Wednesday 26 October 2011

Lasagne- Gluten Free Chicken and Basil with Zucchini, Eggplant and Capsicum


Lasagne- Gluten Free Chicken and Basil with Zucchini, Eggplant and Capsicum

Inspired by:
The fact that I live in Italy but I have not yet tried making Lasagne. . .nor have I been able to eat it here yet.
White cheese chicken lasagna recipe on allrecipes.com

Why?
We had people coming for dinner. . .I know every host who has ever made money on a lifestyle program on TV always advises never to experiment when people are coming to dinner, but I like living on the edge.

I used:
12 Gluten Free Lasagne Sheets (250g)
175g dairy free margarine/butter (separated into 125g and 50g)
2Tbs chopped shallots
3 diced garlic cloves (separated into 1 and 2 cloves)
½ cup gluten free flour
3tps salt (separated into 1tsp and 2 tsp)
2 cups water
2 ½ cups rice milk (separated into 1 ½ cups and 1 cup)
300g non dairy cheese, grated (I used sheep’s cheese as it is just cows dairy that I have issues with)
1Tbs dried oregano
7 Tbs dried basil
½ tps black pepper
4 Tbs fresh chopped basil
3 Tbs vegetable oil
900g uncooked chicken breast/fillet cubed
½ zucchini thinly sliced
½ small eggplant thinly sliced
½ capsicum thinly sliced


What I did:
Find 30cm X40cm dish, and set aside (or two 15 X 25cm dishes worth.).
If you have not chopped your vegetables or grated the cheese, do it now!
In a small bowl combine 4 Tbs fresh chopped basil with 1 Tbs of vegetable oil and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Stir and set aside.
On high to medium heat, and in a large saucepan, cook chicken pieces until browned and then add two cups of water, 2 tsp of salt, and 2Tbs of dried basil to the saucepan. 
Continue to cook; stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked all the way through, then remove from heat (turn off element). 
Separate the chicken from the chicken stock/broth by pouring the liquid into another heat proof container, retain both the chicken and the broth.
Preheat oven to 180C.
Over low heat, in a small saucepan, melt 125g dairy free margarine in with chopped shallots and 1 crushed garlic clove, and stir with a wooden spoon. 
When dairy free margarine has melted, add ½ cup gluten free flour and 1tsp salt, continuing to stir to avoid lumps. 
The white sauce mixture should thicken. 
Let the sauce simmer until it boils and then add 1 ½ cups rice milk and the chicken stock/broth, and bring the sauce back to the boil for one minute, stirring occasionally. 
Stir through 100g grated dairy free cheese, and add 1Tbs dried basil, 1Tbs oregano, and ½ tsp black pepper and take off the heat (turn off the element) and set aside.
Prepare gluten free lasagne sheets as per manufacturers guidelines. 
Add 2tbs of vegetable oil to the water to stop the pasta sheets from sticking together.
Once the pasta sheets are boiled (4-5 mins for the ones I used) separate them immediately after cooking to save frustration later.

To assemble the lasagne we now have:
White sauce
1 cup rice milk
Gluten free pasta sheets (ready to go)
4tsp dried basil
Bowl of fresh chopped basil, crushed garlic and oil
Sliced zucchini
Sliced eggplant
Sliced capsicum
Cooked basil chicken
400g non dairy cheese, grated
50g dairy free margarine.

Pour a third of the white sauce in the bottom of the cooking pan, then place a third of the pasta sheets(4) over the top. 
Next make a layer of the chicken pieces on top of the pasta, and then add the fresh basil and garlic mixture on top of the chicken. 
Follow this with an even sprinkling of cheese and a dash of rice milk for moisture. 
Add the next lot (4) of the pasta sheets, followed by the next third of the white sauce. 
Then layer the zucchini pieces and sprinkle with cheese, add 2Tbs of basil and a dash of rice milk. 
The eggplant is the next layer, followed again by cheese and the last 2 Tbs of basil and a dash of rice milk, followed by the capsicum and more cheese. 
Add the last of the white sauce and add the final strips of pasta. 
Sprinkle the top of the lasagne with the last of the cheese. 
Dot slices of the margarine on the top of the lasagne and bake in the oven for 45 mins.

Comments after eating Lasagne!
Everyone loved it. It was delicious! I’m glad there was leftovers so I can keep enjoying it for a bit longer!
If you can’t find dairy free cheese in your area, I would suggest making twice as much of the white sauce, and adding a bit more salt to it. The white sauce has a nice flavor, and I think that even without the cheese, with a little extra white sauce this would make a great flavoursome dish.


Thursday 20 October 2011

Lemon Bread


Lemon Bread

Inspired by: All recipes.com

Why?
Had lemons to use up, and am still baking for the conference.

I used:
½ cup dairy free margarine/115g
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs lemon zest
1 ½ cups gluten free self raising flour
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup dairy free rice milk

What I did:
Preheat oven to 175C and line/grease 20x30cm baking dish.
In a medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamed. 
Beat in eggs, then lemon juice, and zest. 
Add flour, salt and milk, and mix well. 
When mixture is combined, pour into pan and bake for 45 mins, or until tester comes out clean.

Comments after eating Lemon Bread!
It reminds me of lemon and poppy seed muffins. I honestly expected it to have more of a lemon flavor, although I do like the taste a lot. Next time I will add more lemon juice and zest! I think the lemon butter would make a great icing for this and would give it a big lemony kick.

 Please excuse my messy kitchen!

Caramel Popcorn


Caramel Popcorn (how to make popcorn on the stove top)
(Plain popcorn with icing sugar)

Inspired by: Taste.com.au

Why? I was hungry and there was nothing for me to eat. . .

I used:
½ cup unpopped corn kernels
1/4 cup vegetable oil (you can use less depending on saucepan size)

Carmel
125g dairy free margarine chopped
¾ cup white sugar
2 Tbs honey

What I did:
To cook the popcorn, pour the oil into a medium to large thick bottomed pot (if you are concerned over the amount of oil, I usually just make sure the bottom of the pot is well covered with oil). 
Heat oil on a medium heat (better lower than higher) until hot. 
To test when oil is hot enough, place one kernel of corn in the oil, when the corn spins in the oil, or the corn pops, the oil is hot enough. 
When the oil is hot enough, pour the rest of the corn kernels into the pot, and place the lid on securely, taking care to avoid oil slashes which may burn you. 
Shake the pot gently while the popcorn is popping, and remove the pot from the heat (turn off stove) once the popping stops. 
Pour popped corn into a bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.

To make the caramel, combine margarine, sugar and honey in a small saucepan. 
Stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. 
Bring mixture to the boil, and boil uncovered and without stirring for 5-8 minutes, until light golden, or until the colour turns a slightly darker shade (if your original mixture was light golden). 
Remove from heat (turn off stove) and pour over popcorn. 
Mix through popcorn until popcorn is fully coated. 
It can be left in the bowl, or poured out onto a lined tray to set.

Comments after eating Caramel Popcorn!
I really don’t know how many times I have made this recipe. It is a favourite. I love it. It’s very easy, and once you are familiar with your stove and your saucepans it is fairly foolproof. I do have trouble with burning the popcorn every once in a while when I am trying to make this in an unfamiliar cooking environment. But any reason to experiment with it again is always taken! A bit of salt and a lot of caramel goes a long way to hide slightly smokey popcorn! It's always a hit with visitors too!


Lemon Butter


Lemon Butter


Inspired by: Bestrecipes.com.au

Why? I bought too many lemons for the lemon bars, and I LOVE lemon butter. It is my spread of choice!

I used:
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice (about 2 squeezed lemons)
2 Tbs grated lemon zest
125g chopped dairy free margerine

What I did:
Place eggs and sugar over a bain-marie that is boiling on a medium heat, and whisk with a fork until sugar has dissolved. 
Add lemon juice, zest and chopped dairy free margarine. 
Continue whisking until mixture is smooth and the margarine has melted, making sure the mixture does not boil. 
When the mixture has thickened enough to coat the fork, take off the heat (turn off the stove) and pour into hot sterilized jars and seal quickly (you can see from the picture I didn't have any jars. . .I just put it in a sterilised container I could seal). 
Keep in the refrigerator.

Comments after eating:
Yum, yum, yum! I want to eat it all the time! It would taste great as an icing, or a sauce over a pudding, as well as on toast or muffins. Delicious!
You can also make this curd with oranges (frozen is below) or other fruits. Just substitute the lemon juice and zest for the juice and zest of the other fruit. It's quite nice frozen too (below).





Thursday 13 October 2011

Lemon Bars


Lemon Bars

Inspired by: Allrecipes.com

Why?
I can’t remember where I first heard of Lemon bars. . .but when baking was needed for a conference I was more than willing to try and make some!

I used:
Base:
225g softened dairy free margarine
½ cup castor sugar
2 cups gluten free flour
1 Tbs lemon zest/lemon zest to taste

Topping:
4 eggs (whisked)
1 ½ cups castor sugar
¼ cup gluten free flour
Juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbs lemon zest/lemon zest to taste
2 Tbs icing sugar (for dusting)

What I did:
Preheat oven to 175C and grease/line 20cmx30cm tray.
Base: Combine the margarine, sugar, gluten free flour and zest in a medium bowl, and mix well. 
Once fully combined, pour the mixture into the tray and press it firmly into the bottom, making sure the base is evenly covered. 
Bake for 15-20 mins or until just golden brown.
While the base is cooling, make the topping.
Topping: Mix together the remaining sugar and gluten free flour in a medium sized bowl.
Add in the whisked eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest, mixing thoroughly. 
Pour the topping over the baked crust (slightly cooled), and bake for another 20 minutes. 
The lemon bars will set as they cool. 
Once firm, dust the top with icing sugar, and cut to desired size.

Comments after eating Lemon Bars!
I only got a nibble of these because they were made to give away. . .but I really want to make them again because they were delicious! Maybe they tasted so good because they involved a lot of butter!? I’m not sure. It was also a great recipe because they were so very easy to make. The hardest part was waiting for it to set!!



Monday 3 October 2011

Coconut Ice


Coconut Ice

Inspired by:
bbcgoodfood.com

Why?
A friend was leaving Rome and I thought these would make a nice little goodbye gift.

I used:
250g icing sugar (gluten free)
250 g desiccated coconut
½ of a 425g can of coconut cream (dairy free)

What I did:
Line or grease a 20cm x30cm tray.
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and stir with a fork until well combined. 
Pour mixture into the tray and smooth out evenly.
Using the fork, press mixture firmly into the tray so that it covers the base (taking care to avoid cracks). Refrigerate for 3 hours then cut into squares.

Comments after eating Coconut Ice!
YUM! It’s sweet! So eat in small doses, but it always surprises me how refreshing it is, and how aptly named it is, because really it does remind me of something icy and delicious. You can add colours and layers to this easily, as well as sprinkles and all other sorts of fun and madness!