I’ve always been a huge fan of beer, and it was probably one of the hardest things to give up when I first embarked on my gluten-free diet. Luckily, these days it’s fairly easy to find gluten-free beer, and I’ve finally been able to add it back in to my diet (although I have to admit it wasn’t so lucky for my belly!).
Another of my all-time favourite foods is cheddar cheese, so I just knew that this beer and cheddar soup was going to turn into a new favourite even before I tried it. It’s creamy and sweet, very satisfying, and frankly one of the most delicious soups I’ve ever tasted, if I do say so myself! You can use strong cheddar if you prefer, but the mild cheddar seems to melt much better. Besides, the beer gives it plenty of kick anyway. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Heat the butter in a heavy soup pot over medium heat.
Add the onions, celery, and carrot and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, around 5 minutes.
Add the salt, nutmeg, cloves, pepper and 425ml of the broth.
Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk the sweet rice flour with the remaining 75ml of broth until smooth. Then add it to the pot, stirring constantly until the soup thickens slightly.
Remove soup from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until it is completely melted.
Just before serving, open the beer, add it to the soup and bring it up to serving temperature over low heat.
Garnish the soup with the parsley and paprika and serve immediately.
Tabbouleh used to be one of my favourite salads back before I switched to gluten-free, and I always figured I’d never be able to have it again due to the fact that it’s always prepared with either bulgur or couscous, both of which are, of course, off-limits to anyone on a gluten-free diet.
Luckily, I stumbled across a recipe for making couscous from basmati rice recently and quickly jumped on the opportunity to create this basmati tabbouleh recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (You might also want to have a look at this lamb with couscous and apricot salad, but using basmati rice instead of couscous.)
Something like a fancier, vegetarian version of traditional shepherds pie, this winter vegetable pie recipe makes for a great Sunday lunch and is a good way to trick younger kids into eating their turnips and parsnips without them even realising it! I usually prepare this in one large oven-safe dish, but an interesting presentation alternative is to bake individual portions in small, round dishes and give everyone their own. If you find your kids still make faces and don’t want to eat it, try doubling the amount of cheese; in my experience, this seems to work just as well as the proverbial spoonful of sugar!
Although it’s only vegetables, this dish can be quite heavy. For a lighter cheesy recipe to “fool” kids into eating their veggies, try this baked fennel with tomato gratin. For dessert, I recommend this carrot halwa.
Serve this dish with cheesy bread for dipping. I also like to set aside a little ramekin with the tomato sauce to pour over the mashed potatoes right before serving. But that’s because I really love tomatoes. Most people tell me that the tomatoes inside the pie are plenty, but I just never can get enough!
Boil the potatoes and turnips in a large pot of salted water for 20-30 minutes, or until very tender.
Drain off the excess water and mash the turnips and potatoes together with half of the butter.
Cook the lentils in a pot with abundant water for 30 minutes, or until nice and tender.
Drain and set aside.
Heat the rest of the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions, leeks and parsnips over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the walnuts, thyme, oregano, the cooked lentils and the tomato.
Mix well and season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Place the vegetable mixture in a deep oven-proof dish and cover with a layer of mashed potato and turnip.
Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the top and cook in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the mash turns golden brown and a bit crispy.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I remember one time as a kid being given some lukewarm, mushy canned asparagus for lunch and thinking it was the absolute worst thing in the world and vowing never to eat asparagus again! Fortunately, I eventually grew up and tried some grilled asparagus at a restaurant. Imagine my surprise when I realised it was nothing at all like that mushy stuff I remembered!
Since then I’ve become quite a connoisseur of this wild green vegetable, although I have to admit I’m still not much of a fan of the canned variety. In any case, this baked asparagus with feta and parmesan recipe is made from sweet and crunchy fresh asparagus, and the tangy cheese highlights the juicy baked goodness of the vegetable astoundingly well. (I also recommend this asparagus and cheese pudding.)
Steam the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are just tender.
Grease an oven safe dish with the butter and lay the asparagus lengthwise along the bottom of the dish, with the tips all pointing in the same direction.
Sprinkle the feta cheese over top of the asparagus, then the Parmesan and the oregano.
Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the cheese has melted and brown spots form on top.
This Moroccan style aubergine and baked bell pepper salad is a veritable explosion of flavours and really shows just how versatile the humble aubergine can be! When you mix the steamed aubergine with the rest of the ingredients, it tends to get a bit mashed and fall apart just a touch, which helps to spread the flavour of the spices throughout the whole dish. The roasted peppers add a strong and pungent flavour to the salad, while the cumin seeds and chilli pepper flakes give it that authentic Middle-Eastern aroma.
Green peppers tend to take a bit longer than yellow and red ones to bake as their skin is a bit tougher, so you may need to leave them in the oven a bit longer in order to facilitate the removal of the skin. The only bad thing about this salad is you really need to let it cool before serving, so you have to leave enough time in advance. (Also try this spinach and bell pepper potato salad.)
Another typical Mediterranean delight, this red cabbage and apple recipe is sure to knock your socks off if you’ve never had it or anything similar before! You can find a lot of different variations of the dish if you travel around the Mediterranean countries, but the basic idea is always the same: very tender red cabbage mixed with a sweet fruit (I’ve used apples, but some people make it with raisins, oranges or apricots) and seasoned with some kind of aromatic spice, usually cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg.
The dish works well either as a salad to go along with your main meal, or as an appetiser. I also find it makes a great topping for sausages or hot-dogs, something like a less vinegary coleslaw. Just be careful not to drop any of it on your clothes, especially white, as it does stain quite easily. Speaking of the colour, if you find that the red cabbage starts to turn blue when you’re cooking it, it means you haven’t used enough vinegar, as this is necessary to keep the colour from leaking out. If you think it’s already got enough vinegar, a little bit of lemon juice will also do the trick quite nicely. (Also try this cabbage and barley soup.)
One of the worst things about my gluten-free diet has got to be not being able to eat semolina pasta! I used to eat it by the bucketful (maybe that was part of the problem!), and to be honest, I don’t really find any of the gluten-free alternatives to be nearly as satisfying.
However, I have found that if you take the time to make sure you’ve got a superbly delicious sauce to serve it with, it does help to make up for it. This spicy corn pasta recipe is similar to a tagliatelle dish I used to enjoy eating when visiting southern Italy and is definitely one of my favourite, non-gluten pasta dishes. (Also try this prawn and courgette tagliatellirecipe.)
This delicious and nutritious vegetable and legume soup is traditionally served to break the Muslim fast of Ramadam. It’s called harira and is usually accompanied by dates, but as I don’t really like them, I’ve left them out of my recipe. However, feel free to include them if you want the truly authentic experience. I also recommend this Moroccan hummus!
These delicious, deep-fried onion “flowers” make for a very visually impressive appetiser with which to astound your friends! The best thing about them is that although they look very impressive and hard to make, they’re actually very easy and will be ready in less than 30 minutes! Serve them with a side of mustard sauce for dipping.
I also recommend these aloo bonda snacks, which are deep-fried potato balls.
Remove the skin from the onion and remove a ½ centimetre slice from the top of the onion.
Using a very sharp knife, cut down from the top through the center of the onion to within 1.5 centimetres from the bottom, leaving the root end intact.
Turn the onion 90 degrees, and slice through the centre of the onion, again to within 1.5 centimetres from the bottom.
You now have an onion with 4 vertical sections.
Keep rotating the onion 10 degrees at a time, cutting down through the center of the onion until you have made 16 slices.
Spread apart the layers of the onion slightly so the coating can reach the innermost parts of the onion "flower".
Repeat with the other onion.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornflour,
garlic powder, salt, oregano, cayenne, thyme, cumin, and pepper. Set aside.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the egg and water until very foamy
and all the egg membrane has broken up.
Using a pastry brush, coat the onion layers with the egg mixture.
Place the flour mixture in a sieve and liberally dust the onions with the flour mixture.
Heat the canola oil to 175ºC in a deep fryer or a deep pot. There should be enough oil to completely cover the onions.
Carefully place the onions right side up in the oil and fry for 10 minutes, or until it they are browned.
Using a large slotted spatula or spoon, remove the onions from the
Rosti is a traditional Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes and was originally eaten for breakfast by farmers. Somewhat similar to the more familiar hash browns, they are usually fried, although I prefer them baked. These bacon and potato rosti are oven-baked and while I don’t think I’d want to eat them for breakfast very often, they make for a wonderfully satisfying snack or starter.
I like bacon, but you could also try this salmon and rosti bake. Or if you prefer to make them vegetarian-friendly, you can leave out the bacon or alternatively replace it with some cheddar cheese or even apple if you’re the adventurous type.
You Need:
450g potatoes, whole and with the skin left on
2.5tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 rashers of back bacon, diced
1tbsp potato flour
1tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2tsp salt
A few sprigs of fresh parsley or basil to decorate the plate.
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Parboil the potatoes in abundant, lightly-salted water for 6 minutes.
Drain and set aside to cool.
Once the potatoes have cooled enough to be handled, peel them and grate with a coarse cheese grater.
Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over low heat until it is hot but not smoking.
Add the chopped onion and bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking.
Remove from heat.
Add the bacon and onions to the grated potatoes along with the rest of the olive oil, potato flour, parsley, chives, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Divide the mixture into eight small portions and press into patties using your hands.
Arrange the patties carefully on the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each patty.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the rosti turn golden brown and crunchy.
Garnish with the sprigs of fresh parsley or basil and serve immediately.
I’ve always been a huge fan of beer, and it was probably one of the hardest things to give up when I first embarked on my gluten-free diet. Luckily, these days it’s fairly easy to find gluten-free beer, and I’ve finally been able to add it back in to my diet (although I have to admit it wasn’t so lucky for my belly!).
Tabbouleh used to be one of my favourite salads back before I switched to gluten-free, and I always figured I’d never be able to have it again due to the fact that it’s always prepared with either bulgur or couscous, both of which are, of course, off-limits to anyone on a gluten-free diet.
Something like a fancier, vegetarian version of traditional shepherds pie, this winter vegetable pie recipe makes for a great Sunday lunch and is a good way to trick younger kids into eating their turnips and parsnips without them even realising it! I usually prepare this in one large oven-safe dish, but an interesting presentation alternative is to bake individual portions in small, round dishes and give everyone their own. If you find your kids still make faces and don’t want to eat it, try doubling the amount of cheese; in my experience, this seems to work just as well as the proverbial spoonful of sugar!
I remember one time as a kid being given some lukewarm, mushy canned asparagus for lunch and thinking it was the absolute worst thing in the world and vowing never to eat asparagus again! Fortunately, I eventually grew up and tried some grilled asparagus at a restaurant. Imagine my surprise when I realised it was nothing at all like that mushy stuff I remembered!
This Moroccan style aubergine and baked bell pepper salad is a veritable explosion of flavours and really shows just how versatile the humble aubergine can be! When you mix the steamed aubergine with the rest of the ingredients, it tends to get a bit mashed and fall apart just a touch, which helps to spread the flavour of the spices throughout the whole dish. The roasted peppers add a strong and pungent flavour to the salad, while the cumin seeds and chilli pepper flakes give it that authentic Middle-Eastern aroma.
Another typical Mediterranean delight, this red cabbage and apple recipe is sure to knock your socks off if you’ve never had it or anything similar before! You can find a lot of different variations of the dish if you travel around the Mediterranean countries, but the basic idea is always the same: very tender red cabbage mixed with a sweet fruit (I’ve used apples, but some people make it with raisins, oranges or apricots) and seasoned with some kind of aromatic spice, usually cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg.
One of the worst things about my gluten-free diet has got to be not being able to eat semolina pasta! I used to eat it by the bucketful (maybe that was part of the problem!), and to be honest, I don’t really find any of the gluten-free alternatives to be nearly as satisfying.
These delicious, deep-fried onion “flowers” make for a very visually impressive appetiser with which to astound your friends! The best thing about them is that although they look very impressive and hard to make, they’re actually very easy and will be ready in less than 30 minutes! Serve them with a side of mustard sauce for dipping.
Rosti is a traditional Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes and was originally eaten for breakfast by farmers. Somewhat similar to the more familiar hash browns, they are usually fried, although I prefer them baked. These bacon and potato rosti are oven-baked and while I don’t think I’d want to eat them for breakfast very often, they make for a wonderfully satisfying snack or starter.
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