Gluten Free Banana Loaf

If you are anything like our household, the last couple of banana's always seem to get left behind.  For some reason the kids think that with even a couple of spots on the skin that they are somehow no good!  An easy way to use them up is by making this banana loaf using Gluten Free Store Ltd Self Raising Flour.

Enjoy!

PASTA. SURPRISE!

We work pretty long hours at Gluten Free Store, and I would love to tell you I'm super organised with meals for the family worked out in advance, but I'm in fact normally chasing my tail constantly, and will often get home realising that I've "taken nothing out for dinner".  I tend to have a few staples in my pantry and fridge, so I can whip up something in half an hour or so.  (I love that sort of timeline for meals!)
Dried Pasta, tinned tomatoes, Verkerks Chorizo, (I love Verkerks products, made here in NZ,  this spicy sausage is my favourite), and there are always some veges lurking around in the fridge somewhere, or some frozen beans or something in the freezer.
This dish which always varies depending on what I have in the fridge has over the years in our house become known as Pasta Surprise.  The kids always groaned when they were told it was Pasta Surprise, but I've improved it since the early days, so now they actually like it and our adult daughter now makes her own variation on it now that she has her own little family!  This recipe is pretty loose, as I cook on the fly most of the time, and just taste as I go.

PASTA SURPRISE RECIPE - Basic Recipe

1 250g packet of Buontempo Dried Pasta (I like this brand and I find it most cost effective)
800g Tinned Tomatoes
Dried Herbs (optional) even better are fresh if you have them in the garden!
Couple of tablespoons of Tomato Paste.
1 Large Onion
1 or 2 Verkerks Chorizo Sausage sliced or diced.  Couple of strips of streaky bacon (optional)
Gluten Free Powdered Stock (I use Massels)
Finely diced carrot, capsicum, courgette, kumara.  (whatever you have in the vegetable crisper, but I tend to not use potato).
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Cook Pasta according to instructions.

Fry onion and other vegetables in a pot or pan until soft.  (Pot is better as its deeper)
Add in herbs, and a couple of teaspoons of stock.  Chicken, Beef or Vegetable (they are all vegan)
Then add your Chirozo, and if you like a few finely chopped strips of streaky bacon.  Once these are browned, add tinned tomatoes and stir it all in.  Add the tomato paste, and let that all gently simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Giving it a stir every 5 minutes or so.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain (and I rinse it) stir a slug of olive oil through it, and then add it to your tomato mix.  You can either fold it in and serve from the pot or transfer to an oven dish and sprinkle generously with grated cheese and bake for a crispy top.

TIPS:
Adding a teaspoon or two of sugar when cooking tomatoes, brings out the flavour.
Add a bit of Chilli Powder or Spicy mix, can give it a bit more kick.
Bake with a generous sprinkling of cheese with some gluten free breadcrumbs to give it a really cruchy top.
I add all sorts of vegetables to this depending on what I have.  Different coloured capsicum, carrots etc, all give it a lovely colour too.
Serve with or without a green salad.


~Liz~

PASTA SURPRISE

Our new Batter Mix

Summer has finally arrived, but we have been urging it on with the release of our new Batter Mix.
This light and crispy batter has been such a winner, working with everything from fish, and prawns to vegetables, and being able to deep or shallow fry is a bonus!  So great if you are away on holiday and just want to be able to have battered seafood to cook in the pan!
We love it so much, and its been really popular on fish and chip nights!
A few tips when using the batter:

*Make sure your water is cold.  (We keep some in a glass bottle with a lid on it in the fridge)
*Dust whatever you are battering with some rice flour so that the batter does not fall off when frying. You can even use a bit of the dry mix.
*Add your battered morsel to the pan slowly, so as not to let it stick the bottom.
*Take your batter mix to the next level by adding some Lemon Pepper, or Cajun or Moroccan Spice to your mix.

Here is a wee video:  Click on link if video wont play.

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Can I use a Bread Maker for Gluten Free Bread?

We often get asked if our bread mixes can be used in a breadmaker.  The short answer is no.
The results tend to end up a small doughy loaf.   Gluten Free Bread is made using a totally different technique, and the secret is not only in the finely tuned balance of flour blends but in the way they are mixed.  Traditionally bread is kneaded, and a bread maker emulates this with a small slow moving paddle.  In place of the gluten, GF bread needs to contain gum.  Xanthan and Guar being commonly used, the gum takes place of the gluten which gives the bread structure, and holds it up. Using a bench top mixer at reasonably high speed emulsifies the gum, and with the mix being quite stiff, it is almost impossible to mix by hand. Therefore we always advise that a benchtop mixer is really the only way to get a decent gluten free loaf.
Each breadmaker is different, and therefore devloping a mix that will work in various machines, would be extremely challenging.  However at Gluten Free Store, we love to give things a go so are keen to do some testing and see if we can work some magic!
But to see how easy it is to make our Gluten Free Bread, we have a short video here.

 Gluten Free Store Multi Grain Loaf

Gluten Free Store Paleo Loaf

We use Kenwood mixers