Posts Tagged 'gluten-free'

Olive and Sundried Tomato Polenta Wedges

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I’ve only made polenta once before, which made the formulation of this recipe quite the lesson in trial and error. My frustration was most definitely exacerbated by the fact that there is a heat wave scorching through Toronto right now, making it so that every time the oven or stove top is turned on in our kitchen it feels like the temperature rises to about 45 degrees Celsius. Totally bogus. Big thanks to Warren for braving the hellish temperature long enough to stick around and snap some pictures of the end result.

I originally put way too much oil in this recipe and the polenta turned out a bit soggy inside, so I cut it in half from 1/4 cup to only 2 tablespoons. This way, the polenta should turn out relatively fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside after frying it. Also, it’s way tastier with a dipping sauce to accompany it. I whipped up a tomato-basil sauce with the leftover kalamata olives and it was delicious. Or you could spread some pesto over it. Even the marinara sauce from my last post would be great too.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onions are turning translucent.
2. Add the olives, sundried tomatoes, oregano, and black pepper. Sauté for another 2 or 3 three minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the vegetable broth, water, and salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low and stream in the cornmeal, whisking it constantly. Continue stirring until the polenta mixture thickens up (check out the above picture for reference). I usually get the right consistency after less than a minute of simmering, but depending on the type of cornmeal, it could take up to 15 or 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Spread out about 1/2-inch thick onto a lightly oiled tray or baking sheet. Cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.
5. Slice into rectangular wedges and heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Don’t bother putting any oil in the pan. Instead, very lightly oil the polenta wedges and put them in the hot pan. Fry on each side for a few minutes until crispy (you’ll likely need to repeat this step a couple times depending on the size of your skillet). Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and serve with your dipping sauce of choice.
Serves: 4 or 5

Green Bean and Potato Salad with a Lemon-Dijon Dressing

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My Dad spends a lot of his free time in the backyard during the warmer months of the year, although instead of half-nakedly basking in the sun and doing crosswords as per usual, this year he has devoted much of his time toiling away in his new vegetable garden. I was really proud of his little backyard project when he started planting it, and especially now that the first harvest of vegetables are popping up. He’s got two types of beans growing back there, but these tender green beans were ready for picking about a week ago, so I took a commuter train back to Oakville on my day off and loaded up. The end result was this green bean and potato salad, which I was pretty pleased with, because of how well all the flavours paired with each other; both the dill and the lemony dressing compliment the potatoes nicely and the same goes for the toasted almonds and the green beans. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 pounds new potatoes (I used a mixture of baby red and white potatoes)
½ pound green beans, blanched and cut in half
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh dill, chopped

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Set dressing aside for later.
2. To toast the almonds, heat a pan over low to medium heat and toss them in. Stir them frequently and keep an eye on them, because they can burn easily. Should only take a few minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size. With a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and run them under cold water until cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes in half (or quarters if they’re bigger) and set aside.
4. In the same boiling water, add the green beans and blanche for about a minute. Remove the beans from the cooking water and throw them into a large bowl filled with ice to stop them from cooking (this way they’ll retain their vibrant green colour. You could also run them under really cold water for a bit). Once cool, cut them in half.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, green beans, almonds, green onions, and dill. Stir in the dressing and mix well. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Drizzle with a touch more lemon juice and olive oil before serving.
Makes: 4 servings

Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad

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I really liked the way this fresh spring salad turned out, which is good, because I really like asparagus. It’s been in season since early May, but the good local stuff should only be around for another couple weeks, so I’ve been loading up on it lately. This salad is suspiciously similar to a previous fennel salad post, but whatever, I bet none of you would have even noticed if I hadn’t just said that… um, enjoy!

Ingredients:
10 stalks asparagus
1 navel orange, peeled and cut into segments
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in a saucepan over medium-heat
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Remove the tough, woody stems from the asparagus stalks and cut the tips off. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and blanch the asparagus tips for about 10 seconds. Drain into a strainer and immediately run the tips under cold water until cool. Into a large bowl, shave the asparagus lengthwise using a vegetable peeler. Add the blanched tips to the bowl.
2. If you don’t know how to segment an orange, watch this video. However, before peeling the orange and segmenting it, zest it with a fine grater or scraping it with a seraded knife. Add the segments and the orange zest to the asparagus bowl.
3. Add the fennel, orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and pine nuts. Mix together gently with your fingertips until well-combined. Season to taste with a bbig pinch of salt and a bit of black pepper.
Serves: 3 to 4

Potato and Cucumber Salad

So Brooks and I had another giant dinner party last week. I got a chance to fire up the BBQ for the first time this season and it was another success. We fed about 30 people, it was nuts. I remember making Brooks take some photos, so once I get around to hassling him for them, I’ll probably put them up on here to share with you. Or Brooks, if you’re reading this, which you probably are, just send those over. Thanks, buddy.

Anyway, I made a variation of this dish at the BBQ as an appetizer salad, only I used chickpeas instead of potatoes. You could always throw in some chickpeas to beef up the protein, but I want to keep this one simple and the dill goes so good with the cucumber and potatoes that it’s all you really need. I probably should have made it with potatoes at Brooks’, but I made veggie kebabs that already had potatoes on them and I didn’t want to get redundant, you know? The kebabs were definitely one of the crowd favourites, I think. I basted them with the miso glaze from this recipe and I borrowed an awesome recipe from Vegan Dad for some seitan ‘beef’ chunks that I skewered with the veggies. Vegan Dad rules and I suggest everyone reading this check out his webspace.

The baby potatoes used in the recipe are also called ‘new potatoes.’ Basically, these tiny tubers are miniature varieties of potatoes which are harvested immaturely in either the spring of summer. It’s the same deal as baby corn, but not creepy looking. New potatoes are usually available in all different kinds of varieties. The young skins are super thin, so you don’t have to bother peeling them, which would be tedious anyway. I used white potatoes in this recipe, because Yukon Golds weren’t available at the grocery I was at last night and didn’t really want to wait another day before making this recipe! Also, make sure you give your potatoes a good scrub under running water before cooking them.

Ingredients:
18 to 20 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, washed (red potatoes are good too)
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon organic cane sugar
Sea salt, to taste
4 cups cucumber, diced
8 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Fill a large saucepan with well salted water and bring to a boil. Add the whole baby potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 13 or 14 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, garlic, lemon juice, and sugar with a fork until well combined. Season with a good pinch of salt.
3. Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them in half. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, and green onions. Pour in the tahini dressing and mix well.
4. Stir in the fresh dill, olive oil, and smoked paprika. Season with a nice, fat pinch of salt and a few grinds from your pepper mill.
Serves: 3 to 4

Chana Masala

Chana Masala is a chickpea curry and staple dish of Indian cuisine. I served mine over some brown basmati rice, but some roti to scoop it up with would be awesome too. I love roti. Which reminds me, if you’re in or around Toronto, eat a chana roti from Gandhi Roti. They make sure to advertise as the best roti in the city and from my own personal experience, they live up to it. Big time.

I used both garam masala (not too uncommon among supermarkets) and mango powder (quite uncommon among supermarkets and also called amchur powder) in this recipe. Garam masala is a blend of ground aromatic spices commonly found in Indian cooking. Most mixes typically consist of cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and star anise. Since both the garam masala and the mango powder are fairly key to the success of this dish, I suggest you take a trip to your local Indian grocer and pick some up. Besides definitely being able to grab these two spice mixtures, you might also be inspired to create other tasty dishes with some of the ingredients that are non-typical of Western cuisine that you’ll see on the shelves. Also, be on the lookout for ridiculously inexpensive vegetable samosas; many of the Indian grocers I’ve visited have them for like 40 cents a piece!

Ingredients:
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
3/4 teaspoon mango powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1 green chili, minced*
2 or 3 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup low-sodium or homemade vegetable broth
1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon organic cane sugar
1 19oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl combine the garam masala, mango powder, coriander powder, curry powder, turmeric powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Set aside for later.
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté the cumin seeds, bay leaves, onion, garlic, and ginger for 6 or 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the green chili, tomatoes, and spice mixture and sauté for another 2, stirring often.
3. Add the vegetable broth and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves. Add the lemon juice and, if needed, season to taste with more salt (or sugar if it’s too lemony). Garnish with a bit of fresh cilantro and some minced onion.
Serves: 2 to 4
*For a less spicy version, remove some, or all of the seeds from the green chili.

Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup

I’ve been mentioning to some friends lately that I’m getting a bit worried that my blog is becoming a little one-dimensional. It seems that all I ever post on here are soups. I make a lot of soup. Soups and stews. They’re tasty, fun to make, and there’s usually plenty of leftovers. I was going to post a non-soup recipe before I threw this one up, but I’ve been crazy busy this month and will most likely continue to be until the beginning of April. So, sorry if I’m slightly absent during the month of March through the beginning of April!

The other night, Brooks and I had some friends over at his place for another one of our food parties. One of the dishes I served was this soup. We went with an Italian food theme to go along with our hilariously narrated game of Mafia. As per usual, the night was an overall success.

Ingredients:
8 plum tomatoes (make sure they’re ripe and firm)
½ onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 cups low-sodium or homemade vegetable broth
½ cup water
Handful fresh basil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, toss together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, a generous pinch of sea salt, and black pepper to taste. Throw into the oven and roast for 50 minutes., stirring halfway through.
2. Add the sundried tomatoes and roast for 10 more minutes.
3. Remove tomatoes from the oven. In a medium or large saucepan, heat the vegetable broth and water to a simmer.
4. Add the roasted tomato mixture to an upright blender with the vegetable broth, water, and fresh basil. Blend until smooth (you’ll probably have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your blender).
5. Pour the blended soup into the saucepan used for the vegetable broth and water. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. If needed, season to taste with more salt, pepper, and fresh basil.
Serves: 4 or 5

Holy Hummus!

Alright, kids. Vegan living 101: mastering the art of hummus. Every vegan should know how, and love, to make a standard chickpea hummus. Chickpeas, a.k.a. garbanzo beans, are tasty, cheap, and healthful. High in both protein and calcium, this legume is a staple of many plant-based diets. I have yet to meet a vegan who doesn’t love hummus. This recipe is just a basic lemon-garlic hummus. I like mine super lemony, so if you want, start with less lemon juice and add more to taste. I served it with some pita chips. So easy: take some pitas, split them apart into disks, cut them into triangles, put them on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake them at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through, until they’re crispy. Voilà!

One important thing about this recipe: use it as a blueprint. Make it as is, or mess around with it. There’s a million different kinds of hummus you can make, all equally as delicious. Try adding things like fresh herbs (basil, mint, cilantro, parsley), toasted walnuts, roasted vegetables (red peppers, eggplants), kalamata olives, avocados, roasted garlic, etc.

Not only is making hummus quick and easy with the help of a blender or food processor, one batch is plentiful and will last about 5 to 7 days in the fridge. I suggest using a blender, because you’ll get a much smoother consistency. If you don’t have either, I’d first say invest in one, but if you’re too broke for even that, you could probably just mash it all up in a big mixing bowl. It might take some elbow grease, and the final product will surely be quite chunky, but the taste should still be there. Also, I used canned beans for this recipe, because they’re easy, but if you’ve got the time, I really suggest using dried beans and cooking them yourself. While they might take a lot longer than opening up a can, depending on how long you soak your dried beans before cooking them, they’re a lot easier to digest and they’re much cheaper than the canned stuff.

So, take this recipe, build on it, and stop wasting your money on grocery store hummus!

Ingredients:
1 19oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced or finely grated
1/4 cup tahini
3 or 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In an upright blender or a food processor, add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. Blend until the chickpeas are broken up and everything is starting to come together. In the blender, if it all gets ‘stuck’ and won’t mix together, scrape the sides down and give it a stir a few times before continuing to blend.
2. With the blender or food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue to blend until smooth. If needed, season to taste with tiny bit more salt.
Makes: Enough!

Roasted Pear and Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Alright, so if you’re not into quinoa, get into it now! This whole grain is simple, quick, delicious, and really good for you. Quinoa has been around forever in parts of South America, where it originated. It’s become super popular more recently in North America, mostly because of its health benefits. Not only is it higher in protein than most whole grains, its also a complete protein source because of its balance of essential amino acids… well, that’s what Wikipedia says anyway. Whatever, I trust them… the internet never lies!

When preparing quinoa, make sure you rinse the uncooked grains very well under running water for a few minutes, preferably in a very fine metal strainer (thrifty chefs see: the dollar store). Quinoa grains have a slightly bitter coating and taste a lot better cooked when most of the bitter part is washed off.

This quinoa dish was the other salad that I served along with the candied pecan and apple salad at a party earlier last week. After I mentioned it in another blog entry, a few people asked for the recipe. So here it is, friends!

Oh, I should also point out that I was inspired by a similar recipe at the awesome blog, FatFree Vegan, so I can’t really take full credit for this recipe!

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 Bosc pears, peeled and cubed
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 shallots, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cup low sodium or homemade vegetable broth or water (if not using homemade broth, I swear by the low sodium organic one from Imagine)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in a skillet over medium heat (about 5 minutes)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss the pear and butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and a few turns from your pepper mill. Roast for 35 minutes, turning about halfway through the cooking time. Add a couple good pinches of the minced fresh thyme and roast for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium/medium-low heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté for about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often, until shallots are softening and garlic is fragrant (add a tablespoon or so of water if it begins to stick).
3. Add quinoa, 1 tablespoon of the minced fresh thyme, and big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add vegetable broth or water, turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn heat to low, cover saucepan, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit with the lid still on for another 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff gently with a fork and let cool for about 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, gently toss together the cooked quinoa, pear, butternut squash, parsley, lemon juice, pine nuts, 1/4 teaspoon more minced fresh thyme, and tiny drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste with bit more sea salt and black pepper.
Serves: 3 to 5

Candied Pecan and Apple Salad with a Simple Dijon Vinaigrette

I made this salad for a party at my friend’s house last Tuesday, which I blogged about a few days ago. I loved the sweet and salty roasted pecans so much that I’d definitely serve them on their own as an easy snack sometime in the future. If I were to make this salad again, I probably would have used all Granny Smith green apples, because I really liked their tartness with the sweetness of the pecans. Mmmmmm. Regardless of what Homer had to say, you can win friends with salad!

My dad, the designated wine guy for the blog, says that a good wine pairing for this salad would be either a glass of Jackson-Triggs’ Sparkling Chardonnay Brut or their 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay. All wines are certified vegan-friendly according to the database over at Barnivore.com!

For the Dijon vinaigrette:
1/2 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon organic cane sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified.

For the salad:
1 cup raw pecans
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (don’t you dare use generic table syrup)
Sea salt
5 oz. package (142 grams) of mixed greens (I used a mix with radicchio and frisée for a nice crisp texture)
2 apples, cut into thin strips (I used one Royal Gala and one Granny Smith)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced diagonally
1/8 cup red onion, very thinly sliced

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the pecans with the maple syrup. Spread onto a baking tray lined with aluminum foil and throw into the oven for about 16 minutes, until the nuts smell nice and roasted, but not burnt. Make sure to turn them after about 8 minutes.
3. Once the pecans are roasted, remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with a tiny pinch of sea salt. Let cool and peel off of the aluminum foil. They might stick a bit, but you should be able to get them all off!
4. In a large salad bowl, combine the cooled candied pecans with the mixed greens, apples, fresh mint, dried apricots, celery, red onion, and the Dijon vinaigrette. Delicately mix together with both your hands, without letting all the heavier ingredients sink to the bottom! Season each plated serving with another tiny pinch of sea salt.
Serves: 3 to 5

Mimmi’s Mash!

My friend, Mimmi, once told me that she’s a terrible cook and can barely make toast without starting a kitchen fire. My first impulse was to help a fellow vegan out, so I asked what her favourite meal was. “Mashed potatoes.” I promised I’d make a roasted garlic mash for her someday. That was maybe about eight months ago… so I’m a bit late with this recipe, but here it is, Mimmi!:

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 whole head garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped (about 5 or 6, medium-sized)
2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
1/3 cup reserved cooking water
1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced*

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Peel some the outer layers off the head of garlic and cut off just the very top, so all inside of all the cloves are exposed (see pic below). Drizzle the top with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Wrap the entire head in aluminum foil and place into the oven for about 1 hour. Once finished, the cloves should be soft and golden brown.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the chopped potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are fork tender and cooked through.
3. Turn heat off and drain the potatoes, making sure to reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
4. Return the cooked potatoes to the pot, add the Earth Balance, reserved cooking water, and fresh thyme. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the head and add to the pan. Mash everything together well with a potato masher until smooth.
5. Season to taste with a nice, big pinch of salt and a few turns from your pepper mill. Add more margarine if it’s not creamy enough. Stir through and serve.
Serves: 4 to 6

*I highly recommend using the fresh herbs for this particular recipe, but in a pinch, you can sub 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.

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Welcome!

My name is Ross. I'm a food loving vegan and these are some of my recipes. I'm also the owner of Hot Beans vegan takeout in Kensington Market, Toronto. Check out my 'about' page for more info. Enjoy!

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All images and recipes (unless otherwise noted) Copyright © Ross Corder and Vegan Eats Blog, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Please do not re-post or otherwise duplicate without permission. Thanks! Also, the "gluten-free" recipe tag is meant primarily for cataloging purposes and does not necessarily ensure that the recipe is completely gluten-free. Be careful to read the labels of any pre-packaged products to ensure that they are indeed gluten-free!

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