Perfect rosti

Perfect Rosti

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a cooked breakfast can comprise of so many different elements. This morning I enjoyed griddled tomatoes, fried eggs, fried sweetcorn, toast and rosti. Rosti is a great and quick way to enjoy potatoes in the morning as they do not take too long to prepare. Any they go so well with ketchup!

Ingredients:

2 potatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Peel and wash the potatoes. Grate the potatoes over a clean tea towel. Draw the tea towel up together and squeeze out the water from the grated potato into the sink. 

Open up the tea towel and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the potato. Using your fingers, toss the potato around so that the salt and pepper is evenly spread. 

Gather about 2 tablespoons of potato in your hands and clasp your hands together to form patties of potato. Place them on a chopping board/plate as you go along. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat. When the oil has heated up, carefully add the potato patties with a metal spatula, pressing down gently as you go along. The patties should sizzle. 

Fry each side until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes each side. 

Enjoy with your cooked breakfast.  

Chilli tomato omelette

Chilli Tomato Omelette

Omelettes are a quick and easy comfort food which is easy to adapt to your own preferences. This recipe adds the sourness of tomatoes, the heat of chilli and the sweetness of sweetcorn.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 long chilli

1 handful frozen sweetcorn

1 tomato

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Put the grill on in your oven to a high setting. When the oil has warmed up fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes until soft and just starting to brown. Add the finely chopped chilli and diced tomato, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Season with half of the salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs together with the remaining salt and pepper. Add to the pan and gently swirl the pan to ensure that the egg is evenly spread. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the base is cooked. Finish off by placing under a high grill for a couple of minutes being careful to ensure the omelette does not burn. To serve, fold the omelette over twice to get a quarter fold. Enjoy with some homemade baked beans and toasted gluten free farmhouse bread. 

Baked beans

Baked Beans

Baked beans are one of those foods which is commonly associated with the convenience of a tin, such is the success of the companies who have built empires around serving us up tins of beans. However, it is always rewarding to break such assumptions by making your own. Even though it takes some time the convenience is in the fact that you can make enough to keep for later and at the same time saving some money. You can also decide which beans you wish to add!

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin mixed beans

1 tin cannelloni beans

200 ml water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Pour the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and allow to cook for a couple of minutes until translucent and soft. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions browning. Then add the chopped tomatoes, water, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and then lower the heat to allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the drained beans and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. At the end add the fresh oregano. 

The beans should be coated in a relatively thick sauce and will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. 

Sardines on toast

Sardines on Toast

Sardines on toast do not immediately inspire most foodies but there are times when a quick meal is all you need. This is a recipe with a bit of an Asian twist on the old classic. It kicks enough of a punch with the addition of sambal oelek to make you forget the boring old sardines on toast!

Ingredients:

2 tins sardines in spring water

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons sambal oelek

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Toasted gluten free farmhouse bread

Pour the olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sardines and sambal oelek and mix to combine. Heat together for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and heat for another three minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top, stirring to combine.  

Enjoy a heaped tablespoon of the sardines on top of buttered toasted gluten free farmhouse bread. 

Fluffy coconut and lime cake

Fluffy coconut and lime cake

Coconut and lime is one of those combinations that work just so well. This is a simple cake which highlights that combination in a light and fluffy cake which goes so well with a passion fruit curd.

Ingredients:

175g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine
130g golden caster sugar
175g self-raising gluten free flour
3 eggs
60g shredded coconut
2 limes zest and juice
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Grease and line the base of a 10 inch loose-bottomed tin. 

Add the butter/margarine to a large mixing bowl and beat until softened. Add the sugar to the bowl and beat until pale and soft. Add the flour, eggs, coconut, lime zest and juice and baking powder and mix together for 3 minutes. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and pop into the oven for 50 minutes or golden brown on top. Take out of the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. 

This cake is lovely and fluffy with a tropical freshness.

Perfect Pancakes - Gluten Free

Perfect Pancakes

I have always wondered at the popularity of pancake stalls since they are so simple to make and most purchased ones look so insipid and pale. For me the perfect pancake has a burnt look and is crispy on the edges. Gluten free pancakes are not as thin as they are much more delicate and not as elastic. They are great with any type of filling and are a good option if you want to take a break from added sugar.   

This recipe has more liquid then traditional recipes due to the relative thirst of the flours used. Gluten free flour mixes are much more thirsty and need more liquid to have the runny consistency required to make a pancake. 

Be careful not to make the pancake too large as it might make is difficult to flip over. I as a guide use 4/5ths of a ladle and leave enough of a gap between the pancake and the side of the pan to fit the top of a spatula underneath the edge of the pancake. 

Ingredients:

120g gluten free plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

400ml rice milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

30g butter/dairy free margarine plus extra for frying

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs and whisk. Gradually add the rice milk whilst whisking to avoid any lumps. Mix in the vanilla extract. Melt the butter/dairy free margarine in a small pan over a medium heat and pour into the pancake mixture whilst whisking.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and then add a knob of butter/dairy free margarine and a drop of oil. When the butter/dairy free margarine has melted swirl around the pan to ensure it is evenly coated.

Pour in 4/5ths of a ladle of the pancake mixture in the centre of the pan and gently tilt the pan to allow the mixture to spread a little. Cook over a medium/high heat for about 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown in patches. Repeat until all of the pancake mixture is used up.

Enjoy the pancakes with your choice of filling such as ice cream, fresh fruit, honey and lemon, jam or chocolate spread. 

  

Cafe style cookies

Cafe Style Cookies

How many times have you craved for a $4 cookie but without the hefty price tag and extra sugar? This recipe is not set in stone though so feel free to use different combinations of seeds and nuts depending on your taste buds and availability.

Ingredients:

250g unsalted butter at room temperature

120g golden caster sugar

100g ground almonds

2 tsp vanilla extract

125g gluten free plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg beaten

60g shredded coconut

80g roasted roughly chopped cashew nuts

40g pumpkin seeds

40g sunflower seeds

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar together until pale and soft. Measure in the rest of the ingredients and combine until mixed together. 

Roll heaped tablespoons of the mixture into balls and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Place onto the trays leaving space for the mixture to expand during cooking and pop into the oven for 25 minutes or golden brown. If you prefer flatter biscuits you can press them down a bit before putting in the oven. 

Leave to cool on the trays before storing in an airtight container. These biscuits last for a week if stored in a cool and dark place. 

Polenta lemon cake dairy free and gluten free

Polenta Lemon Cake

Polenta always seems to crop up when looking for a gluten free option in a café in the form of an orange polenta cake. However, nice as they might be it is let down by its predictability. Also the texture can sometimes be too gritty so I offer you this recipe as a gluten free and dairy free alternative which is akin to a lemon drizzle cake in its moistness.

Ingredients:

160g polenta

80g ground almonds

180g gluten free self raising flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

140g golden caster sugar

2 lemons grated zest

400ml coconut cream

100ml oil

3 eggs

30g honey

2 lemons juice

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C and grease and line the base of a 10 inch loose bottomed cake tin. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the polenta, almonds, flour, bicarb, sugar and zest and mix together. In another bowl or jug, mix together the cream, eggs and oil.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients and mix until combined. This should take about 30 seconds. 

Pour the mixture in the prepared tin and pop in the oven for about 50 minutes or until the cake is golden brown on top. 

About 5 minutes before the cake is ready, prepare the lemon syrup by mixing the honey and lemon juice in a small pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. 

Once the cake is ready and you have tested it by inserting a knife in the middle to check it comes out clean and dry, poke the cake a few more times evenly around the cake and pour the lemon syrup evenly over the cake whilst still in the tin. 

Allow to cool in the tin before carefully taking it out of the tin. This cake tastes better the next day and will keep for 3 days in a cool, dry place. 

Honey chocolate brownies



Honey Chocolate Brownie



Honey chocolate brownies

On the eve of a sugar-free stint, I had a few bars of dark chocolate which I wanted to use up, lest there was any temptation during the fast. Since I did not have much time and only a few eggs I decided to make something quick and easy, yet delicious. But also something that did not need sugar. The brownie was my first choice since the honey adds to the rich taste and moistness that I associate with brownies. I am not a huge fan of the cake-like brownie. A brownie should not be dry.

Ingredients:

220g dark chocolate

150g dairy free margarine

3 eggs

100g gluten free self-raising flour

170g honey

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 20cm by 30cm baking tray with greased baking paper or wrapping foil.

In a large non-metallic bowl, add the dark chocolate and margarine and pop into the microwave for about two and a half minutes to melt together. Mix to combine and leave to one side to cool.

Beat in the eggs and honey to the cooled chocolate mixture. Next add the flour and fold to combine. Pour into the baking tray and pop into the oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares. These brownies keep for about a week so make a good lunchbox treat.



Decadent but with honey!

Fennel Chocolate Clusters

Fennel Chocolate Clusters

Fennel Chocolate Clusters

When you are on a low sugar, gluten-free and lactose free diet it is hard at times to find something easy and tasty to pack in your lunchbox. These chocolate clusters though tick all the boxes. Dark chocolate contains less sugar so these treats are not too sugar intensive. The addition of fennel adds a lovely twist. 

Ingredients:

300g dark chocolate
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
200g blanched hazelnuts
75g sour cherries

Dark chocolate

In a large non-metallic mixing bowl, break the chocolate into pieces and pop into the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate until it has melted. 

Fennel, cherries and nuts

In a pestle and mortar, grind the fennel seeds until you get a powder and mix into the melted chocolate. Add the hazelnuts and cherries and stir until combined. On a baking tray, place a piece of greaseproof paper and place tablespoons of the chocolate mix on top. Leave to set. Transfer to an airtight container. 

An everyday treat!

So, do you like fennel?

Banana and pecan cake

Banana and pecan cake

Banana and pecan cake

I seem to be having alot of overripe bananas at the moment. Perhaps it is due to the miserable weather we have been enduring and the prevalence of sweet nectarines. Annywho, I decided to add pecans to this mix to add fibre and of course taste. 

Ingredients:

200g dairy free margarine
100g light brown sugar
2 eggs
170g self raising gluten free flour
1 tbsp rice milk
80g ground almonds
90g pecan nuts
3 or 4 overripe bananas

Unroasted pecans

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the pecans in the oven for 10 minutes whilst you prepare the mix. In a large mixing bowl, add the margarine and sugar and mix until you have a light and creamy mixture. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. Then add the milk, ground almonds and flour and fold in. 

Chopped roasted pecans

Take the pecans from the oven and lightly chop into medium pieces. Add to the mix. Take the bananas and break them into pieces with your fingers, adding to the mix. Combine together gently then pour into a greased 10” loose-bottomed cake tin. 

Next to some bananas

Pop into the oven for 40-45 minutes until browned on top and a knife comes out clean when poked in the middle. 

Lovely and baked

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool. Enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

Lovely eaten

So, do you prefer walnuts or pecans?

Fennel breakfast cakes

Fennel breakfast cake

Fennel breakfast cakes

There is nothing more pleasing to start the day than the smell of freshly made breakfast. This recipe is quick and with the addition of fennel provides lovely fragrances to mark the start of the day. 

Ingredients:

250g gluten-free self-raising flour
130g dairy-free margarine
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tbsp rice milk

From small beginnings...

In a large mixing bowl, measure the flour and margarine in that order. Using the tips of your clean fingers, rub in the flour into the margarine until you get breadcrumbs. Add the fennel and sugar and mix to combine.

Add a little sugar and spice

Make a well in the mix and pour in the beaten egg and milk and mix until a dough forms. 

You finish with a dough

Knead with your hands and place on a floured surface. Sprinkle some four on top of the dough and press the dough down with your hands. Using a rolling pin even out the surface until you get a 1cm depth. 

Evenly rolled out

Using a cutter of your choice, cut out discs from the dough. Warm a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and once hot, place some of the discs on top until browned on one side, then turn over and repeat. 

Lovely and brown

Enjoy naked or with your choice of jam or honey. 

Smells so good!

So, what is your favourite breakfast?

Carrot pancakes

Forgotten carrots

Carrot pancakes

This recipe is a great way to introduce carrots to a child’s diet…and also to reluctant adults. How many times do we overlook carrots? It is great with some dips such as humus. If making for young children, do not add the chilli.

Ingredients:

350g carrots, washed and grated

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 heaped tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

250 g chickpea or gram flour

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1 tsp salt

200 ml water

Grate the washed carrots.

Grated!

Chop the onion and chilli.

Red hot!

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together.

Fennel seeds

Put a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add a little vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add a ladleful of the carrot mix and spread a little. Allow to cook until the top starts to dry out and you see bubbles. Turn over and cook until browned. 

Bubbly

Enjoy with the dip of your choice.

Carrot pancakes