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Gluten free, vegan Christmas pasta

I am one of those people who LOVES Christmas. As soon as the leaves turn and the nights stat drawing in I start humming festive jingles and yearning for mulled wine and cosy fluffy socks.

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I’m getting in seasonal spirits today and cooking a delicious Christmassey pasta full of tasty flavours and using some new exciting ingredients.

As a coeliac with lactose intolerance, plenty of allergies and a vegetarian outlook Christmas can be a time when I watch other people eat and feel left out. To be honest I think everyone will want to join me when they see this dish. It’s also incorporating one of the new coconut-milk based cheese alternatives Sainsbury’s has introduced recently.

Start by finely chopping a butternut squash, placing into a roasting pan with a little olive oil and some chopped sage and roasting for approximately 1 hour. Butternut squash is a great Christmas flavour as it is sweet and rich. I always feel butternut squash to be quite luxurious, no matter how frequently I eat it! Once roasted place to one side and allow to cool.

I’m cooking this dish using a maize based gluten free penne but it will work equally well with gluten free gnocchi, spaghetti, or in fact in a risotto –one for me to try another time! Cook the pasta and drain. Stir the cooked pasta in with the roasted squash over a low heat and season with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and fresh sage. Once evenly distributed I am then adding my super exciting ingredient. Chopped vegan Wensleydale with cranberries. Continue to stir as this melts through forming a very light sauce.

Once melted through serve immediately. The combination of squash, sage and cranberries is an incredible Christmas taste, in fact it’s getting me in the mood already… I can hear Home Alone films and Monopoly calling me….

Shakshuka and Lemon Beans

The majority of my recipes are vegan but this does feature egg. If you do eat egg then it is super tasty and filling.

Before I cook the shakshuka I’m going to prepare a simple bean salad with lemon. Firstly chop and steam a handful of fine green beans. I use a microwave steamer and only steam for a minute as I like vegetables crunchy and full of nutrients. Add these to cooked butter beans. Butter beans are really high in protein and low in fat. They are a great healthy carbohydrate option. 

Mix the beans together and drizzle with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and some chopped basil. This simple healthy salad is a perfect accompaniment to the main dish. 

Next start on the shakshuka. Shakshuka is a middle eastern baked egg dish with vegetables. I start by chopping courgette, onion and red and green peppers finely. Fry in a little olive oil with chopped garlic and chilli stirring constantly. When the vegetables are cooked stir through chopped tomatoes and allow to simmer. At this stage I also add basil and oregano to flavour. This makes a beautiful ragu. 

Once the ragu is cooked and has thickened crack an egg right on top. I would use one egg for every person eating the meal. Cover the pan and continue to cook. It will take about 15 minutes to completely cook the eggs. I have seasoned the egg yolks with salt and pepper. When beautifully cooked all that’s left to do is serve and enjoy. 

Nectarine and Apricot, Honey Oat Crumble

As the weather gets slightly chillier I turn to comfort food to get me through. Nothing says comfort more than a hot fruity crumble.

A lot of gluten free crumble mixes and alternatives feel really heavy and gloopy so in this recipe I make my own with gluten free oats. 

I start by preparing my fruit. I’m using fresh apricots and nectarines so I can enjoy that last taste of summer. I chop 6 fresh apricots, first by chopping in half and removing the stone. Then I chop each half into 5 lengths. Apricots provide a great a vitamin boost which I’m counting on to make me feel tough as we move into flu season. They are high in vitamin C but also vitamin A and high in fibre and potassium. Making them a great healthy fruit. 

As with the apricots I chop 3 nectarines by first chopping in half and removing the stone and then slicing lengthways. Nectarines have a lower vitamin content than apricots but complement nicely as they are rich in B complex minerals. They also complement the apricots for taste too.

Then I make the honey oat crumble topping. Start by melting approximately 200g soya butter. I use the Pure soya butter as it is straightforward and doesn’t contain any unexpected ingredients. I melt the soya butter over a medium heat and when melted add 125g of honey. 

I’m in love with honey and so in awe of the many antioxidant and antibacterial properties it has. Eating local honey is said to protect against hayfever reactions and can be ussed in all kinds of healing. In this recipe I’m using a local Yorkshire forest honey and would like to say thanks to the Yorkshire forest bees for their hard work.

Once the honey and soya butter are melted slowly add gluten free oats. Neal’s Yard gluten free oats are a staple of my coeliac diet featuring in most of my mornings. I stir through 200g oats and mix thoroughly with the butter and honey. Place the fruit in an oven proof dish and then top with the oat mixture. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven at 200°.

Once cooked dish up and enjoy. I’m tucking into mine with a serving of soya cream. Perfect gluten free, lactose free comfort food. 

Fennel Risotto

As a teenager I was very lucky to have three special guinea pigs in my life called Pip, Derek and Russell. They lived at my now husband’s house and they used to go crazy for fennel. It was their favourite treat and they would squeek and squeek for more fennel-ey goodness.

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Fennel is also good for humans as well as guinea pigs, it is rich in vitamin c and has reportedly be found to help reduce inflammation and even the risk of cancer. It is also high in dietary fibre which promotes digestive health. What a little treasure of a plant fennel is.

Today I’ve used fennel  in a Italian dish, where is traditionally used quite a lot and made a tasty risotto.  Ideal for coeliacs as risotto is naturally gluten free.

To start I have chopped a whole fennel, as with a carrot I have removed the very bottom of the fennel and also the top stalks and the leafy bits too. Then I chop the fennel first into slices before chopping cross ways to give roughly centimetre length chunks. Also chop half a large white onion and place both into a large frying pan with olive oil.

Once the fennel and onion has soften and cooked add the risotto rice directly into the pan, stir frequently and continue cooking until the rice has turned translucent. Often risotto is cooked with wine. I’ve actually skipped the wine on this occasion as I think it can work just as well with stock and I like the fennel flavour to really come through. When the risotto rice has cooked until translucent pour over boiling stock. As with many of my recipes unless I’m making my own vegetable stock I use Kallo stock cubes as they are gluten and lactose free, vegetarian and they do a low salt stock cube too. Continue to cook adding hot stock and stirring continuously.

The cooking should take approximately 20 minutes from when you first add the stock but with risotto you can cook to taste as some people like an al dente risotto and others like the rice much softer. When cooked and ready to eat I season with a little black pepper. I don’t add salt as even the low salt stock cubes will contain enough salt to season for my taste.

A perfect gluten free, dairy free meal which will please both human and guinea pigs alike!

Radish and tofu salad

I often organise lunches for my working week in advance. Making sure I have time to prepare healthy, fresh food and that I can plan a balanced diet to suit my needs. 

 If you have read my earlier post I prepared sesame crusted tofu pieces which are really tasty. I’m using these pre cooked tofu chunks as an integral part of my salad. 

I add chopped green lettuce, steamed baby pak choi, chopped cucumber and some tasty, sharp radish. 

Simple and delicious I am already looking forward to Monday! 

Sesame crusted tofu and garlic greens

After time away it’s lovely to have a couple of days to relax before heading back to work on Monday. I’ve spent my Saturday relaxing with my cats and getting lunches ready for work and for eating tonight with a glass of wine. 

I’m currently tucking into an incredibly simple, protein packed and tasty dish with subtle yet distinctive flavours. 

I start by preparing tofu. I’m using Cauldron Tofu and chop into approximate squares. Grill with sesame oil for approximately 10 minutes before flipping the squares over and then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before grilling for a further 10 minutes. This creates a toastoy sesame crust on your tofu. Incredibly delicious and full of healthy oils. 

To accompany this excellent tofu I’m cooking garlic greens. Rolling with the sesame theme warm half a teaspoon of sesane oil in a pan and then add batons of chopped orange pepper, courgette and baby pak choi. Stir through minced garlic (as much as you like – I’ve used a whole teaspoon as I am a garlic fiend!) Then add a few drops of gluten free tamari. Continue to cook for 10 – 15 minutes and serve with the tofu. I’ve also accompanied the dish with fresh, steamed edamame and sea salt. Yay for Saturday night dinner time. 

New York (free from options)

I’ve been off to New York recently to celebrate the wedding of a lovely friend, although it’s taken me away from my kitchen and blog I’ve had a lovely time and found some really tasty treats whilst I was away. 

Having quite a lot of dietary issues (coeliac, lactose intolerant, allergies to nuts and mushrooms and no meat or fish) I always get a feeling of deep dread whenever I go away and have to hand over control of my diet. Knowing how badly things can go wrong makes it hard to relax and enjoy my time away. 

I actually found somee brilliant places to eat whilst away. From takeaway lunches to high class meals I found that a lot of places were able and happy to go out of their way to cook me something delicious. 

One of my staples for the time I was in New York was Pret A Manger. I love Pret in the UK anyway but in the US I found I could have 2 of their hearty salads. One was a falafel, hummous and pomegranate mezze salad featuring amazing gluten free falafels and the other was a quinoa and avocado salad. These were perfect as I was trying to pack in sightseeing and activities and I could easily eat on the go. 

My favourite meal during my time in New York was at the restaurant at The Museum of Modern Art. I had had some good recommendations to go and I enjoyed a market greens salad and a cauliflower and raddichio side, both super tasty and pictured below.

I’d also been concerned about food at the wedding events but was nicely surprised. The day before the wedding my friend’s held a brunch at the renowned Waldorf Astoria. My non allergy and meat eating husband lived tucking into many, many pastries. The fruit platters were beyond anything I had imagined and I still want to know what some of the fruit I ate was. I was also impressed with the food at the wedding reception. After attending the ceremony in central park we then went to The Park, a venue incorporating an old speakeasy in the lower west side. It was fabulous and as well as enjoying a big apple and kale starter and a sweet potato red curry I also enjoyed a number of gluten free cocktails – heaven. 

I really enjoyed the food during my trip and hope you find lots of deliciousness if you ever visit too. 

Blueberry and cranberry muesli

I love starting my day with oats and on a sunny Monday morning there is nothing better than combining them with delicious berries. 


I often make my own coeliac friendly muesli. I use Neal’s Yard Wholefoods gluten free oats as they are tasty and great for filling me up for the day. I also love the ethos behind Neal’s Yard as they are committed to sustainable and ethic trading as well as having plenty of free from options. 

Blueberries and cranberries are delicious. They are full of vitamins and antioxidants and both are superfoods. Healthy and tasty. To 450g gf oats I add 150g of blueberries and 150g cranberries making breakfast for many days ahead. 

Due to lactose intolerance I serve with soya milk for a filling summer breakfast. I love starting my week like this. 

Avocado and Potato Salad

Avocado’s are a tasty addition to a summer salad. Although high in fat and calories they are also rich in nutrients and fibre as well as being linked to the reduction in heart disease risk in recent research. Winner.

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Healthy fat sources are also important in a vegan diet.

This salad uses a base of cooked potatoes and really simple seasoning to provide bulk but not take away from flavour.

Start by chopping new potatoes into cubes and cook in a pan of boiling water for approximately 12 minutes.  Drain and leave to cool. Chop an avocado into quarters and add to chopped lettuce, cucumber and spinach. The spinach will provide extra iron, calcium and folic acid. Perfect to help keep coeliac teeth and bones healthy.

Mix the cooled potatoes, avocado and salad. I garnish with a simple seasoning of olive oil, salt and black pepper. Allowing the natural salad flavours to shine.

Chard and Asparagus Summer Perfection

Summer vegetables are a real delight. I love when they are fresh and you can taste the summer sunshine in every little leaf. This salad contains quite a few bright and seasonal greens and was inspired by my lovely friend Jo who brought me a bag full of homegrown yesterday. Thanks Jo!

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I’m having this salad as my evening meal so I’ve started by steaming chopped new potatoes for a carby base. Potatoes offer a good gluten free carb for coeliacs and although it’s important not to over indulge carbohydrate is still a key part of a balanced diet.

I’m also steaming fresh asparagus and florets of broccoli. Broccoli contains an incredibly high amount of calcium which is key for coeliacs in preventing or reducing the chances of osteoporosis .  I also think broccoli is also really under used. It’s got a real stigma of “meat and 2 veg” that just feel boring and unhealthy. I love using broccoli as a key ingredient and this dish certainly does that.

When the potatoes, asparagus and broccoli have cooked place into a large salad bowl and mix through fresh chard which will wilt amongst the warm vegetables. I also add a handful of chopped black olives.

I have seasoned this dish but only really gently as the peppery chard has a beautiful flavour enough as it is. Drizzle with olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and serve warm for the taste of summer on a plate.

As I write I’m tucking into this salad with a glass of dry white wine and although summer in Sheffield may be more thundery than sunny this dish can outshine all the rain outside.