Chocolate Brownies

I love brownies.  This recipe is quick and easy to make from cupboard ingredients.  This is based on the amazing Standby Brownies by Donna Hay.  I have adjusted ingredient quantities to suit my tastes and needs.

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup gluten free flour (if you like a cakey brownie use Self Raising GF Flour, and for a dense rich brownie use plain GF Flour)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees / 160 degrees fan forced.
• Put butter, cocoa and sugar in a microwave proof mixing jug (1 litre works well) and microwave for 1 minute on medium heat.  Stir and repeat (if required) until butter is melted.
• Add eggs and vanilla and stir well (spoon is fine).
• Add almond meal and flour of choice and stir.
• Pour mix into a lined 20cm square cake tin .
• Bake for 25-30 mins.  Brownies should be set but still soft in the centre - so don't over do it!
• Cool in tin.

Suggestions

• Suitable to freeze
• Haven't tried yet, but would love to add some chocolate chunks and maybe some chopped macadamia nuts to the mix!

Gluten Free Banana Bread/Cake

Mum calls it Banana Bread, I call it Banana Cake... whatever you want to call it, it's an easy way of using up those last few bananas that are a little too ripe for anyone to eat!

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups Self Raising Gluten Free Flour

Method:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg and vanilla with wooden spoon, sprinkle with bicarb soda and mix in.  Stir in Gluten Free Self Raising Flour.
• Pour into greased or lined Loaf Tin and Bake for approx. 1hr or until cooked through.

Suggestions:

• Suitable to Freeze

Chicken Satay

Packed full of flavour, this Gluten Free Chicken Satay, is really yummy and easy to make.

Ingredients 

• 2 tbsp oil
• 600g chicken fillets, cut into strips
• 1 onion, sliced into wedges
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 tsp curry powder 
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Method

• Heat oil in pan, add onion, garlic & curry Powder.  Cook for 1-2 mins or until onion is lightly browned.
• Add chicken and cook 4-5 mins.
• Add honey, peanut butter & stock.
• Simmer until sauce is thick and chicken is cooked through.
• Serve with rice.

Suggestions

• Add 1/2 red capsicum (at the same time as onion) and some snow peas or beans (after honey, peanut butter & stock)
• Make a satay sauce to pour over chicken sticks or other BBQ meats: dice the onion & omit the chicken and make as above
• Also works nice with chicken mince.
• Serve with rice noodles instead of rice and mix in at the end.

Sue's Fantastic Berry Glazed Ham

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Leg of Ham

Glaze:

• ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce or Tamari 
• ¼ cup Dijon Mustard
• 2/3 cup Cranberry Sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar – firmly packed
• 1 tablespoon oil

Method

• Combine all glaze ingredients in a small pan and stir over heat until the mixture boils.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
• Make a decorative cut thru the ham rind about 8 cm from the shank end on the leg. To remove rind, run thumb around the edge of the rind, just under the skin and start pulling rind from the widest edge of ham. Continue to pull rind carefully away from the fat and remove rind completely.
• Gently make shallow cuts into the ham about 1.5 cm apart in a diamond pattern.  Do not cut all the way thru the fat when scoring or it will spread during cooking.  Place the ham on a wire rack in a large baking dish.  Brush with half the glaze.
• Cook in a moderate oven (180 C) for about 45 – 60 minutes or until golden brown, brushing ham with the remaining glaze every 15 – 20 minutes.  
• Serve ham warm or cold.

Suggestions

• Ham can be baked in a hooded BBQ - yum!