Falafel Dinner

I don't like to use packet mixes. I just don't like ultra processed foods and food that isn't fresh. However I weakened at the supermarket today and thought I would try a gluten free falafel mix that would do for the whole family. It was ok. Not terrific. Not super yum. Not awful. Just ok.

The packet was pretty good value for money I thought...five dollars something...for a meal that wouldn't be having meat. I heated up some pita pockets for the rest of the family and put their falafels in the pita pockets with a mixed salad and a mayo and I just had mine on a salad.

The falafels were easy to make. Just add water, mix, chill and then mould into shapes. Then pan fry. Quick. Easy. Blah food. Tasty but more of a rib-sticker type of meal, than a gotta have that again!

Make Your Own Gluten Free Baking Powder

From the cookbook 'The New Zealand Food Allergy Cookbook', by Ros Campbell and Jill Macfarlane for Allergy New Zealand. Published by Hodder Moa, Auckland, 2007.

1 part baking soda
2 parts cream of tartar
1 part potato four, arrowroot or similar starch to prevent clumping.

I have just read that to make your baked goods rise better you need to mix the baking powder mix with water or other liquid in the recipe before adding it to the other ingredients. Perhaps if I had done that my sponge would have been better. Perhaps.

Sludgecake aka Spongecake Disaster

I should have stopped when I realised there were no strawberries to be bought today. Wham bam just like that the strawberry season has ended. No warning - no nothing. One day we could buy mega punnets of the little gems and then the next day nada. Apparently the warm evenings are to blame. I guess we can't have it all can we? So anyway. What is a sponge cake without strawberries? I should have stopped. But no, I was in a cake making mood and being adventurous so I went ahead with my sponge cake mission.
I've only tried making sponges a couple of times before, and both were not memorable. But a friend of mine had said she makes sponges for a coeliac friend of hers..so I thought i would give it a whirl. I used the Edmonds recipe and exchanged the cup of normal flour for a cup of Bakels Gluten Free flour mix. And I used the gluten free baking powder mix from the NZ Allergy cookbook (see below for details). I don't know whether the ingreds are to blame or my method for the lack of height to the cake, perhaps it was a mix of both...but the finished result was a low level gluggy cake, ew. If I actually liked sponge cake I would work on my method using normal flour and try to perfect my sponge making ability...but I don't think it is worth it. Give me mudcake anyday!
As my husband says, at least the cream is fresh and tasty! And I found one last strawberry for it in our garden.

I Scream.....

....you scream......we all scream....for ice-cream!

Ice cream is one of those dairy products that coeliacs have to read the label of...some ice creams have gluten in the flavourings...others have gluten as a thickener. The manufactured food database is a wonderful resource for people wanting to check products in regards to various allergies, not just gluten. Check it out to be sure of various products, it is available online at www.mfd.co.nz

In the meantime...here is my wicked recipe for ice cream that anyone can make at home, no special machines needed.

Take 300 mls cream and one tin of condensed milk. Whip the cream (no need for icing sugar or vanilla essence to be added) and then fold in the condensed milk. Add whatever flavours you like - choc, fruit, essences (some have gluten in them!).....anything at all, pour the mix into a plastic container and freeze. Enjoy!

Recent flavours I have played with - strawberry and mango, vanilla and choc chip - although beware the choc chips do tend to sink to the bottom!

Choco Caramel Slice

I was needing a sugar hit a few days ago and knew I was running out of gluten free flour (Bakels Baking Mix)....so I did some improvising. I took Donna Hay's choc caramel slice recipe and played with it. The base ended up being made with about half a cup of gf flour, coconut, brown sugar, margarine and some gf muesli to bulk up the base and make up for running out of flour. I have been using marg for baking since the price of butter skyrocketed..it works ok but is hard to measure...especially since two year old Luka threw my scales onto the floor! I would prefer butter but our budget wouldn't. Anyway, the base turned out really caramelly and tasty with the muesli bits giving it a great texture too. The caramel was a standard condensed milk, golden syrup and margarine combo and it was topped with a bit of dark choc melted with some oil to make it go further and make it easier to cut. Please note some dark chocs have a malt extract in them (Cadbury's Energy does for instance), so aren't on the ok list for coeliacs.
So now, hiding in the fridge, is my little indulgence....I have to eat out of sight of the rest of the family for fear of having to share it!

Sushi!!

Normally bought sushi is a no no for coeliacs as rice wine vinegar (which has gluten in it) is usually in the rice......but this can be exchanged very easily for white vinegar, making it ok for coeliacs. So I made sushi today, and incidentally it was the first time I had made it. I followed an Annabel Langbein recipe for the rice and filled them with strips of carrot, red pepper and cucumber, and avocado and salmon. I simply swapped the rice wine vinegar for white vinegar and it tasted just like store-bought. I didn't have a sushi mat, but used a damp teatowel to help in the rolling part. The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the amount of rice I ended up with didn't go as far as I had planned...so now I know for next time to double the amount. The other thing to note for coeliacs is the dipping of the sushi - soy sauce is a no no - however tamari sauce which is pretty similar in taste is ok.
So my first forray into sushi making was a success......I'll be making it again......
If you have never made sushi - have a go. It was fun and tasted great. Plus it was cheaper to make than to buy it.