Gluten free

Let’s talk PANCAKES!

Do you know how easy it is to modify a pancake recipe so it’s gluten free and dairy free?

Well let me tell you now how to make these divinely soft and spongey pancakes - you wouldn’t even know they were free from anything they are that delicious!

I used an electric whisk which is easier and quicker but a hand whisk will do the job just fine.

Brownies are a special little treat. With a different ratio of ingredients to that of a cake mix, the absolute key element of a brownie is the gooey centre. It's what makes a brownie a brownie!

With this recipe, you can also play around with whatever flavours you like, instead of pecans you can swap in chopped mixed nuts or almost any nut you are a fan of. In place of the chopped dates, you can swap in a similar fruit with a wildly different flavour - try it with dried sour cherries!

Ella Easton wrote a guest blog for us a few weeks ago and she kindly baked a cake as well. It is great to have guest bloggers and recipes and we would be delighted to share your recipe here and link to your blog if you have one.

Mother's Day Cheesecake from Rebecca Kerfoot or Beccaeatsbeets as we know her from Instagram. 

This cheesecake is a great one for a lovely Mother's Day treat! I love a tofu-based cheesecake: unlike the cashew-based recipes, you don't need the most powerful blender in the world to achieve that lovely smooth consistency. "The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen" provided the inspiration for this mix and pairs well with my cacao pastry crust.

Vegan, Gluten Free Blood orange & Polenta cake

This is a wet cake or as I prefer to call it - a finger licking good cake. I also use flax seeds as they are a great replacement for eggs, so good in my opinion that a non-vegan would be hard pushed to notice the difference. Let me know how you get on and remember the rule is there are no rules so experiment and make to your own tastes.

Pancake Tuesday is coming, and it is one of my favourite feasts of the year.

Making and eating pancakes reminds me very much of childhood years and my own mom frying pancakes that tasted gorgeous. It was a hungry household with five kids, so she seemed to be at the cooker for ever and a plate was always waiting to be filled.

It`s no wonder she only did it once a year, but it was a wonderful once and gave us all memories for a lifetime.

I like to eat lots of pancakes, inviting friends and family over and have some left over for the next day so this is a big batch recipe to feed the hordes.

I know you will agree that a gluten free Victoria Sponge cake is a gorgeous and delicious treat. We hope you enjoy baking the cake as much as we did and share it with the ones you love. Send us some images and let us know how you get on with it even if your first attempt is not a complete masterpeice. I can tell you that my first attempt was not pretty, tasty yes and it was brilliant fun. Recipe courtesy of Coeliac UK. 

recipe images to marketing@foodsofathenry.ie

A simple ‘cut and come again’ sort of cake – that is better if left for a few days. Low in fat, I think it is super delicious if spread with a swish of butter, margarine or your spread of choice (but sort of defeats the point!). Traditionally made with sugar - this is a ‘sugar-free’ version, with very little added sweetness. Because of the sweetness of the dried fruit, you could also leave out the honey/agave/fruit syrup if you like. But I like the little extra punch.

If you are avoiding processed sugar – be mindful of the fruits you use. Typically glace fruits (cherries, mixed peel) are infused with a glucose fructose mix. And some of the more tropical fruits (pineapple, cranberries etc.) are often sugar infused also.

A sort of a cheats way to make a ‘pitta-esque’ receptacle, but anything that you can weigh, make and cook within 5 minutes is not to be sniffed at. A genius lunch option.

You can’t beat a good bowl of hearty homemade vegetable soup, especially when the weather is cold. Great to bring to work – it’s filling , sustaining and good for weight loss (so long as you are not hitting the biscuit tin afterwards!).

And it’s the best way I know of getting vegetables into fussy little eaters. You should whizz to whatever consistency suits your needs best - from very lumpy to very smooth. For many years, we did a canteen at a local school and made vegetable soup every day. Many’s the young adult asked about lump level, and we almost never deviated from smooth soups.

Feel free to play with the vegetable ingredients as varying them up will alter the  sweetness and colour. As a grown up , we may appreciate the benefits of cabbage soup. Little people less so.  Pretty coloured vegetables make for pretty soup.

In this recipe, the potato is the thickener. But if you are allergic or want to avoid them for whatever reason – add in a tin of rinsed chick peas or haricot beans at the end. When you whizz the soup up, these will also  give a very nice consistency. 

I Love houmous, and never tire of it. And while ideally – if I was a perfect wife, mother and cook; I would soak the chickpeas overnight , and boil in the morning; unfortunately I fall into ‘the always in a hurry’ caterer, and like things to be as simple and quick as possible. 

So, having a couple of tins of chick peas in the cupboard can be a godsend when the nibbles hit. If you don’t use a full tin for a recipe, don’t waste them. Throw them over a salad, drop into a soup or stew

Chickpeas are a good sources of fibre, including soluble fibre which can help to lower cholesterol and  are also very good for you, not least because two to three tablespoons equate to one portion of the daily recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables. Yeah !

Chickpeas also contain phytoestrogens which may lower the risk of breast cancer, protect against osteoporosis and minimise hot flushes in post-menopausal women. Bigger yeah than before !!

And what better ‘scoop’ for your newly made  houmous than our delicious gluten free Almond & Rosemary Toasts

Enjoy

1. If using fresh beetroot – see below roasting instructions.
2. Place beetroot in processor, blend until smooth.
3. Add chickpeas, walnuts, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and oil.
4. Blend all together.
5. Season to taste.
6. Serve with Multiseed toasts.

How to roast beetroot

1. Wash beetroot.
2. Place the unpeeled beetroot, wrapped in tinfoil in a hot roasting tray.
3. Bake for 45 minutes @200c.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little.
5. When cool enough to handle, peel beetroot & chop