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.

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.