Edo - Japanese Restaurant - Christchurch - Vegetarian and Gluten Free Options

Edo Japanese Restaurant

493 Papanui Rd

Papanui

Christchurch

Pete and I love Japanese food and there are quite a few Japanese restaurants in Christchurch. Finding this wee gem was a result of a google search and we have returned several times. It is small with built in seats along the length of each side with the counter and kitchen at the end. 

They have GF indicated on the main menu and a separate vegetarian menu if you ask. They can even do gluten free on some of the dishes that they haven't indicated.

First time we probably ordered too much food so the next time we remembered and even left room to sample a dessert.

It is reasonably priced - 6 dishes, a beer and a wine cost $110 and we were full! We were even given a $10 voucher to use within the next 6 months if we returned, which we certainly did!

All the dishes are beautifully presented and the staff are extremely helpful and friendly.

Christmas Cake - shop bought - Gluten Free

Christmas Cake

Gluten Free

Another product from  Allergy Free Foods in Rangiora. A little fruit cake that looks pretty and has a nice flavour but a bit dry - perhaps needed more fruit. $13.99 at Merivale Fresh Choice.

New World are doing a vegan fruitcake that has a bit more fruit in it.

Christmas Pudding - Shop bought - Gluten Free

Christmas Pudding

Gluten Free

This is a really yummy pudding - just like a home made one. Full of fruit with a touch of sherry to add to the rich flavour. Baked by ALFF - Allergy Free Foods in Percival St, Rangiora, Christchurch, NZ. It cost $14.99 for a 600gm pudding from Fresh Choice in Merivale.

I microwaved it for 3 minutes and served it with a brandy sauce and So Good vanilla ice cream!

Quick and easy - Mum was very happy with it especially as she didn't have to make one for herself. 

Christmas Shortbread - Vegan and Gluten Free - Recipe

Christmas Shortbread

Vegan and Gluten Free

These make a pretty Christmas plate or a gift.

Ingredients

100g/3.5 oz rice flour

100g/3.5 oz gluten-free cornflour

85g/3oz caster sugar

125g/4.5 oz vegan and gluten free margarine (Olivani)

1.5 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/ 375 degrees F. Line a 25 x 18cm tray with baking paper.

Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food mixer and mix on a slow speed until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The mixture will develop a breadcrumb - like consistency after a minute and will start to clump together a few seconds later. 

Alternatively, place the sugar and margarine in a large mixing bowl and cream together with a fork until thoroughly combined. The mixture will have a breadcrumb-like texture but should hold together when you pinch a little between your thumb and forefinger.

Sprinkle rice flour onto a board and press the dough to flatten evenly to about .5cm thick. Cut shapes or shape into a rectangle and mark into fingers with a sharp knife. 

Transfer the shapes to the lined tray and  

bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. While the dough is still warm in the baking tin, cut it into pieces along the lines you made before baking. 

Leave to firm up in the tin before gently transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you wish, make a small amount of icing with icing sugar, a teaspoon of Olivani and hot water to mix to a smooth paste. Decorate however you want!

Fruit Mince Pies - Gluten Free

Fruit Mince Pies

Gluten Free

I love Christmas! I love everything about it, especially the food! We have found plenty of xmas mince pies that are gluten free for Pete and my Mum. So they are happy too!

We had to take a trip to Rangiora so visited Couplands and found Gluten Free Berry Bites and Gluten Free Apricot Bites. 8 in a pack costing $5.50. They have the same yummy pastry that regular xmas mince pies have. This is made with maize and rice flour. We did notice that they are not vegetarian as they are made with margarine that contains beef fat.

Also in Rangiora is the Continental Bakery

They have a range of gluten free products mostly made by ALFF - Allergy Free Foods.

9 mini xmas mince tarts for $12 and 6 larger pies for $10. These are made with rice flour, maize and tapioca starch. They taste just like regular tarts. These ones are vegetarian.

Merivale Fresh Choice also had a range of Christmas Puddings, Cake and Xmas Mince Pies.

The Bakeworks  Xmas Mince Pies had the addition on Chia Seeds. Six tarts for $7.99

Proper Crisps - Garden Medley - Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Vegan

Proper Crisps

Garden Medley

Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Vegan

These are a great variation of potato crisps. I had eaten the kumara ones and enjoyed them so was curious to see this Garden Medley with Beetroot, Kumara, Parsnip and Carrot. The kumara crisps have a sweet flavour and the parsnip definitely tastes of parsnip. The carrot and beetroot crisps didn't have a strong flavour but look pretty in the bowl. All are very crunchy.

Chips are usually high in salt, fat and energy so best eaten as an occasional food. These Proper Crisps get the Heart Foundation sodium tick as having 550mg or less sdium per 100g. The Healthy Food Guide recommend vege chips with 2g or less saturated fat per 100g - these are usually baked chips. Proper Crisps are approximately 2.4 g saturated fat. Healthy Food Guide also recommend choosing vege chips with 2000kg or less energy per 100g. Proper Crisps are approximately 2140KJ per 100g.

The packet is 100g and costs around $4.50 depending on which shop you buy it from.

Broccoli, zucchini and feta tart with brown rice and almond pastry - Gluten Free and Vegetarian - Recipe

Brocolli, zucchini, caramelised onion and feta tart with brown rice and almond pastry.

Gluten Free and Vegetarian

The pastry for this tart has a lovely nutty texture. You can use a variety of vegetables as they are in season.

Pastry

¾ cup (120g) brown rice flour

1 cup (120g) ground almonds

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 Tablespoons cornflour

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 free-range egg, plus 1 free-range egg yolk

Filling

1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ small eggplant, cut into 1cm dice

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1 cm dice (could replace with asparagus in season)

1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets

100g feta

3 free-range eggs

¾ cup (180ml) cream

1 Tablespoon finely chopped oregano.
Ten cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C and grease 13cm x 35cm non-stick tart tin (rectangle or round) with a removable base.

Pastry

Place dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil and eggs. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until dough just comes together. Turn out on to a workbench and pinch off a walnut-sized ball. Keep this aside in case you need to patch any fine cracks after baking. Shape dough into whatever shape tin you are using. Place into the greased tin and press evenly across the base and up the sides. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until light golden. Don’t be tempted to cook pastry too long or it will start to crack. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 185 degrees C.

Filling

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and a large pinch of sea salt flakes. Cook for 5-6 minutes until onion starts to collapse. Reduce heat to low: add vinegar. Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a wok or large pan over a high heat. Add the broccoli and eggplant, saute for 4-5 minutes or until almost cooked through. Add the zucchini and toss for another 2 minutes or until tender. Season to taste, then pour into a sieve to drain off excess moisture. Stand to cool slightly.

Combine onion, eggplant and zucchini together. Check seasoning. Scatter the vegetables evenly over the base of the tart shell. Crumble feta over the top. Slice cherry tomatoes and place over tart.

Whisk together eggs and cream. Pour into the tart shell. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the custard is just set and the top is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

To serve, remove from the tin, scatter with chopped oregano and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Raspberry Bounty Bars - Vegan and Gluten Free - Recipe

Raspberry Bounty Bars

Vegan and Gluten Free

These are amazing! If you like normal bounty bars (Coconut and chocolate!) then you will love the addition of raspberries. They look pretty too so would make wonderful gifts. They do take a while so plan ahead.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups desiccated coconut

½ cup coconut cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup caster sugar (or sugar replacement)

¾ cup raspberries

2 tablespoons coconut oil

300g dark chocolate

METHOD

1.     Combine half of the desiccated coconut, half of the coconut cream, the vanilla and the sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined and the mixture sticks together when pinched between two fingers. Press into a baking paper lined 20cm loaf tin, smoothing the top. Place in the freezer.

2.     Combine the remaining desiccated coconut and coconut cream with the raspberries and half of the coconut oil in the food processor. Pulse until the mixture comes together, adding 1 extra tablespoon of coconut cream if necessary. Smooth on top of the coconut mixture and smooth the top. Freeze for 4 hours. Remove to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3.     Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a basin over a pot of boiling water making sure the basin does not touch the boiling water. When it is smooth, stir through the remaining coconut oil

4.     Remove the coconut and raspberry filling from the refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife into 10/12 rectangles. Dip into the melted chocolate and place on a piece of baking paper. Stand for 30 minutes until set. You can also keep in the freezer for a frozen treat.

I use Whittaker's Dark 50% so the coating is not too intense but any dark chocolate will do.

Carrot and Walnut Cake - Vegan and Gluten Free - Recipe

Carrot and Walnut Cake

Vegan and Gluten Free

This cake is nutty and moist with the yummy cream cheese icing you expect with a carrot cake but it is so delicious you don't need the icing if you can't source the vegan cream cheese. You could also ice with a lemon icing made with icing sugar, margarine and lemon juice. The vegan cream cheese is available at New World supermarkets or health food shops like Piko in Christchurch. It is rather expensive at $11 for an 8 oz tub.

Ingredients

Vegan and gluten free margarine for greasing

225g/ 8 oz gluten-free self-raising flour

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

115g/ 4 oz brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

85g/ 3 oz walnuts, roughly chopped

225g/ 8 oz carrots, grated

125ml/ 4 fl oz maple syrup

125ml/ 4 fl oz vegetable oil

100g crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting

115g/4 oz vegan and gluten-free cream cheese

55g/ 2 oz vegan and gluten-free margarine (Olivani)

225 g/ 8 oz vegan and gluten-free icing sugar

Juice and zest of a lemon

Extra zest for decorating.

1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/ 325 degrees F. Grease an 18cm round, loose-based cake tin and line with baking paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts and mix with a wooden spoon.

Stir the carrots into the dry ingredients, along with the maple syrup, pineapple and oil and mix with a wooden spoon.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top with a rubber spatula and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin to firm up for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, margarine, icing sugar, lemon juice and zest and vanilla together until smooth. Using an electric mixer is easiest for this. Spread the icing on the cake and sides if you wish. Sprinkle with lemon zest .

Coconut and Chia Snack Pots - Dairy Free

Coconut and Chia Snack Pots

Dairy Free

These tasty little snack pots are dairy free and very healthy - full of nutrient with no artificial anything! Yummy flavours too!

They are not cheap with each one working out at approx. $3 but when you want a quick, tasty boost they are worth it to have in the fridge.

Carrot Cake - Gluten Free - Recipe

Carrot Cake

Gluten Free

This carrot cake is moist and fudgey. Definitely needs to be eaten with a fork. It has crunchy walnuts and pineapple to help make it moist. The rice flour and ground almonds give it a great texture. I looked twice at the quantity of cinnamon and ginger but it is the perfect quantity.

Ingredients

¾ cup rice flour

¼ cup cornflour

½ cup ground almonds

1 ½ cups caster sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1 cup walnut pieces

¾ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrot

¾ cup crushed pineapple, well drained

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Butter a 23cm-diameter loose-bottomed cake tin and line the bottom with paper.

Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the oil, eggs, vanilla, carrot and pineapple and mix well. Pour into the tin and place in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Cake can be split in half and filled with cream cheese icing if wished.

Cream Cheese icing

 ·      85g cream cheese

·      60g butter  -  softened

·      1 tsp vanilla

·         2 cups icing sugar

Beat all ingredients together. Spread evenly on the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Gooey Peanut Caramel Bars - Gluten Free with a Vegan Option - Recipe

Gooey Peanut Caramel Bars

Gluten Free with Vegan Option (Make the caramel sauce with Dairy Free Margarine like Olivani)

These are a bit fiddly and do take a long time but are well worth it. The combination of  the sweetness and saltiness and the gooey sauce make it a delicious treat.

If you are not using butter, the sauce does not harden as firm so best to keep in the freezer and take out five minutes before serving.

They take at least 4 hours of fridge/freezer time so allow for this when you plan to make them.

‘Nougat’ Base

½ cup coconut cream

2 Tbsp rice malt syrup

Pinch of sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp coconut flour plus extra if needed

½ cup peanut or cashew butter

Filling

½ cup Gooey Caramel Sauce (See below)

¼ cup peanuts, roughly chopped

Chocolate Coating

200g dark chocolate

Line a loaf tin with baking paper. Combine all ingredients for the base in a bowl until mixture comes together and forms a very soft dough. You may need to add more coconut flour to achieve the right consistency.

Spoon mixture into the lined tin and freeze for 1 – 2 hours or until firm to the touch. Remove from the freezer and cover with Gooey Caramel Sauce. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and slice base into 20 even pieces. Place back in the freezer for a further hour to set again.

Line a  tray with baking paper. Remove the tray from the freezer. Lift the bars out of the tin and place them separately on the tray. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Coat them with the chocolate. Put them back in the freezer.

Gooey Caramel Sauce

1/3 cup rice malt syrup

100g butter or Dairy Free Olivani if you wish to make it vegan

½ cup coconut cream.

Heat the rice syrup in a pan until bubbling vigorously. If you have a candy thermometer, heat until the caramel reaches 135 degrees C. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook the syrup for 13 minutes until it has reduced down. The mixture should be thick, drippy and lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Add butter (or Olivani) and stir until combined over a medium heat. Remove from heat and slowly add coconut cream, stirring until combined. Pour caramel into a bowl and sit in the freezer for a few hours until thick. 

Chocolate, date and fig truffles - Vegan, Refined Sugar and Gluten Free

Chocolate, Date and Fig Truffles

Vegan, Refined Sugar and Gluten Free

Truffles are great for a morning or afternoon tea. These ones use healthy, nutritious ingredients and they are not too sweet.

150g dates, pitted

¼ cup hot water

150g dried figs, stems discarded, quartered

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

½ cup toasted pecans (can be replaced with other nuts like walnuts but pecans do add a rich flavour)

½ cup almond meal

¼ cup cocoa powder, plus extra for rolling

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Soak dates in water for 30 minutes. Reserve the water. In a food processor, blend or process dates, figs, pumpkin seeds, pecans, almond meal, cocoa and vanilla until almost smooth and combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a little of the date water and blend further.

Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into 30 balls, then roll in extra cocoa. Store truffles in the fridge in an airtight container.

If you find the cocoa is a bit bitter you can mix it with a few tablespoons of icing sugar (Don’t add this if you wish to keep them refined sugar free) or alternately coat the balls in fine coconut.

Origins - Christchurch - Vegetarian Cafe with Vegan, Gluten free and Low FODMAP options

Origins - Christchurch

95 Westminster St
St Albans

Vegetarian Cafe with Vegan, Gluten free and low FODMAP options 

Origins is a very clean, light space with a small menu, cabinet food and an interesting tea and coffee menu. You can watch the tea brewing in a glass cylinder before it is served. 

Pete had a yummy corn soup with gluten free bread while I had the Asian pancake rolls with tasty tofu, peppers, cucumber and vegan mayo wrapped in paratha.

I was impressed that they have vegetarian, vegan and low FODMAP selections with no garlic and onion in their cooking.

Both our meals were delicious but a tad pricey. Pete's soup was $15 and mine was $9. I certainly wasn't full after mine but it was a lovely lunch. I followed up with an Oolong tea $7. The cabinet didn't seem to have any savoury food left but had a variety of tasty looking sweet treats - Pistachio cake, Carrot cake, Bliss balls and Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Origins is definitely worth a visit.