20 July 2020

A Quick and Tasty Vegan Pasta Dish

This is a recipe that I threw together one night with whatever was left in the fridge before the next grocery shopping trip, I hope you like it.

The quantities you use will depend on how many people you will be feeding.

Ingredients

 Sun-dried tomatoes

Basil pesto

Dry toasted pine nuts

Baby spinach leaves

Broccoli florets

Spaghetti pasta

Lemon juice

Olive oil

1 garlic clove (or equivalent minced garlic)


It might not look like much, but it tastes so good.

Method
Fill a saucepan with water and add a good pinch of salt, set it on the stove over high heat and bring it to the boil. Add pasta, and stir to prevent it from sticking together until water returns to the boil. Cover the pot with a lid, and reduce heat to low and cook pasta until it is al dente.

Steam broccoli florets until just tender and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a clean, dry frypan toast the pine nuts until they are aromatic and golden brown. When the pine nuts are done remove from frypan and set to one side.

Place the frypan back on the stovetop over medium heat add some olive oil and the garlic, cook garlic until translucent, be careful not to burn it. Add two big handfuls of spinach leaves, and sautee until wilted.

Drain your pasta, add to frypan along with pesto and stir the pesto through. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli florets and stir to combine.

If the dish seems a bit dry pour over a little olive oil to loosen things up, and then squeeze in a generous amount of lemon juice.

 Serve immediately and add toasted pine nuts to each dish. Shake a good amount of parmesan cheese over the top and enjoy!

Please note - You are more than welcome to share my recipes on your own blog providing you link back to my blog and do not claim the recipe as your own.






28 July 2018

Living Gluten and Dairy Free

In the middle of last year, it became increasingly obvious that something wasn't right within my body, I won't go into details, but it was extremely unpleasant and finding the cause took months. It turns out that as well as being lactose intolerant I had also become gluten intolerant. Living a dairy-free life is hard enough, but finding out that you also have to give up anything containing wheat or gluten is doubly hard as it is in just about everything.

So if like me, you have suddenly had to give up anything that contains gluten and/or dairy don't despair below is a list of some products that I have found that taste good and won't upset your digestive system, I will continue to add to the list when I try new products.



The best advice I can give to anyone reading this is to make sure you read labels thoroughly before you buy anything, you would be amazed at the products that have gluten, wheat and dairy in them, even products that you wouldn't think would contain them. I found this out the hard way.

Gluten-Free Bread

BFree Sweet Potato Wraps (there is also a Quinoa & Chia wrap, but it’s not as pliable. I haven’t tried the Multigrain yet.)

Pure Bred Hamburger buns

Helga’s Gourmet rolls

Toscano Gluten Free Pizza Base

Abbot’s Bakery Soy & Linseed bread - this is the best gluten-free bread I've found.

Abbot's Rustic White loaf

Helga's Soy & Linseed is also very good

Orgran Bread Crumbs

Genius Soft White  Bread Rolls

Nonna's Bakery Half Baguette - Gluten, egg, dairy, soy, nut-free and from the list of ingredients they seem to be vegan as well. I bought mine at Foodland and used them to make my own gluten and dairy-free garlic bread and at $5.50 for a two-pack, I thought they were reasonably priced. I'm not sure if they are available in other states but a Google search should tell you.

Warburton's Super Soft White Sliced Roll

Warburton's Crumpets 6 pack

Biscuits

Woolworths Select Lemon & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Woolworths Select Mint Slices

Woolworths Choc Chip Biscuits - Not only are they dairy and gluten-free they are also egg-free and soy-free.

Leda Chocolate Chip Cookies are not only delicious, but they are also dairy-free, gluten-free and suitable for vegans.

Leda Arrowroot biscuits

Belmont Biscuit Co's Scotch Finger biscuits - the closet biscuit I've found in taste to Arnott's Scotch Finger - Available at Aldi

Belmont Biscuit Co's Shortbread Cream - Available at Aldi

Cakes 

Coles Gluten-Free Banana Bread (boxed) It's very good, but a little too sweet for my tastes.

Coles Gluten Free Apple Pies (2 pack)

Pasta and noodles

Barilla GF Spaghetti

Barilla GF Fettucine

Barilla GF Penne

Barilla GF Elbows

Changs Gluten Free Wok-Ready Noodles 


Breakfast cereals

Kellogs Gluten Free Cornflakes 

Freedom Foods Muesli - Fruits and Seeds

Coles Finest Grain Free Granola Honey, Almond and Coconut - delicious!

Dairy Substitutes

Ice Cream
Weiss Real Good Feel Good bars - Pineapple and Coconut, Mango, Passionfruit and Coconut. They also make a Dark Chocolate and Coconut that I haven't tried yet.

Sanitarium So Good Frozen Dessert - Vanilla Bliss and Salted Caramel and Almond. I love the Vanilla Bliss, it's so smooth and creamy. I have yet to try the Choc Almond or Chocolate Bliss if you have let me know what you thought of them. 

Edited: I have recently tried the Chocolate Bliss and although I'm not a huge fan of chocolate ice cream it is very good.

Yoghurt

Nudie Coconut Yoghurt - Natural. It also comes in Mango and Passionfruit, Blueberry, Strawberry and Watermelon and Vanilla.

Nakula Harvest Coconut Yoghurt with Passionfruit - Thick and creamy just like dairy yoghurt. The coconut flavour isn't very strong and the only sweetness seems to come from the passionfruit itself. My only complaint is that it could have a bit more of a tang to it. It also comes in mango, and natural which I will be trying next.

Edited 27.9.2019 - I tried the Nakula natural unsweetened yoghurt today and it is delicious, so if you're looking for a dairy-free substitute for natural yoghurt I highly recommend it.

Cocobella Passionfruit Coconut Yoghurt

Cocobella Mango Coconut Yoghurt


Spreads
Nuttelex Original - It is an excellent dairy-free substitute for butter and can be used in the same way.

Dairy Substitutes
Vitasoy Soy Milky Regular - My favourite soy milk
Organic Provamel Soya single cream alternative
Flora Thickened Plant Cream is a very good alternative to dairy cream. The only thing I would say is that it does have a slight sweetness, which can be off-putting in savoury dishes. However, for desserts or scones, it is perfect.

Cheese
I have bought and tried a lot of non-dairy cheeses (and wasted a lot of money) over the years they all pretty much taste and smell the same and most of them tasted better when they are eaten hot as in a toasted sandwich or on a pizza, and the only ones that I am happy to recommend are Follow Your Heart Parmesan Style Cheese and if you're looking for mozzarella to eat straight from the packet, I would recommend Green Vie mozzarella flavour, it's very good.

Chocolate
Sweet William - this company makes a whole range of chocolate products including baking chocolate, chocolate bars and blocks (the white chocolate and white chocolate with strawberry pieces is my favourite), chocolate spread (which is also nut-free for anyone who has a nut allergy), and they also make Easter bunnies and chocolate Santas.

Eskal Noble Choice Dark Chocolate - I have tried both the Fruit & Nut and Peppermint and can recommend them both. 

Fruchocs Delightfully Unexpected Dark Chocolate Cherry 

Fruchocs Delightfully Unexpected Dark Chocolate Apricot - these are both gluten-free as well.