Very simply made and even easier to eat, this would be great for adults or first weaners.
Check out the recipe for Parsnip Mash by clicking on the link!
Happy Friday!
Welcome back some people and new face tonight in my class. Everyone love all the food and fun to work with.What a happy Friday and great tea...
Showing posts with label Wheat Free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wheat Free. Show all posts
Parsnip Mash
I came up with this recipe for Parsnip Mash on my new blog but thought I'd would share it here as well because it would be absolutely fantastic for babies too.
Very simply made and even easier to eat, this would be great for adults or first weaners.
Check out the recipe for Parsnip Mash by clicking on the link!
Very simply made and even easier to eat, this would be great for adults or first weaners.
Check out the recipe for Parsnip Mash by clicking on the link!
Minestrone Soup for all ages
Soup might not seem like the most summery recipe but with a drizzle of olive oil, this really hit the spot, especially when the weather is less than you'd hope for.
Minestrone Soup - Makes enough for one adult and one child with leftovers, freezes well.
Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 courgette (zucchini) finely chopped
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
1-2 carrots, finely chopped
180g, 6.5oz Smoked bacon
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tin borlotti beans (120g, 4oz drained weight)
45g, 1.5oz small pasta shapes - I used alphabet shapes because I thought they were cute
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 large fresh tomato, chopped
1 tsp pesto
Olive oil and grated cheese to serve (optional)
Method
Gently fry the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes. Add the courgette and carrots and fry for a couple more minutes. Add the garlic, celery and chopped bacon and fry until the bacon is looking cooked and the onion is translucent.
Add 650ml, just over a pint, of boiling water and the borlotti beans. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the carrot is almost cooked. Add in the pasta and tomato and boil until the pasta is cooked, this will depend on the pasta type so be guided by the pack. Mine took 4-5 minutes.
Add the pesto, stirring in and serve with chopped parsley and cheese sprinkled on top if liked. A lovely summery soup!
If you like this, you might like my lovely Moroccan soup too!
Minestrone Soup - Makes enough for one adult and one child with leftovers, freezes well.
Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 courgette (zucchini) finely chopped
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
1-2 carrots, finely chopped
180g, 6.5oz Smoked bacon
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tin borlotti beans (120g, 4oz drained weight)
45g, 1.5oz small pasta shapes - I used alphabet shapes because I thought they were cute
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 large fresh tomato, chopped
1 tsp pesto
Olive oil and grated cheese to serve (optional)
Method
Gently fry the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes. Add the courgette and carrots and fry for a couple more minutes. Add the garlic, celery and chopped bacon and fry until the bacon is looking cooked and the onion is translucent.
Add 650ml, just over a pint, of boiling water and the borlotti beans. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the carrot is almost cooked. Add in the pasta and tomato and boil until the pasta is cooked, this will depend on the pasta type so be guided by the pack. Mine took 4-5 minutes.
Add the pesto, stirring in and serve with chopped parsley and cheese sprinkled on top if liked. A lovely summery soup!
If you like this, you might like my lovely Moroccan soup too!
Or why not try this lovely chowder?
Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms are one of those foods people think are difficult to make. "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" a phrase apparently coined by Shirley Conran. Stuffing a mushroom does sound difficult, or fiddly but I promise it's not.
This super simple stuffing also makes it easy (and delicious). I just had this as an adult meal for one but my son, a fan of both mushrooms and cheese would love these. Do include the herbs, after all, without them they'd be a two ingredient recipe and that feels a little bit lame!
Stuffed Mushrooms - Serves 1 Adult or 1-2 Children
Ingredients
5 White Mushrooms (I didn't use large open capped ones, just ones around 2-4 cm across. The bigger they are, the fewer you'll need.)
A few sprigs of fresh herbs, I used parsley, thyme and chives
60g, 2oz Feta cheese, crumbled
Method
Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F, gas mark 7.
Take the stalks out of the mushrooms just leaving the caps. If you like the stalks can be chopped up and used in another dish, like Bolognese or vegetarian lasagne.
Chop up the herbs and mix with the feta.
Put the mushrooms in a baking dish and fill the caps with spoonfuls of feta.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned on top and the mushrooms are cooked through. Great served with a simply dressed tomato salad.
Make it thrifty
It is possible to buy "Greek Style Salad Cheese" which is often less than half the price of feta which I sometimes do when short of money. The quality of it is very variable though. Certainly if having in a salad I would always buy authentic feta but in this recipe the alternative is fine for stuffed mushrooms.
This super simple stuffing also makes it easy (and delicious). I just had this as an adult meal for one but my son, a fan of both mushrooms and cheese would love these. Do include the herbs, after all, without them they'd be a two ingredient recipe and that feels a little bit lame!
Stuffed Mushrooms - Serves 1 Adult or 1-2 Children
Ingredients
5 White Mushrooms (I didn't use large open capped ones, just ones around 2-4 cm across. The bigger they are, the fewer you'll need.)
A few sprigs of fresh herbs, I used parsley, thyme and chives
60g, 2oz Feta cheese, crumbled
Method
Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F, gas mark 7.
Take the stalks out of the mushrooms just leaving the caps. If you like the stalks can be chopped up and used in another dish, like Bolognese or vegetarian lasagne.
Chop up the herbs and mix with the feta.
Put the mushrooms in a baking dish and fill the caps with spoonfuls of feta.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned on top and the mushrooms are cooked through. Great served with a simply dressed tomato salad.
Make it thrifty
It is possible to buy "Greek Style Salad Cheese" which is often less than half the price of feta which I sometimes do when short of money. The quality of it is very variable though. Certainly if having in a salad I would always buy authentic feta but in this recipe the alternative is fine for stuffed mushrooms.
Cauliflower Pakoras; great finger food for kids
Cauliflower pakoras are something I'd never made before until recently, but as part of my 7 a day challenge I made some vegetable pakoras using peas and loved them. When I moved house a few days back and restocked my cupboards (including buying some gram flour), the helpful assistant in the shop suggested cauliflower was pretty good and, in fact her favourite. She also said that fresh spinach was, in her opinion much better in Indian food than frozen.
I always like a bit of advice when it comes to cooking so I gave it a go. The jury is out in the spinach. In my opinion frozen is just as good but the great thing about baby spinach is you can use it as a salad vegetable or cook with it and it just so happened I had some in my fridge so I went with it.
Traditionally I don't think the cauliflower is precooked but although I don't like soggy cauliflower, I'm not overly keen on cauliflower which bites back either so I partially precooked mine.
Heat up approx 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep saucepan. Never leave hot oil unattended.
Traditionally I don't think the cauliflower is precooked but although I don't like soggy cauliflower, I'm not overly keen on cauliflower which bites back either so I partially precooked mine.
Caulflower pakoras - serves 2-3
Ingredients
7 Small cauliflower florets
30g, 1oz Fresh spinach, finely shredded
100g, 3.5oz Gram flour (chickpea flour, garbanzo bean flour, besan)
2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Madras curry paste (or more if cooking for adults if liked)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp Baking powder (use gluten free if avoiding gluten)
75 - 150ml Cold water
Oil for frying
30g, 1oz Fresh spinach, finely shredded
100g, 3.5oz Gram flour (chickpea flour, garbanzo bean flour, besan)
2 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Madras curry paste (or more if cooking for adults if liked)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp Baking powder (use gluten free if avoiding gluten)
75 - 150ml Cold water
Oil for frying
Method
Part cook the cauliflower by boiling for approx 4 minutes so still firm but almost cooked. Cut into halves.
Part cook the cauliflower by boiling for approx 4 minutes so still firm but almost cooked. Cut into halves.
Heat up approx 1 inch of vegetable oil in a deep saucepan. Never leave hot oil unattended.
Mix the flour, curry paste, lime and baking powder with enough water to make a batter like consistency.
Add in the spinach then add in the cauliflower. Try a drop of batter in the oil, if it sizzles immediately, put a coated piece of cauliflower and see how it cooks. If it browns too quickly but the batter is still runny inside, lower the heat. If it takes a long time and seems greasy, increase the heat.
Cook in batches of 3-4. Leave to drain on kitchen roll then serve as a starter, a side dish or as I did for my son with some rice cooked with peas and some mango chutney mixed with plain yogurt to dip.
Add in the spinach then add in the cauliflower. Try a drop of batter in the oil, if it sizzles immediately, put a coated piece of cauliflower and see how it cooks. If it browns too quickly but the batter is still runny inside, lower the heat. If it takes a long time and seems greasy, increase the heat.
Cook in batches of 3-4. Leave to drain on kitchen roll then serve as a starter, a side dish or as I did for my son with some rice cooked with peas and some mango chutney mixed with plain yogurt to dip.
Reheating: Once cooked, keep in the fridge and either eat cold (although they do go a bit soft) or much better, reheat in a preheated 180oC / 350F oven for approx 6-10 minutes or until warmed through and crisp. It's almost worth making extra to have the leftovers with no effort the next day!
Honey Ginger Glazed Tuna
Glazed tuna, a pretty tasty invention, I have a feeling this would work with any kind of robust oily fish. The idea is you add the flavour after the cooking so you don't get issues with the sweet sauce burning in the pan. I enjoyed this and have made it twice already, what's more, fresh or frozen tuna is a great source of Omega 3 (tinned isn't). It's also great to make something like tuna the star of the show when so often it's just bunged in a sandwich as a cheap protein source, although I have to admit my favourite way to have tuna is sushi but with the sweet gingery notes, this still hits the mark.
This isn't mad spicy so should be fine for kids but no babies please as it contains honey.
Honey and Ginger Glazed Tuna - Serves 2 adults
Ingredients
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
2 Tuna Steaks
Spray oil
Stir fried vegetables and noodles or salad and rice to serve
Method
Mix the ginger, honey, soy, chilli sauce and oil together in a bowl and put to one side.
Cook the rice or noodles. Fry the tuna steaks for a couple of minutes on each side or until done on the outside and still pink in the middle (fully cook for young kids). Put onto a warm plate and spoon on some of the glaze.
In the meantime, finish cooking the rice or noodles and stir fried vegetables or this would be great with a shredded salad.
Serve drizzling more of the glaze onto the fish and vegetables if liked.
Make it Thrifty
Look out for frozen tuna steaks in the freezer section and defrost before using, they're much cheaper than fresh.
This isn't mad spicy so should be fine for kids but no babies please as it contains honey.
Honey and Ginger Glazed Tuna - Serves 2 adults
Ingredients
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
2 Tuna Steaks
Spray oil
Stir fried vegetables and noodles or salad and rice to serve
Method
Mix the ginger, honey, soy, chilli sauce and oil together in a bowl and put to one side.
Cook the rice or noodles. Fry the tuna steaks for a couple of minutes on each side or until done on the outside and still pink in the middle (fully cook for young kids). Put onto a warm plate and spoon on some of the glaze.
In the meantime, finish cooking the rice or noodles and stir fried vegetables or this would be great with a shredded salad.
Serve drizzling more of the glaze onto the fish and vegetables if liked.
Make it Thrifty
Look out for frozen tuna steaks in the freezer section and defrost before using, they're much cheaper than fresh.
Amazingly I've been shortlisted for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards. Making it to the finals depends on a vote from people like you. Please click on this image below and a survey will open. It will ask for your email address but they don't spam you, don't worry! It takes seconds!
Gluten Free Pancakes
Chickpea pancakes might sound like an odd proposition for breakfast but bear with me. Chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour or 'Besan' has a distinctive, savoury taste but there is something delicious about that served with syrup, just like that salty sweet combo of bacon and syrup is something fantastic, so was this.
The amazing thing about chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour is it has over double the amount of protein compared with wheat flour which makes them amazingly filling so a great start for the day, and, handily for coeliacs (or people choosing to avoid gluten), it's naturally gluten and wheat free.
The verdict was "nice but not quite as good as the normal ones" from the household, I disagreed. I really liked them and I felt seriously full until lunch.
Gluten Free Pancakes - Makes enough for 3-4
Ingredients
Batter
225g, 8oz Chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour (besan)
2 tsp Gluten free baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 Apples, grated (including skin but excluding the core)
300ml, a generous half pint Milk
2 Eggs
Butter or spray oil
Butter, honey (over 1s only), golden syrup or maple syrup to serve.
Method
Blend all of the batter ingredients together including the grated apples. I normally take them and crate them back to the core.
Heat a non stick frying pan and either rub butter over it or spray with spray oil (see my original pancake post for more instructions).
Pour or spoon on a little batter. Keep on a medium heat and turn when the bubbles start to burst. It might take a little trial and error to get the perfect heat.
Once ready, put on a plate and top with your choice of toppings.
Make it Thrifty
Look out for big bags of Besan or Chickpea flour in the Indian / South Asian section of your supermarket. They're also great for making pakoras!
The amazing thing about chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour is it has over double the amount of protein compared with wheat flour which makes them amazingly filling so a great start for the day, and, handily for coeliacs (or people choosing to avoid gluten), it's naturally gluten and wheat free.
The verdict was "nice but not quite as good as the normal ones" from the household, I disagreed. I really liked them and I felt seriously full until lunch.
Gluten Free Pancakes - Makes enough for 3-4
Ingredients
Batter
225g, 8oz Chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour (besan)
2 tsp Gluten free baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 Apples, grated (including skin but excluding the core)
300ml, a generous half pint Milk
2 Eggs
Butter or spray oil
Butter, honey (over 1s only), golden syrup or maple syrup to serve.
Method
Blend all of the batter ingredients together including the grated apples. I normally take them and crate them back to the core.
Heat a non stick frying pan and either rub butter over it or spray with spray oil (see my original pancake post for more instructions).
Pour or spoon on a little batter. Keep on a medium heat and turn when the bubbles start to burst. It might take a little trial and error to get the perfect heat.
Once ready, put on a plate and top with your choice of toppings.
Make it Thrifty
Look out for big bags of Besan or Chickpea flour in the Indian / South Asian section of your supermarket. They're also great for making pakoras!
Amazingly I've been shortlisted for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards for the third year running but I've never won and only once made it to the finals. Making it to the finals depends on a vote from people like you. Please click on this image below and a survey will open. It will ask for your email address but they don't spam you, don't worry! It takes minutes and at the same time, you can vote for other blogs you like the look of or not if you don't read many other blogs (or choose not to!) I'm listed as "Mama Cook" in the food category.
Chocolate Custard (low sugar)
Custard. I never make it from scratch but I do make it from custard powder. It occurred to me when making some custard from custard powder the other day that custard powder is simply cornflour (cornstarch) natural flavouring (vanilla) and colour (normally a natural colour like annatto). I don't have much annatto floating around the house and there feels like something wrong about making white custard even though that's the colour it would be if not made with eggs, so my idea was to make chocolate custard.
This would be great hot with chocolate cake, poured over banana (if you want to keep on my 7 a day routine), on it's own or allowed to cool in small pots and eaten cold like blancmange. It's pretty low sugar too with only 1 tsp added sugar per portion. There's more sugar in a fromage frais!
Chocolate custard - Makes 2 small bowls
Ingredients
280ml, Half Pint milk
1 rounded tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Sugar
Method
Mix the cornflour with the cocoa powder and sugar with 1 tbsp of the cold milk then add the vanilla. Heat the remaining milk in a microwave for 2 minutes or until hot. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the cornflour mix then return to the microwave for 2-3 minutes on full power or until cooked and thick. Keep an eye on it as it can boil up and boil over.
After all, who can resist delicious chocolate custard?
This would be great hot with chocolate cake, poured over banana (if you want to keep on my 7 a day routine), on it's own or allowed to cool in small pots and eaten cold like blancmange. It's pretty low sugar too with only 1 tsp added sugar per portion. There's more sugar in a fromage frais!
Chocolate custard - Makes 2 small bowls
Ingredients
280ml, Half Pint milk
1 rounded tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Sugar
Method
Mix the cornflour with the cocoa powder and sugar with 1 tbsp of the cold milk then add the vanilla. Heat the remaining milk in a microwave for 2 minutes or until hot. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the cornflour mix then return to the microwave for 2-3 minutes on full power or until cooked and thick. Keep an eye on it as it can boil up and boil over.
I would be honoured if you would consider nominating me in the Britmums BIB awards, especially the food category.
After all, who can resist delicious chocolate custard?
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