Wednesday 30 April 2014

Gluten Free Spring Cooking- part 2

We are loving experimenting with the flavours of spring! Seeing as May is almost upon us, we thought we would end April with a couple more recipes that get us into the spirit of spring.

Rhubarb Spice Cake



We love the vibrant taste of rhubarb and this deliciously moist rhubarb spice cake, is a perfect sweet treat for spring. We use Barkat flour and baking powder to make this gorgeous recipe gluten free.

Ingredients:
  • 5oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing


  • 2 tsp mixed spice

  • 1 tsp ground ginger

  • 100g dark muscovado sugar

  • 250g golden syrup


  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 300g rhubarb, cut into short lengths

  • icing sugar, for dusting


Method:
  • Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and put the kettle on. 
  • Butter and line a deep 20cm square cake tin. 
  • Sift the flour and spices into a bowl. 
  • Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in the food processor, then beat in the golden syrup. 
  • Dissolve the baking powder in 200ml boiling water, then gradually pour through the spout of the processor. Pulse in the flour, then add the eggs, mixing briefly. 
  • Remove the bowl from the processor, then gently stir in the rhubarb.
  • Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50-60 mins, until the cake feels firm to the touch and springs back when pressed. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. 
  • Dust with icing sugar.


Serve with a big spoon of warm custard. What a perfect evening treat! 

Spiced lamb patties with a salad and hummus wrap 

Another favourite recipe uses lamb, red mint and - these lamb patties have a lovely middle eastern flavour to them. We love to serve these in BFree wraps with hummus!



Ingredients:

For the patties

  • 50 g Barkat flour
  • 500 minced lamb
  • teaspoons dried mint (or to taste)
  • teaspoons dried oregano (or to taste)
  • clove garlic
  • 1 egg
  • zest of lemon
  • olive oil for frying

for the wraps

  • approx. BFree wraps
  • little gem lettuce (chopped)
  • bunch fresh mint (chopped)
  • red onion (halved and thinly sliced)
  • 300 grams hummus
  • 300 grams greek yoghurt
  • teaspoon ground cumin
  • tomatoes
  • lemons

METHOD
  1. Put the flour and minced lamb in a mixing bowl. Add the beaten egg, dried mint and oregano, mince in the garlic and the lemon zest. Stir everything thoroughly and then form into small walnut-sized patties, then flatten them slightly between your hands and arrange them on a clingfilmed baking sheet or plate and let them stand for 20 minutes in the fridge to firm up. If you want to, you can cover them with clingfilm, too, and leave them in the fridge for up to 6 hours before frying them. You will get about 30 patties from the mixture.
  2. Fry the patties in a little olive oil until cooked through, and a beautiful golden brown on both sides. These are little, so it shouldn't take too long: about 4 minutes a side. Do not crowd the pan as you cook.
  3. To make up your wrap, spread a couple of spoons of hummus onto the wrap and one tablespoon of greek yoghurt and a pinch of cumin. Then add a salad of shredded lettuce, mint and red onion rings. Top with about four lamb patties and then squeeze in some lemon. Then wrap up and enjoy!


LET US KNOW WHEN YOU PUT THESE SPRING RECIPES TO THE TEST! 

Thursday 24 April 2014

Step into the Spirit of Spring- Gluten Free Style






On the whole, the weather has been getting more and more spring like over the past couple of weeks. Here at Gluten Free Foods, we love cooking at this time of year. All our favourite veggies are in season (artichoke, asparagus, cauliflowers and lots lots more).

Seeing as the sun is shining (almost) we thought we would end this month of blogging with a series of recipes that will get you in the mood for Spring.



Let's kickstart with our favourite Spring Pasta Salad- we use Barkat Pasta Spirals which work perfectly:

Ingredients


For the Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
For the Pasta Salad:
5 cups cooked Barkat Pasta Spirals (or any other variation you'd like- Buckwheat adds a yummy nitty taste)
2 cups de-seeded and coarsely chopped English Cucumbers
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 heaping cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced purple onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Method:
In a bowl or mason jar combine olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, mustard, honey, and a pinch of salt a fresh cracked black pepper.  Whisk vigorously (by hand) until emulsified.  Taste and season with more lemon, honey, salt, or pepper as necessary.  Set aside.
In a large bowl toss together the gluten free pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, onion, and fresh basil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Just before serving, drizzle in the dressing. Taste and season accordingly.  Serve immediately.  

Very easy to put together but the creamy, rich taste of the feta mixed with the sweetness of the dressing makes this gluten free spring salad rather delicious indeed!