Magnificent Bakewell Tart

I think I can well and truly say this is my piece de resistance when it comes to cakes.   I found a recipe for gluten free bakewell on the Internet but I not only needed to make it vegan it had to be edible too so I played around with it until I got it right.  After many attempts I finally nailed it.

VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE
Pastry
140gm gluten free plain flour
70gm dairy free spread (pure sunflower is good, as is sainsburys free from)
50gm sugar
25 - 50gm ground almonds (I find more gives a better texture)
almond essence

Cake mixture
50gm gluten free self raising flour
50gm ground almonds
100gm sugar
100gm dairy free spread
2 tbsp of fine milled flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp of boiling water
2 tsp almond essence

For the pastry - mix the flour and ground almonds together then rub in the spread until it looks like breadcrumbs.  Add the sugar and 1tsp of almond essence and just enough water to form it all into a dough.  If you add too much water the pastry will go rubbery so its best to add a little at a time until it just sticks together.
Press it into a greased flan tin (I use an 8" loose bottom tin), prick the base with a fork and bake at 190c for 20 minutes.
For the cake mix - Cream the spread and sugar together until smooth.  Add the flax eggs and mix really well.  
Add the flour, almonds and almond essence and mix well.
Spread a thick layer of jam (cherry, strawberry or raspberry are nice) on your pastry base then poor the cake mixture on top.  Sprinkle some flaked almonds on top before putting in the oven at 190c for 40 minutes.  If the pastry starts to brown too quickly put some foil round the edges to stop it burning.
Depending on the size of tin you use you may have some pastry and mix left over, if this is the case take the opportunity to make some mini ones if you have the tins.
For a variation at Christmas I used a layer of marzipan and then a layer of mincemeat instead of Jam and it was delicious.

Millionaires shortbread

Every now and then I crave things I used to be able to eat but that's not a problem any more because I just create vegan gluten free versions.  Now the recipe for millionaires shortbread is not mine, I only followed it and made something amazing.  Anyone who hasn't got the cake angels book yet should buy it.  The recipes are dairy free and gluten free but in most cases any recipes with egg in can be replaced by a "flax egg" to easily make it vegan.

I am in no way associated with the author but after getting it for Xmas and playing around with the recipes it is like my new bible.  

Anyway, here is my attempt at the millionaires shortbread - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

Rice and veg?

My husband often presents me with the never ending challenge at meal times.  I plan a week in advance, decide what meals we are going to have and buy all the shopping at once, great thinking I hear you say?  Err no, because when you are married to one of the fussiest eaters on the planet who would rather feed his "corn thin" addiction than worry about his next meal, I have a problem.  To be fair most nights he is happy with my choice of meal, but occasionally my choice is not the right one for him and I have to get creative to stop him reaching for his next bag of midget gems.  Tonight was one of those nights, his request......."I want veg and rice".  Odd choice, but I can work with that.  Here is what I came up with

Short grain brown rice cooked in Vecon stock in the rice cooker, then topped off with Furikake.  Served with steamed carrots, cauliflower and broccoli and topped with my tomato concoction (quorn, mushrooms, onions cooked in organic basil passata  seasoned with salt, pepper and mixed herbs).  

Still nice and healthy using stuff from the fridge so I was happy and considering hubby downed two plate fulls at the same rate as I downed one, I can only assume he was happy too!!!

For my vegan friends, if you use tofu instead of quorn its vegan and gluten free too.  

"cheese" and chive pasta salad

Today I felt the need to play around with making home made pasta, and here is the result

VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup corn flour
3 heaped tbsp potato flour
1 tbsp paprika
4 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
3 tbsp fine milled flax seed
1 1/2 tbsp veg oil

In a cup or small bowl, mix the flax seed with 10 tbsp of boiling water and leave to cool.
In a separate bowl mix the flours, paprika and xanthum gum.
When the flax mixture has cooled add the veg oil to it and mix together.
Add the flax mix to the flour mix and kneed to make a stiff dough.  You may need to add a tiny bit more boiling water to bring it together.
Leave to sit for about an hour.
Flour a surface with corn flour and using a rolling pin roll the dough as thin as you can get it.  This will take a bit of work as it is tough.  When rolled, cut the dough into thin strips.
Boil a saucepan of water with a bit of salt and oil added then pop in your pasta strips.  These will be cooked in around 10 minutes.

As it was lunch time I wanted to tart it up a bit so once it had drained and cooled I mixed in vegan gf mayo, dried chives and grated cheezly

I served mine with a nice big healthy salad consisting of romaine lettuce, alfalfa shoots, china rose radish sprouts, cucumber, peppers, radish and griddled tofu.

A quick hello

Well here it is at last.....my blog.  Having thought about it for a long time, and being constantly pestered by friends, my food blog is born.  For as long as I can remember I have been passionate about food (a bit too passionate at times, hence the expanded waste line) but after developing a string of health problems I decided to set about getting healthy........through food.  For many years now I have been a vegetarian, but that wasn't enough, something else needed to change.  After a bout of problems with tiredness, bloating and horrendous back pain I decided to try going wheat free to see if it would help, and it did.  My new lifestyle of being vegetarian and gluten/wheat free was difficult, but I stuck to it because it was making me feel better, any slip ups and within a few hours would be in pain again.  All this was great but I still had problems.  After having some tests done last May I found out what was causing me most of my problems.....Milk!!!!  I was allergic and intolerant, so when the Dr had previously told me to "cut out the cheese", I should have listened to him, although not in the way he meant it (he was saying I was fat).  So here I am now, a vegetarian who is gluten free, allergic to cows milk, oh and did I mention I am also intolerant to potatoes and sweeteners?  It gets better doesn't it ;).  I have heard all the jokes about "do you eat cardboard?" and "oh that chicken sandwich was delicious"  but hey who cares.  I started a journey of discovery and to be honest I am loving every minute.  Foods which I had never dreamed of eating before have found their way into my store cupboard and fridge and I find myself spending more and more time in the kitchen getting adventurous creating yummy, healthy meals and treats.  Almost all of my diet is vegan now, I still haven't quite given up the eggs but I am getting there, especially as I rarely have them anyway but if I eat out I choose vegan.
I know now to stay clear of cows milk as my allergy is getting worse.  The other day I was out and ordered a soya milk coffee, unbeknown to me I was given cows milk by accident and within a few seconds of drinking my throat started to phlegm up and my lips and face started tingling.  I don't want to find out what happens next time.
So here I am 9 months on, over 2 stone lighter, feeling healthier, and most importantly happy.  My chronic rhinitis is tons better thanks to the lack of mucous producing milk in my diet, my back pain is minimal and for the first time in my life I can run up a flight of stares and not get out of breath................Happy days!!!!