After a long week, Friday was finally here! I think I can safely say one of the best feelings there is is the one you have when you realize you have two glorious days of weekend ahead. Having turned in my essay in the morning I took the rest of Friday off to go to my favorite cafe (mentioned in my last post) and nap! Then came cooking time... I probably should have started a tiny bit earlier but, it took about 2.5 hours to make a three course meal. I don't know if that's good or not but I was proud. My friend Malik arrived at 8:00 and the evening proceeded with good food, good wine and good company (and a lot of Beyonce).
We started with mushroom, spinach and goat cheese crepes
Our main was a rice pilaf with meatballs
And the dessert
(the most popular of the evening)
was carrot cake with orange marmalade, coconut, and vanilla frosting
Mushroom, spinach and goat cheese crepes
(makes 6)
For the crepes:
1 cup gluten-free flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup goat/soy/rice milk
1/2 water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dairy-free butter- melted
For the filling:
Spinach (fresh or frozen)
Goat cheese (your favorite kind. I use St. Helen's)
4 mushrooms- chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Mix crepe ingredients in bowl until smooth. heat a lightly oiled/buttered griddle or frying pan at medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan and tilt to spread evenly. Let each cook until lightly browned and set aside.
2. While, or after, your crepes are in the cooking process- boil/steam spinach (amount based on preference- I used four cubes of frozen spinach) and in seperate pan cook mushrooms in oil. Drain both.
3. Mix cooked spinach, mushroom and goat cheese (again amount based on taste) until a creamy-like texture.
4. Lightly spread the mixture around the entire crepe and roll. Ready to serve!
Rice Pilaf and Meatballs
(serves 4-6)
For rice pilaf:
6 tablespoons dairy-free butter
1 cup rice
1.5 cups finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf- crumpled
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup raisins/sultanas
1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds
2 cups chicken broth
2. Put the mixture into a 1.5-quart casserole dish. Add the salt, bay leaf, cinnamon, almonds and raisons.
3. Heat the broth to boil and mix with all other ingredients. Cover and back for 45 minutes.
For meatballs:
500kg ground beef
1 egg
salt to taste
pepper to taste
thyme to taste
1. Mix ingredients in large bowl and form into medium sized meatballs.
2. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Fry until cooked through- set aside.
Carrot cake with orange marmalade, coconut, and vanilla frosting
(inspired by BBC Food)
For the cake:
150 ml sunflower oil
100g/4oz soft light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
75g/3oz golden syrup
175g/6oz Gluten-Free flour (I used Doves)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
200g/7oz grated carrots
75g/3oz sultanas
25g/1oz desiccated coconut
For the topping:
1 tub of Betty Crocker Vanilla icing (I will explain my cheating)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
a pinch of cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 160c and grease a 18cm/7in round or square baking tin
2. In a large bowl mix together the oil, sugar, eggs and golden syrup until completely combined. Mix the rest of the cake ingredients and pour into the prepared tin.
3. Bake in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes until nicely risen. Insert a skewer/knife through center to check- if it comes out clean then the cake is ready! Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then take out to cool completely.
4. While cooling make the topping. Now, the recipe I was following called for cream cheese but that simply can not be in my dairy-free world SO I chose to use Betty Crocker (yes pre-made) vanilla icing as it was the only thing I could think of with the same consistency as cream cheese.
5. Mix all the topping ingredients in a bowl and spread on cooled cake.
6. Ready to serve and eat up!
Lots and love and bon appetit!
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