Dairy-Free – Page 19 – The Food Wife

Raspberry Coulis

8th June 202128th June 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 12 servings

The perfect accompaniment to lots of different puddings. Fresh and zingy it adds a real brightness. I love it with Burnt Basque Cheesecake and it also goes well with lemon or chocolate desserts.

Ingredients:
500g (frozen is fine) raspberries
1 lemon, juiced
Caster sugar to taste (I use about three tbsp)

Step 1: Place all ingredients in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Allow to break down until you have a broken down sauce. Check your sweetness now and add sugar if required.

Step 2: Remove from the heat and start passing the sauce through a sieve. This will take some time. Keep pressing the sauce with a metal spoon and scrap the bottom of the sieve to get every bit of seedless sauce you can. The result will be a beautiful pinky-red smooth sauce. Chill and keep in the fridge until needed (a few days will be fine). It also freezes well.

Dandelion Honey

11th May 202113th May 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 1L (3 jam jars)

About a year ago I heard about dandelion â€˜honeyâ€™ being used as an alternative to honey for vegans. I was intrigued. I gave it a go and am really impressed. The flavour and texture are a perfect substitute!

Itâ€™s important to pick dandelions that are pesticide free and away from popular dog walking areas (for obvious reasons)! You can scale down the quantities here but this should make three good sized jars.

Ingredients:

Approximately 200 Dandelion heads

1 unwaxed lemon, sliced

1.5L water

1.2kg caster sugar

Step 1: Thoroughly wash the dandelion heads (I do this in a clean sink full of fresh water).

Step 2: Place the clean dandelion heads, the lemon and the water in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring to the boil and simmer, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to cool and steep over night.

*Simmer the dandelions and lemon and then allow to steep over night*

Step 3: Drain the liquid through a muslin or fine sieve. Discard the dandelions and lemon. Place the liquid back into the (clean) pan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened (this took me about an hour and a half). Remember it will continue to thicker as it cools. As it cooks it will darken too. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

The high sugar content should mean that this will keep a long time.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

11th May 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes approx 8

I love a veggie burger. I was making these for a lunch recently with vegetarian friends and I also needed to ensure they were gluten-free. Quinoa and a little gluten-free flour replaces any need for breadcrumbs, while the egg helps bind the mixture and helps then keep their shape whilst frying.

These can be made in advance and reheated in the oven making them a good option for advanced-prepping. Make a batch and keep them in the freezer and defrost and reheat as needed.

Ingredients:

Oil

1 onion, diced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1/3 tsp chilli powder

1 large sweet potato, baked until soft, and allowed to cool

40g dried quinoa, cooked

2 tins of black beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and ground white pepper

2 eggs, beaten

4 heaped tbsp (GF) plain flour

Step 1: Fry the diced onion in a tablespoon or two of oil until soft. Add the cumin, coriander, garlic and chilli powders and stir, cooking for a minute. Take off the heat and allow to cool.

Step 2: Scoop out the flesh of the cooked and cooled sweet potato into a large bowl and mash it until smooth. Add the stained black beans and roughy mash those too.

Step 3: Add a large pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper and then the cooked quinoa along with the cooled spiced onion and stir until combined. Taste to check the seasoning.

Step 4: mix in the eggs until smooth. Add the flour and mix again. If the mixture looks too loose (it should be soft rather than stiff), add a little more flour.

Step 5: In a non-stick frying pan, heat oil over a medium-high heat. Using a tablespoon dollop two spoonfuls to make one round patty. Fry for three or four minutes on each side until golden and set. They will be fairly delicate so turn carefully. You should be able to get about eight or so burgers from the mix.

Step 6: Either use straight away, or spread on a baking sheet and allow to cool. They can then be frozen (use baking parchment to separate them) and later defrosted or kept in the fridge for a couple of days until needed. To reheat bake in a 200c (fan) oven for 15-20 minutes.

Basic Barbecue Sauce

11th May 202111th May 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes 270g (about a small jar)

Whether youâ€™re using a barbecue sauce as a marinade or as a condiment, using a homemade one means you can tweak it to your own taste and also have the satisfaction of using something homemade. The quantity here is enough to marinade 500g-1kg meat or to store in the fridge for a week in a sealed jar for use as a condiment.

This is a basic recipe for barbecue sauce, and itâ€™s sweet, so if youâ€™re not a sweet fan, try halving the sugar/syrup and taste, adding a little as you go. Of course you could always add a little something extra. Try some chilli flakes for a kick, or a little liquid smoke to bring that distinctive flavour of a real BBQ.

Ingredients:
150g tomato ketchup (gluten-free if required)
35g cider vinegar
35g soft light brown sugar
35g maple syrup
15g Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free/vegan if required; I used Hendersonâ€™s Relish which is both gluten free and vegan)

Simply combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. If not using immediately, store in an airtight jar in the fridge, for up to a week.

Butterfly Cakes

10th March 202110th March 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

As it approaches my little oneâ€™s first birthday, cake is on my mind. Butterfly cakes are fun to make and a delicious treat. Theyâ€™re an excellent addition to a party spread or to accompany an afternoon tea. For dietary requirements they can easily be made dairy-free by switching the butter in the sponge and buttercream to a vegetable fat based block.

We added some coloured sugar sprinkles to make ours colourful, but you can leave them plain, if you wish.

Ingredients:
For the sponges:
160g softened butter or vegetable baking block/spread
160g caster sugar
160g self-raising flour (or the same of plain flour with 3 level tsp baking powder)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the butter cream:
150g softened butter or vegetable baking block/spread
250g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1: preheat the oven to 150c (fan) and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases.

Step 2: Place all the cake ingredients into a mixer and beat using the paddle attachment, until smooth.

Step 3: Divide evenly between the cases and bake for about 22 minutes. They should be risen and spring back to the touch. Allow to fully cool.

Step 4: Make the buttercream by beating the ingredients together until smooth.

Step 5: Use a sharp knife to cut a circle out of the top of each cake. Leave a centimetre rim around the edge, and angle the knife so that you can pop the circle out to reveal a hollow. Slice each removed circle in half to make two wings.

Step 6: Fill the hollows with your buttercream (using a piping bag will make them nice and neat but you can spoon them in if needs be) and then pop the wings back on. Add any sprinkles or extra decorations as you like.