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.

Australia Day Mini Jelly Pavlovas!

Posted on January 25, 2011

Australia Day is a time to relax and enjoy the public holiday, so if you’re going to the trouble of making a sweet treat, it may as well be super easy!

Not to mention the temperature is expected to be around 35C in Sydney – HOT! That’s no weather to be slaving in the kitchen.

Simply mix and chill the jelly in layers then dump a bought meringue on top, dollop on whipped cream and fresh fruit and voila! You have got a patriotic green and gold dessert that looks cute as pie and is fun to eat for kids and adults alike.

(more…)

Vegan chocolate panna cotta

Posted on November 3, 2010

Who thinks vegans can’t eat panna cotta? Wrong!

I’ve been experimenting lately with agar agar as a setting agent to replace gelatine.

Agar agar is derived from a form of red algae seaweed and comes in powder and flake form. It’s used extensively in Asia for both sweet and savoury recipes.

It’s a completely vegetarian/vegan alternative to gelatine which is, of course, taken from the insides of various animals skin and bones. Sorry if you didn’t want to hear that! (more…)

Something else to dollop Ricardoes relish

Posted on October 18, 2010

A few weeks ago I got given some of the famous Ricardoes Tomato Relish and I’ve been dolloping it on everything!

Here’s a quick lunch I whipped up using a beautiful bunch of cavelo nero I picked up at Marrickville Farmers Market.

Simply follow the same instructions for my mushroom and bacon open face omelette but replace with diced pumpkin and shredded cavelo nero instead. Then top with a big spoonful each of relish and sour cream, yummo!

That’s all for today, but stay tuned because coming up soon will be a pineapple pudding, a sweet curry and a vegan panna cotta!

Chat soon, Christie x

Orange braised fennel w/ roast pork

Posted on September 5, 2010

I just couldn’t resist a massive crunchy bulb of fennel at the market the other week. It seemed to be crying out ‘take me home!’.

Young small bulbs are irresistible sliced paper-thin and eaten raw, but the larger ones, like this one, are best suited to braising so the flavour mellows out and sweetens.

The addition of fresh orange juice adds another layer of sweetness and makes it a great partner for pork, which I sat on top of the fennel while it braised.

Click the button below for photos of the final result, to get the easy recipe and see a drool-worthy crackling shot! (more…)

Slow cooker chicken soup

Posted on August 10, 2010

UPDATE: This competition is now closed.

Slow cookers are amazing.

This soup made itself while I went out all day with my Mum to Mathilda’s Market (baby stuff) and shopped up a storm.

I simply rummaged around in the fridge and freezer, chucked everything into the slow cooker, put the lid on and then came home to the intoxicating smell of homemade chicken soup.

I was lucky enough to receive this slow cooker as a gift from Lorraine at Beyond the Square Communications so that I could trial the new range of McCormick Food slow cooker recipe bases.

I tried the Moroccan Lamb Casserole and it turned out beautifully, but my photos came out terribly, so I couldn’t bear to post them here.

The good news is that it’s got me hooked with experimenting with my own slow cooker recipes (hence this chicken soup!) but I’ve got 6 packs of slow cooker bases left and I thought I’d give them away to you!

I tend to forget that not everyone likes to make up their own recipes and most people love pre-mixed recipe bases to take the guess work and hassle out of making dinner. That’s why I’m giving one lucky reader the chance to win the six packs.

Click the button below to view the competition entry details and get the chicken soup recipe. (more…)