Vanilla Almond Coconut Cookies

Yesterday I was in need of a distraction.  Yesterday my inner child (the one that wants to throw tantrums and stamp her feet for no good reason) needed to be kept in check.  Bruce Springsteen was playing Wembley Stadium and I couldn’t be there.  I felt like a small child who missed out on a friend’s birthday party.  There was a bit of sulking, it wasn’t my finest hour.  However, good things can sometimes come out of a sulk and that’s sort of how these cookies happened.  Really tenuous link I know but I felt the need to distract myself with baking and whilst idly flicking through a magazine I came across this recipe, they sounded easy and delicious and just suited my mood.

These flourless cookies are wonderfully light and full of healthy ingredients.  The coconut takes centre stage working perfectly with the more subtle vanilla and almond flavours.  The cookies are quite small so you really can’t stop at eating just one, especially if you are sulking about something.

Recipe slightly adapted from Natural Lifestyle Magazine.  Makes about 20-22 cookies.

112g ground almonds

80g unsweetened desiccated coconut

¼ tsp sea salt

80g agave syrup (I guess honey would be fine but I haven’t tried).

56g coconut oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

1-2 free range eggs*

*The original recipe didn’t include eggs.  I think this was a typo as the ingredients were far too dry.  I added an egg to my half batch and it worked perfectly.  I’m guessing if you are making the full batch of 22 you will need two eggs.  Start with one and see how the mixture is.  If it’s still a little dry mix in a second egg.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3, 170°C, 325°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment.

In a bowl mix together the almond meal, desiccated coconut and salt.  In a separate bowl beat together the coconut oil, agave syrup, vanilla and almond extracts and an egg. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together.  If the mixture is still a little firm add the second egg.  Place small rounded scoops of dough on to the baking sheets.  Bake for 18-20 minutes until the cookies turn golden brown.  Remove from the oven, leave the cookies to stand on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  The cookies may be a little soft but they will firm up as they cool.

For those who understand my pain, here is a bit of raw young Bruce playing Darkness on the Edge of Town which I hear was the centre piece of his Wembley set last night and my favourite album.

Adventures with Cauliflower Couscous

One of the things I miss in my gluten free life is couscous.  It’s so convenient and easy to use.  For a while I tried substituting quinoa and millet but while they are fine grains in their own right, they don’t have the same texture as couscous.  Enter the humble cauliflower.  Never one of my favourite vegetables I often dismissed cauliflower as bland and tasteless.  No surprise because I’d only every really eaten it boiled or steamed.  Thanks to the wonderful world of food blogs I’ve had my eyes opened to the possibilities that cauliflower can offer.  I’ve tried roasting it with spices which is delicious and lately I’ve been using it as a substitute for couscous.  A grain free dream.  All you need is a food processor!  Blitzed in a food processor cauliflower becomes fine and grain like.  I find a few minutes in the skillet and it’s cooked.  No need for boiling water, just heat through.  Simple as that.

I’ve made a few dishes using cauliflower couscous.  Today for lunch I had it with wilted spinach, lemon zest, roasted tomatoes and a boiled egg (pictured above).  But the recipe I’m going to share today was something of an experiment.  Last week on a whim I bought a pineapple, like you do.  It sat on the counter staring at me for a few days until I was compelled to find a good way to use it.  This recipe was inspired by BBC Good Food Pineapple Rice.  The pineapple can be a little over powering here as it is very sweet.  The original recipe calls for soy sauce which I can’t eat because it contains wheat but tamari would probably work well.  I just didn’t have any.  I served this with steak and the combination worked really well.  Pineapple is often served with pork so the sweet and savoury combination of the two is a definite winner.  I also threw in some toasted cashew nuts which were a great addition.  This recipe is open to major experimentation.  I just went with what I had on hand.

Pineapple Cauliflower Couscous inspired by BBC Good Food.

Serves 2

Roughly ¼ head of cauliflower will serve 2 but you will have to estimate this depending on the size of your cauliflower.  Chop the cauliflower in to florets then blitz it in the food processor until fine.

¼ pineapple cut in to chunks.

1 shallot finely diced.

1 teaspoon sized piece of fresh root ginger finely chopped.

½ teaspoon of curry powder.

Handful of kale of spinach.

Sliced spring onions.

Handful of toasted cashews.

Sauté the shallot and ginger in a skillet or non stick frying pan for about five minutes.  Add the curry powder and pineapple and mix well.  Next add the cauliflower couscous, kale and spring onion.  Cook for five minutes more.  Serve with unsalted toasted cashews sprinkled over.  

Walking and Rhubarb Oat Bars.

I can’t remember how old I was when I started to become obsessed with going for walks but I know I’ve been a fan for some twenty years now.  As a teenager growing up on a beautiful Island with miles of coastal walks, downs and open countryside I didn’t always appreciate my families insistence upon going for walks.  As I am many years younger than my siblings I would end up walking at the back of the family group, grumpily making slow progress, not opening my eyes to the beauty around me, focusing purely on my physical discomfort, the effort involved in traipsing up hills, trailing behind the adult conversations ahead.  At some point all this changed and I began to genuinely appreciate a good walk, the fresh air, the beautiful surroundings, the pleasure gained from physical exercise. 

Luckily for me my husband shares my appreciation of a good walk.  (He didn’t really have a choice).  It’s a good way to clear your head, talk things out, work hassles, life hassles, hopes and dreams.  Walking helps me gain perspective.  This week we have been on some amazing walks.  I thought I’d share a few pictures and promote the benefits of walking a little more...

Walking lets you wear thick socks over your jeans and get them covered in mud.  This is a good thing.

Walking enables you to see shadows moving across a valley. (Devil’s Dyke)

Walking allows you to look about and appreciate amazing cloud formations.  (Newlands Corner)

Walking means sometimes taking a picnic and eating your sandwiches with a view.  (Box Hill)

And finally, while walking, you might want to take a long one of these rhubarb oat bars to keep your energy up.  See how I did that oh so subtle link...You can find the recipe here at What's Cooking Good Looking via the Vanilla Bean Blog.  I subbed the blueberries and pomegranates for finely diced rhubarb.  The effect isn’t so pretty but they tasted very good.  Rhubarb isn't in season for long in the UK so grab it while you can!

Super Greens Pasta

I’m enjoying a few days off work at the moment.  We are currently holidaying at home, well sort of.  There have a been a couple of day trips, the house is looking the cleanest we’ve achieved in months, I’ve successfully had my hair cut for the first time in too long to share here and our old car has struggled through its MOT.  Not exactly like holidaying in Tuscany but we are enjoying ourselves.  It feels good to have time to do simple things.  I’ve also been having a chard moment so brace yourselves for a few recipes featuring chard in the coming weeks.  In the absence of my beloved kale, chard is in season at the moment and it’s so pretty.  I love the multicoloured stems.  I treat it much like kale in that it only needs a couple of minutes to wilt and it’s done. 

I was inspired to make this pasta dish after spying a recipe for pasta with greens, garlic and chilli in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book River Cottage Veg Everyday!  This is a great way to get your quota of healthy greens while enjoying a plateful of comforting carbs.  It also comes together quickly which is much appreciated in this house after work.  I decided to add lemon zest here as I love my greens spiked with a little lemon, it makes the flavours zing.  You can use any greens here, just go for what’s in season for the best flavour.

Adapted from River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Serves 2

Large handful of chard roughly chopped. Remove the stems, chop them up and set aside.

Purple sprouting broccoli roughly chopped.

½ onion or 1 shallots finely sliced.

Pinch of dried chilli flakes.

1 garlic clove finely sliced.

Grated zest ½ lemon.

150g gluten free pasta

To serve: extra virgin olive oil, toasted flaked almonds and hard goat cheese or parmesan.

Set a large pan of water to boil and cook your pasta according to the pack instructions.  Warm a skillet with a little olive oil.  Add the onion and chard stems if using and cook for a few minutes until soft.  Next add the chilli flakes and garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Just before the pasta is cooked add the broccoli to the pasta water and the chard to the skillet.  Cook for a couple of minutes until the chard is wilted and the broccoli is blanched.  Drain the pasta and broccoli, rinse and return to the pan.  Add in the chard mixture and toss together.  Add the lemon zest and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.  Grate in the cheese and mix in.  You might want to add a little pasta water or hot water from the kettle to loosen the final mixture.  Season and serve the pasta with extra cheese grated on top and toasted flaked almonds.

Asparagus Toastie!

It’s that time of year where we are all going mad for asparagus or rhubarb.  Both have short seasons and therefore seem to hold an elevated place in foodie world.  Having decided that I wanted a toastie for my lunch I then started to ponder the filling.  Feeling experimental I decided an asparagus toastie was the way to go and it did not disappoint.  Of course when you are putting something between toasted bread and smothering it with melted cheese you can be pretty sure it’s going to taste good.  I lightly roasted the asparagus in extra virgin olive oil which gave it a nice crusty outer edge while still retaining a slight bite to the centre.  I think if you wanted to take this sandwich up a level then a fried egg inside would also be amazing.

Makes one toastie.

6 asparagus spears washed and the woody ends chopped off.  They should be about the length of your bread.

Extra virgin olive oil

Hard goat cheese or other strong flavoured cheese.

2 slices of gluten free bread.

Preheat the oven Gas Mark 7, 220°C, 425°F

Place the asparagus on a roasting tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season and roast for about ten minutes until just cooked but still retaining a little bite.

Assemble your toastie by your preferred method.  I cook my toastie using the grill.  Layer the base slice of bread with cheese and cook under the grill until slightly melted.  Top with the roasted asparagus and the top slice of bread.  Return the toastie to the grill cooking first one side and then flip it over and do the other.  

Roasted Chickpea Rice Bowl

So, chickpeas... I have to say they’ve never been my favourite thing to eat.  I’m a big fan of them hidden in something else like hummus or falafel but on their own, not so much.  However, as with most things, roasting them proves a remarkable transformation.  In the oven they become slightly firmer on the outside giving them a nice crunch.  Roasting them in spices gives them a wonderful deep flavour and sort of disguises their chickpeaness which for me is a good thing.  Chickpeas are also high in protein.  As someone who eats a mostly vegetarian diet that’s a real bonus.  I threw together this rice bowl for lunch at the weekend.  I’ve also used roasted chickpeas in salads and as a topping for sweet potato inspired by this recipe on The First Mess.

I roasted the chickpeas in turmeric but I’ve also used a mix of turmeric and dried rosemary.  Cumin or paprika would also be great.

Serves 2

1-2 carrots sliced with a mandolin in to ribbons

Handful of chard chopped and tough stems removed

½ can chickpeas rinsed and dried with paper towel

½ teaspoon turmeric (or whatever spices you like)

Handful of flaked almonds, toasted

Cooked brown rice or whatever grain you would like.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F

Toss the chickpeas in the spices and a little olive oil.  Spread out on a baking tray lined with parchment and roast for about 15 minutes until crispy and golden.

On a separate baking tray toss the carrots in olive oil and roast for about 10-15 minutes until they are just cooked but still retain a little bite.  Add the chard to the carrots for approximately 2 minutes before they are ready to wilt in the oven.  Toss everything together with the cooked brown rice.  Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and season to taste.  Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top.

 

Where Has All The Time Gone?

I’ve been neglecting this blog lately and I don’t like that one bit but time has been flying by, life has been busy, some good, some not so good, some just so.  I have been cooking and taking photos but never finding the time to get things up here so I’m hoping to rectify that over the weekend!  Until I get my act together here are some instagrams and general photos of some of what we’ve been up to lately...

I love that the evenings are lighter and I can take the occasional shot of dinner.  Roasted cauliflower and chicken salad.  Yum!

Many weeks ago we went on a jaunt to Brighton.  I got a little carried away photographing the amazing street art on some of the buildings. 

 

Also I loved how a bike was just casually leaning against this wall.

 

Flat white for him, peppermint tea for me.

 

A family emergency called me away to the Isle of Wight on a very rainy and blustery day.  View from the ferry.

 

Spring has well and truly sprung (although today it seems to be taking a break) and I have been enjoying weekend walks in the early morning sunshine.

 

Beautiful blossom everywhere.

 

And I couldn’t resist these cuties on a river walk.  The geese were hissing at me though so I couldn’t get too close.

 

Last weekend we did a spot of browsing at our favourite second hand record shop.

 

Remember that roasted grape pizza I made?  Well I also made a roasted grape and goat cheese toastie.  It was heaven!

 

Speaking of roasting things... chickpeas are my latest obsession.  More on this soon...

 

Loving all the green veg I’m finding at the market.  Chard and purple sprouting broccoli are really good right now.

 

Happy weekend xx