In her debut cookbook, Devon blogger Sarah Howells sets out to show that being gluten free doesn’t have to be a problem. You don’t need fancy techniques or expensive ingredients to be able to serve up quick, delicious meals that everyone can enjoy
Chickpea, sweetcorn and feta fritters recipe
With a golden crunch on the outside and bursts of feta and chilli inside, these fritters are the perfect light meal. I love to serve them hot with a fresh green salad and a bowl of sweet chilli sauce for dipping. They’re also delicious when cold, so are great in lunchboxes; or try combining them with salad ingredients in one of my gluten-free tortilla wraps.
Serves 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
200g tinned sweetcorn
2 spring onions, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
40g gluten-free plain flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
150g feta cheese
1–2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
Method
1 Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid in a bowl. Place the chickpeas in a food processor with 150g of the sweetcorn, the spring onions, chilli, garlic, flour and smoked paprika. Pulse until the mixture is combined – it doesn’t need to be completely smooth.
2 Add 1–2 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid and blitz again to loosen the mixture slightly.
3 Remove the bowl from the processor. Add the remaining sweetcorn, crumble in the feta, season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
4 Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions; you might want to weigh the mixture to do this accurately.
5 Using wet hands, shape each portion into a ball, then flatten into a patty about 2–3cm thick.
6 Place the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add 3–4 of the patties, ensuring you have space between them, and fry for 3–4 minutes, until browned on one side. Gently flip and fry for another 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven.
7 Fry the other patties in the same way, adding a little extra olive oil if needed. Once they are all cooked, serve hot with salad and sweet chilli sauce for dipping
Garlicky lemon salmon and potatoes recipe
Sometimes you just need a good, nourishing meal that can be chucked in the oven without much thought, so this is my go-to post-workout meal. It’s ideal partly because the garlicky sauce with a hint of spice and tang provides the best flavours for the salmon and vegetables, and partly because it cooks in the exact time it takes me to shower and dry my hair.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
1kg baby potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp gluten-free vegetable stock
4 tsp chopped garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp sriracha sauce
4 salmon fillets
200g Tenderstem broccoli
200g green beans, trimmed
Lemon slices (optional)
Sea salt flakes
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 220ºC/Gas 7.
2 Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on size. They should all be roughly the same. Place in a roasting tray and drizzle with half the olive oil. Add a pinch of sea salt and toss to coat the potatoes. Roast for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through.
3 Meanwhile, put the stock in a small bowl with the garlic, lemon juice, sriracha and remaining olive oil, and mix together.
4 When the potatoes are done, push them to the sides of the tray and place the salmon fillets, skin-side down, in the middle, spacing them slightly apart. Arrange the broccoli and green beans around the salmon and potatoes, then drizzle the stock mixture over everything. Top the salmon with some lemon slices, if you like, then return the tray to the oven for another 15 minutes.
5 Once the salmon is cooked through and beautifully flaky, serve straight away.
Sharing skillet cookie recipe
Does anything say ‘cosy night in’ more than wrapping up in a blanket, chucking on a good movie and diving into a warm chocolatey cookie with ice-cream? This giant sharing cookie, made in what Americans call a skillet and we call a frying pan, has a decadent, gooey centre and melty chocolate chunks, and it’s honestly the epitome of comfort food. Mix it up with toffee chunks, chopped nuts or dark chocolate if you like.
Serves 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes (+ 20 minutes resting)
Ingredients
90g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
40g granulated sugar
120g light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
220g gluten-free plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp salt
150g mixture of milk and white chocolate chips
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6. Lightly grease a 20cm ovenproof frying pan with extra butter and set to one side.
2 Place the melted butter and sugars in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds.
3 Combine the flour, bicarb, xanthan gum and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the egg mixture along with the chocolate chips. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick dough forms and there’s no loose flour.
4 Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Wet your hands, so the dough doesn’t stick to them, and press it down in an even layer.
5 Bake for 20 minutes, until golden on top. This will result in a gorgeous, gooey centre, but, if you prefer a firmer cookie, bake for another 5–10 minutes. Allow to sit for 15–20 minutes before tucking into the warm cookie with spoons straight from the pan. Add a dollop of ice-cream if you like.
Top tip: No ovenproof frying pan? Simply use a 20cm baking tin instead. You can always cut the cookie into bars or wedges before serving if you find that easier.
