5th January 2016

Gluten free multi-seed bread

It is already day 5 but I think I can still say ‘Happy New Year’!! For many of us the New Year starts with some sort of detox . I have chosen to give up alcohol, coffee and gluten for a month.  Coffee is probably… Read more

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Gluten free multi-seed bread – makes 2 small loafs

90g sunflower seeds 

45g pumpkin seeds 
90g linseeds 
65g chestnuts; almonds or hazelnuts 
145g oats ( make sure they are packed in a gluten free environment) 
4 tbsp psyllium husk 
2 tbsp  chia seeds 
1 tbsp of maple sirup or date sirup 
3 tbsp of coconut oil 
1 tsp of ground Himalayan salt 
350ml of slightly warm water

 

Chop the baked chestnuts into small pieces or cut in half and thinly slice them, mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl;  then whisk together sirup, oil and water until oil is dissolved and add to the dry ingredients; stir with a wooden spoon until you get a nice texture (its not dough like, its more like a thick but smooth porridge) . If the mix seems to dry add a little more water. Prepare small bread baking pans with baking paper, that way the the bread won’t stick to the pan. I even use the baking paper on non sticky pans, safes washing up and I try and re-use the paper. Add the bread mix to the pans and leave covered at room temperature for at least two hours, even better over night.

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Once the mix has rested, preheat the oven at 175c and bake for 20minutes,  then take the bread out of the pan and put upside down on baking tray, using baking paper to keep everything clean.

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Put the ‘upside down’ bread loafs back in the oven and bake for another 30-40 minutes. The bread is ready if it sounds ‘hollow’, when gently tapping on the top.

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Leave the bread to cool before cutting and eating it . The bread keeps in the fridge for 3-5 days. I usually slice it and put in the freezer, so I can have it fresh when ever I fancy it. It works well going straight from freezer in the toaster. Top with your favourite bread toppings , mine include cheese & pickle, mushroom pate, hummus, ghee & a sprinkle of salt, honey, marmalade or avocado & spring onions with a little bit of tamari sauce. Just too good!

10th September 2015

Courgetti salad with organic salmon & avocado

I hope had a lovely summer and got to sample many of the amazing foods mother nature had on offer for us! Now with autumn approaching we can expect more richness and deep colours not only our plates. If you take a walk through London’s… Read more

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Courgetti salad with organic salmon and avocado – serves 2-3

200-300g of organic salmon
2-3 medium sized organic courgettes
2 spring onions
1/2 bag of fresh garden peas ( 1/2 cup per person)
2 ripe avocados
1-2 bags of Rocket, watercress or green salad of your choice
100-150g of brown rice vermicelli noodles ( 50g per person) – optional
A small bunch of coriander

For the marinade:
a small knob of fresh grated ginger
1/2 tbsp of brown rice miso paste
3-4 tbsp of tamari sauce
1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Dressing:
1 tbsp of tahini
1 tbsp of tamari sauce
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
2-3 tbsp of sesame oil
1/2 tsp of rice miso paste
1/2 clove of garlic & small piece (1cm) of ginger – grated or crushed with garlic press

Method:

Start with marinating the salmon, for a more intense flavour this is best done a couple of hours before cooking.  It still works making it straight away, so don’t worry if you don’t have hours for marinating. Simply mix the marinade ingredients well and pour over the salmon, turn the salmon a few times, so every part has been covered with the marinade. It is best to use a casserole dish you can bake the salmon in later on. Cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to bake it in the oven.

Pre-heat the oven at 180C,  cover the casserole dish with tin foil before baking to keep the salmon moist, but make sure the foil does not touch the fish. Depending on the size and thickness bake for 15-20minutes or as instructed on the packaging.

Next prepare the dressing, simply put all ingredients in a jam jar, close lid tightly and shake until everything is mixed well.

Whilst the salmon is baking in the oven prepare the rest of the ingredients, slicing the spring onions and avocado, sprinkle some lemon juice on the sliced avocado, so it doesn’t turn brown.

You will need a spiralizer for the courgetti, but if you don’t have one, you can simply use a vegetable peeler and create courgette sheets.

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Wash well before spiralizing the courgette including skin, which is the antioxidants rich part. If you would like to have the courgetti raw, then sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and the juice of half a lemon and mix well, this may help to digest them easier. Otherwise steam together with the garden peas or warm up in a lightly oiled pan together with the spring onions, just before serving.

If you are adding the vermicelli, prepare them just before serving, they don’t take long, just follow the instruction on the packaging, which can vary.

Once the salmon is ready start preparing the plates, first create a salad bed, then top with courgetti, vermicelli, spring onions, garden peas, avocado and coriander, finally add the dressing- serve warm or cold.

Bon Appetit !

29th May 2015

Irma’s rainy day gluten free banana pancakes

This spring has been a bit up and down and all around. One day it’s hot, the next freezing cold and the heating needs to go back on. The following morning you are looking for your flip flops and in the afternoon you find yourself… Read more

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Gluten free mini banana pancakes – makes 12

80g of organic oat flour  ( simply ground oats in a coffee grinder)
50g of organic buckwheat flour
1 tsp of baking powder
120 ml organic nut or rice milk
4 small ripe fair trade organic bananas (2 for the pancake & 2 to garnish)
2 medium sized eggs
1 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp of maple syrup plus some extra to garnish
A pinch of salt, a dash of cinnamon and a handful of pecan or peanuts to garnish

Coconut & banana cream (optional)
1 cup of fresh coconut or one coconut yogurt
1 small organic fair trade banana
1 tbsp chia seeds
1-2 tbsp nut milk
A squeeze of lemon juice

If you want to add some extra banana flavour, start off with making a quick coconut & banana cream. Just put the 1 cup of fresh coconut, one small banana, a squeeze of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of chia and 1 -2 tbsp of nut milk in the food processor and blend until smooth. If you don’t have fresh coconut you can use 1 small tub of coconut yogurt instead, there won’t be any need to add nut milk for that one. Once blended, leave to set in the fridge for about 20 minutes. You can either add it on each serving or spread some onto each layer of the banana tower.

For the pancake mix sift flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Next, whisk milk, eggs, oil and maple syrup together and pour into the flour mix, then add the mashed bananas and beat until you get a smooth batter. The easiest way to do all this is to put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, that way you ensure everything is mixed together well.

Leave the mix to sit for 15 minutes, you will see how it thickens and produces air bubbles.

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Cut  a couple of bananas into equally slim slices and set aside, you will need these to layer your pancakes as you stack them into a small tower.

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Next heat a small frying pan with a little coconut oil, add the first ladle of batter and cook until the top of the pancake starts to bubble, now it’s time to turn it over. Cook both sides until golden brown. Keep the temperature at medium heat to prevent burning the delicate pancake whilst it is cooking through.

Have a ‘pretty’ looking plate ready for the first pancake and whilst the next pancake is cooking away, add a layer of banana slices around the outer circle, here you would add the coconut banana cream layer as well. Carry on until you get until the 6th or 7th pancake before getting the next plate ready and repeat the process. This all depends on how  many hungry mouths you have to feed.

The final layer of each pancake ‘tower’ can be decorated with more banana slices or strawberries are pretty delicious with this combination, then add pecan nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey as a final finish – a real rainy day breakfast, any day dessert or afternoon treat.
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