I wont lie, sometimes it's been a bit of a stretch to get my girls to try something 'new'. Unless I call it cake and stick candles on it, it is always met with an air of reluctance (and that's putting it mildly). They are not naturally adventurous eaters. However I decided it was time we did curry so I looked back through my scrap book of recipes (I've been collecting since my early 20's) and came up with this recipe for dahl by combining something clipped out of a Sainsbury's magazine and an article by Madhur Jaffrey.
Who can eat it?
Vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs, children (as curries go this is very, very mild, if it was just adults eating I'd double all the spices). It has no gluten, no wheat and no nuts either.
Who can't eat it?
Those allergic to lentils (or other legumes) and those allergic to onions will have to leave this dish out. Some with Crohns, ulcerative colitus and highly sensitive IBS may also have to avoid this dish due to it's relatively high fibre content. I know some can't eat 'spicy food' but as I've already said this dish is very, very mild, this may just be the curry you can eat but if it's for a guest check with them first.
Ingredients
My top tip for your
ingredients is to get really good quality herbs and spices, if possible
buy whole and grind your own and then you know they haven't been thinned
out with wheat flour or anything daft. Avoid using old spices as they
don't have the same taste and never use a 'ready made mix' as all sorts
of allergens can be hiding inside.
250g red split lentils
1 bay leaf
500mls of water
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 bay leaf
1 cup of easy cook basmati rice plus 2 cups of water per person
A pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh raw ginger root
2 small cloves of finely chopped garlic (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
A handful of raisins*
Salt and pepper to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
*I'm allergic to palm
and coconut which is often used to coat raisins to make them look nice
so I tend to use one small packet of Sunmaid Californian Raisins because
these don't have any oil on.
Start by rinsing your lentils well to remove any grit then place them in a good sized pan with the water and bay leaf and half a teaspoon of turmeric. Stir well and bring gently to the boil then simmer for 40mins by which time you should have a yellow mush, don't let it burn to the bottom of the pan as it's a devil to get off!
Use the next 25 minutes profitably by getting the rest of the stuff ready because then you will need to get the rice on.
Rinse your basmati rice and 25 minutes after you put the lentils on pop it in twice the quantity of boiling water with a pinch of saffron. (e.g. if you are using 2 cups of rice you need 4 cups of water) Put the lid on the rice and leave on a low simmer for the next 15minutes.
Moments later (and in your third pan!) warm the oil (you could use ghee or butter instead of oil if it doesn't have to be dairy free) and very gently fry your onion for about 6 to 8 minutes. We are after very gently cooked onion, burning will not enhance your dish!
Next add the ginger and the garlic (if you are using it) and cook for two further minutes.
While you are doing this take a your handful of raisins and add them to the rice, giving it all a quick stir before you slam the lid back on.
Now add all the rest of the spices and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring well. Then remove the bay leaf from your cooked lentils and add them to the onion mixture.
Give everything a gentle stir and if it has gone too thick to stir easily add a little water until it is as runny as you desire (I like mine to have a little substance but I have a friend who prefers it like soup).
Add salt and pepper to taste and that's it, you can serve up.
It looks nice if you can serve it with some Mango Chutney and possibly some plain yoghurt if you don't have to keep dairy free. If you'd like a nan bread to go with it Tesco do a nice gluten free one (but it's not vegan). It looks even better if you have a little fresh coriander to go on top but sadly I didn't. (Note to self - must get better at presenting and photographing food!)
Ringing the changes.
Adding some steamed/boiled veg such as carrot, cauliflower, sweetcorn and potato together with some fresh skinned and chopped tomatoes and a bit of extra water turns this into a nice vegetable curry.
Try adding a few handfuls of (gluten free) breadcrumbs to the dahl, roll it up into balls and press flat for burger shapes and you have an indian flavour rissole you can shallow fry later (this is great for using up the left-overs if you have any). This goes really well with a salad.
If you want something a little lower in carbs then skip the rice and go for lightly steamed cauliflower pushed through a potato ricer and 'thin out' the dahl with a tin of chopped tomatoes and heat through.
If you'd like to up the calorie content and don't have a problem with coconut then I suspect that grating in some creamed coconut would be really nice, (but not for me).
The verdict
At first the girls took a look and declared they would eat the rice but wouldn't touch "that other stuff", however with a little Mummy-know-how I got them to taste it and was rewarded with
"Actually that's really nice"
Daddy has now explained that it's better to say such sentences without such a sound of surprise in your voice. But 'really nice' from a really picky eater? I'll settle for that!
After Christmas I often find I have a lot of left over vegetables. The thing is I find Christmas day dinner the most wonderful chance to have a whole host of different veg on offer, for example this year we had Brussels sprouts, swede, carrot, parsnip, roast potato, boiled potato, sweetcorn, roast pumpkin and braised red cabbage. Nine veg heaven and not bad for a girl who only made it out of bed from the flu the day before (I admit my darling husband was a GREAT help - love you honey!) I always over-buy I just can't seem to help it so then I have this lovely selection of veg begging me to do something with it and this is that thing.
Ingredients
1tbsp olive oil (other vegetable oils work well too)
2 medium sized leeks finely sliced OR half an onion finely chopped and 5 shredded Brussels sprouts
4 sticks of celery finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots diced
2 parsnips diced
1/4 of a swede diced
1 sweet potato, finely grate half and dice the other half
1/2 cup of red split lentils (washed)
1/2 cup of Puy lentils (the dark green ones, also washed)
About 800ml of vegetable gluten-free stock
1 tsp of marjoram (if you haven't got any you could sub in 1/4 oregano)
2 tomatoes cut into quarters (skin them only if you have time)
To be honest like most of my cooking the relative quantities of the veg are quite flexible, I tend to aim for one medium sized freezer bag jammed full of chopped vegetables which I prepare when making Sunday lunch and then hold in the fridge (or freezer) until I'm ready to use them.
There is also a variety of ways to cook it. I usually do it in a large pot on the hob, if I'm pushed for time I tend to use the pressure cooker, if I have plenty of time I do it in the oven (180ºC/Gas mark 4) and I've done it at other peoples houses in a slow cooker (I don't have one but if I go back to work ever then it will be the first thing on my shopping list, those things are so useful for the working mum!) However if you are using sprouts and not leeks then it makes most sense to do it on the hob.
Start by heating your oil in your chosen cooking device (BIG French hotpot in my case yesterday) add the onion or the leeks depending on what you are using (do NOT add the sprouts yet if you are using them) and the celery. Fry on a moderate heat for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a moment then add all the other ingredients except the sprouts. Stir the mixture well and bring to a simmer. If you are using a pressure cooker make sure the liquid covers all the veg well (if it doesn't then add more) and put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes. If you are just doing it in a hot pot like me it takes about half an hour but the smaller your bits of vegetable are the quicker it will cook. If you are cooking in the oven transfer it to a suitable dish. Pop it in at gas mark 4 or 180ºC and it will take about 50minutes. And in a slow cooker go away and forget about it, come back when you are hungry!
Agh - Almost forgot the sprouts!! Pop them in half way through cooking and take the chance to give everything a quick stir.
The grated sweet potato and the red lentils should make the liquid nice and thick but if yours is a little watery then take 1tsp of maize starch and in a cup add about 3tbspns of water. (This is called 'slaking') Stir until it forms an even, white fluid then add it to the hotpot. Stir well then return the whole lot to the heat until it gets close to a boil where upon it should have thickened.
Serve with some gluten free bread as this meal is much more fun if you get to soak up all the juices at the end with some moppers!
Who is it suitable for?
This dish is vegetarian, it's vegan, it's nut-free, it's egg-free, it's yeast free (but check the stock!) furthermore it is safe for coeliacs. It's fine for a low calorie or reducing diet and if you keep the veg a little on the crunchy side it's even better because the energy inside all the plant cells will be harder for your body to reach.
Who can't eat it ?
If you are serving it to those who need a higher calorie intake then serve with lots of buttered g-f bread or even garlic bread. If anyone is allergic to alliums (onions, leeks and garlic) or tomatoes then leave them out (but take GREAT care choosing your stock to make sure that doesn't have any in). It will not be suitable for most people with Crohns or colitus as it is rather high in fibre.
What to do if you have any left overs?
I have three suggestions
1) Soup!! You don't need to blend it unless you want to, just add a little more stock.
2) Pie. (When come back bring pie!) Using gluten free pastry of course. You might need to add a little more slaked maize starch to stop the pie being too runny and you might like to add a handful of plain Quorn pieces or even some chicken if it's acceptable to all who will be eating it.
3) Fry some onion, add some curry powder and then stir in the hotpot and hey presto - veggie curry! (OK it's a bit of a cheat and it may not be the worlds best ever curry but I've not had any complaints.)
Wonder which one I'll do for my lunch.....?
This week I have mostly been eating pumpkin. It's all Aunty C's fault, she gave me a large edible pumpkin grown by her own fair hands in her organic garden. I forgot to weigh it before chopping it all up but given that it was bigger that my darling husband's head (and he needs a pretty big head for that clever brain of his!) I'd estimate that it was about 4.5kg.
I know it's an often used phrase but pumpkins really are one of natures wonder-foods. They are an excellent source of vitamin E (good for healthy skin and hair), thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and folic acid (all part of the vitamin B group, great for feeling energised) as well as iron, magnesium and phosphorus. They are also
a very good source of dietary fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, copper and manganese. In addition they are low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. After taking off the top and scooping out the seeds my hands had absorbed lots of those lovely nutrients and were feeling very soft - shame my fingers were so orange it looked like I had a 60 a-day habit!
I decided straight off that I'd roast it first and decide what to do with the roasted chunks later. I could have steamed or boiled it but I love the flavour of it roasted so that was the way I was going. By the way, while pumpkins can very easily keep for 6 months from harvest before you eat them, once you pierce that skin the clock is ticking and even in the fridge you have only a couple of days before it goes off. You can keep the seeds, take all the skin off and roast them as well but I have a large bag of seeds already in the cupboard so I didn't bother.
So having taken off the top and de-seeded it (and taking a few moments out to admire my lovely soft hands!) I cut it into large sections, skinned it and chopped it again into bite size pieces. Again this was choice, you can easily roast the pumpkin whole (just stick it with a knife in a few places to let the steam out) or in large sections with the skin on (and then have the fun of eating it like melon!) My chopped pumpkin filled my two largest oven trays (9x13inches if you are interested), I gave them a little oil (about 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil per tray) and stuck them in the oven at gas mark 5. I then promptly went out and forgot about them - well, there was a craft fair to go to! Don't worry, darling husband was left looking after them with the instruction to turn the pieces over (and swap the tray around on the shelves) in thirty minutes and turn the oven off after an hour.
When I came home the smell was delicious. To be honest I think they could have done with a little bit longer as the edges were only just starting to brown up but by then it was too late. So I popped the pumpkin into several plastic tubs with lids and stuck them in the fridge. I've done several things with them since, here come my best 3 recipes!
Hot Pumpkin Salad
I'm not kidding, this was absolutely delicious and so simple. You will need a couple of hand fulls of rocket or spinach or (preferably) a mix of both. Don't take them straight out of the fridge or if you do give them chance to warm to room temperature. Pop this in an ovenproof bowl, on top of this add a few very finely cut slices of red onion (raw) and one cup of re-heated (or fresh) roasted pumpkin, on top of this crumble a large slice of Stilton cheese. Pop it under a low grill while quickly making croutons - toast your bread (gluten-free if necessary), rub one side with the cut surface of a clove of garlic, butter or brush with oil, toast again and chop into squares. Remove the salad from the grill just as the leaves start to wilt, dress with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and garnish with the croutons. It was utterly delicious and I will be doing this one again. If you fancy changing it a bit try putting the salad in a warm pitta bread and leaving out the grilling and the croutons or swap the Stilton for Cheddar or a vegan cheese (follow this link to a great page on vegan cheese). Maybe a few chili flakes on top wouldn't go amiss either.
Roast Pumpkin Soup
The quick way is to take one portion of Simple Lentil Soup, add a cup of the roast pumpkin and blend. The less quick, lentil and tomato-free way is to gently fry in olive oil half a red onion, one clove of chopped garlic and a couple of slices of fresh ginger (finely chopped) until the onion goes very soft and glossy (3 or 4 minutes). Add 350ml of vegetable stock, 1 cup of the roasted pumpkin and a twist of pepper. Simmer for 5minutes then blend. Garnish with some finely chopped parsley, or chili flakes or sour cream, or like I did all 3!
Pumpkin and Pasta Bake.
I finely chopped one red onion and fried that in olive oil until it went soft and translucent. To this I added some finely chopped yellow and red peppers, 3 very finely chopped mushrooms (if the girls see mushroom they wont eat it so I tend to cut it so small they can't tell what it is!) and a good glug of sherry. Keep frying until all the pepper is soft. Then I added one family sized portion of slightly under-cooked gluten-free pasta (300g before cooking) 4 chopped Quorn frankfurters (watch out, while my gluten sensitive husband can tolerate them I'm not sure a true coelic could and these also contain egg, if it's a problem leave it out) and 2 cups of the roasted pumpkin and turned off the heat.
Next I grated 250g of Cheshire cheese. I chose this over Cheddar for two very simple reasons, it's more lemony and I thought that would help the flavour and secondly because I couldn't see when else I was going to use it! You could use a strong Cheddar or vegan cheese instead. I added half of the cheese to the mix and after a gentle stir transferred the lot into an oven proof dish before covering with the rest of the cheese and what remained of the cream cheese from the fridge and then putting in a preheated oven at gas mark 6 for 30 minutes. I suggest serving it with a nice cold west country cider (though that is a glass of squash in the back-ground).
This is the only one
of the three that's been family tested (you'll just have to take my word
for it that the other two taste wonderful) and it passed with flying
colours. Pretty astounding really because when I told my husband I was
going to do this he pulled his "do we have to" worried face (where upon
he was forced to practice his "a new dish? how exciting!" face to show
the girls). He didn't just go back for seconds, he had thirds as well!
Both daughters proclaimed it delicious and big girl said she 'really
liked that orange stuff', 'but pumpkin is yucky so please could I leave
that out next time?' Which just goes to prove that like many kids her
age it's the thought of eating something new (rather than the taste)
that is the sticking point for her. And
just in case you were wondering there was plenty left over, I could
have fed another 2 adults from that lot so husband and I had it for
lunch the next day too!
So there you have it. 4
recipes in one post - Roasted Pumpkin, Hot Pumpkin Salad, Pumpkin soup
and Pasta and Pumpkin Bake. All vegetarian (and potentially vegan), all
gluten free and all delicious. Now if you don't mind I'm off to admire
the soft glowing skin all that vitamin E has given me!
I have always been a big pasta fan so when we discovered that my darling husband couldn't eat wheat anymore I was worried how we'd do with out it.
I've tried vegetable substitutes, the uncurled skins of leeks make a really nice lasagna and courgette cut into fine ribbons tastes fine to me and is great for you if you are on a diet but to be honest my family didn't really take to it. (Actually that's an understatement, I think DH called courgette 'devils food' and the kids called it green worms).
Enter 'gluten-free pasta'. It looks like pasta and it tastes like pasta and as long as all you want out of pasta is sheets for lasagna or piped shapes to pour sauce on it is brilliant. Generally regular dried pasta is made just from Durum Wheat Semolina - do not be confused, that is just one ingredient however it is worth noting that the three parts to the name can be used on their own and some manufacturers of processed foods will use the durum or the semolina part to disguise the fact that their product is full of wheat.
Gluten-free pasta is usually made from rice flour and/or maize flour possibly with the addition of an emulsifier.
You can get gluten free pasta in a variety of shapes but the ones on supermarket shelves are usually either large sheets for lasagna or cannelloni, pene (quills) or fusilli (twists), you can even get tri-coloured, however 'fresh' gluten free pasta, egg g-f pasta and stuffed g-f pasta are a very rare find indeed. If you are desperate for fresh, or stuffed you might want to try making your own, search Google if you like or head straight to http://glutenfreegirl.com/gluten-free-fresh-pasta/ and scroll down a long way to find her recipe and technique.
Who is it suitable for?
Most people! It's vegetarian and vegan, has no egg (usually) and the ingredients of corn and rice are usually thought of as low allergy foods so it is tollerated by most people. Gluten
free pasta is slightly less calorific than 'regular' (white) dried
pasta but more calorific than wholewheat pasta and generally has less
sugar and fat than either regular or wholewheat pasta. I wouldn't
recommend changing to gluten-free pasta just to lose weight, lets face
it 355kcal per 100g is still pretty calorific, if you have to keep the calories down head straight for the ribboned vegetables. If the g-f pasta has
extra ingredients that might boost the fibre content (for example
psyllium husk) then you should check this is OK before serving anyone
with Crohn's or colitus to check it's not too much for them.
Gluten-free pasta is much more expensive than regular pasta, basically as well as making a tidy profit the companies are trying to claw back the investment they made in research to develop the product (trust me, only a few years back not only was it hard to find this product but it also had a tendency to either fall completely apart or go like leather). It is a great 'inclusive food' as almost everyone can eat it (even if some might have to keep the portion size small) and when it's cooked well most people can't tell the difference anyway. However it doesn't cook quite the same as your regular pasta...
Top tips for cooking gluten free pasta.
- Get a very BIG pan at least one size bigger than you might have used for the same amount of 'regular' pasta.
- Boil as much water in it as you safely can.
- Add your dried gluten-free pasta. Start your stop watch! (Each type of pasta has it's own cooking time, use it as a guide setting your stop-watch to 1minute less).
- Quickly add a little oil and watch it like a hawk.
Do NOT add any salt, salt latches on to the outside of the g-f pasta forming an almost in penetrable barrier to the water stopping the inside going soft and instead turning your pasta into edible leather.
- The moment it starts to boil turn the heat down to maintain a very gentle boil. If you're not cooking on gas you may need to lift the pan off the heat for a moment. Failure to prevent boiling over will result in a glue-like substance spreading quickly across you cooker top and setting like, well like glue really.
- A quarter of the way through your cooking time give it a gentle but thorough stir to stop it sticking together.
- Keep watching it, keep it boiling gently but never let it boil over...
- As soon as your timer goes off test a piece by biting it. It should be slightly 'al dente', do not let your pasta go soft or over cook, g-f pasta is very unforgiving and will just fall to pieces. If it's not ready keep the boil going and check every 30 seconds.
- If you just HAVE to have salty pasta add your salt now and gently stir.
- Drain. As I said g-f pasta is rather unforgiving and does not have the structural integrity of it glutenous brother so if you can drain it in the pan (our pans have deep lids with holes in the sides to allow for this) without tipping it into a colander then so much the better. (Don't bother with rinsing, unless you just want to gently pour freshly boiled water through the colander or sieve.)
- Serve!
Would you like a sauce to go with it?
Believe it or not I've already given you one simple sauce - Simple Lentil Soup! Just reduce the amount of stock from 450ml down to about 75ml and hey presto, Simple Lentil Pasta Sauce! If tomatoes will cause a problem one solution is to grate a few carrots and add some carrot juice or other (tomato free) vegetable juice and use these instead of tinned tomatoes.
Want another one?
Really, really simple pasta sauce.
1 finely chopped onion
A small splodge of oil
1 can of chopped tomatoes
A pinch of dried oregano (cilantro)
Gently fry your onion in the oil (I've said this before but do buy fresh onion and cut your own to reduce the amounts of sulphates you might be sensitive to.)
Add your can of chopped tomatoes and dried oregano and continue to gently simmer for about 10 minutes. (Again to reduce other contaminants as well as stomach irritating sulphates try an organic sulphate free brand like Suma.)
It's really easy to add veg and other flavourings to this sauce, add them to the onions and continue frying until they start to turn soft then add your tomatoes and oregano. A splash of sherry before the toms will make a nice sweet sauce, a splash of red wine will add to the richness (but do keep an eye out for those pesky sulphates and if serving vegans or vegetarians check it is suitable for them too). If you want to add garlic chop it really fine and add it with the tomatoes to preserve the health benefits which frying will remove.
So why is pasta the food of champions? Because my good friend and 'oh-my-god!'-parent to my girls eats it when carb-loading before a big cycle race and to quote my eldest daughter,
"Aunty Ca-waul always wins doesn't she Mummy?!"
Yes she does (nearly). Aunty C hasn't yet developed a gluten intolerance but if she did she wouldn't be out of place, lots of athletes are finding that by cutting gluten out of their diet they actually perform better. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are both now reported to be following gluten free diets, the Garmin-Transitions pro-cycling team apparently did the Tour de France on a gluten free diet and a number of gold medal winning Olympians including American swimmer Dana Vollmer were also gluten free. Maybe my girls will be medal winning gymnasts or swimmers too one day? And if they are then I know a gluten free diet wont be a change or a challenge for them.
Off now for a healthy 'championship' walk around the block! xx
Inclusive cooking isn't about complex meals, it's about feeding everyone at your table delicious food that they can all enjoy without messing up anybodies tummy or their ethics.
Let's start with a really simple soup. I love red lentil soup, it's vegan (if you use the right stock) and it is suitable for most people living with a food allergy/intolerance. The only people you should be careful about giving it to are those allergic to tomatoes, onions or celery (unless you can make some celery free stock).
For Simple Lentil Soup you will need:
170g of red split lentils (washed)
450ml of fresh water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, freshly chopped
1 tin of plum tomatoes, chopped
450ml of gluten free vegetable stock
And possibly some cream cheese (for example Philadelphia ) or crème fraîche
(I just put the links in so you can find the stuff, they are not sponsored in anyway)
You will also need a blender for this recipe.
Having
rinsed your lentils add the fresh water and bring to the boil. Continue
to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. It's
important to use fresh water and not stock, equally do not add any salt,
it reacts with the proteins on the outside of the lentil forming a
tough water tight barrier and your lentils will not go soft.
Heat
the oil in a pan and fry the onion gently until it goes soft and loses
colour (about 2 minutes). Don't use pre-chopped onion from
supermarkets, it's not just lazy it's expensive and they add sulphates
to it to preserve it. Plenty of people are sensitive to sulphates which
is why it's also a good idea to use organic tomatoes which are also
sulphate free (Suma do a nice one).
Add the tomatoes, the garlic if you are using it and the cooked lentil mixture (you don't need to strain the lentils, bung it all in!) and add the stock.
If you're cooking for a vegan do check the stock doesn't have lactose or other milk products in, if it is suitable for vegans it will usually say so and if you really can't find any a very weak solution of yeast extract will do the job. (I use Knorr which I think is vegan but please correct me if it's not!)
Bring it back up to simmering and leave for about 6 to 8 minutes then blend.
If you are giving this soup to little ones or those that need more calories then generally I would say to add a good dollop of cream cheese or creme fraiche not just because it looks lovely swirled into the soup but because this soup is high in fibre and the dairy helps to raise the calorific content, also it then becomes a 'complete food' containing all the essential amino acids your body needs to make protein.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a suitable bread and good company.
I love this soup but to be honest if I ate it everyday I might find it a little bland so every so often I like to jazz it up a bit.
Spice up your life!
Here are the optional extras!
A bay leaf - add it with the stock but for goodness sake take it out before you blend!!
1 to 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
Chilli powder, flakes or oil (the amount depends on you!)
- Add anyone or all of these to the onion as cooks. Chilli flakes also look great as a garnish.
Vegan (gluten free) Worcestershire sauce - this also works great as a garnish and adds a lovely taste.
(I like one made by Life and it's available in most supermarkets)
For a vegan it would be a good idea to add some sesame seeds as a garnish to complete the proteins. Watercress also makes a lovely healthy garnish.
And finally if I'm making the soup for little ones to eat too I leave out all the extra flavours and just add some ground herbs and spices on top of my serving at the end. I particularly like red hot chilli seasoning by Fiddes Payne. (Again these links are not sponsored, I'm just telling you stuff that works for me)
ENJOY. xx
