Beef Enchiladas

Posted on November 3, 2016 by TheRobbInn

Enchiladas – the Mexican equivalent of a lasagne (or so some say) can be filled with many different ingredients;  chicken, turkey, beef, cheese, beans, vegetables and so on.  Some recipes include lots of sauce, but some are more like this one which for us is perfect.

I used gluten-free tortillas which are quite easy to make using a corn flour, or alternatively a coconut flour, or they can be bought ready-made – just make sure they are gluten-free.

We loved the crispy edges with the really moist filling.  Roll the tortillas up tightly when making and they stay together to serve.

INGREDIENTS to fill 8 tortillas

2 tablespoons of preferred oil, coconut, olive etc
2 small onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
200ml good quality vegetable or beef stock
¼ teaspoon gluten-free chilli powder (adjust for taste – we like it a little hotter)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
350g best quality minced beef (5% or less fat content)
Sea salt
8 pliable gluten-free corn tortillas
200g grated cheddar cheese
Soured cream or natural yoghurt to serve

METHOD:

Grease a baking dish with oil.

Heat a little oil in a fry pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and garlic for 10 minutes.

Add the beef and cook, stirring continuously, until the beef has browned.

Stir in the tomatoes, stock, chilli and oregano and simmer for at least 15 minutes.  Once the mix has thickened, season with salt.  Leave half of the mixture to one side.

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Ready for baking

Place a line of the meat mixture on to a tortilla.   Add a little cheese, roll up tightly and place in the greased dish.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Spoon over the remaining mince and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

At this stage, they will sit in the fridge quite happily until you are ready for cooking.

 

Heat the oven to 200°C and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until piping hot right through.  As I had made my enchiladas earlier in the day, I baked them for about 40 minutes (covered with foil until the last ten minutes) to make sure they had fully reheated.

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Deliciously succulent Beef Enchiladas

Serve with either soured cream or natural yoghurt.

Recipe loosely adapted from the book Essential Gluten-Free by Phil Vickery

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

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Cauliflower Turmeric Flatbread

Posted on November 1, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I am always on the look-out for new and different breads to bake especially as my husband is gluten-intolerant.

With just a few ingredients, this flatbread looked decidedly tasty and I had quite a few bagfuls of frozen cauliflower rice in my freezer which needed using up, although the recipe could easily be made with freshly riced cauliflower.

The flatbread is amazingly simple to make;  mixes easily and spreads well (make sure you use baking parchment).  I simply flattened it with my hands and then tidied it up a bit with a spatula.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  The end result is delicious as well as being extremely healthy (vitamin C-rich, vitamin E-rich, anti-inflammatory, immune boosting, full of protein and fibre as well as being low-carb for those who count their carbs).

I can envisage quite a few uses for this flatbread apart from using with a stew, curry or dip.  Spread with mashed avocado and sliced tomatoes would make a tasty lunch or snack; a swirl of almond or cashew butter for breakfast; favourite fillings to make a healthy sandwich for the lunchbox and my husband reckons it will be the perfect accompaniment to his daily bowl of soup.    The list could be endless.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups raw riced cauliflower
4 eggs
1 cup almond meal
3 teaspoons turmeric powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:

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Ready for baking

In a medium sized bowl, mix all the ingredients together with a spoon until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a lined baking sheet and press out into a rectangle, making sure the mixture is about 1/2cm thick all over.

Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden.

 

Leave to cool completely and gently peel the parchment paper from the flatbread.

Slice into pieces and store in a container in the fridge for up to one week, although I doubt it will last that long.

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Very tasty Cauliflower Turmeric Flatbread

Recipe adapted from PaleoHacks

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

 

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Pumpkin (Squash) Soup

Posted on October 29, 2016 by TheRobbInn
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Mu pumpkin waiting to be carved

 

With Halloween fast approaching and a large pumpkin waiting to be carved, I decided to try my hand at making Pumpkin (Squash) soup with the flesh rather than wasting it.

 

 

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My Halloween Pussy Cat

Not being particularly artistic, I was pleased with my carving of a witch’s cat which glowed nicely in the dark (I had to hide in our boiler room to see what it looked like when lit).   I don’t always carve pumpkins but with the grandchildren arriving for the weekend, I thought I would surprise them with my efforts.

I was left with a nice bowl of pumpkin flesh and not much time to make soup so I decided to pop it in my slow cooker for ease.

After putting the flesh in the slow cooker, I added two sliced onions, a large bag of frozen vegetable stock from my supply in the freezer, a good sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper, and four generous teaspoons of ginger powder, topped it up with water and left the soup to simmer away for a few hours.  I have to admit it smelled delicious whilst cooking.

After blitzing, I added a can of coconut milk/cream which turned it into a lovely thick creamy soup with a decidedly tangy warmth from the ginger.  Hubby (official soup taster in our house) reckoned it was superb and when he had a bowlful the next day, I added a few crispy bacon lardons which he says made it perfect.  Six frozen bags of soup in the freezer made from the flesh of just one pumpkin.

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Deliciously warming Pumpkin Soup

I’m not wasting the pumpkin seeds either – washed, dried in the oven, they make tasty, crunchy little snacks as well as being ideal for sprinkling over soups, salads etc.

NB:  All of the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

 

 

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Charred Avocado and Eggs

Posted on October 27, 2016 by TheRobbInn

A big, big, big thank you to Jamie Oliver for this fantastic recipe.  Although he calls it a ‘brekkie’ recipe, it is also ideal for brunch, tea or supper.  My husband would eat it any time of the day as he reckons it is so delicious.

Healthy, really easy to make, and using ingredients that I usually have in the kitchen.  The only thing I had to buy was the cottage cheese but I could have substituted it with natural yoghurt.  I served a couple of slices of my Cauliflower Turmeric Flatbread on the side which went down a treat.

INGREDIENTS for 1 serving           

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Fresh ingredients ready for cooking

1 red pepper
4 spring onions
½ ripe avocado
Olive oil
1 sweet potato
2 large free-range eggs
2 tablespoons cottage cheese
½ fresh red chilli
A few sprigs of fresh soft herbs, such as parsley, mint or coriander

METHOD:

De-seed the pepper and then slice it into fine strips.

Trim and finely slice the spring onions.

De-stone the avocado and then peel and slice it into thick slices.

Peel the sweet potato and pare it into very thin strips with the peeler.

De-seed and finely chop the red chilli.

Spoon the cottage cheese into a bowl and sprinkle the chilli over it.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and add the spring onions, avocado and pepper and fry for three to four minutes, or until slightly charred.

Add the sweet potato ribbons and fry for a further three minutes until the ribbons start to char.

2016-10-24_17-23-24_841Make two spaces in the pan and crack an egg into each one. Tilt the pan so that the whites run into the veg to bind everything together.

Season with sea salt and black pepper, cover – reduce heat to medium and let the eggs cook for about 3 to 5 minutes depending on how runny you like them.

Slide the vegetables and egg on to a plate, sprinkle over the fresh herbs and serve with the cottage cheese and chilli.

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Charred Avocado and Eggs

Such a beautiful, colourful plate of scrumptious food.   Very nourishing and filling.

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

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Scones (Gluten Free)

Posted on October 25, 2016 by TheRobbInn

Using gluten-free flour is very different from baking with ‘ordinary’ flour which is often  wheat-based.  Gluten is the doughy part of the dough, the stretchy part of the pizza base; it helps dough rise and it is the structural protein so cooking ‘gluten-free’ can often lead to crumbly results.

I am still very new to using gluten-free flour but early on learned that you cannot just substitute it for plain or self-raising flour in most recipes.  It works in some, but not in the majority.   Another important fact is that the end result WILL BE a little different from what you are used to, but many of the recipes are so delicious that this fact doesn’t matter one little bit.

I used a flour from Doves Farm to make these scones which is made from a mix of rice, potato, tabioca, maize and buckwheat flour.  Having just bought a book on gluten-free cooking, it suggests a number of flour blends which I will probably try in the future.

The dough in these scones is very soft and to overwork it will cause very heavy end results.  I made mini scones (about 18) and they were delicious served with fresh Strawberry and Chia Jam.

INGREDIENTS:

350g gluten-free SR flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it is GF)
85g butter
2 tablespoons sugar (I used a little less as I rarely use refined sugar)
150ml coconut milk + 25ml coconut cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Squeeze lemon juice
Beaten egg to glaze

METHOD:

Turn the oven on at 220°C and put the baking sheet in to heat up.

Mix the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl.

Add the chopped butter and rub in with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar.

Heat the milk in a glass jug in the microwave for 30 seconds until warm. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, stir in the cream.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk in one go.

Combine the ingredients quickly until just coming together and you can tip them out onto a floured surface.

Gently fold the dough over two or three times until a little smoother but don’t overwork the mix otherwise the scones will be heavy.

Quickly bring the dough to a round shape approximately 4cm deep. Using a straight sided cutter, cut out your scones and leave to one side until you have used up all the dough. Try not to overwork the dough as you bring it together to keep cutting out.

Brush gently with the egg wash and pop onto the hot baking sheet and return immediately to the oven.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown and cooked.

Serve warm with some fresh jam.

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Gluten-free mini scones and fresh strawberry and chia jam

Recipe adapted from Free from Fairy

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

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Strawberry and Chia Jam

Posted on October 24, 2016 by TheRobbInn

Apart from the fact that it is full of refined sugar, I don’t enjoy shop-bought jam as it always seems too sweet.  I made this strawberry jam to try on some gluten-free scones I was making and was delighted to find how fresh it tasted – I could still taste the strawberries!  The chia seeds thicken the mixture giving it the perfect consistency and it will keep fresh for a week in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:                                                2016-10-22_10-55-09_543

2 mugs of strawberries (400g)
3 tablespoons thick (set) honey
2 tablespoons chia seeds

METHOD:

Hull the strawberries, quarter if large, and place in a large saucepan with the honey.

Turn on the heat and allow them to gently simmer for about 5 minutes until the berries are soft.

Mash the mixture with either a wooden spoon or a potato masher until the mix is fairly smooth.

Add the chia seeds and cook the mix for 20 minutes on a low heat stirring every few minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the jam into a bowl. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Store the jam in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

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Official taster tried the jam on almond bread as the scones weren’t ready

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Gluten-free scones with Strawberry Jam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe adapted from the book Deliciously Ella

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

 

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Spicy Golden Turmeric Milk

Posted on October 20, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I was working the other weekend (well, more like swanning around taking photographs whilst my friend did all the work selling on her stall) and unfortunately noticed how many people had coughs, colds and sneezes around me.

A couple of days later I woke up with a strange feeling in the top of my mouth, a tickle in my throat and just a ‘weird’ feeling in my head.  Determined not to succumb to an autumn cold, I quickly made a mug of this spicy golden turmeric milk for myself and my husband (who had just joined me for a few days holiday).

There is an extremely good blog about the benefits of turmeric here from Kellie at Food to Glow describing it much better than I can.  All I know is that after a few days of having a delicious mug of golden milk, my symptoms totally disappeared and didn’t develop into a cold (or worse).

As Kellie recommends, this is a really tasty alternative to a morning coffee especially now that the autumn and winter season is creeping nearer and with it, the seasonal colds and flu that abound.

INGREDIENTS for 1 cup

1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond or coconut)
1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon best local honey
½ teaspoon coconut oil (not necessary if using coconut milk)

METHOD:

Gently heat all ingredients in a saucepan, whisking together.

Bring to just under a boil and enjoy whilst warm.

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Spicy Golden Turmeric Milk

As the ingredients are not soluble, keep a spoon handy and stir your cup of milk otherwise the contents will settle.

For anyone suffering from a cold or flu I can heartily recommend this Juice Shot.   It’s another drink I have if any unpleasant symptoms threaten and I am sure it shocks the cold away as it has been a long while since I succumbed.  Last winter my husband went down with a dreadful cold and I gave him a ‘shot’ three times a day and after every shot, he felt vastly improved and he reckons it helped alleviate the horrible symptoms.

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

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Blood Orange, Avocado and Chicory Chopped Salad (with chicken)

Posted on October 15, 2016 by TheRobbInn

This salad is so delicious it can be served on its own, but to make it more of a meal, add in some protein such as cooked chicken, seeds, nuts or cubed cheese.

I added cooked chicken left over from the previous day’s roast and it made an extremely tasty supper.    I couldn’t get hold of blood oranges so used segments from large navel oranges instead.  The dressing was superb and just the right amount to cover all the ingredients.

I also learned a new word:  The aril is simply the seed pod inside a pomegranate.  I’ve always called them seeds.

INGREDIENTS to serve 4

Dressing:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Crème Fraiche
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or best red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons best extra virgin olive oil
½ to 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

The Chopped Salad:

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
2 heads of red chicory or radicchio, cored and chopped
2 to 3 blood oranges, peeled and segmented
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
Arils from 1 pomegranate
Poppy seeds to garnish (optional)

METHOD:

Put all the dressing ingredients into a lidded container and shake to mix well.

Put all the chopped salad ingredients into a large bowl together with cooked chicken if using or nuts/cheese.

Pour over the dressing and mix well with your hands.

Arrange in a serving dish and serve immediately.

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Orange, Avocado and Chicory Chopped Salad (with chicken)

This salad could easily be made in advance (except the chopped avocado); the dressing kept in a pot and everything combined when ready to eat.

Recipe adapted from Food to Glow.

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

 

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Banana and Pecan Muffins

Posted on October 11, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I came across a recipe a while ago for Cashew-Banana Bread but didn’t have the proper ingredients to hand when I was about to make it.

I altered the ingredients drastically so renamed it Banana and Pecan Muffins.  Instead of whole wheat flour, I used gluten-free plain white;  I used three bananas instead of two; coconut milk instead of cashew milk and pecans instead of toasted and chopped cashews.  I also used maple syrup instead of honey.  The end result was lovely tasty, fluffy muffins which my grandchildren (and husband) loved.   The ginger gave the muffins just a tiny bit of ‘warmth’.

This recipe made 12 muffins and six slightly smaller ones (cake cases).  I did find that the muffins stuck to the paper cake cases but just fell out of the silicon ones perfectly.  The bananas and apple sauce ensured these muffins were lovely and moist.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¾ cup gluten-free plain white flour
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 very ripe bananas
¾ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2/3 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

METHOD:

Mix together the flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and spices.

Place the bananas in a large bowl and mash until smooth. Stir in the apple sauce, coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.

Add to the flour mixture and stir until just mixed. Fold in the chopped nuts.

Fill muffin cases ¾ full with the mixture and bake for approximately 25 minutes at 350°F.

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Banana and Pecan Muffins

Original recipe from Whole Foods Market

NB:  All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

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Kale, Brussel Sprout, Apple and Pomegranate Salad

Posted on October 9, 2016 by TheRobbInn

Last winter I realised just how tasty brussel sprouts were in a salad.  Even my son, who detests cooked sprouts, really enjoyed a salad I made for Christmas Day using raw brussel sprouts and this one is not too dissimilar to that but with the addition of kale and apple.

I saw the idea for this recipe on the website of Nourished Peach but decided to use pomegranate seeds (I had one sitting in my fruit bowl) instead of radish and I left out the cheese as I was going to serve the salad with a dish which already had some cheese in it.

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Kale, Brussel Sprout, Apple and Pomegranate Salad

I could have eaten the salad on its own;  it was so tasty with the crunchiness of the pomegranate seeds, the crisp sharpness of the apple and the sweetness of the kale and brussel sprouts mixed with the tangy dressing.

The dressing will keep in the fridge for two or three days so could be made in advance.

INGREDIENTS to serve 4

For the salad:

Bag of kale, stalks removed (or mixed baby kale leaves)
2/3 cup of walnuts
½ lb brussel sprouts, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
1 eating apple, cored and finely sliced (I used Jazz)
Seeds from 1 pomegranate

For the dressing:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove finely grated or chopped
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

METHOD:

Put all the dressing ingredients into a screw-top jar and give it a good shake to mix.

Pop the walnuts into a dry fry pan and toast over a medium heat for two to three minutes until they start to turn golden brown and give off an aroma. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the kale and brussel sprouts. Drizzle half of the dressing over and using your hands, massage well. Don’t skimp on this massage as it makes the kale beautifully sweet and tender.

Add the pomegranate seeds, sliced apple and remaining dressing and pile into a serving bowl.  Add the toasted walnuts.  You can serve the remaining dressing separately if wished.

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.

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