Hot Cross Buns

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

About this time last year, I made at least two attempts at hot cross buns. I tried a version where the butter is melted, and another where it is rubbed into the flour. One made for a very dense bun, almost scone-like. Did I say scones? More like bricks. The other was a vast improvement though the recipe required four proving times. Four! 

I only let the dough rise twice because I figured I'd mastered enough yeast cookery to know when to cut corners.

All was going pretty well until I left them in the oven 3 minutes too long. Wahhh. 

very hot, very cross buns

Later, I wondered why I didn't just make buns out of the Stollen recipe I had tried at Christmas. After sitting in my hall of shame for a full year, I'm ready to tackle them again this Easter weekend (despite the calamity that was the gluten-free experiment a few weeks ago, but I'll spare you the horror for now.)

So here's the adapted Stollen recipe for perfect hot cross buns, just in time for Good Friday.

3 cups plain flour

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

7g sachet dried yeast

1 1/2 cup dried mixed fruit

grated zest of 1 orange

150ml soy or rice milk, warmed

100gm dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex), melted

1 egg replacer

Crosses

50g plain flour

1/4 cup water

Glaze

2 tablespoons apricot jam

Place flour, sugar, spices, yeast, dried fruits, citrus zest and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, stirring well to combine. Whisk milk, Nuttelex and egg replacer together, then stir into flour mixture to form a soft dough. Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth, dusting with more flour if too sticky.

Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, turning to grease on all sides. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 200 C and grease a baking tray or line with baking paper.

Punch down dough, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Divide the dough into approximately 12 pieces and knead each piece into even-sized balls. Place in rows on the tray, cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place for about half an hour until risen slightly. 

Combine flour and water for the crosses and stir to a smooth paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle (or a plastic bag with corner snipped off). Pipe lines down each row to form crosses. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden.

Cool on tray for a few minutes while you dilute the jam with a teaspoon of boiling water, then brush over warm buns.

Icings, Frostings, Glazes & Ganaches

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

If you bake as often as I do, then these are recipe essentials.

You can do a very respectable job of icing your cupcakes and cakes and staying dairy-free. But you need to observe two rules:

1. Never allow your dairy-free margarine to 'soften' before using, like you would with butter. Due to its higher water and lower fat content, it seems to break down and you will run into problems mixing it with other ingredients and it won't hold its shape.

2. Always chill your icing before using.

This is as comprehensive a list as I can manage - but if you have an icing recipe that just must be shared, please drop me a note!

Dairy free Vanilla Frosting
125g dairy-free margarine
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract (or other flavourings)

Beat margarine in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible - then beat in sifted icing sugar. You can replace vanilla with lemon juice or other juice if you want a flavoured frosting - you might want to increase it to 1tbsp.

Makes 1 3/4 cups

Dairy free Chocolate Frosting
100g dairy free margarine
4 tbsp water
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder

Combine margarine, water and caster sugar in small saucepan; stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Combine sifted icing sugar and cocoa in medium bowl; gradually stir in hot spread mixture until smooth. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes. Using wooden spoon, beat frosting until spreadable.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Dairy free Cream Cheese Icing
60g dairy-free margarine
160g dairy-free cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar

Beat margarine and cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.

Makes 2 1/2 cups


Fluffy Mock Cream
2 tbsp rice/soy milk
1/3 cup water
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon gelatine
2 tbsp water, extra
250g dairy free margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine milk, water and sugar in small saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar is disolved. Sprinkle gelatine over extra water in cup, add to pan; stir syrup until gelativne is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Beat butter and extract in small bowl with electric mixer, until as white as possible. While motor is operating, gradually pour in cold syrup; beat until light and fluffy. Mixture will thicken on standing.

Makes 2 cups

Glace Icing
4 cups icing sugar
2 tsp dairy free margarine
4 tbsp hot water, approximately

Sift icing sugar into small heatproof bowl; stir in margarine and enough of the hot water to make a thick paste. Place bowl over small saucepan of simmering water; stir until icing is spreadable.

Makes 2 cups

Glaze
2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (approx) or other flavoured juice

Sift icing sugar into small heatproof bowl, stir in enough strained juice to give a thick pouring consistency. Stir over small saucepan of simmering water until thin enough to make a spreadable opaque glaze.

Makes 1 cup

Chocolate Ganache (dairy free, vegan)
You can make an excellent ganache by first finding a dairy/egg/nut free chocolate (Kinnerton Luxury Chocolate Bar is my favourite). Ganache is fantastic for drizzling over a cake and letting harden, or allowing to cool slightly before icing and a filling a cake (goes well under fondant when decorating). You can also let it cool and then whip into a frenzy and use to pipe frosting onto cupcakes.

Rice or soy milk is fine to use, but lately I've been trialling coconut cream which results in a richer taste and more luscious texture.

1 cup rice/soy milk or coconut cream
400g dairy-free chocolate, chopped coarsely

Bring milk or cream to boil in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add chocolate immediately and stir until melted and smooth.

Use while still warm and pourable, or cool and then beat with a wooden spoon until spreadable.

Makes 2 cups

Chocolate Mousse Frosting (dairy free, vegan)
Sometimes, you just want to give the Nuttelex a break. Using tofu makes a nice change, as long as you sweeten and flavour it well.
350g silken tofu
1/4 cup rice or soy milk
2 tablespoons honey or golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350g dairy-free choc chips

Blend tofu, milk, vanilla and golden syrup in a blender and mix. Melt choc chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, allow to cool slightly then add to blender and mix with the tofu. Refrigerate in covered bowl for at least an hour before using.

Ready to roll Fondant Icing (dairy free, vegan)
This is what you use when you want to try a fancily decorated cake. I wouldn't dream of making my own, though there are recipes out there for home-made fondant and marshmallow versions. Luckily, most commercial varieties are dairy/egg/nut free (eg Orchard available at most supermarkets).

Choc Chip Banana & Coconut Muffins (dairy free, egg free, nut free)

Another muffin. Well what can I say, kids love them, and they fill up a corner of the lunchbox!

125g dairy-free margarine, melted
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 egg replacers
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup dairy/nut free choc chips


Preheat oven to 200 C and fill a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin or cupcake liners. Beat melted margarine, sugar, banana, egg replacers and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, coconut and choc chips in a large bowl, then fold in banana mixture. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool slightly in pan then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Moroccan Sausage Rolls (dairy free, egg free, nut free)

I'm very partial to a sausage roll. Though if, like me, you are more than a little suspicious of supermarket sausage meat (what IS it?), then you need to make your own. Crucial to any sausage roll filling is the fine processing of the raw mince - you want a very fine texture and regular minced meat doesn't do the job. Whack it in the food processor and blitz it with your choice of flavourings.

These Moroccan-spiced ones were gobbled up by both my girls - spices, herbs and all. Delicious!

Makes 40 mini size, approx

500g lamb mince
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 brown or red onion, chopped
1 tsp paprika 
½ tsp each ground coriander
½ tsp each ground ginger
½ tsp each ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander
4-5 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed (non-butter Pampas version and some supermarket-brand varieties are dairy/egg/nut free)
rice milk or water for the "egg" wash
sesame seeds

Preheat oven 200c. Line baking trays with baking paper.

Place the garlic, onion, ground spices and herbs in a food processor with sea salt & pepper. Pulse to chop the onion and garlic and combine. Add lamb and process until smooth.
Cut each pastry sheet in half lengthways and then across, making 4 sheets. Place one piece of filling on edge of each pastry square in a long sausage shape, then roll up to enclose. Turn rolls seam-side down and cut each roll into 3-4 pieces, trimming the ends.

Place on the lined baking trays, brush with rice milk and sprinkle sesame seeds. Cook in the oven for 10 – 12 mins until puffed and golden.

Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake - part one

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

It's important to remember that baking is a science.

For example, you might get impatient and want to turn out a cake before it has cooled in the tin.
You mustn't.

Or perhaps the original recipe insists you line the base of the tin with baking paper but because you decided to change the tin shape from loaf to bundt, you sort of forgot that bit...(though how do you line a bundt tin anyway?)

So out it fell - broken, stuck, ruined.

Then my taste tester tells me, scraping the bits of cake from the tin, that it's the best cake he ever ate.

So it's back to the kitchen for take 2 - I don't mind - it's beautifully lemony and moist.  Even on second attempt though, this cake doesn't rise. It sinks in the middle, quite spectacularly. I must tweak the recipe - it seems the coconut cream is too heavy and might need replacing with coconut milk. But my third attempt will have to wait until after I return from a child-free holiday to Port Douglas later in the week (yay!). Plus I want to share some cute cupcakes in time for Halloween before I go.

So until then - feast your eyes on this disaster, and stay tuned...

(original sinking recipe - though if eggs aren't an issue for you, this should work spectacularly!)
125g dairy-free margarine, softened

125g caster sugar

2 x egg replacers

1 cup self raising flour, sifted

½ cup dessicated coconut

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 x 270g coconut cream
icing sugar, dusting



Method

Preheat oven 175 C. Lightly grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper.

Beat margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg replacers and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocount and lemon zest. Add half of this mixture and coconut cream into the mixing bowl and mix well.

Repeat with remaining flour and coconut cream. Add lemon juice and mix until well combined.

Pour cake mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with icing sugar.

Quest for the Holy Grail: Egg-free Meringue

Sometimes - just for fun - I google 'vegan meringue'.

Ok admittedly, it's not fun anymore, it's become an obsession. I am a relentless researcher if nothing else. I have been searching in the hope that somewhere in the world, someone has discovered how to make an egg-less substitute to this holy grail of vegan cooking. It usually leads to a depressing read of world wide lamentations, e-how dead-ends and bloggy disasters.

Then one day I stumbled across something called Vegan Meringue Cookies by AngelFood.

Inconceivable!

Immediately went shopped online (Vegan Perfection in this case) and next day (or so) delivery, it arrived.

I am a sucker for a pretty package, and she is very pretty indeed. I had zero expectation though - other than to produce something that quite possibly resembled a chewy meringue with a crispy outer layer. Which very probably can only be achieved by using real eggs. Yep - zero expectation.

The package claims it makes 'crisp' cookies. With two sachets in the box - once mixed and beaten together, it was looking really good: glossy and stiff, just like beaten egg whites should look...

I piped onto tray (oh but they are darling!)

 

Baking in the oven (bit annoyed I lost the little peaks in the cooking process)

Crispy yes they are!



Sandwiched together with some Sweet William chocolate spread (dairy/egg/nut free), they are not bad. Quite tasty in fact (thanks to the chocolate I suspect).

So here they are - a very crispy, aerated version of meringue kisses...though won't be attempting a pavlova any time soon.

Crispy Pork Belly with Fennel & Apple Slaw

dairy free egg free nut free

We all love crackling (vegetarians/vegans look away). But it is rarely accompanied by a moist, tender roast pork meat. Dry and a bit bland, I end up suffering through it. (Unless of course it's porchetta served in a crusty bread roll from a roadside stall in Italy...)

I first saw Rick Stein make this dish, and I probably won't ever serve up a roast pork any other way. Pork belly - slow cooked so the meat underneath is tender and melting away, with crisp and crunchy crackling that never fails. Hallelujah.

Beware though - it's rich. Pork belly boasts a considerable amount of fat (hence the moistness) but for a once-in-a-while dish (as roast pork should be), it's worth it. I think you could also experiment with the seasonings (I might try rosemary & sage next).

Rick Stein originally served this with plain rice and steamed Asian greens, but because it's spring and the sun is finally shining, I opted for an Italian twist on coleslaw. Baby fennel, savoy cabbage and Pink Lady apple, all finely sliced and tossed with lemon, olive oil and parsley.

Oh my. Marriage made in heaven!



Crispy Roast Pork Belly
Serves 4-6
1 x 1.5kg piece of thick belly pork with the rind
1 tablespoon Sichuan pepper*
1 teaspoon black pepper*
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons caster sugar

Spike the skin of the pork with a fine skewer le as many times as you can, going through into the fat but not so deep that you go into the flesh. Then pour a kettle full of boiling water over the skin, leave it to drain and then dry it off well.


In a small bowl, combine the peppers, sea salt, five spice powder and sugar.

Turn the pork flesh-side up on a tray and rub the flesh all over with the spice mixture. Set it aside somewhere cool to marinate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Turn the pork skin-side up and place it on a rack resting on top of a roasting tin of water. Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180˚C and roast it for a further 2 hours, topping up the water in the roasting tin now and then when necessary.

Increase the oven temperature once more to 230˚C and continue to roast the pork for a further 15 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and leave it to rest for 5-10 mins.
Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and arrange them on a warmed platter.

*Rick Stein's recipe has the peppercorns whole and dry-fried in a pan, then ground in a spice grinder. I've adapted the recipe for the short-on-time cook - I suspect it doesn't make a huge difference to the final result.
 
 
Fennel & Apple Slaw
 
Serves 4-6
 
1/4 Savoy cabbage
3 baby fennel bulbs
1 Pink Lady apple
3 tbsp fennel fronds, chopped
1/2 cup continental parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt
lemon juice to taste
 
Finely slice the cabbage and fennel. Add fennel fronds and parsley and mix together well. Just before serving, halve and core the apples, then finely slice across, then into matchsticks. Add to cabbage and fennel, then dress salad with oil, salt and lemon juice, mixing well.

Gingerbread Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

This is based on Delia Smith's recipe from Delia Online. 

I omitted the orange rind as I had some very impatient 6 year olds waiting to get started...

Makes about 20

75 g soft brown sugar, sieved

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 tablespoon black treacle

1 level teaspoon cinnamon

1 level teaspoon ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

finely grated rind ½ orange (optional)

95 g dairy-free margarine
½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

225 g plain flour

 

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.

Put the sugar, syrup, treacle, 1 tablespoon of water, spices and rind together in a large saucepan.

Then bring them to boiling point, stirring all the time. Now remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dairy-free and the bicarbonate of soda.

Next stir in the flour gradually until you have a smooth manageable dough – add a little more flour, if you think it needs it.

Now leave the dough – covered – in a cool place to become firm, approximately 30 minutes. Now roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and cut out the gingerbread men.

Arrange them on the lightly greased baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the biscuits feel firm when lightly pressed with a fingertip.

Leave the biscuits to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Lamb & Leek Stew

dairy free egg free nut free

Spring may have sprung, but it's still freezing in Melbourne! I think this is essentially a Lancashire Hotpot, and very tasty.

50g dairy-free margarine, plus extra to grease

2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tbs olive oil

1kg diced lamb leg or shoulder

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbs pearl barley

800g waxy potatoes (such as kipflers), peeled, thinly sliced

300ml lamb, chicken or beef stock

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

a few tablespoons of olive oil or melted margarine

3 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Preheat oven to 170 C. Grease an ovenproof casserole dish.

Place half the margarine in a large frypan over low heat and cook leek and onion for 5 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add oil to pan, increase heat to high. When oil is hot, add lamb and brown in batches, then transfer to a separate plate. Add garlic and barley to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, then return lamb to pan and stir to combine. Place half the potatoes in base of casserole. Layer meat over top followed by leek mixture. Use back of a spoon to flatten contents of casserole, then overlap remaining potatoes on top. Pour in stock and sprinkle with thyme. Cover with a lid or a layer of foil and bake in oven for 2 hours. Brush potatoes with olive oil or melted margarine. Return to oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden.

Serve from dish, sprinkled with parsley.

Orange & Polenta Loaf

dairy free egg free nut free

Thanks to a morning spent with my school mums, I was inspired to make an allergy-friendly version of this lovely citrus polenta cake.

2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup polenta
250g dairy-free margarine, melted
1 orange, grated rind and juice
1/2 cup rice/soy milk
3 egg replacers (Orgran)

Glaze
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup caster sugar

Combine flour, sugar and polenta in a bowl and mix well. Add melted margarine, grated rind, juice, milk and finally egg replacers and mix gently until well combined.

Pour into loaf tin lined with baking paper, smoothing the top, and bake in 180 C oven for 50-55 minutes.

Combine the extra orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently until sugar is dissolved.

Once ready, cool cake in tin for 10 minutes then remove to rack. While still warm to the touch, brush the glaze over the top of the cake.

Can also be made in a round cake tin.

FreeNut Butter Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free

Who says you can't make a peanut butter cookie without peanuts?

As long as you use FreeNut Butter made from sunflower seeds. Either the smooth or crunchy version does just nicely, and I made a second batch with Sweet William choc chips thrown in.

Makes 20 approx

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup melted dairy-free margarine
1/2 cup FreeNut Butter(smooth or crunchy)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 egg replacer
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Sweet William dairy/nut free choc chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Sift flour and sugars, then combine the rest of the ingredients, mixing very well.

Drop tablespoons of mixture onto lined baking tray, pressing down slightly with back of a fork. Make sure you space them as they will spread during cooking. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove and cool on rack.

Nasi Goreng

dairy free egg free nut free

My life changed for the better when a friend  introduced me to kecap manis: a sweet and syrupy Indonesian soy sauce. I tend to leave the regular soy aside more often than not these days, because kecap manis elevates my stirfries to a higher plane. Truly!

I love this dish because it combines rice with Chinese cabbage (I admit to a soft spot for all things cabbage), and the kids always seem to want more. No need for egg - kecap manis is the hero here.You can adjust the ingredients to your taste, adding more vegies if you prefer.

Because we can all safely eat shellfish now, we particularly love prawns in this dish.

Serves 4

2 cups pre-cooked long grain or basmati rice
1/4 Chinese cabbage (wombok), shredded
300g chicken thighs, diced
10 cooked prawns
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely sliced (optional)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce or fish sauce (or both quite frankly!)
1/4 cup kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
a handful of crispy fried spring onions to sprinkle on top

Heat oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium to high heat and cook onion, garlic and chilli (if using) until softened.

Add chicken pieces and stirfry until brown and just cooked through. Add fish and oyster sauces, then cabbage and rice, stirfrying for a few minutes until rice is well coated and cabbage is wilted. Add kecap manis, stirring well, then add the cooked prawns until heated through.

Mix in coriander before serving with fried spring onions.

Lemon Coconut Slice

 dairy free egg free nut free

This is old, OLD school lemon slice. The one that sits next to the chocolate hedgehog in cafes (though not necessarily hip inner-city ones). It's pure Aussie, and I love it. While strolling the aisles of Sunnybrook recently, I discovered that someone finally got their act together - in this case, the Brazilians - by making a dairy-free sweetened condensed milk.

(For those living outside of Melbourne, doesn't look like the product is listed in Sunnybrook's online shop yet - try Cruelty Free Shop)

Or you could try making your own here.




Makes about 18 pieces 

80g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)
250g (3/4 cup) soy sweetened condensed milk
250g plain sweet dairy/egg/nut free biscuits*
85g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon (20ml) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
extra desiccated coconut, for sprinkling on top of slice

Lemon Icing
250g (1 3/4 cups) icing sugar
2 tablespoons (40ml) fresh lemon juice



* McVities Digestives are dairy/egg/nut free though they are made on a production line handling milk. Arnotts Nice biscuits (and some other varieties) are also fine, but have traces of nut/dairy/egg/seed. Here I have used both plain and cocoa flavoured Kedem Tea Biscuits available at Coles - they are dairy/egg free and made in a nut-free facility - no traces. Orgran vanilla animal cookies might also make a reasonable substitute.






Grease an 18cm by 28cm slice pan or baking dish and line pan/dish with baking paper.

Place dairy-free margarine and soy condensed milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when margarine has melted and mixture is smooth.

Finely crush biscuits using a blender or food processor. Stir crushed biscuits, coconut and lemon zest together in a large bowl until well combined. Stir lemon juice into condensed milk mixture.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Press mixture very firmly into the prepared pan using the base of a flat-bottomed glass if necessary. Refrigerate.


To prepare icing, combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until mixture is warm to the touch and completely smooth. Remove from heat and spread over slice, sprinkling with extra coconut.

Refrigerate slice until cold and firm then remove from the pan and cut into pieces. Store slice in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Celebration Paella

dairy free egg free nut free

If your child has ever had the good fortune of successfully passing a food challenge, you'll know the word 'celebration' is practically an understatement.

My eldest had a mild allergy to shellfish until an SPT (skin prick test) came up negative near the end of 2009. It took her a few months to work up the courage to embark on a food challenge. Her reluctance was understandable after recently discovering a kiwi fruit allergy by eating a whole one, then vomiting and huskily coughing for half an hour. Out came the Zyrtec - though thankfully, the Epipen stayed in its case. Phew. Once she got over the trauma of that experience, we encouraged her to try a prawn: first rubbing on the inside of her lip, then a quarter portion, increasing to half - then a whole prawn over a number of hours/days and checking for any reactions.

She passed. And we felt like all our Christmases had come at once.

Not only does passing the shellfish challenge mean an abundance of prawns and calamari (though the latter technically a mollusc); but suddenly, oyster sauces, curry pastes containing shrimp and even products containing traces of crustacea all become available to our hungry gourmand.

A paella is traditionally a Spanish peasant dish where a variety of  meats and/or seafood or whatever you have on hand can be added. It doesn't require stirring like a risotto - so you want a nice gentle crust to form on the bottom.

I have a 6 year old shellfish addict now, who wonders why we can't eat prawns every day...


Serves 4


3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 large tomato, chopped
300g chicken thigh, diced (or 1 chorizo sausage, sliced)
10 green prawns
1 large squid hood, sliced into 1cm thick rings
1 cup calasparra or arborio rice
2 cups hot vegetable or fish stock
2/3 cup cooked peas
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 saffron strands (optional)
lemon wedges

Heat oil in a paella pan or large flat frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, capsicum, tomato and garlic - stir until soft. Add chorizo/chicken until cooked. Add rice and stir to combine. Stir in stock, saffron (if using) and paprika. Ensure the mixture is spread evenly over the pan.

When the stock is boiling, cover and cook over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes until the stock has reduced and the rice is almost cooked. Push the prawns and calamari into the rice and cover for a further 5 minutes. Finally add the peas and parsley and leave it for five more minutes on low heat.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Tips:
- Do not stir the paella during main cooking
- The perfect time to add seafood is when the stock is reduced enough for the rice to be seen. This is near the end of the cooking time and will allow for delicately steamed and very tender seafood.

Raspberry & Coconut Muffins

dairy free egg free nut free

I am possibly the world's worst blogger.

It has been months since my last post. Forgive me, dear blog, for I have been very neglectful.

But I am back on the horse! And these delicious muffins are going straight to the lunchbox.



200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
100g soft brown sugar
200ml coconut milk (or you can substitute rice/soy milk)
50g dessicated coconut
1 egg replacer
100g melted dairy-free margarine
100g fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 180 C and line a 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake/muffin liners.

Sift together the flour and baking powder then combine rest of ingredients, folding in the raspberries last.

Divide the batter between the liners and bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar.

Rhubarb & Coconut Frangipane Tarts

I've made these tarts a few times now - individually sized as well as a large one. No need to pre-cook the rhubarb, and the sweet 'frangipane' balances the tartness.

(frangipane is originally a butter, sugar and ground almond mixture - coconut substitute works a treat.)

The best thing about these tarts is that they make a quick and easy dinner party dessert - so if you have slaved all day on preparing and cooking the first two courses, these take about 5 minutes to make and not much longer to cook. I like!

Makes 4
One sheet of puff pastry, cut into 4 squares (most commercial puff pastries are dairy/egg/nut free, except for Pampas butter version)
3-4 sticks of rhubarb, washed and cut to fit squares
75g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex), softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
90g dessicated coconut
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg replacer

Cut puff pastry sheet into 4 squares. Score the edges to leave a 2cm border.

Beat butter, extract and caster sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer, beat until combined. Fold in coconut and cornflour.

Spread frangipane keeping within the score marks of the pastry, about 1/2 cm thick. Lay rhubarb sticks over the mixture, and bake in preheated 180 C oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately. Can be eaten plain or with dairy-free ice cream.

Carrot & Banana Cake

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

Before Gina came to the rescue, I trialled carrot cakes that didn't rise much, and banana muffins that were nice enough, but for some reason didn't translate very well into a cake. The combination of the two means this cake rises beautifully and keeps very moist. I think this was Gina's recipe prior to having a dairy and egg allergic son - after which she made it allergy-friendly, and it rocks. Thanks a million Gina! We love it. Works perfectly as muffins, round cake or in a loaf tin as I have done here.


225g self raising flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g brown sugar
1 cup grated carrot
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
150ml vegetable oil
2 egg replacers

Preheat oven to 180 C. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, spices and mix well. Add carrot, bananas, vegetable oil and egg replacers and mix until well combined. Grease a pan and line the bottom of square, round or loaf tin - pour in combined mixture and bake for approx 25-35 minutes.

Lemon Icing
55g dairy-free margarine, softened
250g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)

Beat margarine with icing sugar, then add lemon juice/zest. Make double quantity if you are layering and filling a round cake.

Blueberry Pikelets

dairy free egg free nut free

Hmm, possibly more a panklet than a pikelet! Make them however big or small you like. This is a great standard pancake recipe.

Makes about 10 pikelets

1 cup self-raising flour
1 tablespoon castor sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup rice or soy milk
1 egg replacer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen)
melted dairy-free margarine for frying

Sift flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Whisk milk, egg replacer and vanilla together, then pour over dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Gently stir blueberries through the batter.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and brush with melted margarine. Drop tablespoons of mixture into pan and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn pikelets over and cook other side until golden.

Serve plain, or dust with icing sugar.

Apricot & Cranberry Cookies

dairy free egg free nut free

Lovely oaty biscuits for the lunchbox. If sesame seeds are an issue, you can leave them out, they still taste great. I think this recipe originally came from Women's Weekly.

Makes 20

100g dairy-free margarine (Nuttelex)
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
2 tbs golden syrup
2 tbs water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
115g (1 1/4 cups) rolled oats
150g (1 cup) plain flour
40g (1/4 cup) sesame seeds (optional, or you could substitute linseeds)
110g (2/3 cup) chopped dried apricots
100g (2/3 cup) craisins (dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until the butter melts. Remove from heat. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Combine the oats, flour and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add the butter mixture, apricots and craisins, and stir until well combined.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place 5cm apart on the lined trays. Use a fork to flatten slightly. Bake in oven for 8 minutes or until light golden. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Corn & Dill Muffins

dairy free egg free nut free

I'm not one for savoury muffins usually, and most of the recipes are loaded with grated cheese or fetta. But these are tasty morsels using a mini muffin pan. You can use the Tofutti dairy-free sour cream or the less processed Kingland cream cheese might be good too. Substituting the dill for chives is perfectly acceptable also.


Makes approx 24 mini


2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Tofutti dairy-free sour cream or Kingland dairy-free cream cheese
1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped dill (or chives)
equivalent 2 eggs using Orgran egg replacer

Preheat oven to 180 C. Mix flour, oil, dairy-free cream, corn kernels until lightly combined then add egg replacer. Spoon into mini muffin holes 2/3 full. Bake for...to be honest, I cannot remember - try 8 minutes or until golden!