Dairy-Free – Page 36 – The Food Wife

Japanese Pork

13th October 201830th October 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4

This is ready in 20 minutes and packs a punch with its sauce. Iâ€™ve said this serves 2-4, because it is a very rich sauce so Iâ€™ve decided that weâ€™ll get four portions out of it (Iâ€™m sure the Food Husband would much rather it was just two!) so by all means decide for yourself. But essentially this recipe is just for a meat sauce; the idea is to serve this with white basmati rice or a sushi rice and some green vegetables such as pak choi.

The combination of ingredients in the sauce leaves a wonderfully savoury flavour. With the soy and fish sauce the result is salty though, thus only needing to be seasoned with pepper at the end.

Ingredients:
1 heaped tsp (coconut) oil (or use 1 tbsp of a liquid oil such as rapeseed)
1 white onion, finely diced
2 inches of ginger, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 large red chilli, finely diced
500g lean pork mince
3 tbsp shao xing cooking wine
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
200ml vegetable stock
2 heaped tsp cornflour, slackened in a little cold water
Ground white pepper

Step 1: Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for two-three minutes.

Step 2: Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and cook for a further two minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 3: Add the pork mince and increase the heat slightly. Cook until the mince is browned and the pan is dry (about 10-12 minutes).

Step 4: Mix the wine, soy sauce, fish sauce, miso, sesame and sugar together and then stir into the pork. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the vegetable stock. Add the slackened cornflour and stir until the sauce is thickened. Season to taste with some ground white pepper.

I served this with sushi rice and sprinkled the top with sliced spring onion and red chilli, along with some slices of fried garlic. On the side I stir-fried some pak choi with garlic and a squeeze of lime.

(Instant Pot) Vegetable Pasta Bake

26th September 201826th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Iâ€™ve called this an Instant Pot pasta bake, but steps 1-3 can always be done on the hob over a medium heat. Simply make the sauce separately to the pasta (omit the 160ml of water and large pinch of salt from the sauce) and once you have boiled the pasta in salted water (following the cooking guidelines on the packet), stir through and then continue with step 4.

Iâ€™m a big fan of cooking pasta in the Instant Pot though. I love being able to cook the pasta in the sauce which helps swell the pasta with all its deliciousness. It also means Iâ€™ve used only one dish; saves on the washing up!

I included roasted butternut squash in this but it isnâ€™t obligatory. I had peeled and diced (into 1cm cubes) a whole butternut squash, tossed in four cloves of crushed garlic and a tablespoon of rapeseed oil and roasted it at 200c for 35-40 minutes. I was saving half for a pasta salad and used half here.

You could leave out the â€˜bakeâ€™ element all together and simple have this as a vegetable pasta dish. Leave out the cheese topping and this is vegan. If you are making this gluten-free you will need to use a suitable pasta.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
2 red onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into half-inch pieces
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
10 basil leaves, torn
150g pasta (gluten-free if required)
500g passata
160ml water
Large pinch of salt
150g frozen peas
1/2 butternut squash, roasted (see above) (optional)
50g grated cheese (optional – leave out or use a suitable replacement if making this dairy-free or vegan)

Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sautÃ© mode and add the oil and sliced onions. Cook the onions for five minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Step 2: Add the diced pepper and continue to cook for another five minutes.

Step 3: Add the vinegar, salt, passata and water, along with the torn basil and pasta. Stir well and then replace the lid, ensure the valve is set to sealing and programme it manually to cook on high pressure for four minutes. Once cooked, manually depress by opening the valve with a tea towel and wooden spoon.

Step 4: Stir in the frozen peas, and roasted squash (if using), season to taste and then transfer all of the pasta into an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle over the grated cheese (if using) and put in a preheated oven (180c) for twenty minutes until the cheese is golden.

BLW Apple and Sultana Muffins

15th September 201815th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

These are so yummy for little tummys. They are packed with fruit and gently spiced with cinnamon, and the perfect size for little hands. Cooking apples are much more tart than a normal eating apple and so the sultanas and dried apple help to sweeten the cakes. Iâ€™ve also added a little maple syrup. If you were going to make these as a regular â€˜grown-upâ€™ muffin you could omit the maple syrup and replace with 100g of caster sugar (the result will be a much sweeter product).

For the apple purÃ©e, make a large batch which you can then use for a variety of things: we enjoyed it on top of some American-style fluffy pancakes for a weekend breakfast; or try it stirred through yogurt as a dessert. Itâ€™s also pretty good as an apple sauce with roast pork!

To make the purÃ©e simply core a load of cooking apples, and roughly chop into pieces about one inch in size (leave the skin on). Place in a baking tin and bake in a preheated oven (180c) for 30-40 minutes until the flesh is soft and bursting. Scrape into a food processor and blitz, skins and all, into a smooth, thick purÃ©e. Store in the fridge – it will last a few days like this – or freeze.

Once made, the cakes will be good for a couple of days, but I like to leave a couple out and then freeze them in pairs; they donâ€™t take long to defrost and are a convenient snack or pudding.

Ingredients:
125g apple purÃ©e (see above)
200g self-raising flour
1 tbsp maple syrup
25g sultanas
25g dried apple, cut into small pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
120ml full fat milk (or milk alternative for dairy-free)
60ml oil
1 egg, beaten

Step 1: Lightly combine the purÃ©e, flour, maple syrup, sultanas, apple and cinnamon in a bowl.

Step 2: In a jug, mix the milk, oil and egg.

Step 3: Add the liquid to the drier ingredients and gently mix. Do not over mix it.

Step 4: Fill a muffin tray with 12 cases. Put a dessert spoon of mixture in to each case. Then spread any remaining mixture equally between the cases.

Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven (200c) for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Curried Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

13th September 201813th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Autumn is upon us and with it I welcome back soup to the menu. The first Iâ€™ve made this September is sweet from the veg and lightly spiced by curry powder. Itâ€™s low calorie (especially if you use a spray oil like I did for softening the onion) but is really delicious. You could always make it more substantial by serving it with some crusty bread.

This is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan so covers a range of dietary requirements. It freezes well too. Winner!

Ingredients:
A little oil
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 heaped tsp medium curry powder
600g mix of butternut squash and sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks (about 1.5cm)
1 litre vegetable stock
20g creamed coconut block, grated
Salt and pepper

Step 1: In a large saucepan heat a little oil (I used a spray oil) and add your onion and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until it has begun to soften and colour slightly.

Step 2: Add the chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

Step 3: Stir in the curry powder and the pieces of potato and squash.

Step 4: Add the vegetable stock and creamed coconut and bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 5: Put a lid on the pan and cook gently until the vegetables are soft and a sharp knife can easily pass through (about 10-15 minutes).

Step 6: Remove from the heat and carefully blend until smooth (I used a stick blender).

Step 7: Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Baby Beef and Beetroot â€˜Chilliâ€™

11th September 201811th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 5 mini-portions

Packed with veg and nicely spiced, this colourful â€˜chilliâ€™ is a versatile dinner for your little one. A word of warning though, it is a deep dark pink, courtesy of the beetroot, which may also have an effect on nappies! But it tastes great and has gone down a storm in The Food Wife HQ. The Food Baby has had it with rice and as a pizza topping; soon heâ€™ll be having it with potatoes or pasta.

This contains herbs and spices, but no chilli (can it still be called a chilli then?!) but I chose to use a hot paprika to give it a little kick. I used a roasted red pepper from a jar (but you could just use a finely diced pepper). For the beans I actually used baked beans but you could use any of your choosing.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
200g beef mince
4 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 (roasted) red pepper, finely chopped
1 small raw beetroot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp cooked beans
Pinch of pepper

Step 1: Put a pan on a medium
heat and add the oil and onion and cook for five or so minutes, until the onion has softened.

Step 2: Add the garlic, spices and oregano and stir, then add the beef mince and continue to stir every now and then while the mince browns.

Step 3: Add your vegetables along with the tomatoes and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Finally, stir through the beans and season with a little ground pepper.

I made five portions out of this recipe, and froze them individually. You can adjust the vegetables you use and if you wanted to make this vegetarian/vegan just leave out the beef and up the mushrooms or replace with some cooked red lentils. Perhaps add some grated carrot and courgette to bulk it out further.