gluten free Archives - Our Permaculture Life

Morag Gamble’s super pesto recipe using simple garden greens (8 mins)

Morag Gamble — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 02:32:00 +0000

Pesto is incredibly delicious. It’s healthy too and so easy to make using whatever greens are in your garden. I went foraging today and harvested some great ingredients for a new batch of yummy pesto. At dinner time, the children devoured it – reckoned this is one of the best batches I’ve made yet … (thanks kids!)

Pesto – more than basil
Pesto is usually associated with basil, and yes I agree, it’s a wonderful flavour, but you can also make pesto from all kinds of garden greens or better still, a wondrous blend.

Today in my foraging, I harvested three types of basil, parsley, rocket, welsh onions, society garlic, cranberry hibiscus and sorrel. I blended these together with some toasted ground sunflower seeds, the juice of a lime and some olive oil and created an amazingly simple, but superbly flavoured pesto that can be used for all kinds of things, such as:

pasta (veggie spirals are great with this)
bruschetta (it’s great on the organic wood-fired local sourdough bread)
soup
salad
dip

Extend the harvest
Often when the basil is on, it’s on! Making pesto is a great way to appreciate this abundance. I typically make up a big batch, then freeze in an ice cube tray. It’s a great way to extend the basil harvest.

Super greens for the kids
Also, because you can include any number of leafy greens, it is actually a great way to get your kids to eat an enormous dose of very nourishing greens.

MY GARDEN PESTO RECIPE

Here’s what I use for a really lovely texture of smooth pesto. As you can see, it’s more of a ratio I am suggesting here rather than exact ingredients. There is huge flexibility in the types of greens. It varies soo widely between seasons and regions!

Ingredients

2 cups leaves from your garden (basil or mixed greens – garlic chives, welsh onion, rocket, parlsey, mizuna, kale, spinach, silverbeet, pumpkin, sorrel, cranberry hibiscus, Brazilian spinach, nasturtium, and ‘weeds’ too like chickweed … )

1 lime/lemon, juiced

1/4 cup raw or toasted ground seeds/nuts (I use a coffee grinder)

1/2 cup olive oil

Optional:

1/3 cup parmesan

NB: The leaves and flowers of the garlic chives replace the garlic in typical pesto recipes. It tastes great!

Method

Basically I just toss all the ingredients into a food processor and buzz until smooth, then spatula it all into a mason jar. It’s important to tap it down to ensure there are no air bubbles in the mix (will oxidise/go brown where there are bubbles) and I top it off with a little oil to keep it fresh. I store this in the fridge for about a week or two, but it doesn’t usually last that long though. If you want to store it longer, it’s a good idea to freeze it.

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Homemade & Homegrown: DIY Flatbreads with Teff – a Healthy & Satisfying Lunch

Morag Gamble — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 03:36:00 +0000

I love simple flatbreads. I hadn’t made any for ages till this morning. My tummy feels happy and full after eating this simple homemade and homegrown lunch made from scratch. I can see this is going to become a favourite. Teff, an ancient grain, is gluten-free, high in protein and iron, higher in calcium than all other grains, and is a rich source of resistant starch (I’ll explain more below).

It took me less about 15 minutes to prepare this meal and it was SO good. The salad was plucked fresh from the garden and the teff wrap (flatbread recipe below) was made moments before I harvested the salad.

Teff – healthy, nutritious, gluten-free, resistant starch

Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of teff before. I only discovered it on the shelves of my local stores in the past 12 months and it peaked my curiousity. I first tried it as a wholegrain mixed with rice – delicious. Since then I also have been baking with teff flour. I am enjoying the flavour and how filling it is.

Teff is an ancient tiny grain – approximately 3000 seeds in each gram. It is grown in places like Ethiopia and Eritrea. It grows quickly and is hardy.

Why teff is healthy…

Teff has a mild nutty flavour and is super healthy. Along with being high in protein, iron and calcium, it is also has 20-40% resistant starch. Eating foods rich in resistant starch nourishes your gut bacteria, which helps maintain intestinal health. It goes through the stomach and small intestine undigested (hence being called resistant), until it reaches the colon where it feeds friendly gut bacteria – this has a positive effect on the type of bacteria in the gut as well as the number of them.

Flatbread ingredients – simply flour, water, salt, soil and seeds

Flatbread recipe

Makes 8

Quick and easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cooking: 15 mins

Ingredients

250gms plain flour (I used teff today – but you could use any flour)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
150 mls warm water
2 tbsp seeds (chia, sesame)

Method

mix flour, seeds, salt then add the oil and water mix together to form a dough
turn out onto a floured board and kneed for 5 mins
cover the ball with a bowl and rest for 15 mins
when ready to cook and eat – cut into 8, roll until 2-3mm thick
use a heavy pan or griddle – cook until it looks ‘set’ on top, then flip and cook for another 45 seconds
wrap cooked flatbreads in tea towel to keep warm (I just cooked one now, and will roll and cook the rest tonight for the family)
if you cook too many, renew the next day by brushing on a little oil, putting in the oven and using them as dippers.

NB: Depending on the type of flour used, you made need a little more or less water. Always have a little extra flour at hand too. You want the kneaded ball of tough to feel smooth and elastic – not sticky or crumbly.

Make a dough and turn onto floured board.

After 5 minutes of kneading, cover with bowl and let sit for 15 mins.

Roll to 2-3mm thickness.

Cook on griddle or heavy-based pan.

Serve with salads and soup.

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15 Minute Falafel with Garden Greens: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free

Morag Gamble — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 15:40:00 +0000

I have stumbled on deliciously simply way to feed greens and chickpeas to my young children – home made falafel. These falafel taste so so much better than the dehydrated pre-packaged box mix that the kids disliked so much when we tried it a few years back (and for good reason).

I’ve been exploring a range of different recipes again lately since it was recommended that my daughter avoid wheat, eggs, corn and dairy. These are perfect.

Home made falafel with garden greens – so yummy with home made hummus or a herby tomato dipping sauce.

These are rapidly becoming a lunchbox favourite (for all the kids) with some organic brown rice and a homemade tomato sauce. I can pack all sorts of garden greens and herbs inside. So fresh, healthy and super yummy.

Great handfuls of diverse fresh greens get chopped into the mix.

There are a lot of different ways to make them and I have been having fun experimenting – with fresh chick peas, with chick pea flour, with tahini and without, with various greens, herbs and spices.

I love this recipe when I look in the pantry and the supplies are low. If there are some chick peas, some greens and a fresh lemon in the garden and a few herbs and spices, it’ll come together nicely.

This particular recipe is the super simple quick method using besan flour and has been the given thumbs up by all the kids.

QUICK AND EASY HOME MADE FALAFEL RECIPE

Preparation: 5 minutes (+10mins sitting)
Cooking: 10 minutes
Easy
Makes about 20 small falafel balls

INGREDIENTS

2 cups chick pea flour
handful of fresh greens (I use a mix of whatever is looking lovely in the garden that day – parsley, rocket, coriander, kale, mustard spinach, hibiscus spinach, sorrell….)
1/2 tsp bicarb/baking soda
1/2 tsp good salt
1 tsp cumin
1 large garlic clove
Juice of 1 lemon (we have also used lime)
2/3 cup warm/hot water

Fresh herbs and lemon from the garden add such great flavour, and of course nutritional value to the falafel.

METHOD

Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. (I sometimes use a food processor and pack in lots more greens – until the whole mix is bright green!)

Let the mix sit for about 10 minutes – helps to firm it up a bit.

Shape the balls/discs (I sometimes roll them in sesame seeds).

Cook

you could try them baked (220 C for 15 mins or until golden brown)
they are yummy fried in a small amount of olive oil (this is one of the only things I do fry)
or simple too is cooking them on a sandwich press with or without the olive oil

The mix is firm – good for rolling the balls without sticking too much to your hands.

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7 Good Reasons to Eat Basil Seed

Morag Gamble — Sat, 07 May 2016 13:56:00 +0000

The seeds grown in your garden offer so much food, nutrition and medicine, yet the extent of their value is often overlooked.

Take basil for example. Typically in gardens we are encouraged to chop the seed heads off annual basil bushes to get more leaf growth. This is of course a useful tip, but I’d like to share with you some of the many benefits of actually allowing basils to seed, and how you can utilise these flavoursome, nutritious and medicinal seeds. (In India they are called sabja seeds and in Arabic they are known as falooda seeds.)

The delightful flowering Lemon Basil bush – such a wonderful aroma from the leaves and the seeds, and such a happy plant for the bees.

1. Basil Seeds Ease Headaches

Lately I’ve had a few headaches, not a usual thing for me, so I have been exploring my garden for some natural headache remedies. One I found is basil seed – eating them, and using their oil.

As I explored further, I realised there were many other benefits to basil seeds – and there are just so many on each bush! Another wonderfully abundant plant that happily self-seeds and can be easily propagated by cuttings.

2. Add Basil Seed to Flavour a Curry

I love the fresh flavour and aroma of adding freshly crushed basil seeds to curries – particularly lemon basil!

Lemon basil seeds harvested today from my garden. I let the seeds dry on the bush, then chop off the seedbeds and collect in a paper bag. The seeds will come out in the bag with a bit of shaking and rubbing.

3. Eat Basil Seed to Improve digestion

I didn’t realise until recently that basil seeds are used in India similarly to Chia. Like Chia seeds – when soaked in water for 30 minutes, basil seeds swell up and can be added to drinks for extra fibre and nutrients. As a sweet drink with fruits and yoghurt they can improve digestion, and help with detoxification.

4. Eat Basil Seed to Lose weight

Because they swell and make you full, basil seeds can also assist in weight loss.

5. Sooth Coughs with Basil Seeds

Basil seeds are helpful in soothing coughs, sore throats and colds. The seeds are included in many herbal cough syrups. Make your own soothing tonic for the respiratory system by mixing crushed basil seeds, honey and ginger with warm water.

6. Basil Seeds are Uplifting

There is an uplifting effect from eating basil seeds. They also help to ease mental fatigue, nervous tension, melancholy, depression and migraine. Because of its calming effects, it is commonly used in aromatherapy for clarity and mental strength.

7. Basil Seeds Repel Insects

The seeds can be used as an insect repellent. Simply mix coconut oil and crushed basil seeds. (NB: you could eat this, but it’s better rubbed on your skin!)

As a little aside, another wonderful plant I talk a lot about at this time of year is Rosella. I eat the leaves in salad and stir-fry and dry the deep red calyx for a high Vitamin C tea . Did you know that you can dry and save the seeds as a great chicken food? You can also roast and grind the seeds as a yummy flour.

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Community Connections and the Beauty of Small Towns

Morag Gamble — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 14:02:00 +0000

The richness of community connections nourishes my sense of belonging to place. It is these connections and sense of identity, I think, that makes this little town thrive. Small intact local towns are gold.

Every time I venture into Maleny, my local town, I feel uplifted by the interactions – the conversations, the smiles, the help offered, even the way I can purchase things I need from locally owned stores.

This morning I met for morning coffee with Rhonda Hetzel, local bestselling author and award-winning blogger, who last year graciously offered to mentor me as a writer and blogger. With her support and encouragement I have felt brave enough to begin writing regularly. I am so very thankful to her for taking me under her wing. Rhonda’s blog about living simply, Down to Earth, is read across the globe and just clicked over 20 million pageviews. Rhonda has just returned from a road trip to launch her new book, The Simple Home. It’s in the window at Rosettas Bookshop in town. It was just so lovely to catch up with her, to share adventures and future plans.

with Rhonda Hetzel for morning tea in Maleny

After meeting with Rhonda, I went in search of presents for my 3 year old son – his birthday is this Saturday. In the newly renovated and expanded Endeavour Charity Store was the best little wooden cooker set. Perfect. Also I found a wicker picnic basket for us to go on outings together to the river. As unbirthday presents for the older two children, I found some amazing books in one of the second hand book stores. Finally I nipped around to the little wood store at the back of town to get a piece of exterior board. We have painted this with blackboard paint and will screw to the side of the house for Monty to draw on, write and create. It is so refreshing not having to resort to the major shopping centres.

To end my very enjoyable morning in town, I ventured into the Maleny Village Artisan Food Market for a bite to eat. I was looking in particular for my friends’ brand new sushi stall. Kentaro and Rovielle are just opening and are serving delicious sushi. I can personally recommend the vegetarian one.

I met Rovielle and Kentaro two years ago when they came to Crystal Waters to do a permaculture course. They haven’t really left! Since then they’ve been WWOOFing and housesitting – now they’ve settled in a bit more permanently with their own place and their new enterprise in Maleny. They are also leasing a little piece of land at Crystal Waters to grow authentic Japanese flavours for their sushi. I wish them all the very best.

Loaded up with my mind abuzz with ideas, the stomach nourished with good food, presents for the kids, I headed back down into the valley to Crystal Waters stopping along the way at Jim’s organic farm to stock up on some extra fruit and veg to supplement produce from my garden.

It was indeed a good morning in my local town!

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7 Ways to Use All of Your Pumpkin Plant

Morag Gamble — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 03:14:00 +0000

Here are seven ways to make the most of pumpkin’s vigorous vines and abundant fruits. There is so much food in our gardens that is overlooked simply because we don’t know it’s edible.

Our family loves pumpkin season. Each year, we harvest dozens of beautiful big pumpkin fruits from our permaculture garden. But why wait for that moment when the fruit is ripe – there is so much more to a pumpkin plant than just the fruit, and more of the fruit itself can be used.

If you have wondrously creeping pumpkin vine why not give these ideas a go:

1. Eat the pumpkin leaves

Immediately you have so so much more food growing in your garden!

Young leaves are a great dark leafy green. Use them in anything you would add silverbeet to. The prickles disappear in heat within in a minute or so.

I also steam lightly and them in use them as a wonderful gluten free wrap. Lay out a leaf, add some rice or quinoa, vegetables, then wrap it up and then dip in satay sauce or plain tamari. Yummm!

Edible pumpkin leaves – the young ones are nice, even when they are large like this. I leave the crusty old ones.

2. Eat the pumpkin shoots

The growing tips of pumpkin vines are excellent in a stir fry. I even toss them into soup, quiche, anything really that needs greens. Taking the tips of the vines is a great way to stop the vine taking over your garden.

Edible pumpkin shoots

3. Eat the pumpkin flowers

Pumpkin flowers are delicious – one of the many edible flowers in my garden. I like to add the pumkin flower to salads or a stir-fry. You could batter and fry them, but I prefer to keep things as simple as fresh as I can. Typically it’s a good idea to harvest the male flowers since the female flower is where the pumpkin develops.

Pumpkin flowers are a delicacy – typically too delicate to find in the stores. You really need harvest them from your own garden or community garden plot.

Female pumpkin flower – you can tell because it has the baby pumpkin at the base of the flower.

Female pumpkin flower also has this clasp inside.

Eat mostly the male pumpkin flowers – found at the end of a long stalk.

Inside the male pumpkin flower is the single stamen – quite different from the female flower above.

4. Eat the pumpkin seeds

Scoop out the seeds and heat them them on a hot plate until they are crispy (I use my sandwich press – takes only a couple of minutes). Add a splash of tamari – mmmm!

5. Eat the pumpkin skin

I love pumpkin skin on roast pumpkin, but also toss it into my pumpkin soup (the softer skins). Actually you can just chop the whole pumpkin up for soup – seeds, skin and all.

Pumpkin skin is edible and adds a lovely nutty flavour.

6. Pumpkin vines create shade

In the hot months, I encourage the self-seeding the pumpkin vines to grow up and over our chicken enclosure to provide shade. The pumpkins die back letting the sun in during cooler months.

The pumpkin vines create great shade for the chickens.

7. Make mulch from pumpkin vines

If the tendrils start taking over and you simply cannot eat that many shoots or leaves, then chop them back and use them as mulch. Great too for a chop and drop mulch under fruit trees, or adding to a compost.

Great handfuls of pumpkin vines rot down to a great mulch in the food forest garden. Here I interplanted with cranberry spinach and sweet potato (both grown for their edible leaves).

After all the pumpkin abundance has finished, I like to leave a couple of the fully ripe (possibly overripe) pumpkins in the garden. These provide the source of next year’s crop. The pumpkin fruit is naturally designed to nourish the seeds for new growth – so just let it rot down and it provides the perfect soil environment. Next season, if your pumpkins come up where you don’t want them, transplant them early.

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