QUICK ROAST CHICKEN and stuffing ON THE HOB

When I lived in Florida I was in my local supermarket one day, and saw a packet marked hamburger helper. When I read it, it seemed to have nothing to do with hamburgers, but instead seemed to be 2 mixes, one was a bread stuffing, and the other was a packet of seasoning. You were  to add these to chicken breasts, in a frying pan, as a quick way of making roast chicken with stuffing. Intrigued, I bought it and made the dish the following Sunday. I had never before thought of doing chicken this way, and it was a great success. I never bought the item again, but now I am back in the UK, and there is just the two of us in the house, if chicken is on the menu for a Sunday, this is always the way I make it. A fast and easy alternative to chicken, stuffed and roasted in the oven, great for 2, but also there is room for 3 or 4 in the pan. You will need a frying pan or skillet, with a lid.

2 chicken breasts

2 teaspoons cajun spice

2 tablespoons rape seed oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

260 ml chicken stock

1 85g packet sage and onion stuffing

Generously sprinkle the chicken with the cajun spice and salt and pepper. In a large frying pan or skillet, heat the oil and when it is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken and fry until browned on each side. Turn the heat down and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cover, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is almost cooked. Remove the lid, sprinkle on the stuffing mix, and stir it in. Cover again and cook for a further 5 minutes over a low heat.There is room in the pan for another chicken breast or two, and easily enough stuffing for three, or even four.

Serve with speedy rosemary roasted potato mix, loads of green vegetables, good quality chicken gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Daisy’s dairy free and heart friendly gingerbread cake

In today’s world, not only are a lot of people keen on cooking dairy free, they are also aware of keeping their heart as healthy as possible. This means that instead of using a cooking fat which is hard when cold, you should try and use one which is liquid when cold, which is much better for heart health. Rape seed oil is the best of the lot. Even better than olive oil, with the added benefit of being cheaper. I am always experimenting, trying to make my favourite recipes not only without dairy products, but with oil rather than margarine.  Gingerbread cake is a great recipe for this, as the oil is heated gently with the treacle and golden syrup before being added to the flour and egg. It is a versatile, moist and spicy cake, delicious with morning coffee, afternoon tea, or eaten warm, with custard, for dessert.

250g plain flour

pinch salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons mixed spice

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

65g soft brown sugar

120ml rape seed oil

155g black treacle

75g golden syrup

160ml coconut milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

65g sultanas

Heat the oven to 150 degrees C, 300 degrees F. Grease a 20 cm square cake tin.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and spices. Stir in the sugar. In a small saucepan, heat gently the oil, treacle and golden syrup until just warmed. Add the coconut milk, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and set aside. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add the eggs, and mix well until smooth.. Add the treacle and milk and beat well. Pour into the tin and bake for about 1 hour 5 minutes, until well risen and set, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool before removing from the tin.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

I love desserts. Ever since I was a little girl, and my mother would make it for dessert on a Sunday lunchtime, Lemon Meringue Pie has been one of my favourites. Years ago I was given a recipe for this dessert by a friend from South Africa, and it was the nicest I have ever tasted. Although this one is not made with condensed milk like my friend Joan’s, it is still excellent and makes a delicious and satisfying end to a weekend meal. Serve warm or cold.

For the rich shortcrust pastry:

175g flour

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon caster sugar

50g dairy free margarine, such as hard Stork, in foil

25g cookeen

1 egg yolk

1-2 tablespoons iced water

For the filling:

3 tablespoons cornflour

150 ml water

Finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

75g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

For the meringue:

2 egg whites

100g caster sugar

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, add the margarine and cookeen in pieces, and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcumbs. Stir in the sugar. Mix the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of the water and stir into the dry mixture with a knife, stirring until you can start to gather the pastry together. Add more water if necessary. Form the pastry into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll out the chilled dough on a floured work surface to a circle large enough to line a greased 20 cm flan case. Prick the base of the dough with a fork. Chill for another 15 minutes. Line the dough with greaseproof paper and baking beans, and bake for about 10 minutes in a fairly hot oven, 190 degrees C, 170 degrees C for a fan oven. Remove the paper and beans, and bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out the pastry. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 180 degrees C, 160 degrees C for a fan oven.

In a bowl, place the grated lemon rind and juice with the cornflour, add 2 tablespoons water and blend until smooth. In a small saucepan, boil the remaining water and pour it onto the cornflour mixture. Return it to the pan, bring to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, and add the egg yolks and sugar. Mix, and leave to cool slightly. Spoon into the flan case. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add sugar a teaspoon at a time, whisking well after each addition, until the meringue is thick and glossy. Spoon or pipe onto the lemon filling. Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 6 servings

DAIRY FREE DEVONSHIRE SCONES

If ever I am in Devon I am drawn to the roadside cafes and restaurants that serve Devonshire cream teas. Of course I can never have one, because I can’t eat the cream, and the scones are full of butter. However, when I get home, I will indulge myself with home made scones, smothered in a creamy non dairy spread and lashings of strawberry jam. Of course it’s never going to be as good as the real thing, but it is certainly a good substitute. You could even serve the scones with jam and dairy free ice cream, Swedish glace, available in all good supermarkets and health food shops. Just as soon as I have perfected my dairy free cream substitute I will post the recipe, but not until I am happy with it.

450g self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

110g dairy free margarine, such as hard Stork, in foil

55g caster sugar

about 285 ml Oatley milk substitute or Almond milk

beaten egg, to glaze

To serve, strawberry jam and dairy free spread, such as Pure

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C, fan oven 200 degrees C

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, and rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix to a soft dough with the Oatley or Almond milk. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface, knead quickly, then roll out to a 1.5 cm thickness. Cut into 20 scones with a 6 cm cutter, place them on greased baking trays and vrush tops with beaten egg. Bake in a very hot oven for 8-10 minutes, and cool on a wire tray. When cold, split and serve with jam and dairy free spread, such as Pure.

Makes 20

Oriental honeyed pork

My dear next door neighbour and friend has asked me for a recipe that uses pork fillet. I told her that this is one I have been cooking for years and years, and it never lets me down. You can serve it with just plain boiled rice, or as part of a larger Chinese themed meal. More of those kind of dishes to come later. This recipe is dairy free, but then it is not one you would normally expect to have dairy in it anyway. It is easy and quick to make, and very tasty.

450g pork fillet

2 tablespoons seasoned cornflour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 green pepper, stalk removed, seeded, and chopped

1 225g can pineapple chunks

225g mushrooms, sliced

2 ripe tomatoes, quartered

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 chicken stock cube

2 tablespoons honey

Cut the pork into 3-cm cubes and toss in the seasoned cornflour. Keeping the juice, drain the pineapple chunks. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the garlic. Add the pork, and fry briskly until brown on all sides. Lower heat, add the chopped pepper and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, adding the pineaple, mushrooms and tomatoes for the last 4 minutes. Transfer to a warm serving dish. MAKE THE SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, over a medium heat, dissolve the chicken stock cube in 250ml water, and add honey and soy sauce. Blend the remaining cornflour with a little pineapple juice, add to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously. Pour over the meat in the serving dish.

Makes 4 servings

Breakfast cereal with no hidden dairy products

If you do not eat dairy products, you will find that reading labels on packets in the supermarket  becomes a way of life. I was surprised to find how many cereals already have milk or milk protein in them. Also, I was surprised how much salt and sugar is hidden in what one would normally consider a healthy breakfast. The solution is to make your own, which is surprisingly easy, and delicious. An added bonus is that it smells divine during cooking.

400g porridge oats (not quick cooking)

50g sunflower seeds

100g mixed chopped nuts

100g wheatgerm

75g dessicated coconut

25g sesame seeds

75g brown sugar

160ml water

160ml sunflower oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4  teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C, 170 degrees C for a fan oven. In a large bowl, combine the oats, sunflower seeds, nuts, wheatgerm, coconut, sesame seeds and brown sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the water, oil, vanilla extract and salt, and stir into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread in a large roasting tin and bake for 20-30 minutes, until crisp and golden, stirring once during cooking time.

Jam doughnut muffins

These muffins taste just like jam doughnuts, but without the fat from deep frying and without the need of a yeast dough to start with. You can use any flavour jam, but I think that strawberry or raspberry work the best.

280g plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

pinch of salt

115g caster sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

200ml coconut milk (not light)

6 tablespoons rape seed oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam

for the topping

65g dairy free margarine such as hard Stork (in foil)

100g granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or 180 degrees C for a fan oven, and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, add the caster sugar and mix together.  In another bowl mix the eggs with the coconut milk, oil and vanilla extract. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and fold in the wet ingredients as lightly and quickly as possible. Do not over-mix and do not worry about small lumps or dry bits. Spoon half the mixture into the paper cases, add a spoonful of jam, and cover with the rest of the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and well risen. While the muffins are baking, prepare the topping. Melt 65g dairy free margarine, such as hard stork (in foil) in a small saucepan over a low heat, and put the sugar in a wide shallow bowl. Remove the muffins from the oven and cool for 3 minutes. Brush the tops of the muffins with melted margarine and sprinkle with sugar. Serve warm, or leave to cool on a wire rack.