Cake Recipe: Coconut-Almond Strawberry Shortcake

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Makes: 6 shortcakes     

3 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup Gluten-Free Flour Blend (below)
1/3 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
One 6-ounce container plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut, for sprinkling
Whipped coconut cream, for serving

Place the strawberries in a medium bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar; gently toss and let sit for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a food processor, combine the gluten-free flour, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and 2 tablespoons of the coconut sugar. Add the butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the yogurt and vanilla; pulse to combine.

On a flour-dusted piece of parchment paper, pat out the dough until about 3/4 inch thick; cut into 6 equal portions. Brush the tops with water and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes; let cool on the baking sheet. To serve, split the biscuits in half; top with the strawberries and their juices and whipped cream.
For the gluten-free flour blend:
3 cups (435 grams) white rice flour
1 1/2 cups (187 grams) tapioca flour
3/4 cup (123 grams) potato starch
1 tablespoon (8 grams) xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons (5 grams) salt

Make the flour blend: In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and salt.

Per serving: Calories 278; Fat 18 g (Saturated 10 g); Cholesterol 31 mg; Sodium 20 mg; Carbohydrate 27 g; Sugars 5 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 6 g

Recipes: veggie shepherd's pie

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Comfort food comes in many forms, and finding a new, healthy edition of a dish such as shepherd's pie is welcome in this space. I received this recipe for Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie from Soyfoods and had to try it. If you are not interested in the vegetarian meat substitute from Yves Veggie Cuisine, skip it or use regular ground meat. It works both ways. Also if you happen to need gluten-free options, use rice flour instead of all-purpose wheat flour. I tested it; my research team - my Chronicle co-workers - loved it.

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Makes 4-6 servings

1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (or baked)

2 tablespoons soft, non-hydrogenated margarine

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 package Yves Veggie Cuisine Veggie Ground (vegetarian ground meat substitute)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or rice flour)

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup mixed vegetables

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the potatoes by peeling, chopping and boiling until tender, or baking in their skins and removing skins following the baking. Add the margarine to the cooked drained (if boiling) potatoes and mash until smooth. Set aside.

In a nonstick skillet heat the oil. Cook the veggie ground, green bell pepper and garlic, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the mixed vegetables and ground pepper.

Spread the vegetable mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the top is browned and the mixture is bubbly.

Recipes: Andouille Shrimp and Grits

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Serves 4.

For the grits:

1 cup grits (not instant)

1 ½ cups white cheddar cheese

½ cup heavy cream

Salt and black pepper to taste

For the shrimp:

1 pinch saffron threads

4 ounces Andouille sausage cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 1 cup)

Olive oil, for pan (if needed)

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound butternut squash, cut into cubes (about 2 cups)

1 teaspoon paprika

For the topping:

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

Chopped scallions

Bring 2 ½ cups water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Stir in white cheddar cheese and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

For the shrimp topping, soak saffron threads in 1 tablespoon warm water; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until crispy, about 10 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Return skillet to medium-high heat. If skillet seems dry, add a splash of olive oil. Cook shrimp until just opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage. Add squash to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cooked sausage and shrimp, along with saffron mixture and paprika. Cook until liquid is thickened and shrimp is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon warm grits into bowls. Top with shrimp mixture, crumbled goat cheese and chopped scallions.

Source: Adapted from Breakfast for Dinner: Recipes for Frittata Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side-Up Burgers and More! by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth (Quirk, 2013)

Vegetarian recipe: HALOUMI WITH EGGPLANT & CHICKPEA SALAD & GREEN OLIVE & PARSLEY SAUCE

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Serves 4

Green olive & parsley sauce:

1/2 cup pitted green olives

1/2 cup flat-leafed parsley

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 

Puree the olives and parsley in a small food processor, then with the motor running, slowly pour in the grapeseed oil until you have a smooth sauce. Add the vinegar and process to combine. Set aside. 

For the haloumi:        

grapeseed oil for frying

1 large egplant, cut into 3cm cubes

4 tablespoons liquid honey

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1/3 cup golden sultanas, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, drained

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

400g haloumi, cut into 1cm-thick slices

METHOD:

1. Heat 1/2cm oil in a frying pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then add the eggplant cubes and fry evenly on all sides for 10 minutes or until browned and tender.

2. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put in a colander to drain. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then combine the honey and vinegar and mix with the eggplant while it is still warm.

3. Add a further 1 tablespoon of oil to the frying pan, then fry the garlic and cumin seeds until they are popping and coloured. Add the chickpeas, sultanas and paprika and continue frying until the chickpeas are coated and have some colour. Remove from the heat and mix with the eggplant.

4. Increase the heat and in the same pan, with no extra oil, fry the haloumi slices for 2 minutes each side or until lightly browned. Top the eggplant and chickpea salad with the haloumi and drizzle with the green olive sauce.

Recipes: How to make Kashmiri Dum Aloo

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Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Serves 4

Ingredients
800 gms baby potatoes
8 cloves (laung)
1 inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
½ tsp hing (asafoetida) dissolved in 2 tbsp water
2 tsp dry ginger powder
2 tsp mango powder (amchoor)
4 tsp fennel powder
2 tsp powdered dry fruits (almond, cashew and pistachio)
4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 black cardamoms (badi elaichi)
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method
* Pressure cook potatoes with 2 cups of water till one whistle. Put under running water and cool the potatoes
* Peel and prick the potatoes all over with a toothpick or fork.
* Heat oil and shallow-fry potatoes in a pan until golden brown in colour. Set aside
* Heat 4 tbsp oil in a kadhai; add cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon. Sauté for a few minutes on medium-high flame.
* Add hing water (be careful as the oil will sputter when you add water; reduce flame and cover the wok until sputtering ends)
* Add red chilli powder. Sauté for a minute. Add 2 cups of water.
* Add all other ingredients. Sauté for a minute
* Add fried potatoes to the gravy.
* Cover and simmer till the gravy thickens and oil floats on top.
* Break one potato. The colour of chillies must penetrate the centre. If not add some more water and simmer.

Recipes: Whole grain banana bread waffles

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Ingredients (for 2 waffles)

1/2 cup (60 g) spelt flour (you can sub whole wheat flour if preferred)

1/3 cup (30 g) oat flour (made by blending oats in a food processor)

2 tsp ground flaxseed (this is optional)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed

1 egg

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

1 tsp vegetable oil

For the cinnamon-sugar

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp superfine (caster) sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Stir together the first 6 ingredients in a large jug. Add in the vanilla, banana, oil, milk and egg and stir together with a fork until smooth. Leave it to sit whilst you heat up your waffle iron.

Scoop the batter into the waffle iron - about 1/3 cup - and cook according to the waffle iron's instructions until golden brown.

Stir together the 1 tsp of ground cinnamon into the superfine sugar. Use a knife to lightly swipe the waffles, hot from the waffle maker, with butter then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar.

Recipes: Waffles with hot chocolate sauce

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Ingredients (Makes 12)

For the batter

325g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

60g caster sugar

2 large eggs, separated

450ml whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the hot chocolate sauce

75g cocoa powder

75g caster sugar

50g dark chocolate (60–70 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped

Method

To make the batter, put the flour, baking powder, salt and half the caster sugar in a large bowl and whisk together. In a large jug, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla and melted butter, then pour it into the flour mixture, whisking until you have a smooth batter.  Put the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and, using an electric mixer, whisk until they hold soft peaks. Continue to whisk while you slowly pour in the remaining sugar until the meringue is stiff and glossy.  Add the meringue to the batter and gently fold together. Cook the batter according to your waffle iron’s instructions.

To make the chocolate sauce, put 200ml water in a medium pan and add the cocoa powder and caster sugar. Whisk together until smooth.  Put over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes or until the syrup has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes, then add the chocolate and stir together until melted and smooth. You can serve the sauce warm or cold, but it gets a lot thicker as it cools down. If you have any sauce left over it can be kept in the fridge for up to a month and then reheated at a later point.

Tip

This recipe makes quite a lot of waffles, so you could, of course, halve the quantities, but you can also freeze the cooked waffles. Leave them to cool completely then wrap them in a double layer of clingfilm. When you want to serve them, leave them to thaw fully before reheating them in the oven at 120c (100C fan oven)/gas ½ for about 10 minutes or until heated through.

Recipes: Red Velvet Waffles

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Ingredients (Serves 6)

2 cups all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon baking powder


1⁄2 teaspoon table salt


4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar


3 large eggs, separated


2 cups buttermilk


1 1⁄2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder


1 tablespoon red liquid food coloring

Method

Preheat the oven to 200° F and preheat a waffle iron. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine.

Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a separate large bowl. Whisk in the egg
yolks and buttermilk. Mix the cocoa powder and red food coloring in a small bowl to make a smooth paste, then whisk the paste into the butter mixture. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened (the batter should be slightly lumpy).

Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir one-quarter of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.

Spray a waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As they’re done, put them on a baking sheet and slide them into the oven to keep them warm while you cook the remaining waffles.

For the Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

A pinch of table salt

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Method

To make the cream cheese drizzle: Beat the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Beat in enough milk to make a pourable mixture.

Recipes: Crater Cake

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Ingredients:

Batter:

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups Bisquick  

Topping:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup brown sugar

8 marshmallows, each cut in half

Method:

Grease and flour a 9-by-9-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first three wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, then add sugar and Bisquick, mixing until smooth and no lumps are visible. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Combine nuts and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl, then sprinkle evenly over batter. Place marshmallow halves on top, evenly spaced in four rows of four.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Note: Greasing a knife with butter makes it easier to cut the marshmallows in half. Betty Peters uses Crisco to grease the baking pan. The cake will also work in an 8-by-8-inch pan, too, but “watch your baking to make sure you don’t over-bake it,”.

fOOD rECIPEs:CHICKEN A LA KING

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Fancy-shmancy just got easy-"pea"sy with our recipe for Chicken a la King in a Hurry! This comforting dinner recipe is said to have been created for a King, who loved it so much he put it on his hotel menu the very next day. Now your whole gang can enjoy having it on their menu!

Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 15 min
What You'll Need:
3 tablespoons butter
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chunked cooked chicken (about 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained

What To Do:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; saute mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add soup, milk, salt, pepper, and chicken; mix well and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until hot.

2. Stir in peas and pimientos and continue cooking 5 to 7 minutes, or until warmed through.

Serve over warm cooked egg noodles or buttermilk biscuits

Recipes : Chicken Quesadilla with Spicy Mexican Salsa

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Whenever we are craving to eat something spicy the first things that comes to our mind is Mexican food. 
Loaded with lots of fiery flavours Mexican food is just great. But it is not only just about being spicy, you will be excited to hear that it's also about health too.
It's full of protein, fibres and healthy carbohydrates. So that means that you can enjoy Mexican cuisine as often as you want without feeling guilty. So now if you are bored of eating regular boring food and want to spice it up a little bit and if you have a pan, then we have a plan for you.

Ingredients:
(Makes 1 Quesadilla)
Tortilla: 2
Red onion: 2
Garlic cloves: 2
Red chili flakes: 2 tsp.
Chipotle chili or dried red chilli: 1
Dried oregano: 2tsp
Chicken mince: 250g
Mozzarella cheese:  4tbsp
Cheddar cheese:  4tbsp
Salt and pepper
Lime juice (optional): 1tsp
Oil: 1tbsp

For Salsa
Chipotle chilli or dried red chilli: 2
Tomatoes: 2
Garlic cloves:  4
Coriander bunch: 1
Lime juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper
Oil: 1tbsp

Preparation
1.    First let's prepare the stuffing: Chop the onion, Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion till pink.

2.    Finely chop cloves of garlic and add to the pan. Sauté for two minutes.

3.    Now add red chili flakes, chipotle chili or dried red chili, and dried oregano.

4.    Now in a bowl, season the chicken mince with salt, pepper and paprika and add to the pan. Sauté till cooked completely.

5.    Now let's prepare the spicy Mexican Salsa: Chop the garlic, not fine but little big pieces. Also, chop the tomatoes and chipotle chili.

6.    In a pan, heat oil, add garlic, season it little bit, sauté till golden, add chipotle chili or dried red chili and tomatoes. Season it a little bit and sauté till tomatoes are slightly soft.

7.    Now In a blender add the bunch of coriander and the tomato mixture.

8.    Squeeze the lime juice, adjust the seasoning and give it a good blend.

9.    Now let's assemble our Quesadilla. Heat up a pan, preferably griddle pan, drizzle over little bit of oil, place the tortilla. Spread the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese properly on it.

10.    On top of cheese, spread the chicken mixture and then again on top of chicken mixture spread the cheese, and now top it with another tortilla.

11.    Now for the little difficult part, flip your quesadilla and let the other side get sautéed for just one or one and half minute.

12.    Now take it out on a chopping board and cut it in four quadrants. Serve hot with spicy salsa.

Mexican Recipes: Jalapeno and aged-cheddar corn bread

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Medium cooking: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Serves: 4-6 persons

Cornbread - traditionally served with barbecued food like ribs and pulled pork - is best served warm. This goes really well with any barbecued meat you like, especially if it is slow-cooked and pulled apart.

Ingredients

3-4 fresh corn cobs (about 450g)

180ml canola oil

2 free-range eggs

230ml crème fraîche

5 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

220g yellow or white cornmeal (check gluten-free as some corn flours are derived from wheat)

2 pickled jalapeño chillis, finely chopped

100g good-quality aged cheddar, grated

2 tbsp lard

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and purée in a food processor. Place puréed corn in a bowl and mix with the oil, eggs, crème fraîche and spring onions. In another bowl, mix the baking powder, salt, cornmeal and chilli. Fold these two mixtures together with the grated cheese to create a batter. It will be a bit lumpy, but don't worry.

To bake the corn bread, use a 20cm-22cm ovenproof cast-iron pan for best results. Melt the lard in the pan in the oven and ensure it coats all the pan evenly. Pour the batter mixture into the hot pan and place back in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes - until the top is golden brown, the sides have pulled away from the pan and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove pan from oven and rest corn bread for 10 minutes in the pan before cutting and serving while still warm.

Serving suggestion: Serve with Neil Perry's smoky chicken wings.