Crusty Bread

Posted on February 5, 2017 by TheRobbInn

I make a variety of breads for my gluten-intolerant husband which he loves, but sometimes he really does miss a crusty loaf for toast or a sandwich.

When I spotted this recipe on the back of a packet of gluten free bread flour I thought I would see how it worked out, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I don’t often use refined sugar but did use a small amount (1 tablespoon) in this dough to get the yeast working.  Using less sugar usually means the bread takes longer to rise.  My next batch will use hardly any sugar and I am interested to see if using no sugar at all will affect the bread.  Watch this space!

I was pleasantly surprised at the delicious doughy crustiness of this bread, and it has much more flavour than shop-bought gluten-free breads which always seem to break or crumble in the packet.

This bread freezes beautifully so I have been bulk cooking and freezing it in two-slice packs for when only a crusty slice will do.  I also added poppy seeds to the top of one for extra crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

2 egg whites
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
400ml water (luke warm)
500g gluten-free white bread flour
2 teaspoons quick yeast
Poppy seeds (optional)

METHOD:

Whisk the egg whites, vinegar, sugar, salt, water and half of the oil in a bowl until thoroughly mixed.

Add the flour and yeast and continue mixing to create a smooth, thick batter.

Pour the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over the dough and fold in with a spoon making a soft dough.

Oil a 2lb bread tin and tip the dough into the tin, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.

Cover with ‘oiled’ cling film and leave somewhere warm to rise to the top of the tin – an hour or more.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 200°C(fan) or Gas 7 for 55 to 60 minutes.

Turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

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Lovely Crusty Bread

The flour used was Dove’s Farm White Bread Flour – a blend of rice, tapioca and potato with a thickener of xanthan gum.

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Crusty Bread with poppy seed – I forgot to oil my clingfilm so a slightly rustic topping on this loaf!

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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Asparagus Quiche

Posted on February 3, 2017 by TheRobbInn

I love a nice Quiche.  Asparagus being one of my favourite vegetables plus a herby pastry makes this a rather delicious meal.

I used dried basil in the pastry but mixed herbs would work, or any fresh herbs available.

Gluten-free pastry is a little different to work with than ‘ordinary’ pastry but I find this mix rolls out well and is very like a short crust pastry in taste and texture.

INGREDIENTS: for a 9” quiche (serves 6 – 8)

Pastry:
1 cup gluten-free flour
¼ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
4oz butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup very cold water

Filling:
5 eggs
1 cup almond milk
200g fine asparagus tips
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

METHOD:

Blitz all the pastry ingredients (except the water) in a food processor until they resemble large breadcrumbs (not too fine).

Add the water and blitz until just starting to cling together.

Using your hands, form into dough.  Wrap in cling film and chill for fifteen minutes.

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Arrange the asparagus

Roll out on a floured surface to approximately 1/8” thick and line a 9” flan ring, pressing the pastry into the edge with your fingers.   Cut off any over-hanging pastry.   Chill.

Cut the ends off the asparagus tips and discard (if dry) and use the tips to fill the pastry base.

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Carefully slide into the oven

Whisk the eggs with the milk, season with salt and pepper (to taste) and carefully pour over the asparagus.

Place the flan ring on a baking sheet and bake at 170°C for approximately 40 minutes or until the eggs have set and the top is a lovely light golden brown.

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Leave to cool

Leave to cool slightly before slicing and serving with a fresh leaf salad and perhaps a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

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Asparagus Quiche

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 Cheesecake Bites

Posted on February 1, 2017 by TheRobbInn

How I enjoyed making these little beauties.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure they were going to come out of the bun tins but using a rounded butter knife, they popped out surprisingly easily.  My bun/patty tins were not as deep as mini muffin tins but the end result was still good.

The biscuit base could probably be made with a variety of different crumb depending on whether you are gluten-free, sugar-free, use a ready-made biscuit or make your own crumb.    I had some gluten-free water biscuits in the cupboard so decided to try out with those.  Another time, I may well try making the base with almond flour, nuts etc. but I was very pleased with how these turned out.

To make these bites vegan, agar-agar could be used instead of gelatine (as in the original recipe).

INGREDIENTS: (makes approximately 10)

Base:
75g gluten-free water biscuits or similar
2 tablespoons coconut oil, butter or ghee

Filling:
190g cashews
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
40ml maple syrup
5ml cornflour
4 sheets of gelatine
½ can (7fl.oz) coconut milk
About ¼ lemon (juice only)

Strawberry topping:
300g fresh strawberries
25ml water
25ml maple syrup
Dessertspoon lemon juice
4 sheets gelatin

METHOD:

Put the cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water.   Leave for at least 1 hour before draining thoroughly.

final

Tamp down the crumb

Lightly oil 10 to 12 non-stick bun tins.

Using a Nutribullet or blender, pulse the water biscuits to a fine texture.   Melt the coconut oil, butter or ghee and mix well together.

Put a teaspoon of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the bun tins and press down firmly – I used the end of a mini rolling pin to tamp the mix down.

Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.   Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins.

Meanwhile, soak the gelatine sheets in the coconut milk in a small saucepan and after five minutes, gently heat until dissolved.   Do not boil.   Alternatively, follow the instructions on your gelatine packet.

Combine all the filling ingredients, including the coconut milk, in either a Nutribullet or blender and blitz until very smooth.   Spoon the filling over the biscuit base in the tins leaving about 1/4cm from the top of the tin for the jelly to be poured.   Pop in the fridge.

finalCut the strawberries into pieces and put in a saucepan with a splash of water.   Very gently bring to a simmer and cook for roughly ten minutes until very soft and breaking down.

Pour the mixture into a sieve and allow to drain, gently pressing down the strawberries to extract all the juice.

 

Put the juice, water, maple syrup, lemonfinal juice and 4 sheets of gelatine into a saucepan.

Leave for 5 minutes before very slowly warming up, stirring continuously until the gelatine has fully dissolved.   If using sheet gelatine, do not boil.

 

Very carefully pour over the filling and top with a small piece of fresh strawberry.   Leave in the fridge for two to three hours to completely set before  removing from the tins.

final

Leave to set in the fridge

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final

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

 

Recipe adapted from The Buddhist Chef

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

Since writing this blog, I have made these bites using mini muffin tins and this gives about 24 smaller, deeper bites (just as tasty).  I have also tried a base using blitzed seeds and nuts and this also worked well.

Best eaten on the day made although I prepared the base and filling the day before I needed the bites; cooked down my strawberries the day before so all I had to do was make the jelly on the day.  Very pleased with the result.

 

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Slow-Roasted Lamb with Feta, Peppers and Dill

Posted on January 30, 2017 by TheRobbInn

All in, this dish takes about five hours+ with the preparation and cooking but it is well worth the wait and the kitchen smells divine with all the aromas coming from the oven.

The lamb fell off the bone as I shredded it and tasted wonderful.  I made a thick harissa ‘sauce’ with a dry spice mix combined with some olive oil and it complimented the meat and veg perfectly.  I served the lamb and vegetables with some cauliflower ‘rice’  which I had roasted in the oven once the lamb had cooked.

INGREDIENTS:  Serves six hungry people

Shoulder of lamb on the bone (1.8 – 2kg)
Approximately 16 shallots, peeled and halved
2 bulbs of garlic, halved widthways
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
Olive oil
200ml white wine
500ml chicken stock
750g Anya potatoes or small new potatoes
3 sweet pointed peppers, halved, de-seeded and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons clear honey
200g feta, crumbled
25g dill, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Harissa sauce to serve

METHOD:

Put the shallots and garlic halves in a large roasting pan and top with the lamb.

Toast the coriander seeds in a fry pan until fragrant then crush using a pestle and mortar.

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Drizzle with olive oil

Rub into the lamb with some salt and pepper. Drizzle the meat generously with oil and pour the wine and stock into the tin.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 150°C (fan 130°C) for 2 ½ hours.

 

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Peppers and Potatoes

Remove the foil, add the peppers and potatoes to the pan and drizzle the honey over the lamb.

Re-cover and return to the oven for a further 1 ¾ hours or until the potatoes and lamb are tender.

Transfer the lamb to a board.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a warm bowl;  cover and keep warm.

Put the roasting tin over a direct heat and simmer to reduce the juice to about 600ml. Alternatively, if like me you have an induction hob, pour the juice into an appropriate saucepan and boil down.   Pour into a jug and skim off any excess fat.   Season to taste.

Meanwhile, either carve or shred the lamb into chunks and layer with the vegetables in a warm bowl.  Top with the feta, dill and zest.   Serve with the juice, harissa sauce and cauliflower ‘rice’.

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Slow-Roasted Lamb with Feta, Peppers and Dill with Cauliflower Rice and Harissa Sauce

This delicious recipe was adapted from Sainsbury’s Magazine.

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 Bread #1

Posted on January 27, 2017 by TheRobbInn

I don’t know where this recipe came from – I found it written on a scrappy bit of paper at the bottom of my recipe pile with only very brief instructions written on it in my almost-forgotten shorthand.

It’s a very simple, quick recipe to make and I cheated by blitzing my bananas in a blender rather than mashing them by hand.  The bread turned out lovely and moist with a delicious, very slightly crunchy texture from the chia seeds.

Very tasty on its own but also extra nice when spread with a little almond or cashew butter.  Freezes beautifully in slices.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup almonds, blanched
2 cups pecans
1 cup buckwheat flour
½ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
5 large ripe bananas, mashed until smooth

METHOD:
Blend the almonds and pecans in a food processor until they turn into flour.
Add the buckwheat flour, syrup, chia seeds, cinnamon and mashed bananas and pulse until mixed.
Pour into a lined loaf tin (9” x 5”) and bake for approximately 1 hour at 350°F or until a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean.

final

Deliciously moist Banana Bread

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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Snowy Mountain Coconut Bites

Posted on January 25, 2017 by TheRobbInn
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Magic snow

I was watching my grandchildren play with the ‘magic’ snow I had bought to keep them amused, when it suddenly reminded me of delicious little cakes I used to have as a child.  We always called them Snowy Mountains and they were cooked on rice paper which I loved to eat.

I was soon out in the kitchen recreating these delicious little bites as I had only just had a delivery the previous day of an enormous bag of shredded coconut.

 

I whisked two egg whites until stiff and then folded in a cup of organic unsweetened shredded coconut and to sweeten, I used a few drops of vanilla stevia.

I piled teaspoonfuls on to baking parchment and baked for approximately 12 minutes at 350°F until the tips were just tinged.

Cooled on a wire rack.    I missed the rice paper but the Snowy Mountains were just as I remembered them – moist and tasty.   The grandkids loved them too.

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Snowy Mountain Coconut Bites

Two egg whites / 1 cup coconut made 10 nice-sized bites.

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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Vegetarian “Sushi” Bowl

Posted on January 22, 2017 by TheRobbInn

I saw this recipe early one morning  and immediately knew that it was what I really fancied for dinner that night.   I am not a sushi lover (my husband is) but this recipe captured my taste buds and I added broccoli and cabbage on to my shopping list for the day, along with sushi rice and seaweed.  The rest of the ingredients I had to hand in my kitchen.   I didn’t quite stick to the correct amounts of vegetables as I didn’t want half a pepper left over  and I probably cooked far too many shallots as we tend to love them.

I prepared the vegetables earlier in the afternoon so everything was ready to cook once the rice was almost done.

This was truly a wonderful meal and one which I will soon be repeating.

INGREDIENTS: to serve 2

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Getting ingredients ready for the “Sushi” Bowl

1 cup sushi rice, well rinsed
3 tablespoons dried seaweed bits
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
¼ cup Mirin
1 medium-sized head of broccoli
¼ small cabbage
½ red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1” piece of fresh ginger
¼ cup Tamari
2 tablespoons honey
Handful chopped peanuts
Fried shallots

METHOD:

Cook the rice as instructed on the packet ensuring that you leave it to stand for at least 20 minutes with the lid on.

2017-01-08_16-59-46_525In the meantime, cut the broccoli into small florets, slice the pepper and cabbage. Finely chop the ginger and garlic.

Pour a little olive oil and sesame oil into a pan over a medium-high heat and add the vegetables.   Saute until they begin to brown then add the honey and Tamari.   Reduce to a low heat.

Once the rice has cooked, remove the lid, add the seaweed, sesame seeds and Mirin and stir through.

Spoon the rice into bowls with the vegetables and top with the fried shallots and peanuts.

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Vegetarian “Sushi” Bowl

Recipe adapted from the free recipe on GlutenFreeGoodFood, Australia on Instagram

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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Lettuce Wraps with Parma Ham and Avocado

Posted on January 20, 2017 by TheRobbInn

Recovering from the dreaded cold which seemed to have been doing the rounds, I really wanted something light and tasty for lunch one day as nothing seemed to taste right.

I had a few slices of Parma ham in the fridge, along with some baby plum tomatoes and a large round lettuce so decided ‘wraps’ would be on the menu for lunch.  The dressing I knew would be lovely and tangy and would compliment the ham perfectly as I had tried it at Christmas on a rather delicious salad my daughter-in-law made, although for the wraps I made it with less olive oil.  It still trickled down our fingers but no-one minded as it was so tasty.

INGREDIENTS: to serve two

6 large lettuce leaves
3 slices Parma ham, cut in half to make 6
1 avocado, sliced
A few baby plum tomatoes, sliced
Handful of toasted pine nuts

Dressing:
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

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Lettuce wraps with Parma Ham

METHOD:         

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and put to one side.

Lay a lettuce leaf flat and top with a piece of Parma ham, slices of avocado, tomato and a few pine nuts.

 

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Drizzle over the dressing, roll up and enjoy.

The dressing is sufficient for far more than six wraps but keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

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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Seasalt and Seaweed with Chilli – from Atlantic Kelp

Posted on January 19, 2017 by TheRobbInn

I just have to recommend this amazing Seasalt and Seaweed with Chilli

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I don’t usually go into raptures over an ingredient, but this wonderful little tub of organic sea salt, chilli flakes and organic seaweed has become my firm favourite ingredient at the moment.

Given to me by my daughter-in-law as part of a hamper at Christmas, it has transformed “ordinary” every-day food into another dimension!  Sounds crazy but sprinkled on cottage pie changed the pie from being tasty to being superb;  a light coating on plain chicken breasts turned them into an appetizing dish and it brought out the flavour of a salmon fillet wonderfully.    I can’t wait to try this salt with other foods.

I heartily recommend this tasty condiment from Atlantic Kelp which can be used straight from the tub, or ground for a finer sprinkling.

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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Steak with a Ginger Asparagus Mushroom Medley

Posted on January 18, 2017 by TheRobbInn

This is a simple, yet really tasty dish.  The ginger gives such a wonderful flavour to the vegetables yet the full taste of the beautiful steak shines through and the tomatoes add just a touch of sharp sweetness.  No sauce is needed – it is perfectly balanced as it is.   Cook the steak as rare, or as well-done as you like;  ring the changes with different cuts of beef such as sirloin or rump but I have to admit I enjoy a nice piece of fillet any day.

INGREDIENTS: Serves 2

2 beef medallions (fillet steaks) or steak of your choice
Bunch of asparagus shoots, chopped into small lengths
6 to 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
Pack of button mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
Oil of choice to cook.
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Rub the salt over the fillet steaks.2017-01-02_16-50-02_548
Heat a tablespoon of oil (extra-virgin olive, or coconut) in a fry pan and add the fillet steak. Cook for a few minutes each side until the steak is to your liking (2 minutes each side for rare, more for medium or well done).   Alternatively, grill the steaks.

Sit the steak on a plate loosely covered with foil to rest as some liquid will drain out.

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Chopped asparagus and mushrooms

 

In the meantime, add another tablespoon of oil to the fry pan and add the chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add in the asparagus and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes until the vegetables are just tender.

 

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Tomatoes, grated fresh ginger and fresh parsley

 

 

 

Add in the tomato halves, chopped parsley and ginger.

 

 

 

 

Saute for a further few minutes and serve on a plate, topping with the steak.

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Fillet steak with ginger mushroom asparagus medley

Recipe adapted from the Paleo Flourish Magazine

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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