Recipes tagged with: easy

A light and moist cake made with fine cornmeal (polenta) and ground almonds. If you use gluten free baking powder then the cake is completely gluten free. Try using limes or oranges instead of lemon. I used the spare lemon juice mixed with icing sugar to make a drizzle icing for the top. This recipe will make a large cake but for a smaller family size cake just half the quantities.

This loaf is very easy to make and is best eaten the day of making. Try swapping the apricots and the brazil nuts for dates and walnuts, or anything else you fancy. Nice sliced and served with butter.

Biscotti are very easy to make and keep in an airtight container for weeks. Replace the cranberries in the recipe with more almonds if you prefer not to add the fruit. Or add other types of nuts of dried fruit. Just watch the temperature of the oven when drying out the biscotti so as to make sure the cranberries do not burn.

This deliciously creamy ranch dip is the perfect accompaniment to our southern fried chicken or to spoon onto a barbecued beef steak. It's good to serve as a dip with celery sticks, carrot batons and cucumber too. It's quick and easy to make and doesn't require exact measurements if you are in a hurry.  Use any soft and creamy blue cheese for the dip with a more crumbly cheese to fold in. You can thin it with a little milk if you fancy using it to dress a salad.

One of the mainstay, classic recipe's of the early vegetarian movement. This was one of the most popular main courses that I used to make in the 80's when I owned and ran a vegetarian restaurant. It is also a delicious way for vegans to ensure that they add plenty of protein to their diet. You can adapt this recipe for any type of nut that you fancy and also try changing the vegetables and herbs that you use. Grating the vegetables keeps it light and prevents it being the chaffy, dry creation so mocked in the past. If you are not bothered about the recipe being vegan, use butter instead of the oil. Add a beaten egg too, it will be even lighter.

Buckwheat flour is gluten free and has a delicious nutty flavour.  In Brittany, France the buckwheat pancake is a regional speciality. Although delicious with a sweet filling, such as stewed apples, you cannot beat a savoury filled buckwheat pancake... bacon and egg .... smoked salmon and creme fraiche.....ham and melted cheese....

Tasty chicken that can be oven baked or fried. The chicken can be left marinading overnight if you want to save time.

This is a traditional South African recipe which is also quite similar to a Suffolk rusk. Given to me by my husbands cousin; Peta Gale, and handed down through the family. The rusk is an early morning ritual, dipped into a cup of tea. This recipe makes about 50 small rusks that will keep in an airtight container for weeks. Makes about 20 whole rusks (40 halves). 

Carrot cake doesn't get much lighter and moister than this! Cut into bars or squares you will get 12 generous slices. The cream cheese topping is only lightly sweetened, but if you have a sweet tooth just add more icing sugar. The cake will keep well in an airtight container for up to a week, without the icing.

This is an egg free cake. I had the challenge of making a Jain friendly, egg free cake, that was robust enough to be the top tier of a traditional wedding cake, to be served at my daughters Anglo/Indian wedding. It would need to be made the week before and iced. I didn't want it to be stodgy, dry or heavy going, but as light and as fluffy as possible. My recipe contains butter and milk but if needed they can be replaced with dairy free or vegan alternatives. The image shows the cake with a very thin layer of ready rolled fondant icing on the top.

This is a Martin Morales Ceviche recipe. Taught to us when he came to Aldeburgh in Suffolk. A lovely light starter. The fish must be really fresh.

Cheese scones are very easy and quick to make. The secret is to handle the dough as lightly as possible and not overwork or over roll it.

Chocolate and pecans are delicious together but you can substitute the same weight of chocolate chunks in place of the pecan nuts if you prefer. This traditional recipe uses a whisked sponge method where it is important to try and keep all the air that you have whisked into the mixture from escaping. A light touch is best, so fold carefully. The brownies are deliciously gooey in the middle. Check out the chocolate, hazelnut and buckwheat brownie recipe for a fab gluten free recipe.

A traditonal iced coffee sponge cake with buttercream filling. Simple as that. I'm taking this one with me on a picnic.

Perfect at Christmas time when fresh cranberries are in the shops. Use the fresh fruit to provide an even juicer centre to the muffins.