Gluten Free Gingernut Cookies

Baking is not one of my strengths but these yummy gingernut cookies are so easy that even I can't mess them up.  The dough can also be used to make gingerbread people by rolling it out and using a cutter to make the shapes.

What you will need:

1 cup of brown rice flour
1/2 cup of tapioca starch
OR substitute with 1 1/2 cups of pre-made plain gluten free flour, or your own gluten free flour mix
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60 grams butter
1/4 cup golden syrup

What you need to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.  Lightly grease a large baking tray.

2. Sift flours, bicarb soda, ginger and cinnamon into a bowl.

3. Place butter and syrup in a pan and melt over low heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Pour the melted mixture onto the dry ingredietns.

5. Stir, working the mixture into a firm dough.

6.  Break off small balls of dough and roll them in the palms of your hand.  (Alternatively, roll out the dough and use a cutter to make gingerbread people).

7. Flatten out slightly using the back of a fork.

8. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until just browned. Cool on the baking tray for a few minutes or until they are firm enough to lift without breaking (a bit longer for gingerbread people).

9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note:
I haven't tried, but I'm sure to make this recipe vegan you could substitute the butter for a dairy free margarine like Nutalex.

Potatoes with Thyme

This quick snack idea isn't really a recipe as such because it's so easy to prepare.  You can use different herbs if you prefer, rosemary works particularly well.

 
What you will need:

1 large potato (per person)
fresh thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper




What you need to do:

1. Wash the potato and chop into small cubes.  Definitely leave the skin on, it's the tastiest and healthiest part.

2. Put potato into a baking dish and add a good pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper, thyme and enough olive oil to coat well.  Mix around with your hands.

3. Bake in a hot oven for about 30 minutes, depending how many you have.

4. Enjoy as a snack or side dish.

Curry Leaves

Curry Leaves are used extensively in Southern India and Sri Lanka to flavour many dishes, especially vegetarian dishes.

Curry leaves can be dried but they are best used fresh as they lose most of their aroma once dried.  It is very easy to grow a curry leaf plant in your back garden.  Curry leaf plants are so easy to grow that they are best to keep it in a pot so they doesn't take over your garden.

As well as having a delicious and distinctive flavour, they also have some very positive nutritional benefits. Curry leaves contain 2.5% oil and 6% protein.  They are very high in antioxidants, plant sterols, amino acids and flavanoids.  They contain iron, fibre, calcium and vitamins A and B.

Curry leaves can be eaten raw to assist with diarrhoea, nausea and gastric bugs.  They are also very helpful in treating constipation.  There is some evidence to suggest they may be helpful for those with stomach or digestion problems in general.

Curry leaves are also known to have strong anti-inflammatory properties.  There has also been some research showing positive results for the potential of curry leaves or curry leaf extract to be of benefit to diabetes and cancer patients.

Recipes using curry leaves:

Indian Spiced Green Vegetables
Indian Style Spiced Cabbage
Green Dahl

Quick and Easy Vegetable Pilaf

This is a recipe I use one those nights when I haven't thought of what to make and want something on the table as quickly as possible.  It's a very flexible recipe and you can use whatever vegetables you have left in the fridge.  As always, I don't use chilli, but if you like it spicy just add a finely chopped chilli at the same time as the ginger.

What you will need:

• 1 small onion or leek (I only had a little bit of leek and so used some spring onions instead on this occasion)
• rice bran or vegetable oil
• about 2 cups of chopped veggies (I used green beans and mushrooms)
• 1 - 2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 cup fairly strong chicken stock
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (an alternative is to use the same amount of drained tinned chickpeas)
• a handful of slivered almonds, toasted 
• fresh coriander

What you need to do:

1. Chop up all your veggies ready to go.

2. Fry onion/leek/spring onions in some oil in a medium sized saucepan until soft and golden.

3. Add ginger and stir for about 30 seconds.

3. Add powdered spices and stir for about a minute.

4. Add chopped veggies (not peas) and stir for another minute.

5. Add the rice and stir to mix through.

6. Add chicken stock and water and stir.  Reduce heat to low and cover saucepan.  Allow to cook for 12 minutes, without removing the lid.

 

7.  While the rice is cooking, run peas under hot water in a sieve to thaw them out.  I find this the quickest and easiest way, but if you'd prefer to blanch them in boiling water that's also fine.

8. Toast almond slivers until golden brown.

9. When the rice is finished remove the lid quickly to check that it looks something like the photo below and that there isn't any water left at the base of the saucepan.  Stir through the peas and re-cover.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes while you rinse and chop the coriander.

10.  Fork through the rice to fluff it up.  You can now stir through the almonds but if like me, you have one person who doesn't like almonds, then you can just sprinkle them over the top with the coriander and some freshly ground black pepper.

There are so many ways to vary this recipe to make use of what ingredients you have.  Zucchini works well as do tomatoes, but as these are high water content vegetables so if you do use them reduce the water from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup.  You can vary the spices as well to suit your taste.

Vegetarian Minestrone Style Soup

I made a rather exciting discovery in the health food shop recently which has inspired me to create this soup.  The Dr Schar brand of gluten free pasta now have a conchigliette (tiny shells) with a lovely picture on the front of a noodley soup.  My girls thought that the picture was what was in the box and so when I explained it was just pasta we all decided to create something that would look, and hopefully taste, as good.

My finished soup wasn't much like the picture at all to be truthful as it was obviously much more tomato based.  The good news is that the girls loved it and I think it looked pretty good as well.  My late mother in law was the queen of Minestrone soup so I'm not sure what she would make of my vegetarian version, but my husband gave it a 9/10, which for him is about as good as it gets.

What you will need:

• 150 grams of small gluten free pasta shells (or whatever you can find that is similar)
• olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 - 3 shallots (green onions), finely sliced
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots
• 1 stick of celery
• 2 zucchinis (I used some yellow squash as well)
• a handful of fresh oregano
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes 
• 2 tins water
• 1 tsp beef stock
• 1 tin of red kidney beans, or 4 bean mix
• fresh basil to serve
• freshly ground black pepper

What you need to do:

1.  Finely chop the onion.

 2. Heat up some olive oil in a stockpot or large saucepan and fry the onion until soft and slightly golden.  While the onion is cooking, chop the carrots, celery and shallots.






3.  Add crushed garlic and stir for about a minute.  Add shallot, carrot and celery and fry for about 4 minutes.

4. Add the two tins of tomatoes, two tins of water, beef stock powder and mix well.  Bring to a boil.

5. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile chop the zucchinis and oregano.

6. Add the zucchini, oregano and kidney beans to the soup and continue to simmer.

7.  Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the pasta.  Cook for about 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time.

8. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the soup.

 

9.  Continue cooking the soup until the pasta is just done, probably a few more minutes.

10.  Serve with chopped basil and baby oregano leaves sprinkled on top as well as freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Indian Spiced Green Vegetables

Indian Spiced Green Vegetables

Here is a recipe that is one of my favourite way of enjoying green vegetables.  Both my girls love this as well and it's easy and quick to prepare.


You can use any combination of green vegetables, here I am using green beans and peas (frozen).  I have also made this with a combination of beans and asparagus, which is delicious.

You will need:

1. About a cup of raw green vegetables per person, cut into chunks.
2. 1 clove garlic, crushed
3. 15 fresh curry leaves



Step 1

4. 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

Method:

1. Prepare the vegetables ready to cook.

2. Heat some oil in a fry pan or wok.

3. Add the garlic and curry leaves and fry over medium heat

Step 3

4. Add the ground cumin and stir until fragrant

5. Add vegetables and stir over medium to high heat.

6. Add a little water and cover, shaking pan or wok, until vegetables are just tender.

Step 6

Finally, serve and enjoy.  You can serve these yummy vegetables as a side dish with other curries, or enjoy on their own.

North Indian Chicken Curry

This North Indian Chicken Curry is one of my absolute favourite non-vegetarian curries. 

I'm not going to pretend it's quick and easy to prepare, but if you feel like spending some time cooking I'm fairly sure you'll agree that the results are definitely worth it.

What you'll need:

Fresh ingredients

Whole spices

• 4 tbsp rice bran or vegetable oil
• 1 large stick of cinnamon
• 7 cloves
• 7 green cardamom pods
• 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of finely grated ginger (more if you like it spicy)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed (double this if you love garlic)
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chilli powder (optional, I don't use it)
• 5 medium ripe tomatoes, pureed
• 900g chicken pieces, skinned
• 3 cups water, more if needed
• handful of fresh coriander leaves

Powdered spices

 Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick fry pan (or saucepan).  Add the whole spices and fry for about 20 seconds until aromatic.

2. Add the onion and cook over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes until golden, stirring often.

3. While the onion is cooking chop up the tomatoes then place in a bowl. Use a stick blender to puree them.

4. Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for about a minute then add salt and powdered spices.  Stir for a further 20 - 30 seconds. 

5.  Pour in the tomatoes and cook over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid int he pan has dried off and you are left with a dry(ish) masala.

6. Add the chicken and brown over moderate to high heat for about 4 minutes. 

7. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken, bring to the boil and then cook over a slow to moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through.  I find the slower it cooks, the better it will taste.  Cooking time will be from 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken joints.

8. Just before serving, stir in the fresh coriander leaves.  This dish can be served with rice and a side of Indian Spiced Green Vegetables.