Working lunch for Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday…..

Rehash with tuna!

I love Left-overs for working lunch – Veggie Paella and cold lamb

Sainsbury’s Edamame bean stir-fry with left-over lamb lardons working lunch

Now this Stir-fry did contain a few ingredients which I usually don’t eat, like milk and wheat gluten, which  were there “because of manufacturing methods” .  I read the label before buying and hurrying home to cook lunch and,  as these two ingredients only gave a very little irritation, I was OK with their inclusion.  Usually, I don’t buy any product containing milk or wheat gluten, because of perceived anxiety, but we were hungry and I was keen to get on with my bread making trial – I just drank a little more water afterwards.

Sometimes,there’s just too much to do, to make everything yourself!!!

My bread trial was to see if I could make a lighter loaf, with my own variations, to the Dorling Kindersley The Gluten-free Cookbook’s Classic White Loaf recipe, made at the end of April.  I made up their basic flour recipe, divided it into four separate portions, then added my own different variety of raising agent combinations then baked my four small loaves.  The cooked loaves were left until completely cooled,  sliced, then tried and tested at supper time, with salad and pate and I shall, hopefully, be baking my choice combination this afternoon.  I’ll let you know how I get on!

Now of course, I really  should not eat too much bread, as I’ve told you before, but the challenge to produce a good home made loaf is just too interesting to be resisted, so I shan’t….but I must find myself a few more “guinea pigs” for sampling duty!!!  But, oh I do so love eating bread and also, any toasted slice, plus favourite topping, of course; I ask you,  who doesn’t???

Trialling my four raising agent combo’s for recipe variations of Dorling Kindersley’s Classic White Loaf

An early lunch of scrambled eggs and mushrooms, at a favourite eaterie, was good and……then nothing at all until dinner time, when we’re off out with friends for dinner….something very light and, absolutely nothing for pudding!!  And we practically never have a starter or coffee to finish – just an easy, light meal with friends and time to chat and relax.

And my prize-winning photo Silver Spoon Hamper arrived today packed with all sorts of wonderful baking goodies – sugars, flours, vanilla extract and bean paste, a mug and key-ring, a splendid white apron, which is great for my present apron is getting rather frayed, a bright green logo’d t-shirt and a bright green cardboard cake stand…for cupcakes and fairy cakes and goodness knows what else??

Can’t wait to get baking again….now what shall I make this time?   And here’s my photo-shot to feast on!

Look what’s in my Silver Spoon Hamper for my best Gluten-Free Genoise Bake It Cake

Toodle oo and happy eating!!!

I’m supporting Macmillan Cancer Support World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

Margaret

Copyright © Margaret Halstead 2013.

All Rights Reserved.

Sam is a vegetarian so, while we don’t necessarily eliminate meat when she is here, we try to plan meals that are either vegetarian or include some kind of seafood.  Tonight we are having a shrimp and veggie paella.  It will be loaded up with red and green pepper, asparagus, mushrooms, green onion and paprika shrimp.  Tomorrow night she has requested potato pancakes and fresh applesauce.  Also on the menu, Stir fried rice, stir fried veggies and crab wontons, and a smoked salmon and cream cheese frittata. 

With meals like this who misses meat?

So, naturally, after sufficient food-envy during a recent Sunday lunch I went on a hunt to find a veggie alternative. I discovered this quick and easy-to-prepare veggie version on www.myrecipes.com.

Full of flavour this recipe makes for a hearty winter warmer. Enjoy!

Click here, to try this recipe.

First, we make some sofrito:
1 Vidalia onion thinly sliced.
1 bulb of fresh fennel, also thinly sliced.
1 can of small diced tomatoes–of course fresh if you’re able/have the time, but canned works pretty well.
2-3 cloves of garlic.
Saute the onions and fennel and garlic until translucent. Add a cup of white wine and let cook down. Then add some veggie stock, the tomatoes and a pinch of saffron. Let it simmer while you fix the rest.

For the rice:
Saute a can of quartered artichoke hearts in olive oil.
Add about 3 cups of arborio rice and cook until the rice starts to turn translucent.
Add a pinch of saffron and some white wine.
Now, slowly add sofrito to the rice and stir, adding other ingredients as you go.
I add about a cup of sofrito at a time and let the rice absorb it before adding more.
While you’re slowly cooking the rice, put 4 cubed Boca Italian sausages in another pan with some olive oil. Let them cook until they’re nice and brown–you can add them to the rice at any time once they’re done.
You’ll also add chopped black olives and some capers–as much as you want.
After the sausage, I put a bag of Qorn tenders in the same pan I did the sausage and let them get nice and brown then add them to the rice as well.
Add a bag of peas to the rice as well, asparagus too if you like (as much as you want).
After the Qorn, I use the same pan to saute a big batch of shiitake mushrooms (again, as much as you want) until they’re brown and toss them in the mix.
Keep adding sofrito until the rice is cooked–and if the rice doesn’t fully cook you can continue adding water until it’s al dente.
I know the directions sound kind of loose–but really it’s a process of slowly adding sofrito/water to the rice mix until it’s done and then keep adding whatever ingredients you want. It makes a big pot of rich goodness.  As it finishes up, the rice will get a crust to the bottom that’s really good, dont’ worry about it sticking a bit.
I like to add chopped roasted red peppers and tons of parsley as I dish it up in a big family-style bowl.

Of course, good music helps.  I know this is Spanish food, but I find some good New Orleans jazz works really well.

Finally, a crusty baguette is a must and some Spanish Rioja and/or a Belgian double or triple really work well to top it off.

I really should have taken a picture of the big bowl of paella ’cause the colors in the end are amazing, the green asparagus, the saffron yellow, and the rich red peppers really snap–as one of the chefs I used to cook with would say, “Ah, just like in the magazine.”  But alas I didn’t think about pictures until we’d eaten it up. Next time I guess.