Tag: gluten free

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Figgy Oat Bars

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Figs have got to be my favourite fruit around! Fresh figs, dried figs, fig salads, figgy pudding I love them all. Their season in the UK is normally from late June to October, luckily for me dried figs can be found all year round!

To save my bank balance slightly I needed to find a way of making my dried figs last longer, if not I tend to work through the bag in one or two days! I’ve started using this recipe to make oaty, figgy, crunchy, soft, delicious bars meaning I always have a fig supply in my cupboard.

Being high in potassium, iron, fibre and a great source of vitamin C and fibre they’re a brilliant raw food to add to your diet. I’ve paired them with oats for a perfect quick snack with a cup of tea, as part of your breakfast or heat up and top with Greek yoghurt as a desert!

Most of all, the recipe is crazy simple and takes no time at all to whip up!

– Ingredients –

The Filling 

150g dried figs

50g dried, pitted dates

100ml hot water

Juice of half a lemon

1 tspn. cinnamon

2 tblsp. honey

The Crust

200g gluten free oats (obviously normal oats work great as well!)

Pinch of salt

30g sugar

1 tspn. baking powder

1.5 tspn. cinnamon

1 banana mashed

100ml almond milk

Dash of vanilla essence

– Instructions –

Preheat your oven 180ºC

Cover your dried figs and dates with the hot water and leaved to soften in a separate bowl.

While they are soaking, mix all your dry ingredients together – the oats, salt, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.

Aldi are stocking gluten free oats at the moment! I couldn’t be happier, for one they’re about half the price of other supermarkets. But also, I’ve really missed the rolled oats which I’ve found a lot harder to find. I much prefer to bake with these compared to the ground oats. So please aldi, keep these in the store!

In a jug whisk together your mashed banana, almond milk and vanilla essence, then add to the dry ingredients and mix together. Set this aside while you make the filling.

Drain the figs and dates and place in a food processor or blender. Add in your honey, lemon and cinnamon. Blitz up until smooth, you may need to add more water to get the consistency you want.

Now its time to make up your bars. Spread half the oaty mix on a greased baking tray. This mixture will make about 9 small sized bars so judged how much to spread the mixture out.

Cover this bottom layer with your figs and then layer up with the last of the oats on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. When warm press in lines which you will cut into when cool.

Its a healthy, nutritious match made in heaven – so get baking!

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx

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Curradine Barns -A Gluten Free Wedding Breakfast

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On the 27th May 2016 I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid for my best friends wedding as she married the perfect guy for her. They chose to be married at Curradine Barns, an insanely cute, romantic venue in Worcestershire. The red brick barns were a lovely setting for what really was a superb day.

Despite rumours of thunderstorms – the sun shone for us all day! The speeches were emotional and brilliant, the ceilidh band got the whole wedding dancing, the bride looked beautiful and most of all, the food was absolutely delicious.

We sat down after endless jugs of peach sangria and I eagerly glanced over the menu.

I have to admit my first thought was oh no, I’m going to be starving, second was I’m probably going to end up very drunk. I awkwardly pulled the events coordinator aside to just double check whether this menu was correct for me and would I definitely be able to eat something? She assured me that all the options would be made gluten free for me and the caterers were aware of any allergies – amazing!

To begin with I was given the best bread roll I have ever had. It had a perfect crust and was so light in the middle. I’ve now emailed the catering company to ask where it came from, so I will keep you updated!

The food was faultless. A huge, crispy scotch egg matched with apple puree to start. Melt in your mouth fillet of beef for main – we already know how much I love steak – and a refreshing stack of GF shortbread and raspberries for dessert. The shortbread tasted just like a regular one no grainy, crumbly texture that is often found in gluten free biscuits. I can safely say I cleared my plate on each course!

One of the best things for me, was having exactly the same menu as everyone else. No substitutes or slightly less impressive replacements just to make it gluten free.

The catering was provided by Galloping Gourmet who are in charge of the food and menus for all Curradine Barns events. They also cater for many other venues, so if you are planning the big day I would absolutely recommend having a look at where they work, whether you are gluten free or not! My boyfriend had the gluten full menu and repeatedly told me that it was the best scotch egg he has ever had!

After planning my best friends wedding at sleepovers for the last 6 years, the big day did not disappoint. I laughed a lot, cried a lot, danced a lot and ate everything – perfect!

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx

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CAU- Argentinian Restaurant, Bristol

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I spent a very nostalgic Saturday night drinking red wine, eating steak and telling Argentinian adventure stories.

February and March this year I was travelling through 4 countries in South America. One of my favourite weeks was spent in Buenos Aires – the capital of Argentina. BA is an absolutely beautiful  city with a European feeling.  My friend and I spent our time drinking, partying, taking tours around the neighbourhoods and eating steak every day, and I mean every day!

CAU aim to replicate the sense of fun and passion you can find in Buenos Aires after they also fell in love with the City. They say their vision is to capture the spirit in a restaurant that would fit right into the heart of Palermo. Palermo is the Soho of BA and just happens to be the place where I ate the best steak of my life – so they had a lot to compete with.

With my Malbec and steak levels now reaching an all time low in 2016, this was the only place I wanted to go for Saturday night date night.

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Luckily CAU caters extremely well to coeliacs and gluten free’ers! Of course the usual burgers and sandwiches are off limits but that’s not such a terrible thing when you’re choosing between steak, speciality cuts, sea bream fillet or twice cooked belly pork.

Triple cooked chunky chips, thin chips and baked sweet potato sides are all safe to eat. I was slightly disappointed that the CAUslaw was not GF friendly because I mean, steak and coleslaw is always good. But, I got by with a CAU chopped salad instead.

The decor inside is very modern with big white cushioned booths, higher level seating and tables all mixed in together. It didn’t necessarily transport me back to the streets of Buenos Aires, but it was nice all the same! The staff were lovely and we were never left waiting for anything.

I started with a ‘Where the wild things are’ cocktail which I have to admit, didn’t taste of much. It was a mix of sloe gin, portobello gin and ginger ale but tasted like sweet berry water instead. Saying this, I am not ready to write off the cocktails quite yet and would definitely give them a chance next time. Moving on swiftly, I ordered a bottle of the Trasandino Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina and sipped this happily as I remembered cycling around Mendoza vineyards and wine tasting on private balconies.

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We both went for the 220g sirloin steak medium/rare with a side of thin chips and salad. One of my favourite things here is being able to eat the steak sauces! All of them are gluten free, so we chose a pepper sauce and shared a truffle butter.

The results were beautiful.

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The steaks really were great – juicy and excellently cooked. I’m not ashamed to say I eat the fat on meat, its one of the best bits, so these sirloins were perfect. We had no complaints!

I would 100% go back to CAU, I’m eyeing up the twice cooked pork belly. But, it may still have to be a side to my sirloin, I really struggle to turn steak on a menu down.

For good quality steak and wine along with a friendly atmosphere I would really recommend checking out CAU. They have restaurants all over the UK from Glasgow to Tunbridge wells – so there’s no excuse to miss this Buenos Aires experience.

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Check out my Instagram for lots of pictures of my my Buenos Aires visit and more from Argentina!

 poppyrose__

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx

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Deep Fried Fishy Supper

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When you wake up on a Saturday morning, its raining, cold and you’re not in a villa in Greece you have to cheer yourself up somehow! The best way to perk up my spirits is with food. I decided to make a little seafood snack, sit on the sofa and dream of warmer climates.

No one should have to cut deep fried food out of their life, so the hunt for the perfect crispy gluten free batter is something I have worked on for a long time. Once you have it you can use it for everything – onion rings, calamari, chicken or as I did prawns and fishy bites. I made up two dips to go along with it – great as a starter or just as a Saturday afternoon snack! We ended up eating so much we had to move our dinner reservation to 2 hours later than originally planned!

So here’s my recipe for crispy battered seafood with a tomato and a mayonnaise dip.

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BATTER

– Ingredients –

150g plain gluten free flour

1/2tsp gluten free baking powder

Sea salt and pepper to taste

200ml soda water

1 egg

3 fillets of whiting – cut into bitesize chunks

250g fresh king prawns

– Instructions-

If you have a deep fat fryer turn on and heat to around 160ºc if not add 5cm sunflower oil into a large sauce pan and place on a medium heat.

Mix your flour, baking powder, salt and pepper with the soda water in a bowl. Once it has formed a paste whisk in the egg. You should see bubbles forming in the mixture from the soda water.

In batches mix your seafood into the batter and then gently place into the oil or fryer. Make sure the pieces aren’t touching each other and give the basket a few gentle shakes to stop it sticking to the base.

We cooked the fish for around 5 minutes and the prawns for 3/4 – but you can just estimate when you think it’s done. The batter can look quite light in colour so don’t worry about that.

Once you’ve taken them out the oil, place onto a piece of kitchen roll to get rid of excess oil. Keep warm until ready to serve! I made my dips first which I would recommend.

SPICY TOMATO DIP

– Ingredients –

1 beef tomato

1/2 an onion chopped

1 clove of garlic

1tspn of dried chilli flakes

Squeeze of tomato paste

Salt and pepper

Handful of parsley

2tbsp of water

Gluten free soy sauce

– Instructions –

Heat 2tsp of olive oil in a frying pan.

Add the garlic and chilli flakes and stir as they start to soften.

Put in the chopped up beef tomato and onion, 2 tbsp of water and leave to soften.

Once the tomato starts to break up add in the paste, salt and pepper and soy sauce – just a couple of shakes and the parsley.

Leave until there is only a little liquid around the sides. Take off the heat and add to a blender or food processor.

Blitz up, taste and you’re done!

GARLIC MAYONNAISE 

– Ingredients –

4 cloves of garlic (we love garlic so this may change for you or depend on how much mayo you’re making)

200g mayonnaise

Juice of half a lemon

– Instructions –

Super easy! Chop of your garlic then mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Dust with some paprika to finish.

We ate the whole bowl while watching rugby, drinking cider and forgetting about the torrential rain!

Now you have a great, versatile batter recipe the only thing to do is try and control yourself from deep frying everything!

Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx

Bone Broth: The coeliacs natural healer 

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The first Awkward Dinner Guest blog post, and what a lovely title to start with!

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are gluten flare ups are unavoidable. Whether it’s cross contamination in a restaurant or your friend not realising that the soy sauce in the dinner contains wheat, flare up’s happen to everyone.  This inevitably leads to you lying on the sofa clutching a hot water bottle against your tummy, waiting for those horrible pains to stop and wishing for a speedy solution.

Unfortunately as we know, there is no cure or quick medication. However, I have found my new staple to managing the dreaded ‘glutening!’

BONE BROTH sounding less than appealing, has wonderful healing effects for the gut. Being high in minerals and nutrients it has been found to sooth the digestive system, hydrate and nourish the whole body. Best of all, I think it taste’s delicious either on its own in a big warming mug or used as a base for a meal.

This is the general recipe I stick to, but it can be altered as much as you wish. I’ve previously used chicken and lamb bones together if you have them left over from a roast it works great.

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– Ingredients –

1 whole free range chicken

Handful of carrots

1 onion chopped in half

2 sticks of celery roughly chopped

6 cloves of garlic

A selection of herbs – I like to use bay leaves, rosemary and parsley

2 table spoons of Cider Vinegar (or juice of a lemon)

Salt and Pepper to taste

– Instructions –

Put your left over chicken bones into a large sauce pan. The Londoners rock salt chicken is my firm favourite when it comes to roast chicken recipes, super juicy and super tasty http://www.thelondoner.me/2012/08/rock-salt-roast-chicken.html. I always use the bones left over from a dinner of roast chicken and sweet potato salad.

Throw in the rest of the ingredients and add cold water, enough so that everything is covered.

Place a lid on top of the pan and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, turn down to a low heat and cook for a minimum of 4 hours. If using any other meat bones I would cook for at least 6 hours. You can simmer the broth for up to 12 hours – just make sure you continue to top up the water that evaporates!

After the broth has cooked sieve it and pour into a separate bowl and cool quickly – a tip is to place the bowl in cold water in the sink, DO NOT put in the fridge while hot.

Once cooled you can scrape off the layer of gelatine that forms. Store in the freezer or use from the fridge within the next 2-3 days.

Simple! Now get creative! Like I said its lovely to drink on it’s own if you’re feeling under the weather or use as the stock for noodles, soups, risottos etc.

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Forever, The Awkward Dinner Guest

xx