CAPSICUM APPETIZERS

A fancy appetizer for the weekend. A little fiddly but worth the hassle. Replace the feta cheese for another herb, such as parsley, if wanting to make this dairy-free.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 capsicums (can be red/green/orange or a mixture of these)
• 50g reduced-fat feta cheese
• 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• a pinch of smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic flakes
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• toothpicks

COOKING 

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-force. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Slice the capsicum into large flat pieces, removing the seeds. Place on prepared tray with the skin side up and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the skin blisters and blackens. Put the cooked capsicum in a plastic bag and leave to cool. When cooled peel away the skin and cut into 4cm pieces. 

3. Combine the feta, chives, paprika, garlic and both vinegars in a small bowl and mix well. Place the mixture on the inside of each individual capsicum piece and roll the capsicum over, securing with a toothpick. Serve alone or drizzled with olive oil if you desire. 

Serve as an appetiser 

Serves / 4 

NO-FUSS BOLOGNESE

I have recently ceased eating all gluten and dairy products, which has been extremely difficult for me. What surprised me is that not eating dairy is much harder than not eating gluten/wheat. Do you have any idea how many tasty items dairy is in? We won’t even discuss chocolate or ice cream! How about every single type of cheese, lasagna, pie and dessert known to man? It’s been a tough week, but I’m feeling so much better than when I was consuming it. This no-fuss Bolognese is a dish I made mid week, which tasted delicious for how simple and easy it was to make. I encourage you to add cheese if you are not dairy intolerance! Try to find eschallots if you can, they are like a fresh onion and are such more narrow and smaller in size than brown onions. They are purple in appearance (when you remove the brown skin) and taste divine.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g lean beef mince 
• 2 large carrots, chopped as finely as you desire
• 500g gluten free pasta
• 1 teaspoon grape seed / olive oil 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced 
• 1 eschallot, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of diced tomatoes 
• a pinch of sea salt 

COOKING 

1. Bring a large saucepan of water and salt to the boil. When boiled add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for around 7-10 minutes or until pasta is just tender. When cooked, drain well by placing under cold water. Place pasta in a large serving bowl. 

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and eschallots and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until onion has softened. Add carrots and cook for around 2 minutes, stirring. Add mince and cook, breaking up the lumps with a metal spoon, until the mince is browned. Add the diced tomatoes to the frying pan and simmer, cooking on low heat for around 10 minutes or until the tomato juice has been absorbed.

3. Remove from heat and place bolognese sauce on top of the cooked pasta. Add cheese if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total Cooking time / under 30 minutes 

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AUTUMN QUINOA SALAD

Protein. Our bodies desperately need it. Recently I have been trying to eat 60g of protein a day. That may sound easy, but we can consume a lot of crap that seems like its healthy on the surface but actually has next to no nutritional value for us. There is a whooping 14g of protein found in every 100g of quinoa, which greatly helps me to get to the 60g a day I need to. Some people will call quinoa bitter, however if you add a generous pinch of salt to the grain as you cook it, this reduces all chance of this happening. Quinoa sometimes does not make a great first impression, as cooking it can be difficult to get it just right, but if you keep the faith and cook it 2-3 times you will start to love it. This Autumn salad is a mixture of vegetables that can be alternated to fit what is in your fridge. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 medium red capsicum (150g), finely chopped
• 100g green beans, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
• a large handful of spinach leaves 
• 1/2 a leek, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon oil (olive/grapeseed)
• 3 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 a ripe avocado, chopped 
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• a drizzle of fresh lemon juice 
• a pinch of sea salt 

COOKING 

1. Cook quinoa by placing it in a large saucepan with a pinch of sea salt and 2 cups water over medium-high heat. Bring the quinoa to the boil, then simmer, covered, for around 13-15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and cool. 

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium frying pan and add garlic and leek. Stir for 2 minutes and then add capsicum and beans, continuing to stir until beans become slightly tender. Add a pinch of salt and remove from heat to cool. 

3. Place cooled quinoa in a large serving bowl and add the spinach leaves. When the fried vegetables cool down a bit, add them as well, along with the pepitas and avocado. Whisk together vinegar and lemon juice and pour over the salad. Toss well to combine. 

Serves / 4 

Can serve with cooked chicken / ham to bulk up the protein. 

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ALMOND & PISTACHIO BISCUITS

My lovely naturopath gave me some sad news last Friday; no more gluten, lactose, yeast, dairy, caffeine, alcohol or sugar. Your first thoughts may be something akin to 'what is left to eat!?' However, my initial thoughts were positive and went something like this; ‘great! Now I can really focus on eating super healthy and experience foods, flours and vegetables that I have never thought to try before’. This optimistic persona remained until I got home, armed with nutrition supplements and organic coconut milk, and realized that this meant no more baking for me. Such a sad day. As you may know, I love baking and even had an allocated ‘baking day’ not long ago. News flash to me: you can still bake sweets and savoury foods even when you can’t eat gluten or dairy (who knew!). I borrowed a great cookbook entitled ‘Cut out the Crap (gluten free, dairy free and preservative free cooking) and got inspired to bake the Almond biscuits you see below. Adding in ground nutmeg and pistachios reduces the almond flavour slightly and the cinnamon is present in every morsel. So, to close, this blog seems to be taking on a different form every few weeks, but here to stay (for the near future at least) is Gluten free, Dairy Free & Preservative free cooking. As I have a partner who can eat everything and anything (damn him!) I will of course give other ingredient options for you other lucky people in the world.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 egg whites
• 300g almond meal
• 1 cup raw sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• a pinch of ground nutmeg 
• 20 whole peeled pistachios 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until their texture becomes quite stiff. This may take around 5 minutes of intense beating with a whisk, or less if you have someone with arm strengthen that can help! 

3. Add the almond meal, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the egg whites and mix well with a spoon until all the ingredients are combined. Roll into even balls on the prepared baking tray (around a tablespoon size). Add one pistachio on top of each roll of dough and push down gently. 

4. Cook biscuits for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. This recipe should make around 20 biscuits. 

5. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow biscuits to cool for 10 minutes before placing them onto a wire rack to cool further. 

Makes / 20 biscuits 

Total Preparation time / less than 10 minutes 

Total cooking time / 12- 15 minutes (not including cooling time)

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HOMEMADE SUSHI

I have wanted to write a blog post on homemade sushi for several months. Whilst I was living in Washington D.C in 2009, my cousin Juanita shared her sushi recipe with me and I became hooked. Even though I worked long and crazy hours as a concierge in a hotel, I never made sushi any less than twice a week. Since returning to Brisbane in late 2009, I ceased my sushi making experiences, perhaps because it is so readily available here and not so much in D.C (although you could find an abundance of Burger Kings & Chipotles on every street corner). I decided to make sushi again last night, with surprising success, as I have been out of the game for so long. Whilst the recipe does look incredibly long and tiresome, its actually not! Filling and rolling the sushi is heaps of fun and I guarantee you that making lasagna or a shepherd’s pie would take longer. Sushi also seems to come with a sharing aspect to it, which I love.


INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sushi rice (available at all major supermarkets)
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 
• 10 + large nori sheets 
• Green wasabi 
• Rice wine vinegar
• Optional- the fillings- you can use 1 avocado (peeled & cut into thin strips), chicken (around 500g), cucumber and/or carrots, peeled & cut into thin strips, sesame seeds. 
• Optional- Tamari sauce (Gluten-free alternative to soy sauce)

COOKING 


1. Using a heavy bottomed pan, add 2 cups rice and 3 1/3 cups water and bring to the boil. Once boiled, lower the heat to a simmer and let cook for around 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed, keeping the lid of the saucepan on. 


2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables (see above). If using chicken, cut into thin strips and place in a frying pan with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is light brown and no pink flesh remains. 


3. Once rice is cooked, let cool for around 10 minutes. During this time finish preparing the vegetables & chicken, as well as adding a little water to the pinch of green wasabi. You will use the wasabi to dab onto the rice before you add the fillings. Mix well in a small bowl so that the wasabi becomes a cloudy green colour. Prepare a small bowl with just rice wine vinegar in it; this is to wet your fingers to seal the nori edges when you roll the sushi rolls, as well as to clean your knife when you cut the sushi rolls into small pieces. 


4. Return to the cooked rice and fluff it with a fork, taking care to fluff the top, bottom and sides of the pan. Place the rice in a medium to large glass or porcelain dish (no metal) and add the 4-5 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, which is used to make the rice taste sweet as well as make it glisten. (The rice does not need to be overly sweet, so 4-5 tablespoons will be plenty (I use 4). (I will often divide the cooked rice into 2 bowls and add 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar to each). 


5. If you do not have a proper bamboo sushi mat, a large square of a cereal box wrapped in glad wrap will do just fine to roll your sushi. Place a nori sheet down and place rice on about 2/3 of the seaweed. Spread this rice evenly over the seaweed but take care not to place rice on the edges of the nori as you will lose this during the cutting process at the end. 


6. Now for the fun part! Add your fillings! Carrot, cucumber and chicken go well today as do chicken & avocado. Sesame seeds are great to place on top of the fillings and a scant amount of wasabi dabbed onto the rice before adding the fillings increases the flavour. If you want vegetarian rolls, you can add fried egg or just use vegetables. When the fillings have been added, wet your fingers in the rice wine vinegar solution or use a brush to wet the top and bottom of the seaweed edges. Begin to roll away from you, taking care to crimp the ingredients together as you roll.  After you have rolled each sushi roll, place on a large plate in the fridge to cool whilst you roll the rest. 


7. When all the sushi has been rolled, remove the chilled sushi from the fridge. Taking 1-3 long rolls together at a time, wet a paper towel with the leftover vinegar and run this towel over the blade of a large knife. Start cutting the sushi rolls into even coins or little rolls, removing the edges. Rewipe the blade with vinegar every few cuts. 


8. Serve the sushi for lunch or dinner. This recipe makes a fair amount of sushi, enough to feed around 8 people! 


Serves / 8

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FRIED RICE WITH VEGETABLES & EGG

I could not live without rice. Although I am not techinically a coeliac (that I know of) I eat rice several nights week. I blame this addiction on my lovely mother who bought me sushi each afternoon during high school for several years. That and she has cooked with rice for years, due to various intolerances in our family. In my opinion, fried rice is not fried rice without cooked egg, peas and chives. Some people need to include ham in their fried rice, but as I am not fan of meat I do not find this essential. What I especially love about fried rice is the versatility. You can use almost any vegetable in your fridge, such as carrots, buk choy, green beans, leek, any type of capsicum, broccoli etc. The ingredients I cooked with to make this dish are as always what I had in my fridge and pantry at the time.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten 
• a pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 large brown onion (120-150g), chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced 
• a small bunch of fresh chives or 1/2 cup, chopped finely 
• 1 medium red capsicum (100g), finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas, thawed 
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari sauce (like soy sauce but gluten-free)
• Equipment- a wok 

COOKING 

1. Place rice in a medium saucepan and add 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, for around 15 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the egg in a small to medium frying pan. To do this, pour 1/2 teaspoon of oil in the pan on medium heat and swirl to coat. Pour in the beaten egg and sprinkle the chilli flakes on top. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side and then flip onto the other side, cooking for 2 minutes or until egg is solid. Remove from the pan and cut into even small cubes or strips. 

3. Heat the other 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a wok over medium heat and swirl well to coat. Add the garlic and onion and stir for 3 minutes or until onion is soft. Add the red capsicum and peas and cook, stirring well for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked rice to the pan and toss well to combine, adding the tamari sauce. When the rice becomes browner in colour, remove from the heat and add the egg pieces and the fresh chives. Serve. 

Serves / 4 as a main 

Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Cooking time /  25-30 minutes including the rice

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PRAWN THAI SALAD

 I am so excited to announce that I cooked seafood for the first time last night! The first time ever. I expanded my horizons away from my comfort zone, which involves mainly chicken, vegetable dishes and yoghurt. Whilst I did not cook the prawns from scratch (I actually bought then pre peeled & pre cooked) they tasted very appetizing. If you find yourself doubtful that prepackaged prawns can taste edible; join the club. I threw my pretentiousness aside yesterday however and I am so glad that I did. For people with busy lives who allow themselves 20 minutes every night to cook, I recommend that you try these prawns. Of course, do not forgo the delectable prawns that you cook from scratch on the bbq. I am merely suggesting a faster way for a weeknight feed. I have also recently discovered tamari sauce, a good replacement for soy sauce, as so many of the soy sauce brands out there are extremely salty and not gluten-free.


INGREDIENTS

• 200g prawns, peeled & cooked
• 150g green beans, trimmed 
• 150g carrots, peeled and cut thinly 
• 2-3 small lebanese cucumbers, cut thinly
• 250g rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced 
• 3 green onions, finely chopped 
• 3 tablespoons tamari sauce (similar to soy sauce but gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon grape seed/ sesame/ olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• Optional- a drizzle of fresh lemon juice 

COOKING 


1. Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Place vermicelli noodles in a large bowl/saucepan and pour the water over them, completely covering the noodles. Separate with a fork and let sit for around 5 minutes or until tender but not soggy. Drain well, pouring cold water over the noodles. 


2. Heat the oil in a large wok and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and green onions and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the beans, carrots and prawns and stir well, for around 4 minutes or until the beans and carrots are tender. Add the cooked vermicelli noodles, tamari sauce and fish sauce and toss well to combine. Remove from heat and serve in a large serving bowl, adding a drizzle of fresh lemon if you wish. 


Serves / 4 as a main dish 
Preparation time / 15 minutes 
Cooking time / 6 minutes 

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