Tag Archive for: egg free

Gluten-free potato pizza with olives

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A gluten free potato pizza with olives as an alternative to conventional pizza.

We know that pizza for those with diabetes and coeliac disease is one of the absolute most difficult dishes to manage. It is so because not only are really good gluten free pizzas very difficult to find, but also because people with diabetes have to manage the ‘pizza effect‘, i.e. abnormal rises in blood sugar levels due to the combination of ingredients in pizza (and alas, also high amounts of sugar hidden in the dough and tomato sauce, as well as fairly high amounts of salt), even many hours after eating it.

The potato pizza is a nice alternative; yes, we have to pay attention to the carbohydrates contained in the potatoes, but they are much easier to handle than low quality pizza. Furthermore, it can be a nice idea for a naturally gluten free dinner or snack in the garden! You can serve it with a Swordfish salad.

Gluten free potato pizza with olives

14.27g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 700g potatoes
  • 400g tomato sauce
  • 250g cow’s milk mozzarella
  • 80g pitted green or black olives*
  • 20g spring onion
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Peel the potatoes, slice them thinly and steam them for 20 minutes. Put a little oil in a non-stick frying pan, pour in the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and brown them lightly by pressing them down with a fork or a wooden spoon.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. Put a few tablespoons of oil in a non-stick frying pan, brown the finely chopped spring onion, then add the tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper, then cover and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, cover the bottom with the potatoes, then top with tomato sauce and pitted olives in pieces.
  4. Bake in a static oven preheated to 200°C for about 10 minutes, then add the mozzarella and continue baking until the mozzarella has melted.
  5. Serve the potato pizza hot.

pizza-di-patate-olive-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Potato pizza with olives

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

 

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Vegan muffins with almond butter

An alternative breakfast: Vegan muffins with almond butter.

For some of the ingredients I use in my recipes, I now have my absolute trusted suppliers and one of these is Andrea, the greengrocer who patiently accommodates my requests, including the most unusual ones!

Having now made my passion for cooking his own, Andrea often sources products that he brings from his wonderful homeland, Sicily. So I manage to have wonderful sheep’s ricotta for preparing Cassata my own way and other wonderful sweet and savoury preparations, fresh and mature Caciocavallo, oregano, cherry tomatoes, anchovies and a little gem produced by his cousin in Agrigento, the Mennulataa butter made from 100% almonds.

I must admit that I have used it in many preparations, but always around lunch or dinner time so I never managed to take a photo before my family had eaten everything up!

This time I am finally able to share a recipe that is a little unusual for me because it is vegan, but very interesting and tasty for those who do not want to give up a sweet breakfast while avoiding butter and eggs.

Vegan muffins with almond butter

36.30g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 9 muffins

  • 120g almond and rice milk* (or another type of plant milk)
  • 75g plant yoghurt*
  • 50g fine corn flour*
  • 50g dark chocolate*
  • 45g buckwheat flour*
  • 40g Mennulata almond butter*
  • 35g rice oil
  • 30g brown sugar
  • 27g corn starch*
  • 25g finely grated coconut*
  • 25g coconut sugar
  • 8g baking powder*
  • a pinch of salt

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and mix it with the sugars and almond butter. Gradually add the flours, continuing to stir so that no lumps form, and when the mixture starts to feel rather thick, add the rice oil and the almond and rice milk; finally, add a pinch of salt, baking powder and the dark chocolate pulverised in a food processor.
  2. Place the paper cups inside a silicone or metal muffin tin, fill them ¾ full, then bake the muffins in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes.
  3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  4. They are a great breakfast, especially cut in half and enriched with a teaspoon of raspberry jam.

muffin-vegani-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Vegan muffins with almond butter

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients or ingredients bearing the gluten free wording, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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Couscous with prawn and courgette curry

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The summer heat is here and our solution to fully enjoy the days outdoors is a fresh and complete recipe: Couscous with prawn and courgette curry.

In this way, you have a unique, tasty dish that is perfect for satisfying a craving for good food without weighing you down and for travelling eastwards with flavours. For your summer, you can also try this Swordfish salad.

The tip: prepare some extra, it will be great even the day after!

Couscous with prawn and courgette curry

Couscous 35g carbohydrates per 100g

Prawn and courgette sauce 4.12g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 500g courgettes
  • 500g milk
  • 400g peeled and deveined prawns
  • 300g water
  • 250 g couscous Bia gluten free**
  • 30g shallot
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp curry
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. First prepare the couscous. Put 300g of water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and heat it, without bringing it to the boil. Pour the couscous into a bowl and cover it with hot water; let it rest for the time necessary to allow all the water to be absorbed and the curry to set.
  2. Put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan and brown the finely chopped shallot. Add curry and turmeric, and toast for one minute before adding the courgettes cut into sticks half a centimetre in diameter and 4cm long. Let it season for a few minutes, then cover with milk, add salt and pepper and let it cook for about ten minutes. At this point, sprinkle with grated coconut, add the peeled and deveined prawns, stir the mixture well and let it cook for a few minutes.
  3. In the meantime, shell the couscous, add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste.
  4. Serve by placing 3 heaped tablespoons of couscous in the centre of a deep dish and the hot prawn and courgette curry sauce all around.
  5. Watch the videorecipe of a very similar preparation.

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Version with gluten of Couscous with prawn and courgette curry

Simply replace the gluten-free couscous with a standard couscous, all other ingredients are naturally gluten free.

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Dairy-free fruit cheesecakes

December is the month of dinners, aperitifs and delicious social moments, accompanied by the desire to wish each other well and celebrate the arrival of Christmas. But delicious doesn’t necessarily mean heavy, and Dairy-free fruit cheesecakes are perfect for those who have to deal with diabetes and coeliac disease, but also for those who are lactose intolerant.

This very simple, yet colourful and tasty recipe is therefore an idea not only for an end-of-meal dessert, but also for a snack or a fun breakfast.

These cheesecakes were also enthusiastically received at the last Parma Ham Festival where the focus was on food intolerances and how to look for solutions to avoid giving up taste and eye catching ideas. And for a savoury snack idea, try the Gluten free potato pizza with olives.

Dairy-free fruit cheesecakes

carbohydrates 13.47g per 100g without chocolate decorations

Ingredients for 12 servings

  • 500g white soy yoghurt*
  • 250g blueberry soy yoghurt*
  • 120g mixed fruit (kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, mango, etc.)
  • 70g sugar coated peanuts* or nut brittle*
  • 30g brown sugar
  • 12 dark chocolate decorations*

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Add brown sugar to the white soy yoghurt and mix well.
  2. Take 12 single-portion cups and place 4 sugar coated peanuts or small pieces of nut brittle on the bottom of each one. Place 2 heaped tablespoons of white yoghurt on top of the base, then a heaped tablespoon of blueberry yoghurt, spreading it so that it covers the light yoghurt: the colour is in strong contrast, so you should see a clear separation.
  3. Decorate each cup with 2 slices of fruit, varying so that they are very colourful and cheerful. Finally, add a chocolate decoration to each cup and serve.
finte-cheesecake-alla-frutta-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Dairy free fruit cheesecakes

 

Version with gluten of Dairy free fruit cheesecakes

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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Simply Red Risotto at the Merano Wine Festival

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We have returned from the Merano Wine Festival full of enthusiasm and happy with the wonderful experience. Needless to say, being at one of the nation’s most important food and wine events had an invigorating effect. I was accompanied by Luca Puzzuoli,  the promoter of  Risate e Risotti .

Simply Red: a risotto for the Merano Wine Festival

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I delighted the audience with a risotto that pays homage to taste, Italy and the pleasure of savouring a simple yet tasty and refined dish.

What did I prepare at the Merano Wine Festival?

The Simply Red Ristotto with Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, Infinito extra virgin olive oil, raspberry compote with Monti Cimini chilli and Ciro Flagella tomatoes.

Since I do not only want to make you curious, but I would also love you to try this treat, here is the recipe to prepare it!

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Simply Red Risotto at the Merano Wine Festival

carbohydrates 31.5g per 100g without raspberry compote

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • approx. 2 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
  • 360g Carnaroli rice
  • 120g fresh cherry tomatoes or Ciro Flagella cherry tomatoes
  • 80g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 60g Parma ham, more than 15 months’ maturation
  • 30g butter
  • 30g onions
  • 10g brown sugar
  • raspberry compote from Monti Cimini with chilli, Infinito extra virgin olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Slice the ham into rather thick slices, about 1-2 mm, then put them in the freezer for at least 3 hours: you will see that they will not freeze, but, thanks to the salt content, they will simply become very cold and rather stiff.
  2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, place them on a baking tin covered with parchment paper with the cut side down and sprinkle with brown sugar, oil, salt, pepper and thyme leaves.
  3. Put them in a convection oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  4. Take a rather large non-stick pan and sprinkle it with 20 g of grated Parmesan cheese so that it covers the entire surface. Place the pan on the heat and allow the cheese to melt without burning, then remove the pan from the heat and allow the cheese to cool: you have your cheese crisp.
  5. For the risotto, put about 20 g of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan with the chopped onion. Allow the mince to soften and brown, then add the rice and toast it on a high heat (it took me 3 minutes to get the grains nice and transparent with a white kernel in the centre). Start adding the boiling stock and continue stirring, adding more stock only when the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid.
  6. In the meantime, place the ‘frozen’ ham in a very sharp food processor and blend it into a kind of coarse flour.
  7. When the rice is cooked, but still al dente, turn off the heat, add the blended ham and mix well. At this point, stir in the very cold butter and the remaining grated Parmesan cheese. Let the risotto rest for at least 1 minute covered with a dish towel. Serve and complete each plate with some confit tomatoes, a piece of Parmesan crisp and a few pinches of chilli raspberry compote.
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Croutons with chickpea hummus and Prosciutto di Parma

The Parma Ham Festival ended a few days ago, but we can’t get enough of this traditional specialty. So, why not think of an appetising starter with the king of deli meats? Try these gluten-free Croutons with chickpea hummus and Prosciutto di Parma.

In this recipe, we have decided to combine ham with chickpea hummus, which, with its special texture, gives even more fullness to each bite. Hummus can be used for may more snack ideas, including as a dip for fresh vegetables for a special Pinzimonio. So why not try also this amazing pink hummus. Have fun giving your recipe a touch of colour.

Look at the ingredients for this very simple, quick and tasty recipe and let’s get ready to cook!

Gluten-free Croutons with chickpea hummus and Prosciutto di Parma

Chickpea hummus carbohydrates 10.33g per 100g

Mixed leavening bread carbohydrates 45g per 100g

Ingredients for hummus

  • 230g already cooked or canned chickpeas
  • 60g water
  • 40g lemon juice
  • 40g tahina (sesame seed cream)*
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for gluten-free croutons

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. To prepare the hummus, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and even.
  2. Cut slices of Mixed leavening bread to the desired size. If you prefer a crunchier crouton, toast the slices in a toaster or in the oven.
  3. Spread the hummus on each slice and top with a slice of freshly sliced Prosciutto di Parma. Easy, isn’t it?

crostini-gluten-free-con hummus-di-ceci-e-prosciutto-di-parma-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Croutons with chickpea hummus and Parma ham

Replace the gluten free croutons with standard bread: hummus only contains naturally gluten free ingredients.

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Gluten-free summer: Legumotti with vegetables

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Finding a product that is perfect for both the needs of diabetes and celiac disease is a rather rare occurrence, so discovering Barilla Legumotti on supermarket shelves was more than a surprise: it was a real joy and I decided to cook Legumotti with vegetables.

In fact, the label of Legumotti with red lentils, chickpeas and peas shows only these three ingredients in the quantities of 60%, 20% and 20% respectively. The total carbohydrate value of Legumotti is 48.3g per 100g of dry product, which is then half as much once cooked, as they double their weight by absorbing some of the cooking water. By adding the vegetables, we then provide lots of fibre which will slow down the absorption of the complex carbohydrates from the pulses… and this is what made our day with perfect blood glucose levels!

But all with a truly unexpected treat for the palate: my children expressly asked us to unleash our creativity to bring this ‘mini-pasta‘ (which reminds us so much of the Sardinian fregola that we love, but have never found in a good gluten free version) to the table at least once a week.

I’d say we really like this challenge, since with the kids on summer holiday the need to prepare a midday meal as well needs an extra effort of organisation and imagination!

Legumotti with vegetables

14.94g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 350g courgettes
  • 300g Barilla Legumotti*
  • 200g carrots
  • 100g semi-hard cheese
  • 90g cherry tomatoes
  • 60g pitted black olives
  • 50g onions
  • 1 clove garlic
  • basil, extra virgin olive oil and salt as needed

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Chop the onion finely and sauté it with the garlic clove over high heat in a wok or non-stick pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, stirring constantly. In the meantime, cut the carrots into rather small cubes and the courgettes into slightly larger cubes (so that the cooking time is the same, as the carrot generally takes a little longer) and add them to the onion.
  2. Always keep the heat fairly high and stir occasionally so that the vegetables cook quickly without burning. Once ready (they should remain crispy), season with salt, remove the garlic and set aside.
  3. Cook the Legumotti in salted water, drain them and stop cooking by running them under cold water for a few seconds.
  4. Pour the Legumotti into a bowl, add the sautéed vegetables, quartered cherry tomatoes, pitted olives, diced cheese and season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chopped basil to taste and a pinch of salt if required.
  5. Serve the Legumotti warm or cold.

legumotti-alle-verdure-barilla

Version with gluten of Legumotti with vegetables

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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Mediterranean Risotto

Behind the scenes of my Mediterranean Risotto: towards the final of the Rice Food Blogger Contest

When you have an unforgettable experience, you are afraid to try to repeat it for fear that it will disappoint you and spoil the fairytale atmosphere of your memories. With the ‘Chef Giuseppina Carboni’ Rice Food Blogger Contest this was not the case: the second experience not only did not disappoint expectations, but even gave us surprises and emotions that were totally unexpected: let’s discover the behind the scenes of my Mediterranean Risotto.

The day of the final

There were 12 of us, the semi-finalists of the contest, at the Chef Academy in Terni to challenge each other to the sound of risottos created from a mystery box designed by chef and jury member Roberta Massoli of the La Pergola Restaurant in Magliano Sabina.
My mystery box contained strawberries, goat cheese, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and Maremma rice.

The result: my Sweet Thoughts Risotto, cooked with strawberries, creamed with a goat’s cheese cream and served with a parmesan and pine nut crumble that I loved. Actually, the jury, composed of Chef Academy director Ronny Albucci, Chef Roberta Massoli, Chef Matteo Barbarossa, the winner of the last edition of the Contest, Cristiana Curri, and the event organiser Luca Puzzuoli , also liked it, and in addition to choosing me among the 5 finalists, they declared my risotto the best of the semifinal!

And do you know what was at stake? A real chef’s jacket from the prestigious host cooking school, the first one I have ever worn.

Foto vittoria semifinale

Furthermore, the products of the initiative’s sponsors have been gracing our table for several days: Maremma rice, Parmigiano Reggiano, Flagella tomatoes, Verrigni pasta and Infinito extra virgin olive oil.

A great surprise of this edition was the lunch organised at the Italyheart oil mill in Fornole di Amelia: a masterpiece from start to finish! In addition to a divine lunch, where my children for the first time tasted wild boar meat and pigeon with anchovy paste, there was a very interesting mini-lesson by Angela Canale – agronomist, panel head, olive oil expert – on Italian extra virgin olive oil and a tasting dedicated to the Infinito oil produced by the oil mill that welcomed us.

Many products for one risotto: my Mediterranean Risotto

Waiting for the highly anticipated final on 21 July in which I will see the other finalists, Bianca and Marta, Angela, Alessia and Sara, I couldn’t help but create a risotto with the extraordinary products that the organisers and sponsors have given us… I must admit that if the mystery box of the final contained these ingredients, few palates would be able to resist!

Enjoy this risotto!

Mediterranean Risotto

21.6g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • approx. 2 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
  • 360g Carnaroli rice
  • 300g Flagella tomato sauce
  • 85g cow’s milk mozzarella
  • 65g Stracchino cheese or another cream cheese
  • 60g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 60g extra virgin olive oil
  • 30g carrots
  • 30g leek
  • 30g water
  • 15g celery
  • salt, oregano, basil and Infinito extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Preparation

  1. First prepare the tomato cream. Put about 20g of Infinito extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan with the chopped leek, carrot and celery. Let the vegetables soften and brown, then add the Flagella tomato sauce, a pinch of salt and a ladle of stock; let it cook for about 15 minutes and whisk to obtain a homogeneous sauce, finally set aside.
  2. Prepare the cream cheese with mozzarella, stracchino cheese and 30g water; whisk for a few seconds until smooth and allow to rest at room temperature.
    Start preparing the rice. Put a little oil in a pan and toast the rice on a high heat (it took me 3 minutes to get the grains nice and transparent with a white kernel in the centre). Start adding the boiling stock. Continue stirring and only add stock when the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. After about 5 minutes, add the tomato sauce and continue to cook the risotto.
  3. Turn off the heat, leaving the rice still al dente, and start stirring in about 40g of extra virgin olive oil so that the starch is released and forms a nice creamy texture; then add the grated Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it is completely incorporated. Let the risotto rest for at least 1 minute covered with a dish towel.
  4. Serve by placing a spoonful of mozzarella cream at room temperature in the centre of the plate; pour a few drops of extra virgin olive oil over the cream, place a basil leaf on top and sprinkle with a pinch of oregano.
  5. Serve and dream of summer in one of our beautiful Mediterranean countries!
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Mediterranean Risotto

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Olive bread braid

But how pleasant is it to breathe in the aroma of freshly baked bread? It gives your home that extra touch of enveloping warmth that soothes. That we like bread a lot is a well-known fact by now, but today we have chosen to share with you an alternative and tasty version to be enjoyed slice by slice: Olive bread braid.

Ready to work? Also try Vegetable buns.

Olive bread braid

45.58g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 450g water
  • 450g flour mix for bread, brand Nutrifree**
  • 70g pitted olives
  • 50g buckwheat flour*
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • 20g sprouted buckwheat flour* (optional)
  • 12g brewer’s yeast
  • 5g salt
  • oil to brush the surface, flour* for dusting the board

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the water, add the water to the flours, in a bowl or a planetary mixer, and mix. Add the oil, salt and chopped olives and continue to knead until smooth and homogeneous. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour.

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  1. Divide it into three equal parts, form three cylinders and twist them together to form a braid. Place the braid on a baking tin covered with parchment paper and leave it to rise for about 1 hour or until nice and swollen.

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  1. Bake in a static oven preheated to 190°C for about 30 minutes.

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Vegan chocolate biscuits

It was a challenge I wanted to try, namely to bake Vegan chocolate biscuits because on one of my trips I tasted a vegan biscuit that really bewitched me. After many trials, I have finally arrived at a version that the whole family loves, but beware that vegan does not mean low-calorie and low-carbohydrate!

So let’s enjoy these biscuits, but in moderation, also because it’s hard to stop once you’ve tasted them! Other biscuits? Try these Coffee flavoured ones.

Vegan chocolate biscuits

62.28g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 100g fine corn flour*
  • 100g fat emulsion (with Zero butter)*
  • 80g dark chocolate*
  • 75g teff flour*
  • 75g sugar
  • 65g Moscovado sugar
  • 60g hazelnuts
  • 40g water
  • 30g bitter cocoa*
  • 7g soy lecithin*
  • 4g baking powder*
  • 1 vanilla pod

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation of Vegan chocolate biscuits

  1. Start by chopping the hazelnuts to a flour-like powder; then chop the dark chocolate; prepare an emulsion with water and soy lecithin.
  2. Whip the plant butter with the sugars and add all the other ingredients until you obtain a firm dough; cover it with cling film and place in the refrigerator about 30 minutes.
  3. When the time has elapsed, take the mixture and form small balls of 40g each; arrange them on a baking tin covered with parchment paper at a distance of 5cm; finally, place in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

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  1. The last step is to bake your chocolate balls in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 15 minutes. You can decorate each ball with 1 hazelnut before baking.

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  1. Once baked, let the sweets cool and serve.

ricetta-biscotti-vegani-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Vegan chocolate biscuits

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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