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‘Lunch Recipes’ Category

  1. Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Egg Free Boxty Recipe

    March 17, 2012 by Saara

    HAPPY SAINT PADDY’S DAY! 

     

    One of my many zillion wishes is to actually spend St Paddy’s Day in Ireland for once in my life! I absolutely love Ireland and I actually went for the first time a year and a bit ago to meet Mikes Irish side of the family in Newcastle, County Down. It was such a lovely little break away and Mikes family were so lovely and made me feel right at home! I remember turning up at his nan’s house [where we were staying] and she had already stocked up on gluten free bread for me which was so sweet of her! I can’t wait to go back again this year to see them all again!

    Anyhow,  this week I took the  opportunity to try and look for some good old fashioned Irish ‘delicacies’ and of course,  make them gluten free! So going on a good ol’ gander on Google, I stumbled across the Boxty. A Boxty is basically a potato pancake that can be served with anything you fancy; a fry up, eggs, salad or just tomato ketchup. What I like about it is that in Irish it means ‘Poor House Bread’ and I can see why, it literally needs a few items such as Potatoes [obviously!], Flour, a little Milk and you mix it all together to fry it on a frying pan just like a normal pancake! What’s more, if you have any mashed potato lying about from the night before – even better!

    What I have found about the Boxty is that there’s like a billion ways to make it! Some used mashed potato, some use raw potatoes, some use milk and make it into a really yummy batter much like a pancake batter, some make them looking like normal pancakes where as some have them looking like squished ‘fish cakes’!

    I also love the little song that goes with the Boxty:

    Boxty on the griddle,
    And Boxty on the pan;
    The wee one in the middle
    Is for Mary Ann

    Boxty on the griddle,
    boxty on the pan,
    If you can’t bake boxty
    sure you’ll never get a man

    Boxty on the griddle,
    Boxty on the pan,
    If you don’t eat boxty,
    You’ll never get a man!

    So there you have it singltons, if you don’t eat and make some Boxty you’ll never get a man! So to make sure you’re not alone this Paddy’s day, here’s my gluten free and dairy free Boxty Recipe!

    I hope you all have a wonderful gluten free Paddy’s Day today! I know us coeliacs can’t drink any Guinness but don’t worry, there’s always cider!

     

    Ingredients:

     

    • 3 medium Potatoes [peeled, boiled and mashed]
    • 3 medium Potatoes [peeled and grated]
    • 3 tablespoons Gluten Free Flour
    • 1 tablespoon of Dairy Free Margarine [melted]
    • 3 tablespoons of Soya Milk
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
    • 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

     

    Method:

     

    1. Peel, chop and boil 3 medium Potatoes until soft and ready to mash 
    2. While they’re boiling away, peel 3 medium Potatoes and grate using a cheese grater 
    3. Now for the part that tests your strength! Put the grated Potato into a clean towel, twist and squeeze out as much water as you can. I got my dad to do this because my arms pathetic! 
    4. Empty the nearly wrung grated Potato into a bowl. When ready, mash the boiled Potato. 
    5. Once the mashed Potato has cooled down, add to the bowl with the grated Potato 
    6. Add the flour and mix together with a spoon 
    7. Add the Melted Butter and Soya Milk and mix again with the spoon until it’s all mixed together and season with Salt & Pepper 
    8. Heat the Olive Oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add a dollop of the Potato Mixture and flatten with your spatula  
    9. Fry until golden underneath on both sides and leave to drain on some kitchen roll and then wait for your man! 

     

     

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    Category Dairy Free Recipes, Lunch Recipes | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  2. Gluten Free Falafel Recipe

    January 6, 2012 by Saara

    I’d never tried (or heard) of a falafel until I moved to Manchester for University! It was in my first week of being a student, that I ventured into the famous Curry Mile, where I ws literally like a little kid in a sweet shop!

    For those who don’t know, the Curry Mile in Manchester has the largest array of Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi cuisine! There’s so many fabulous restaurants, cafes and take outs that even the fussiest of eaters will find somewhere they like and it was here where I tried my very own falafel!

    Anyways, for those who don’t know, a falafel is a fried ball [or patty/burger] made from ground chickpeas and spices. They’re usually served in a pitta bread or on a bed of salad. As you can already tell, these beauties are ideal for either lunch or dinner and make a quick, easy peasy and oh no healthy meal!

    Ingredients:

     

    1. 1 Can of Chickpeas
    2. 1 Garlic Clove [chopped]
    3. 1 Small Onion [chopped]
    4. 1 tsp Ground Cumin
    5. 1 tsp Ground Coriander
    6. 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper [optional]
    7. 2 tbsp Gluten Free Plain Flour
    8. A handful of Coriander leaves
    9. 1 tbsp Oil

    Method:

    1. Drain the chick-peas then let them dry on some kitchen paper 
    2. After the chick-peas have dried, pop them into a food processor and blitz them until the look like breadcrumbs 
    3. Add the chopped onion, garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, plain flour coriander leaves and cayenne pepper to the chickpeas in the food processor and blitz together 
    4. After blitzing all the ingredients together, carefully empty the mixture into a clean bowl [If you've got a shoddy and annoying food processor like mine, you might have to mash the mixture a little with a fork/potato masher] 
    5. Shape the mixture into little balls, then flatten to make little ‘patties’ . In other words, make them look like little burgers! 
    6. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the patties for 3 minutes until lightly golden [I know in the bottom picture, it looks like I'm drowning the poor patties but I thought I would deep fat fry them... this just made them soggy so I tried again and fried it in a tablespoon of oil, which worked wonders] 
    7. Serve in either a gluten free pita bread like moi [I used Asdas free from pitta bread] or on a bed of salad! 

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    Category Appetisers / Snacks / Side Dishes, Dairy Free Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Egg Free Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Indian Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Mediterranean / Spanish Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  3. Gluten Free Tomato and Spinach Frittata Recipe

    January 5, 2012 by Saara

    D’ya know, I’d never heard of a frittata before! I knew what a plain egg omelette was but an egg omelette with other vegetables and seasoned with herbs? Excuse my absolute food ignorance but you gotta remember this gal hadn’t a clue about food and in my opinion, an egg could only be made fried, scrambled, boiled or made into a plain omelette!

    I’d heard about this frittata after one of my lengthy Skype chats with my friend Sophie who has moved to sunnier climates [Spain], first to teach English as a foreign language and now, studying English at one of the Spanish Universities. I mentioned that I was after a healthy, cheap yet painlessly easy lunch time food that she suggested making a frittata. As you can tell, this decision must have been influenced by her Spanish surroundings!

    [me and Sophie]

    So I’d made the frittata months ago [and I mean months ago!] and I’m glad that I found it lurking amongst other food photos ! I think I’ve found it at the perfect time as I’ve been on the look out for easy, cheap and healthy lunch time treats! Plus, like other coeliacs right now, I vowed to eat more healthily as my new years resolution! [Now all I have to do is start it!!]. What’s more, the frittata makes excellent packed lunch food and will brighten up any lunch box!

    Also this recipe is very adaptable and you can use any veg or herbs you like when you’ve started gaining the confidence! You do make a pretty large portion but it does taste just as good the next day!

    Ingredients:

     

    1. Dash of Olive Oil
    2. 1 Small Onion [chopped]
    3. 6 Eggs [beaten and seasoned with a little salt and pepper]
    4. Handful of Cherry Tomatoes [halved]
    5. Handful of fresh Spinach
    6. Basil

    Method:

     

    1. Over medium heat, add a dash of olive oil in a frying pan [which will be suitable for popping under the oven*] and fry the chopped onion until they turn soft 
    2. Add the cherry tomatoes and fry for one minute 
    3. Remove the pan off the heat and add the basil and spinach until the spinach begins to wilt [it will curl and turn dark brown]
    4.  Add the beaten egg to the frying pan and cook on the medium heat until it has slightly solidified [this should take approx 8 minutes] 
    5. Put the frying pan under the grill and grill the top for a couple of minutes until firm and golden 
    6. Remove from the heat, let it cool down for a second and cut into wedges! [ Serve with whatever salad you fancy, I served mine with an olive, apple, pepper and onion salad] 

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    Category Dairy Free Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Lunch Recipes | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments

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