Yule Log Genius Bake Along

What a good idea from Genius, to have a Bake Along.
I love to try new recipes and specially when I know there will be no gluten and no dairy in it!
I've never baked a Log before, but it has come out as per the recipe. And there is a minuscule chance of winning one of their great prices!

My dish was just slightly small so I've had to cut out a little bit to make it fit.
It was soooo delicious that I've nearly had to reach for an even smaller dish.
Good thing I got the photo out of the way first ;)
Find out more on their blog.
http://www.geniusglutenfree.com/gluten-free-living/blog/bake-along-christmas-yule-log/

Lentil Stew Naturally Gluten Free

A dish meant for winter, how warming it is when it's cold outside and you feel like hiding under the duvet!
It's quite easy and quick to prepare if you have a pressure cooker, and i do ;)

If you don't have a pressure cooker you can also cook it in a normal pot, it will just take longer, maybe around one hour until the lentils are tender.

Ingredients: 100 grams of green lentils per person, one onion cut in thick wedges, one piece of chorizo per person (approx 30 grams or more if you like it), a piece of Serrano ham or bacon, 1 bay leave, salt to taste, 1 tsp of sweet paprika, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and three garlic cloves, peeled and cut in chunks.

Instructions: put the lentils, onion, chorizo, ham, bay leave and salt in the pressure cooker and cover with water, enough to cover the ingredients plus one inch more. Close the cooker and leave it to cook for 15 minutes in the vegetable setting.

When it's done, in a separate small pan heat the oil and when it starts to smoke add the garlic until brown. Then remove from the heat and add the paprika, mixing it quickly with the oil with a wooden spoon, just until mixed. Pour this over the lentils and they are ready to go!

Pom Bears Potato Snack

These little cuties are so nice!
A welcome discovery after checking the ingredients on the back of so many crisp packets.

The bag says they do not have artificial colours or artificial preservatives, but they do contain SOYA, the only allergen listed, so watch out if you can't have it.

Broadly available and so good every time ;)

Newburn Bakehouse Gluten Free Baguette

I was very excited when I saw these baguettes in the supermarket, would they taste like real bread?

When I took them out of the packet two thoughts came to mind, first that the consistency was nice, quite sturdy little things, secondly that they have a somewhat plastic feel...

Cutting them in half and they still look good, nice texture, and the taste is OK.

I decided to have one of them grilled with some grilled ham as filling, and there is where disappointment begun. They got completely flat and really hard, as when you iron something with a synthetic fibre and it melts and get all burned....

Overall the taste is OK if you can get over the plastic look, but definitely one to eat cold!

Update: Oops! After tweeting about it, I've been told there were some instructions to be followed to get a golden crispy baguette, so will have to try them again and will update ;)

Udis Apple and Cinamon Toaster Pastries

I am not sure what to make of these pastries.
The taste is nice but it is very much like having a toast with some warm jam. They don't do much for me, but my sister loves them.

I suppose it is the sort of thing handy to have in the cupboard if you tend to run out of food without warning, very much an emergency ration for me.

What do you think? Worth trying?

Marks and Spencer Christmas range

I went into Marks and Spencers the other day and decided to check their gluten free Christmas range.
They have a good selection, with mince pies, a Christmas pudding for one and a Christmas cake. Reasonable price too, around £2.Not bad.

I haven't tried them, as I've never really liked the pudding or the mince pies in my gluten eating days, but I though I should mention it. If any reader has tried them, please leave a comment with your thoughts, thanks!

M&S Gluten Free Products

It's nice to see the selection of gluten free products at Marks and Spencer. There are quite a few of them, including sponges, biscuits, crackers, muffins, crumpets, shortbread and a few breads.
They also have some gluten free pasta, if I remember correctly in the pasta section.

I particularly love the white bread, which they call sliced white boule, super soft and spongy with poppy seeds, so yummy I always try to find an excuse to have one more slice ;)