Cut The Mustard

Flapjacks

February 6, 2014Leave a comment

These flapjacks are deliciously chewy, you could almost believe that these are super-healthy, if you just focus on the oats!
175g butter
175g golden syrup
175g muscovado sugar
350g/12oz porridge oats
(I used gluten free oats for this recipe, but ‘regular’ rolled oats work just as well)
1⁄2 lemon, finely grated
zest pinch ground ginger
50g chocolate drops

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and line a 20cm/8in square baking tin with baking paper.
Melt the butter in a medium pan over a low heat.
Brush a little on the baking paper.
Add the golden syrup and sugar to the butter and heat gently.
Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the porridge oats, lemon zest and ginger.
Press the mixture into the tin and then sprinkle with chocolate drops. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
Turn the cooked mixture out on to a chopping board and cut into squares.

Recipe adapted from ‘ Flapjacks’ -Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale

February 6, 2014Leave a comment

‘Oats contain protein, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B, and have no sodium or cholesterol.’In addition, they contain large amounts of soluble fibre including beta-glucan, which is known to lower cholesterol.’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food

Red Pepper, lentil and rice soup- Serves 4

February 3, 2014Leave a comment

Another warming soup. Adding the rice makes it very filling.

200g red lentils
1tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. hot smoked paprika
4 red peppers, deseeded and diced.
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp. caster sugar
200g cooked rice
4tbsp. natural yogurt
Horseradish sauce to taste (approx 2 tsp.)

In a sieve, rinse the red lentils and then leave them to soak in a bowl of cold water. Set aside.
In a large pan, heat the oil gently and fry the onion until it is soft.
Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook gently for 2 minutes.
Add the smoked paprika, with a splash of water (to stop it burning) and cook gently for a further minute.
Add the peppers to the pan and pop the lid on.
Cook gently for 10 minutes until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally.
Drain the lentils and add to the pan with the stock.
Cover and bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Remove a piece of pepper, cut into slithers, and set aside for garnish.
Leave the soup to cool a little before blending in a food processor (or use a hand blender) until smooth.
Reheat the soup and then add the vinegar and sugar.
Add the cooked rice to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes to make sure that the rice is cooked through thoroughly.
Mix the horseradish into the yogurt.
Divide the soup between four bowls and swirl with the yogurt mixture. Top with slithers of pepper.
Serve with crusty bread.

Peanut Butter Brownies- makes 16 squares

February 3, 2014Leave a comment

These are very delicious and so easy to make. They can we made with wheat flour, in which case, leave out the xanthan gum.

225g crunchy Peanut Butter
200g dark chocolate- broken into pieces
280g soft light brown sugar
3 medium eggs, at room temperature
100g gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 160C fan/180C/ gas 4
Line a square baking tin with baking parchment.
Set aside 50g each of the peanut butter and chocolate and gently melt the remaining peanut butter, chocolate and the sugar in a pan, stirring occasionally. This can also be done very gently in the microwave (approx. 30 second bursts).
Continue until the sugar has melted.
Take off the heat and beat in the eggs one at a time.
Stir in the flour and xanthan gum, and then pour into the tin.
Melt reserved peanut butter in the microwave for 45 seconds or in a pan until runny.
Drizzle over the brownie.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until it has formed a crust but the middle appears slightly undercooked.
Melt the remaining chocolate, and drizzle over the Brownie. Cool in the tin, before cutting into squares.

Butternut Squash Soup- serves 8

February 3, 2014Leave a comment

People have been making soup, for as long as anyone can remember; combining ingredients in a pot to make a nutritious and filling meal. Soup is a meal enjoyed worldwide, for example America has Chowder, Spain, a chilled soup known as Gazpacho, Italy-Minestrone, China-Won Ton, Russia- Borsht, Greece-Avgolemono and in Britain we have Mulligatawny Soup, a spicy dish inherited from the British Raj of the early 19^th century. The list is endless.
Of course, as well as the ‘traditional’ soups, there are many variations, and what could be better on a cold winters day, than a bowl of warm deliciousness?

2 red onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. chili flakes (more if you like it really spicy!)
1 butternut squash (around 1.2kg), peeled deseeded and cut into chunks
1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
A few rosemary sprigs
1.25 litres gluten free chicken or vegetable stock (either homemade or Knorr do a good one called ‘Stock Pot’)
100g streaky bacon, finely chopped
Natural yogurt to garnish

Put all ingredients, except the bacon, in a large pan.
Bring to the boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a splash of oil until it is crisp. Drain on some kitchen paper.
Cool a little and then blend in a food processor until smooth (this can be done with a stick blender, but be careful that it is not too hot as it may splash. You may need to do it in batches).
Reheat.
Ladle into bowls. Swirl in some yogurt and sprinkle with crisp bacon.

January 23, 2014Leave a comment

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Miguel de Cervantes, ‘Don Quixote de la Mancha’ . (1547-1616)

Toffee Sauce

January 23, 2014Leave a comment

175g soft brown sugar
110g Butter
6 tbsp. Double Cream
Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and you have a rich brown toffee sauce.
Delicious poured over Sticky Toffee Pudding, Ice Cream (both!) or you can use it as a sweet dip for fruit or marshmallows (or both!)

Sticky Toffee Puddings- makes 8 individual Servings

January 23, 2014Leave a comment

One of our family favourites; we usually have this on Christmas Day, of course you can eat this at any time of year, provided you have enough space that is!
75g Butter
150g Golden Sugar
2 medium eggs, at room temperature, beaten
175g Self Raising Gluten Free Flour, sifted
1 tsp Xanthem Gum
175g stoned dates, chopped very finely (by hand, or better still in a food processor)
175ml boiling water
½ tsp Good Quality Vanilla Essence
2tsp Coffee Essence, preferably Camp
¾ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
8 individual pudding basins, lightly oiled with groundnut oil
Baking Tray.
Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
Put the chopped dates in a bowl. Pour the boiling water on them.
Add Vanilla and Coffee essence and the Bicarbonate of Soda. Put to one side.
Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale, light and fluffy.
Gradually add the eggs, beating well between each addition.
If it looks like it is ‘curdling’ (by adding too much egg at once), add a tablespoon of flour and make sure it is well mixed in before adding more egg.
Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon.
Fold in the date mixture, including the liquid.
Divide the mixture between the pudding basins.
Place on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 mins until the top of the puddings ‘spring back’, when pressed gently.
To serve, slide a palette knife around the edge of each pudding and turn them out onto serving plates.
If they have risen too much, and the tops are too rounded, slice a slither off so that they sit flat on the plate.
Serve with toffee sauce (see above)
These will freeze beautifully for up to one month.