Tag Archives: eatwell

Sprouting

Posted in food is medicine, fructose free, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, salad, superfood, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian by

In the 70’s and 80’s it was trendy to have various pulses sprouting in jars around the house. I remember having jars of alfalfa and mung beans everywhere…along with the obligatory mustard and cress on cotton wool – slightly yellowing and curled at the edges. I did this because ‘everyone else’ did. I did enjoy them but the ‘fad’ soon ended.

Now, all these years on, once again I have jars with sprouting pulses in cupboards and in dark corners.  This time however, I do it not only because I enjoy eating them but also because I know the health benefits that eating them brings.

I know that soaking and sprouting de-activates the acids and enzyme inhibitors present in the pulses preventing them from growing until the conditions are favourable. This de-activation then enables our bodies to digest and absorb the vitamins and minerals more readily.

Now I sprout a wide variety of legumes – lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and (of course my old favourite) mung beans,  to name few.

                                  Green lentil                    Quinoa                              Mung bean

I’m yet to try chia seeds – I’m sure they will but am just not sure how to as when they are soaked they get a mucilaginous coating. Any advice?

Red pesto

Posted in dressing, food, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, superfood, Uncategorized by

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup drained sundried tomatoes

Handful fresh basil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup pine nuts

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 red chilli pepper (optional)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Using a food processor blend tomatoes, basil and garlic in to a coarse paste.

Add all the remaining ingredients and blitz for 10 seconds.

 

 

Cauliflower, quinoa and chick pea bake

Posted in food, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, superfood, Uncategorized, vegetables, vegetarian by

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Preheat oven to 180c / Gas 4

Ingredients:

1 cup of rinsed and cooked quinoa

1 cauliflower cut in to small florets

1 tin of chick peas – drained

Coconut oil

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsps cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

(or any combination of your favourite spices)

Method:

Arrange the cauliflower, chickpeas and quinoa on a baking tray and sprinkle with the spices. Dot the mixture with coconut oil. Place in oven. After 10 mins remove and gently turn the ingredients to ensure all coated with coconut oil. Return to oven and bake until cooked and  – about 30 mins.

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Perfect eaten on its own or served with a poached egg on top. Also a great alternative accompaniment for a curry. Delicious cold as well.

 

Date and walnut cake

Posted in cake, food, gluten free, specialised diet, superfood, Uncategorized by

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Preheat oven to 180c / Gas 4

30 x 23 cm cake tin (12 x 9 inch) greased and lined

Ingredients:

250 g stoned and chopped dates

40 g butter

300 ml boiling water

3 large eggs (2 if using non gluten-free s r flour)

350 g gluten-free self-raising flour

150 g dark muscovado sugar

150 g chopped walnuts

125 g ground almonds

Method:

Soak the dates in the boiling water – allow to cool

Mix all other ingredients together and add the soaked dates (I don’t drain the liquid off)

Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 mins – 60 minutes or until cake is firm to touch

Turn out and cool.

I don’t add icing to my cakes but a lemon icing would taste good with this cake – topped with walnuts.

Vegetable curry

Posted in food, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, Uncategorized, vegetables by

Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 5

Ingredients:

Curry paste- 2tsp ginger puree, 2tsp garlic puree, tsp curry powder, 1tsp turmeric powder, 1tsp chilli powder and a splash of water.

1 onion chopped

1 pepper coarse chopped

1 potato diced into small cubes

3 carrots diced

1 courgette  cubed

Small cauliflower

Tin of chopped tomatoes

Method:

Sauté onion, pepper and potato cubes in a casserole dish. Add curry paste and tomatoes. Add carrots and courgettes and stir. Place cauliflower in the centre and bake in oven until vegetables are cooked.IMG_20160425_201046

One week…

Posted in food, fructose free, gluten free, meat free, specialised diet, Uncategorized by

So…one week has passed and I have not eaten any meat at all (I have had some fish) and I cannot believe how much better I feel. The sluggish feeling has gone completely.

It has however made me realise how ‘alternative’ diets are still not readily catered for and I wonder if they ever will be. Let me explain what I mean. Yesterday, I spent a glorious day  helping out at a function with several people. All the helpers had lunch provided – a picnic. A picnic with standard fayre – an assortment of tasty looking sandwiches, crisps and delicious looking cake. It wasn’t an event ahead of which you would state you are gluten-free, fructose free and meat free – so having helped at previous functions I knew to take my own food.

The point I’m trying to make is that I couldn’t eat any of this ‘normal food’.

When my husband and I go out for dinner it can be quite disheartening when I look down the menu to see only a couple of items that I can choose from and a few more for him because he is only gluten-free..

Now I know, and I’ll say it before you do, that these diets choices I have made are from personal choice not a medical directive so maybe I should suck up and shut up. But, there are millions of people out there for whom a change of diet is a necessity to stay well.

I wonder when the balance of ‘normal’ food to ‘different diets’ will shift?

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted vegetable and cauliflower cheese tart

Posted in food, gluten free, healthy eating, Uncategorized, vegetables by

Preheat oven to 200c / gas 6. Prepare a 20cm loose bottom tin.

Ingredients:

Shortcrust pastry:

80 g rice flour, 140 g buckwheat or chestnut flour, 70 g ground almonds, 2 pinches of salt, 2 tsps ground linseed, 1/4 tsp xanthum gum, 100 g salted butter – chilled and diced, 2 eggs 3-4 tbsps cold water.

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients, rub in the butter with your fingertips until  it resembles  coarse breadcrumbs.

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Stir in the beaten egg with a fork. Add small amounts of water as you toss the crumbs together. Continue until dough is formed. I find that a gluten free dough takes up more water than a wheat dough and is quite a sticky dough.Knead briefly to bring to a ball. Wrap

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in parchment and chill for at least an hour.

Roll out and place in the flan tin. Prick the base with a fork ( I trim of the excess pastry after cooking to allow for shrinkage).Line pastry with parchment and baking beans.  Bake blind for 10 – 15 mins.

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Filling

Ingredients:

Carrots, peppers, parsnips and sweet potatoes prepared and roasted in olive oil

Halved mushrooms  – sauteed

1 onion sliced in to rings – sauteed

Tomato sauce: chopped tomatoes, 1tsp of chilli, handful of chopped basil leaves and small carton of passata – simmered to reduce the water content

Cauliflower -cooked

Cheese sauce

Basil leaves

Assembly:

1. Lay roasted veg around the cooked cauliflower
2. Spoon the tomato sauce over the veg and arrange mushrooms, onions and basil on top
3. Drizzle cheese sauce over the cauliflower

Finally put back in oven to heat through – 15-20 minutes (moderate temperature).

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Fruit cake

Posted in cake, food, Uncategorized by

Prepare a 2lb / 900 g loaf tin

Preheat the oven to 150c / Gas 2

Ingredients:

225 g gluten free self-raising flour

175 g butter

160 g muscavado sugar

4 eggs ( 3 if non gf flour)

275 g mixed fruit

rind of lemon

1 tbsp milk if needed

Method:

Place all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly until well blended.

Turn in to the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for about 2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool before turning out.

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Lemon drizzle cake

Posted in cake, food, Uncategorized by

Preheat oven to 180c / gas 4

Prepare a 20cm square tin

Ingredients:

175 g gluten free self-raising flour

175 g butter

160 g demerara sugar

4 eggs (3 if not using gf flour)

Rind of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tsps gf baking powder

Topping – juice of the lemon and 150g sugar

Method:

Put all the ingredients for the cake in to a bowl and mix well until smooth.

Turn mixture in to prepared tin.

Bake for about 35 mins – until skewer is clean.

Whilst the cake is still hot spoon the lemon/sugar mixture all over the top of the cake. Once cool remove the cake from the tin.

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Granola

Posted in food, healthy eating, superfood, Uncategorized by

Ingredients:

Rolled oats – 2 cupfuls

1/2 cup each of cashew nuts, pistachio nuts, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Coconut oil – sufficient to lightly coat all the dry ingredients

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Spread out on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven for 10 minutes or until the nuts turn golden brown

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Allow to cool and store in an airtight jar. If it lasts this long, will stay fresh for a couple of weeks!  Enjoy playing with different combinations.