I love cooking Sri Lankan

I wanted to have my friends over for dinner to thank them for looking after our puppy dog (Delta) and Dan he loved my Sri Lankan cooking last time he came over so I thought I would do it again but with something new. This time I made yellow rice, Beef Curry and Dahl all from scratch. I was very proud of myself for making it all from fresh ingredients and nothing pre made/processed. Sri Lankan food really is quiet healthy for us as I use light coconut milk and fry things in only a little ghee. The rest is all spices, herbs, veggies and meat and of course rice.
All up it took me about 1.5 hours to prepare it and cook it all as its good to focus on 1 dish at a time to make sure everything thats needed, goes into the dish and you need to taste it along the way.
Since this I have purchased myself a proper cook book as I was previously using recipes online.
These are the ones I used for this very yummy and filling dinner, but I do need to sit down and get the traditional recipes from my partners parents!

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/30371/sri+lankan+beef+curry
http://srilankafood.net/recipes/dhal-curry/ (added cinnamon sticks
http://srilankafood.net/recipes/yellowrice/ (but I didn't use the garnishing)

Prawn and Chorizo pasta

One night for dinner I had a real craving for pasta and wanted to try something I never have before. I decided on prawns and chorizo with pasta as I have never really eaten them together before. It was a really easy dish to prepare and cook that didn't take much time at all. I recommend this dish for people who love tomato based dishes (diary free) and you wouldn't even know it was gluten free.

Here is the recipe:

• Prawns - 250 grams
• Chorizo - 2 (check ingrediants on packaging) 
• Pasta - 1 large bag of whatever you prefer 
• Red Capsicum - 1
• Mushrooms - 10 
• Onion - 1 
• Tomato paste - 1 small tin
• Herb and garlic pasta sauce - 1 jar 
• *could add spinach leaves and olives and sprinkle with parmesan 

Method:

• Boil water, then add pasta stirring occasionally.
• Cook the onion, red capsicum, mushrooms all in a fry pan together until browned and soft. 
• Add chorizo to the fry pan with all the other ingredients.
• Once thats cooked add the prawns and stir until cooked.
• Drain pasta and rinse when soft. 
• Add the contents of the fry pan to the pasta along with the tomato paste and sauce, stir through until all mixed together.
• Serve hot with salt and pepper to taste.
• Make about 5-6 decent servings.

ALWAYS do your research and double check ingredient labels

I probably get annoying when I go grocery shopping as I am always reading labels to see what products that don't state they are gluten free I can have. Make sure you read labels well and do your research on takeaway foods as sometimes the people in the store do not quiet understand. I was on the noodle box website today to see if their new stir fries were gluten free, I looked on the allergen guide and to my surprise some of the sauces that used to gluten free are no longer and there are new gluten free ones added. So a win loose situation here but lucky I checked before going to order something I normally get. I have included a photo of the Noodle box allergen guide and highlighted the sauces that are ok. Of course you will need to change up any meal as none are straight forward safe (you will need to replace a sauce or the noodles, but I have NEVER been sick when eating here so fingers cross I never do). So I cant stress enough that every coeliac should check all labels and recheck them as you never know when they are going to change. Annoying I know, but if it means not getting sick its worth it.

Craving a salad

Today I really wanted to have a salad for lunch while visiting friends in Melbourne. While everyone else had a BBQ I cooked a chicken breast inside on a fry pan with a bit of garlic and salt, cut into cubes. Then tossed together spinach leaves, red onion, tomato, avocado and some mushrooms I had fried in garlic. I then put a little French dressing on it and extra garlic. (I love garlic) mixed all together it tastes amazing. It's so simple anyone could do it and enjoy it. Even my friend who doesn't like salad said she really liked it! 

Macaroons are my new favourite treat

I found a gorgeous boutique macaroon place in Hardware lane called La Belle Miette. There were so many flavours to choose from and all gluten free but the hazelnut one and were $2.50 each. It was a tough decision but I went for the strawberries and cream and caramel which were just melt in your mouth to die for flavours. I didn't want them to end and tried to savor the taste in my mouth as long as possible. Certainly my new favourite treat! 

Elephant and the Wheelbarrow in Melbourne

This weekend we went to Melbourne to see P!nk! Oh my gosh it was amazing! Anyways we went out for a quick dinner before hand at a pub called the Elephant and the Wheelbarrow on Exhibition st near China town. There was plenty of options to choose from even hot chips. I decided to go with the salt and pepper squid with salad and a side of chips. It was an awesome meal that cost about $23 and the service was quick even though the restaurant was packed.
http://bourkest.elephantandwheelbarrow.com.au/

Pancakes from a box - simply gluten free

I had a real craving for pancakes but couldn't bother buying ingredients to make them fresh so I searched the health food isle and found these ones. The brand 'coles simply free' is a whole new range and its pretty damn good! The pancakes were so easy to make and were fluffy, not dry and really tasty on their own. Give this brand a go, I don't reckon you will be disappointed! 

I also got the latest Coles magazine and there is a whole section on this new brand. Check it out!!

Homemade creme brulee

I had my Dad and his brother over for dinner recently and for them I cooked up a storm. We had Sri Lankan Mallung, Dahl and yellow rice, also an Indian Beef Vindaloo. It was all so tasty, but I now need to expand my horizons and start cooking some different Sri Lankan dishes.
But the main reason for this post is Dads homemade creme brulee. ITS AMAZING!! Now Dad isn't much of a fancy cook, baker or master-chef but he has mastered the creme brulee because he entered a competition at work to raise money and you had to make a dessert/sweet. He won! Now this is all he ever makes, but we never complain. This night we ended up having 2 each cause they were so good. Easily gluten free as its just egg whites, sugar, cream and vanilla. (Yes I know I shouldn't have dairy but its a treat I sometimes pay for!) So when eating out or wanting to make a simple dessert be sure that creme brulee is a safe bet that shouldn't disappoint.

Snack chocolate

It's gluten free and it is yum yum yum. Even though I don't really like milk chocolate or should eat it, I gave in to trying it and wouldn't look back (except for the calories!). You will find a lot of chocolate is gluten free, just got to be careful with the ones with certain fillings. Get into the sweets isle and start reading!