Healthy Gluten Free Kickstart

Turn on your TV, read the papers, listen to the radio, and it's clear to see that we go diet mad as soon as January hits. We can all (most of us anyway) put up our hands and admit that the Christmas festivities equate to a couple of extra pounds on the scales and a few extra inches around our wasteband.

Well being gluten free means that you are already off to a good start for a detox infused January.

Throughout the month we will be posting our favourite nutritious recipes that will keep you feeling satisfied and healthy all month long.

To start us off, here are a couple of our top breakfast recipes:

Winter Porridge

Serves 1

Ingredients:
20g Barkat Porridge Flakes
100 ml Almond milk (or your choice of milk)
50 ml Water
1 Apple (grated)
1 Tablespoon Flaked Almonds
A good sprinkling of cinnamon
A teaspoon of honey

Method:

* Heat the milk and water on the hob, once simmering add the porridge flakes and stir
* Let the flakes soak into the milk and water and stir for about 5 mins
* Once the flakes have softened and the porridge feels like it has a good consistency, take it off the hob.
* Add the apple, almonds and stir in the cinnamon and honey.

What a great start to the day!


Egg white frittata with Barkat wholemeal gluten free bread

Eggs are the most nutritious way of starting the day. With a low calorie content and full of nutrients, we try and start most days with an egg involved!
This frittata is seriously simple to whip up and tastes delicious

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 pound asparagus spears
2 whole eggs and four egg whites
1/4 cup skimmed milk
1/4 cup feta cheese/low fat cheddar
4 slices Barkat wholemeal sliced bread

(you can add any other yummy veg that you like- sometimes we add roasted butternut squash and courgettes- it adds a lovely sweetness to the flavour!)

Method:

* Turn on the grill
* Steam or boil asparagus spears for 2-3 minutes, then plunge in cold water and drain. Cut asparagus into pieces and set aside.
* Combine eggs with milk.
* Pour a drop of olive oil onto a medium nonstick skillet (with an oven-proof handle) and heat on a medium light on the hob. Add asparagus pieces, immediately followed by the egg mixture. Cook frittata gently and undisturbed for five minutes, until edges begin to set. Sprinkle cheese on top.
* Carefully transfer skillet to the grill and cook frittata for 2-3 minutes until eggs are set and are golden in color.
* Cut frittata into 4 wedges and serve immediately with a slice of toasted wholemeal bread on the side.

Enjoy these breakfast suggestions and send us pictures of your healthy recipes!

Need a last minute Christmas gift? Chocolate Bark!

If time has caught up on you and you're suddenly left without a gift for one of your Christmas guests, have no fear. This homemade chocolate bark recipe is seriously impressive and more importantly ridiculously easy to make. We used Barkat gluten free pretzels and a handful of other yummy treats to decorate our chocolate so feel free to choose anything that takes your fancy and sprinkle it over the melted chocolate. We've experimented with Jelly babies to candy sticks to coffee beans- use your imagination (or whatever you have in your cupboards!) This is a great one for the kids to get involved too!

Ingredients:

However much chocolate you would like- try and buy the highest quality you can (either Dark, milk or white)
Classic toppings: raisins, cranberries, pistachios, hazelnuts, coconut flakes and more and more and more.
Exciting toppings: candy canes, popping candy, honeycomb bites, gluten free pretzels, popcorn and more and more and more.

Method:

* Gently melt your chocolate either in the microwave (stirring at 30 second intervals) or over a saucepan of water (making sure the water does not touch the chocolate)
* Pour the melted chocolate into a lined baking tray.
* Cover the chocolate with your decorations (we think the more the merrier for this!)
* Place in the fridge to set (approximately 40 mins)

That's all there is to it! We like to break the chocolate into bitesize pieces and then wrap in cellophane with a big ribbon!

Homemade gifts make celebrations that bit more special sometimes!

Homemade Tasty Christmas Gifts

Sometimes it is far more special to receive a handmade gift than another generic box of shower gel or a Christmas jumper which will never see the light of day. For our third 'festive bakes' installment, how about making an edible gift?

Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti

These biscuits taste delicious when dipped into a hot chocolate on a cold winter's night. Wrap them up in cellophane and a big red ribbon and you will be making someone very happy indeed!

We use Barkat gluten free all purpose flour mix and baking powder to make these lovely treats!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups Barkat all-purpose gluten free flour mix
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Barkat gluten free baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts

* Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.

*In a large bowl, mix together the oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs.

* Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into the egg mixture. Mix in the cranberries and nuts by hand (get your hands dirty!).

* Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. (Warning: the dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle the mixture more easily).

* Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 135 degrees C.

* Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides of the parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

* The colours of the fruit and nuts make the biscuits look so festive!

Enjoy!

Countdown to Christmas- Baking treats

Christmas is only 15 sleeps away!

During the countdown to Christmas we've decided to share a festive foodie recipe every day! If you like the sound of any of the dishes, get baking and share with your friends and family- let's get a festive baking trend going!



Today we are rustling up Frangipane mince tart! This tart is crumbly, rich and when paired with high quality mincemeat, it makes an extremely tasty, festive treat!

Serves 8:


Ingredients:
Pastry:
175g Barkat all purpose flour mix
75g butter, cubed
25g caster sugar
1 egg

Half a 410g jar good mincemeat

Almond filling:
75g butter
75g caster sugar
2 eggs
75g ground almonds
25g Barkat all purpose flour mix
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Topping:
about 75g icing sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
about 50g toasted flaked almonds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC, and put a heavy, flat baking tray into it to heat up. You will need a 33cm x 10cm x 3cm rectangle tin.

2. First make the pastry, either by the usual rubbing-in method by hand or measure the flour and butter into a processor and process until rubbed in. Add the sugar and mix for a moment, then add the egg and water. Process until the mixture just holds together.

3. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and use to line the flan tin. There will be ample pastry. Prick the base of the pastry using a fork.

4. Next make the filling. Process the butter and sugar until creamy, add the eggs and blend, then mix in the ground almonds and almond extract.

5. Spread a thin layer of mincemeat over the base of the pastry and spoon the almond mixture on top.

6. Sit the tart tin on the hot baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.

7. To finish the tart, make a glacé icing from the icing sugar and lemon juice, adding water to make it a pouring consistency. Spread over the tart and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Serve warm or cold.

If you want to serve this on Christmas day, the pasty-lined flan tin can be kept (covered in clingfilm) for up to 12 hours. Or you can prepare the entire pie (Up to the end of stage 6) and freeze it until the day.

This tart tastes fantastic with Brandy cream!

Get ready for many more Christmas bakes this month!

Breakfast in style- Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

The mornings are cold and dark and the only way to get the youngsters out of bed is to entice them with a yummy brekky!

We've got the answer: Using Barkat porridge flakes, we have rustled up a batch of chewy, gooey breakfast bars! These bars are filled with healthy nutrients, full of flavour and seriously easy to make.

Makes 12 bars (can store up to 1 week in an airtight container)

Ingredients

100g butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
85g demerara sugar
140g Barkat porridge flakes
½ tsp ground cinnamon
50g desiccated coconut
2 tbsp linseeds, slightly crushed
1 tbsp sesame seeds
100g chopped hazelnuts

Method

* Heat oven to 160C
* Butter a 22cm square baking tin.
* Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a pan. Pour in the oats, cinnamon, coconut, seeds and nuts, mix and pour into tin.
* Bake for 30-35 mins. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then cut into slices and enjoy!

Once you have made this a couple of times, begin experimenting- why not add a handful of chocolate chips or some raisins? Let us know your creations!

Mastering Mac'N'Cheese

One of our team is off to NYC next week and the rest of us are very jealous! We think the American cuisine is one of the best in the world (if you don't care too much about your waistline)! One of our favourite dishes is the ultimate comfort food- Macaroni and Cheese

With Barkat macaroni and flour mix, gluten free followers can enjoy this American classic!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

250g Barkat macaroni
40g butter
40g Barkat all-purpose flour
600ml milk
250g grated cheddar
50g grated parmesan

*Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes; drain well and rinse, then set aside.

*Melt the butter over a medium heat in a saucepan slightly larger than that used for the macaroni. Add the flour and stir to form a roux, cooking for a few minutes.

*Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time. Cook for 10-15 minutes to a thickened and smooth sauce. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to hot.

*Remove the sauce from the hob, add 175g of the cheese and stir until the cheese is well combined and melted.

*Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well. Transfer to a deep ovenproof dish.

*Sprinkle over the remaining cheddar and the parmesan and place the dish under the hot grill. Cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

Serve straightaway and enjoy a little taste of American life!

Christmas is on its way!

Fireworks night is over. SO let the festivities commence. Yes, it is fully acceptable to start getting in the spirit of Christmas!

If you haven't seen our Festive Christmas Collection yet then get clicking! We have created the ultimate gluten free gift.

Included in our box of treats is one of our favourite Gluten Free brands; The Foods of Athenry

This family run business, is set among the famous rolling Fields of Athenry. It was once a full-time dairy enterprise and back in 2004, they transformed and became a charming artisan bakery.

Using only fresh ingredients and absolutely no additives in sight, their bakes have earned them 25 Taste Awards!

The artisan bakery has a dedicated Gluten Free area which is where they have created some of our favourite gluten free treats.

Included in our collection are:

The fruity mince pies which are ridiculously moreish. The mincemeat filling is full of dried fruits, nuts and more than enough brandy- the pastry is buttery and light and it is finished off with a pretty pastry star.

The Gluten Free Christmas Pudding- This dessert has won 2 star Great Taste awards and it is easy to see why. Made with the finest of ingredients- select dried fruit macerated for days in brandy & Cider, combined with the other ingredients then gently steamed for up to 5 hours. And finally - seasoned with brandy. The perfect addition to Christmas time. We have even tried it out on those who do not follow a gluten free diet and they loved it!

The Christmas Cake- An ideal Christmas afternoon snack with a cup of tea. Baked with brown sugar, fresh eggs & macerated fruit and topped with marzipan and white icing.

So get ordering and give in to the spirit of Christmas! Also with every Collection you buy you will get a FREE yes FREE gift!

Just call us Santa Claus.