Being Thankful - Happy Australia Day

As I sit here in the perfect 31degrees of it all I am THANKFUL.

I am thankful for the sunshine.
I am thankful for the cool swim.
I am thankful for the lifestyle we have as AUSTRALIANS.
I am thankful for the freedom.
I am thankful for the environment.
I am thankful for the good nature and decency of 98% of people that live in the lucky country.

I am NOT thankful for the dickheads who get off on lighting senseless fires.  I AM thankful for the unwavering bravery of our fireies.

I am NOT thankful for the dickheads who get off on king hitting some unsuspecting soul.  I AM thankful for constructive action to implement positive change.

I am NOT thankful for the bullying that is plaguing the youth of today.  I AM thankful for zero tolerance and positive role models.

I am thankful for the health of my family.  I am especially thankful for a diagnosis for my Coeliac daughter.  I am NOT thankful for the Coeliac part but I AM thankful that it is easily tackled, requires no medication and that a gluten free lifestyle means a happy & healthy little girl.  THRIVING even. 
I am also extremely thankful, that without her diagnosis, my own could quite possibly never have happened and could have led to dire straits later on (and not the Money For Nothing kind).  Every cloud has a silver lining.

and I am thankful for L A M I N G T O N S
<gluten free of course>

EatRite Review & [GIVEAWAY]

Christmas, family, good times, New Year Celebrations..
On reflection, the whole of 2013 went by in the blink of an eye.  The  year seemed to whizz by in next to no time don't you think? 
Sign of a good year I would say.  We were busy, we were happy, we were growing and learning  & laughing.  A good year by anyone's standards.

As you know, I happily discovered (and shared) a lot of GLUTEN FREE products I found throughout the year.  One such product that crossed my path was EatRite rice crackers.  EatRite is an Australian (YAY) company that produces delicious gluten free wholegrain brown rice crackers.  The EatRite flavours include Tamari Seaweed and deliciously spicy Black Pepper & Sesame.  Not to play favourites but the Black Pepper & Sesame is a personal fav :) 


Shamelessly, I indulged in a few packets over the festive season but should I feel bad?  Not really.. these gluten free yummies are made with wholegrain brown rice and natural ingredients, are free from cholesterol, msg, preservatives and are low in oil & salt.  

 

EatRite is committed to producing natural whole foods. Only the highest grade wholegrain brown rice is used in the crackers, retaining all the essential nutrients and fibre. They are then lightly steamed and oven baked to golden perfection.  Sound delicious? Well that's because they ARE!  Great for snacking, great for lunchboxes and fab for entertaining.



You will find EatRite crackers in the health food aisle of Woolworths, Coles, IGA, selected Foodworks and health food stores ~ RRP $3.50/pkt
 
The good people at EatRite have very kindly offered 2 boxes of EatRite crackers for this giveaway

With 12 packets per box - 6 x Tamari Seaweed  and 6 x Black Pepper & Sesame what are you waiting for?

Enter via RAFFLECOPTER below and leave a comment on the blog here to say you dropped by :)
(always a pleasure to have you x)

This giveaway is open to AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS ONLY.

This is a review post for EatRite.  All opinions are my own.  This is not a paid promotion.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trees, Baubles & Chocolate Balls

A few weeks before Christmas my sister-in-law sent me a pic of Chocolate Brownie Christmas Trees. Hmm a challenge perhaps?  CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Now I have no idea where she got the photo, maybe from a food mag, maybe PINTEREST?  I suppose I could have maybe asked and possibly maybe even got a recipe but chances are these little chocolate conifers weren't gluten free so I had to improvise..

Abbey's Christmas class party was looming and I thought to myself 'pfft how hard can it be?' plus I totally planned to cheat and use a packet brownie mix BUT THEN disaster struck the night before the class party.  On closer inspection of said packet mix, it was revealed that the product contained traces of nuts. OH CRAP - there was a child in Abbey's class that had a severe allergic reaction to nuts - an ANAPHYLACTIC type of reaction.  There was no way I could use this mix.  Quick Tara, think on your feet.. I had to pull this thing off and bake from scratch.  I also had NO PLAN B.  So I did what any self respecting mother on the brink would do and took to GOOGLE like a woman possessed..

So here's the recipe I used via taste.com.au  It seemed simple enough and even better, I had all of the ingredients in my pantry. Yes. Kicking goals.

200g unsalted butter, chopped
200g GF dark chocolate, broken into pieces                                
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup GF plain flour
2 tablespoons GF cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.  Line a 5cm deep, square brownie tin
Heat butter, chocolate and sugar in saucepan over a low heat stirring until everything has melted and is smooth. Transfer to a heat proof bowl and allow to cool.
Add eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture.  Mix well.  Sift flour and cocoa over chocolate mix and combine. Pour into brownie tin and bake for 20 minutes.

Now the recipe asks that once cooked & cooled, lift out, wrap in plastic-wrap, then place in an air tight container and leave for 1 day before cutting.. but I didn't have the luxury of time so, once cooled, I placed that sucker into the freezer for a wee while. Say 10 minutes.  It was then perfect to attack with my Christmas Tree cookie cutter.  Sharp edges, no crumbling.  Yes Sir, we were in business.

To finish, I made a simple butter cream icing, tinted it with green food colouring, placed the icing in a snap lock bag and snipped the corner ready to ice those babies.  They actually turned out better than I hoped and I knew they tasted good because I had sampled all the offcuts hahaha.

You can put a candy cane into the base of the tree if you like (just use the straight part of the cane)  - this is what my sister in law's picture had in theirs but I think they looked just as sweet without.

and then there's Gluten Free Rumballs (without the rum or you can add it ~ but I was focusing mainly on child friendly here or you can totally keep a stash separate and indulge later).  We called these Snowballs as kids and this recipe is entirely from my 11 year old memory.  I make no apologies for that.

250g sweet GF biscuits - I used the freelicious tea biscuits
1 tin of condensed milk
1 heaped tablespoon of GF cocoa
Desiccated coconut

Now pay attention.  The very technical method follows ~

(1) Blitz the biscuits in a food processor (or bash them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin) until you have a crumb consistency
(2) Add the cocoa powder and mix to combine
(3) Add the condensed milk and mix in well - if you find your mix is a bit wet,  add a little coconut
(4) Roll heaped teaspoons into balls and then coat with coconut
(5) Cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. 


and just a heads up.. they won't last long :)

Chocolate Mousse

We were meeting up with friends for a BBQ and I naturally had left things to the last minute.
What to make? What to make? I needed something simple, something delicious and something fast.  Chocolate Mousse?  BINGO. 

I used those small plastic wine goblets that you can purchase from any supermarket for around $3-$4 for TEN.  The kind you can throw away but are rigid enough to wash and re-use if you feel so inclined.  The idea was no washing up.  I liked the idea immediately.

The following recipe is from www.taste.com and just adapted so as to make it gluten free.  No changes actually, just ensure you are using gluten free cocoa powder and chocolate.  It's a no brainer.

300g Gluten Free good quality dark chocolate
3 eggs
1/4 cup caster sugar

1 Tbs Gluten Free cocoa powder sifted
300mls thickened cream (I actually used whipping cream so I didn't have to buy thickened AND whipping - less waste) plus extra whipped cream to serve
Grated chocolate for decoration

Melt your chocolate.
Now you can do this in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water as long as the bowl isn't actually touching the water - stir gently, remove from heat and set aside to cool

OR

Use your microwave.  Naturally I used this lazy option.  Just make sure you reduce the power to 50% and do in small bursts.  My chocolate could have probably done with more melting but tiny bits of unmelted chocolate through the mix equalled WIN WIN later when tucking in.. Totally your call.

Either way, set aside to cool slightly.

Place eggs and sugar in your mixer and beat for 5 minutes until mix becomes pale in colour and increases in volume.  FOLD in your sifted cocoa powder and chocolate.  In a separate bowl beat cream until thickened and fold through chocolate mixture.  Chill in  fridge for 1 hour then decorate with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate.

I half filled NINE of these small plastic wine goblets easily with this quantity of mousse and then topped up with whipped cream.

ENJOY!

A cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down.. (THE LEMON MERINGUE PIE EPISODE)

What's going on?  Lately Lemon Meringue and versions of it are popping up everywhere.
Why this timeless classic is back in vogue don't you know!

When we lived in country Queensland a few  years back, I discovered early on in the piece, how very seriously these country women took their baking,  There was some stiff competition around & recipes for pies and baked goods were fiercely guarded.  These fantastical formulas had been handed down from generation to generation.  Oh yes.. there was even talk that local folk had traded the farm for one such coveted heirloom. OK so I embellish a little..  I decided to get baking baby.  I wanted a piece of this baked goods action.. thus my GLUTEN FREE LEMON MERINGUE PIE was born.

It is actually a recipe I tweaked from The Australian Cook Book (Compiled by Anne Thorpe) - a rather large and heavy doorstop of a book that I had secured as a young lady for my glory box and have been lugging around ever since.  Traditionally, Lemon Meringue Pie has a pastry base. Not so here peeps.  I figured my old cheesecake base was a sure thing and have never looked back.  I've never had any complaints anyway.. so here it is.


Base

300g crushed sweet GF biscuit crumbs
80g butter (melted)

Combine crumbs and butter and press into a pie dish - refrigerate.


Filling 

4 Tablespoons GF Plain Flour
4 Tablespoons GF Cornflour
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1+1/4 Cups water
90g butter, melted
4 egg yolks

Combine sifted flours, lemon rind, juice and sugar in a saucepan.  Add the water and blend until smooth - I use a flat whisk for this.  Stir over a low heat until mixture boils and thickens - this will take a BLOODY LONG TIME and just when you have severe upper arm cramp and are about to throw the whole bloody lot in the bin or on top of your husband's head..  it WILL miraculously thicken. 

Reduce the heat and stir for a further 2 minutes before removing from heat and adding butter and lightly beaten egg yolks - stir until well combined.  Allow to cool then spread evenly onto your base.

Meringue 

4 egg whites
pinch of salt
3/4 cup caster sugar
Beat your egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.  Slowly add your sugar.  Be patient.  It will all be worthwhile if you do it properly.  TRUST ME.  Beat well until the sugar has dissolved.  If you rub a bit of meringue between your thumb and finger tip and can't feel any gritty stuff, you're good to go.
Spoon meringue on top of your pie filling - be as rustic or decorative as you like but make sure you spread the meringue to the edges of your dish to create a seal.  Bake at 180°C for around 10 minutes or until the meringue becomes lightly browned.  Cool then into the fridge she goes!

Enjoy!

 

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Pumpkin & Fresh Greens {GUEST POST}

Hello!  Hello! Have I got a treat for you today!
The very fabulous Jodie from Fresh Home Cook  is here and who after being coerced with large sums of money happily agreed to write a GUEST POST for Gluten Free Hart (and is our very first GUEST!!)
 
I am mildly envious (ok A LOT) at her ability to GROW amazing things let alone COOK amazing things so you can go ahead and marvel at her capabilities and hopefully be inspired perhaps to grow your own.. or at the very least, cook something delish from stuff that others have..  Read on punters.. BE AMAZED

and when I say AMAZED, I mean swing by her blog and share some of your loving cause she really is ALL THAT :)

Hello lovely people who love Gluten Free Hart as much as I do!  I was very excited when I came across Tara's blog, it has such a beautiful feel & look.  Once I looked through her gorgeous recipes, I was absolutely hooked!  So, when Tara asked me to guest post, I was thrilled - I think I even did a little happy dance!  :)

While my recipes are not all gluten free, I do have family members who are coeliac, &, as a foodie, I love to experiment with all types of food & flavours to make wholesome & (mostly) healthy dishes that my whole family enjoys (mostly).  With two little ones under four, fussy eating is an issue for us, so coming up with clever ways to add the 'good stuff' to our menu is part of the fun of it all (mostly)!  ;)

We are fortunate enough to have our own little veggie patches in the backyard, meaning I get to cook with what's fresh & in season.  At the moment, our garden is jam packed with peas & beans, carrots & herbs.  It is a little smorgasbord of fresh greens & with the weather warming up as we get further into the Spring time, for me that means making all things salad!  

One of my favourite ingredients is quinoa.  I know ... it's all the rage these 'super-paleo-clean-eating-grain-free-cala-fraga-listic-food' days, but I can honestly say I have been eating this colourful little seed for a long time, since well before the hype & I just love it.  

According to Wikipedia quinoa is a superfood, whose Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Quinoa's protein content per 100 calories is higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet, but is less than wild rice and oats.[30] Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein.[31][32][33] Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant.[34] Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

(Source)

For those reasons alone, it is hard to go past, but you know what, it also has a great texture & when infused with the right combination of flavours, it makes one of the best salad bases you can eat.  It comes in three colours, white, red & black - apart from the obvious difference, they cook & taste the same.  I like to mix them together, it makes for a great visual & given we eat as much with our eyes as our taste buds, it just adds to the experience.

The recipe I am sharing here is one I love to savour, either on it's own as the perfect light lunch, or as a side dish with a main meal.  I am a big fan of all things pumpkin, especially roasted, the rich, soft texture melds beautifully with the light & fluffy quinoa seeds & the creaminess of marinated feta cheese.  Cut through with the crunch of toasted pistachios & fresh garden greens, this dish is a wonderful feast for the senses & will leave you satisfied, without that heavy feeling of overindulgence.

Anyway, enough from me, here's how it goes;

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Pumpkin & Fresh Greens

INGREDIENTS

750 grams pumpkin - Kent or Butternut - seeded & sliced into wedges approx. 1cm thick - no need to skin
1 - 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons of Moroccan Seasoning (or similar) - I use Masterfoods
1 cup quinoa - any colour, or combine them as I do - well rinsed
2 cups of water or low salt vegetable stock
250 grams broad beans - fresh or frozen
A small pinch salt
250 grams snow peas, roughly chopped
2 small radishes, thinly sliced
A big handful of baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
A big handful of Italian parsley, roughly chopped
A big handful of baby carrot tops, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries, or raisins
3 tablespoons of pepitas & sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Juice of 1/2 lemon
50 grams or so of marinated feta cheese - (I used South Cape)
2 teaspoons or so of feta marinade for dressing salad

METHOD

First;
Preheat oven to 210oC (non fan forced).
Slice pumpkin into about 1cm thick wedges & place on baking tray in single layer.
Drizzle pumpkin with extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat both sides.
Sprinkle pumpkin slices with chopped pistachios & moroccan seasoning.
Roast for about 30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender & beginning to caramelise.

Meanwhile;
Using a medium saucepan, cover quinoa with water or stock.
Place over high heat, bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover & simmer for about 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed & quinoa is tender.
Allow to cool.

Next;
Place broad beans in a small saucepan & cover with water & salt. If your broad beans are fresh & in the pods, remove them first.
Blanch the beans in the boiling water for about 2 minutes.
Drain & refresh with cold water.
Drain again & gently peel the light green skins off the beans - underneath you will see the gorgeous green flesh - this is the part you want!

Then;
Roughly chop the snow peas, spinach & parsley.
Thinly slice the radishes.
Dry toast the pepitas & sesame seeds over high heat in fry pan until they start to just start to crackle & change colour - about 3 minutes.

Making the Salad;
In a large bowl combine the quinoa with the chopped greens, radish, cranberries, pepitas & sesame seeds.
Season with the lemon juice & a little of the feta marinade.
Toss gently to mix.
Spread the quinoa mix over a large serving platter or plate, top with the roasted pumpkin & pistachios.
Crumble the feta over everything.
Sprinkle with a little more feta marinade & any left over pistachios.

TIPS / SUGGESTIONS

You can use any kind of greens or herbs you prefer in this dish. I used what I was fortunate enough to have in the garden. 

Serve this cool or if you prefer, you can warm it slightly before eating - just don't nuke on too high a heat it, or it will lose the freshness.

Serve as a single dish or as part of a main meal. (I served it with slow cooked pork medallions with sweet potato & apple sauce - recipe will be on the blog soon!).

A huge thanks to Tara for having me on her beautiful blog - I really appreciate the opportunity & hope you like this recipe as much as we do.

Cheers,

Jodie xx

Cook!  Eat!  Enjoy!