Just look at these picture perfect dried leek rings! I grew about 60 leeks this past summer and lovingly chopped and dried pounds of them, and just the other day I found my stash in my endlessly deep dried herb cabinet, and I set to work right away with the slow cooker to make a super batch of immunity boosting very garlic laden “cream” of  potato leek soup. The soup was just what the doctor ordered, as my sweetie was getting sniffly, and I fought off his bug with about  a dozen dosses of oregano oil,  vitamin C, resishi mushroom and anti viral shooters, followed up with a full of love + garlic soup!

I have been stocking my freezer with large wide mouth mason jars of all the yummy big batches of soups I am cranking out these days. After each batch I usually have a few servings of leftovers as well as 1-2 L of soup ready to freeze down. 3 meals from one pot is a pretty great use of my time.

Why is this soup so lucky? Lucky for my sweetie this soup helps kick the bug. Lucky for my daughter the very thing she was craving all day is exactly what her Moma made for diner.  Lucky for me this soup batch made many future meals.

In a slow cooker on high assemble

6 cups of potatoes chopped into small cubes

2 cups of dried or fresh leek rings

1 bay leaf

along with just enough water to cover them.

season with:

S+P

and a good handful of dried: parsley, oregano and sage.

In a small frying pan brown in oil:

1 large yellow onion chopped fine

and one whole bulb of garlic, all cloves chopped down into fine bits

and a good amount of fresh ginger grated.

Once golden brown, deglaze the pan with a little water and pour the works into the slow cooker.

Let everything cook for at least 4 hours

Then using an immersion blender zip up 70% of the soup (leaving just enough potato chunks to keep it interesting.

Add:

3 tbsp coconut milk powder (or half a can of coconut milk)

1 cup of almond milk

2 hearty tbsp of grainy mustard

1 hearty tbsp miso

handful of fresh parsley

and more S+P to taste

heat for another 30 minutes before serving.

Serve to your sniffling loved ones or just enjoy by the bowlfull!

When ever I ask my partner what he wants for dinner he says “tacos” or “that corn chowder” I don’t even know why I bother asking, as for my daughter well her reply is always cheesy noodles please. Tonight I caved and made cheesy noodles with a serious mama spin. I managed to slip in 1/3 of a roasted pumpkin and used organic corn noodles, which yielded a gluten free meal packed with veggies and no one was the wiser!

The sauce for this was really special and it looked like I used orange cheese (which I never buy) but it made it taste cheesier somehow…

In a hot oven

roast 1 small pumpkin sliced into 1″ thick smiles (or any squash) until fork tender, with a drizzle of olive oil and S+P seasoning

also roast the seeds from the pumpkin (same seasonings)

and 4 cloves of garlic (skin on)

In a small sauce pan start a roux

1/4 c butter

1/4 c quinoa flour

allow to bubble away for about 5 minutes stirring often

season with:

S+P

freshly grated nutmeg (about 1 tsp)

a squeeze of course mustard

slowly add 2 cups of milk or cream

reduce heat and stir often as sauce thickens

Then add:

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

handful each of chopped: parsley, sage and oregano

Now add the 4 cloves of roasted garlic (peeled) along with about 2 cups worth of roasted pumpkin

Mix with immersion blender until smooth.

Toss cooked gluten free pasta of your choice in this divine sauce and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and a little more fresh parm.

* this recipe made enough sauce for our family dinner plus I reserved about 2 cups for a veggie pot pie I am planning to make tomorrow!

I just love gifts of little brown bundles of game! I was so pleased when my sweetie came home with ground venison after visiting his buddy the other day! Venison is among my most favourite meats… along with moose, goat and buffalo. I was humming over how to best use this lovely bundle, and I couldn’t say no when the cute “deer deliver boy” requested stroganoff. Plus it gave me a chance to highlight my wonderful home made HP sauce, which is the perfect addition to a meaty sauce.

In a deep cast iron pan begin to brown:

1/2 lb of ground venison

1/2 of a large yellow onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

a little glug of olive oil

let these get a little golden before adding:

1/2 of a large green pepper finely sliced

5 sliced mushrooms

season with:

S+P (heavy on the pepper)

1 tbsp of paprika

a handful of fresh parsley finely chopped

about 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup of my homemade HP sauce

simmer the works in a broth of:

1/2 cup of beer (what ever kind your drinking while you make dinner)

2 cups of water mixed with 1 tbsp potato starch (you could use flour or organic corn starch as a thickener too)

1 bay leaf

Let this all bubble away for about 20 minutes

In a separate pot cook gnocchi’s in boiling water and once they start popping to the top and floating they are ready to strain and add to the pan along with 1 cup of goat milk (or cream). Stir well and allow everything to come to a final low boil, before covering and removing from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving, then garnish with fresh herbs and dig in. This stroganoff  won’t last long so don’t plan for left overs!

enjoy

She also has an amazing GF All-Purpose whole grain flour mix which , following her ratios, you can adapt to however you like according to your taste

It is such a comprehensive, informative and extensive site, that I really delight in browsing it bit by bit, savouring every tasty written morsel.  Do enjoy!

By the way, Shauna’s honours include (among many):

• 1 of 50 best food blogs in the world (The London Times, UK)
• 1 of 20 best blogs by and for women in the world (Sunday Telegraph, UK)

I’ve adapted a bit of the recipe and baking method, which is actually done by hand, to be used in a bread maker with a gluten free option.  CAUTION:  Gluten free bread cannot be made using a standard breadmaker.  It must be a breadmaker with a gluten free option.  Otherwise, your GF bread simply will not turn out–it will be too tough as the mixing programme in normal breadmakers is too long. Gluten free dough cannot be overmixed.  I use the Sunbeam Bakehouse Breadmaker with the GF option, although there will probably be better models out by now, mine being about 2 years old.  I love my breadmaker, no wet centre!

The other thing, the recipe actually calls for the rosemary and olives to be sprinkled on top of the bread, but I mix mine inside the dough because i’m too lazy.  I let the whole loaf bake in the machine instead of using the machine to mix the ingredients and proof the dough, and then bake it in the oven.  Using the oven method, however, you can get the topping on top of the bread just like on normal foccacia bread.

DRY INGREDIENTS

1½ cups (210g) brown rice flour

7g dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

4 tsp dried rosemary (or 1½ Tbsp fresh, finely chopped)

½ cup (60g) cornmeal

½ cup (65g) cornstarch (make sure it is gluten free!  Sometimes it’s found mixed with wheaten starch)

2 tsp xanthan gum

1-1½ tsp sea salt

Garlic powder to taste

WET INGREDIENTS

1½ cups (295ml) warm water

4 large egg whites, at room temp.

20 oil cured pitted black olives, finely chopped

METHOD:

With the breadmaker, easy peasy.  Just add all wet ingredients first into the pan, and then all dry ingredients.  Now you don’t want to take too long adding them in because, remember there’s warm water in there. SO, premix all the dry ingredients first in a separate bowl.  Next put in the wet ingredients in the bread pan, leaving the warm water last and then dump in the premixed dry ingredients.  And away you go.

With the bread machine, everything from mixing, proofing and baking should take about 2.5 hours, way shorter than wheaten bread, which takes about an hour longer with the breadmaker.  I love gluten free baking with the machine!  It’s a great investment if you’re seriously going gluten free.

My little green house is pumping out plump tomatoes, a couple handfuls a day.. most of which are chilling in the freezer, but these heirloom beauties were destine for a deep rich veggatarian ragu. This sauce is super versatile, I made a big pan full and had some on left over rice for lunch today dressed with fresh goat feta and oregano, the rest of the sauce (about a pint) will cozy in a jar and wait for a bed of pasta noodles this weekend.

In the event you too have a picky eater around, a thick tomato sauce is a great way to hid teeny tiny little veggie bits This ragu has 9 different veggies in it, I even slipped beet into this recipe, which I find adds a nice sweetness that works well with the mild acidity of the fresh tomatoes. I know a ragu is traditionally a meat based sauce… but seeing as this thick tomatoes sauce has a stick to your rib-nes to it.. I’m calling it a ragu!

Start warming a good amount of olive oil in a deep cast iron pan

add the following finely chopped veggies and brown:

1 yellow onion

1 carrot

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 of a large green pepper

1/4 of a small zucchini

season with S+P,  chili flakes, bay leaf, fresh minced herbs; oregano, thyme & basil.

Once all these veggies start to get  good and brown add in about 6 cups of diced tomatoes. I used an assortment of 6 varieties of heirloom tomatoes.

reduce heat and to the tomatoes add

2 cups boiling water

2 heaping Tbsp red pepper spread

1 small grated beet

Allow everything to simmer away for as long as you have to wait (adding extra hot water and season as needed) 1 hour is plenty but 3 is ideal! If you have less time to cook it down or  if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can zip it up with an immersion blender, me I like some tomato chunks.

That’s is.. simple garden harvest ragu, ready to smother anything you want to cover in deliciousness!

Gluten free diet

A gluten free diet plan is great for those who have diabetes or suffer from celiac disease. It is important to prevent gluten contamination when on such a diet. There are a number of foods processed from grains that contain gluten.

When on a diet many of us stay from starch and salt however, there are few people who need to worry much more. In fact, foods that are common to us may have an adverse effect on those who are allergic to gluten. There are some foods that are filled with gluten, wheat bread being one of them. Gluten free products like potato, corn, rice, soybeans, sunflower seeds and a few other foods can be eaten.

Those people who cannot consume gluten free foods hence have a difficult time eating out. But it is best to have gluten free foods which are healthier for the body. The best way to ensure a gluten free diet is to make a grocery shopping list. Simply because a product says that it is gluten free, it does not mean that it is. One must ensure that it is not subjected to gluten contamination.

The best way to ensure that your diet is gluten free is to prepare. If you’re eating out then make sure that you’re aware of the ingredients and oil used to prepare food. This can keep you free eating something that is harmful. It is best to do as much research as possible on a diet. Consult your dietician for proper gluten free recipes to help you achieve a healthier you!

Sally’s original recipe, which focuses on salt-reduced and heart-healthy ingredients, can be found in her excellent cookbook – Fresh and Healthy: The all new Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Cookbook, which I can highly recommend. (Sally’s Mushroom Soufflés recipe is simply sublime, but you’ll have to buy her book for that )

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of large field mushrooms, peeled, halved and sliced (about 1/2 cm in thickness)
• 1TBSP White Wings gluten-free plain flour, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small brown onion, or shallot, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup Massel gourmet plus gluten-free liquid vegetarian stock
• 2 tsp salt-reduced, gluten-free tomato paste
• 1 tsp Spring Gully gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• 100ml tawny port
• 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

Method

1. Toss the mushrooms and flour together and set aside.
2. In a heavy-based saucepan or frying pan, cook the onion in 2 TBSP of the stock until soft.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the port and cook about 3 minutes.
5. Add the remaining stock and vinegar and bring to the boil.
6. Add the mushrooms and stir until the mixture is sauce consistency and the mushrooms are soft.

Serve as a sauce for steak, a gravy for roast beef, or mix in some gluten-free chorizo and serve with lightly toasted Zehnder gluten-free mutli-grain rolls as a starter.

Star gluten-free ingredients

• White Wings gluten-free plain flour
• Massel gourmet plus gluten-free liquid vegetarian stock
• Spring Gully gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• Zehnder gluten-free mutli-grain rolls

General Info

• Makes 6 muffins
• Pre-baking time – 10 minutes
• Baking time – 25 minutes

Preparation

• Pre-heat fan-forced oven to 180°C (if not fan-forced, set to 200°C)
• Locate 6-hole muffin pan

Ingredients

• 1 x cup milk (I use low-fat milk)
• 1 raw egg
• 1/2 cup (125ml) Nature First organic buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup (125ml) Lucky almond meal
• 1 x cup grated cheese (I use a mix of tangy cheddar and parmesan)
• 10 ml gluten-free baking powder
• good pinch cayenne pepper (I add at least 3ml)
• pinch of salt

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk milk and egg together.
2. Fold in flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt and cayene pepper.
3. Fold in grated cheese.
4. Spoon into a lightly greased 6-hole muffin pan.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top (test with a metal skewer – if it comes out clean, they’re done).
6. Turn onto a rack to cool a little and serve while still warm with a little butter.

Star Gluten-free Ingredients

General Info

• Serves 4
• Cooking time – about 1 hour

Preparation

• Pre-heat oven to 200°C

Ingredients

• 10 skinless chicken thighs (deboned if you want to reduce the gelatin  in the dish)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 200ml dry white wine
• 20 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1 x cup finely chopped cabbage (optional)
• 4 thickly sliced carrots (optional)
• 4 large field mushrooms thickly sliced (optional)
• rock salt, freshly ground (about 6 to 8 twists)
• black pepper, freshly ground (about 6 to 8 twists)

Method

1. Place chicken thighs and oil in a bag, or plastic bowl with a lid, and shake until coated.
2. Heat a heavy-based frying pan (without oil or fat) on the stove.
3. Lightly brown the chicken thighs in the frying pan.
4. Place browned thighs on paper towel to the absorb excess oil.
5. Place chicken thighs in a casserole dish.
6. Add wine, herbs and salt and pepper ( I add the herbs on their stalks and then remove them at the end when the dish is cooked).
7. Put the lid on the casserole dish and place dish in the oven for 20 minutes.
8. Take casserole out the oven and stir.
9. Add vegetables if using.
10. Place casserole back in the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes.
11. Remove the lid and cook  for a further 10 minutes with the lid off to brown.
12. Remove herbs and garlic cloves.
13. Serve with steamed/boiled long grain rice.

General Info

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 for lunch.

Ingredients

• 3 slices Hans gluten-free prosciutto
• 60g wild rocket
• 60g South Cape plain goat cheese
• 3 fresh figs peeled and sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges each
• Gluten-free caramelised balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Cook prosciutto on a plate under paper towel in the microwave until crisp (2 to 3 minutes).
2. Crush into bits using a blender/grinder, or by hand when cool.
3. Wash and dry rocket in a salad spinner and place on a flat salad plate.
4. Top with fig wedges, crumbled goat cheese and, finally, prosciutto bits.
5. Splash with caramelised balsamic vinegar and serve.

Star Gluten-free product

Hans gluten-free prosciutto

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 x qty gluten-free antioxidant smoothie
• 6 x gluten-free meringue nests

Method

Spoon smoothie over meringue and serve.

Star gluten-free ingredient

Coles gluten-free meringue nests

I stayed off gluten for a week, and craved bread. I found this gluten-free bread recipe here, and the texture and consistency is great! It worked perfectly for sandwiches. Obviously, the taste is very different from normal bread, but that is to be expected.

Gluten-Free Bread

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot starch
1/4 cup flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 additional egg whites
1 cup water, room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200F.

Sift the flours, yeast and all other dry ingredients together into a medium bowl. Stir in flax meal and combine.

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl using a hand-mixer on low or medium speed. When fully combined, slowly add dry ingredient mixture and mix until fully blended, with no lumps. Scrape the sides regularly.

Grease a 9×5″ bread pan, and pour the dough into the pan. Turn off the oven and immediately place the pan in it. Do not open the door again, if possible. Allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes.* It should rise to the very top of the pan.

Increase heat to 350F and bake for approximately 40 minutes. The crust should be golden-brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing it from the pan to finish cooling. Do not slice until the bread is no longer hot.

*The first time I made this bread, it rose nicely and fell. 90 minutes was too long to rise. The second time, I kept an eye on it and as soon as it was doubled in size (about 45 minutes?), I cooked it. It was perfect!!

This is the recipe she uses (not sure of its provenance) which I have adapted to be gluten-free.

General Info

• Makes 6 muffins
• Pre-baking time – 10 minutes
• Baking time – 25 minutes

Preparation

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C
• Locate 6-hole muffin pan

Ingredients

• 1 x cup White Wings gluten-free self-raising flour (see below)
• 1 x cup grated cheese (I use a mix of tangy cheddar and parmesan)
• 1 x cup milk (I use low-fat milk)
• 1 egg
• good pinch cayenne pepper
• pinch of salt

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat milk and egg together.
2. Sift and gently fold in flour, salt and cayene pepper.
3. Fold in grated cheese.
4. Spoon into a lightly greased 6-hole muffin pan.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
6. Turn onto a rack to cool a little and serve while still warm with or without butter.

Star Gluten-free Ingredient

Available in mainstream supermarkets, this product is free of wheat, dairy, yeast, egg, soy and nuts, and has no added sugar.

Visit www.whitewings.com.au for more info.

I made this stellar veggie burger mix and turned it into burgers the first night and bean balls the next days, both worked out great. The veggie patty is a white bean and nut burger that came together pretty quickly. The next day I whipped up a winter pesto with kale, artichoke and sunflower seeds and used that as my sauce for corngetti and bean balls.

Seedy White Bean & Feta Burgers / Balls

Soak and cook 1 cup of white beans. I just learned that if you don’t add salt or acid to beans while they boil they cook way way faster! Why didn’t I know that before?  Set beans aside to cool, meanwhile toast 2 slices of gluten free bread cut in small cubes over medium heat with a glug of olive oil and sea salt. Remove the bread crumbs and in the same pan brown 1/2 or a large yellow onion sliced thick, cook until soft and  brown.

In a food processor  blend 3 toes of garlic, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup flax seeds, 1/4 cup of almonds, blend until the nuts are smaller than peas. Now add beans, and the bread crumbs. Add 1 egg, and then your fried onions and 1/2 cup of crumbled goat feta Season with S+P, 1 tsp of lemon rind, and1 tsp of fresh or dried oregano. Stop when everything is nice and consistent. For really yummy vegan patties omit egg and chees and just add some hemp orolive oil.

Form mix into thin patties or little “meat”balls, and brown over medium heat in olive oil, flipping and rolling as necessary.

Winter Pesto with Kale, Artichoke, and Sunflower seeds.

In a food processor blend 4 toes of garlic, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, until crumbled, then add two handfuls of fresh kale greens, a good glug of lemon juice, 8 small sections of artichoke hearts, and a good glug of oilve oil. keep zipping it all up, until silky and smooth. Season with S+P and taste, you may need to play with the oil / citrus balance, to get it just right.

Ingredients – makes 12 large muffins

• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fruit pectin (promotes moisture retention)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp xantham gum
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup olive oil (add moisture, creates a tender texture to muffins and extends their shelf life)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Crumb Topping: 1 tbsp sorghum flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, 3 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin pan with large muffin cups
2. In a large bowl combine sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, baking soda, powder, sea salt, fruit pectin, cinnamon, xantham gum and nutmeg
3. In a separate bowl mash bananas and use an electric mixer to combine with sugars, egg, olive oil and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour approximately 3 tbsp of batter into each muffin cup. 
5. Make crumb topping – combine sugar, cinnamon and flour together.  Cut butter into mixture until it resembles cornmeal.  Sprinkle on top of muffins.
6. Bake muffins for 18 minutes and test to ensure they are full baked by inserting a toothpick into the centre of a muffin