Dairy-Free – Page 44 – The Food Wife

Spanish Prawns with Red Rice and Chorizo

23rd May 201823rd May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 as a main meal or 4-6 as a tapas

Smoky paprika, pungent garlic and the zing of lemon adorn sweet and juicy prawns and meaty chorizo in this wonderful meal inspired by Spain. The addition of red rice adds a deep nuttiness to the dish, but a brown basmati rice would be a good alternative as you will also be flavouring it with a simple but gutsy sofrito.

Ingredients:

For the rice and sofrito:
140g red rice/brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e
1 dried chilli, crushed or 1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

For the prawns and chorizo:
1 tbsp olive oil
80g chorizo, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
150-200g raw king prawns
1/2 lemon (juice only)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:
1/2 lemon (cut in to wedges)

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

Step 2: Make the sofrito; heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and soften for five minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute.

Step 3: Add the tomato purÃ©e and cook out, stirring for a minute or two.

Step 4: Add the chilli and paprikas and stir on a low heat for two minutes. Turn off the heat until you are ready to add your cooked rice.

Step 5: Add the cooked rice to the sofrito and stir thoroughly so everything is combined and then season to taste. Keep on a low heat whilst you cook the prawns and chorizo.

Step 6: In a separate pan, heat the oil on a medium heat and fry the chorizo to release its oils for a few minutes.

Step 7: Add the garlic and paprika and stir to ensure they do not burn, then add the prawns, stirring frequently and cooking until they are no longer translucent.

Step 8: Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and stir in the chopped parsley.

Serve the prawns and chorizo on a bed of the rice, with a wedge of lemon on the side to squeeze over. It is lovely with a green salad.

Daal

18th May 201819th January 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 10 (smallish) portions

Daal is a wonderfully warming spiced comfort food. Itâ€™s cheap to make, this one is quick to prepare (and then you can just leave it to cook with little interference), it freezes well and is rich in fibre and protein, low calorie, gluten-free and vegan.

Itâ€™s versatility means itâ€™s perfect on its own (although you may want a bigger portion!), great served with rice or parathas or as part of a thali (try it with my sweet potato and chickpea curry), and is also fab with a fried egg and poppadoms.

I make a big batch and then portion it up and freeze it, so once defrosted it can be quickly warmed up for a quick and easy, yet very satisfying meal.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 onions, medium dice
2 green chillies, roughly sliced
2 green chillies whole, pricked a few times with the point of a knife
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp coriander (ground or seeds)
1 tbsp cumin (ground or seeds)
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
Small handful of curry leaves
500g yellow split peas, thoroughly rinsed in cold water
1.5-2l vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

Step 1: In a large pan heat the coconut oil on a medium heat. Add the onion and sliced chillies and then soften, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic, ginger, whole pricked chillies, spices and curry leaves and stir for a minute or two.

Step 3: Add the rinsed yellow split peas and vegetable stock and bring to the boil.

Step 4: After 10 minutes a foam will have developed on the surface. Skim this off and then place a lid on the pan and lower the heat to a gentle simmer.

Step 5: Cook for about an hour (stirring every so often and adding more water if required), until the lentils are soft and tender. Then use a potato masher to crush them (you can remove the 2 whole chillies at this point, or leave them in for extra heat). If there is excess liquid you can leave the lid off and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Step 6: Season to taste, remove from the heat and allow it to thicken slightly.

You could garnish this with fresh coriander, and/or freshly fried chillies and garlic. Delicious.

Lentil Bolognese

16th May 201816th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 6

It is National Vegetarian Week and Iâ€™ve been trying to experiment with more meat-free meals and had come across references to a bolognese made with lentils rather than minced beef. The type of lentil seemed to vary from red, to puy to green. Personally I would have thought red lentils would make it too mushy, so I would suggest using puy or green (this is what I used).

I gave it a go and I have to say I enjoyed it. Iâ€™m not going to say that it was just like a beef bolognese but it was very tasty and it struck me that the sauce would also be good as an accompaniment to a piece of meat or fish instead of potatoes etc.

Whilst I wonâ€™t be trading in my normal bolognese I will definitely revisit this recipe and it is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free, so perfect if youâ€™re catering for a variety of dietary requirements.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
2 sticks of celery
1 onion
1 carrot
10 chestnut mushrooms
1 red pepper
1/2 leek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
250g lentils (green/puy)
1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e
500g passata
500ml water
1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Chop all of your vegetables into a fine dice (aim for the rough size of the lentils you are using).

Step 2: In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and add the diced vegetables. Soften on a medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes.

Step 3: Add the rosemary and tomato purÃ©e and stir, cooking out the purÃ©e for a couple of minutes.

Step 4: Add the lentils, pastas, water and bay leaves, put a lid on and cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Season to taste. Stir every five minutes or so, and add more water if necessary.

Serve with spaghetti or accompaniment of your choice.

Thai Red Curry Fish Cakes

10th May 20186th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes/Serves 2

My husband has to be in the mood for seafood and so I usually eat fish when he is out for the evening, or I choose it in restaurants because I donâ€™t have it nearly enough as I should like to at home.

I persuaded him a few months back to try a Thai flavoured fish and potato cake from a supermarket. He liked it (hurrah!) and so it became a bit of a regular in our weekly meals. The problem is, I would prefer them if they contained more fish, so I decided to have a go at making my own. This is the result; a fish cake that is fragrant and spicy and very satisfying.

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch dice
1 fillet of white fish (approx 70g) (I used Pollock)
12 king prawns (raw or cooked)
2 lime leaves (optional)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 – 1 tsp Thai red curry paste (depending on your taste; I used 1 heaped tsp and the result was very spicy)
3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Step 1: Cook the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked (a knife should easily pass through). Drain and mash till smooth.

Step 2: Whilst the potatoes are cooking, see to the fish. In a shallow pan put the 2 lime leaves and cold water (about 2cm), enough to cover the fish fillet. Add the fish and bring to a simmer until the fish is cooked (if putting in from cold this will take 3 or 4 mins once simmering).

Step 3: Remove the fish and flake gently with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Step 4: If you are using raw king prawns, add these to the simmering water and cook for a couple of minutes until just cooked. If you are using ready-cooked prawns skip to step 5.

Step 5: Remove and roughly chop half of the prawns and halve the rest. Set aside to cool.

Step 6: Add your Thai red curry paste to the potatoes and mix thoroughly until evenly combined. Leave to cool.

Step 7: Now mix the spiced potatoes, flaked fish, chopped prawns, sliced spring onions and chopped coriander in a bowl.

Step 8: Divide equally in two and shape in to your fish cakes.

Step 9: Mix the panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds on a plate.

Step 10: Coat the fish cakes all over with the breadcrumb and sesame seed mix.

Step 11: Place in the fridge to chill and firm up until youâ€™re ready to cook them.

Step 12: Cook on a baking sheet in a preheated oven (180c) for 25 minutes. Alternatively these could be fried in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, which would result in a crisper coating, however I was aiming for a fat-free meal.

You could up the fish content more still, and lower the potato accordingly.
This is perfect served with my Asian Noodle Peanut Salad.

Asian Noodle Peanut Salad

8th May 20188th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Noodles, check. Peanuts, check. Chilli, check. Vegetables, check. What more could you want? Meat or fish? Simply serve some on the side with this versatile dish.

This salad is quick to put together and the dressing makes it so delicious, youâ€™re sure to go back for seconds. With a few tweaks it can be both gluten-free and/or vegan by using gluten-free soy sauce and leaving out the fish sauce and replacing the honey with caster sugar.

I could happily eat this salad on its own, but we often have it as an accompaniment to some Thai curry-inspired fish cakes (which, luck would have it, are the focus of the next blog!).

Ingredients:

For the dressing:
1 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp runny honey (or caster sugar if required)
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
1 tsp fish sauce (optional – leave out for vegan/vegetarian)
Juice of 1 lime
2 drops of sesame oil

For the salad:
100g vermicelli rice noodles (or noodles of your choice)
A variety of salad ingredients, e.g. sliced red pepper, carrot ribbons, cucumber ribbons, sliced spring onion, salad leaves
Fresh herbs e.g. coriander

Step 1: Cook or soak the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Drain and run cold water through them until they are cool.

Step 2: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3: Add the cold noodles and your chosen salad items to the dressing and toss to ensure everything is coated with the dressing.

Iâ€™ve also tried adding some fresh mango as part of the salad, which adds a lovely sweetness, so if youâ€™re a fan of fruit in savoury dishes, why not give it a go!