I think sometimes we Coeliacs do have times when we feel sorry for ourselves. This is often at functions when others are sharing food. Food is a social time and its nice to be able to partake in some shape or form.
Today was a day to farewell a work colleague at morning tea and share lunch for another occasion.
I am lucky to have a good relationship with those who order the catering and the caterer is happy to provide well labeled GF food. The food comes on a plate of its own to avoid contamination. When invitations go out for functions the question of dietary needs is asked. It is great to feel included. I really appreciate this.
We had beautiful food today catered by
Catering by Nikki in Christcurch.
www.cateringbynikki.co.nz
Sandwich and a piece slice and fruit for morning tea and lovely little bruschetta with mushroom and a chicken skewer and little quiche pie . But of a change from my normal salad lunch.
With a little bit of sunshine and some expected visitors, I thought I would make a lemon loaf. It is easy and always turns out beautifully. It didn't disappoint me. I also had to make a batch of rich fruit truffles to please the No1 son. I used DF margarine so that the cake was DF as well as GF.
I am still trying to use bounty harvested from the garden so I decided to make two self crusting quiches. One was dairy free and the other had milk and cheese. Both were GF, but for different sons. Sometimes it just pays to laugh and keep a great sense of humour when you are in the kitchen, not stirring with that spoon and not using that bowl (avoiding allergy contamination)
Cross contamination is a problem if you are trying to do two meals or bake two things at once. I find that I use a million spoons and knives etc to be on the safe side. I usually do one lot of baking and then the next to not run the risk. It's actually rare for me to do dairy meals and non dairy but I had a special request..
Lemon Drizzle Loaf
250g butter ( I use DF margarine)
250g caster sugar
250g brown rice flour
2 tspn GF baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
Grated rind and juice 1 lemon
For the lemon drizzle
Grated rind and juice 2 lemons
100g caster sugar
Grease and line a 900g loaf tin. Place all the cake ingredients in a food processor and whiz until smooth or beat in a large bowl.
Pour the mixture into a prepared tin and place in a preheated oven, 180C for 35-40 minutes until golden and firm to touch. Remove the cake from the oven and transfer to a wire rack.
Prick holes all over the sponge with a skewer. Place the lemon drizzle ingredients in a bowl and mix together, then drizzle the liquid over the warm loaf. Leave until completely cold,
In our house everyone loves a self crusting quiche . I find it a great way to use different vegetables I have on hand . A nice vegetarian option. It feels good to have nights off meat.
With the No2 son out, I had the option of using dairy as well. I often make this with no cheese but tonight I used cheese. I also have .. ... Wait for it some zucchini so I used zucchini with the onion and garlic. Homegrown tomatoes and peppers and mushrooms .
For 4-6 serves
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbspn butter
3 eggs
3/4 tspn salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup GF self raising flour
2 cooked potatoes
1 cup drained cooked asparagus or spinach or broccoli or mushrooms
1 cup grated cheese
Cook the chopped onion and garlic in butter until tender. Cool, stir in the eggs , salt and milk, and beat with fork until mixed. pour this into a large bowl containing the flour,and stir with the fork until combined. Add the potatoes cit into 1 cm cubes, the chopped well drained vegetables and cheese.
Pour into a prepared 20-23cm pan. Garnish with sliced tomatoes or thin sliced peppers. Bake at 220 C for 20 - 30 minutes until lightly browned and cooked in centre.
Arriving home and entering my kitchen tonight, I thought that I had children building huts in my kitchen. As my sons are in their twenties that's was not the case as such. It was one of them cooking a roast chicken . To keep the oven door shut he had a chair and a broom, ingenious.
Our house suffered foundation damage in the Feb 22 earthquake 2011. It has been decided that it will be a complete rebuild.. While I am waiting for this to happen we have a slight !!! problem with the oven door . It doesn't shut properly at all and we tape it up to keep the heat in.
I get really nervous cooking to give away. There are two reasons for this. If there is a morning tea at either mine or my Hubbies work I would usually just cook with wheat flour. There is no need to use my rather expensive flours. The only problem with this picture is that
1. I can't taste the mixture to see if it is ok.
2. I can't taste the finished product to see if it is suitable to give away.
3. The oven provides a challenge wondering if the product is actually cooked through or over cooked.
So I tend to stick to the things I made before becoming a Coeliac to give away just to be on the safe side and hope like mad it is cooked.
I will one day get a new oven and then I will have no excuse for my cooking after that. LOL
Tonight's chicken was well cooked and I put the quinoa in the rice cooker . It worked without a hitch. I have run out of it now but I enjoyed it. I took it to work for lunch as a salad with GF ham.
150 g dairy free spread 150 g caster sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 ½ cups gluten free self raising flour 3/4 cup Vitasoy Soy Milky Vanilla icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with patty cases. 2. Beat the dairy free spread, sugar and vanilla essence with electric beaters until pale and creamy. 3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Fold the flour into the egg mixture in batches, alternating with the Vitasoy Soy Milky Vanilla. 4. Spoon the mixture into the patty cases and bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch. 5. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Simple quick we have home grown tomatoes and sweet basil.
3/4 quinoa grain,rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups water
250g red cherry tomatoes
250g yellow or grape tomatoes
3/4 - 1 cup torn basil leaves
1-2 cloves garlic, very finely grated
1 1/2 Tbspn balsamic vinegar
3 Tbspn olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Place the quinoa in aa small saucepan with the water, bing to the boil,the reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool completely. Cut the tomatoes in half place into a large salad bowl with the basil,garlic and cooled quinoa.
Whisk the vinegar with the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad and toss well.
I purchased some black quinoa on Saturday at Binn Inn. I was going to buy the white but I discussed this with one of the staff and she suggested I try the black that it had loads of flavour. She was right.
We had a lovely salad tonight definitely a recipe to be repeated. It had crunch, texture and quinoa takes on the flavours that you give it.
I am keen to try to cook it in the rice cooker, next time I use it. Also it freezes,so just like rice I can store it in the freezer.
Tabouleh
Traditionally Tabouleh is made from cracked wheat (burghul) but by using quinoa it can be eaten by Coelaics.
Recipe to follow...
Remember to rinse your quinoa before you cook it.
1 cup quinoa grain, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
12 cherry tomatoes or 3 tomatoes
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup mint
1 red onion
2 spring onion
1/2 telegraph cucumber
Juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
80 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the quinoa in a small sauce pan with the water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Slice and dice tomatoes, place into a large bowl with the cooked quinoa,parsley,mint,red onion, spring onions and cucumber. Add lemon juice and olive oil,season with salt and pepper and toss to thoroughly combine. If possible allow to stand 30 minutes before serving.
Funny how a day can turn out. It started with an early drop off at the airport, 5.50 am on a Sunday urrgghh. Then a lovely walk around the local golf club out here by the sea, just for fun not playing... We went on an adventure to find something that we didn't succeed in finding but in life half the fun is the looking. The men decided they would cook No2s favourite Burritos . He could eat them every night of the week he reckons. I agree I think he could. I had a little prawn salad I made then I had tacos not burritos. We had a discussion in the car the other day on where did the word coeliac come from.....I thought the answer was interesting. Doctors wondered about this as far back as 250 AD...
A Brief History of Celiac DiseaseAs far back as 250 A.D., Aretaeus of Cappadocia included detailed descriptions of an unnamed disease in his writings. When describing his patients he referred to them as "koiliakos," which meant "suffering in the bowels." Francis Adams translated these observations from Greek to English for the Sydenham Society of England in 1856. He thus gave sufferers the moniker "celiacs."
In 1888, Dr. Samuel Gee, United Kingdom, of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children first presented a set of clinical accounts of both children and adults with Celiac Disease. In the account Gee stated that “to regulate the food is the main part of treatment. The allowance of farinaceous foods must be small, but if the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet.” In this statement Gee is credited with being the first to link diet to celiac treatment. September 13th is designated National Celiac Disease Awareness Day in honor of Gee’s birthday. CSA uses this day to increase national CD awareness.
Dr. Willem Karel Dicke, a Dutch pediatrician, recognized in 1952 that the disease is caused by the ingestion of wheat proteins. He wrote his doctoral thesis on the subject for the University of Utrecht in 1950. By 1954, Dicke, Charlotte Anderson and a number of their colleagues, working in Birmingham, England confirmed the treatment and described the histologic damage to the intestinal mucosa as being directly related to celiac disease.
Lots to do today even though it is Saturday The sun shined and I took off to Binn Inn to get some supplies.
We harvested in the vege garden so lunch incorporated fresh cos lettuce and cherry tomatoes and zucchini fritters .
I felt like no sooner had I cleaned up from lunch it was time for tea.
I revamped the onion bajji to include grated carrot and yes you guessed it a zucchini. Also a fresh chilli and whole cumin seeds.
Mixing cultures of Indian and Thai. We had Thai red curry for tea.
Chicken Thai Red Curry
1kg chicken breasts
2 tspn lemon grass
2 tspn red curry paste GF
2 tspn lime juice
2cm piece ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 capsicum ,diced
1 onion , diced
3 stalks celery
1 red chilli optional
2 cups beans , I use frozen
1 can lite coconut milk
Coriander fresh
Put chilli if using,garlic and ginger into wok with 2 Tbspn oil . Fry off for few minutes. True with an
The add the chicken and cook .
Take out and then fry off the onions and capsicum, celery till cooked . Add chicken , coconut milk and red curry paste. Hen add beans. Garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve with basmati rice.
With an early start to the day tomorrow dropping off at airport I am tired thinking if it.
I must admit I am looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow. It has been a pretty full on week, one way or another.
But the show must go on and one thing that is for sure no matter what is happening behind the scenes, my Whanau must be fed. That is a CERTAINTY.
I made the lunches for Hubbie and I last night. We have these awesome lunch boxes, perfect for salads. I purchased these from Countdown, only about $6. I think they are great they have a tray in the top and a little container to put salad oil in or whatever dressing you like.
I take a salad with a tin of salmon most days. With all sorts sometimes olives , radishes. It all depends what we have in the garden or fridge.
Tea on a Friday, you know the rules. But I broke them.
Chicken breasts marinated for one hour in GF soya sauce, GF sweet chilli sauce and fresh ginger. Then cooked in oven first half an hour under tin foil. Last open to air.
With a lovely warm potato salad, best foods lite mayonnaise, 2 rashers of bacon, 3 spring onions, 8 GF sun dried tomatoes.
Herb coleslaw as well, few baby beets mmmm yum as.
Phew, sitting down first time apart from when we ate tea, Its nine o'clock .I have been on the go since 5.30 this morning.
Worth it tho. The sons joined together and stuffed the chicken with rice they fried for a while in the pan then added pineapple juice and dried apricots and cranberries. Oh and sweet chilli sauce of course my GF one. I use the Jellicoe brand that I get from Binn Inn.
I had talked to a work colleague yesterday at lunch and we discovered a recipe for zucchini masala. As we have a few of them I had decided we would have that for tea. The recipe is included on the blog. It was spicy and quite hot but we loved it .
I had been making my valentine treats for tomorrow . I made the rich truffles (recipe on blog already) for sons and then gingerbread hearts for workmates and hubbie. 12 wrapped for my hubbie and 3 in a bag for work mates. Few for my neighbours, she helped me out in my SOS call as I couldn't find sellophane at the supermarket . She had the perfect bags.
Recipe for the hearts is dairy free as well. Although its hard doing food gifts from my oven as its so earthquake damaged it doesn't heat nor shut properly so I just do my best.
As a true Christchurch person does........ I try to keep being fun and doing the little things I can .
Happy valentines day for tomorrow .xx
I used dairy free margarine for gingerbread it worked well.
Zucchini Masala
Learn how to cook Zucchini Indian style with various spices and Red peppers. This Masala sabji goes great with roti, naan or as a side dish with rice. It's very flavorful and easy to make.
Servings:3Preparation time:
Ingredients:
1 Zucchini (large, washed pilled and cut into small pieces)
2tbsp oil
1tsp cumin seeds
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 green chili (chopped)
Salt as per taste
1tsp turmeric powder
1/2tsp red chili powder
½ cup red pepper (chopped)
2 tomatoes (small chopped)
1tsp garam masala
Instructions (Preparation Steps):
Pour 2-3tbsp oil in the pan and let it hot enough
Now put the cumin seeds
When the cumin seeds are flattering put the chopped onions, chopped garlic and chopped green chili
Now add salt, turmeric and red chili powder
Stir the mixture for 3-4 minutes
When the color of onion become to change add the red pepper
Now add the zucchini which are cut into small pieces
Mix them well
Now cover the pan and cook it for 4-5 minutes to tender the zucchini
Open the lid and the zucchini is 80% done
Now add the chopped tomatoes
Cook them for another 3-4 minutes to tender the tomatoes and the zucchini done completely
Zucchini masala is done
Sprinkle the garam masala over the curry and mix it well
Now try the curry with rice or naan
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp Gregg's Ground Ginger
1 cup (220g) firmly packed Chelsea Soft Brown Sugaror Chelsea Dark Cane Sugar
150g butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Chelsea Icing Sugar
food colouring & lollies to decorate
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Sift flour, baking soda and ground ginger together and place in a bowl or food processor. Add Chelsea Soft Brown Sugar or Dark Cane Sugar.
3. Add butter and rub in with fingertips or pulse in food processor until resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg and stir or pulse to mix. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour to the mix and wrap in cling wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out on lightly floured surface or between 2 sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Using cookie cutters, cut shapes and place on tray. Form leftover dough into a ball and re-roll and repeat cutting out until all the dough is used up.
5. Bake gingerbread men for 8-10 minutes or until cooked and golden. Remove from oven and cool on baking rack.
6. Make icing by adding a few drops of food colouring and 11⁄2 tsp water to the icing sugar. Drop a small amount under each spot where you wish to place a lolly.
