Chickpea Couscous
Ingredients
- 3 carrot chopped
- 2 cups (400g) couscous
- 400g canned chickpeas, rinsed, drained
- 2 tsp sumac
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Mint leaves, to garnish
Prepration
- For the yoghurt, mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Steam carrots, covered, over boiling water for 3-5 minutes until just tender.
- Meanwhile, place couscous in a heatproof bowl and pour over 1 1/2 cups (375ml) of boiling water. Cover and stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, then add chickpeas and carrots.
- For the dressing, whisk sumac, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl.
- Add to the couscous and toss together.
- Serve the chickpea and carrot couscous with the minted yoghurt. Garnish with mint leaves.
Gluten Free Lemon Shortbread
Ingredients
- 250g butter
- 1 ½ cups maize flour
- ½ cup rice flour
- ¾ icing sugar
- 1tsplemon grind (grated)
Prepration
- Preheat oven to 150 deg C.
- Soften but do not melt the butter.
- Mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and well combined.
- Roll dough on a maize dusted surface to a 1 cm thickness. Cut into fingers or press out shapes using a cookie cutter
- Place on a baking tray and prick with a fork
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until pale but crisp (longer slower baking is the trick with shortbread).
- Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container
Gluten Free Apple and Almond Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 3 sharp eating apples, peeled,
cored and chopped - 1 lemon, juice only
- 300g/ caster sugar
- 8 free-range eggs
- 325g ground almonds
- ½ tsp almond essence
- 50g flaked almonds
- icing sugar, for sprinkling
Prepration
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease and line the base of a 25cm spring form tin with a little oil.
- Place the apples into a pan with half the lemon juice and two tablespoons of the caster sugar. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for about 7-9 minutes or until the apples are soft enough to roughly mash with a fork. Do not over-mash, though. You still want a little bite and texture. Leave to cool.
- Put the cooled purée, eggs, ground almonds, almond essence, remaining caster sugar and approximately one tablespoon of the remaining lemon juice into a food processor and blend together. Pour into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes, and if the cake is getting too brown cover the top with parchment paper or foil.
- Leave to cool slightly before you remove the cake from the tin. This is delicious served warm or cold with a generous sprinkling of icing sugar.
Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm-pieces
- (3/4 cup) red lentils, rinsed
- (5 cups) water
- 90g low-fat natural yoghurt
- Fresh coriander leaves, to serve
Prepration
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion and cook, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Add the pumpkin, lentils, water and stock cube. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft. Set aside to cool.
- Ladle half the lentil mixture into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining lentil mixture.
- Place the soup over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with pepper. Ladle among serving bowls. Top with the yoghurt and coriander to serve.
Cracked Wheat Pilaf
Ingredients
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 1 onion- very finely diced
- 4 tbsps vermicelli- crushed
- 1 cup cracked wheat
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- ¼ peas
- 1 carrot diced
Prepration
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan with lid. Add onion; mix until the onions are transparent. Reduce heat to low and add vermicelli, mix, simmer for two minutes or until the vermicelli looks golden (but not burnt).
- Add cracked wheat into the saucepan, mix then add the chicken stock, tomatoes and season. (Do not add salt if your stock is high in salt), Mix well.
- Cover the pan and simmer very gently heat for four minutes, until the mixture is moist but not watery. If is too dry add more chicken/vegetable stock. Turn off heat.
- Cover with tea towel, place the lid tightly on top and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving
Sweet Potato Bhajis
Ingredients
- 250g chickpea flour
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deep-frying
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 sweet potato, grated
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Prepration
- For the bhajis, tip the flour into a large bowl and add enough water to make a smooth batter (about 100ml).
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onions for 5-10 minutes, or until golden-brown.
- Stir the cooked onions, sweet potato, chilli and coriander into the batter.
- Half-fill a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan or deep fat fryer with vegetable oil and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it.
- Shape the bhaji mixture into small rounds and deep-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Carefully remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- For the curry dressing, mix the curry paste and one tablespoon hot water together in a bowl to a smooth paste. Whisk in the vinegar, then slowly whisk in both the oils.
- Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Chocolate Filled Buns
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2 teaspoons quick-rise yeast
- 3/4 cup fat-free milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups bread flour
- Cooking spray
- 100g semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Prepration
- Lightly spoon whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, and quick-rise yeast in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
- Combine milk, 1/2 cup water, butter, and canola oil in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until mixture is warm (100° to 110°). Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir 1 minute. Add egg; stir 1 minute. Lightly spoon bread flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add bread flour to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 2 minutes.
- Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; lightly coat top of dough with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and punch down. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; shape each portion into a ball. Working with one ball at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll dough into a 5-inch circle. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate in the center of circle. Roll up dough tightly, jelly-roll fashion; pinch seams to seal. Place buns, seam side down, on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Tuck ends under; cover. Repeat procedure with remaining dough and chocolate.
- Lightly coat dough with cooking spray; cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Lightly brush tops of buns with egg white.
- Bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack