Gluten-Free – Page 40 – The Food Wife

Carrot and Cumin Soup

15th October 201830th October 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4

This is a low calorie, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan soup and itâ€™s delicious. Naturally sweet, gently spiced and perfectly warming for an autumn or winter lunch.

Itâ€™s quick to prepare and then cooks with little interference so why not make up a bigger batch and freeze for a quick and easy lunch!

Ingredients:
Oil
1 white onion or 4 shallots, roughly chopped
500g (about 4 decent sized) carrots, peeled, topped and tailed and cut into 1/2 cm rounds
2 tsp ground cumin
1 litre vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Nigella seeds (optional)

Step 1: Heat a little oil (I used a few spritz of a spray oil) in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and add the diced onion or shallot. Cook for a few minutes until softened but not browned.

Step 2: Add the carrot and stir, along with the cumin. Cook gently for a couple of minutes to begin to toast the spice and then add the stock. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Step 3: Carefully blitz the soup (I used a stick blender) and then season to taste. If you like, serve with a sprinkling of nigella seeds over the top of the soup.

This soup freezes well and can be defrosted over night in the fridge and then reheated. If you are not keeping this dairy-free and/or low calorie you could add some single or double cream to make it a richer, more luxurious treat. Serve with some crusty bread (gluten-free if required).

(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 Mini Baked Omelettes

24th September 201824th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 6

These are protein packed and great for breakfast, lunch or dinner for your little one. You can change the filling (here Iâ€™ve used tomato and cheese) but always keep the same quantity of egg to make six. You can always scale up; use four eggs to make 12 omelettes and increase any additional ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs, beaten
Splash of full fat milk
1/2 tsp paprika
30g grated cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 medium/3 small tomatoes (about 60g in total), finely chopped

Step 1: Mix together all of the ingredients in a jug.

Step 2: Oil six holes of a muffin tray (I drop a little vegetable oil into each one and then run my finger around until coated).

Step 3: Pour equal amounts of your egg mixture into each of the six oiled muffin holes.

Step 4: Bake in a preheated oven (200c) for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.

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.