This is a delicious recipe that is great for lunch and perfect for the school lunchbox.
I have to say zucchini is one of my favourite vegetables, however it is definitely not one of Miss Gracie’s. I find she is more accepting to try when they’re in the form of a fritter.
Easy and fun to make with children, these delicious spelt bagels hit the spot.
Grace loves fresh baked bread (who doesn’t right?), the smell of bread baking in the oven that then fills the house is hard to resist. One of our favourites, apart from flat breads is the humble bagel.
We tweaked this recipe for spelt flour and they worked out brilliantly, even Grace helped knead the dough and make the holes for the final bagels.
You can adjust the crust toppings to your favourite choices, but the main ones include: sesame seeds, nigella seeds, onions or poppy seeds, we chose sesame seeds as Grace loves them.
The difference between a New York style and a London bagel is the ‘chew factor’. Personally we like our bagels a little chewier this is achieved by boiling the bagel for 2 mins on each side. For a less chewy bagel adjust the boiling to 1 min on each side before baking.
Happy baking…
Slightly modified recipe to cater for Gracie’s dietary requirements original courtesy of the Sophisticated Gourmet.
1 ½ tablespoons coconut sugar (replace with normal sugar if not available)
300ml warm water (you may need ± ¼ cup /60ml more, I know I did)
500g spelt flour (will need extra for kneading)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
1
In ½ cup /120ml of the warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture, until it all dissolves in the water.
2
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.
3
Pour 1/3 cup / 90ml of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. Depending on where you live, you may need to add anywhere from a couple tablespoons to about ¼ cup/60ml of water. You want a moist and firm dough after you have mixed it.
4
On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and stiff dough.
5
Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
6
Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces (I used a scale to be extra precise, but it’s not necessary). Shape each piece into a round. Now, take a dough ball, and press it gently against the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms. Repeat with 7 other dough rounds.
7
Coat a finger in flour, and gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat the same step with the remaining dough.
8
After shaping the dough rounds and placing them on the cookie sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF / 220ºC / Gas Mark 7.
9
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top (a couple seconds). Let them sit there for 1 minute, and them flip them over to boil for another minute. Extend the boiling times to 2 minutes each, if you’d prefer a chewier bagel.
10
If you want to top your bagels with stuff, do so as you take them out of the water, you may use the “optional toppings” (listed above) to top the bagels and if you’re risky like me, make a combination of the toppings to top the bagels with, but before hand, you will need to use an egg wash to get the toppings to stick before putting the bagels into the oven.
11
Once all the bagels have boiled (and have been topped with your choice of toppings), transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
12
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
13
Cool on a wire rack
14
Dig in an enjoy warm!
Notes
If you have kitchen scales it definitely helps, as cup measurements for baking can be off.
My husband bought a whole tray of zucchini’s last week so we’ve been eating them down. After eating them the same way for the past week I had enough and wanted to make something different, so Zucchini fritters it was!
These fritters are full of flavour and so crispy!! They make a great option for packing in kids school lunch boxes to. Gracie is not a big fan of zucchini at the moment, but she really enjoyed these.
I’m also trying to reduce our meat consumption moving forward so these make a perfect alternative meal.
Simply roasted pumpkin & sweet potato soup make a quick lunch, it’s easy to prepare and make. This came about from the need to clear out my fridge before going away!
I’ve added turmeric into the soup which is delicious, has an amazing vibrant colour and has anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cold water at least twice their volume. Set aside to soak overnight.
2
The next day, drain the chickpeas well and combine them with the onion, garlic, parsley, and coriander. For the best results, use a meat grinder for the next part. Put the chickpea mixture once through the machine, set to its finest setting, then pass it through the machine for a second time. If you don't have a meat grinder, use a food processor. Blitz the mix in batches, pulsing each for 30 to 40 seconds, until it is finely chopped, but not mushy or pasty, and holds itself together.
3
Once processed, add the spices, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, flour, and water. Mix well by hand until smooth and uniform. Cover the mixture and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use
4
Fill a deep, heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with enough oil to come 6-7 cm up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil to 176C.
5
With wet hands, press 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the palm of your hand to form a patty or a ball the size of a small walnut, about a scant 1 ounce (you can also use a wet ice-cream scoop for this).
6
Sprinkle the balls evenly with sesame seeds and deep-fry them in batches for 4 minutes, until well browned and cooked through. It is important they really dry out on the inside, so make sure they get enough time in the oil. Drain in a colander lined with paper towels and serve at once.
Notes
Serve with tahina Sauce, pickled turnips, humous and fresh vegetables. If you have time weigh each falafel out to 43gms
My husband loves making these, they have a delicious soft and custardy texture.
You do need to prepare these a few hours in advance, but the actual cooking time is around 10-15 minutes. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s a one bowl wonder.
We sourced this recipe from Serious Eats , where my husband spends A LOT of time scanning for new ideas! He loves their scientific approach to cooking food.
In a mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour and salt. Gradually add water, whisking constantly, until a smooth, thin batter forms. Let stand, covered, at least 4 and up to a maximum of 8 hours
2
Preheat oven to 280C and position oven rack in second position from top. If you have a pizza stone or sheet pan, set it on the rack (it will help crisp the farinata from below, but isn't required).
3
Pour olive oil into well-seasoned large cast iron skillet and swirl to fully coat bottom in an even layer. Using a spoon, scrape any foam from surface of batter and discard. Stir batter to mix well, then pour into skillet. Stir gently to swirl oil on top of batter
4
Season all over with black pepper and sprinkle with rosemary leaves, if using.
5
Change oven setting to grill. Set skillet on pizza stone or sheet pan or on the oven rack if not using a stone, and cook until farinata has just set, no longer jiggles, and is browned all over, about 11 minutes. If your grill cycles off, you can prop the oven door open with a utensil to keep it on the whole time.
6
Let farinata cool slightly until set. Eat warm or at room temperature.
Zucchini cheese has seriously blown my mind! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined making cheese out of zucchini…that was until I stumbled across a couple of Instagram Posts telling me otherwise.
As I mentioned before I’m actually lactose intolerant and Dairy-free now, Grace has been Dairy-free for a long-time and my husband…well he just eats anything!!
I found a very simple recipe to start out with, I will be looking next-time to add a few more herbs to experiment further.
These simple to make spelt bread rolls are so easy to make, they’re vegan & dairy-free. The end result is a fluffy and delicious bread roll. They are a huge hit with Gracie so they’ve been on high rotation ever since!
Putting everything in a single bowl and using the microwave really speeds up the process for a mid-week bake. It’s important to add the warm liquid to the dry mixture at between 42 – 46 degrees celsius, any higher at it could kill the yeast preventing rise.
Original recipe can be found here – but we’ve modified slightly for Gracie’s needs.
To a large mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup (90 g) spelt flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
2
In a separate mixing bowl (or small saucepan over medium heat), microwave the coconut milk, water, and olive oil until warm - about 45 degrees (~55 seconds). It should be the temperature of bath water. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast.
3
Add wet to the dry ingredients and whisk vigorously or beat on medium/low for 2 minutes, scraping sides as needed.
4
Add 1/4 cup (30 g) more spelt flour and beat for another 2 minutes. Then add only enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (~1-2 minutes). Then place back in the mixing bowl, loosely cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
5
Divide the dough into 10-11 equal pieces, carefully shape into balls (handling as little as possible), and place in a greased 9x9-inch baking dish or round cake pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place (such as on top of the oven or in a sunny spot) until doubled in size - about 45 minutes - 1 hour. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius . Once the rolls have doubled in size bake for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and light golden brown. Carefully brush with olive oil for a shiny appearance (optional).
Bone broth is extremely easy to make and packed full of nutritional goodness.
Broth is high in amino acids which are inflammatory, collagen, gelatin and trace minerals. Gelatin has been proven to be beneficial in assisting with healing of the gut lining and helping with growing good bacteria. It’s also very easy to digest!
Please note if you have an amine intolerance you should only cook for around 2/3 hours.
I love to batch cook bone broth and freeze it in batches, I even add some in smoothies during the hotter months. Not only do we drink broth, I use it as a base for casseroles and even for spaghetti Bolognese.
1 whole, fresh chicken, or a chicken carcass (organic, free range)
3-4 litres filtered water, room temperature
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
1
If starting with a whole chicken, cut meat off bones (as much as you can) and refrigerate to use in other meals. (Use fresh chicken within 24 hours – can be frozen if you bought the chicken fresh.) The fat can be added to the stock as it gives flavour and helps nutrients to be absorbed more easily. OR start with a chicken carcass left over from a roast dinner, or a raw carcass from the butcher.
2
Place the bones (and any fat) into a large, heavy-based stockpot or slow cooker. If you are cooking up your own chickens, or have access to the 'whole' chickens, you can also add the chicken feet.
3
Bring to a gentle boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat, and simmer on low for 1 ½ to 3 hours (or cook 3-4 hours on high in a slow cooker). Take carcass out of broth, and remove any remaining meat from bones. (Refrigerate meat to use in meals.)
4
Return bones to broth and continue to simmer for another few hours if you're ok with longer cooking times.* If you are using a pot on the stove, keep heat low and top up water as needed so that the bones are always covered.
5
Strain the broth into into jars/containers. Discard bones and vegetables.
6
Store in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 6 months. (Make sure you leave about 3cm of space at the top of the jar/container as liquids expand when freezing.)
Spelt Mountain Bread has been my saviour many a lunch-time! Apart from the standard wrap making business, I like to be a bit more creative with them and tried making them into Sausage rolls.
Success! They came out crispy and golden – just like a ‘normal’ sausage roll.
