A Fool's Taste

Wow! It’s been a while hasn’t it?  Well, what better reason to get back into writing than being sick?  After a pretty eventful New Years weekend I managed to inflict a cold upon myself.  While Jesse bought me Gluten Free Cafe from Health Valley canned chicken soup, it doesn’t really stand up to homemade chicken soup.  And while The Husband (Oh yeah, btw I got married since last I posted) who is vegetarian is willing to make me tuna salad, I’m not about to make him shred a dead bird to give me soup.

Being sick I didn’t want to go through the whole process of  making it from scratch so I did the next best thing.  I made a gluten free, casein free chicken noodle soup that’s close enough to the real thing for my cold to not care.  As always make sure your ingredients are GF and CF (if necessary).  And I use a lot of onion so feel free to cut down on the amount of onion used.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1-2 T extra virgin olive oil (or butter if you’re not concerned about CF)

1 1/2 small onion, chopped

3-4 stalks of celery, chopped (use the leafy tops too)

3 carrots, thinly sliced (I never bother peeling when adding carrots to soups, just wash very well)

1 sprig of fresh thyme, stripped from stem

white meat from 1 GF CF cooked chicken, shredded (bones, skin, and fat discarded)

2 1/2 quarts GF CF chicken broth

8 ounces dried GF CF pasta (I used Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti and snapped the noodles in thirds before cooking)

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the onion and celery in oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in your shredded chicken, carrots, and thyme.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the noodles, then reduce to low and cover.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until your noodles are done.

Season with salt, pepper, and parsley then serve.

The fresh herbs and veggies make up for the prepackaged and precooked chicken.  I know it’s such a simple thing to make but sometimes sharing those simple things and reminding ourselves we can easily take care of ourselves is important.  The Husband mentioned that he read something somewhere that someone said presumably to someone else (I’m trying to figure out how many more “some”s I can fit in) that the most healing part of having homemade chicken noodle soup was having someone take care of you.  With this easy version you can take care of yourself, which is often something that makes me feel better than I expect.

Since I’ve cut out bovine dairy, I’ve been experimenting with a number of goat’s and sheep’s milk products.  Cheese seems to be where I have the most variety to choose from.  So far, one of my favorite’s is Karoun’s Farmer’s Goat Cheese.  It’s very similar to a fresh buffalo mozzarella.  This couldn’t make me more happy.  The flavor is only the tiniest bit stronger than traditional mozzarella which is pretty rare when it comes to goat’s milk products and the texture and satisfaction are identical.

So far I’ve used it on pizza, in grilled cheese sandwiches, and of course on caprese salad (something I’d been missing a lot since cutting out cow’s milk).  Another plus is that the rennet it contains is from a non-animal source so it’s vegetarian.

Above I use it diced in a simple salad of mixed baby field greens, diced zucchini, red pepper, and green onions.  I’m sure I’ll have a few more alternative dairy products to talk about in the future, but so far this is one of my top favorite cheese of ALL time (yes capital letters, that means I speak the truth)! I found mine at Mother’s Market in Laguna Woods.  Let me know if you see it sold anywhere else.  It’s always good to show your appreciation to stores that offer quality products.

Bloody Marys are a great breakfast treat.  So is bacon.  So, why not combine them?  You could add a strip of bacon as a garnish, or even line the rim with bacon-flavored salt.  But, why not go all the way and use bacon vodka?  There is a commercially made bacon vodka on the market, however most of the reviews I’ve read (haven’t tried it myself yet) claim it’s a little fake tasting.

So, I did a little research and by following a few different recipes I’ve found, I came up with what seemed a reasonable process.  Be forewarned though, the filtration step gets a little messy.

I made my first batch this year and brought it to a Fourth of July party.  It disappeared faster than expected.  The only bad reactions I had to the straight vodka were from people who don’t like hard liquor straight.  Everyone else thought it had an interesting smoky aftertaste.  I thought it smelled faintly like chicken broth which led me to warning people to drink it without smelling it in case they were put off by it smelling differently from the actual taste.

As a mixer in bloody marys it went over well.  Just like drinking a bloody mary with a faint bacon-y aftertaste.

Homemade Bacon Vodka

Ingredients:

3 strips of hardwood smoked bacon

1 bottle of decent vodka (I used Absolut)

Equipment:

1 12 ounce mason jar

Small mesh sieve

2 bowls/pitchers for straining

Paper towels

Fry up the bacon but don’t worry about straining the fat like you usually would for serving the bacon.  Most of the flavor comes from the fat, but that extra fat will be strained out later.  Place the bacon in a mason jar then empty the entire bottle of vodka into it.  Save the bottle if you like for use after the vodka is filtered.

Close up the jar and store it in a cool, dark place.  I had mine sitting in the closet shelves.  Let it stay there for 3 weeks.  When your three weeks are up put the mason jar in the freezer and let it freeze overnight.  Freezing will solidify the fats while leaving the alcohol liquid.

Get your filtering supplies ready and lay down a few of those paper towels on your counter or table.  First, filter the main solids out using only the metal sieve.  Then filter the vodka with a couple of paper towels as filters by placing the paper towels in the sieve.  I did try using coffee filters, however the frozen vodka was a bit too thick and it didn’t work out as I’d planned.  You will probably have to filter through paper towels at least four times.  If you’re patient you’ll be happy with the result.

The vodka will have a light yellowish tint and a nice smoky flavor.  I wouldn’t leave the bacon in it too much longer than 4 weeks.  I have heard of others having good results with whiskey instead of vodka or with rendered pancetta fat instead of bacon (a friend recently tried the latter but I’ve yet to sample her concoction).

I’d say the best way to serve it is in a bloody mary, but others have suggested pickle juice or melon liqueur as mixers.  I’m not sure about those, maybe once I make a second batch I’ll have time to play around with it before it evaporates.

“Nut Loaf?”

“Yeah… Nut Loaf… with gravy”

“So this Nut Loaf… it has gravy, so it’s not sweet then?”

“No, you’ll see”

“But is this Nut Loaf… good?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re sure about this?”

“Yep, just wait.”

Tastes better than it sounds!

The above is a conversation very similar to the one my fiancé and I had on the way to his dad and step-mom’s house for thanksgiving the first year we were dating.  Both my fiancé and his step-mom are vegetarians.  While I’d eaten plenty of vegetarian food, the concept of a savory nut loaf somehow remained foreign to me.  I didn’t think it would taste bad, but I wasn’t certain I’d like it either.  Luckily I was correct about the former and wrong about the latter.

Since then I’ve tried various recipes for nut loaf.  Most of them come out okay but nothing I’d want to wow guests with.  So, after studying enough loaves I decided to throw caution to the wind, and throw a bunch of things in a bowl on my own, mix, throw them in a pan, and bake!  Well, maybe it was a bit more carefully constructed.

I was pretty happy with the results, and hope you will be as well.  The loaf came out flavorful but without any single flavor overwhelming the others.  It was moist (yes some of you hate that word but I’m using it anyway because nothing else applies here) yet retained just enough crunch from the nuts and veggies.  Did I mention filling yet?  Filling enough that I was surprised when the fiance went back for a second slice (must have been that tasty).

Top it with the sage gravy below, a mushroom gravy, marinara, or a bit of ketchup.  We’re also looking forward to having the leftovers on sandwiches.

Vegetarian Nut Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)

1/2 cup raw hazelnuts

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup raw cashews

1 small tomato, diced

2 cups gluten free rolled oats

1 small sweet onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tb olive oil (plus extra for the loaf pan)

2 celery stalks, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1/2 cup shredded cheddar (I used a raw goat’s milk sharp cheddar)

1/2 tsp savory

1 tsp basil

1 tsp sage

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup egg whites

3 whole eggs

dash tobasco

dash Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk (or any other unsweetened milk you have on hand)

Ground Nuts and Sunflower Seeds

Combine the hazelnuts, almonds, and cashews in a food processor or blender and process until roughly ground (it will be a little powdery but some larger chunks are okay).  Add to a large mixing bowl the ground nuts, sunflower seeds, tomato, rolled oats, savory, basil, sage, pepper, and salt.

In a large pan sautee the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots in 2 Tb olive oil over a medium-low heat until vegetables are soft and the onion is transparent.  Add the vegetable mixture to the mixing bowl and set aside.

Veggies cooling in the mixing bowl

While the vegetable mixture is cooling preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Combine in a small bowl the eggs, egg whites, tobasco, worchestershire, and almond milk. Lightly whisk together.  When the sauteed vegetables are room temperature (this is important so it doesn’t melt the cheese and cook the eggs when you’re trying to evenly combine everything) add the cheese and egg mixture to the large mixing bowl.  Mix everything together well.

Ready To Bake

Line a standard loaf pan with parchment or wax paper (parchment is preferable as it releases better from the food).  Spray olive oil on the paper or use a paper towel to grease the inside of the paper.  This helps later when you’re peeling the paper off of your loaf.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  The center should be firm and the the edges will be golden brown.

Nut Loaf topped with gravy and served with buttered peas

Allow your nut loaf to sit in the pan and rest for at least five minutes before attempting to remove it!  It will easily fall apart if you remove it while it’s too hot.  When you’re ready turn the loaf out onto a serving platter or cutting board.  Only slice off what’s being eaten right away, this will keep your leftovers moist and also hold them together well.

Vegetarian Sage Gravy

Ingredients:

1/3 cup gluten free flour

1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I used spectrum olive oil spread)

2 cups water

1 T gluten free soy sauce (plus extra for flavoring)

rubbed sage

salt

black pepper

onion powder

Toast the flour in a dry pan over a low heat for a couple of minutes.  Mix the yeast into the flour and then the butter or margarine. Stir constantly until the ingredients resemble a thick paste.

Flour, Nutritional Yeast, and Margarine

Add the 1 Tb of soy sauce to the water before adding to the pan.  Turn the heat to medium and slowly add the water and soy mixture stirring the entire time until everything is well blended.

Bring to a slow simmer and turn to low, making sure to stir frequently still.  Season the gravy to taste with sage, onion powder, salt, pepper, and soy sauce.  When the gravy thickness is to your liking remove it from the stove and pour into another container.  I like to put it in something glass or ceramic so that I can place it in the center of the stove and it will keep warm if the oven is on.

Seasoned Gravy

Makes at least 8 servings.  Leftovers are wonderful to top homemade biscuits with for breakfast!

I’ve been cutting out processed sugars and artificial sweeteners at my doctor’s reccomendation. Agave syrup is great because it’s low-glycemic but still satisfies the sugar craving. Recently, I had the brilliant idea that I should add maple flavoring to agave syrup for use on pancakes, French toast, etc., but like all good ideas… someone beat me to the punch.

Maple flavored agave tastes just like maple syrup and has the same texture, unlike those oddly thick processed syrups. The regular syrup is also great for sweetening yogurt, beverages, and the like. It also works well for baking, but take into account it will add extra moisture to your mix.

I’ve also been using stevia which is a plant based, calorie free sweetener. It comes in a variety of forms and is pretty strong so use it sparingly.

Sweets will be something I can never give up and I’m not sure I can be one of those who can non-chalantly declare “Oh well, I just simply don’t crave sweet foods. If you don’t bring them into the house it’s easy.” Really, if I’m craving something sweet and I try to use something else as a substitute or ignore it, I’m just going to be worse later.

Maybe just replacing our sweeteners with the not-so-bad forms and allowing ourselves that indulgence now and then is good enough. And if we can follow up those sweets with some dancing then that’s even better!

I love Thai food.  The fat content however isn’t as lovable.  This is a low-fat recipe for Thai-fried rice that I modified to be vegetarian and gluten-free.  The basic recipe I used is from Heather Van Vorous’ “Eating for IBS” (p 172).  Her version, “Thai-Fried Rice With Cilantro And Shrimp” is low-fat and tummy friendly to begin with.  I’ve replaced the shrimp with tofu and the fish sauce and mushroom soy sauce combination with wheat-free tamari and rice wine vinegar.

Feel free to add more vegetables, change the sauces around, and even add a bit more heat if you wish.  The result of this recipe is a fragrant dish with layers of flavor.

Vegetarian Thai-Fried Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups cold cooked white rice (Heather calls for jasmine, I used basmati… because it’s good and I have a lot of it)

8 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup packed fresh chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup diced carrots

1 package low-fat extra firm or firm tofu (I like West Soy brand)

3 organic egg whites (I used 1/4 cup Reddi-Egg)

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

4 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce (I used San-J Wheat-Free Tamari)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

2 scallions, diced

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas

Rinse your hands in cold water and gently use your fingers to separate the grains of cold rice.  Set your rice aside.

Slice the tofu (don’t cube it yet). Place a couple of paper towels on a large plate.  Place the tofu slices on the paper towels, another two paper towels on top of the tofu, a plate on top of that, and a heavy object like a pot on top of the plate.  This seems silly, but it’s important for the tofu to be cooked properly.  If you don’t remove the excess moisture then the tofu will make your rice watery and it won’t brown.  Let it sit while you prepare your other ingredients, then cube the tofu.

The recipe I used says to blend the garlic and cilantro into a paste using your food processor.

The amount and type of ingredients might be the culprit, or it might be my food processor, but what resulted I wouldn’t describe as a “paste”.  I did add 1/2 T of my oil to the mixture in the food processor to see what that would do.  Still not really a paste.  Maybe my thinking as to what one calls a paste is wrong.  Either way, the ingredients were finely chopped together so I was happy.  Make sure all of your ingredients are close at hand when you’re at the stove.  Small bowls come in handy for this.  Also teacups work and can easily be ran through the dishwasher.

Heat your wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.  If you don’t have a wok they’re surprisingly useful.  And they make you look awesome for having a wok.  Get one!  My big brother bought us our Analon wok for Christmas one year.  It makes us look pretty awesome.  Add the oil to the pan once it’s heated.  When the oil is hot add your garlic-cilantro paste, onion, and carrot.

Fry this mixture until the onions become transparent.

Add your tofu and fry for about five minutes turning occasionally until the tofu begins to turn golden in color.

Add your egg whites or egg substitute, stirring at the bottom of the pan until cooked, then mix into the other ingredients.  I pushed the other ingredients off to the side while the egg was cooking in the center.

Add the rice and stir well.  Press the rice mixutre into the bottom of the wok to fry for several minutes.  Turn the mixture over, stir, and press down into the wok again.

While your rice is frying, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and white pepper.

After your rice is fried add the liquid down the sides of the wok and stir well.

Fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add the scallions and peas.  Stir well and fry just until the scallions are limp.

Serve your fried rice with wedges of fresh lime.  We also drizzled a bit of Thai Kitchen Spicy Thai Chili Sauce on top for more warmth.

This recipe would also be excellent with shrimp (as originally intended) or chicken.  Whatever meat you choose to use though, make certain it’s cooked thoroughly.  I’m also thinking that the next time we make this we’ll reduce the amount of white pepper, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce, and add some chopped fresh basil in at the end.  There could also quite possibly be pineapple involved!

Mmm… Alliteration and food. Best thing ever. Okay maybe not the best, but it sure is up there. Know what else is up there? A quick recipe where you don’t need to make an extra trip to the grocery store. Here’s a recipe like that. You’re likely to have the important ingredients on hand and can adjust the flavors to your taste.

Easy Peanut Pasta

8 ounces dry pasta (I used Tinkyada brand brown rice elbow macaroni but use whatever you like and have on hand)
1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat peanutbutter (you can use any nut butter)
2-3 drops sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup (try to find one made without corn syrup, real sugar tastes better)
1/2 teaspoon agave syrup (or any sweetener of your choice)
Chili sauce to taste (I use Thai Kitchen’s Spicy Thai Chili)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (San-J Wheat-Free Tamari is my favorite)
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (optional, you can also use ground peanuts)
1 finely sliced green onion (also optional but if you don’t have them fresh on hand try using dried chives)

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse your pasta. While it’s draining mix all ingredients except the onions and sesame seeds in the pot you used to cook your pasta.

Add pasta back to the pot and toss with the sauce until the pasta is evenly coated. Sprinkle with green onions and seeds. Lightly toss then serve. Adjust the recipe to taste according to your heat tolerance and how sweet or salty you think it should be.

Now enoy your pasta and all that time you just saved cooking and cleaning extra dishes. This pasta is also great cold as a salad and goes well with a side of citrus fruit.

I wanted something that was healthy, and easy on the stomach.  This recipe for stuffed peppers is low-fat and simple.  There is a little bit of prep work involved, but you’ll hardly notice.  There will likely be extra stuffing , which is easy to get rid of the next day for lunch.  Feel free to top it off with some tomato sauce, regular cheese, or dairy-free cheese.  I didn’t use any and thought it was filling and moist enough without it.

Stuffed Green Peppers

3-4  large green peppers

3 cups cooked rice made with vegetable broth (I used basmati since it’s my favorite but any long grain rice will do)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

fat-free cooking spray

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2-3 celery tops, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 ounces vegetarian sausage (I used El Burrito brand, you can substitute with any regular sausage)

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce (gluten-free AND vegetarian is a hard combination to find, oddly enough I use Ralph’s brand)

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 teaspoons each oregano, basil, and savory

1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice off the top of each bell pepper and discard.  Clean the seeds out of the pepper and slice off a bit of the top to make the tops level. The extra portion sliced off can be chopped up and added to the stuffing. 

In a small glass dish or metal pan spray with non-stick spray and place the peppers in, cut side down. Add 2 teaspoons of water to the bottom of ht edish and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tops begin to blister and brown.

While the peppers are in the oven sautee the celery and onion in olive oil for about 2-3 minutes.

Add garlic and chopped pepper to the pan and sautee another 5 minutes or until the onions are traslucent.

Add the sausage and break into smaller crumbles with a spoon or spatula.  Cook just until the sausage is brown and heated through.  Add tomatoes and worcestershire sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked rice and broth. Season with oregano, basil, and savory.  Remove from hea tand add the garlic, onion, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Go easy on the salt, because with the sausage the dish won’t need much if any.

Turn your peppers right side up and spoon in the rice stuffing. Top with cheese if you wish.  Bake for 5 to 10 minutes. The stuffing will start to turn golden on top.

There are a lot of variations you can use in this recipe.  Change up the seasoning, replace the sausage with beans, chicken, or chunks of buffalo mozzarella…mmmmm buffalo.

Here’s a quick list I’ve put together of things to keep on hand for those of us who have to deal with IBS.  While these aren’t cures, they do help minimize the symptoms and can make you feel a bit more normal.

1. Peppermint

Whatever form you find it in, peppermint is amazing!  When I was first diagnosed with IBS the cramping was severe and they prescribed me Bentyl.  This knocked me out so severely that Jesse worried I might not wake up.  I did eventually and the Dr. prescribed me another muscle relaxer similar to Bentyl but less intense.  This still left me pretty useless and hungover once it wore off.  Then I heard about peppermint.  Well, I hadn’t just heard of it and I’d previously used it for relaxation and indigestion, but I didn’t realize how effective it was when dealing with IBS.  Use it in tea form, concentrated tincture, oil capsules, add fresh leaves to other beverages like lemonade (if you can tolerate lemon juice) or cucumber water, and even ingest it in the form of Altoids.  Taken before a meal, after a meal, or whenever you’re stressed can help relax your digestive system greatly.  Beware though, if you suffer from acid reflux or GERD it can increase your acid reflux just as any digestive relaxant can.

2. Hot Water

Drinking warm to hot liquids not only relaxes the entire body, but aids in digestion.  Have a cup of tea with each meal or begin a meal with a light soup (not the heavy cream-based soups which can trigger more IBS attacks). Drink warm, clear liquids throughout the day and take a warm bath or soak in a hot tub when you’re feeling stressed or worn out.  Ingesting warm liquids helps to break down the food you’re digesting and that’s less work for those tummy muscles.  Let your intestines chill out by drinking something hot.

3. Food Diary

Admittedly I’m not the best at keeping diaries.  My childhood shelves were littered with pink and purple journals, each at the beginning of a year with one or two pages in the front declaring “This year I resolve to keep a diary EVERY day.”  The key to writing a diary is to have purpose.  If you have a purpose  then you will want to write.  What better purpose than your health?  IBS trigger foods are different for everyone.  Keeping a diary of what you eat and when as well as your symptoms and when they occur will help to track down which foods you need to limit or eliminate altogether.  I already keep track of my food in my online Weight Watchers tracker.  Each day I just add a note to the bottom of the page regarding my symptoms and how I generally felt.  There are a number of online food diaries and trackers, both paid and free.  For those of us with smart phones there are also food diary applications.  If you can’t keep track daily, the key is to track your food and symptoms whenever you think about.

4. Fat-Free Cooking Spray

This may seem too common of an item to be considered a special tool.  Fat-free spray is crucial to IBS cooking.  Oils of any sort can trigger an attack.  When my IBS has been bothering me I will only use small amounts of oil and that’s only if it’s dispersed through a larger dish like a pot of soup or a pot of rice.  Using fat-free spray in place of oils or in conjunction with smaller amounts of oil not only helps remove a trigger food but is good for your overall health.  That doesn’t mean you should cut out all good oils if you can tolerate them, but many with IBS cannot.  Be sure to stay away from oil alternatives such as Olestra which can cause abdominal cramping and digestive problems even in those who are otherwise healthy and IBS free.  I keep my fat-free cooking spray easy to reach and when it’s running low I buy another before I’m out.

5. “Eating for IBS” by Heather Van Vorous

A couple months after being diagnosed with IBS, I picked up a copy of this book.  I don’t think I can explain in a short paragraph what a life saver it has been.  From her own experiences Heather has put together an indepth guide to IBS.  Great for beginners or seasoned IBS sufferers this book has lots of information on tummy friendly foods, shopping for hard to find products, and eating out.  Oh yeah, and the recipes!  There are so many recipes in here that sound good. I’ve used several with great success.  I particularly like the Garden Veggie Lo Mein and Spaghetti with Spanish Romesco Sauce.  Tonight I’m modifying her version of Thai Fried Rice to make it vegetarian. I do have to modify the recipes to be gluten-free and vegetarian at times, but even then the IBS knowledge is worth it.  Make sure to check out her website Help For IBS.

There are so many helpful things you can have around and do for yourself to help you with your IBS.  It might warrant a second Friday 5 devoted to the topic.  For now, make sure to visit these sites for recipes, information, and discussion.

Help For IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome at Google Health

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help and Support Group

What do you think of when I say the words “warm, rich, and satisfying”?  No, not your future spouse.  I’m talking French Onion soup.  This recipe was adapted from my grandma Rosie Atkinson’s butter and cheese-laden soup of bliss.  I’ve modified it to be lower fat, dairy-free, vegetarian, gluten-free, and replaced the sugar with agave syrup.  No no, don’t run away.  I promise, it’s still flavorful and filling.  But, if you don’t believe me and you’re into that sort of thing go ahead and slap some butter and cheese in there.

French Onion Soup

5 cups thinly sliced sweet onions (1 1/2 lbs)

1 tablespoon grated onion

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon agave syrup (or sugar of your choice)

3 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

8 cups boiling water

3 teaspoons condensed vegetarian beef flavored bouillon (you may also use 3 cans boiling vegetable broth and 3 cups boiling water, but beef flavored is best for this recipe)

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper to taste

slices of toasted gluten-free white bread (I used Ener-G brand light tapioca bread)

Slowly sautee the sliced onions on low in oil in a heavy, covered 4 quart pot for 15 minutes. Start the water or broth boiling while you cook the onions.

Stir in the salt and agave syrup.  Raise the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 35-40 minutes, stirring often. The onions will turn deep golden brown in color.

Sprinkle the onions with flour and stir for 3 minutes then remove from the burner. 

Add the bouillon and boiling water (or broth and boiling water). Stir, add the wine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer, partially covered for 35 minutes.

Bring the soup to a boil and add the grated onion. Stir and allow to cook another minute or so.

Turn off the stove and ladel your tasty soup into bowls. Top with toasted bread and enjoy. Just a warning though, your home will smell like caramelized onions for at least a day after this.