Dairy-Free – Page 16 – The Food Wife

Baked Rice and Chicken with Lemon

1st February 20221st February 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Itâ€™s always satisfying when very little prep results in a flavoursome dish thatâ€™s essentially cooked itself. This is definitely one for lemon lovers. The rice and chicken is perfumed from the zest, and the slices are soft and a bit jammy, so if you really like lemon eat these with the chicken. If this doesnâ€™t appeal, remove before serving.

I like this with fine green beans, but any green veg you like will work.

Ingredients:

150g brown basmati rice

2 lemons (zest of both, one sliced into 4-5 rounds, pips removed)

4-5 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs

600ml hot stock (vegetable or chicken, gluten/dairy-free as required)

Salt and Pepper

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

Step 2: Spread the rice on the base of a deep baking dish, add the lemon zest and then the slices of lemon. Top the lemon slices with the chicken thighs. Season the skin with salt and pepper. Carefully pour the hot stock over the dish avoiding the top of the chicken.

Step 3: Bake in the oven for an hour. Remove when the stock is absorbed and the skin is crisp. Serve with green vegetables.

Leftover Turkey Laksa

29th December 202129th December 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-3

On Christmas day I strip the remaining meat from the Turkey and separate it out into roughly 250g portions and freeze. The idea of Turkey for days doesnâ€™t appeal so Iâ€™d much rather spread it out over a few weeks.

Last night I was sent a message by a friend to say that theyâ€™d made my Turkey Tagine to use up their bird and it had gone down a treat with their family. I replied to say that we had had a leftover Turkey laksa. Itâ€™s rich, creamy and has heat from the Thai red curry paste. A real bonus is how quick it is to make; ready in under half an hour.

So here is the recipe. Let me know if you give it a go!

Ingredients:

1 tsp (coconut) oil

2 Cloves of garlic, finely diced or crushed

1-2 peppers, deseeded and diced

3 spring onions, sliced (separate the white and green parts)

Any other veg you fancy (I cut some fine green beans into 1cm pieces)

1 heaped tbsp Thai red curry paste (or less if you donâ€™t like much heat)

3 lime leaves (optional – use the zest of a lime otherwise)

2 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter (use one with no added salt or sugar ideally)

400ml coconut milk

500ml stock (Turkey/chicken/vegetable)

Sugar

Fish sauce (optional)

150g noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions, drained and reserved (Works great with egg noodles but I use glass noodles to keep it gluten-free)

250g cooked turkey, torn or cut into small pieces

1 lime (juice)

Step 1: Place a large sauce pan or work over a medium high heat. Add the oil, and when hot add the garlic, peppers and the white part of the spring onion and any other veg youâ€™re adding. Stir frequently for a couple of minutes, then add the Thai red curry paste and lime leaves and stir allowing it all to become fragrant for a minute.

Step 2: Add the peanut butter, coconut milk and stock and bring to a simmer. Stir to break up the peanut butter and ensure the curry paste is now amalgamated and the soup sauce is smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes until it has thickened slightly. Add a pinch of sugar and season with fish sauce (if using alternatively use a pinch of salt) and check the taste. Add more sugar/fish sauce/salt as needed.

Step 3: Add the cooked Turkey meat to warm through and the juice of half the lime. And cook for a further three or four minutes.

Step 4: Meanwhile arrange the cooked noodles at the bottom of your soup bowls, and then ladle the laksa over the top, evenly distribute the turkey and vegetables. Sprinkle over the green spring onion slices and use the remaining lime to give a little squeeze of fresh juice over each bowl and serve.

Mince with Crispy Chilli Oil

15th December 202115th December 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

This will work with any mince you like, meat or veggie. You are bulking it out with three types of vegetables that are all made to be the same size as the mince, so itâ€™s a great way to smuggle veg into a meal.

The crispy chilli oil is a magical ingredient. Talk about addictive!! Two heaped tablespoons might sound a lot, but I figure youâ€™re not going to be making this if you donâ€™t like chilli, and although itâ€™s spicy, itâ€™s not that spicy really. I also garnish mine with slices of fresh red chilli for a pop of colour and a spike of extra heat.

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 large carrot, grated

1 pepper, finely diced

300g mince (turkey, pork, beef, chicken, soya, quorn)

1-2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

1 tbsp oyster sauce (leave out if vegetarian/vegan) (gluten-free if required)

2 heaped tbsp crispy chilli oil (gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian if required)

Step 1: In a wok, or large frying pan, melt the coconut oil over a medium-high, then add the diced onion, cook for a few minutes, stirring often, before adding the carrot and pepper. Continue to stir and cook for a couple more minutes, then add the mince.

Step 2: Cook the mince until it is browned and dry (any water should be cooked until evaporated) then add the seasoning of soya sauce, oyster sauce (if using) and crispy chilli oil. Continue to cook for about five-ten minutes, stirring often until everything is coated, glossy and tastes delicious.

Serve with rice or noodles. I also like it with a crunchy cucumber salad dressed with lime juice and salt.

Sourdough Starter

3rd December 20213rd December 2021
by thefoodwife

To make a sourdough starter, all you need is a largish jar, flour, water and a little time. Soon youâ€™ll have a bubbly little friend that will help you to make the most delicious creations.

You can use normal white flour, but in my experience, the best, most active results, come from dark rye flour. It makes a thick paste that expands to make a very active mousse-like starter.

Use an elastic band on the outside of jar to mark the starting point of your mix and then youâ€™ll easily be able to see how much itâ€™s grown.

Leaving the jar on the side of your kitchen, should be enough to get it going. Too much heat and youâ€™ll have an explosive disaster; too little and very little will happen. Once youâ€™ve got it going, keep your starter in the fridge between bakes and bring it out to feed and refresh as needed.

So, hereâ€™s how to make it!

Start with your clean jar, 50g of flour and 50g of lukewarm water. Mix thoroughly (you donâ€™t want any patches of dry flour) then pop the lid on and leave on the side. The next day youâ€™re going to feed it again. We donâ€™t want too much in the jar, so discard half of the mix, then add another 50g each of the flour and water. Mix, cover and leave. Repeat each day, taking 50g of the starter, 50g fresh flour and the same of water, until your starter starts to grow! Once itâ€™s nice and active (you should see it double in height from your elastic band) itâ€™s good to start baking with!

N.b. This is a 1:1:1 ratio of feeding, if you are struggling with a sluggish starter later on, try a 1:3:3 ratio for instance, 20g of starter, 60g or flour and 60g of water.

(Instant Pot) Garlic And Soy Chicken Thighs

8th November 20218th November 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Here is a recipe weâ€™ve been enjoying that is sweet, salty and has a gentle kick of flavour from the garlic, ginger and chilli. Iâ€™ve given the instructions for bone-in skin-on thighs in the main recipe, but for less faff skinless thigh fillets can also be used (see notes at the end). Thereâ€™s also guidance for if you donâ€™t have an Instant Pot. Basically Iâ€™m saying thereâ€™s no excuse not to try this recipe.

Hang on, you donâ€™t eat chicken? Well I think this would be excellent with jack fruit too, in fact Iâ€™ll just test that and be right backâ€¦

Ingredients:

1kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

Oil (1 tbsp vegetable oil with 1 tsp sesame oil)

1/2 instant pot cup or 80ml (gluten-free if required) soy sauce

1/2 instant pot cup or 80ml (gluten-free if required) tomato ketchup

1/2 instant pot cup (up to 80ml on measure) loosely packed soft light brown sugar

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 inches ginger, grated

Chilli flakes (optional)

1 Instant Pot cup (160ml) water

Step 1: Set the instant pot to sautÃ© mode. Add the oil and then seal the chicken thighs for a couple of minutes on each side. You will need to do this in at least two batches. Remove the thighs once sealed until all are done. Turn sautÃ© mode off.

Step 2: Mix the rest of the ingredients together (use the chilli flakes if youâ€™d like a kick to the sauce. I used a teaspoon of them).

Step 3: Return the thighs to the Instant Pot and pour the sauce over the top. Put the lid on and set the vent to sealing. Set the instant pot to cook on poultry mode (or high pressure) for 20 minutes. Allow to depressurise naturally for five minutes and then cover with a tea towel and then carefully switch to venting.

Step 4: Remove the thighs, and then skim any fat from the top. Switch to sautÃ© mode for a few minutes to reduce the sauce until thick and syrupy. Either pour over the thighs to serve or shred the meat from the thighs and return to the pot to coat in the sauce.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

N.b can also be made with skinless, boneless thighs. In which case skip step 1 and place everything in the pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken and reduce the sauce on sautÃ© mode.

If not using an instant pot, cook, covered with 360ml of water added, for 90 minutes in an oven at 170c. Check periodically to ensure it isnâ€™t drying out and add a little water if necessary.