Gluten-Free – Page 19 – The Food Wife

Jazzies

14th March 202228th March 2022
by thefoodwife

Who doesnâ€™t love a jazzy? Little pools of chocolate covered in colourful sprinkles. Living the dream!

These are as simple to make as it gets and I had fun making these with my two little ones.

Ingredients:

100g chocolate (your choice of white, milk or dark)

1-2 tbsp Colourful sprinkles

Step 1: Begin by lining a tray or baking sheet with grease proof paper. Ideally it needs to be able to fit flat inside a fridge or freezer.

Step 2: Melt the chocolate. You can either do this in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensure the bowl is not in direct contact with the water) or in a microwave. If doing this in the microwave do it in 30 second bursts to ensure the chocolate does not burn, stirring after each burst.

Step 3: Use a teaspoon to carefully make little puddles of the chocolate on to the lined tray. Leaving a gap between each one to ensure they stay separate.

Step 4: Next sprinkle your sprinkles on to the puddles. Allow to cool (a fridge or freezer is best) and then peel them off the grease proof paper and you have your finished jazzies!

Sweet and Sour Tofu

14th February 202214th February 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-3

It was Valentineâ€™s Day 2022 when the Food Husband asked for seconds of tofu. High praise indeed!

Here is a vegan sweet and sour, which uses tofu in place of the more traditional chicken or pork. Baking the tofu with the five spice really makes a difference. My one year old loved eating the baked pieces when I got them out the oven. He got about three pieces in when I started getting worried about whether thereâ€™d be any left for our dinner!

If youâ€™re not fussed about making this vegan then of course you can use chicken or pork. Simply stir fry with the vegetables, but do add a couple of pinches of the five spice still.

N.b. You can of course add pineapple, just add at the same time as the tofu at the end of the cooking.

Ingredients:

500g firm tofu, drained and cut into large pieces (approx 1.5cmx1.5cmx3cm)

Oil

Chinese five spice

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

1/2 tsp Sesame oil

1 white onion, large dice

1 pepper, large dice

1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into thin rounds

1 salad tomato, cut into wedges

1 inch ginger, peeled, grated or finely chopped

250ml apple juice

2 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

2 tbsp cider vinegar

3 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

Step 1: Begin by preheating your oven to 180c (fan). Place the pieces of tofu carefully on a baking tray (allow a little space between each piece). Spritz with a little oil and then use a couple of pinches of Chinese five spice to sprinkle over the tofu. Then carefully flip each piece and repeat. Bake in the oven for an hour, turning half way through.

Step 2: In a large frying pan or a wok, add the vegetable oil and sesame oil over a high heat. Stir fry the onion, pepper, carrot, tomato and ginger for a few minutes.

Step 3: Combine the apple juice,tomato purÃ©e, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and corn flour in a jug and mix until smooth. Add to the vegetables and cook out for a few minutes until thickened. Check the seasoning.

Step 4: Transfer the cooked tofu to the sweet and sour sauce. Stir through until all coated and glossy. Serve with rice.

Baked Rice and Chicken with Lemon

1st February 20221st February 2022
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Itâ€™s always satisfying when very little prep results in a flavoursome dish thatâ€™s essentially cooked itself. This is definitely one for lemon lovers. The rice and chicken is perfumed from the zest, and the slices are soft and a bit jammy, so if you really like lemon eat these with the chicken. If this doesnâ€™t appeal, remove before serving.

I like this with fine green beans, but any green veg you like will work.

Ingredients:

150g brown basmati rice

2 lemons (zest of both, one sliced into 4-5 rounds, pips removed)

4-5 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs

600ml hot stock (vegetable or chicken, gluten/dairy-free as required)

Salt and Pepper

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180c (fan).

Step 2: Spread the rice on the base of a deep baking dish, add the lemon zest and then the slices of lemon. Top the lemon slices with the chicken thighs. Season the skin with salt and pepper. Carefully pour the hot stock over the dish avoiding the top of the chicken.

Step 3: Bake in the oven for an hour. Remove when the stock is absorbed and the skin is crisp. Serve with green vegetables.

Leftover Turkey Laksa

29th December 202129th December 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-3

On Christmas day I strip the remaining meat from the Turkey and separate it out into roughly 250g portions and freeze. The idea of Turkey for days doesnâ€™t appeal so Iâ€™d much rather spread it out over a few weeks.

Last night I was sent a message by a friend to say that theyâ€™d made my Turkey Tagine to use up their bird and it had gone down a treat with their family. I replied to say that we had had a leftover Turkey laksa. Itâ€™s rich, creamy and has heat from the Thai red curry paste. A real bonus is how quick it is to make; ready in under half an hour.

So here is the recipe. Let me know if you give it a go!

Ingredients:

1 tsp (coconut) oil

2 Cloves of garlic, finely diced or crushed

1-2 peppers, deseeded and diced

3 spring onions, sliced (separate the white and green parts)

Any other veg you fancy (I cut some fine green beans into 1cm pieces)

1 heaped tbsp Thai red curry paste (or less if you donâ€™t like much heat)

3 lime leaves (optional – use the zest of a lime otherwise)

2 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter (use one with no added salt or sugar ideally)

400ml coconut milk

500ml stock (Turkey/chicken/vegetable)

Sugar

Fish sauce (optional)

150g noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions, drained and reserved (Works great with egg noodles but I use glass noodles to keep it gluten-free)

250g cooked turkey, torn or cut into small pieces

1 lime (juice)

Step 1: Place a large sauce pan or work over a medium high heat. Add the oil, and when hot add the garlic, peppers and the white part of the spring onion and any other veg youâ€™re adding. Stir frequently for a couple of minutes, then add the Thai red curry paste and lime leaves and stir allowing it all to become fragrant for a minute.

Step 2: Add the peanut butter, coconut milk and stock and bring to a simmer. Stir to break up the peanut butter and ensure the curry paste is now amalgamated and the soup sauce is smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes until it has thickened slightly. Add a pinch of sugar and season with fish sauce (if using alternatively use a pinch of salt) and check the taste. Add more sugar/fish sauce/salt as needed.

Step 3: Add the cooked Turkey meat to warm through and the juice of half the lime. And cook for a further three or four minutes.

Step 4: Meanwhile arrange the cooked noodles at the bottom of your soup bowls, and then ladle the laksa over the top, evenly distribute the turkey and vegetables. Sprinkle over the green spring onion slices and use the remaining lime to give a little squeeze of fresh juice over each bowl and serve.

Roasted Beetroot and Feta Pasta with Olives, Lemon and…

11th December 202111th December 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

This was a total experiment and although there is something slightly uneasy about eating pink food, it tasted great, so felt I had to share. Itâ€™s easily scaled up, and the feta quantity can be altered too depending on the creaminess/richness factor. I did 100g but wish Iâ€™d done the whole 200g block!

Ingredients:

150g pasta (gluten-free if required) cooked according to the packet instructions (reserve a little of the cooking water)

300g ready cooked beetroot (approx 4)

100-200g feta block

Olive oil

Dried oregano

Chilli flakes (optional)

8 kalamata olives, quartered

1 unwaxed Lemon, zest only

Small bunch of parsley, chopped

Aleppo pepper flakes (optional)

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 200c (fan).

Step 2: Cut each beetroot in half, and then each half into quarters. In a baking dish place the feta in the middle (200g for extra creamy pasta, 100g if youâ€™re watching the calories!) and arrange the chunks of beetroot around the outside of the feta. Drizzle everything with some olive oil, then sprinkle a pinch each of dried oregano and chilli flakes on top of the feta. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes. While this is cooking get your pasta on.

Step 3: Once the feta and beetroot is out of the oven and the pasta is drained (with a little water reserved), tip the pasta, olives , lemon zest and parsley into the baking dish, along with a splash of the water, and stir to combine everything so it is coated in the feta-y sauce.

Step 4: Divide between two plates and sprinkle a pinch of Aleppo pepper (if using) on to each before serving.