Tag: gluten-free

Cranberry Scones

This recipe includes dried cranberries because I quite like their tanginess but it could, equally well be made with a sweeter dried fruit like raisins or sultanas, which is more traditional. However, the mixture can also be plain. I’ve used gluten free flour, vegan butter and unrefined sugar but you could always substitute ‘normal’ ingredients.

Makes about 12 scones

Ingredients

  • 500g gluten free self raising flour
  • 125g vegan butter, margarine or coconut oil (I really like Naturli vegan butter)
  • 1.5 teaspoons of gf baking powder
  • 4 teaspoons of coconut palm sugar (optional)
  • Handful and a half of dried cranberries, cut in half
  • 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract, paste or powder
  • 250ml Oat, plant or nut milk
  • 4.5 teaspoons of lemon juice

Method

  1. Mix together flour, baking powder and butter blending it till it has the texture of breadcrumbs
  2. Add in the sugar, vanilla and cranberries
  3. Mix in the oat milk and lemon juice to create a dough
  4. Pre-grease a baking tray and line with greaseproof paper
  5. My lazy way of making the individual scones is to break off pieces of dough to roll into balls and then flatten a little when placing onto the baking tray – if you want more regular shapes roll out the dough to about 1.5 cm thick and use a cutter
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Vegan Nut Roast

Nut roast is not the most photogenic of foods but it is a really tasty addition to a traditional roast dinner. I have made many variations on the nut roast theme but the one below is a recipe that other people have said is really tasty and a long way from the very dry versions of nut roast that are sometimes found. There is plenty of scope for experiment with this basic recipe, try different combination of nuts, different herbs (or spices) and add in different soft vegetables if you like – I have added red pepper in the past which gives a little touch of colour to the brownness of the roast. The addition of vegetables, and in particularly, courgette makes the roast moist and not too heavy.

Ingredients

  • 200g of nuts ( any combination will do, e.g.walnuts, almonds and cashews)
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • Approx 3 medium size mushrooms sliced and chopped
  • Half a courgette
  • 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour (gram flour) or gf flour (vegetarians could use an egg instead)
  • 1 dessertspoon of miso
  • I tablespoon of sage
  • Olive oil or vegan butter

Method

  1. Put the nuts in a grinder and grind them as fine as possible. I sometimes find that my grinder is a little uneven and leaves a few chunks, I quite like the variety of texture that gives but you may not.
  2. Saute the onion and mushroom to soften them
  3. Put the nuts into a mixing bowl
  4. Grate in the courgette
  5. Add the onion and mushrooms
  6. Add the miso and sage,
  7. Add the chickpea flour – this acts as an egg replacement to bind the loaf, other possible options are flaxseed flour or gluten-free flour though I have not tried them
  8. Mix everything together well, if the mixture is very stiff then you may need to add a little water, if it seems a bit sloppy then add some more chickpea flour.
  9. Grease and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper (this makes getting the loaf out so much easier)
  10. Pat the mixture into the tin well
  11. Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius
  12. Turn out onto a plate to serve

I often serve this with a gravy that I make using a vegetable stock cube and a dessertspoon of miso with a little boiling water. Cook in a saucepan for about 5 minutes stirring till the lumps of stock cube dissolve.

Left over nut roast will keep in the fridge for several days and can also be eaten cold

At a glance conversion

To help out those still working in pounds, ounces or cups

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Spinach Pesto

I came up with this recipe when I was trying to think of what to do with spinach from my veg box. It would works just as well with other leafy greens such as chard or even spring greens. This makes enough sauce for about 4 people.

Ingredients

Making the pesto with rainbow chard and red onions
  • Medium sized onion
  • A whole small courgette or half a large courgette, diced into small chunks
  • Spinach – about 200g cut into small strips
  • Garlic to taste (a couple of cloves)
  • A handful of Pine nuts
  • Nutritional yeast flakes about a tablespoon full
  • A little vegan butter or olive oil
  • Seasoning (I just use pepper)

Method

1. Saute the onion and garlic gently in the butter

2. Add in the courgette diced into small pieces and cook for a few minutes

3. Add the spinach and cook till well wilted

4. Add the pine nuts and for a minute or two

5. Add the nutritional yeast flakes and seasoning as required

6. Blend the mix until it is a smooth, green, paste. if the mix is too thick add a little water or vegetable stock but this will probably not be necessary as spinach releases a lot of water when cooking.

7. Serve with gnocchi or pasta. Any left over sauce can be put into a jar and kept in the fridge for a few days.

At a glance conversion

To help those working in pounds, ounces or cups

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