Thank goodness coffee is gluten free!   We bought a new Nespresso machine this weekend.   Made myself an iced coffee as too hot for cappuccino today.   Nespresso has some new flavours, check out the website here, so made a couple of shots of vanilla and caramel coffee and put in fridge too cool.   Added ice cubes, coffee and 250ml of skim milk to the Thermomix and made a coffee slushy!    Tasted delicious and cold.   If like iced coffee sweeter added some organic raw sugar when blending.

Weight Watchers ProPoints = 2 (without the sugar!)

New Nespresso CitiZ machine

Went down to Busselton to kayak in the bay near the jetty.    Worked up an appetite for Goa Curry, visit their website here.   I had a thali meal with lamb rogan josh, vegetable korma, kuchumbar salad and basmati rice.   Delicious!   Most items on the menu except the naan bread are gluten free.   There is a shop in Dunsborough and I hope one opens in Bunbury sometime soon!

Gluten Free Thali

Mash Brasserie has a new menu and team of chefs and despite being a brewery and no gluten free beer there is gluten free options on the menu.   We went out for midweek dinner and I had the Cajun Kangaroo Loin with Sun Dried Tomato, Cashew Butter, Kumara Chips and Smoked Chilli Hollandaise.   It was delicious and beyond my expectations!   There were a number of other gluten free options including salmon and paella.   Check out Mash website here.

Cajun Kangaroo!

I felt like a tart today!    Used the Pastry Pantry shortcrust gluten free pastry that you can buy at Coles.   Check out Pastry Pantry website here.

1 sheet of pastry (thawed)
1 bag baby spinach (washed & drained)
1 block fetta cheese (crumbled)
4 spring onions (sliced)
1 spanish onion (chopped finely)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
dill (snipped)
caramelised onion
salt & pepper to taste

Visit Pastry Pantry site here to learn how to blind bake the gluten free pastry.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
In frying pan melt butter and saute garlic, onion and spring onion.
Add baby spinach to pan till just wilted.
Stir through fetta cheese.
In separate bowl whisk eggs and milk together and season with salt and pepper.
Add baby spinach mixture to the pastry shell and top with egg/milk mixture. Top with dill and caramelised onion.
Bake tart for 20 minutes. Leave tart to cool slightly and set before serving with a garden salad.

Gluten Free Tart

I finally got around to making a cocktail in the Thermomix.    It has been very hot in Bunbury and need something refreshing so made Mango Margaritas

1 frozen mango cheek
1 shot of tequila
1 shot of grand marnier
1 shot of lime juice
orange juice to taste
handful of ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in the Thermomix on speed 8 for 20 seconds.   Add more orange juice if too icy.   Garnish with lime wedge.

Mango Margarita

It is hot and I am back to work tomorrow and had enough carrot and celery sticks with hummus so was searching for some else light and healthy.   Thanks to Gluten Free Scallywag for reminding me about rice paper rolls.   I made mine with prawns and smoked salmon.   Visit Gluten Free Scallywag here for the recipe.

Gluten Free Rice Paper Rolls

Check out Gluten Free Aussie Girl’s blog for her top 10 tips on being gluten free here.  It is a great list and I agree wholeheartedly especially about making naturally gluten free food and cooking quality food as opposed to junk and processed food.

I have discovered I love nougat and they can often be gluten free, of course always check the ingredients.   Two of my favourites are Nougat Limar and Rochelle Adonis nougat.   Over Christmas I bought some Rochelle Adonis Rose Petal Barberry Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Macadamia Orange Ginger and they are beautifully presented in their boxes and look exquisite  – almost too good to eat!   While they had good flavour I found them a little dry and crumbly and too sweet but still were very nice with a short black!

GF Nougat Selection!

I definitely prefer the Nougat Limar and my favourite is the Cherry Cranberry Pistachio but I was given a gift from work of the Chocolate Pistachio and it was also delicious.   The nougat is a creamy french-style soft nougat and is less sweet than most nougat and also low in saturated fat and crammed with nuts mainly almonds or pistachios.

Both nougats can be bought locally in Bunbury at Tastefully Yours.

Thank you to my Mum’s friend Sue from the UK for my Lewis & Cooper Hand Made Gluten Free Plum Pudding, check out the website here. Aubrey and I shared it and was very rich and moist with the Hennessy Cognac. I served it with Raspberry sauce and Grand Marnier Chocolate sauce topped with King Island Cream.

We had a second Christmas Day at my Mum’s in Collie and she made a gluten free trifle checking her jelly and custard powder were gluten free. For the sponge I suggested a GF sponge recipe found here and it worked very well and was almost too good to use in a trifle.   I am going to try baking it to just serve with cream and fresh berries next time!

For a Christmas Pudding more suited to the Australian climate, like 40 degrees celsius on Christmas Day, I tried this recipe from my latest Enjo newsletter which also happens to be gluten free. It was delicious served with Raspberry Sauce and Grand Marnier Chocolate Sauce bought when down south in Denmark.

GF Christmas Ice Cream Pudding

1 litre Weiss vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers
1/2 cup chopped red and green glace cherries
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
2 tablespoons Cointreau
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Allow ice cream to soften slightly, tip into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients.
Mix well and spoon the mixture into separate silicon moulds.
Cover with cling wrap and freeze overnight. Upturn onto serving plate and drizzle with sauces and serve with fresh fruit e.g. raspberries.