Stuffed pancake stack!

With Pancake Day just around the corner next Tuesday, I wanted to bring you a pancake recipe ahead of time. See, I am actually getting organised this year!!  (I also have an amazing Valentines themed post lined up for Saturday...so keep your eyes peeled!)

Most people usually think of sweet filled pancakes and I am no exception, however this time I wanted to put a twist on things and create a simple savoury recipe. The concept is based on a savoury version of these fruity oatmeal blinis and I remember thinking to myself at the time that they would work perfectly as a base for a savoury filling...so here we are.

To speed things up even more you could make the blinis ahead of time and freeze them if not using the same day. Simply defrost and reheat in the oven for a few minutes. (It tried this and it works well). The instructions below may seem lengthy but I promise you won't spend more than 10-15 mins tops from start to finish.

The filing is my current favourite dip/spread, which will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days but it's best served fresh when possible. I served it warm this time round...yum! You may remember the dip was first seen here adorning my Christmas trees! Add a few extra roasted veggies or salad leaves as per your preference to create a pretty plate. 

Just remember to stack ‘em high!

Recipe: Stuffed pancake stack

Serves 2 (8 blinis plus filling­)

Ingredients

Oatmeal blinis:

100g ground oats

¼ tsp bicarbonate soda

150ml soy milk (or other dairy free milk)

1tsp ground chia or flax

Approx. ½ tsp seasoning as desired

Approx. 50ml water to thin batter as needed

Green pea and bean dip:

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1/2 cup cooked white beans (canned or pre-cooked)
1 garlic clove- crushed
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 shallot (or 1/4 white onion)
1 tbs fresh herbs (I used parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

Handful of rocket or spinach

Sliced roasted or sun dried tomatoes

Sliced roasted or caramelised onions

Method

Prepare the onions and tomatoes as desired- I roasted mine for 5 minutes or so whilst I prepared the blinis.

To make the pea filling, add all ingredients to a blender and whizz together until desired texture is reached (I left mine a little chunky). To serve hot, you can either heat the beans and peas prior to blending or heat the blended product in the microwave for a couple of minutes (I did it that way as I also had a bit left over that I wanted to chill in the fridge without heating.)

Meanwhile, to prepare the blinis, blend together all ingredients (other than water) until very smooth. Add as much water as necessary to create a thick but easily pourable batter.

Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mixture onto a hot frying pan and fry for a minute or so on each side until golden.

Serve the blinis immediately layered up with the pea filling and onions, leaves and tomatoes. Make a big stack!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Roasted cauliflower salad

This was my lunch yesterday...it was delicious, so much so I might make it again today as I have the remainder of the cauliflower that needs using up.

I love roasted cauliflower. It's one of those vegetables you often don't think to roast, I'm more used to roasting root vegetables, but in recent months i've recently taken a liking to all things cauliflower...

...Even in more unusual ways, like my baked banana bread oatmeal and this risotto.

The original recipe came from the BBC Food website, as it popped up when I was having a browse for salad recipes of a little more unusual variety. I changes a few of the flavours up a bit and i found it didn't take as long to cook as they'd suggested...so it is a pretty speedy dish. The perfect light lunch or side dish. I made a single serving but I have doubled the quantities below to serve two since that may be more likely. You can use herbs of your choice although I loved the rosemary in this dish, it had a real strength of flavour that was a great compliment.

Recipe: Roasted cauliflower salad

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower- chopped into small florets
a little olive oil- to coat cauliflower
1 small red onion- sliced thinly
2 tbs balsamic vinegar and 2 tsp agave-mixed together
small handful raisins
2 tbs flakes almonds (toasted or natural)
handful of fresh rosemary
2 handfuls spinach or salad leaves (I used a salad mix)

Method:

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil in a medium bowl, seasons with salt and pepper.

Lay in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake at 180C for approx. 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the onion and toss with the oil remnants n the same bowl that the cauliflower was in. After 10 minutes the onion to the cauliflower tray and continue to bake for approx. 10 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile prepare the balsamic/agave mix and add the raisins to soak.

Pile a handful of spinach/salad on each serving plate, and pile the cauliflower mix on top. Finish with the raisin dressing and a sprinkle of almonds and fresh rosemary.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

lentil lunch

This is isn’t even a recipe really, it’s more of a principle. So many people I know still get scared about the idea of vegan cooking….

“It will be boring”

“It will just taste of vegetables”

Or simply…

“I just wouldn’t know what to cook!”

We my point is it’s really none of the above…ok I admit at first it takes a little effort to get into the swing of things whether you are fully fledged vegan or simply trying to swap a in few healthy meals each week. It requires effort only because it’s different to how we’ve been brought up to perceive food, different to what we’re used to doing on auto-pilot…we need to break out of the cycle and yes that does require some effort until you get into the zone.

I personally enjoy the challenge, and when I first started the transition I loved the fact it forced me to think outside the box and come up with new quirky ways to enjoy these foods and flavours. However I fully understand that for the others that side of things just holds no interest, food is functional and the creativity is not sparked…but that’s ok too ya know!

So, here’s where we strip it back, keep it simple…but tasty.

As I said, this is not so much a recipe but a principle. A quick and easy light lunch (as it was here) or bump it up for a hearty dinner. Combine as many colours and textures as you can with some beans of lentils for protein, all wrapped up with some tasty seasoning and you are pretty much there, and we all know the general principle…the more colourful a meal the more nutritious it is. Good to remember!

I have provided the ‘recipe’ below but it felt a little silly since the whole point is to mix it up with whatever you have to hand. This lunch came off the back of my ‘freezer prep session’ a week or so ago, when I cooked batches of beans and lentils (and much more) and bagged them up in potions for the freezer.  I used these lentils as my main source of protein, lovely green lentil as they hold their shape and texture so well once cooked, I also used grated courgette for cooking speed along with a lot of chunky chopped tomato as I had a surplus of those too and not much else in the fridge at the time! A sprinkling of cashews  gave a satisfying finish…perfect!   You could easily increase the portion size or add some toasted pitta bread or flatbread with a dollop of humus at the side for some extra carbs.

Recipe: Lentil lunch

Serves 1 for a light lunch

Ingredients

1 tsp curry paste (I used madras)

½ cup cooked green lentils (see this post)

½ medium courgette grated

3 tomatoes cut into chunks

Handful of cashews

(note: you could add or substitute chickpeas, grated carrot, cauliflower, peppers, spinach…or so many more vegetables if you wished)

Method:

In a medium frying add the curry paste and grated courgette and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked lentils (or pre-cook in a separate saucepan) along with the chopped tomatoes and continue to stir to warm through and allow the tomatoes to soften down and create a flavoursome sauce. Once fully cooked through, serve with a sprinkling of cashews.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Simple Mediterranean focaccia- gluten free

Gosh, this weekend has become quite eventful!

It’s not something I’ve drawn a lot of attention to, but I have mentioned it in this post, and I also gave a little teaser in this silent sunday that I am a pole fitness instructor, having recently qualified and looking to set up more classes of my own. Well, fingers crossed but all seems as though it could be coming together, I have a venue and now just need to drum up some interest for people to sign up for a taster session this coming tuesday…..so it is all very exciting! My phone has been 'dinging' with text and facebook notifications all morning.

Friday is often my main day of baking, but yesterday ended up being so chaotic running in and out the house I barely had half an hour to sit down. This recipe was a thought in the back of my mind a few days ago, I had scribbled some notes on paper and was then reminded of it as I realised I needed a quick and speedy lunch. I was so happy when it turned out so much better than I’d anticipated!

So here you have it, a super quick and simply gluten free focaccia. Note, this is not an ‘authentic’ focaccia as it doesn’t use yeast but is in effect a quick bread based on this flatbread recipe.  I baked the bread instead of grilled it since I could not flip it over with its topping in place, it worked so well and the olive oil glaze creates a lovely crisp crust to the soft bread dough below. Of course you could use regular flour instead, I tried using spelt with my flatbread recipe and that worked just fine.

This would make the perfect starter, or you could pair this with a summery Mediterranean salad or simply as a ‘rip and dip’ bread teamed up with something like this.

Oh, and the pungent aroma from the oven of the freshly baked rosemary leaves was amazing, I was sad I had to go out since I could have stayed in the kitchen all with that lovely lingering Meditteranean smell!

Recipe: Simple mediterranean focaccia

Makes 3-4 rounds (depending on size)

Ingredients

1 small onion- sliced

2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes- halved

Small handful of fresh rosemary leaves

Olive oil- for drizzling

Sea salt- for sprinkling on top

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200g gluten free self-raising flour mix (I used Doves Farm mix which contains rice, potato, tapioca, maize and buckwheat flours) or regular flour if non GF

1-2  tsp mixed dried herbs

150g soy yoghurt (or natural yoghurt if non vegan)

Up to 50ml water

½ tsp salt to taste

2 tbs nutritional yeast- optional

Method

Prepare the onion and tomatoes and set aside.

Mix the flour dried herbs and salt in a medium bowl then add the yoghurt and water and stir through, using your hands at the end as necessary. This should result in a lovely soft dough.

Divide the dough into 3-4 equal sized pieces and form circular patties with your hands approx. 1cm thick. Dust lightly with a little more flour if they are quite sticky to touch. Lay on the parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.

Press the onion sliced lightly into the dough and gently press the cherry tomatoes cut side up into the dough. Drizzle or brush the surface of the dough patties with olive oil and then sprinkle with the rosemary and the salt

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C for approx. 20 mins until the tops are slightly golden. Serve immediately.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.