Saturday, January 28, 2012

Gluten Free, Low Carb Mini Pizzas!


A sneaky way to get your kids to eat their veggies!  Your guests will also appreciate this healthy, low carb option as well, especially after the holidays.

Ingredients:

1 cup cauliflower
1/4 cup shredded hard cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan or similar)
1 egg
Salt, pepper and seasonings of choice

Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella
Fresh basil for garnish
Sea salt

In a food processor, blitz cauliflower until it forms a course mixture.


Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese, egg and seasoning of choice. I've used a head of garlic and chopped basil in this recipe.  Blitz again until all ingredients are mixed together well.


Spoonful approx 1 TBS of mixture in the bottom on a non stick bun/muffin pan. Pat down firmly ensuring the cauliflower mixture completely covers the bottom and is smooth along the sides.  Should be about 1/2 cm thick.



Bake for about 1/2 hour at around 200F degrees until brown and firm.  Careful not to burn, but make sure they are cooked long enough that they are sturdy and crispy.

Remove from oven and set aside until ready to assemble.

Place on a cookie sheet.  Add a small dab of your favourite tomato or pizza sauce.  I know, I know - it can be tempting to smother it on but too much sauce will cause your cheese and toppings to slide off.  In this case, less is better.  Add cheese (same principle - less is more!) and bake under a grill or hot oven until cheese is melted and heated through.

Garnish with chopped basil and a pinch of sea salt.  Serve hot.


You can also try making these with alternative toppings:

BBQ sauce, mozzarella and fried onions
TEX MEX, spicy tomato sauce, jalapeno peppers, cheddar
BRIE, spicy chutney
GOATS cheese, lemon zest, roasted garlic



Monday, January 23, 2012

Seared Ahi Tuna with Orange Soya Glaze



This gluten free recipe is really easy to make, healthy and delicious. Made with gluten free soya sauce, enjoy as a light snack or as an accomplishment with a light salad or rice.
  • 4 x 200g/7oz pieces of good quality ahi tuna
  • 110g/4oz orange marmalade or apricot jam
  • 1 tbsp gluten free soya sauce (like Tamari) 
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, sightly crushed
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed

Preparation method

  1. For the tuna, place the tuna onto a plate.
  2. Whisk the apricot jam or marmalade, soy sauce, coriander seeds and cumin seeds together in a bowl with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the mixture over the tuna and turn it over to ensure it is well coated in the marinade.
  3. Set aside to marinade for 30 minutes.
  4. Heat a griddle pan until hot. Place the tuna onto the griddle and cook for one minute, turn it 90 degrees and cook for a further minute. Turn the fish over and cook for another 1-1½ minutes (for rare). Remove the tuna from the pan and set aside to rest for one minute. Slice into thin slices and enjoy.