Dairy-Free – Page 7 – The Food Wife

Banana â€œCarrot Cakeâ€ Muffins

5th April 20245th April 2024
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

These muffins, combine banana and carrot with spices to create a light and fluffy treat. These are super easy to whip up and will store for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

I used vanilla sugar in my mix, but if you donâ€™t have this use regular caster sugar, and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients. Happy baking!

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 large carrot, finely grated

280g self-raising flour

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp mixed spice

120g (vanilla) sugar

125g vegetable oil

2 eggs

60g natural/greek yoghurt (plant-based if dairy-free)

Step 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200Â°C (fan). Place 12 cases in a muffin pan.

Step 2: Loosely combine the banana, carrot, flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, mixed spice and sugar in a bowl.

Step 3: Next in a jug combine the oil, eggs and yoghurt.

Step 4: Lightly combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Keep mixing to a minimum, this is essential for a light muffin.

Step 5: Fill the 12 muffin cases to the brim. Bake in the oven at 200Â°C for eight minutes, then lower the temperature to 180Â°C and bake for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to three days.

One-pot Penne Puttanesca

2nd April 20242nd April 2024
by thefoodwife

Serves 2 (but easily scaled up)

Iâ€™ve become a big fan of one-pot pasta cooking. Essentially the pasta cooks in the sauce and the end result is a wonderfully flavoured pasta in about 20 minutes. And only one pan needs to be washed upâ€¦ result!

This sort-of Puttanesca can easily be adapted to be gluten-free and suitable for vegetarian or vegan diets (by omitting the anchovies/cheese).

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 anchovy fillets (leave out if making this vegetarian or vegan)

3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

1/2 – 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

1 tin of cherry tomatoes

150g penne (gluten-free if required)

3 tbsp pitted olives

2 tbsp capers

Chopped parsley and grated Parmesan/Grana Padano to serve

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pan (which also has a lid) over a medium heat. Add the anchovies and cook for one minute, moving around the pan so they break up. Add the garlic and lower the heat slightly. Continue to stir. After another minute add the chilli.

Step 2: Add the tomato purÃ©e and cook for a further 30 seconds and then the tinned tomatoes. Add the dried pasta and 300ml of recently boiled water. Stir, bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Step 3: After 10 minutes add the olives and capers. Stir well, and replace the lid. Continue to cook, stirring and checking the pasta every 3-4 minutes. When the pasta is cooked (for me it took 18 minutes with the gluten-free pasta I was using) sprinkle with chopped parsley and then serve. Top with the grated cheese if you like.

Chicken & Tomato Rice Traybake

26th March 202426th March 2024
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

This one pan meal is so simple and very tasty. Use a seasoning of your choice on the chicken (just salt and pepper or I like to use a Cajun seasoning for an extra kick). Serves two hungry people (or it will stretch to more depending on appetites).

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Thighs (skin-on, bone-in)

150g brown basmati rice

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Salt & pepper/seasoning

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 190c (fan). Place the four chicken thighs, skin side up in a deep roasting tin. Season the chicken with either salt and pepper or you could use a spice mix of your choice (I like a Cajun spice mix). Spread the rice around the chicken, ensuring it doesnâ€™t go on top of the chicken.

Step 2: Empty the tinned tomatoes into a 1L jug and then fill the empty tin with recently boiled water or hot vegetable/chicken stick and stir together. Carefully pour over the rice.

Step 3: Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Step 4: Check that the rice and chicken are cooked before serving, with a green salad.

Spiced Roasted Cauliflower Salad with a Yoghurt Dressing

26th March 202426th March 2024
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-4

This was a happy lunch, made when I looked in the fridge and saw a rather sad cauliflower, half a swede and a bit of savoy cabbage, that all needed using immediately or it would be going in the compost. Waste not want not!

The result, a spiced warm salad that was delicious! It would have served two people as it was or would stretch to four with the addition of a flatbread each on the side.

You can use whatever veg you have to hand to compliment the cauliflower. I had 1/2 a swede but a butternut squash would have been great too. If you had a sweet potato or peppers that needed eating they too could have joined in.

A great, one-pan, warming salad. Give it a go!

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower cut into florets about 2 inches long

1/2 butternut squash/swede peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

Red onion, sliced (fresh or pickled)

Coriander or flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds

1 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Ras Al Hanout

4 tbsp Plain yoghurt (vegan if required)

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180c (fan). Spread the cauliflower and butternut squash or swede, along with any other veg your using, onto a baking tray, drizzle with the oil and the ras al hanout (reserving 1 tsp for the yoghurt dressing). Toss together and bake for 50 minutes, giving everything a shake/turn half way through cooking.

Step 2: Mix together the yoghurt and reserved ras al hanout. Set to one side to use as the dressing.

Step 3: Allow the vegetables to cool a little and plate up when they are warm. Either dress one plate that everyone can help themselves from or plate up individually.

Step 4: Spread the warm vegetables on their serving plate and dress with a few slices of the red onion, the pomegranate seeds and a few torn parsley or coriander leaves. Finish by drizzling with the spiced yoghurt dressing.

Serve immediately.

Chocolate Sprinkle Lollies

10th March 202410th March 2024
by thefoodwife

Such a great make with kids (or without!) and as my six-year old declared â€œthese are super easy!â€ So no excuse not to make them!!

These are totally adaptable to your dietary requirements, just make sure your ingredients are suitable; gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian (be careful on the sprinkles – some are made with gluten/animal products) .

All you need is your chocolate of choice, sprinkles, lolly sticks, grease proof paper, a baking tray and a fridge or freezerâ€¦

Ingredients:

200g chocolate (gluten-free/vegan as required)

Sprinkles (gluten-free/vegan as required)

10 lolly sticks

Step 1: Prepare a baking tray with grease proof paper. Make sure the tray will fit flat in your fridge or freezer.

Step 2: Melt the chocolate in a bowl, either in the microwave (30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each increment). Stop shortly before all pieces are melted and then stir until smooth. Alternatively melt in a bain marie.

Step 3: Use a dessert spoon to make a thin circle of chocolate (about 4cm diameter) and then place a lolly stick into the centre. Repeat until you have made 10. Then put in the freezer (or fridge) until set (just a couple of minutes in the freezer).

Step 4: Remove the tray from the freezer and repeat a thicker circle over each lolly so you have a neat lolly. Cover with sprinkles and then return to the freezer, until set.

Try not to eat them all at once, instead store them in a tub in the fridge.

Banana â€œCarrot Cakeâ€ Muffins

One-pot Penne Puttanesca

Chicken & Tomato Rice Traybake

Spiced Roasted Cauliflower Salad with a Yoghurt Dressing

Chocolate Sprinkle Lollies

Banana â€œCarrot Cakeâ€ Muffins