Tag Archives: Garlic

Gluten free – cauliflower and spinach cheese bake

We indulged ourselves a bit earlier in the week with a real cheesy cauliflower and spinach bake (used mom’s recipe for white sauce – one of the first things I learned to cook).  We used the Apache chillies from the garden in the dish and it helped spice it up a bit.  Feel free to reduce the amount of cheese you use.

100_7651   100_7654

100_7655    100_7657

What do I need to make it?

  • 1 head of cauliflower cut into bite size florets (par boil with some salt)
  • 1 small bag of spinach (~150gms) par boiled with a bit of salt
  • 1 bunch of spring onions chopped
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 6-8 green chillies chopped finely (de-seed if you want the sauce milder)
  • 3 tbsp gluten free flour mix (we use Dove’s Farm flour)
  • 100 gm medium grated cheddar cheese
  • 100 gm red Leceister grated cheese
  • 250 ml milk
  • 75 gm unsalted butter
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 4

How do I make it?

Heat a heavy bottom pan and melt butter before adding garlic, spring onion and green chillies.  Saute for 5-8 minutes before adding the gluten free flour.   Give it a good stir, add the milk and reduce the heat.   Bring the mixture to a boil before adding half of each cheese.   Continue to mix till you get a nice thick cheesy sauce.   If it is too thick add a bit more milk.   Add the remaining ingredients and mix well before transferring into an oven proof dish.   Sprinkle the remaining cheese and place under the grill in pre-heated oven at around 220 degrees Centigrade.   Remove the dish once the cheese has melted and begins to form a golden crust.  Enjoy and then make an appointment to go to the gym afterwards to work it off 🙂

 

Garden fresh – cream of tomato soup with a simple pasta

We have been blessed with plenty of tomatoes this year and having used it in our daily cooking for the last three weeks last night was an opportunity to make some fresh tomato soup.  There is something to be said about picking vegetables fresh and cooking them as there is a distinct difference in flavour versus supermarket bought vegetables.   The soup was simple to make and tasted great with a simple pasta starter.

100_7521   Cream of tomato soup   100_7624

Cream of tomato soup

What do I need to make it?

  • 15-20 cherry tomatoes boiled, pureed and strained
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 100 ml single cream
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp oilve oil
  • Small handful Thai basil chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 2

How do I make it?

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the garlic for a few minutes before adding the onion and carrot.   Cook for 5 minutes till the onions appear translucent and then add the paprika and strained tomato.   Add a vegetable stock cube with 500 ml water and simmer over a low heat for another 20 minutes.   Blend the soup and return to heat.   Adjust the seasoning before adding the single cream and chopped Thai basil.  Enjoy.

Cherry tomato pasta

What do I need to make it?

  • 2 large handfuls of gluten free penne boiled
  • 10-12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 6-8 queen size olives sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • Handful fresh oregano and basil chopped
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 tbsp oilve oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 2

How do I make it?

Heat oilve oil in a pan and then add the garlic.  Saute for a minute and make sure the garlic doesn’t burn before adding the chilli flakes.   Stir for 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes.   Cook for five minutes before adding the sliced olives and cooked penne.    Adjust the seasoning and add the fresh organo and basil.   Enjoy as a starter or make a larger portion for a main meal.

Twice cooked corn chowder

Today’s lunch was inspired by a recipe posted on catholicfoodie.com.  Our Apache chilli plant has more chillies than we can give away or use and so we looked for ways to use more than one or two chillies in a dish.  The soup is a revelation and could feature as a starter for our next dinner party or barbecue.

100_7610  100_7611  100_7613

What do I need to make it?

  • 3 ears of corn roasted and shucked
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 10-12 cherry tomatoes (picked fresh from our garden)
  • 10-12 Apache chillies (reduce to taste – also picked from our garden)
  • 2 small capsicums (1 medium green pepper would work just as well)
  • 1 whole garlic pod (roast with skin on)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 100 ml single cream
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Handful of fresh coriander chopped
  • Salt & pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 4

How do I make it?

Place tomatoes, chillies, garlic and capsicum in a bowl and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil to coat all the vegetables.   Then place in a pre heated oven at 200 degree Centigrade for 25-30 minutes till the vegetables begin to char and are roasted.   Remove garlic skins and place with remaining roasted vegetables in a blender and blend to a paste.  Heat pan with remaining olive oil and add chopped onions.   Saute for 5 minutes before adding the paste.   Stir for a couple of minutes before adding the stock cubes and about a litre of water.   Bring to a gentle boil, add the shucked corn, salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook for another 20 minutes on low heat.   Finish the soup with the cream, lemon juice and fresh coriander.

Garden fresh – brown rice soba noodles with courgettes and herbs

With Anna away in India for three weeks I have been pretty lazy on the cooking front and coping with quick fruit salads, smoothies and omelettes.  Today I decided to use up the last of the courgettes from the garden and garnished it with a combination of herbs (plucked fresh from our herb patch).  The end result is worthy of being replicated for Anna when she gets back as I think she will like it.

100_7478  100_7480

What do I need to make it?

  • 80-90 gms Brown rice soba noodles (spaghetti if you are not on a gluten free diet)
  • 3-4 medium sized mushrooms sliced
  • 1 large stick of celery roughly chopped
  • 1 small yellow courgette cubed
  • 1 small green courgette cubed
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
  • Handful basil, mint, oregano and curly leaf parsley chopped for garnish
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

A hearty bowl for one

How do I make it?

Boil your noodles or pasta and keep aside.   Heat pan and add olive oil and garlic and saute for a minute.   Add the celery and saute for a couple of minutes before adding the courgettes and mushrooms.  Stir for 5 minutes before sprinkling the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Garnish with chopped herbs and add cooked noodles to the pan.   Toss around till the noodles are well coated and serve up in a large bowl.  Enjoy.

Gluten free upma

Upma is a simple traditional South Indian breakfast and tiffin dish which is normally made of coarse or fine semolina.  Since getting on the Paleo journey Anna and I have abstained from eating upma as its made from a  wheat derivative.   On one of our recent shopping trips to an Asian grocery store Anna spotted some cassava powder (gari) which resembled broken wheat in texture and picked it up.  Last night was a voyage of discovery and we think we have found a suitable alternative to semolina and cannot wait to make some of our traditional breakfast fare and sweet dishes that we have avoided off late.

100_7430  100_7431  100_7434

What do I need to make it?

  • 1 1/2 cups of cassava powder – dry roasted in a pan till light brown
  • 2 mushrooms finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick finely chopped
  • 8 Indian button onions sliced
  • 2 sprigs of spring onion chopped
  • 3 green chillies finely chopped (de-seed if you want to make it less spicy)
  • 1 small yellow courgette finely chopped
  • Handful of fresh coriander finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1″ piece of ginger minced
  • 1 medium tomato chopped
  • Few curry leaves
  • Pinch of asaefotida
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp split urad dahl
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Few curry leaves
  • 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 2

How do I make it?

Heat pan and add 2 tbsp of ghee before adding the mustard seeds.  Once the seeds start crackling add the urad dahl and stir till they turn golden brown.  Add the curry leaves, ginger and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.  Then add each of the vegetables in sequence giving each a couple of minutes to cook before adding the next (first the onions and celery, then the carrot and courgette followed by the mushrooms and finished off with the spring onions and chopped coriander.  Next add the turmeric powder, garam masala and salt and mix for a couple of minutes.   Add 250 ml of water and bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.   Finally add the roasted cassava powder to the pan while mixing it vigorously to avoid clumps forming.  Cook for 5 minutes while constantly stirring and then remove off heat.  Serve hot with a fresh coconut chutney.

 

Garden fresh – celery soup

Our vegetable patch bounty of celery is more than we can consume in a month and we used some to make a fresh batch of soup for dinner a couple of nights back.  I decided to experiment a bit with the finishing off the dish and added a couple of teaspoons of flavoured cream cheese which works really well instead of cream (not sure if it is healthier but different definitely).

100_7415  100_7416  100_7422

What do I need to make it?

  • 3-4 bunches of celery washed, trimmed and diced
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 gluten free vegetable stock cubes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 50 gms butter
  • 2 tbsp oilve oil
  • 2 tsp cream cheese (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 4

How do I make it?

Heat oil and butter in pan and add garlic and bay leaves to it.  Saute for a minute before adding the onions and sweating them down a bit.  Then add the celery and carrot and give the pan a good mix.   Add 500 ml of water and the stock cubes and bring to a boil.  Simmer the soup on low heat for 30-40 minutes till the vegetables are cooked.  Remove the bay leaves before blending the soup in a food processor till you get a fine puree.  Return to heat and adjust the seasoning.  Add couple of teaspoons of cream cheese, mix and switch off heat.  Serve hot.

Garden fresh – mushrooms and celery

Not exactly the start I’d imagined for a Friday morning.  Our little girl Lola decided to wake up at 4:45 and wanted me to get her morning milk.  As I could not go back to sleep I decided to treat Anna and myself to a cooked breakfast before the school run.  Anna’s garden is in full bloom and the celery plants were ready to be picked.   Breakfast comprised of sauteed mushrooms and celery with scrambled eggs (spiced up with green chilies and spring onions).  The combination of mushrooms and celery is divine – if you love each individually you will love the taste of them combined.

100_7391  100_7392100_7393  100_7394

What do I need to make it?

  • 200 gm assorted mushrooms thickly sliced
  • Small bunch of celery chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red chili
  • Knob of butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

2-4 servings

How do I make it?

Heat the butter in a pan and saute the garlic for a minute.  Add the crushed red chili and saute for another 30 seconds before adding the mushroom and celery.  Saute for ten to fifteen minutes till done – adjust the seasoning and serve hot as an accompaniment with eggs or as a topping on toast.

Italian lunch – minestrone soup with three bean salad

On a dreary day like today nothing better than to warm up to a hot bowl of soup.  I think I spoke too soon regarding the onset of the English summer as we are back to wet grey skies and moderate temperatures.  Lunch today comprised of a hearty bowl of minestrone soup preceded by a delicious plate of three bean salad (has to be one of the simplest Italian inspired salads).

100_7351    100_7349

 

100_7347    100_7350

Minestrone soup

What do I need to make it?

  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1 green pepper cubed
  • 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 1 courgette (zucchini) peeled and cubed
  • 1 carrot
  • Handful green beans
  • 6-8 baby corn
  • 5-6 closed cup mushrooms
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
  • 400 ml canned chopped tomato
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Handful chopped fresh basil, parsley and oregano to garnish (plucked fresh from our garden)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Knob of butter
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 4

How do I make it?

Wash all the vegetables and cut into bite size pieces.  Heat a pot and add olive oil and butter.  Then add bay leaves and saute for a few seconds followed by the minced garlic  Saute garlic for a minute to infuse the oil mixture and then add onion, celery and green pepper.  Saute for five minutes before adding the remaining vegetables.  Cook for another five minutes before adding black pepper, crushed red chili, Italian seasoning, stock cubes, chopped canned tomato and salt to taste.  Pour in 2 cups of water and cook over  low to medium heat for 30-35 minutes till vegetables are cooked (firm to the bite).  Garnish with chopped basil, oregano and parsley and serve hot.

 

Three bean salad

What do I need to make it?

  • 1 tin of flageolet beans (400 ml with brine)
  • 1 tin borlotti beans (400 mil with brine)
  • 1 tin cannellini beans (400 ml with brine)
  • 1 ripe tomato de-seeded and chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Handful chives chopped finely
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 6 lettuce leaves
  • Handful of chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp walnut oil
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 6

How do I make it?

Rinse the beans and keep aside.  Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil followed by the minced garlic.  Saute for 30 seconds before adding the beans.  Warm the beans through and switch off heat.  In a large salad bowl add chopped tomatoes, chives, zest of lemon and lemon juice, parsley and warmed beans.  Adjust the seasoning and add black pepper, remaining olive oil and walnut oil.   Give it a good mix and serve on a lettuce leaf.

 

Suffed Portabello mushrooms

A versatile mushroom which works a treat as a vegetarian option on the barbecue (sprinkle salt, pepper, dry herbs, twist of lemon and a knob of butter and grill).  I baked some for dinner the other night and stuffed it with a mushroom duxelle of sorts.  The finished article had bags of flavour and will definitely feature on future barbecue sessions.

100_7197  100_7203  100_7206

What do I need to make it?

  • 4 portabello mushrooms skinned
  • 3 closed cup mushrooms finely chopped
  • 3 chestnut mushrooms finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 sprig of green onion chopped
  • 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
  • 10-12 green olives finely chopped
  • 6 sun ripe tomatoes drained and chopped
  • small handful chopped tarragon
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp dried herbs (thyme, parsley and marjoram)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • small knob of butter
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)
  •  Salt to taste

How do I make it?

Heat pan and add oil and butter.  Once melted add garlic and stir for a couple of minutes before adding onions and celery.  Saute for 5 minutes before adding the chopped mushrooms and spring onion.  Add herbs and chili flakes and season with a bit of salt.  Once mushroom has cooked down add the sun dried tomatoes and olives and warm them through before garnishing with fresh chopped tarragon.

To prepare the portabello mushrooms for baking remove the skin and place on baking sheet.  Scoop a bit of the mixture and fill the cups of the portabello mushroom.  Finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese before baking in a 220 degree centigrade oven for 25-30 minutes.