Gluten Free/Dairy Free Torpedo Rolls

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Torpedo Rolls

Great for garlic bread using Olivani spread. Find them in the speciality aisle at the supermarket. We use New World. Cost around $3.20.

Egg Roll - Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Low FODMAP - Recipe

Egg Roll with Spring Onion

Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Low FODMAP option

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 teaspoon reduced-salt gluten free soy sauce

2 teaspoons mirin

2 spring onions, chopped (Low FODMAP use the green part of the spring onion)

Pinch of dashi powder or salt

1 Tablespoon canola oil

Crack eggs into a bowl and lightly beat. Add soy sauce, mirin, spring onions and dashi or salt and mix well.

Place a small non-stick fry pan over a medium heat and add oil. Pour one-third of egg mixture into frying pan and spread around. Use chopsticks to stir gently as egg cooks.

When egg is about 80 percent cooked, slide a spatula under it and fold in 1-2cm at one end. Keep folding in the same way until egg is in a roll.

Push egg roll to the far end of the pan and add another third of the egg mixture to pan (Make sure new egg mixture is touching the rolled egg).  As before, wait until the egg is 80 percent cooked then start rolling the egg roll over the new flat mixture to make the roll even larger. Push egg roll to far end of pan, add rest of egg mixture and cook as above until you have one large egg roll.

Slide egg roll onto a chopping board and slice to serve.

Mirin Seasoning adds a mild sweetness to cooking. Use it when cooking sukiyaki, tempura or other Japanese dishes. Buy it from the International section of a supermarket or Asian supermarket.

Curried Kumara Soup - Vegetarian/Vegan

Curried Kumara Soup

Vegetarian/ Vegan

Kumara makes a wonderfully smooth puree. It has a mild, sweet flavour.

Make it vegan by using soymilk and coconut cream.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp curry powder

75 g butter

500 g kumara

1 cup water

2 tsp vege bouillon powder

3 cups milk/ soy milk

¼ cup cream or coconut cream

Add the crushed garlic and curry powder to the butter in a large saucepan.

Peel the kumara with a potato peeler and slice into pieces 1cm thick. Cook in the butter for 1 – 2 minutes without browning. Add the water and stock powder, cover and cook for ten minutes until tender. Puree, thinning with milk until it reaches the desired thickness.

Add the cream and reheat, but do not boil.

White Chocolate - dairy gluten and nut free

White Chocolate - dairy, gluten and nut free

Sweet William White Chocolate

For a long time vegans only had dark chocolate as an option. While there are quite a few yummy vaarieties like Whitakers Roasted Almond and Dark Ghana Peppermint, a nice change is Sweet William White Chocolate. It has been around for a while but has recently been re-packaged. It is Australian made, vegan, nothing artificial and Non GMO ingredients. It is sweet but doesn't seem as sweet as other white chocolate brands.

It is available at some supermarkets and health food shops. I buy it from New World in the specialist aisle for $4.19 (sometimes on special for a bit cheaper) for 100g.

I used it as the icing for my GF, Vegan Coconut Biscuts that I normally use Whitakers 72% Dark Ghana for.

Curried Kumara Soup - Low Fodmap

Curried Kumara Soup - Low Fodmap

Replace the garlic with some garlic infused oil and hing powder for flavour.

You can buy Hing powder (Asafoetida powder) from an Indian supermarket.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp garlic infused oil

1 tsp hing (Asafoetida powder)

1 tsp curry powder

500 g kumara

1 cup water

2 tsp vege bouillon powder

3 cups milk – soy, almond or lactose free milk

¼ cup coconut cream (optional)

Add the curry powder and hing powder to the garlic infused oil in a large saucepan.

Peel the kumara with a potato peeler and slice into pieces 1cm thick. Cook in the oil for 1 – 2 minutes without browning. Add the water and stock powder, cover and cook for ten minutes until tender. Puree, thinning with milk until it reaches the desired thickness.

Add the coconut cream and reheat, but do not boil.

Sun Dog Diner - vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options

Sun Dog Diner

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options

7/2 Papanui Rd

Christchurch

This American style diner is located near the city end of Papanui Rd, part of the Carlton Corner shops. 

It has a good range of options for vegetarians, vegans and gluten free.

Vegetarian and Gluten free Pete had Renegades of Hash $18.50

Hashbrowns sauteed with mushrooms, peppers, onions, blackened corn and marinated grilled tofu then topped with salsa verde, fresh pico de gallo, mockomole and served with fresh corn tortillas and black beans.

I had Some Bennie That I Used To Know $20

Buttermilk biscuits with spicy pulled pork, sweet and spicy enchilada sauce and tangy verde sauce. Topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

Both meals were tasty and filling.

FYI if you choose to have the Bloody Mary, it is $16 and comes with a warning!! You get a plate of chillies, gherkins and olives to go with is but it is very, very strong!! Pete didn't quite get through his!

My much milder, Dark and Stormy soda was ginger beer with chocolate bitters for $6 was yummy.

Gluten Free Weet-Bix

Gluten Free Weet-Bix

I saw these in the super and thought I would give them a try. I often have Weet-Bix with hot milk and banana.

They are made with wholegrain sorghum, rice puffs, coconut and cinnamon. They are expensive: A pack of 24 is $7.99 compared to regular Weet-Bix 24 pack at $2.99. But I actually like these ones better - the texture and flavour is nicer.

Portershed Cafe - Vegan

Portershed Cafe - Vegan

322 Lincoln Rd

Addington

Christchurch

This little gem is actually a vegan cafe although they don't outright advertise as one. But it is all plant based with no animal products. I was told about it  by two different friends - one vegan and one dairy free. So Pete and I checked it out. The inside is very homely with a variety of tables and chairs. My eyes were drawn to the cabinet food - Wow! Custard doughnuts, buns with cream cheese frosting, citrus tarts, sausie rolls, roast vege pasties, gluten free melting moments. All vegan! Two customers ahead of us bought doughnuts to takeaway and brought their own containers to put them in. That was great to see. Nearly all options could be served gluten free as well.

Luckily a table was just leaving as the place was full on Saturday morning. The menu looked amazing, making the decision quite difficult. Eventually Pete chose Blue-Collar: A feast of cheddar hash, house made baked beans, mushrooms and tomatoes with a side of grilled scramble piled on fresh grilled bread. While I settled with the Hash Avo Mash: Sourdough toast, hashbrown and smashed avo with house smoked paprika and nigella seed nut cheese, sauteed greens and house chutney. Both were delicious! I also sampled a macadamia chai latte - yum! We both had a cold drink that came with a metal straw: very cool.

Pete took a couple of sausie rolls $6 for him and his mate to have for lunch. I had a blueberry tart that was divine.

We will definitely be returning.

Mrs Higgins Gluten Free Choc Fudge Brownie Bars

Mrs Higgins Gluten Free Choc Fudge Brownie

Quite often these types of bars are dry and nowhere like a homemade slice but these are really moist and dense. I am definitely a brownie lover but Pete is not usually that keen on them so I was stoked that he liked these. $2.60 from some supermarkets and Mrs Higgins Shops.

Table at Monks Coffee and Eatery - Gluten Free options

Table at Monks Coffee and Eatery

282 Madras St
Christchurch

We have been a couple of times now. It is located on Madras St under apartment blocks very near Margaret Mahy Playground.

They have tables inside, outside with a clear covered in area as well as some completely outside. They provide rugs.

I was impressed they open on a Sunday and that they had gluten free and vegetarian options. The banana, chocolate and walnut mini loaf was gluten free and I only have Pete's word for the fact that it was delicious as he had devoured it before I even had time to ask for a taste! He is very hard to please so it must have been good! It came heated, looking very moist with hunks of dark chocolate and walnuts.

Banana, chocolate and walnut mini loaf $6

Portobello mushroom, tomato, poached egg, spinach and polenta $18 Gluten free and vegetarian

Eggs Benedict with spinach and smoked salmon  $22
Along with a breakfast and lunch menu they have cabinet food. I noticed roast vegetable and ricotta cakes served with salad for $9.50 that were gluten free. Yummy looking gluten free orange and almond cakes $6 and colourful macrons $2.80.

The breakfasts we had were delicious so we would definitely go back there.

Wacky Cake aka Vegan Chocolate Cake - Recipe

Wacky Cake aka Vegan Chocolate Cake

For years this has been the standard go-to vegan chocolate cake.

I usually double the recipe for a birthday cake.

1.5 cups plain flour (Can use gluten free flour is needed)

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 Tablespoons oil

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoons vinegar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Line a tin.

Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk then add the combined wet ingredients. Spread into a lined tin and bake 45 – 60 mins until a skewer comes out clean.

When cold, ice with melted dark chocolate mixed with coconut cream.

Can be decorated with chocolate curls, nuts, ginger, dried apricots etc.

For a peppermint flavour – ice with Whittakers Dark Ghana  Peppermint chocolate.