SWEET CORN FRITTERS with FRESH TOMATO SALSA

A very simple vegetarian recipe I adapted from my beloved ‘200 Veggie Feasts’ cookbook by Louise Pickford. You can certainly make the dish non-gluten free, with regular flour, regular soy sauce, regular baking powder etc. This made for an exciting lunch as we rarely serve corn in the house (not quite sure why not actually). This would also work with fresh sweetcorn if you have the time to cook it and trim it from the cob.

INGREDIENTS

Sweet Corn Fritters

• 275g creamed sweetcorn
• 65g gluten-free plain flour
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 egg, preferably free range, lightly beaten 
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• coconut oil

Fresh Tomato Salsa

• 2 small to medium tomatoes, washed & roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley and/or coriander, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Pour the sweetcorn into a food processor and process just for a few seconds until almost smooth. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Pour in the egg, soy sauce and lime juice and process again until all ingredients are combined. Season with sea salt & ground black pepper. 

2. Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a large frying pan and swirl to coat pan. Carefully drop 6 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, then pat them flat with a spatula. Cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Repeat until no batter remains. 

3. Prepare the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stiring well to combine. Season. 

Serve the sweet corn fritters with a big dollop of fresh tomato salsa. 

Serves / 2 as a main / 4 as a side
Total Preparation time / 10 minutes
Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

ZESTY LEMON & POPPY SEED COOKIES

It is high time that Soulful Sandwiches saw a sweet blog post. I was in luck today as I was craving something sweet and had recently purchased Sarah Wilson’s ‘I Quit Sugar’ cookbook. This adapted cookie recipe came from the ‘Sugar-free Kids section of her book, which has some remarkable sweet recipes, such as Sweet Potato Casserole, Sugar-free Nutella and Fluffy Carrot Mousse. I imagine that making this recipe with orange zest would taste great too and add some more tang to the cookies. I used vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla powder, as my dear friend educated me today that the paste is less processed. Granulated stevia I substituted for organic maple syrup, as some of the ingredients in stevia make me think it is slightly more processed than it cares to admit. Saying that, if you have vanilla powder and stevia in your cupboard, by all means use them, as it was good enough for Sarah. These cookies tasted deliciously light, moreish and guilt-free. I must say I am very excited to delve into her book more closely and try my hand at making ‘Foolproof Fennel Soup’  and ‘Pumpkin Pie Porridge.'

P.s- you could get really inventive and use Easter cookie cutters or heart-shaped ones...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (organic is best, no maple 'favoured' syrup) or 1 tablespoon granulated stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 3/4 cups almond meal
• sea salt 
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Pour the oil, syrup, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl and combine. Add the poppy seeds, almond meal and a pinch of sea salt and stir. Mould the cookie mixture with your fingers for 4-5 minutes, squeezing out the oil and forming a big ball of dough. Find a clean surface and roll out the dough to about 1.5 - 2cm (15- 22mm) thick, then cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on the prepared baking tray and brush gently with egg white. Bake for only 6-7 minutes or until the cookies are just golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving. 

Makes / 10 - 12

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 6 - 7 minutes (plus cooling time)

x Emily 

PECORINO POLENTA

I’ve recently gotten right into cooking with polenta, as it is a wonderful substitute to rice, noodles and pasta and is therefore perfect for anyone living gluten-free. Polenta is a fine white or yellow cornmeal that has a deep-rooted history as its origins date back to the 1700’s. This dish was first discovered in Italy and was viewed as peasant food as it was abundant and inexpensive.

The America Indian word for corn is maize, which translates as “that which sustains life”. Corn is a very close third behind wheat & rice as one of the most vital grains in the world.

What are the benefits of corn and by extension polenta? To start with, corn is one of the healthiest and lowest calorie foods around. Corn is also one of the best vegetables as it provides the body with long-lasting energy. Polenta consists of complex carbohydrates, which are jam-packed with fibre and are slowly digested by the body, meaning that you feel fuller for longer than when you consume simple carbs. 

Cornmeal is also full of nutrients such as iron, zinc, magnesium, thymine and phosphorous, which are all excellent for your body.

 The thing that I love most about polenta is its impressive versatility. Polenta can be served soft, hard, grilled, sautéed or baked, like I have in the recipe below. My dish is gluten and dairy-free, however many polenta recipes involve milk and cow’s cheese. Having tried polenta several ways, I do find that the simple, dairy-free baked polenta below is my personal favourite. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups vegetable stock (preferably Massel stock)
• 1 cup yellow polenta
• 1/4 cup sheep's hard pecorino cheese, finely grated
• coconut oil, to lightly grease

COOKING 

1. Pour stock and 500ml (2 cups) cold water into a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for around 5 minutes or until the consistency of the polenta is thick. Remove from heat, season with sea salt & ground black pepper and stir in the pecorino cheese. 

2. Spoon cooked polenta into a 20cm x 20cm lightly greased baking tray and even the surface with the back of a wet tablespoon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until set. 

3. When polenta is set, preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees. Gently remove the set polenta from the tray and cut into eight even-sized wedges. Place on a prepared baking tray and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the polenta is lightly golden and the outside is crisp. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 

Total Cooking time / 45-50 minutes (plus overnight to set)

x Emily 

BACON, ZUCCHINI & CHILLI PASTA

The drizzling weather in Brisbane yesterday led me to creating this comfort food Pasta dish. I wanted something warm, slightly spicy and colourful in my belly. The picture above does not do the dish justice, as the golden green of the zucchini, the light purple of the red onion and the seared pink of the bacon are lost in the flaming red of the chilli, pasta sauce and tomato paste. Nonetheless  it was a very tasty, filling gluten and dairy-free meal. This was actually the first time I have ever worked with raw chilli and I must say that I really enjoyed their fiery flavour in the end product. What I did not enjoy was the fierce hotness I felt for 1 hour on my upper lip after I touched my chilli fingers to my mouth. But you live and learn. I now know not to do that ever again...

INGREDIENTS

• 400g gluten-free penne pasta
• 60g weight watchers bacon, finely chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into 2cm cubes
• 1 red chilli or 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup tomato pasta sauce (any type will do; I used bolognese)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 125g cherry tomatoes, washed & halved
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/8 -1/4 cup sheep's pecorino cheese, finely grated 

COOKING 

1. Bring a large, lightly salted saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add gluten-free pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and drain in a colander. 

2. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and swirl to coat pan. Add bacon and zucchini pieces and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until bacon and zucchini is golden brown. Add cherry tomatoes, red onion and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in pasta sauce, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add drained pasta and a pinch of sea salt to the pan and stir until pasta is warmed through and all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat. 

Divide pasta evenly into 4 bowls and serve with sheep's pecorino cheese sprinkled on top or another cheese if not dairy intolerant. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 - 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

WARM LENTIL & BACON SALAD

When I started this blog back in September 2011 I promised myself something; that I would never force myself to write if I did not feel like it. Hence I have had the occasional week off from Soulful Sandwiches when for one reason or another the words do not seem to jump off my fingertips onto the keyboard. But this Wednesday I am inspired and ready to go with a few Autumn recipes for you. First off is a very simple Lentil & Bacon salad, made with weight watchers bacon which has a huge percentage of less fat than any other brand of bacon on the market. Putting meat in a salad is a sneaky way for me to get my partner Chris to eat salads. Also omitting the lettuce makes him more partial to them. As the weather cools down at night, this warm salad is perfect for a light fall dinner. 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 2 x 400g tin brown lentils, washed & drained
• 125g cherry tomatoes, washed
• 60g weight watchers bacon, finely chopped
• 1 lebanese cucumber, roughly chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaped tablespoons sheep's pecorino cheese, finely grated
• 1 scant tablespoon coconut oil

Dressing (Optional)

• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 

Stir all dressing ingredients until combined. 

COOKING 

1. Heat coconut oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces when pan is hot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bacon is golden. Remove bacon from heat and pat dry with paper towel to remove excess oil. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the lentils, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion in a medium to large salad serving bowl. Place bacon pieces on top of the salad and scatter grated pecorino cheese on top. Drizzle the dressing above on top, or use a touch of balsamic vinegar or leave plain. 

Serves / 4 for a light meal

Total Preparation time / 8-10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 6 minutes 

x Emily