Dairy-Free – Page 42 – The Food Wife

Courgette and Butterbean Salad

20th June 201820th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 as a lunch or 4-6 as part of a meal.

I had a version of this wonderful salad at a friendâ€™s house a while ago and loved the textures from the combination of vegetables and beans. I decided to tweak some of the flavours and have come up with this, equally tasty, salad which is great as part of a meal or on its own as a healthy and nutritious lunch. It does no harm to make this a couple of hours before serving; in fact, I think it improves as the flavours from the dressing infuse into the vegetables.

If serving with other salads try it with my spiced butternut squash, feta and pomegranate salad.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 large or 2 small courgettes, 1cm dice
1 small red onion fine dice
200g baby plum tomatoes, halved
1 tin butter beans, drained
3 sprigs of mint, chopped

For the dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ras al hanout spice
Salt and pepper (a small pinch of each)

Step 1: Add the courgettes and red onion to a large bowl along with the tomatoes and butterbeans.

Step 2: Add the dressing ingredients to an empty jam jar and, with the lid on, shake vigorously for a few seconds until combined. Alternatively, whisk together in a bowl.

Step 3: Pour the dressing over the salad and stir through along with the chopped mint.

Spicy Korean Beef

15th June 201818th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-3

I have sung the praises of beef skirt previously in my Chinese Ginger Beef recipe and I use it here again, this time with a Korean vibe. The star of the show today however is the spicy fermented Korean paste, gochujang, which has featured in my Korean Chicken Wings and one of my Asian Pork Belly and the Instant Pot recipes.

I love the stuff and keep a tub of it in my fridge at all times (and a spare in the cupboard!). A friend recently noticed it and asked what it was, musing that the contents of my fridge were intriguing. The thing is, she hadnâ€™t looked in my cupboards! I have friends who make a point of rummaging through them whenever they come over, as they know Iâ€™ll have weird and wonderful things inside them.

If you are in the vicinity of an Asian supermarket or food shop Iâ€™d recommend picking up a tub. Itâ€™ll keep a long while in the fridge but that wonâ€™t be an issue anyway as youâ€™re sure to become addicted to its intense heat and be using it at every opportunity.

Ingredients:
Oil for stir-frying
300g beef skirt steak (or steak of your choice), cut in to thin strips
1 heaped tbsp gochujang
1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
A couple of drops of sesame oil
1 carrot, peeled and cut diagonally in to thin pieces
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
2 spring onion, cut on the diagonal

Step 1: Combine the gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil in a cup or bowl to make a sauce (donâ€™t worry if itâ€™s lumpy at this stage, this will sort itself out in the wok).

Step 2: Heat the oil in a wok on a high heat and add the beef; cook for two minutes, stirring all the time.

Step 3: Add the vegetables and stir fry for another minute.

Step 4: Add the sauce and stir for a couple of minutes and then serve.

Serve with rice and pak choi. I also like to sprinkle the dish with a few sesame seeds and some ready-fried crispy onions, but this is by no means obligatory.

Katsu Curry

13th June 201818th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

If Iâ€™m going for Japanese, and not eating sushi, then it is very likely Iâ€™ll opt for a katsu curry. Referring to the breaded and fried meat or tofu, katsu is served with a fruity curry sauce and a sticky rice.

At home Iâ€™ve been researching recipes for the curry sauce as I had already decided that I wanted to have a go at making a lower calorie katsu by cheating on the frying element (by just using frylight and a non-stick pan). I knew I wanted to use apples in my recipe and I also wanted to make sure that it could be both vegan and gluten-free if required. I succeeded in adapting the recipes to make this version which I was really pleased with.

It is really quick to make (it only took about 20 minutes) and I made it earlier in the day so I only had to reheat it in the evening whilst I was frying my tofu. I have included a description of how I created the katsu element at the end of this recipe, and whilst this is not gluten-free/vegan, it could be adapted by using gluten-free flour, aquafaba (the thick water found in a tin of chickpeas that is often used as a vegan egg-replacement) and gluten-free bread crumbs if necessary.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 heaped tbsp tomato purÃ©e
1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour, slackened in a little cold water
2 heaped tsp of curry powder (I used medium strength)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
350ml hot vegetable stock (gluten-free if required)
A drop of sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Melt the coconut oil on a medium heat in a frying pan and add the onion, carrot and apple. Put a lid on the pan and cook for eight to 10 minutes until they are softened (you may need to stir or shake the contents a couple of times).

Step 2: Whilst this is softening add the sugar, soy sauce and tomato purÃ©e to the slackened cornflour and stir. Set to one side.

Step 3: Remove the lid and add the garlic and cook for a minute, followed by the two spices, stirring for 30 seconds.

Step 4: Add the vegetable stock and stir followed by the cornflour mix and stir. Add a tiny drop of sesame oil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for four or five minutes.

Step 5: Blend the mixture to a thick purÃ©e. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served this with a low calorie, low fat version of tofu katsu, but there is no reason why you couldnâ€™t follow the same method with chicken or pork.

I used a firm tofu and cut slices 1cm-1 1/2 cm thick, pressed them on kitchen paper to remove the excess moisture and then panÃ©d them by first dusting them in seasoned flour, dipping them in beaten egg (if you wanted to make this strictly vegan then replace the egg with aquafaba) and then coating on a mix of panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. I fried them in a non-stick pan with just a spray of fry-light, cooking them on a medium heat for three-four minutes on each side. I served two of these slices with some sticky sushi rice and a small salad on the side.

Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons

11th June 201811th June 2018
by thefoodwife

I always try to buy free-range chicken; if I’m going to eat meat it makes me feel better as a consumer and also I think it tastes better, so itâ€™s a win win. The last couple of times weâ€™ve had a whole roasted chicken I have stuffed the inside with preserved lemons. They provide a delicate flavour to the flesh and enhance the caramelised juices with a salty citrus hit.

Roasting a chicken is a simple and fuss free way of cooking and can feed several people in one sitting. Alternatively it can provide the basis for two or three meals for a couple of people (try the leftovers shredded into my Asian Noodle Peanut Salad).

Ingredients:
1 free-range whole chicken (giblets removed)
2 or 3 preserved lemons, halved
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Place the chicken in a roasting tray and insert the preserved lemons inside the bird through the opening at one end.

Step 2: Sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Place in a preheated oven at 190c and cook for 45 minutes per kilogram plus a further 20 minutes.

Step 4: Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and leave to rest for a good 20 minutes before carving.

Serve as a classic roast dinner, or enjoy in the summer with a warm potato salad and a green salad.

Bibimbap

6th June 20186th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Following on my Asian theme, we also enjoyed a vegetarian bibimbap last weekend. For those who have not experienced this dish, it is Korean and means â€˜mixed riceâ€™. Essentially it consists of white rice, egg, vegetables and if you like, some meat, often beef. And of course the spicy gochujang (my favourite!)

This weekend we stuck to a veggie version and Iâ€™ve included exactly what we had, but donâ€™t be afraid to try a different combination of vegetables. Whatever you fancy really!

Ingredients:
150g rice (I used sushi rice)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 courgette, cut into matchsticks
2 handfuls of beansprouts
6 mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used chestnut mushrooms)
2 pak choi, finely shredded
2 large eggs
Sesame oil
Soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

To serve:
1 tsp sesame seeds
Squeezable gochujang for bibimbap (if you are making this gluten-free you will need ensure you are using a gluten-free version)

Step 1: Cook your rice according to the packet instructions.

Step 2: Heat your wok to a medium high heat and add a small amount of sesame oil and one of your prepared vegetables and stir fry for a minute or two, until cooked but still having a little bite. Add a splash of soy sauce 20 seconds before removing from the heat. Remove the vegetables from the wok, and keep separately. Repeat with your other vegetables. Iâ€™d recommend leaving the mushrooms till last as they release a lot of natural juice.

Step 3: When your vegetables are all cooked and kept separately, fry each of your eggs.

Step 4: Assemble your bibimbap bowls by first putting your cooked rice at the bottom of the bowl. Top the rice in the middle with your fried egg, then arrange each of the vegetables around the bowl, keeping the yolk of the egg visible.

Step 5: Sprinkle with a few sesame seeds and as much gochujang as you would like and tuck in!

Any vegetables can be used in this dish, all cooked in the same way. This dish is also amazing with a meat accompaniment such as minced beef. Again, you would cook the meat in the same way as the vegetables, and arrange it in the bowl as you do the vegetables.