Dairy-Free – Page 12 – The Food Wife

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Garlic Soup

14th March 202314th March 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes approx 3L

Roasting the vegetables brings a real sweetness to this soup. Using a whole head of garlic sounds extreme, but roasting it first mellows the pungency and bring a beautiful flavour to the dish.

I made this soup by roasting everything in my air fryer. Adding this to a large pan of hot stock and blending until smooth made this a super easy meal with very little washing up.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and deseeded, but into 2 inch pieces

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 head of garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2L vegetable stock (dairy/gluten free if required) or water

Step 1: Toss the butternut squash and sweet potato in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast. You can do this in an air fryer, set at 190c for 30-40 minutes or in an oven at 180c (fan) for 40-50 minutes.

Step 2: Carefully cut the top off the head of garlic (the top millimetre or two) and place in a piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and then wrap the foil up into a parcel. Add to the other vegetables for 20-30 minutes until soft.

Step 3: Bring the vegetable stock/water to the boil. Add the roasted vegetables, squeeze the garlic from its skin and purÃ©e until smooth. Season to taste.

Serve as it is or drizzle with a little cream and sprinkle some chopped chives as a garnish.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta

23rd February 202326th February 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Easily scaled up, and relatively quick to throw together. Speed things up and save energy by roasting the tomatoes beforehand (up to two days before and storing in the fridge until needed) when youâ€™re using the oven for something else. Alternatively pop them in a small oven dish in the air fryer (200c for 12 minutes).

Ingredients:

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sprig of thyme (optional)

150-200g pasta cooked according to the instructions (gluten-free if required)

100g garlic and herb soft cheese (vegan if required)

Step 1: First roast the tomatoes. Spread them in an oven dish with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and the thyme, if using. Roast for 25-30 minutes at 180-200c. See the notes above about cooking them earlier/using an air fryer.

Step 2: Cook the pasta and once ready, drain, reserving a small amount of cooking water. Return to the hob on a low heat, add the tomatoes and soft cheese and stir until everything is coated and creamy and the tomatoes are warmed through. Add the reserved cooking water as needed to help achieve this. Serve immediately.

One Pot Baked Chicken and Rice

9th February 20239th February 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Easily scaled up this one pot chicken and rice has Spanish influences with saffron and paprika. Itâ€™s a good pay-off for five minutes of prep. In less than an hour youâ€™ll have a meal on the table and that five minutes is the only input from you. Winner winner chicken dinner.

Ingredients:

500g chicken thighs (skin on, bone in or out)

150g paella rice

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 red pepper, cut into strips

500ml (hot) chicken stock (gluten-free if required)

Pinch of saffron (optional)

2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

Salt and Pepper

Parsley, chopped to serve

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180c (fan).

Step 2: Get a deep baking dish (large enough to house a single layer of chicken) and pour over the rice, ensuring it is spread evenly over the base. Spread out the red pepper and tomatoes. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin side up on the top making sure they are in a single layer. Season the skin of the chicken with a little salt and pepper.

Step 3: Add the saffron, paprika and tomato purÃ©e to the hot chicken stock and stir to make sure the mixture is smooth. Carefully pour into the baking dish, avoiding the top of the chicken thighs.

Step 4: Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked through, and then garnish with a little chopped parsley and serve.

Sausage and Pea Pasta with Fennel and Chilli

7th December 20227th December 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2+

A quick weeknight dinner is always a winner. This sauce cooks in the time it takes to cook the pasta and with just a handful of ingredients it couldnâ€™t be easier.

Itâ€™s easy to make this gluten-free, vegetarian and even vegan (make sure you omit the cheese, you could add a spoon of nutritional yeast flakes in its place).

Cook 75g pasta per person, this sauce will serve a minimum of two people but could stretch to four. Increase the quantities of sausage/fennel/chilli/cheese if youâ€™re cooking for more than four.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

6 good quality raw sausages, cut into rounds about 1.5cm thick (gluten-free/vegetarian if required)

1 heaped tsp fennel seeds

Chilli flakes

2-3 handfuls of frozen peas/petit pois

Grated Italian hard cheese (Parmesan/Pecorino Romano/Grana Padano)

75g dried pasta per person (gluten-free if required)

Step 1: Begin by cooking your pasta according to the packet instructions.

Step 2: Meanwhile set a frying pan on a medium high heat and add a little olive oil and the sausage pieces, cook, moving them around the pan until they are coloured nicely and nearly cooked through (6-7 minutes). Next add in the frozen peas along with the fennel seeds and chilli flakes (I added a large pinch of chilli but do this to taste, if you donâ€™t like it spicy, replace with a grind of black pepper). Then after a minute or so add a splash of the pasta cooking water (or even better a splash of white wine) to the pan. Keep everything moving for the next 3 minutes.

Step 3: Add the cooked pasta to the pan of sausage and peas, along with a ladleful of the pasta water. Add in roughly 3 tablespoons of grated cheese and constantly mix so that it all becomes emulsified and glossy. Serve immediately.

Paneer Flatbreads

17th November 202217th November 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

A speedy supper thatâ€™s delicious. Yes please!

The only cooking required is for the paneer, I did mine in the air fryer but it could be done in the oven or on the hob.

You can use what ever curry paste and flatbread you like for this.

N.b If you are vegan/dairy-free this would work well with a firm tofu in place of the paneer.

Ingredients:

200g paneer cut into 1cm slices

1 tbsp curry paste (use one you like)

2 flatbreads (gluten-free if required) warmed per instructions if wanted

2 tbsp chutney of your choosing (e.g. mango, lime)

Finely shredded salad (use what you like but ingredient such as lettuce, cucumber, tomato, pepper, mango, red cabbage work well)

1/2 red onion, finely sliced

1 lime

Step 1: Coat the paneer pieces in the curry paste and leave, covered and refrigerated for a couple of hours (or longer).

Step 2: Squeeze half of the lime over the red onion and leave to pickle while you cook the paneer.

Step 3: Cook the paneer. If cooking in the air fryer then 180c for 10 minutes should be perfect but check periodically. Alternatively pan fry in a little vegetable oil over a medium heat, turning every couple of minutes.

Step 4: Assemble your flatbreads: spread your chutney over the base, top with your shredded salad, the pickled onions and then the cooked paneer. Finish by squeezing over the remaining lime and a little extra chutney, if you like.