Gluten Free Scones

Yesterday I decided to try my hand at baking the traditional English delight that is Scones.

After scouring the vast gluten free library that is Coeliac Disease in Australia  on Facebook, I found a simple recipe containing just 3 ingredients!

Servings 6-7

Ingredients

1.5 cup GF SR flour

1/5 cup cream

1/5 cup lemonade

extra flour for benchtop

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 Celcius

Place flour, cream and lemonade into a bowl and mix with a knife until doughy

Transfer dough to a lightly floured bench and press dough out so it's about 2 - 3 cm thick.

Cut with a scone cutter and place on to a greased tray or use quality baking paper.

Bake for around 15 minutes or until golden.

Serve with jam and cream with a cup of tea :)

Wendy Polisi's Italian Baked Quinoa Casserole - Adapted

Last week as I was perusing internet for quinoa recipes, I found one that included all of my favourite things - meat, cheese and tomatoes!

As the recipe is from American cook and author Wendy Polisi I did have to adapt it a wee bit to reflect Australian ingredients.

The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

beef mince

onion, cubed 

zucchini, cubed

red capsicum, cubed

mushrooms, sliced

tomatoes, cubed

cooked quinoa

mozarella

fresh garlic

cheddar cheese, grated

red wine vinegar, 

olive oil

oregano

salt

pepper

passata

topping

olive oil

red wine vinegar

dried basil

minced garlic

cherry tomatoes, halved

spinach

I don't really follow recommended amounts, I guestimate a lot with my ingredients, although I did use 500g of mince.


Method
* over a medium high heat, add olive oil, onions, zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms to a frypan (I used one with high sides) cook for around 5 minutes.
* add mince, and cook until brown. You may want to drain the mince before adding the next ingredients.
* add half - 2/3 bottle of passata, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, oregano, pepper and salt. I cooked all this together until the sauce was bubbling.

* in a separate bowl, combine quinoa with mozzarella and the rest of the passata.
* pour the mince mixture into a oven safe dish. Top with the quinoa mixture, and top it all with grated cheese.

I followed Wendy' directions with the Fresh Tomato Topping, although I replaced the fresh basil with dried and added spinach.




I'm hoping it will taste as good as it smells and looks, but of course, the real test is if my mum will eat it!
update: Mum didn't like the quinoa aspect, but I have had 3 separate servings of it! Yum!



> All vegetables and fruit (hello tomato!) were bought fresh this morning from my local Farm Direct Market

Dinner at Work - Cauliflower Pizza

Looking for a healthy, gluten-free alternative to Pizza Hut or Dominos?

Look no further than your own kitchen! 

I've cooked this cauliflower pizza recipe a few times for my clients, and every single one of them love it!

Ingredients

Base

1 whole cauliflower

mozzarella ball

1- 2 eggs

Toppings

(This one is entirely up to you!)

tomato paste

onion

mushrooms

tomato

capsicum (aka red pepper)

cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius

Grate the cauliflower into a bowl

Put the cauliflower into the microwave for about 7 minutes until the

cauliflower is soft

(alternatively, you can spread the cauliflower over an over tray and roast for 15 minutes at 180 Celsius - try and drain as much moisture out as you can once it is cool enough to touch)

In a mixing bowl, combine the mozzarella, cauliflower and egg together (if you think one egg isn't enough, crack the other one in as well)

*You can add salt and pepper to taste if wanted*

Spread the base out over an oven tray, trying to get it as even as possible

Pop it in the oven for around 20 minutes or until you get a nice golden colour

Now it's time for the toppings!

Once they're all on top and looking fantastic, put it back in the oven for another 15 - 20 minutes

Plate up and scoff it down!

* I first got this recipe from my mate Mrs BFH at breakingfreehomestead.wordpress.com

Dinner at Work - Turkey and Quinoa Burgers

Plain old burger patty just doesn't hit the spot?

Try this amazing Turkey and Quinoa mix. 

Ingredients:

turkey mince

quinoa

1 egg

half onion, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

salt

pepper

cumin

paprika

chilli powder

Method:

Cook the quinoa in boiling water (or stock) for about 15 minutes, or until most water is absorbed.

Drain and fluff with a fork. 

In a mixing bowl and turkey mince, egg, spices and quinoa and mix together. Once mixed you can either use straight away or store in the fridge for later. 

(*I also added some goji berry, sunflower and pumpkin mix to give it that extra kick.)

Once ready to eat, shape the mixture into patties. 

Add oil to the fry pan and place over a medium heat. 

Cook on both sides until brown and cooked through. 

                                                        

I had mine on gluten free seeded bread, buttered, with piccalilli, a slice of cheese, fried onion, mushrooms, tomato slices and a drizzle of ketchup. 

Dinner at Work - Brunch Delight

If you feel like you need more than a bit of toast or a bowl of cereal this bowl of deliciousness is just for you!

Cater the quantities to your hunger level:

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
feta cheese

a few slices of bacon

additions:

mushrooms

cherry tomatoes

Method:

Fry the bacon and mushrooms

Dice avocado and feta, add to bowl

half cherry tomatoes, add to bowl

Once bacon is cooked, pat excess oil off using paper towel and cut/chop into pieces

Add mushrooms to bowl

I find that each individual ingredient has a strong taste, so if you are able to fork a few onto your fork at once the tastes infuse and balance each other.

Eat and enjoy!

Warsaw - Capital of Poland

My roommate and I found flights from London to Warsaw for £19 (£35 inc luggage) and we thought 'why not?'  Booked. Hostel booked.

A couple weeks later we remembered we need to get home somehow.  We had already discussed going to Krakow but flights from there, while still cheap, were expensive. We had a look at Skyscanner and saw that there were cheap flights out of Gdansk. 

We looked at the map, saw the Poland was about the size of Victoria and decided it wouldn't be that hard to get from Krakow to Gdansk. Another flight booked. 

So in the last week of October we packed our bag full of heavy winter gear - the weather report said it would get down to zero! brr!

We arrived into Warsaw around 4pm, got on the local bus that took us to the train station and that took us to downtown Warsaw.

The hostel we stayed at (TripAdvisor reviews here) did give us amazing directions but it was dark and a bit creepy, deserted looking when we emerged from the station. We flagged down a taxi and arrived at our hostel 5 minutes later. 

After settling in our room, our receptionist gave us directions to the closest restaurant serving gluten free food. Before leaving I had printed out a 'Coeliac Restaurant card' in Polish (this website has cards in almost every langauge) which spelled out what I can and can't eat.

La Cantina is an amazing Mediterranean restaurant and almost every dish comes gluten free! You can tell the difference as the chefs stick in little Bez Glutenu flags in the GF dishes.

I opted for a creamed sauce pizza and Cara went for a delicious sounding pizza - she got GF so we could go halfsies.

 

The food was so filling! Although we were stuffed from our mains, there is ALWAYS room for Creme Brulee!

We only had 2 nights in Warsaw so we were determined to make the most of our one full day. We found a free walking tour company (here) and did the Old Town Walking Tour with Blaise. Our tour guide had a lot of information on both the history of Warsaw and local legends.

During World War II around 90% of Warsaw was bombed and destroyed. After the war and during the Communist regime a lot of the buildings were restored and today it looks almost as if the city was untouched. 

market square

   

Warsaw has a rich history and is the home of a few famous people - Pope John Paul II and Marie Curie both hail from here. 

Marie Curie Museum

Marie Curie is the only woman who has received a Nobel Prize in two different categories - chemistry and physics. 

 

Narrowest house in Warsaw

Many would have heard the story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, but during World War II (1944) there was another Warsaw Uprising that involved all Poles. The Polish Resistance Home Army attempted to drive Nazi Germany out of Warsaw. The Uprising lasted for 63 days, with little outside support. The uprising ultimately failed and resulted in a massive loss of life through injury and mass executions.

A memorial showing the Polish Home Army using the sewer system to escape the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. 

The Old Town walking tour went for approximately 2.5 hours. The same company also offered a Jewish Walking Tour so Cara and I went of to lunch to wait out the 2 hours in between.

Blaise was our guide once again for our second tour.

The raised bit in the middle shows the walls of the Jewish Ghetto in 1940. 

Over the war years and with subsequent executions, rampant diseases and mass transportations, the ghetto got smaller and smaller.

As the ghetto was completely destroyed by the Nazis after liquidation, the boundary is now marked by pavers.

Our tour took us through what was the ghetto, which is now residential buildings, and ended at the Umschlagplatz memorial. 

This memorial stands where the Jewish people were gathered to be deported to the Treblinka Extermination Camp. On some days as many as 10,000 Jews were deported.

Warsaw is a vibrant city with a rich history and delicious food!. The 2 nights we spent there were definitely not enough and I would love to go back at some stage and explore the rest of the city. 

Dinner at Work - Zimbo-Italiano Veg Dish

Last night we had another culinary delight that tickled the tastebuds!

The amazing thing about food is that you can start your dish with one thing in mind (in this case the spicy tastes of Zimbabwe) and with just the additions of a few spices it can go in a completely different direction! Straight to Italy!

Ingredients

onion, sliced

tinned diced tomato

cabbage (darker the better), thinly sliced

garlic gloves, chopped

cinnamon

chilli powder

curry powder

fennel seeds

rosemary

oregano

olive oil

polenta

veg stock

Method

brown the onion with cinnamon

add garlic and stir

add the cabbage slices 

pour in the tinned tomatoes

add in the chilli powder, curry powder, fennel seeds, rosemary and oregano

stir, taste and adjust to your liking

add a touch of olive oil to bring it all together

In another pot add 2 cups of stock

pour in polenta WHILE stirring

constantly stir until thick

if it starts spitting at you, take of heat and continue stirring

once both are ready, serve and enjoy

** to have a more Zimbabwean tasting dish, leave out the fennel seeds, rosemary and oregano and replace with hemp seeds, garam masala and a touch more chilli powder

Dinner at Work - Smoky Carrot and Broccoli Soup

Soup has seemed to be the theme of the week with the colder weather coming in. 
Yesterday we had a bag of carrots and quarter head of broccoli in the fridge that need to be used. 

Solution: 

Smoky Carrot and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

1 onion sliced

5 medium carrots
Spring onion

Quarter of a brocoli

2 cloves garlic

Veg stock

Cinnamon

Pepper

Dried chillis

Garic granules

Smoked paprika

Method:

fry onion with cinnamon until golden

add chopped carrots

add 1 litre of veg stock and chilli

add chopped spring onions and stalk of broccoli

put lid on and bring to the boil

add the paprika, garlic granules, salt and pepper 

taste and adjust

stir, and garlic cloves, then take of heat to blend

add the broccoli florets

 replace lid and back on heat for a few minutes to cook broccoli 

serve and eat

Dinner at Work - Not-Peanut-Butter and Spinach Curry with Basmati and Wild Rice

One of my main duties in my job as a live-in carer is cooking. 
Some of my clients are cool to sit back and let me work my magic and some others like to make kitchen magic with me! 


Since the end of August I have been paired with a guy in Norwich who is a wizz in the kitchen. 
Due to the fact that I absolutely loath peanut butter with a vengeance and he really wanted a peanut butter curry he thought of a way to still make the curry, but delete peanut butter from the process.

I give you.....

Not-Peanut-Butter and Spinach Curry

with basmati and wild rice

Ingredients:

                             Blender:

Pumpkin seeds

sunflower seeds

linseeds

fennel seeds

ground almonds

garlic cloves

olive oil

red wine vinegar

salt

Pot:

onion, sliced

veg stock

salt

spinach (we used 6 frozen cubes)

tomato, diced

hot curry powder

garlic granules

chilli powder

pepper

cinnamon

garam masala

Cooking is very much a trial and error process, so we tend to just play it by ear with the amounts used. 

Don't forget your rice!

Method:

Put all of the ingredients into the blender and blend. You may need to add a dash of water to get it into that 'paste' consistency.

In the pot fry the onion with a coating of cinnamon. 

Add in a cup and a half of veg stock (you will get steam burn if you're not careful!)

Add in the spinach and tomato

Add in the pepper, salt, chilli powder, curry powder, garam masala and garlic granules

Stir and adjust for your taste

Once the paste is consistent add it to the pot and stir. It will thicken out and look a bit like baby's poo thanks to the spinach.

While that is infusing together, get your rice on to boil. 

Once your happy with your rice and curry serve it up and enjoy!

Afternoon Tea in Bath

Yesterday I went exploring in Bath and came across this sweet little gem over the Jane Austen Centre.

The Regency Tea Rooms come equipped with red walls, mahogany dining furniture and waitresses dressed up in the dress of that period.

It had an amazing atmosphere and where very knowledgeable about food allergies.
I was lucky enough that they had the "Ladie's Afternoon Tea" in a gluten free option. It's amazing to be able to eat a sandwich that you haven't made yourself!


The Tea Rooms have been awarded the 'Award for Excellence' twice by the Tea-Guild and also has a 'Certificate o Excellence' from TripAdvisor.