Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

Thanks to Susie Masterton for sending in her gluten free hot cross buns recipe definitely a great contender for winning a $100 organic food voucher. Please join our recipes online and send your favourites to recipe@healthinharmony.co.nz:

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Hot Cross Buns for People With Wheat or Gluten Intolerance!

Ingredients:
2 cups white rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour ***
1/3 cup sugar plus 2-teaspoons for yeast
2/3 cup powdered milk
3-1/2 teaspoons Xanthum Gum **
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
Three eggs
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup yellow raisins
1/2 cup mixed peel (optional)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:
Dissolve 2-teaspoons sugar in warm water. Add yeast and let proof. Combine dry ingredients in bowl of mixer. Mix eggs, oil and vinegar and add to dry ingredients. Add proofed yeast and beat on high speed for three minutes. Stir in raisins and mixed peel.

Grease two round pie pans. Rice flour hands, cut dough in half, and roll eight buns per pie pan, placing one in the center and seven around. With a knife blade dipped in rice flour, cut an X on top of each bun, and brush with melted butter. Let rise in a warm place for 35-40 minutes. Bake at 375-degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

*** Potato starch flour is obtained by grinding the tubers to a pulp and removing the fibre by water-washings. The dried product consists chiefly of starch, but also contains some protein. Potato flour is used as a thickening agent. When heated to boiling, food added with a suspension of potato flour in water thickens quickly. Because the flour is made from neither grain nor legume, it is used as substitute for wheat flour in cooking (thanks to Wikipedia for that one).

** Xanthum Gum is produced by a fermentation process using the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. This bacteria actually grows on plants found in the cabbage family where the gum was actually discovered. Xanthan Gum is actually the cell wall surface of the bacteria that is separated by a complex enzymatic process. During the fermentation process the bacteria is fed corn syrup and minerals.

The easier-to- handle granules mix well with liquids, resulting in better volume for your baked goods.

Easy, Quick Summer Recipe: Bean Chilli

Helen Reid from Eat to Live provides us with some quick healthy recipes for us busy people:

Bean Chilli

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups kidney beans, tinned are fine
• 1 C bulghar wheat (or cracked wheat)
• 1 tin, chopped tomatoes
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped, or any left over vegetables
• Juice ½ lemon
• 1 tsp each of ground cumin, basil, chilli powder
• Salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp dry red wine (optional)
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Olive oil to sauté

Preparation:

1. Heat chopped  tomatoes to boiling point. Pour over bulghar wheat.
2. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in a heavy based pan until soft.
4. Add other ingredients except beans.
5. Cover and cook until tender.
6. Add beans, cracked wheat.
7. Cover and simmer until beans are heated through.
8. Serve with crusty bread, and salad.

Easy, Quick Summer Recipes: Chicken With Couscous Salad

Helen Reid from Eat to Live provides us with some quick healthy recipes for us busy people:

Chicken with Couscous Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 200g couscous
• 1 red pepper cut into chunks
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 50g raisins
• 300ml hot chicken stock (1 tsp powder in 1 cup boiling water)
• 2 tbsp nuts toasted, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seedsJuice and grated rind of 1 lemon
• 2 cooked chicken breasts or thighs, sliced
• 4 handfuls salad leaves, cucumber chunks, tomato pieces

Preparation:

1. Place the couscous, pepper, onion, raisins in heat proof bowl.
2. Pour boiling chicken stock over. Cover and leave 10 minutes.
3. Fluff couscous with a fork.Stir in nuts and lemon juice.
4. Season and serve with sliced chicken, and salad greens.

Note: you can replace chicken with tuna, or salmon, or chickpeas.

Easy Quick Summer Recipe: Savoury Muffin Frittatas

Helen Reid from Eat to Live offers a quick healthy muffin frittata recipe for us busy people:

Savoury Muffin Frittatas

Serves:    2-3

Ingredients:

• ½  Onion
• 1 rasher bacon
• Oil spray
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup low fat milk
• ½ Cup self raising flour
• 1  potato cubed and cooked ( or leftover potatoes or other vegetables)
• ½ 400g tin whole kernel corn
• 2 tbsp grated cheese
• Chopped fresh herbs eg thyme,sage
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven t0 200 C
2. Chop up bacon and onion into small pieces.
3. Spray pan with oil. Add bacon,onion.cook until soft.
4. In a bowl beat eggs,milk,onion,bacon. Add salt pepper to taste.
5. Mix in flour. Add corn chopped potatoes or leftover vegetables, and ½ grated cheeses.
6. Spray 4 muffin tins with oil. Spoon mixture into cups. Top with grated cheese.
7. Place in oven and cook for 25 minutes.
8. Cool for 5 mins before turning out.
9. Serve with a little chilli sauce.

Great for picnics!