GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY-FREE CARROT CAKE

I have spent the last 3-5 meals at my mother’s house and therefore have had no new meals for my lovely blog! Whilst my mother cooks amazing food, I was feeling the pull to get back into my kitchen and cook, bake, sauté, chop and grate. Whilst I work on new recipes today, I have a carrot cake recipe I tried out last week that deserves to be blogged around. Now, just to be clear, this carrot cake is not for anyone that loves sugar and sweet cakes, as there is barely any sugar in it. Instead this cake tastes strongly of orange and cinnamon, which is actually an alluring autumn pair. This cake is gluten-free, dairy-free and preservative-free. To make it nut-free, replace the walnuts & almonds for chopped pieces of dried apricot or remove without substituting. A flavorsome cake that tastes even better a few days after baking.  

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup brown or raw sugar 
• 1/4 cup grape seed or sunflower oil, plus a little extra to grease
• 1/4 cup light agave syrup
• 2 cups freshly grated orange carrot
• a pinch of ground nutmeg 
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons silvered or chopped almonds
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white 
• 1 cup buckwheat flour

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius fan-forced. Lightly grease a long narrow baking tin with oil. 

2. Combine the sugar and oil in a large bowl. Beat in the 2 whole eggs. Continue by stirring in the orange zest, nutmeg and cinnamon. Softly stir in the flour, walnuts, almonds & carrot. 

3. In a smaller bowl, beat the 1 egg white until very stiff and peaks begin to form. (This should take around 3- 4 minutes of intense beating/whisking). When complete gently fold the egg white into the cake batter. 

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for around 25-30 minutes or until cake is golden and a skewer is able to come out clean from the centre of the cake. Remove cake from oven and sit for at least 10 minutes to cool, before transferring to a wire rack. 

Serves / 8 

Adapted from Carrot Cake from cookbook 'Cut out the Crap' by Collette White 

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POTATO CURRY

Another curry for your reading pleasure! This one was made from the curry paste left over from a dinner a few nights ago, Chicken & Chickpea curry. As I did not use coconut milk for this potato curry, the consistently is quite different using stock instead. One of the best things about this curry is how low maintenance it is; you just throw everything in a large pot and let the vegetables and stock do the rest. The result is beautifully tender potatoes and a light stock sauce. 

INGREDIENTS


Homemade curry paste 

• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 teaspoon ground garala masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• a pinch of sea salt & pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

Potato Curry

• 300 sebago potatoes, peeled & cut into even 3cm pieces 
• 300g sweet potato, peeled & cut into even 3cm pieces
• 1 eschallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons homemade curry paste (above) or store bought paste
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) vegetable stock (preferably Massel brand)

COOKING 

1. Place all the curry paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix well to combine. (Store in a container in the fridge until ready to use). 

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When melted add both types of potato, eschallot and garlic and stir well for a few minutes, until coated with the oil. Add curry paste and stir well for 1-2 minutes, or until vegetables are coated with curry paste. Add stock and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until stock is almost all absorbed. 

3. Serve on a bed of brown or doongara (low GI) rice if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes (including making the curry paste)

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

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POTATO & LEEK SOUP

The skies have finally gotten gray and the wind is chilly enough to cook warm, wintery foods! Whilst I secretly love to hate winter as a few extra kilos appear on my body during this time (who doesn’t this happen to, I ask?) I cannot deny that the food is superb. Satisfying soups, cozy casseroles, ravishing roasts…the warm and comfy smells just get to me. This winter I am facing a challenge- to cook gluten free, dairy free and preservative free. Shit, just writing that made me realise how hard this is going to be. Not impossible however. I started my winter menu off with a Chicken & Chickpea Curry dish (check it out if you haven’t!) and will continue on with one of winter’s staples, even in tepid Brisbane, this being ladies and gentlemen; SOUP. 

INGREDIENTS

• 800g sebago potatoes, peeled and diced into 4cm equal pieces
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary 
• sea salt & black pepper 

COOKING 

1. Place the potatoes, leek, onion, garlic, rosemary and stock in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the potato is very tender (you can stick a fork into a piece of potato without any force or trouble). Take the saucepan away from the heat and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. 

2. Place the potato stock mixture into a food processor or blender and process/blend for only a few seconds until smooth and no lumps remain. Serve warm with sea salt & pepper. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25-27 minutes (including cooling time)

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CHICKEN & CHICKPEA CURRY

You may be as surprised as I was the other day to learn that most Indian dishes are gluten, dairy and preservative free. I certainly had no idea until my boss told me last week. I was ecstatic! After a tough week last week with adapting to my new allergies, I will admit that I had difficulty cooking dinner every night and may have even resorted to takeaway often…(which I rarely do!). My spirits were low until I was given this amazing news and decided to have fun experimenting with Indian dishes! First on the list, a chicken and chickpea curry with homemade curry paste. Don’t stress if you don’t have all the spices I have listed, these have come from an almost obsessive addiction. If you can purchase or have accumulated a few, you can work with those. Stay tuned for a Lentil & Potato Curry coming soon!

INGREDIENTS


Homemade curry paste 

• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 teaspoon ground garala masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• a pinch of sea salt & pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

Chicken curry 

• 250g chicken breast, chopped into even cubes
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 1 x 400ml light coconut milk
• 2 1/2 generous tablespoons of homemade curry paste
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

COOKING 

1. Place all the curry paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix well to combine. (Store in a container in the fridge until ready to use). 

2. Heat the teaspoon of peanut oil in a large frying pan under medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the onion has softened slightly. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is browned. Add the curry paste and mix well for 2 minutes, making sure all the chicken and onion is coated with the paste. 

3. Add the coconut milk to the pan and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced considerably. Add the chickpeas to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. Serve with brown or white rice, if desired.

NB:  

• If you prefer your curry spicy, triple the chilli powder quantity and make some raita to go alongside the curry. 
• If you do not have all the spices listed to make the homemade curry paste, mix a few together and see how it tastes! Or you can buy a pre made curry sauce/paste, but they will often contain gluten and/or msg and lactose. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes, 10 if you make the homemade curry paste 

Total Cooking time / 40 minutes 

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