Woman&Home Eating Smart Magazine

When this magazine launched last year we immediately became big fans. The spring edition is out now and as usual it’s packed full of gluten free and dairy free recipes from the likes of Mary Berry, Jamie Oliver and Saturday Kitchen’s James Martin.

We love the Meals in 30 Minutes section that includes In-a-hurry curry and Butternut Squash and Beetroot Tortilla with Goats’ Cheese. I’ll be making that this week.

The baking section includes marzipan-topped fruit cakes and an amazing looking Hazelnut and Chocolate cake. And the Salted Caramel Chocolate Pots are a diet-killer. So to make up for it, check out the low-calorie meals that include North African Fish Tagine and Lemon and Coriander Hummus.

Eating Smart is available in all good newsagents for £3.99.

The Woman&Home team also sent us a box of goodies to try too. At Gluten Free Blog we love to support smaller or up and coming brands that are dedicated to making tasty gluten free products.

So in no particular order, we’ve really enjoyed trying:

• Goody Good Stuff – delicious soft sweets that are gluten, lactose and gelatine free
• Honeybuns – lovely packaging, amazing cakes and cookies
• Moo Free – gluten, wheat, lactose and dairy free but super tasty chocolate
• Perkier – lovely branding and amazing tasting Tiffin
• Rolly’s Brownies – Dorset based company and orange brownies to die for
• Big Oz – Tasty gluten free cereals from Surrey based business
• Metcalfe’s Skinny – Low calorie, high tasting snacks like chocolate coated corn cakes
• Chia Bia – Tasty biscuits, bars and powders made from chia seeds

Goody Good Stuff

Honeybuns

Moo Free

Perkier

Rolly’s Brownies

Big Oz

Metcalfe’s Skinny

Chia Bia

The post Bounce into spring with Woman&Home’s Eating Smart appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

Q&A with GBBO’s Howard Middleton

What’s your favourite gluten-free dish?
I’m a sucker for anything cheesy, so I’ve become addicted to Newburn Bakehouse sweet chilli cracker thins served as nachos with cheese, salsa and jalapenos! I also love using whisked egg white and rice flour to make a tempura style batter, which is great on fish served with creamy mashed potato and a green pea shoot salad. Yummy!

What’s your favourite flavour combination?
It’s got to be cheese again! I love the contrast of creamy, salty cheese with the fresh sharpness of fruit, whether it’s a classic cheese board with apples, figs, pears or grapes or a dish like my seeded fattoush with feta and pomegranate recipe – which you can find on the Newburn Bakehouse website.

What inspired your Seeded Feta Fattoush recipe?
I made a fattoush for friends last summer while on holiday in France. It’s traditionally made with charred pitta bread, but I found Newburn Bakehouse’s seeded sandwich thins to be a great gluten-free alternative. I love the extra crunch of the toasted seeds, and that freshness you get from lime and mint.

What do you most enjoy baking?
I think I most enjoy baking extravagant cakes for my nieces – they know how to set me a challenge!

Have you always enjoyed baking and cooking?
Yes! My mum showed me some basic skills as a child, such as making bread, cakes and pastry. Then as a student I lived with friends from Malaysia – when you start to learn about different ingredients and techniques, you want to find out even more!

Do you have any top tips for creating tasty gluten-free dishes?
Just remember that many great dishes already have gluten-free ingredients as a basis, like fruit and vegetables; use these as your starting point. You can also take inspiration from the wide range of gluten-free dishes you will find in other cultures and cuisines.

What are your kitchen cupboard essentials?
My kitchen is full of herbs, spices and other flavourings, which can liven up simple dishes. Nuts and seeds are also great for adding a bit of texture. I’m always looking for unusual ingredients that I haven’t tried before. Over the last year, I’ve discovered date syrup, borage honey, sweet white miso and sun-dried tomato ketchup – they may not be essentials but I love seeking out new flavours!

You can find Howard’s fattoush recipe and all the #Lunchoff ideas at www.newburnbakehouse.com, along with money off coupons for Newburn Bakehouse loaves, wraps, rolls, baguettes and thins. And you can follow Howard Middleton on Twitter for more great ideas and recipes.

Howard Middleton’s Seeded Feta Fattoush

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Gluten-free bread and butter pudding

What’s more, it’s great for using up the end of a loaf, and it’s so tasty and gooey the whole family will love it.

Serves 4

What you’ll need:

• 8 slices of gluten-free bread
• 3 eggs
• Butter
• 2 tbs caster sugar
• 2 tbs sultanas
• 1 tbs Demerara sugar
• 250ml milk
• 100ml double cream
• For flavour: vanilla extract, lemon or orange zest, and a pinch of nutmeg

How to make gluten free bread and butter pudding:

1. Gently heat the milk, cream, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over a medium low heat – bring to a simmer then turn off the heat, add the zest and allow to cool. Beat the eggs and caster sugar together in a separate pan, then slowly mix in the cool milk mixture to create a thin custard.
2. Butter the bread, and layer half the slices (diagonal shape) in a greased ovenproof baking dish. Sprinkle over half the sultanas, and pour over half the custard. Leave it to soak in (about 15 minutes of soaking) before repeating the process with a second layer.
3. Dot the pudding with 1 tbsbutter, sprinkle with Demerara sugar and nutmeg, and loosely cover it with foil. Place the baking dish in a bain marie on the middle shelf, and bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 180’c/160’c Fan (gas mark 4). Remove the foil and keep baking for 20 to 30 minutes until the custard sets in the middle.

For an added twist…

Bread and butter pudding is a really versatile base for different flavour combinations. Instead of sultanas, why not try dates and dried apricots, banana and walnuts, chocolate chunks and hazelnuts or even candied peel and marmalade?

The post Gluten-Free Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

The idea for my gluten free iPad app, Gluten Free Me, came from my years working as a private chef. Over time, I’ve cooked for many people who absolutely love food but are limited in what they can eat due to food intolerances, allergies or health issues, especially related to gluten.

I know how hard it can be to find utterly delicious food that you are able to eat; this app is my answer to that problem.

Gluten Free Me iPad app features

Gluten Free Me contains 32 of my favourite gluten-free recipes (many of them are also dairy-free and sugar-free), with beautiful photography to illustrate each one. The app is free to download and contains five albums: one has eight free recipes and there are four more albums at £2.99 for six recipes each: Starters & Soups, Mains, Sides & Salads and Desserts & Sweet Things.

Each recipe tells you if it’s free from gluten, dairy or added sugar and whether it’s suitable for vegans or vegetarians. It also says how many it feeds and, with one easy click, you can add the ingredients list to Reminders on your iPad so it creates a shopping list for you.

Weights, measures and temperatures are given in Imperial and Metric, so it can be used worldwide.

And the preparation steps are simple and you can easily swipe from one step to the next.

An introduction to each recipe gives you a flavour of each dish and you can then touch the star to add it to your favourites folder.

I will add more recipes in time and you can unlock these by using some of the features in the app, such as Facebook sharing, so if you do buy the app keep updating it to see what’s new.

To give you a taster of what’s in Gluten Free Me, here is my recipe for Chocolate Fudgy Brownies, which I hope you’ll love.

Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Gluten Free Chocolate Fudgy Brownies, © 2013 Laura Pope

Dense, dark and impossible-to-resist chocolate brownies with absolutely no gluten.

• Prep time (approx.): 10 mins, cooking time (approx.): 30 mins
• Gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians
• Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients:

• 200g (7oz) unsalted butter
• 200g (7oz) dark chocolate, about 70% cocoa
• Pinch sea salt, eg Maldon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 250g (8⅞oz) caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 150g (5¼oz) gluten-free plain flour

Preparation steps:

1. Heat oven to 140℃ (285℉) fan or 155℃ (310℉) normal oven.
2. Line a baking tin (approximately 20cm (7¾”) square or 15 x 30cm (6” x 11¾”) – if it’s smaller, the mixture will be deeper and take a little longer to cook) with baking paper.
3. Put butter and chocolate in heat-proof bowl and melt gently over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water or overheat or the chocolate may split and go grainy).
4. Mix the salt, vanilla and sugar into the chocolate / butter mix and, once it has cooled to less than blood temperature, stir in the eggs and then the flour.
5. Pour mix into lined baking tin and cook for about 30 minutes – it should be set around the edges and still soft in the middle – as it cools, it will firm but should be fudgy, not hard.
6. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then refrigerate until firm.
7. Cut into pieces and store in airtight container in the fridge, with baking paper between the layers so they don’t stick).

You can find out more about Laura and her food on her website, www.laurapope.co.uk or on her Facebook pages www.facebook.com/glutenfreemeapp and www.facebook.com/laurapopefood. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter @LauraLPope.

Have you downloaded the app? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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Woman & Home Feel Good Food magazine – Eating Smart edition

It’s not always easy to eat a tasty and varied diet if you have some kind of allergy or special food needs. If you’re like me, you stick to a few favourite meals that you have every week.

So we were thrilled when a copy of the food magazine Feel Good Food dropped on to the doormat here at Gluten Free Towers.

Published by the brilliant people over at Woman & Home, this edition of Feel Good Food magazine is packed to the rafters with mouth-watering gluten free recipes including speedy seeded flatbreads, pear and chocolate cake, and scrummy looking cupcakes. You can also find more recipes from the team on the gluten free recipes section of their website.

And what a team it is. There are recipes from Phil Vickery, a favourite of this blog, as well as Antony Worrall Thompson, Dale Pinnock and the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow.

And that’s not all. The magazine includes lactose free recipes, recipes for diabetics, meals to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, recipes to help with irritable bowel syndrome, anaemia, osteoporosis and aging, and a whole bunch of vegan recipes too. So there’s something for everyone in the family.

The Feel Good Food Magazine Eating Smart edition is available to buy at Tesco for £3.99.

Gluten Free Pear & Chocolate Cake

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Gluten Free Recipes App

Growing up in a household that loves food, it’s tough to see someone close to you not being able to eat the things you love. That’s what it’s been like for me since childhood. My dad was diagnosed with celiac disease, and from that day wasn’t able to enjoy bread, cakes and many other meals that I could enjoy. From that day I made it my priority to help him enjoy life as much as he could despite being gluten intolerant.

My dad didn’t really use the internet until recently, and so I was the one who found him blogs, communities and ideas online designed for the gluten-free diet. Gluten-Free-Blog.com was one of these and it’s been such a great help.

Fast forward a few years, I’m 23 and just quit my job to try to make a living from building iPhone apps.

One of the first apps I designed and made was a gluten-free recipe app for my dad, to thank him for his support in quitting my job and chasing my dreams.

Over the years he’s compiled a list of dishes by top British chefs, that never disappoint, and these are the recipes that make up this app.

Here it is (it’s free): Gluten Free Recipes by Top Chefs. It’s made for iPhone and iPads. Sorry Android users, I’m working on it!

This is one of my favourite recipes from the app.

Asian Chicken with Guacamole

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Gluten free roast chicken breast with pine nuts

Marinade:

• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 red chillies, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of coriander, leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp of Kikkoman soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

Guacamole:

• 2 avocados, skinned and chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste
• 4 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 150ml of olive oil
• 1 dash of Tabasco
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method:

1. For the marinade, place the grated fresh ginger, chopped red chillies, chopped coriander, soy sauce, honey, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, olive oil and sesame oil into a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into 1cm strips and place them in the bowl with the marinade. Stir well to coat the chicken evenly, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.
3. For the guacamole, place the chopped avocados into a bowl and add the lime juice immediately. Then add the crushed garlic clove, chopped fresh coriander, chopped shallot, olive oil and Tabasco sauce and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside. If not serving the guacamole straight away, lay a piece of cling film directly onto the surface of the guacamole and push out any air, to prevent it going brown.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. While the oven is heating, sear the marinated chicken strips in a griddle pan. Cook the strips over a high heat for 1-2 minutes, turning once so they brown nicely on both sides.
5. Transfer the chicken strips to a baking sheet and place into the oven to cook for a further five minutes, or until completely cooked through.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven and season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a spoonful of guacamole served alongside.

Gluten Free Asian Chicken with Guacamole

We think this is a great story and we wish him every success with the app. If you have an iPhone or iPad go ahead and download it. I’m sure the more people that do the better. And let us know what you think of it in the comments!

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Lebkuchen recipe from “Gluten-free Baking at Christmas”

An article from the talented Samantha Stein with a recipe from her latest book, “Gluten-free Baking at Christmas”.

Growing up with a Danish mother, our Christmas treats had a distinctly Scandinavian and Germanic flavour. Lebkuchen is as German as they come, and something that I had enjoyed every year before being diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Although supermarkets in the UK have started to do some Christmas food, it’s usually only the traditional British treats: mince pies, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. The beloved recipes of my childhood are nowhere to be seen, so I took it upon myself to convert them to gluten-free, and before I knew it I had nearly a whole book! After a couple of months eating far too much cake, I had finished that book, “Gluten-free Baking at Christmas” in which this recipe is featured.

This chewy, spicy type of biscuit develops a deeper flavour if the dough is allowed to rest in the fridge overnight. These are totally addictive!

Makes 30 small biscuits

• 80g butter
• 100g honey
• 100g black treacle (molasses)
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2-3 tbsp mixed peel
• 300g gluten-free bread flour (one which includes xantham gum, but does not include raising agents – I used Dove’s Farm)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 80g ground almonds
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cloves

For the glaze

• 50g icing sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tsp water
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Instructions

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan together with the honey, treacle and brown sugar. Leave on a low-medium heat until completely dissolved and then remove from the heat.
3. Leave to cool a little then add a beaten egg and lemon juice, stirring until combined.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix in. Add the lemon zest and mixed peel if desired.
5. Spoon into a large freezer bag and refrigerate. The mixture will be soft and un-dough-like, but once it sets, it will make a proper dough that can be rolled out. Leave for several hours, or overnight for a deeper flavour.
6. Preheat oven to 175C/350F. Lightly dust some baking paper with flour and roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper until about 1cm thick. Cut out your favourite shapes with cutters, re-rolling the dough until all is used up.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits start to crack slightly. Cool on a wire rack.
8. When completely cooled, make up the glaze. Sift the icing sugar and add a little water (with a squeeze of lemon juice) until it resembles a thin paste. Using a clean pastry brush, glaze the lebkuchen and leave to dry.

Samantha Stein started “The Happy Coeliac” blog in 2011 to cheer herself up after diagnosis with coeliac disease. She blogs recipes, reviews and eating out gluten-free at thehappycoeliac.com. Her first book, “Gluten-free Baking at Christmas”, is available as an ebook or paperback to buy directly from her website.

The post Lebkuchen from “Gluten-free Baking at Christmas” appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

• 200g unsalted butter
• 200g gluten free dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 5 medium eggs
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 240g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 200g ground almonds
• 50g chickpea (gram) flour

For the syrup:

• 100g caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

For the frosting:

• 500g mascarpone
• 50g honeycomb, chopped
• 100g cleat honey

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Line a 24cm round, 7cm deep, loose-bottomed cake tine with baking parchment. Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, take the pan off the heat but leave the bowl over the pan to keep the mixture warm.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl and whisk until thick and foamy, the add half the sugar, and whisk again until creamy and thick. Add the rest of the sugar and whisk until very stiff but still a creamy consistency. Stir the egg yolks, vanilla extract, almonds and chickpea flour into the warm chocolate and butter, then straight away add half the meringue, mixing well. Finally, add the rest of the meringue and fold in.

Spoon into the lined tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until well risen and firm.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly in the tin: it will collapse a little. Make several holes over the surface of the cake with a skewer.

Meanwhile, place the sugar, 100ml water and the mint in a small pan and boil until the sugar has dissolved, then strain. Spoon the syrup over the cake and leave to soak in and cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, beat the mascarpone, honeycomb and honey together with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not whisk of the mascarpone will be too soft and hot hold its shape on the cake.

Turn out the cake carefully on to a large, flat plate. As there is no gluten in the cake it will have quite a soft texture, so be careful. Cover the cake with the honey mascarpone. Eat straight away or chill for 1 hour. If you want to keep it for the next day, remove from the fridge 1 hour before eating.

The post Fudgy almond cake with mint syrup and frosting appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

Anyone who doubts that a feather light cake can be made without wheat flour should try this!

• Hazelnuts, skinned, roasted and lightly crushed – 100 g (4 oz)
• Margarine – 225 g (8 oz)
• Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
• Almond extract – 2 tsp
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – 4 tbsp
• Fructose – 200 g (7 oz)
• 4 medium eggs
• All-purpose wheat-free flour – 100 g (3½ oz)
• Baking powder – 1 tsp

For the frosting:

• Margarine – 225 g (8 oz)
• Vanilla extract – ¾ tsp
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted – 12 tbsp
• Maple syrup – 1½ tbsp

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. In a saucepan, melt the margarine with the vanilla and almond extracts and sifted cocoa powder until just melted. Do not boil. Stir and remove from the heat. In a mixing bowl, beat the fructose into the eggs until they become light and thick, using a balloon whisk or electric mixer. Do this thoroughly to achieve lightness in the finished sponge. Stir in the margarine mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and stir. Add the nuts and mix well.

Cut two circles of greaseproof paper/baling parchment and place in the bottom of two 25 cm/10 in round cake tins. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and bake for 20 minutes. The sponges will seem soft when removed from the oven and will come away from the sides of the tin if pulled gently with your fingers. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then turn out on twp wire racks to cool.

Put all the frosting ingredients into a mixing bowl and using a balloon whisk or electric mixer, beat until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate until the cakes have completely cool. To assemble the cake, put one of the cakes bottom side up on an upturned plate. Cover with a layer of frosting. Then place the other cake on top, bottom side down and frost the top and sides. Refrigerate until time to serve.

Serves 8

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Buckwheat is used extensively in Russian cuisine. Buckwheat contains more than 13 per cent protein and has a high amino acid content. Toasted and cooked like this it adds a nutty taste to any dish. Halloumi is a traditional white, semi-hard sheep’s milk cheese.

• 1 halloumi cheese
• A little all-purpose wheat-free flour for dusting

For the Kasha Salad:

• Buckwheat – 225 g (8 oz)
• Olive oil – 4 tbsp
• Water – 1 litre (1¾ pint)
• Mint, finely chopped – 55 g (2 oz)
• Flat parsley, chopped – 55 g (2 oz)
• Finely sliced spring onion/scallion – 4 tbsp
• Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced – 300 g (10½ oz)
• Lemon juice – 4 tbsp
• Black pepper
• Pumpkin seeds – 75 g (3 oz)

Rinse the buckwheat in plenty of cold running water. Drain thoroughly. Put half the olive oil in a saucepan, add the buckwheat and fry, stirring until toasted and golden. Be careful not to burn. Pour in the water, cover and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. If there is sediment on the grains, rinse again under running water.

Put the remaining ingredients except the pumpkin seeds in a bowl and mix well. Leave to stand.

Heat a heavy non-stick frying pan/skillet. Do not add any oil. When hot put in the pumpkin seeds and shake over a high heat until the seeds start to ‘pop’. Remove from the pan and put on a plate. Sprinkle these over the kasha salad just before serving.

Slice the cheese lengthways to a thickness of about 1 cm/½ in, dust with a little flour and dry-fry in a non-stick pan until the cheese is a rich caramel brown. Serve with the kasha salad.

Serves 4 as a main meal

The post Buckwheat Kasha Salad with Halloumi Cheese appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

What a lovely combination: sweet, creamy, chocolate matched with the tartness of the Bramley apple dip. It’s just superb!

For the base:

• 150g brown rice flour
• 55g caster sugar
• 115g unsalted butter
• Oil or butter for greasing

For the filling:

• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g soft dark brown sugar
• 397g tin of condensed milk

For the topping:

• 200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
• 55g white chocolate, broken into pieces

For the dip:

• 4 large Bramley apples, peeled and cored
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. To make the base, mix the flour and sugar together and then rub into the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Press this mixture very lightly and evenly into the tin and bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until pale golden.

To make the filling, place the butter and sugar in a large non-stick frying pan and stir over a medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. To make a golden caramel, add the condensed milk, stirring continuously, until the first bubble appear on the surface. Remove from the heat as soon as it comes to the boil. Spread the caramel evenly over the shortbread base and the cool and chill for about 30 minutes.

Place the apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest and juice in a medium pan and cook down until the apples are cooked. Place the milk and white chocolate in two separate heatproof bowls. Place the bowls over two pans of barely simmering water to melt the chocolate.

Pour the melted milk chocolate over the cooled caramel, smoothing to the edges. Quickly pour over the white chocolate and gently swirl to create a marbled effect. Allow to set. When the chocolate has set, cut the shortbread into squares and serve with the dip.

The post Millionaire’s Shortbread with Bramley Apple Dip appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

This is a very clean tasting soup that has a truly amazing colour. Neither orange nor red, it is a brilliant flame colour. Equally delicious hot or cold, this is a useful party standby and makes a refreshing alternative to gazpacho. It may seem from the ingredient list that this is a very spicy soup, but it is not. The blend of flavours is very carefully balanced and no one ingredient dominates.

• Olive oil – 5 tbsp
• Carrots, diced – 140 g (5 oz)
• Orange-fleshed sweet potato, cut into chunks – 140 g (5 oz)
• Onion, chopped – 115 g (4 oz)
• 10 green cardamom seeds
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• 3 dried bay leaves
• Turmeric or a few saffron strands – ½ tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Can chopped tomatoes – 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz)
• Stock, either vegetable or chicken – 500 ml (16 fl oz)

For the garnish:

• Sheep’s yoghurt – 100 ml (3½ fl oz)
• Chopped fresh chives

In a heavy saucepan heat the oil and cook the carrot, sweet potato and onion for 3 minutes. Add the spices and stir them into the oil for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, tomatoes and stock, and simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves and liquidise the contents of the pan in a food processor. Pass the purée through a sieve.

If the soup is to be served hot, pour back into the cleaned saucepan and gently reheat. The soup is meant to be fairly thick, but if you prefer a thinner soup, add a little more stock at this stage. You may then need to adjust the seasoning slightly with a little more lemon juice and black pepper.

If the soup is to be served cold, pour into a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Whether hot or cold, garnish with a dollop of the yoghurt into which you have whisked the chives.

Serves 4

The post Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

Shred a piece of semisweet chocolate to sprinkle over the top of the mousse before serving.

• 3 ounces white chocolate, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups gluten-free non-dairy whipped topping

Melt the chocolate with the water in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water until the chocolate is melted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool, stirring occasionally. Fold in half of the whipped topping until completely blended, then gently fold in the remainder of the whipped topping. Spoon into bowls.

Makes 4 ½ cup servings

One serving – Calories: 74; Total fat: 4.4 g; Saturated fat: 3.9 g; Cholesterol: 1 mg; Sodium: 4 mg; Carbohydrates: 6.5 g; Fibre: 0 g; Sugar: 4.6 g; Protein: 0.2 g

The post White Chocolate Mousse appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

These ginger cookies are very crisp.

• Fine oatmeal flour – 55 g (2 oz)
• All-purpose wheat-free flour – 55 g (2 oz)
• Pine kernels – 2½ tbsp
• Grated fresh root ginger – 3 tbsp
• Runny honey – 2 tbsp
• Baking powder – ⅛ tsp
• Sunflower oil – 1½ tbsp

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.

Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and gather together with your hands to form a ball. Kneed the mixture in the bowl until it is smooth. The mixture will start out feeling rather wet, but as the flour absorbs the honey and oil, the dough will become firmer. It should look very glossy and have no cracks at all. If necessary, add some more oil to moisten.

Pinch out enough dough to form balls of about the size of a walnut and place these balls on an ungreased baking sheet, 7.5 cm/3 in apart. Using the heel of your thumb and palm, flatten the balls of dough as thinly as possible. This can also be done using a metal spatula. Tuck any loose edges of the mixture back into the dough to form a circular cookie.

Bake for 20 minutes or until evenly golden and cooked thoroughly. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 8 cookies.

The post Fresh Ginger and Honey Cookies with Pine Kernels appeared first on The Gluten Free Blog.

This dessert serves 10, so you can enjoy delicious leftovers.

• 2 envelopes gluten-free unflavoured gelatine
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2¼ cups evaporated skim milk
• 1 16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 10 teaspoons gluten-free non-dairy whipped topping
• Cinnamon

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water to soften; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of the evaporated milk to just boiling. Slowly stir the hot milk into the gelatine, stirring until the gelatine is dissolved. Stir in the remaining 1¼ cups of milk and the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and vanilla. Spray a 10-inch pie plate with gluten-free non-stick spray. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie plate. Chill until firm. To server, top each slice with a teaspoon of whipped topping, then sprinkle the topping lightly with cinnamon.

Makes 10 slices

One slice – Calories: 112; Total fat: 0.9 g; Saturated fat: 0.8 g; Cholesterol: 2 mg; Sodium: 71 mg; Carbohydrates: 15 g; Fibre: 1 g; Sugar: 14.1 g; Protein: 6.3 g

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