Pea and Potato Curry

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

This is a test. A test, that is, of whether the Gluten Free Food Freak is able to tolerate green peas again after a long period without them and other similar items due to food intolerances. Last night carrots came back on the menu, so the outlook is good. Tomorrow morning will tell whether the peas are back in or consigned to never-never land.

In the meantime, this is one tasty curry...

Gluten free pea and potato curry

2 tbsps oil (something with not much flavour like groundnut oil)
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried chillies
450g/1lb potatoes (newish potatoes are best - older ones will fall apart too much)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sugar
300g/10oz frozen peas, defrosted
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp tamarind paste (use 4 grated tomatoes if you can't get this)

Heat the oil in a pan with a lid over a medium high heat and when hot, chuck in the mustard and cumin seeds and chillies. The mustard seeds will quickly start popping, and then add the potatoes, stirring until the potatoes brown a little. Take care not to burn your spices or they will be bitter.

Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and sugar and stir a couple of times, then add the peas. Then add 250ml water and the salt, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 12 minutes then stir in the tamarind and simmer for a further 10 minutes with the lid off.

The finish curry is sweet, fragrant and very moreish. We double the amounts and nearly finished it between 2 adults and one toddler. The toddler was mostly to blame of course. :)

Enjoy your heavenly gluten free (vegetarian) curry!

Gluten free tea loaf

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free

I've been on a bit of a gluten free baking binge of late - this has always been the domain of the Gluten Free Food Wifie, so I though it was about time I got my head round it.

I found an old recipe for a gluten free tea loaf and tweaked a little, and I think this is a very nice cake indeed. And my gluten-loving friends agree - so it doesn't come across as special needs :)

Gluten free tea loaf recipe

140g gluten free margarine (I use Pure)
170g caster sugar
240ml tea - you can use any flavoured tea - my favourite is a spicy chai style tea which contains cloves and cinammon. Alternatively you could just boil up a few cloves and cinnamon!
260g mixed dried fruit - I use whatever's in the cupboard - pineapple, apple, pear, cranberries, blueberries, apricots (chopped), raisins, sultanas, whatever
200g plain gluten free flour - I use Dove's farm, but I've also used Orgran maize flour and that works just as well
2 tsps gluten free baking powder
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 beaten egg, or equivalent gluten free egg replacer - I use orgran's and it works well
60g rough chopped walnuts
Some brown sugar for sprinkling on the top

25*10cm / 10* 4 inch loaf tin, lightly greased and the base lined with baking parchment so your cake drops out nice and easily.

Preheat your oven to 170C.

Melt the margarine in a pan with the fruit, sugar and tea, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. Set aside to cool. When cool, sift the flour and baking powder into the fruit mixture and mix. Fold in the lemon juice and zest, egg and walnuts.

Pour into your tin, sprinkle with the brown sugar and bake for 50 minutes to 1 1/4 hours - this will depend greatly on your oven - just keep testing every 10 minutes with a skewer. When you take the loaf out, leave to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

A slice of this tasty, zingy gluten free tea loaf with a cup of tea is a great treat for those of us who don't get cakes that much. (Can I hear a big ahhhhhhhh for the gluten free-ers? ;-)

Dairy free cream / milk replacement

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Being dairy free can be a pain sometimes, not least when you want to add that little bit of richness to something like a soup. Today, it struck me that a nut milk might do the trick to add some creaminess to a slicy butternut soup, so I blended up some cashew nuts with water until smooth.

Oh, and how creamy it is. A little bit of water leaves you with whipped cream, a bit more and you have full fat milk, then a bit more and you've got semi-skimmed. It will be good for fillings in pastries, cream in soups (and anywhere else you need it) and as (highly nutritious, calcium rich) milk for cereals in the morning.

Your dairy free cream and milk replacer recipe

Some cashew nuts
Water

Stick your cashews in a nut chopper, add a bit of water and blitz until smooth. Add more water to get to your desired consistency.

Putting it in a milk jug enhances the effect ;) I need not mention it's gluten free too.