Gluten-free Recipe: Pizza Sub

Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. It’s the perfect solution when you don’t want to prepare yet another gluten-free sandwich or roll, but that’s your only option.

And it’s such a flashback to the 1980s. Remember the pizza subs that you could buy frozen? Pop them in the oven and you had a pizza meal. I used to think they were the ants pants. Always desperate to try one, but not sure that I got there.

I was trying to invent something else a few weeks ago. It didn’t work once, twice, thrice. I’ve shelved that idea for the time being, as the only way to fix it was to make it more complicated. I was specifically wanting to create something really simple. Then the pizza sub occurred to me. It worked like a dream and the kids loved them. Also super quick and simple. Perfect.

Prep time is about 5 minutes. Ingredient measurements are approximate and can be varied according to your favourite pizza toppings.

What could be better?

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 long gluten-free bread roll (hot dog roll or baguette)

2 tsp tomato paste or pizza sauce

¾ cup grated pizza cheese

¼ cup shredded ham

¼ tsp dried oregano

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Line a small baking tray with baking paper.

Cut the bread roll in half, lengthways. Spread the tomato paste or pizza sauce on both halves.

On the bottom half, sprinkle over half the cheese, followed by the ham and then remaining cheese and oregano.

Top with the other bread half and gently press down to ensure the sub won’t tip over. Put on baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Serve hot or cold.

Makes 1 pizza sub.

Gluten-free Recipe: Pine+Apple Cake with Maple Icing

I can’t think of anything meaningful to say this week, so instead here are three random and unrelated facts about me:

1. My 5 year-old son and I are making a pompom. That is, I’m making the pom pom while he gets the wool nicely tangled and strewn up everywhere. It’s for a kindy project – all the kindy kids’ pompoms are going to be hung from a tree. It should look amazing. They’re so easy to make, thank God, as my craft skills would barely cope with anything else. Previous parents were asked to knit squares for a blanket. Jeez, that would have been my worst nightmare. My poor Mum tried to teach me to knit but I was just so hopeless at it. She blamed it on my severe left-handedness. I blamed it on lack of talent. To this day, I think she considers it a parental failing that I can’t knit. Time to let that one go, Mum!
2. Thanks to the recommendation of a good friend, my Husband and I are currently watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, created and written by Aaron Sorkin. Damn, it’s good. I love Sorkin’s work. I really loved The Newsroom and earlier this year I did manage to work my way through one season of The West Wing – still fab after all this time. I don’t think I’ll rest until I’ve watched everything Sorkin has ever done. He’s a genius.
3. We are in the middle of spring here in Australia and that means that everyone’s having garage sales and all the schools are having fundraising fairs or fetes. That means loads of second-hand goods. That means plenty of opportunities to buy props for food photos, as well as kids’ clothes and toys. I love a bargain, so this makes me happy. I love a bargain so much that I’m thinking about blogging my food prop purchases. What do you think? If you love a bargain as much as me, check out the lovely blog The Second Hand City, especially if you live in Melbourne. It’s wonderful for glimpses of how its author, Leanne, finds and uses her recycled treasures.

That’s all. But I should just say that this recipe is awesome. And I think its name is awesome, too (pineapple plus apple equals pine+apple. Geddit?). So you can either choose to bask in its awesomeness by cooking it, or not.

Oh, and yes, occasionally I allow my kids to have iced cakes at school. Gotta be healthy most of the time, but gotta live as well. And honestly, you are really going to want to try the maple icing.

Enjoy!

Method

Cake

2 eggs

150 g brown sugar

50 g tapioca flour

70 g sorghum flour

60 g brown rice flour

30 g baking powder

5 g psyllium husks

200 g (approximately 2)  peeled, cored and grated apple

120 g (approximately 3 rings) drained tinned pineapple

125 ml oil

Icing

45 g butter, melted

1 ½ tbs pure maple syrup

100 g gluten-free icing mixture

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease a 24 cm fluted ring cake tin.

Beat eggs in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add sugar and beat for a further 2 minutes.

Sift in tapioca flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, baking powder and psyllium husks. Add apple.

Chop the pineapple into 1 cm chunks and add to the mixture. Add oil.

Mix until well combined.

Pour into tin and make sure mixture is evenly disbursed. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.

Allow to cool in tin.

When cake is completely cooled, turn out onto a plate.

To make the icing, put the butter in a small bowl and cover with a plate or plastic film. Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until butter is melted.

Sift icing mixture into a medium sized bowl and add maple syrup. Add butter and stir to combine. Spread evenly over cake and stand for a few minutes to set.

Makes 8 to 10 slices.

 

Gluten-free Recipe: Salmon, Apple and Rosemary Bites

Yes, I’m out on a limb with this recipe. Putting fish in a lunchbox is a little dicey – there’s always the risk that by lunchtime the fish smell will be overpowering not only your child but everyone else as well. Noone wants their kid to be in fishy exile for all of lunchtime!

Having said that, it’s not the first time I’ve developed a fish recipe for the lunchbox. You may remember my Tuna and Rice Cakes which are basically an evening meal recipe, with the leftovers being  ideal for the next day’s lunch. You can find that recipe in my eCookbook.

You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve roadtested these bites in the school lunchboxes as well as sending them to work with my Husband. Thumbs up!

What’s the trick? Well, salmon is a fairly mild flavoured fish when canned, compared with, say, tuna. And the apple  lends some sweetness. In all, it’s a great way to introduce your little ones to fish.

Personally, I love the way the rosemary compliments the salmon and apple, but if it raises your child’s suspicions, just leave it out.

And for a grown up twist? Try serving the bites as finger food. Leave whole or slice in half, with a dollop of sour cream and some fish roe. Or warm with a decadent dollop of butter. Delish!

The salmon and yoghurt give these bites a good lug of protein, essential for keeping tummies feeling full, so I simply send them in the lunchbox with some vegetable sticks. And an icepack to keep them fresh.

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

2 eggs

65 g tapioca flour

80 g brown rice flour

85 g sorghum flour

5 g psyllium husk

20 g baking powder

210 tin pink salmon

170 g peeled, cored and grated apple (approximately 2 large apples)

2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves

140 g Greek yoghurt

125 ml oil

Salt

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (convential oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease 24 cavities in a 30 ml capacity mini muffin tray.

Beat eggs in large bowl of an electric mixer for 5 minutes.

Sift into the bowl tapioca flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, psyllium husk and baking powder.

Drain the salmon and remove and discard bones and as much skin as possible. Add salmon to bowl, along with apple and 1 tsp of rosemary leaves.

Add yoghurt, oil and generous pinch of salt and mix until combined.

Spoon mixture into cavities until each cavity is approximately three-quarters full. Top each bite with a little rosemary and salt.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer, after inserted, comes out clean.

Alow to cool in tin.

Makes approximately 24.

GFL’s Top 10 Lunchbox Snack Recipes

It’s been a while between blog posts for me. I’ve had a disrupted couple of weeks as the school term has finished and kids have started holidays and I’ve also had a few health issues which have meant I’ve had to slow down a bit. There’s a couple of recipes in the works, but I’ve taken a bit of time out to throw my feet up and watch some old episodes of ER and the West Wing.

Damn, after all these years they still make superb viewing!

Anyway, it occurred to me that many of you may not want to spend time sifting through my blog to find the perfect recipes for you or your kids, so here’s a little summary of the recipes that I think are my 10 best for lunchbox snacks (or recess time, as we in Australia tend to call it).

The most popular recipes seem to contain chocolate. Fancy that! But the good news is that most of them are low in sugar, too. Best of both worlds!

And without further ado …

Gluten-free Recipe: Chocolate and Ginger Brownies

Honestly, I didn’t set out to make brownies. I was actually thinking of this recipe as a biscuit-y slice. But when I’d mixed it up for the first time, I saw the brownie potential.

I’ve never really aspired to develop my own brownie recipe – there’s so many out there. Who needs another one? That being said, I have once before delved into the glorious world of chocolately fudge. I created a gluten-free clean and mean brownie, with no added sugar and whole ingredients. It’s in my eCookbook, which you can purchase here.

I really love ginger. I mean, I LOVE it. It tastes brilliant fresh, or dried and ground, and it’s so, so good for you. For more information about the nutritional properties of ginger, click here. Yep, because I’m a ginger loving redhead, you could call me a ginger nut!

I also love the combination of ginger and chocolate and it makes a pleasantly surprising twist to the universally loved brownie.

This recipe has added sugar, but it’s fairly restrained, making it great for lunchboxes. It’s got prunes in it which are great for a hefty dose of fibre and … er … to keep things regular. I worked on it for a while so that it would be fudgy and gooey and generally pretty delectable.

Kids don’t like the ginger? No problems. Just leave it out. Want a more adventurous combination? Try a hint of chilli or some sea salt sprinkled over the top. Want to up the sugar content for a special treat? Just throw in a handful of chocolate buttons.

But however you like your brownies, you’ve just got to try this recipe!

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

300 g pitted prunes

100 g tapioca flour

80 g sorghum flour

80 g brown rice flour

50 g gluten-free cocoa powder

5 g psyllium husk

150 g brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

120 g butter, melted

60 ml milk

35 g crystallised ginger, finely diced

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease and line a square 21 cm cake tin.

Ensure that any remaining seeds are removed from the prunes. Put prunes in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Drain thoroughly and purée. Set aside to cool a little.

In the meantime, into a large bowl sift the tapioca flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, cocoa and psyllium husk. Add the sugar, eggs, butter, milk, ginger and prunes. Mix until combined.

Pour mixture into tin and spread evenly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a crust forms on the outside and mixture is just set but moist and fudgy on the inside.

Allow to cool in tin.

When completely cool, cut into 4 cm squares.

Makes approximately 25 squares.

Gluten-free Recipe: Eggplant and Capsicum Pasta Bake

I’ve been in a bit of a vegetable rut over recent months. I tend to favour carrot, zucchini, corn, mushrooms and sweet potato or pumpkin. If you look back over my savoury recipes, you’ll see that I’ve had them on high rotation. So, in the words immortalised by Taylor Swift, I decided to “shake it off” and introduce my kids to a few more veggies. Red capsicum, fennel and eggplant were my choice as I love them, they’re a classic combination and they make a great Italian vegetable stew.

I wasn’t optimistic that the kids would embrace the new tastes and textures, and I was right. They had small tastes of the stew but left it largely untouched. They tried it when I cooked it into a pasta bake, but it will be one of those things that has to be presented to them a number of times before they finally decide  to give it a go.

On the other hand, my Husband and I loved the stew and pasta bake, so if you’re after something for a work lunchbox rather than a kids’ lunchbox, this may be the recipe for you.

The vegetable stew can be served hot, tossed through gluten-free pasta (top with basil and parmesan cheese), or as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted fish or meat. It’s very versatile and once you’ve made the stew, it’s really quick and easy to make the pasta bake. Just be sure to reserve some stew before you serve it up for the evening meal.

Enjoy!

Gluten-free Eggplant and Capsicum Pasta Bake

Ingredients

150 g gluten-free pasta spirals

1 ½ cups Eggplant and Capsicum Stew (see recipe below)

1 cup grated cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Cook pasta spirals according to packet directions. Drain thoroughly and allow to cool a little.

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease and line a square 21 cm baking tray or cake tin.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.

Spread evenly into tray and press down with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool in tray. When completely cool, slice into 3 x 5 cm rectangles.

Makes approximately 28 rectangles.

Eggplant and Capsicum Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

2 tbs oil

1 large onion, peeled and trimmed

250 g fennel

300 g eggplant (approximately 1 large eggplant)

150 g red capsicum, core and seeds removed (approximately 1 medium-sized capsicum)

180 g zucchini (approximately 1 large zucchini)

400 g tin diced tomatoes

375 ml gluten-free liquid chicken or vegetable stock

2 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat a large pot (stock pot) over high heat. Add oil.

Dice the onions into 2 cm chunks. Add to oil, stirring occasionally. Cook for 2 minutes.

Dice fennel, eggplant and capsicum into 2 cm chunks and add to pot. Fry until soft, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, stock and oregano. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to rapidly simmer for 20 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately as an accompaniment for meat or fish, or stir through pasta.

Makes 6-8 serves, with enough left over for pasta bake.

Gluten-free Recipe: Moroccan Carrot Cake

I’ve been more than a little obsessed with gluten-free carrot cake ever GF and Me, one of my favourite food blogs, posted their recipe for Spiced Carrot Cake. It’s gluten-free and dairy free, but it was the picture of the cake that really intrigued me. Click through to see how beatifully moist that cake is. OMG. And what’s more, it’s got pineapple in it and coconut flour. A taste sensation!

Well, I just had to make it. And it was amazing so I blogged the result.

Since discovering that recipe, I’ve not had any interest in developing a carrot cake recipe until recently, when I started to think about Moroccan flavours and how well they would work in a carrot cake.

I tinkered with this recipe for a while and was really pleased with the results. The carrots, dates, honey and spices really work beautifully together and they make the texture moist and strong.  A lovely recess-time treat.

My recent recipes look a food tour of the world – Vietnamese cold rolls, Italian style Cornbread and now Morocco. I might keep going to see what other cultural delights await.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cake

2 eggs

250 g dates

50 g tapioca flour

70 g sorghum flour

60 g brown rice flour

30 g baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

5 g psyllium husks

110 g brown sugar

320 g peeled and trimmed carrots, grated

1 ½ tbs honey

125 ml oil

125 ml milk

Icing

70 g ricotta cheese

1 tsp honey

250 g gluten-free icing mixture

2 tsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease and line a square 21 cm cake tin.

Put eggs in large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, put dates into a microwave safe bowl and cover with cold water. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly and allow to cool a little. Purée until smooth.

Into the bowl with the eggs, sift in the tapioca flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, cinnamon and psyllium. Add the sugar, carrots, dates, 1 ½ tbs honey, oil and milk. Mix until well-combined.

Pour mixture into cake tin. Bake for 55 mintutes or until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin.

To make the icing, put ricotta cheese and honey into bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure the honey is evenly dispersed. Add the icing mixture and milk and beat until well-combined. Once cake is completely cooled, remove from tin and spread icing evenly over the cake.

Cut into 5 cm x 3 cm slices to serve.

Makes approximately 20 slices.

 

Gluten-free Recipe: Italian Style Cornbread

Woop de doop! I’ve stumbled onto something here!

I am just a wee bit of excited about this recipe, especially after lacking inspiration for savoury fare for some time now.

My family loved this cornbread and when I offered it to a friend and her daughter to try, they also loved it. Nothing better than a thumbs up from someone outside the family! The oil gives this slice a lovely crisp crust and the yoghurt makes it moist on the inside. Try stopping at one piece!

When I first attempted it, I used a good quality basil pesto. It tasted amazing, but then I realised that the pesto contained almonds so it couldn’t be sent to school. I couldn’t find a nut-free pesto, so instead used a basil paste and gluten-free garlic salt. (It’s winter here in Australia, so basil is not in season. You could make your own paste, though, by pounding fresh basil leaves and a little olive oil in a mortar and pestle. Or simply use a blender).

If you can find a nut-free pesto, or if nuts aren’t an issue, I’d recommend using 55 grams of basil pesto instead of the basil paste and garlic salt. Otherwise, follow the recipe below and prepare to receive the accolades from all and sundry.

This cornbread is a great option for lunchtime, especially because the yoghurt and cheese really ups the protein content. Send it in the lunchbox with some vegetable sticks and sliced cold meat for a well-balanced lunch.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

100 g fine polenta (uncooked)

30 g tapioca flour

40 g brown rice flour

30 g sorghum flour

5 g psyllium husk

20 g baking powder

50 g grated parmesan cheese, plus 30 g grated parmesan cheese for topping

2 eggs, lightly beaten

200 g plain Greek yoghurt

125 ml oil

40 g basil paste

1½ tsp gluten-free garlic salt

65 g drained and finely chopped sundried tomatoes

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease and line 18 x 28 cm slice tray.

Put polenta in a large bowl and then sift in tapioca flour, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, psyllium husk and baking powder. Stir to combine.

Add 50 g parmesan cheese, eggs, yoghurt, oil, basil paste, garlic salt and sundried tomatoes.

Mix until well combined.

Pour mixture into slice tray. Spread out and smooth over until evenly covering the tray. Sprinkle over remaining 30 g parmesan cheese.

Put in oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.

Allow to cool in tray.

When completely cool, slice into 4 x 4 cm squares.

Makes approximately 28 squares.

Gluten-free Recipe: Basic Banana Muffins

This is a bit of a hit ‘n’ run post as there’s a few things in the works, mainly the inaugural Gluten-Free Expo in Adelaide this weekend. I’m doing two cooking demonstrations and guest speaking so there’s a bit to organise, but I’m excited to have this opportunity and I’ll be blogging about it next week.

Thankfully, the kids are back at school after 2 weeks of holidays – phew! We all needed the break, but the July holidays are always the most difficult – deep winter means there’s not much opportunity to get outside. We spent a few days in Port Elliot on South Australia’s beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula. It was great to get away, but the cold winds coming off the ocean were something else! It was a good excuse to keep the heaters on.

This recipe is a variation of my Banana Choc Muffin recipe, which my kids absolutely love. It’s great to have a basic banana muffin recipe, though. You can muck around with the flavours by adding coconut, apricot, berries, or basically whatever tickles your fancy.

I love cooking with banana – it’s a bit of a wonder ingredient in gluten-free baking. Not only does it add loads of moisture to your baked goods, it also gives cakes and muffins a really strong and springy texture. If you’re tired of dry and crumbly cakes and muffins, add some banana and marvel at the improvement!

I don’t know why this is so, but this post by Gluten-free Girl suggests that bananas (and green ones in particular) are high in starch. Given that starch is so important in gluten-free baking, maybe that’s why.

Gluten-free Girl’s post has fuelled my interest in banana flour and its possibilities and I can’t wait to get my hands on some. Stay tuned for some recipes!

I cook big batches of these muffins, as they freeze and defrost really well. My kids and their friends love them and yesterday I sent them to school and kindy in the lunchboxes for a recess-time refuel. No leftovers = win for Mum!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 eggs

50 g tapioca flour

70 g sorghum flour

60 g brown rice flour

20 g baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

5 g psyllium husk

110 g brown sugar

350 g peeled ripe bananas (approximately 3 or 4), mashed

125 ml oil

125 ml milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (conventional oven) or 160° Celsius (fan-forced oven). Grease and line 12 cavities in a half-cup (125ml) capacity muffin tray.

Beat eggs in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Sift in the tapioca flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, cinnamon and psyllium husk. Add brown sugar, bananas, oil, milk and vanilla essence. Mix until well combined.

Spoon mixture into cavities until each cavity is approximately three-quarters full.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 12.

Gluten-free Recipe: Chocolate Apricot Slice

 

If at first you don’t succeed …

And so that’s been the way over the last few months as I’ve been trying to get the base of this recipe right – something close to a lovely short biscuit base but not quite so crumbly.

I was able to roadtest it on my book group last week. There was a unanimous thumbs up so at last it’s ready for you as well.

This recipe is quite low in sugar. The base has added sugar but the middle layer is just puréed apricots, and the chocolate layer is guilt-free with no added fructose. So the kids will think it’s a sweet treat but you’re not overloading them with sugar.