piece of tape in the same place but on the bottom, and fold down its ends too. Cut off the corner of the bag.

Fold down the ends of the tape. Put another piece of tape in the same place but on the bottom, and fold down its ends too. Cut off the corner of the bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put in a frosting tip. If you don't have a frosting tip, tape and cut closer to the end of the bag, so the opening is smaller.

Put in a frosting tip. If you don’t have a frosting tip, tape and cut closer to the end of the bag, so the opening is smaller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add frosting to the bag, and you are ready to decorate! Draw a test letter on a plate first, before writing on the pie.

Add frosting to the bag, and you are ready to decorate! Draw a test letter on a plate first, before writing on the pie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My son James, wearing a Pumpkin Pi shirt and eating Pi Pie. :)

My son James, wearing a Pumpkin Pi shirt and eating Pi Pie. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a Pi Pie from last year, decorated with cashew cream digits instead of frosting digits.

Here is a Pi Pie from last year, decorated with cashew cream digits instead of frosting digits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pi Pie

 

Pi Pie - gluten-free, vegan, delicious, and covered in Pi
 
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This healthy vegan Pi Pie recipe is as delicious as it is cute!
Author:
Recipe type: dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1 pie
Ingredients
  • 1 chocolate brownie crust from the recipe for Fresh Fruit Pie with Chocolate Brownie Crust
  • 1 batch of chocolate mousse
  • something to write digits with, such as a batch of cashew cream (6 tablespoons cashews and 3 tablespoons of water) blended extra-smooth and maybe even sifted through a strainer so that it won't clog the decorating tip. (For the pie in the picture, I used homemade frosting, but in the refrigerator the mousse dissolved it, so I recommend decorating with cashew cream, not frosting)
Instructions
  1. Make the chocolate brownie crust according to its directions.
  2. Make the chocolate mousse according to its directions.
  3. Place the mousse in the pie crust and carefully smooth it out flat with a spatula.
  4. Use your favorite approach to writing with frosting to write digits of pi on the pie.
  5. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the filling firm up. (It is hard to wait!)
  6. Possibly helpful: Here is a website that has a million digits of pi .
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Matzo Ball Soup – gluten-free and dairy-free for Passover or anytime!

Posted on by April 9, 2017
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Matzo Ball Soup - gluten-free!

Matzo Ball Soup - gluten-free!When my family went gluten-free, I thought that for sure we would never have matzo ball soup again. But I found a dumpling soup recipe that reminded me of matzo ball soup and from there I invented this recipe. Yum!!!

If you are cooking for Passover, you may want to also see my recipe for a gluten-free, vegan Matzo Mina — my favorite main dish for Passover. It is a bit like a spinach artichoke lasagna, but with the noodles replaced with gluten-free matzo. Yum!!!

Happy Passover!

matzo ball dough

Matzo ball dough, so you can see the consistency. When it’s perfect, it should be like toothpaste or cookie dough.

 

 

 

 

matzo ball soup

 

Matzo Ball Soup - gluten-free and dairy-free for Passover or anytime!
 
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Gluten-free dairy-free matzo ball soup! Yum! Lightning-quick and made from scratch! Happy Passover!!!
Author:
Recipe type: dinner
Cuisine: Jewish
Serves: serves 4-6
Ingredients
Soup:
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • optional but good: 2 cans white beans (navy beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans, etc.), rinsed (15-ounce cans)
  • 1 cup sliced carrot circles
  • 2-3 stalks celery, sliced thinly
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, rubbed between your fingers and broken into bits
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper to taste
Dumplings:
  • 7 tablespoons flour or gluten-free flour (I use 2 tablespoons of brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons of potato starch, and 3 tablespoons of garbanzo bean flour)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (or 1/6 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/6 teaspoon cream of tartar; I don't have a measuring spoon for 1/6 teaspoon, but this recipe works fine if you estimate the amount)
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients listed under "Soup" into a big pot that is at least ten inches wide, so that there is enough space for the matzo balls to cook. You don't need to measure any of the soup ingredients -- just estimating is fine. Heat to boiling, then lower to a simmer.
  2. Mix all of the dumpling ingredients in a small bowl, such as a cereal bowl. The consistency of the dumpling dough matters a lot to the success of the recipe; the mixture should be the consistency of toothpaste, or wet-ish cookie dough. If it is too wet, add more flour -- I usually add garbanzo flour. If it is too dry, add some water. Keep adjusting the consistency until it is perfectly like toothpaste.
  3. When you are satisfied with the dough, drop marble-sized blobs of it into the soup. They will expand as they cook. The matzo balls will cook on one side, then stir to flip them to the other side so that both sides get a chance to cook.
  4. Serve hot.
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Matzo Mina – a great Passover dish – gluten-free, vegan, and healthy

Posted on by April 9, 2017
2
Matzo Mina

Happy Passover!!

I grew up Jewish, but the first time I heard of a Matzo Mina was as an adult, surfing the Internet. This is a lot like a lasagna, but made with dampened matzo instead of the lasagna noodles. With the overlapping squares of matzo on the top, this comes out looking really pretty. It tastes great, too, so it is my favorite Passover food. To make it gluten-free, I use gluten-free matzo.

Matzo Mina

Assembled Matzo Mina before baking

My pick for gluten-free matzo is Yehuda brand. I find it at my local Whole Foods store, though it is also available on Amazon. Lately gluten-free matzo is the most popular food in my house — my kids gobble it down! Go figure!

To make a soy-free version of this recipe, replace the tofu with 2/3 cup of cashews, 2/3 cup of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, and 2/3 cup of water.

This recipe is originally based on Tori Avey’s Spinach, Feta and Artichoke Matzo Mina — though I have changed my version a lot.

If you are cooking for Passover, you may also want to check out my recipe for gluten-free matzo ball soup. Yum!

Sorry to have gone so long between postings — I can’t believe I last posted in July! I don’t have a good reason for having gone so long between postings — just juggling kids, work, and the paperwork from Jan’s estate. Anyway, I do have lots more recipes that I want to post, so I will continue posting recipes!!

our seder table

Here is my son Corbin, who is nine, at our Seder table.
The weather is so warm that this year we had our Seder outdoors on the back porch.

Matzo Mina - a great Passover dish - gluten-free, vegan, and healthy
 
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This matzo mina is a delicious and healthy vegan main dish to serve at Passover. It is a bit like a lasagna, but with dampened matzo instead of the noodles. I really love this recipe! You can make it gluten-free if you use gluten-free matzo.
Author:
Recipe type: main dish
Cuisine: Jewish
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 3-4 sheets of matzo; for gluten-free use a gluten-free matzo such as Yehuda brand
  • 1-2 jars of artichoke hearts (plain or marinated; about 8 ounces per jar)
  • 1 pound firm tofu (not silken)
  • 4+ tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs, such as basil or oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 5 ounces spinach or kale (frozen and defrosted is fine)
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, blend everything except the matzo and artichoke hearts. Add the artichoke hearts and pulse until mixed in.
  3. Oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
  4. Dampen a sheet of matzo in cold running water from the faucet. Place in baking pan.
  5. Add half of the tofu mixture, and spread it smooth with a spatula.
  6. Repeat with another piece of matzo and the rest of the tofu mixture.
  7. For the top, dampen a piece of matzo, then break it into squares that are 1 1/2 or 2 inches wide. Overlap the pieces of matzo on top of the casserole, like roof shingles, covering the entire surface. You will need about 1 1/2 sheets of matzo, broken up, to cover the top of the casserole.
  8. Gently brush the top of the matzo with olive oil.
  9. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top layer is browning. Serve warm.
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