Quick-Pickled Cucumbers with Rice Vinegar
Ingredients
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 cups thinly sliced Japanese or English cucumbers (about 3 Japanese or 1 English)
Method
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Add cucumber slices and stir. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of heavy duty paper towels, pressing down until towel is saturated with liquid and in direct contact with the cucumbers. Let rest 10 minutes, then transfer cucumbers to a sealable container. Top up with liquid and discard the rest. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
From http://www.seriouseats.com/
Jaffa Pudding
A fabulous, yummy dessert. Once tried, you will always make it. Make it now! Go on!
For the pudding:
Preheat the oven to Gas 5
100g butter, melted, plus a little extra for the dish
250g self-raising flour
140g caster sugar
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
Zest and juice of 1 orange
3 eggs
150ml milk
100g orange milk chocolate, broken into chunks
For the sauce:
200g light muscavado sugar
25g cocoa
300ml boiling water
Method
Mix all of the pudding ingredients together in a large bowl.
Place into a greased casserole or pyrex bowl.
Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over the pudding mixture. Don’t be alarmed, there looks like there is way too much liquid, but it will be fine.
Pop in the oven for around 40 minutes, or until the pudding springs back. You will be left with a rich, chocolate sauce at the bottom of the pan.
Serve with ice cream or cream.
Coconut Ice Smoothie
Serves 2
1 frozen banana
1 handful frozen raspberries
1 dessert spoon coconut oil
500ml milk
Pop all the ingredients in a blender, and whizz until smooth. This tastes like summer holidays at the seaside; delicious!
This is also delicious with almond milk.
Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
Ingredients (serves 6)
2 tbsp oil (sunflower, olive or rapeseed all work well)
2 large onions (diced)
3 fat cloves garlic (crushed)
1 celery stalk (finely sliced)
1 tsp. black pepper
1tsp. turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
100g red lentils
1 large can chickpeas (400g) drained and rinsed well
1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g) (or chop your own – it’s easy)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into large cubes (about 1”)
1.2 litres veg stock
50g small pasta
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan (medium heat). Add onions and fry until just turning golden. Turn heat down to low and add garlic, celery, pepper, turmeric and ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
Add butternut squash and stock. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add pasta and simmer until cooked. Keep an eye on this, small pasta shapes cook quickly.
Season with salt and pepper.
Carrot and Beetroot Salad
Ingredients
2 medium carrots
1 medium beetroot
30g salted nuts
30g raisins
Method
Grate the carrot and beetroot. Mix together with the nuts and raisins.
Date, Walnut, Coconut and Apple Traybake
Ingredients
150g dark brown sugar
150g butter
75g dessicated coconut
100g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
100g dates, finely chopped
50g walnuts, chopped
2tbsp Greek natural yogurt
2 apples
Method
Preheat oven to Gas 4. Grease and line a baking tray (suitable for brownies)
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, flour, coconut, baking powder. Add dates, walnuts, yogurt.
Pour into greased, lined tray. Top with finely sliced apples.
Bake for 45 mins, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Lentil and Pearl Barley Winter Salad
Ingredients
100g brown lentils
100g pearl barley
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. medium curry paste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 green chilli (de-seeded)
Splash of lemon juice
Splash of oil
Method
Finely chop the onion, chilli, garlic.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the chopped vegetables, curry powder, cumin – cook for a couple of minutes.
Add enough lemon juice to make a thin paste.
Add the lentils and barley and toss in the paste to cover.
Add enough water to cover the lentils and barley.
Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Keep an eye on the pan, you may need to top the water up as it cooks to stop the lentils from sticking.
Cook for around 30 mins, or until the water has evaporated and the lentils are cooked but not soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with finely sliced celery, grated cheese (optional) and carrot, chopped beetroot and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Vegetable Layer Bake (serves 6)
Thinly sliced potatoes (2 large)
2 onions (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
4 mushrooms (sliced)
1 400g tin butter beans (rinsed)
100g frozen sweetcorn
100g brown lentils
Enough gluten free vegetable stock to cover
A knob of butter
Mixed herbs
Black pepper
Preheat the oven to Gas 3
Prepare all the vegetables.
Layer up the ingredients in a large casserole in this order:
1/3 of the potatoes
½ of the onion
½ the mushrooms
½ tin butter beans
½ the sweetcorn
½ the lentils
Mixed herbs and black pepper
Repeat, and finish with a final layer of potato.
Add enough stock to cover, pop on a lid and place in a preheated oven (gas 3 ) for 1 hour.
Take off lid and bake for a further ½ hr.
*You can make this dish vegan by leaving out the butter*
Make room for the mushrooms
Bean and Mushroom Paté
Serves 6
Ingredients
150g mushrooms finely chopped
2 fat cloves garlic
50g butter
1 x 400g tin of rosecco beans (or butter beans) drained and rinsed
1 tsp mixed herbs
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
This couldn’t be easier. Finely chop the mushrooms. Add to a large pan with the butter (medium heat). Try to resist the urge to stir for a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic, cook for a couple more minutes (you can stir now!). Finally, add the herbs, balsamic and beans and mash thoroughly until the ingredients form a paste. Season to taste and pop in individual ramekins. Allow to cool before putting in the fridge. Eat with gluten-free toast or oatcakes.
