OK, I know this is not Christmas related (unless you eat Indian food at Christmas), but I made this the other day and it is so easy and tastes so amazing that I had to share it. The recipe comes from Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape Cookbook (hence the metric measurements), but uses chickpeas instead. Who knew tomatoes and coconut milk tasted so awesome together? I used some diced tomatoes from my garden that I had frozen at the end of the summer--they were awesome and far superior to canned. INGREDIENTS - 3 cups cooked chickpeas - salt and pepper - 2 tbsp oil - 1/2 tsp cinnamon - 1/4 tsp cloves - 1 tsp garam masala - 1 tsp chili powder - 4 curry leaves - 1 sweet onion, diced - 2 garlic cloves, minced - 500g chopped fresh tomatoes, skinned - 400 ml can light coconut milk METHOD 1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Toss chickpeas with salt and pepper and set aside. 2. Add spices and curry leaves to the pan and fry for a min, until nice and fragrant. Add onions and garlic and saute for 6-8 mins, until soft. Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan, if needed. 3. Add chickpeas and tomatoes, mix well, and season to taste. Heat to bubbling, then add coconut milk. Simmer gently until ready to serve (over rice). The dish tastes best if it has sat for a while so the flavours can blend. Even better the next day!

A lovely gluten-free apple cake with coconut flour. The weather here has hula-hooped back into summer. I kid you not. It is ninety-seven degrees here in Little Russia, my West Hollywood neighborhood. As in 97. That's three shy of one hundred, Bubbe. In September. And what am I doing? Baking a cake. Heating up the kitchen. It figures. As soon as I buy apples and start daydreaming about my favorite fall confections, imagining clear, cool evenings and Eva Cassidy's haunting rendition of Autumn Leaves , September turns sultry and sends me back into the closet, peeling off my straight legged jeans and Converse All Stars faster than Gordon Ramsay can mock sashimi. So I may as well share my latest gluten-free cake recipe with you. I mean, I suffered extreme heat for it. I hot flashed till I was squishy for it. I panted and sweat until I resembled an over-ripe heirloom tomato. You know, dimpled and dented. Flabby. A little misshapen. And well. Squishy . Not a pretty sight. Not that I'm trying to induce guilt or anything. Not me. So go ahead. Enjoy this new apple cake recipe. Share a slice or two amongst yourselves. Don't worry about me here in hot little WeHo. Really. Go. Bake. Discuss. Have some coffee . And coffee tawk. xox Golden Delicious apples make this delectable apple cake subtly sweet. Coconut Apple Cake Recipe Coconut flour gives this elegant apple cake a moist and tender crumb with a subtle coconut flavor. For those of you not particularly fond of coconut flour, you could substitute almond or hazelnut flour. Line the bottom of a 10-inch Springform cake pan (you'll need a deep pan for this cake) with parchment paper . Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together: 1 cup sorghum flour (aka jowar flour) 1/2 cup organic coconut flour 1/2 cup tapioca starch 1 scant teaspoon xanthan gum 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/3 cup organic light brown sugar Beat in: 1/2 cup organic coconut oil, melted, or vegetable oil 1 cup light coconut milk 2 beaten organic free-range eggs or use Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed 2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract Instructions: Beat the ingredients until the batter is silky and smooth. If the batter is stiff, add a little more coconut milk to thin. (This gluten-free cake batter should be a bit thinner than a gluten-free muffin batter, but not too thin.) Let the batter rest while you prepare the apples. You'll need: 4 medium organic apples - such as Golden Delicious and Macintosh. Peel and core the apples. Slice into even slices- not too thin. Add roughly three quarters of the sliced apples to the cake batter and stir by hand to distribute. Using a silicone spatula , scoop the cake batter into the prepared Springform pan. Smooth and even out the batter as best you can. Press the remaining apple slices into the top of the cake batter in a circular pattern as shown. Apple slices and sugar on top. Sprinkle the top of the cake batter and apple slices with organic cane sugar or turbinado sugar crystals for a crunchy sweet top crust. Bake in the center of a preheated oven until golden and firm. The cake should bake in roughly an hour- anywhere from 55 to 60 minutes. Do a test for doneness by inserting a small thin knife or a wooden pick into the center- it should emerge clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for ten minutes. Using a very thin spatula, loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and unclasp the Springform pan. Continue cooling the cake. Slice with a sharp cake knife and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Wrap leftover pieces in foil, bag and freeze for best texture and taste. Cook time: 1 hour Yield: Serves 10 Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you.

1 small red onion 1 red chilli 1 pinch ground clove 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1/2 tsp ping peppercorns (use green or white if pink are unavailable) 1 tsp turmeric...

For The Red Cabbage: 60 ml malt vinegar 170 g Demerara sugar 125 g butter 1/2 medium red cabbage For The pheasant: 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 pheasant 4 rashers ...

4 flat mushrooms 1 bunch vine ripened cherry tomato 1 10 g bunch sourdough bread (3 chunky slices, approx) 6 large eggs (free range) 25 g butter (ice cold) 1...

1 lb ground sirloin 1 onion , minced 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato , cut thinly 1/4 cup garlic , chopped 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1/2 teaspoon honey mustard 1 Combine all ingredients. 2 Form into patties, cook as desired.

4 large chicken breasts 8 sage leaves 6 tablespoons ricotta cheese sea salt and black pepper 8 parma ham slices 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil handful fresh thyme sprig 1 Cut a deep slit along one side of each chicken breast, without slicing right through, then open it out like a book. On a clean chopping board, finely chop 4 sage leaves, then mix into the ricotta and season with salt and pepper to taste. 2 Lay two Parma ham slices on the board, overlapping them slightly. Put a sage leaf in the middle and lay an open chicken breast on top. Spoon a quarter of the ricotta mixture onto the middle of the chicken, then fold the sides together again, to enclose the filling. Now wrap the Parma ham slices around the stuffed chicken breast. Wrap in cling film. Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts and chill for 1-2hrs to firm up slightly. 3 Heat the oven to 350F and place a roasting pan in the oven to heat up. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and add the olive oil. When hot, fry the Parma-wrapped chicken, in batches if necessary, for 2 mins on each side until browned. 4 Lay a few thyme sprigs on each chicken breast, then place in the hot roasting pan. Cook in the oven for 12-15 mins, depending on size, or until the meat feels just firm when lightly pressed. 5 Rest the chicken, covered with foil, in a warm place for 5-10 minutes Slice each stuffed breast thickly on the diagonal and arrange on warm plates.

14 ounces farfalle pasta 3 tablespoons olive oil 8 slices streaky bacon , chopped 1 garlic clove , finely chopped 1 cup heavy cream 5 ounces peas , thawed if frozen 2 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese , freshly grated, plus extra to sprinkle 1 small handful sage leaf , and flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Tip in the farfalle and cook according to packet instructions until the pasta is al dente. 2 Heat the oil in another pan and add the bacon. Fry over high heat for 3 - 4 minutes until the bacon is golden brown. 3 Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Pour in the cream and bring to the boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened slightly. 4 Tip in the peas, bring back to a simmer and cook for another 3- 4 minutes. Stir the grated parmesan into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning. 5 When the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander and immediately tip into the sauce. 6 Add the herbs, then toss the pasta until well coated with the creamy sauce. 7 Divide among warm plates and sprinkle over a little more parmesan to serve.

275 g red lentils , rinsed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion 2 large garlic cloves 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons garam masala 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 tablespoon tomato puree 800 ml stock 1 Fry the onion and garlic until golden. 2 Stir in the spices and tomato puree and fry for two minutes. 3 Add lentils and stock. 4 Simmer for 25 - 30 mins, or until cooked. 5 Puree a little bit if you want.

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup risotto rice 2 cups hot chicken stock 1 cup jerusalem artichoke, washed and sliced 7 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup cream 1/4 cup parmesan cheese , grated sea salt fresh ground black pepper 8 large scallops , sliced 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar 1 Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add the rice, and stir for 2-3 minutes so the rice absorbs the oil. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it has all been absorbed and the rice is cooked - around 25-30 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, cook the artichokes in 3 1/2 tablespoons of the butter until soft. Add the cream. Reduce down until the cream has almost evaporated and the artichokes are velvety in texture, stirring every now and then to make sure it’s not catching on the bottom of the pan. Purée in a food processor. Mix the artichoke purée into the rice and add the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter and the parmesan. Check for seasoning. 3 Slice each scallop into three pieces and sauté in hot oil for 1 minute on each side until they’re medium-rare. Place on top of the risotto. In a heavy-based pan, heat the sugar until it’s a dark golden colour. Carefully add the sherry vinegar and reduce until you have a thick syrup. Drizzle this over the risotto, and serve.