Category Archives: Gluten Free

Ash Reshteh Persian Noodle Soup with Vegan Saffron Macadamia Cream

vegan ash reshteh

Dear readers, I’m excited to post my first recipe since I started working as a vegan chef at Dropbox. Truth is ever since I moved to San Francisco, the dramatic change has taken me time to adjust and get into a routine to make time for blogging among a few other things. I want to commit to share all the delicious things I am learning and creating at work. Everyday every recipe has to be different and that is one of the amazing challenges I love from work. Today I made a Persian noodle soup called Ash Reshteh. Ash is a thick soup and Reshteh is a type of noodle similar to linguini but thinner. At work I just used udon noodles but you can use any similar type of noodle. This soup consists of beans, spinach, and lots of herbs. At work I added roasted carrots and summer squashes and smeared the cream along the side of the bowl, but you don’t have to put extra veggies if you don’t want.

Ingredients | Serves 4-6

Ash Reshteh

3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 cilantro bunches; separate leaves for garnish and mince stems
2 parsley bunches, mince leaves, stems, keep separate
3 tsp turmeric
3 tsp Ras El Hanout or Garam Masala
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
2 cup kidney beans, cooked
1 cup lentils, cooked
2 lbs baby spinach leaves
1/2 pasta: Reshteh noodles, linguini, udon, vermicelli…your fave…
mint leaves for garnish
chives for garnish

Macadamia Saffron Cream

1/2 cup soaked macadamias(unroasted, soaked for 15 minutes)
a pinch of saffron
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup water or more
1 tsp salt
Sauté onions until translucent and add garlic, parsley and cilantro stems. Cook until onions caramelize (brown). Add turmeric, ras el hanout, chickpeas, red beans, and lentils. Sauté for a few minutes together and add 2 qts (8 cups) of water, bring to a boil for 3 minutes and simmer until beans are cooked.
Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to boil for your desired noodles and cook according to package. Cook al dente and run them under cold water so the heat doesn’t carry off to over cook them. Place in a bowl and add olive oil so they don’t stick.
Stir your bean soup and add spinach and parsley. You might have to add the spinach in small bunches to allow the first batch to wilt. Cook soup for another 15 minutes on low heat and turn off.

For the vegan saffron cream, soak saffron threads in 1 cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Place your soaked macadamias in the blender, add the apple cider vinegar, salt and saffron water. Turn your blender on low and gradually turn up to a higher speed. If the blades don’t move add 1/2 cup water gradually until you have a smooth creamy paste.

Place noodles in bowls and pour the hot bean soup on top. Add mint, cilantro, chives and the saffron cream. A super simple version that is also delicious, is just the cilantro on top which is how I made it at home. 🙂

ash reshteh

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and hopefully understand the directions. Please comment if you have any questions or if I got typos :p (I gotta wake up early at 5am for work tomorrow so I must have a few that slipped). Hasta La Vista Baby!!!

Photo taken at by Brian Mattingly at Dropbox’s Headquarters
Heres my picture from my cell phone that I took at work. I didn’t get the best angle so excuse the poor photography and sloppy plating. 😛

Free eBook Download: A La Mexicana

What happens if you don’t have internet and can’t access your favorite recipe online. My dear friends, I have made a compilation of my favorite Mexican Vegan and Gluten free recipes and put them in an ebook so you can view or print them anytime offline. Please feel free to share with friends and family. Enjoy!


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Chile Verde Seitan Tacos

Chile Verde Seitan Tacos
Vegan Chile Verde
Chile Verde is a popular Mexican dish with an aromatic green chile sauce with cilantro, and tomatillos that cook the protein, thus the translation name “green chile” of Chile Verde.I remember this was one of my favorite dishes from my mama’s Mexican seitan recipes.
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Gluten Free Veggie Quinoa Lentil Burgers

Quinoa Burger

This week has been the introduction of a new month, a celebration to freedom and the 239th birthday of the United States of America. This weekend for the 4th of july (the independence of the United States of America) is an all American tradition of grilling burgers and hot dogs, enjoying the warm summer days, and enjoying any outdoor resources. My 4th of July couldn’t have been more awesome without the company of my vegetarian big family. We definitely fired up the grill with all of the vegetarian options, some family and friends camped outside, and spent our days at the river, swimming, slip and sliding, shooting bows and arrows and of course shooting guns…definitely did it the American way…only in a Vegetarian American Way!!! Below is my gluten free veggie burger I want to share with you all because it’s so practical and not only do I use them in burgers but also in spicy asian wraps, or Mediterranean with hummus and avocado. They are full of fiber and protein, and will satisfy any hungry taste buds!

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Moroccan Chickpea Tagine with Sweet Potatoes, Carrots & Rosewater

vegetarian tagine recipes
Morroccan Chickpea Tagine
Vegetarian Tagine
Tagine Recipes
Good morning, beautiful readers, YES I mean you! This past week I’v been so in love with my new kitchen toy! And that is my badass tagine clay pot. Tagine is a really sweet traditional north African clay pot from the areas of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. It has a deep base and a cute pointy (conical) lid. It is used to cook stews, curries, meats, couscous and other vegetable dishes. If you don’t have a clay pot, or tagine, you can just use a regular pot for this recipe. This recipe calls for a moroccan spice blend called Ras El Hanout which you either can purchase it from your local grocery store or make it from scratch. It’s kind of similar to the garam masala in Indian food and suits really nice in vegetable dishes. If you can, try to invest in a type of clay pot because the flavors of the dishes have a really nice earthiness to it that is amazing! I’ve noticed especially that when you cook some type of legumes in clay pots like beans, lentils, split mung, and chickpeas (my favorite) the flavors and aromas are enhanced on a whole different level! Check it out and let your taste buds take you on a scented journey with this ambrosial chickpea tagine infused with rosewater!

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Vietnamese Vegan Pho Soup

vegetarian vietnamese pho soup
It’s throw back thursday with a Vietnamese pho soup my friend and I would cook up after our long days of school in the Art Institute. Pho soup is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup typically cooked with spices, beef broth and topped with sprouts, fresh cilantro and Thai basil, but this beef-less version of it is so good, it will surely be a staple in your recipes for asian dishes. I was very lucky to have my vietnamese friend teach me this vegetarian version of it, because her family actually owned a vegetarian restaurant in Vietnam. where they made mouthwatering dishes with fake mock meats made out of tofu, seitan and soy. This soup is super versatile and if you don’t have all the ingredients, play around with different vegetables to create the vegetable broth, I’m always reinventing it and it’s still so delicious, gluten free and vegan! Oh yeah baby, let’s rock and roll in the kitchen!
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