GYPSY CAVIAR

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

1 large carrot, pared and coarsely grated

1 unpeeled eggplant, but into 1 inch cubes

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp sweet basil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 9-ounce can tomato sauce

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet; add onion. Sauté until wilted and golden. Add green pepper, carrot and eggplant; cover and continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until eggplant is cooked thoroughly. Add oregano, basil, garlic, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered, until thick. Serve hot or cold as a spread with crackers. Store in refrigerator.

(H. Boyer, Dublin, Miss. © Southern Living 1968)

Gluten-free and Vegetarian/Vegan Recipes

To meet my needs of being “gluten-free”, there are no ingredients that have wheat in them. Since one out of one-hundred people now have problems with the way the United States processes their foods, there are plenty of brands which are marked GF Gluten-free. However, read all the way around the label and determine if there might be traces of wheat or if the product was processed in a plant or on machinery that also handles wheat. (These statements are usually NOT found near the list of ingredients.) If this is the case and you are gluten-sensitive or have a wheat-toxicity, don’t use it!

I also deleted recipes which called for hidden gluten – like shrimp, frozen mangoes and parsnips.

Vegetarian foods allow the use of milk, honey, eggs, and other non-kill animal products; vegans do not. I have endeavored to post only recipes with vegan-appropriate ingredients. If I really liked something, though, that was vegetarian rather than vegan, I will note it.

Whenever possible, use non-GMO products (non-genetically modified).  If you think gmo’s are ok for you, you haven’t read any science fiction books, let alone Charles Darwin.

These recipes are not an attempt to substitute wheat or animal ingredients with something else. These recipes are “naturally” or originally gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan.