Gluten Free

Sweet and savoury goodies without a single speck of gluten but loads of flavour.

I don’t have a gluten intolerance but I have friends and family who do and I know some of you, my readers, are gluten free so I try my best to give you a good range of yummy treats, both meals and desserts.

How to cook the perfect roast beef spiced with garam masala

Posted on June 4, 2009

[Garam masala roast beef with spiced pumpkin wedges]

Spice up your roast tonight!

It’s certainly getting a bit nippy here in the Southern hemisphere. So you know what that means? Roasts!

Beef, pork, duck, lamb, you name it, I like it. Especially if it’s jazzed up with some aromatic spices and cooked with love.

I’d like to offer my top tips for cooking a beef roast today. The roast pictured above is a bit overcooked for my liking as I prefer it rare. But my family likes it well done and I always aim to please my dinner guests!

As you’ll see in the following shot, I cooked it so it was pink in the very centre, meaning those who like it well done ate slices closer to the outside. Then everyone is happy. (more…)

Wasabi + chicken + noodle = patties

Posted on May 8, 2009

[Wasabi chicken noodle patties]

Pure wasabi – as hot or as mild as you want it to be!

Don’t you love that tagline? It really makes you think ‘Oh good, I like my wasabi hot’ OR ‘Oh good, I like my wasabi mild’. After all, the customer is always right! Right? (more…)

The perfect partner: Spinach + avocado salad w/ sesame wasabi dressing

Posted on April 18, 2009

[Spinach and avocado salad w/ sesame wasabi dressing]

This salad is just crying out to be served with some BBQ’d tofu – the perfect vegan meal!

It would also be right at home next to a nice piece of salmon, a grilled chicken breast, a juicy steak – can you see where I’m going with this? Yes that’s right, it goes with everything! (more…)

Salmon wasabi leaf canapes w/ sauce

Posted on April 14, 2009

[Salmon wasabi leaf canapes w/ wasabi and soy dipping sauce (sauce not shown)]

This recipe uses the stem, leaf stems and leaves of the fresh wasabi plant all at once!

Here is the first of my wasabi recipes as promised.

UPDATE 15/4/09: lots of people are asking in the comments what the leaves taste like. Check this post where I give a full description. Cheers!

The wonderful guys at Shima Wasabi sent me a pack with a wasabi stem, wasabi leaf stems and wasabi leaves to play with – and I’ve loved every minute with this gorgeous produce! I’ve even frozen the remaining part of the stem and crossed my fingers it’s still going to grate beautifully once defrosted.

Although I was initially intimidated by it’s bumpy looks the wasabi stem is indeed very friendly to the home cook. There’s no fiddly peeling or prepping as you simply grate the stem as is and let it release it’s pungent and beautiful aroma into your kitchen. (more…)

Chilli beef and broccoli stir fry

Posted on March 26, 2009

Perfect for those nights when you get home late and need to feed the family (or yourself) in a hurry.

I went to Neil Perry’s new Sydney restaurant Spice Temple today with my food blogger friends Lorraine and Y so I thought it only fitting to post a recipe with a good chilli hit.

The food at Spice Temple was really yummy but not as hot as I thought it would be. I’m a total chilli fiend though so that’s got to be factored in. You might find it spicy.

My favourite dish was the Steamed Eggplant with Three Flavours (Coriander, Garlic and Pork) – no chilli at all but a delicious combination of flavours. I also really loved the Cat’s Ear noodles with peppers and chilli sauce (don’t worry, there’s no cat in the dish!) because it had a nice amount of chilli and the noodles were so silky.

I was a bit disappointed the Stir-fried duck with coriander and black vinegar wasn’t on the menu as I’d seen a recipe for it in Australian Gourmet Traveller. I’m going to try making it myself… stay tuned. (more…)