Then again, I am far from immune to the temptation to shift gears toward the end of January. Maybe it’s the inner party planner in me — I’m the girl who plans fictitious dinner parties I know I’m never going to have (I still am contemplating a recipe round-up post for all my favorite dinner party ideas, for those who are actually motivated to execute on that front). As you can see, I went decidedly re-tox for this dish. No more detox fare here. Processed “cheese”? Check. A hefty dose of (albeit healthy) fat? Check. Something that requires some sort of chip for dipping? Check.

Yes, folks, I’ve gone “bad” for this recipe. But what’s a Super Bowl party without some junk food thrown into the mix? I don’t care if this is a vegan dish packed with 4 cups of fresh spinach. This dip tastes baaad in such a good way; I doubt anyone will find this to be health fare.

On that note, if you’re serving a crowd, I’d suggest a double/triple batch. Between the two of us, my mom and I finished this off in just two sittings (not exactly something I want to brag about here, just stating the facts).

Serves: 4-6

Hot Spinach Dip:

1 cup chopped scallions (about 1 bunch)

4 cups tightly-packed fresh spinach, chopped*

1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup Daiya vegan mozzarella, plus more for topping

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Mix all ingredients, except remaining cheese for topping, in a large bowl until combined. Turn out into a shallow baking dish or ramekin and smooth out top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve immediately with favorite gluten-free chip.

* For a healthier twist, use 1/2 spinach and 1/2 finely chopped kale

All that said, I was somehow determined to master this recipe. I was so determined that I made four versions of these in about 5 days. And believe it or not, I’m still not close to halfway through my potato supply. I finally settled on a version I was happy with this afternoon, and cooked up some fresh-from-the-market apples for the accompanying sauce. Gennaro and I snacked on them before watching the ulcer-inducing 28-24 Michigan-Notre Dame game, where our beloved Wolverines managed to pull off the win. The perfect fall Saturday: potato pancakes with applesauce and Michigan football. Perhaps I’ll have to start my own potato pancake tradition. If only it would always include a victory.

Zucchini Potato Latkes:

Makes about 12 pancakes

1 1/2 cups peeled, shredded russet potatoes (I shredded mine with a box grater), tightly packed

1 cup shredded zucchini (tightly packed)

1 teaspoon sea salt, divided

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon oil (I used grapeseed), plus more for frying

Directions:

1. Place shredded zucchini and potatoes in a collander or strainer with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Squeeze out excess liquid and let sit for about 10 minutes. Sqeeze again and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, water, egg replacer, 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Add vegetables and onion and mix until everything is combined. Set aside.

3. Heat a cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of oil. Drop batter by 1/4 cup and flatten with the back of measuring cup or a spoon. Drop batter for about 3-4 pancakes at a time. Fry on medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, reducing heat to medium. Remove to a plate and continue with remaining batter, using a tablespoon of cooking oil for each batch. To reheat latkes, or if you have a batch that didn’t cook all the way through, heat pancakes in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes, or until crispy and heated through.

I guess we’ve all had our bad weeks. When mine hit, I usually seek out simplicity. Working in the kitchen can be an extremely calming, even therapeutic, experience. Yet sometimes, it’s easy to forget that. Between the multi-floured baked goods and the endless substitution brainstorming, the simple, naturally gluten-free meals can get lost in the shuffle. And often, they’re the best ones.

These shishito peppers take simple to the extreme. Gennaro and I actually enjoyed a quite simiar dish at one of the highly-acclaimed, celebrity-endorsed tapas restuarants we went to in Spain. Just a plate of peppers, slightly charred on the outside and wilted to a perfect texture, then sprinkled with salt. Between the labor-intensive patatas bravas and the multi-ingredient salad topped with fish roe (I know, one of my aforementioned fish transgressions), the peppers dish was one of our favorites. Back in New York, just a few days later, I noticed these beautiful, bright green shishito peppers were abundant at one stand at the Greenmarket. The girl behind the counter was cooking some up herself. I immediately brought a bag home and did the same. They were the perfect snack. And they were perfect on the first try. With all of three ingredients. Go figure. 

Shishito Peppers:

Some tips: These shishito peppers work best when there’s not too much going on in the pan. That’s why I wrote this recipe in 1/4 lb. increments. But I have a feeling you’ll want more than that, so buy a lot and make this in batches. Also, I eat the stems, and I believe this is the norm. I could be wrong, but I’m still alive. For those unfamiliar with shishito peppers, they are ever-so-slightly sweet  and not hot, though you may get a very mildly hot one in there every once-in-awhile. The bigger ones tend to have more heat, if any.

1/4 pound shishito peppers

1 teaspoon good olive oil

Course grain sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Heat skillet (non-stick is good here) with olive oil. Add peppers and saute — about 3-5 minutes — until peppers begin to pop and blister. Stir occassionally. Remove to a plate and sprinkle peppers with sea salt to taste. Serve immediately.

I made this dip about a month ago and was instantly addicted. It’s the kind of dip that really makes any type of cracker or bread just a vehicle for the dip, which is rich and flavorful and, dare I say, somewhat healthy to boot (with omega-3 packed walnuts and vitamin-packed beets). I apologize for the rather imprecise measurement of the beets. I was originally not planning on sharing the recipe. But since I veered slightly from the original and enjoyed it so much, I thought I would pass this one on to all of you. I’m sure slight variations on the amount of beet used won’t change the fact that this is one great recipe. The original recipe also calls for water, in addition to much more olive oil that I used, making it more of a puree than a dip, as it is presented here. Feel free to add a bit of water or more olive oil as needed to reach desired consistency.

Walnut Beet Dip:
Adapted from Spain: A Culinary Road Trip

1 cup walnuts

1 1/2 large beets, boiled, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons sesame tahini (I used raw)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons curly parsley, minced

sea salt

Directions:

Puree walnuts in a food processor with a sharp blade until finely ground. Add beets, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley and puree until combined. If the consistency is too thick, you may add a bit of water to thin it out. Add enough salt to taste, plus another spinkle of lemon juice or drizzle of olive oil if desired.

This cashew spread is great on bread (and can even liven up the most failed of gluten-free breads as well, as I can attest). I could also see it being nice over pasta (zucchini pasta for a raw meal, perhaps?) or even sauteed vegetables.

Cashew Spinach Spread:
Adapted from a recipe by Susan Powers at Raw Mazing

1 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped

8 fresh basil leaves

2 handfuls (about 2 cups packed) fresh spinach leaves

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup golden flax seed meal

1-2 tablespoons water as needed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Ok…on to the falafel. Not even my Trust and Estates exam could stop me from attempting to fulfill this craving by hand. The restaurant stuff, good as it may be, tends to make me sick from time to time. Given said exam, I didn’t want to risk it. But, because of my exam, this post is going to be short and sweet. It’s 2:30 a.m. and I have a long day of studying ahead of me tomorrow (today! eek).

Makes about 8-10 falafels (can double the recipe if needed)

Falafel:
Adapted from Susan O’brien’s recipe in Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Cooking

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained

2 gloves garlic

1 shallot or 1/2 small onion

3 tablespoons sesame tahini

1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1/4 cup quinoa flour, plus more if needed

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for frying

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil reserved for frying. Process until smooth and there are no large pieces remaining. Using hands, take golf-ball (or ping-pong) sized pieces and roll with hands. If mixture is too dry you may add a bit more oil; if it seems a bit wet, you may add a bit more (about a tablespoon) quinoa flour. Slightly flatten between palms. Set aside.

3. In a non-stick skillet (if not non-stick, may need a bit more oil — about 1/4 inch), heat a few tablespoons of olive oil (or enough to just cover bottom of pan) over high heat for a few minutes. Add falafels and cook until just slightly browned, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

4. Arrange falafel on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, turn, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until both sides are browned (as pictured — may vary depending on oven temp. and falafel size).

You can serve this falafel however you like. I enjoyed it as pictured, over romaine and topped with tahini dressing. For a quick dressing, combine equal parts tahini, lemon juice and water. Add 2 cloves of grated raw garlic, a pinch of salt, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Shake in a jar, whisk or blend. Add in more tahini as needed until you reach desired thickness.

Don’t worry, though, because when that moment comes, you can go online, look up this savory gluten free pizza recipe, and make it. Right away (it’s really simple to make, I promise).

Sure, this pizza is a little different than the ones we were all used to once upon a time. But that doesn’t make it any less delicious. First of all, the crust is basically a socca. If you’ve had socca before, you know how delicious it can be. I’ve been really obsessed with this socca-as-pizza idea lately. Last time I attempted it, though, I went with a buckwheat flour batter and more traditional pizza toppings. It was good. It hit the spot. But after making this tonight, I can tell you one thing. There’s a reason the French use chickpea (garbanzo) flour to make socca. There’s also a reason that French cuisine (even of the non-Parisian variety) is emulated around the world. They simply know what they’re doing.

This “socca pizza” is crisp on the edges, ever-so-slightly chewy in the middle, and perfectly savory on top. I used Follow Your Heart vegan mozarella and a little sprinkling of nutritional yeast for some nuttiness to top it all off. It’s the perfect treat to ward off those gluten-free (or perhaps vegan) blues and to remind you that you don’t have to choose between feeling better and eating well (or alternately, eating well and helping the planet).

A few notes: You will need a cast-iron (or otherwise oven-proof) skillet for this recipe. The “dough” is not really going to look like dough. It’s more of a batter, like a crepe batter. You can feel free to experiment with different toppings, but I would stay away from “wet” toppings or sauces unless you cook the crust for longer from the start, or else you might end up with a soggier middle.

Yield: 1 9″ cast-iron skillet-sized pizza

Socca (crust) batter:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Toppings:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

~ 4 ounces (a little less than half a block) Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella cheese, grated with a microplane grater

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place a well-oiled 9″ cast-iron skillet in the oven while it preheats.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together ingredients for socca batter until frothy (about 2 minutes). When skillet is hot, pour in batter and place back in preheated oven. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until edges are browned and middle is firm to the touch.

3. While crust bakes, make topping by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onions and stir to coat with oil. Saute onions until dark brown, about 7 minutes. Add shitakes and cook for another 3 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and transluscent.

4. When crust is cooked, spread onion and mushroom mixture over top and sprinkle with nutritional yeast (optional) and “cheese.” Bake until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Ok, so I’m exagerrating a little. There were some people who liked both places equally. But the take-away from all this is that there was no one who didn’t like a good burrito — no matter which burrito they felt fell under that definition. But the moment anyone gives up gluten, the burrito experience will never be the same. First, the corn tortilla, while (in my opinion) superior in flavor, is not of optimum burrito-making texture. And a brown rice tortilla, if you’re tried them, is not worth the effort taste-wise. Hence, many people seeking good, cheap take-out-style Mexican are relegated to the burrito bowl.

In addition to enjoying cheap Mexican food, I’m also a fan of the ubiquitous Asian fresh roll. I tend to order it whenever it’s on a menu, even though they all seem to taste relatively the same. There’s something refreshing, yet satisfying, about the fresh roll’s bright flavors, crunchy interior and chewy outer texture.

So tonight I finally did what I’ve long been wanting to do: I combined two of my favorite “wraps” into one dish — the Fresh Roll Burrito. It’s got the light, chewy, fresh feel of the fresh summer roll, with the flavors and spirit of a burrito. Below is the method (not quite a recipe) for preparing them. You can find rice wrappers in most Asian stores, or the Asian section of your grocery store (if you’re lucky). I saw them recently at Whole Foods as well. You’ll want the bigger size — one that resembles the size of a large flour tortilla.

Fresh Roll Burritos:

4 spring rolls wrappers made from rice paper

~ 1 cup fat-free refried beans (for less moisture)

shredded vegan cheese

grape tomatoes, quartered

sliced avocado

chopped green onion

cilantro leaves

Other possible additions (not pictured):

shredded romaine lettuce

corn kernels

red pepper

cooked brown rice

Directions:

Soak 1 sheet of rice paper in a shallow dish of cold to room temperature water until soft, about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes. Remove carefully and lay flat on cutting board, pulling out any wrinkles or folded edges. On the side nearest you, spread a thin layer of refried beans at the end of the rice paper, leaving about 3/4 inch open on the left, right and side nearest you. Sprinkle beans with cheese, veggies and cilantro leaves. Fold the end of the rice paper just over the filling, tucking in filling tighly with fingers. Fold over the ends of both the left and right side. Roll the wrapper up the rest of the way tightly. Let sit for a few minutes until rice paper dries before cutting. Serve with salsa or guacamole for dipping.

Gluten Free Crust:

2/3 cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cup chickpea flour

1 and 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (plus a tad more for greasing skillet)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

My Toppings:

prepared, organic pizza sauce

sliced kalamata olives

sliced jalapeno

Follow Your Heart mozzarella “cheese,” grated with a microplane grater

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Place lightly greased 9″ cast iron skillet in preheating oven. Let it get really hot in there.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together buckwheat and chickpea flours and salt. Make a well in the middle and add water and olive oil. Whisk ingredients vigrorously until incorporated and bubbly.

4. When skillet is really hot, pour batter into skillet (it should sizzle!). Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Add desired toppings and bake or pass through broiler to melt cheese (carefully watch if broiling to make sure crusts don’t get too dark). Enjoy!

The one thing I’ve noticed about guacamole is that while the same basic ingredients go into every recipe — avocado, lime, salt, onion, tomato — it seems like no guacamole is ever alike. Some are lime-y, some are creamy, some are chunky, others smooth. They range in flavor, texture, and heat, and I love them all.

I decided to call this recipe a dip. Despite the wide range of possible guacamole interpretation, the creamy consistency of this recipe really reminds me of a great dip. I made a big batch on Friday and Gennaro and I enjoyed it over fish tacos. I enjoyed the leftovers the next day with a healthy handful of chips.

Avocado Dip:

2 ripe avocados

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoons salt

3 scallions, greens topped off

4 jalapenos, seeded and roughly chopped (add back seeds gradually until dip reaches desired heat)

2 plum tomatoes, seeded, roughly chopped

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Puree avocado, lemon juice, salt and scallions in a food processor until smooth and homogenous.

2. Add remaining ingredients and puree until dip is speckled but smooth, with no large chunks of vegetable remaining.