Bombay Potatoes with Chickpeas

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

I'm not a fan of dumbing down food for kids. My girls (9yo allergic to dairy/egg/nuts/kiwifruit, 4yo allergic to...ahem...authority!) are great foodies, with big appetites, and will happily scoff everything listed on this blog. They never get a chance to be bored or fussy. That's not to say I'm whipping up complicated, internationally-flavoured dishes every night of the week. I'm a working mum and sometimes I chastise myself at having made pasta three times in a week (I at least aim to not serve it up two nights in a row).

I mention all of this because when re-creating this dish, as with most Indian curries, there were at least 5 different spices, and that's not counting the chilli. Many parents have marvelled at my girls' ability to 'handle' curry. Though it can be hard to believe, spice does not equal heat. Yes, it can be foreign on the tongue, and a little peculiar when it hits the back of the throat, but it's by no means HOT. So while you might need to allow for maturity to appreciate chilli in a dish, by no means should you be foregoing the other spices. Your kids not used to it? Well, they weren't used to peeing in the toilet either, but they eventually got there because you persisted.

Eating behaviours are no different to any other learned behaviour when it comes to kids. As with pretty much all elements of parenting, persistence is key and variety is most definitely the spice of life. So do your kids a favour and set them up with a curious and appreciative palate by varying their dishes regularly. This is even more important when they're limited by foods because of serious allergies.

And finally, a curry or stew is quite simply one of the easiest things for kids to eat, especially little ones. Manageable mouthfuls, not much chewing required, they can feed themselves, and you can make it all taste damn delicious.

Serves 2

300g potatoes, parboiled, peeled & cubed
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 knob ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground chilli (this one is definitely optional)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup water
a few tablespoons of fresh chopped coriander

Fry onion, garlic and ginger with spices until onion is soft. Add potatoes and toss for 5 minutes, then add tomatoes and water, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add chickpeas and coriander, warm through and serve.

Orange Coconut Cake with Passionfruit Glaze

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

This is not an overly sweet cake, but I like it that way. The original recipe, adapted from my chocolate cake, would normally have 400g sugar (that's doubling the recipe which I've done here to accommodate the bundt pan), but I've reduced this to 250g. I figure when you're adding a glaze, it's nice to allow the icing sugar and fruit syrup to give you that sweet hit rather than the cake itself. (By all means, if you like a sweet cake, go the full 400g).

I'm also enjoying subbing in alternate flours to make my cakes slightly more nutritious than the blood sugar-spiking 100% white flour. Last week I added a bit of buckwheat flour to my raspberry & coconut muffins which worked very nicely. This week it's coconut flour - a bit more fibre than your regular flour and low in carbs (not sure about the fat, but then it's a cake after all!) Just make sure when you're experimenting with different flours, you start with substituting a third only at your first attempt, so as not to make too dramatic a change to the recipe. I have done this many times and the look of disappointment on my family's faces when I've baked something inedible...trust me, it's not worth the risk.

300g plain flour
100g coconut flour
250g raw sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda bicarbonate
450ml freshly squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orange
100ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Passionfruit glaze
1.5 cups icing sugar
2-4 tablespoons passionfruit syrup

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a ring or bundt pan with dairy-free margarine. Sift together the two flours then add sugar, soda bicarbonate and salt, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, mix together orange juice, oil and vinegar and then add to the dry ingredients, folding in gently and mixing until smooth.

Pour batter into tin, smooth the top and bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack and let cool completely.

To make glaze, combine syrup with icing sugar, mix well until there are no lumps, then pour over cake. Set in fridge for 20 minutes so glaze can firm.

Cranberry Jelly Trifles with Coconut Milk Yoghurt

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free vegan

Last Christmas, I made a festive trifle with an Italian twist - cranberry jelly layered with marsala-soaked pandoro slices and a lightly-whipped mascarpone. Not much of that was suitable for my allergic girl of course, so I made a kid-friendly version also, featuring the new love of my life: Coyo Natural Coconut Milk Yoghurt.

Coyo is made from organic coconut milk, is lusciously creamy and smooth, and has a mildly sour tang - just as a natural yoghurt should. Natural yoghurt is so much more useful in cooking and baking than the sweetened stuff. Often the only non-dairy varieties available are soy-based and let's face it, soy yoghurt has that indomitable soy taste.

(Next stop: make my own once I've found a dairy-free yoghurt starter/probiotic...)

Serves about 8

Sponge cake slices, broken up in small pieces (I made one pack of Deliciously Good Moist Golden Butter Cake Mix which is gluten, dairy, egg, nut free)
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tub Coyo Natural Coconut Milk Yoghurt
Mixed berries to serve

Cranberry Jelly

3 teaspoons powdered gelatine (or agar agar powder if vegan) 

1/4 cup cold water 

600ml cranberry juice

To make the jelly, place water in a small bowl and sprinkle over gelatine. Set aside for a couple of minutes or until firm. Bring the cranberry juice to the boil in a saucepan then reduce the heat to low. Add the gelatine mixture and stir until it has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Pour into individual glasses for the first trifle layer (pour to just a third of glass). Refrigerate until set (at least a few hours).

To assemble the remainder of the trifles, soak pieces of sponge in orange juice (or alcohol such as marsala or cointreau if you can tolerate) and layer on top of jelly. Spoon over coconut yoghurt. Refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight to set, then top with berries just before serving.

Wattleseed & Banana Bread

gluten free dairy free egg free nut free vegan 

Wattleseed is a native Australian seed from the Acacia tree. (I remember collecting the pods as a child and once took a deep sniff from a bunch of wattle flowers and have been afflicted by hay fever ever since.) Wattleseeds were a main part of the diet of indigenous Australians for thousands of years being a  rich source of protein and carbohydrate. Because the acacia tree has hard husks, when they fall to the ground, they last for up to 20 years (!) in their natural environment, apparently only germinating after bush fires. The wattle flower is also, of course, Australia's floral emblem.

When I asked my seven year old daughter to guess the aroma of the ground seeds, she replied 'chocolate? coffee?'. Top of the class darling! Roasted ground wattle seed is known for its nutty, chocolatey and coffee-like flavour. It pairs very well with cakes, cookies, bread and desserts.

This rustic banana bread has a firm yet tender crumb - it's gluten-free AND vegan. Woo!

1/2 cup agave syrup (honey or golden syrup if you don't have it)
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup lemon juice
220g gluten-free plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda bicarbonate
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tbs ground wattleseed (purchased online from Outback Chef)

Preheat oven to 180 C and grease and line a medium-sized loaf pan.

Whisk oil, vanilla, salt, lemon juice and agave syrup, then add mashed banana and mix well. Sift together flour, wattle seed, anthem gum, baking powder and bicarb soda. Gently fold in banana mixture until well combined then pour batter into loaf pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, or toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in tin for 10 mins then transfer to wire rack.

Lemon Myrtle Shortbread

gluten free dairy free egg free nut free vegan

Backhousia citriodora, otherwise known as lemon myrtle, was named after James Backhouse, an English botany collector. It's a flowering rainforest tree, usually growing to around 8m tall, with the leaves prized for their lemony essential oils. It is the highest natural source of citral, beating even lemongrass. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and in both savoury and sweet dishes - fish, chicken, vegetables as well as tea, biscuits or cakes.

Now, I take kitchen failures very personally, so I'm persisting with gluten-free + vegan here. This is because just last week I was forced to admit defeat with a gluten-free cake that looked like a wet sponge sitting in a puddle of oil. And my most recent cookie attempt at Christmas time was a gingerbread so terrifyingly brittle I had to check my tooth repeatedly for cracks.

Thankfully, these shortbread cookies have a buttery, soft bite. That makes me happy.

100g brown rice flour
50g cornflour
50g coconut flour
1 tsp xantham gum
150g dairy-free margarine
80g caster sugar
1 tsp lemon myrtle (purchased online from Outback Chef)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170 C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

In a bowl, sift together flours, gum and sugar. Add vanilla extract then add pieces of cold margarine and rub into flours. Combine and bring together into a dough ball. Roll dough into a log, wrap tightly in cling wrap and put into freezer for 1/2 hour to firm up. Unwrap and slice into 1.5 cm discs, place on tray and bake for about 10mins. They should be just golden. Let cool on wire rack.

Quandong Tea

Need a laxative? Try a quandong. The berries of this native Australian fruit tree (also referred to as wild or desert peach) were much valued by indigenous Australians for their medicinal purposes and often drunk as a tea for a bowel-cleansing effect. Quandong fruit can be eaten raw or dried, but mostly it is available in jars of dried quandong halves. You can rehydrate them in boiling water, and then cook until soft to make jam, or use in pies, cakes and tarts. Purchase online at Outback Chef - I've also seen them in Oxfam shops.

To make a mildly sweet and earthy quandong tea, steep 3 quandong halves in boiling water per cup. 

And because that is surely the tiniest recipe I ever did blog, don't leave just yet. Enjoy these quirky quandong facts courtesy of Nullabornet.com.au:

1. Fossilised Quandongs have been discovered in the coal seams of Southern Victoria. Apparently these fossils date from 40 million years ago - a time when Australia was still linked to the Antarctic continent.
2. Quandongs have a vitamin C content higher than oranges and and almost certainly saved many early Australian explorers from scurvy.
3. Quandong fruit can be dried and frozen for 8 years or more, without losing any flavour whatsoever.
4. Quandong trees possess an aromatic wood that was traditionally used by aboriginal people in "smoking ceremonies".
5. Rural Australian children often used Quandong seeds as Chinese Checker pieces.

Cherry Sorbet

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

Makes 7 cups

1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup water
1.4kg pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup lemon juice


Bring sugar and water to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sugar is dissolved and texture is syrupy. It should reduce to about 2/3 cup of syrup. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

Blend the cherries in a food processor until finely pureed. Stir in lemon juice and cooled syrup. Cover and chill for a couple of hours.

Turn on the icecream maker and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let churn for approximately 25 minutes. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in freezer for a couple of hours to set a little firmer if desired. Remove from freezer for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

An ice cream machine is a very useful thing in the kitchen for those with dairy and egg allergies. Not least because the range of allergy-friendly ice creams and sorbets is fairly limited in Australia when you throw in the need to be nut-free as well. So I was pleased to road-test the Cuisinart Ice-Cream, Yoghurt & Sorbet maker and resolved not to use any soy. Enter coconut (of course). 


What a luscious and rich vanilla ice cream it makes! You need to freeze the bowl before churning, which a) takes a bit of planning, and b) doesn't leave much room in a freezer if yours is stocked to the brim like mine. Still, with a few simple ingredients, it's an immensely satisfying kitchen experience. Feel free to add melted dark chocolate or cocoa powder for a choc coconut version, pureed berries or throw in some nuts if you can handle them.

Makes approximately 7 cups

1.5 cups rice milk 
1/2 cup raw sugar
3 cups coconut cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Use a hand mixer to beat together the rice milk and raw sugar for a minute or so, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cream and vanilla. 

Turn the ice cream machine on, and pour in the mixture, letting churn for about 25 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft serve consistency. Transfer mixture to an air tight container and freeze for a couple of hours to firm if desired. Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Ginger Treacle Loaf with Lemon Icing

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

This splendid loaf is an allergy-friendly triumph - a soft, light vegan cake using regular flour, which then translates beautifully to gluten free (as long as you incorporate the egg back in if you tolerate them.) Ok, so not a complete success - I'm still experimenting with a version for both gluten free and vegan - but still, the result from a commercial gluten-free flour mix was pretty impressive. Dead easy to make, this is now a market bake-stall favourite. Four tins ready for the oven in 10 minutes!

See both recipes below:

Gluten free & dairy free (using egg)

175g gluten-free plain flour mix

1 tbsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

125g treacle

80ml vegetable oil

75g brown sugar

2 eggs 

100ml rice or soy milk

1 cup sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 150 C and grease and line a small-to-medium loaf tin.

Sift the plain flour, ginger and bicarb into a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together treacle, oil, brown sugar, egg and milk until combined. Bit by bit, pour the wet mixture in to the dry, and whisk very gently to ensure you combine it well without lumps forming. Don't pour it in all at once!

Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for approx 40-45 mins.

Cool in tin while you prepare the icing. Add lemon juice to sifted icing sugar and mix until a smooth glaze. Turn out onto wire rack and drizzle lemon icing over the cake. Zest some lemon and sprinkle on top.

Dairy free & egg free (using regular flour)

175g plain flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

125g treacle

80ml vegetable oil

75g brown sugar

1 egg replacer

100ml rice or soy milk

1 cup sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 150 C and grease and line a small-to-medium loaf tin.

Sift the plain flour, ginger and bicarb into a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together treacle, oil, brown sugar, egg replacer and milk until combined. Bit by bit, pour the wet mixture in to the dry, and whisk very gently to ensure you combine it well without lumps forming. Don't pour it in all at once!

Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for approx 40-45 mins.

Cool in tin while you prepare the icing. Add lemon juice to sifted icing sugar and mix until a smooth glaze. Turn out onto wire rack and drizzle lemon icing over the cake. Zest some lemon and sprinkle on top.

Moroccan Seafood Soup

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free

We enjoyed this heavenly soup the day after too - the left-over stock went gangbusters in a seafood risotto!

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tbs ground coriander

1 tbs harissa*

3 tbs chopped parsley

2 tomatoes, chopped

500ml water

1kg fish, firm such as snapper, cut into chunks

8 prawns, peeled and deveined

8 mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

juice of 1 lemon

*You can buy harissa paste or make your own by processing some roasted red peppers with garlic, chilli, salt, cumin and coriander.

Heat oil in a stockpot and sauté onion, celery and garlic until soft. Add ginger, both fresh & dried coriander, harissa and parsley and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Season generously with salt and pepper, then add tomatoes and cook for another few minutes. Add water and bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer on very low heat, lid on for around half an hour.

Add seafood and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Squeeze lemon juice then ladle into bowls.

Pork & Fennel Bolognese

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free

Pork is the meat of choice in our house when making bolognese. And while there are as many variations of bolognese as there are types of pasta, this version is my hands-down favourite. Fennel replaces the soffritto (carrot, onion, celery) lending a satisfying sweetness, and the hint of bay gives it depth. My mother's sugo is legendary for its simplicity and restraint and I can happily report that when I serve this one up, my daughter asks "Is this Nonna's?" even though fennel doesn't feature in her version. 


(Apparently, 6 out of 10 Australian chefs prefer pork in their bolognese according to 2009 edition of Australian Gourmet Traveller. If you're still making bolognese with beef, it may be time for a change.)


I would think that the only way to improve on this excellent sauce, would be to add some white wine just after adding the meat. We tend not to use much wine in cooking these days as most are processed with egg and milk products. But next time I come across an organic/vegan wine, I might just try it...


500g pork mince
1 large fennel bulb, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 bottle tomato passata/puree
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
olive oil


Heat a large saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, gently fry onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add chopped fennel and fry on low-medium heat for about 15 minutes or until soft and golden. Turn heat to medium-high and add pork mince, breaking it up with your spoon and fry until cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes, passata and bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce to low heat, simmering for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.


Stir through cooked pasta and serve.

Braised Artichokes

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

Artichokes are my vegetable love crush. If I were asked to choose my last meal on earth, I'd be tempted to eschew the foie gras and truffles, and accept a plate of delicately braised artichokes instead (maybe a few deep-fried ones thrown in.)

They're a robust and tricky vegetable to prepare, but all the more satisfying for having made the effort. The pile of waste can be a little alarming once you're done peeling away the tough outer leaves, and removing the top third of the flower. Artichokes are a member of the thistle family, so most of it is inedible anyway. Leave some of the tougher leaves intact so that once cooked you can scrape out their tender flesh between your teeth and discard the skin. This is an integral and rewarding part of the journey towards the prized, heartbreakingly-tender inner petals.

Finally, it's important to leave a decent portion of the stem attached - the flavour there is the absolute essence of artichoke.

4 globe artichokes
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Remove the outer leaves of the artichokes and cut off all but a few centimetres of the stems. Peel away the hard remnants of the base and the outer fibrous layers of the stems until you get to the pale green. Cut off the tops, about a third of the way down. Slice in half lengthways right through to the stem. Dig out the furry choke with a teaspoon. After you've prepared each artichoke to this stage, place them in a large bowl of water with the lemon juice added - you need to do this to prevent them from discolouring.

Heat the garlic and olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the drained artichokes in a single layer cut side down. Cook over low-medium heat until garlic is aromatic. Add the parsley, turn over and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes then turn them back over so they are face down again. Add 1/2 cup water, cover the pan and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Take off lid and turn up the heat a bit and simmer for another 10 minutes until all the water has evaporated and you are left with some juice at the bottom of the pan like a sauce. Remove from pan to a serving platter, cut sides up, sprinkle more parsley, drizzle sauce from the pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and a grinding of black pepper.

You can also cut the artichokes in quarters, just reduce the cooking time.

Focaccia with Green Olives & Thyme

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

If you're not a bread baker, now's the time to learn. It's quite easily the most satisfying skill to have in the kitchen. 

I normally stud the olives on top, but this version with the olives mixed into the dough is even more appealing.

7g sachet instant yeast

300g strong flour (tipo 00)

75g semolina (or more flour if you don't have it)

1 cup green olives, pitted

250ml lukewarm water

1 tbsp salt 

2 tbsp olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in a quarter of the water and let sit for a few minutes. Gradually mix in the flour and water (as well as salt and oil) until you have a decent dough, then knead for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and elasticky. Let prove in an oiled and covered bowl in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size. 

Stretch onto a tray in a rough rectangle shape,  sprinkle with olives, roll up lengthways into a sausage shape then bring together into a ring (so there's not much of a hole) and join the ends firmly. Take a rolling pin (or you can do this with your hands) and roll the dough back out to a rectangle. Let prove for another 20 minutes while you preheat oven to 220 C. Dig your fingers into the dough to make the indentations, sprinkle with thyme leaves, drizzle more olive oil and sea salt, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Minestrone with Chickpeas & Farro

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

Ancient grains and seeds like farro and quinoa have had a renaissance in the last few years. Farro in particular is an Italian grain that was in danger of vanishing from production due to its strong husk that needed complex dehulling and milling machinery. Thankfully, the boom in organic produce and growing interest in wholefoods means we get better access to less processed, more nutritionally sound foods.  Farro is similar to pearl barley, but with a nuttier bite. It does contain gluten, though it is more easily digestible than most wheat grains. If you're gluten intolerant, you could substitute brown rice.

If you don't soak the farro first (overnight preferably), it will still cook in the recommended cooking time, though it will benefit from resting for a few hours to allow it to swell and absorb more liquid.

couple of tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 can crushed tomatoes

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

1 bay leaf

1 cup farro, rinsed (otherwise soaked overnight)

6 cups of veg/chicken stock or plain water

Fry onion, garlic, celery and carrots over medium heat until soft and browned slightly, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, bay, stock/water and bring to boil, then add chickpeas and farro, stirring well. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until farro is tender. 

Chocolate Hedgehog with Cranberries

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

Mmmm. Just love biscuity chocolate goodness that is classic hedgehog, and you get a nice flavour kick with the cranberries. McVitie's Digestives is a great vegan biscuit (though package states they're made on a production line handling milk. We take the risk on these occasionally because they're so nice). Eskal and Freedom Foods make gluten-free biscuits so you could make these gluten-free also.

125g dairy-free margarine

100g dairy/egg/nut free chocolate

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 egg replacer (Orgran)

220g McVitie's Digestives or other dairy/egg/nut free biscuits, broken into small pieces

1/3 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup cranberries

Chocolate topping

200g dairy/egg/nut free chocolate

50g vegetable oil or dairy/egg/nut free margarine

Grease a slice pan (17cm x 27cm) and line with baking paper, allowing some to overhang at long ends.

Place margarine, chocolate and syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Cook gently stirring for a few minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Whisk in egg replacer.

Meanwhile, place biscuits, coconut, sugar, cocoa and cranberries in a bowl. Stir to combine, then add chocolate mixture, mixing gently. Transfer to prepared pan and press mixture evenly using the back of a fork. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

To make chocolate topping, place chocolate and margarine/oil in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Spread over slice and refrigerate for a couple of hours until set.

Using a hot knife, cut slice into 24 pieces.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free vegan

Recently at Elwood Market, a new mum joined the ranks with gluten-free baked goods on our allergy-friendly baking table. I was so enamoured with her chocolate chip cookies that I hounded her for the recipe and then made them vegan. They are very very good! 


She used a commercial gluten-free flour mix but because I'd run out, I subbed in a mix of brown rice flour and coconut flour. And instead of using egg replacer, I just added 1/4 cup rice milk. It probably accounts for the slightly crackled appearance that weren't a feature of her cookies, but they weren't crumbly upon eating. The Sweet William choc chips tend to melt somewhat on baking, but it all still makes for an incredibly tasty (and rich) cookie. 

250g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup rice milk

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour + 1 cup coconut flour 

or 2 1/4 cups gluten-free plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 cups dairy/egg/nut free chocolate chips (I used Sweet William)

Beat margarine and sugars in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add in rice milk and extract and beat until well combined. Transfer to large bowl.  Stir combined sifted flour and soda into mixture, in two batches. 

Stir in chocolate, cover, refrigerate 1 hour.  Preheat oven to moderate (180 degrees/160 degrees fan forced). Grease oven trays. Roll dessertspoons of the dough into balls; place 3cm apart on trays.  Bake, uncovered, about 12 minutes.  Cool completely on trays.

Chorizo & Lentil Stew

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free

I'm suffering through the blast of icy Melbourne weather and craving one-bowl comfort food, so this is just the thing. Tuck in with crusty bread, or for something a bit fancy, the artichoke farinata I just made (which is gluten-free).

1 chorizo sausage, sliced
1 cup dried lentils, soaked overnight (or 1 can of lentils)
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
bay leaf
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch baby spinach leaves
1 can diced tomatoes

Fry the sliced chorizo in a frypan with a tablespoon of olive oil until browned. Remove and set aside in a bowl. In the same pan with the remaining chorizo-flavoured oil, gently saute onion, garlic and carrots, until soft.

Add lentils, stock, tomatoes and bay leaf and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add spinach and chorizo and warm through for a couple of minutes, until spinach is wilted.

Serve in bowls.

Farinata (Chickpea Flatbread)

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

This recipe is from the River Cafe's Green cookbook, one of very few Italian cookbooks I treasure. It is divided into seasonal fruit and vegetables and features interesting produce with inspiring recipes. (eg. who knew Italians had even heard of ginger, let alone willingly cooked with it in both savoury and sweet dishes?!)

Because I am embracing all things gluten-free at the moment, it must be said that the farinata, a traditional Ligurian street food, is an ideal gluten-free pizza or flatbread.

Make sure the oiled pan is smoking hot before you pour in the batter or you won't get a crispy base. And the batter should only be 1cm thick (reserve the rest for another tray if need be) or you'll get a pancake rather than a pizza. I suspect it should be browner and crunchier than it looks in my picture but I was in a (hungry) hurry. In fact, if you squint, it almost passes for an omelette. Which gets me thinking that a bit of chickpea batter, liberally seasoned and poured into a pan with vegetables might make for a tasty egg-free frittata...

250g chickpea flour
750ml warm water
salt
75ml olive oil

*You can add any flavourings you like - strong herbs like rosemary, marjoram, thyme or sage. I sliced up some artichokes as per the original recipe and scattered fresh marjoram.

Add chickpea flour to the warm water in a bowl. If you can be bothered, sieve it first, but I didn't and given it sits for a couple of hours while it absorbs the water - it's not really necessary. Whisk it well to get rid of any lumps, add a tablespoon of salt, cover the bowl and set aside for at least 2 hours in a warm place.

Remove the foam that forms at the top of the batter and stir in the olive oil, mixing well. Pour a tablespoon of oil into your largest baking tray or pizza tray (around 40cm is best) and put into the oven until the oil starts to smoke. Remove the pan from the oven and quickly pour in the batter. It's supposed to be thin and not more than 1cm deep. Scatter over the artichoke slices and/or herbs, salt and a drizzling of olive oil. Place back in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Surface is supposed to bubble and the edges will crisp up.

Slice up and serve immediately.

Nuts

For those with nut allergies, it can be challenging to replicate that nutty flavour or crunch. But it can be done! If you're seed-allergic or gluten-intolerant as well, there are a number of options to help you replace nuts in recipes.

Whole or chopped for extra crunch
These are generally included for extra texture and flavor so they either can be omitted entirely or replaced with:

• Roasted chickpeas or soybeans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower kernels or sesame seeds
• Crispy rice cereal, puffed rice, rolled oats, crushed corn or rice chips/crackers, granola or other nut-free toasted muesli mixes
• Seeds (if you’re not allergic) are a healthy substitute: pumpkin and sunflower kernels can be a great alternative when you want texture or need to ground them to make your own nut-free butters or pastes (eg. pesto) 

Ground nuts or nut meals
If a recipe calls for substitution of an almond or hazelnut meal, try some of the following options on their own or as a combination: 

• Finely dessicated coconut
• Roasted and ground sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Plain or gluten-free flour 
• Breadcrumbs (gluten-free if required)
• Oat or wheat bran 

Try my nut-free recipes:

Italian Panforte

Sunflower Seed Butter

Rhuburb Tarts with Coconut Frangipane

Freenut Butter Cookies

Mock Satay Skewers

Nut-free Pesto

Sunflower Seed Butter

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

I'm a fan of Eskal's Freenut Butter - a nut-free substitute for peanut butter. But it's quite sweet and has emulsifiers. Turns out it's dead easy to make yourself!

1 cup sunflower kernels
a few teaspoons sunflower oil or light olive oil

Roast sunflower kernels in a dry saucepan on low-medium to heat for about 5 minutes. Don't leave the stove, and turn them frequently so they don't burn.

Once they've cooled a bit, blitz them in a food processor. You'll need to add a little oil to help the binding process, but do this a little bit at a time.

You can add seasoning to taste (1/4 teaspoon of salt and/or 1/2 teaspoon of honey or golden syrup). It's delicious just on its own though.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. It might separate from the oil but just mix again before using.