Vegetarian – Page 46 – The Food Wife

Lemon and Blueberry Polenta Cake

21st May 20188th April 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 12 pieces

Several of my friends are gluten-intolerant or coeliac and so Iâ€™ve been trying to increase my repertoire of gluten-free cakes. Some of my husbandâ€™s family also cannot eat gluten so I came up with this deliciously moist cake to serve at the afternoon tea following our sonâ€™s Christening.

It is bursting with lemon flavour, helped by the triple hit from the zest, juice and the addition of curd. There are pops of sweet juiciness from the blueberries and a pleasing texture from the polenta.

Iâ€™d urge you to give this a go, you will not be disappointed!

Ingredients:

For the cake:
225g caster sugar
225g softened butter
4 large eggs
75g quick cook polenta
150g gluten-free flour
1 1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
2 unwaxed lemons (zest only)
2 tbsp lemon curd
150g blueberries

For the drizzle:
100g caster sugar
2 lemons (juice only)

Step 1: With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add each egg, one at a time, beating after each addition (donâ€™t panic if the mixture looks curdled!)

Step 3: Add the lemon zest and lemon curd and beat again.

Step 4: Fold in the polenta, flour and baking powder, until combined. Add half the blueberries and fold again.

Step 5: Pour into a lined square or rectangular tin (I used a brownie pan) and level, then place the remaining blueberries dotted over the surface.

Step 6: Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 40 minutes (the top should be a mid-dark brown). Whilst this is baking make the drizzle by combining the lemon juice and sugar in a bowl.

Step 7: Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack (still in the tin). Use a fork to pierce the top of the cake all over. Pour over the drizzle and leave for 30 minutes, until removing from the tin, and leaving to fully cool on the rack.

Step 8: Once cool, cut in to 12 equal pieces.

Before adding the blueberries you could dust them in a small amount of the flour to help stop them sinking. The ones you place on top will go into the batter as it cooks but should provide a more equal distribution.

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.

Baby Weaning Ideas #2

18th May 201820th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Austin has started trying meat, fish and gluten over the past few weeks. But here are some of the things he has been enjoying over the last fortnight.

Thai-style Aubergine

Ingredients:
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 aubergine, diced
1/4 courgette, diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 garlic clove, finely diced
25g creamed coconut
1 lemongrass, halved and crushed with the back of a knife
3 lime leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander

Step 1: Heat the coconut oil and add the onion and soften for a few minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic, aubergine, sweet potato and courgette and stir for a couple of minutes.

Step 3: Add the lime leaves and lemongrass along with the creamed coconut and enough water to just cover the vegetables.

Step 4: Cook for 10-15 minutes on a gentle heat until the vegetables are softened.

Step 5: Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves and add the coriander, then blend to a thick purÃ©e.

Step 6: Divide into portions (this freezes well).

Fish with a creamy sauce

Ingredients:
200g boneless fish cut in to 2 inch pieces (I used fish pie mix from the fresh fish counter in the supermarket which included salmon, pollock and smoked haddock)
1 pint whole milk
6 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 tsp slackened cornflour
1 heaped tsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Step 1: Place the milk, peppercorns, bay leaves and fish in a pan (I used a frying pan) and bring to a simmer for a few minutes until the fish is cooked.

Step 2: Remove the fish and break into small flakes. Remove the bay leaves and peppercorns and discard.

Step 3: With the milk still on the heat, add the slackened cornflour and use a wooden spoon or a whisk to stir until thickened.

Step 4: Return the flaked fish to the sauce and stir in the mustard and parsley.

Step 5: Divide into portions (I made 8) and this can be frozen.

Serve with pasta, rice or mashed potato.

Lemon and Blueberry Yogurt

Ingredients:
1 tsp lemon curd
4 heaped tsp full fat natural/Greek yogurt
5 blueberries, quartered

Step 1: Combine the three ingredients and serve.

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)
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 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.

Creamy Potato Salad

14th May 201814th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 4-6

This potato salad is a great addition to a range of dishes including a barbecue, or as we have had it recently, roasted chicken and salad.

Whilst this is adorned in a luxuriously creamy dressing, by using light mayonnaise and half-fat crÃ¨me fraÃ®che, itâ€™s not as bad for you as you might fear. It is delicious served warm, but is good cold also. If you donâ€™t fancy the chives and spring onions, then a tea spoon of wholegrain mustard is a good addition to the dressing.

Ingredients:
500-750g salad potatoes
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp half-fat crÃ¨me fraÃ®che
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
3 spring onions, sliced
2 tsp cider or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Cook the potatoes, bringing cold, salted water to the boil, and simmering them for 15-20 minutes. The potatoes will be cooked when you can easily pierce them with a sharp knife.

Step 2: Make the dressing by combining the mayonnaise, crÃ¨me fraÃ®che, vinegar, spring onions and chives in a bowl. Season to taste.

Step 3: When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and then chop them in half/thirds to make them roughly one inch in size.

Step 4: Add the potatoes to the dressing and combine. Serve warm or cold.