Gluten- and dairy-free banana and honey loaf

I've been feeling horribly guilty! How can six months have passed since I last had a chance to get cooking and blogging about it?! It has been somewhat of a roller coaster six months but I'm finally back up on my feet and cooking again; and it really does feel good. 

Amongst the various different origins of chaos rushing around in my life, I kept thinking about how I wanted to develop the way that I blogged about these recipe ideas and always returned to the idea of creating short videos that showed each step of the cooking process.

I've mentioned before that I don't class myself as a talented cook and find the jargon used in recipe books vague with no plainly obvious meaning (the just-add-water-cook in me needed a little more explanation than was offered) and this was the basis for creating these three minute videos. They show each stage of the preparation and cooking process, from how to dice or mash, to how each stage should look as a reference point. 

So here's the very first attempt... 

3-minute recipes: Gluten- and dairy-free banana and honey loaf


Ingredients:

• 90g dairy-free butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 190g gluten-free self-raising flour
• 2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons clear honey
• 1 egg
• 2 very ripe bananas

Method:

1. Melt the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a saucepan over heat.
2. Once mixed well, remove from the heat.
3. Peel and chop the bananas, place in a bowl and mash with a fork.
4. Add the bananas to the saucepan and mix well.
5. Beat the egg before adding to the saucepan and stirring. 
6. Add the flour a third at a time, mixing well between each addition. 
7. Grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture in.
8. Place the tin in the middle of an oven at 150° for up to an hour.
9. Take the loaf out the oven and pierce with a skewer. It is ready when there is no mixture on the skewer on removal.

Try serving this with Swedish Glace vanilla ice cream (dairy free!) or Alpro soya vanilla custard, topping with extra honey. 

I hope you find the video helpful, and I hope to be adding one each week. Any feedback is appreciated! :)

Gluten- and dairy-free mushroom soup

Worst. Blogger. Ever!

So going to back to university and new hours at work have left blogging at the bottom of my to-do list and I've hardly had the chance to try cooking new things just recently so I'm going to put a few of my tried-and-tested recipes up to make up for the accidental hiatus. 

Mushroom soup is the one recipe that I get begged for each week, so it is only fair that this one gets to be the returning recipe! Really easy, and this recipe makes about two portions so I freeze one of them to use later on.

Ingredients:

• 400g mushrooms - any type, personal preference here, chopped up
• 2 leeks (or one large), sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, or garlic salt if you find it easier!
• 50g dairy-free butter (I'm currently using Vitalite as it is the cheapest about at the moment)
• 500ml vegetable stock (I use Knorr Vegetable stock cubes, one cube in 500ml of boiling water for this recipe)
• Salt and pepper to season

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan (big enough to fit all the ingredients plus the stock in) and fry the leeks and garlic for five minutes. 
2. Once the leeks have softened, add the mushrooms and allow them to cook for another three to five minutes. 
3. Making sure that all the mushrooms have been cooked slightly, add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Leave the stock to simmer for five minutes. 
4. Taking the mix off the heat, blend the ingredients until smooth. 
5. Return the soup to the heat in a saucepan for a couple of minutes, making sure it doesn't boil.

Gluten- and dairy-free Lemon Cake

So this week I attempted two different recipes - one came out perfectly but the other not so well, and I'll be attempting it again in a few weeks with ALL the ingredients this time! The recipe that worked was a lemon cake and so far it has gone down well. Find the recipe below :)

Ingredients:

• 250g self-raising flour (I use Dove's Farm Gluten and Wheat Free range)
• 250g caster sugar
• 250g dairy-free butter (I am currently using Vitalite, although I often use the Pure range)
• 3 large/4 medium eggs
• 3 lemons

Method:

1. Mix together the sugar and butter in a bowl until it forms a creamy mixture. 
2. Using a grater with fine holes, grate one lemon to give the zest and add to the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in well. 
3. Add each egg one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between each addition. If the mixture looks like it is beginning to curdle, add a tablespoon or two of the flour and mix in. 
4. Sieve in the rest of the flour and fold it in until it is of an even consistency. 
5. Add a tablespoon of hot water and give the mixture a final stir. 
6. When I baked the mixture I did so in a deep baking tray rather than a cake tin or loaf tin. Because I don't ice the cake or use a filling in between layers, the cake itself is quite strong in flavour and I found smaller squares a better size portion, but it is entirely up to you!
7. Line the baking tray/cake tin/loaf tin with greaseproof paper and pour the cake mixture into the tray. 
8. Bake the mixture at 180° for 35-45 minutes. To check the cake is ready, poke a metal skewer/fork/knife into the cake and if there is no mixture on it when removed your cake is ready to go. 
9. While the cake is cooking, squeeze the juice from all three lemons into a mug. Run the lemon juice through a sieve to remove any flesh or seeds from the lemon. Add a one-two teaspoons of caster sugar to the lemon juice and stir.
10. Once you have removed the cake, and while it is still hot, poke holes throughout the cake. Pour the lemon juice and sugar mixture over the top of the cake and allow to soak through. Leave to cool and you have a lemon cake :)

Gluten- and dairy-free Coronation Chicken

Interesting sandwich-fillings are far and few between when it comes to eating without gluten or dairy products. Hours spent in Tescos picking through the tubs of sandwich fillings hunting for a usable one led me to try and make coronation chicken (although in my case I used turkey as it was about to go out of date...). This is really easy - one of those shove-everything-in-a-bowl mixes!

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken/turkey breast - diced (into chunks as big or as small as you prefer them to be)
• 100g mayonnaise (for dairy-free I use Tescos-own mayonnaise)
• 75g mango chutney
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder (for gluten-free I use Tescos Medium Curry Powder - not the Tesco value option as this contains wheat flour)
• Lime zest from 2 limes
• 2 teaspoons lime juice

Method:

1. Cook the chicken/turkey until golden brown - I fry mine but some people prefer oven-cooked, either works fine.
2. Put the mayonnaise, mango chutney, curry powder, lime zest and lime juice into a bowl and mix. Keep tasting throughout and add any extra of each ingredient to your specific taste - these measurements aren't exact for everyone so don't be afraid to add more of anything if you feel it needs it!
3. Allow the chicken/turkey to cool before adding to the mixture. Make sure all the meat is covered and serve. This recipe also works well with rice as a main dish - versatile!

Gluten- and dairy-free Apple Crumble

The weather has been surprisingly summery today so I thought I'd share a recipe to fit the day. When I originally made this apple crumble, I was using up all the ingredients that I had left - eating apples, self-raising flour, caster sugar - instead of the normal ingredients you might use - cooking apples, plain flour, soft brown sugar. If (like myself) cooking is something that is done in the spur of the moment and often with variations on the ingredients list, then this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients:

• 5 apples - peeled, chopped and core removed
• 230g caster sugar
• Teaspoon of cinnamon
• 170g plain flour (I use the Dove's Farm Gluten and Wheat free range)
• 100g butter (I use Vitalite or sunflower Pure)

Method:

1. Place the apple in a saucepan with about 180g of the caster sugar and the cinnamon. Gently heat for half an hour and keep stirring throughout.
2. Pour the apple mix into a dish you plan to serve the crumble in and leave to cool.
3. Gently rub the flour, remaining sugar and the butter together to create a breadcrumb-like mixture and pour over the apple mix. 
4. Lightly sprinkle sugar (brown sugar is best but any works) and a little cinnamon over the topping. 
5. Place in the oven at 150° for half an hour. 

Gluten- and dairy-free Roast Tomato Soup

Some of Ben's most missed dishes were soups, and with most food that comes in a tin or designed for long shelf life, there are a lot of ways to sneak in gluten or dairy where it really isn't necessary; plus fresh homemade soups are always better! 

The very first soup I decided to attempt was a tomato soup after checking the ingredients and allergens on numerous cans while shopping. Possibly one of the easiest dishes I've ever managed to date, it took only one go to get it right. The recipe is below.

Ingredients:

• 800g tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 500ml vegetable stock (for all my stocks - chicken, vegetable - I use the Knorr stock cube range. For this recipe I used one cube with 500ml of boiling water.) 
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• Olive oil (or vegetable, any oil works here)

Method:

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a baking tray (I used a roasting tin that I usually use for chicken, to give you an idea of size) with the centre of the tomato facing up.
2. Chop the onions - it doesn't matter how finely - and place in the baking tray with the tomatoes. 
3. Drizzle the oil over the top of the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the tomatoes and onions at 190° for about an hour, or until the tomatoes are cooked and soft. 
5. Place the tomatoes and onions into a saucepan with the vegetable stock and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. 
6. Take the pan off of the heat and allow to cool. 
7. Blend the stock, tomatoes and onions until a smooth mixture has formed. 
8. Pass the soup quickly through a sieve to remove any skin or seeds that may remain.
9. Return to the saucepan and heat gently and do not allow the soup to come to the boil (not sure why, but it was a tip from a friend!). Season to taste and serve. 

Gluten- and dairy-free Sticky Toffee Pudding

A weekend at work has left me craving sticky toffee pudding with custard, so I thought I would share with you my gluten- and dairy-free recipe. I have put it together in two parts, cake first and then the sauce below. 

Ingredients (cake):

• 190g self-raising flour (for this I use Doves Farm Gluten and Wheat Free range, available from Tescos, Sainsbury's and Waitrose for definite, may be available in other stores as well)
• 120g soft brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 120ml soya milk (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons of melted dairy-free butter (I use Vitalite or the sunflower Pure, both available from most supermarkets)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method:

1. In one bowl, sift the flour, salt and sugar together. 
2. In a second bowl, add the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and butter. Mix/whisk these together until the mixture becomes frothy.
3. Pour the second mixture into the bowl with the flour, salt and sugar.  Mix well to give an even consistency. 
4. Pour into a greased tin (I used a loaf tin when I made this but any deep tin works well) and cook in the oven at 180° for half an hour until the top of the cake is firm. Using a knife or skewer, pierce the cake all the way through and then remove - the cake is ready when no mixture is left on the knife/skewer when you remove it. 

While the cake is cooking, you can make the sauce as below.

Ingredients:

• 120g dairy-free butter
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 250ml dairy-free cream (I use the cream from the Lactofree range) - if you are sensitive to the Lactofree cream, this recipe works with 250ml of soya milk instead

Method:

1. Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan until a smooth, dark brown sauce forms.
2. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before pouring over the cake and serving.