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How to make gluten-free quinoa cheese pot pie | Yummy Lummy

Posted by Gary

Quinoa cheese pot pie rather than a traditional mac and cheese sounds way too hipster for Yummy Lummy but what the hey. I do like quinoa and I do like cheese. I used rice flour so unlike mac and cheese, this is gluten-free for people with Cœliac disease.

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This is a photograph if my Gluten-free quinoa cheese bacon pot pie made by Gary Lum
Gluten-free quinoa cheese bacon pot pie

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This is a photograph if my Gluten-free quinoa cheese bacon pot pie made by Gary Lum
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Quinoa cheese pot pie that's gluten-free | Yummy Lummy
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
A warming comfort food for cold days and nights, suitable for people with Cœliac disease.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 2
Calories: 1000 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup Quinoa (microwave)
  • 2 tablespoons Butter (room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons Rice flour
  • 1 cup Milk (full cream or skim)
  • 2 rashers Streaky bacon (cut into thin strips across the grain)
  • 1/2 cup Frozen vegetables (I used peas and corn for an Australiana look)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chilli flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder (you could use freshly crushed garlic)
  • 1 cup Coon cheese (grated)
  • 2 teaspoons Sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg (ground)
Instructions
  1. Cut the rashers of streaky bacon into thin strips cutting across the grain of the bacon. Put the bacon onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Put the bacon into a preheated oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for 15 minutes and remove when finished.
  2. Cook the microwave quinoa as per the packet instructions and put the cooked quinoa into a mixing bowl.
  3. Make a roux with the butter, rice flour and milk. Start by heating the butter in a saucepan until it foams and then add the flour and whisk until it is smooth and starts to change colour. Pour in the milk and whisk until it begins to thicken.
  4. Take the sauce off the heat and then add most of the grated Coon cheese leaving some to the end to top the pie.
  5. Stir in the cheese, nutmeg, chilli flakes, and garlic powder (or freshly crushed garlic).
  6. Add the sunflower seeds and the frozen vegetables to the quinoa and mix, then pour over the sauce and mix thoroughly.
  7. Pour this mixture into a Pyrex bowl or something similar. Top with the remaining cheese and a light sprinkling of nutmeg.
  8. Place the bowl into a hot oven 200 °C (400 °F) for 20 minutes when hopefully the cheese has melted and changed to a golden brown.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow the quinoa cheese pot pie to rest for 5 minutes.
  10. Garnish with a sprig of parsley or anything else you may have.
  11. Shoot a photograph and then eat from the bowl with a spoon or fork while sitting in front of the TV watching Netflix with your Ugg boots on.
  12. Wash the dishes and write a blog post and hope your social media buddies share the recipe to all and sundry.
Recipe Notes

This is a gluten-free variation on mac and cheese with the nuttiness of quinoa. It can be enjoyed as a dinner or lunch time meal. Another serving idea is to not include the vegetables in the pie but to serve them separately. I think having the bacon is integral to the dish and adds a depth of flavour. I got the idea for the basis of this dish from Erica von Trapp at Bubble Child.

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Frequently asked questions

So, what do you think of this quinoa cheese pot pie?

I thought it was pretty awesome. While I don’t have Cœliac disease, I like to explore food that other people can eat because of a medical condition.

Can I make this quinoa cheese pot pie vegetarian?

Sure, don’t add the bacon. You could add some mushroom, not as a bacon substitute but as another ingredient to give it some extra texture.

Would it help to add a crust or Panko to the top for crunch?

Well then depending on how you make the pastry top, it may not be gluten-free. If you don’t have Cœliac disease and you like pastry and bread, then a puff pie pastry or some panko breadcrumbs would add some crunchy texture.

Could I add this quinoa cheese to a burger?

Yep, I reckon it would be nice on a burger or on a hot dog.

Can I eat this quinoa cheese pot pie cold the next day?

I reckon it would be disgusting cold, but that’s just my opinion.

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Panko crusted salmon

Posted by Gary

Panko crusted anything is good. I’ve done it on salmon before but as a cheat using olive oil as an adherent. Tonight, I used the old fashioned plain flour and egg method to crumb (or bread as American cooks seem to say) the salmon.

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Panko crusted salmon with pearl barley couscous Gary Lum Lime zest
Panko crusted salmon with pearl barley couscous
Panko crusted salmon with pearl barley couscous Gary Lum love lime Lime zest Lyme
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Panko crusted salmon
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Panko crusted anything is good. I’ve done it on salmon before but as a cheat using olive oil as an adherent. Tonight, I used the old fashioned plain flour and egg method to crumb the salmon.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 1
Calories: 300 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 1 piece Salmon (tail end)
  • ½ cup Plain flour
  • 1 piece Egg
  • 1 splash Full cream milk
  • ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
  1. Add the flour to the plastic bag the salmon is wrapped in and coat the salmon in flour.
  2. Beat the egg in the milk and bathe the floured salmon in the egg-milk mixture.
  3. Coat the salmon in the Panko breadcrumbs and allow the salmon to cool in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes.
  4. Heat up a frying pan and add the olive oil.

  5. Gently lay-in the salmon skin side down and shallow fry, agitating occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick to the frying pan.

  6. After a few minutes turn the salmon over and finish cooking. It will probably take five minutes in total.
  7. Allow the salmon to rest for a minute or two.
  8. Plate up with whatever vegetables you want.
  9. Shoot a photograph and eat the salmon and enjoy the moist tender flaky flesh in your mouth along with the crispy crunch of the Panko crumbs.
  10. Hope the photograph looks good and then blog about it and hope some more that people will share the recipe on social media.
Recipe Notes

This is a simple and easy way to make salmon taste better.

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Panko crusted salmon with pearl barley couscous Gary Lum Lime zest
Panko crusted salmon with pearl barley couscous

Can I crumb other things?

Yep, you can crumb any meat and even vegetables.

Could I deep fry rather than shallow fry the salmon?

Sure, I don’t think it would be as nice though nor as easy to control the cooking. But I’m all for deep frying anything.

Is there a vegetarian version?

Of salmon? No. There’s no vegetarian version of salmon. You could crumb a piece of tofu or a mushroom rissole if that is what you want.

What else did you eat today?

For breakfast, I had a jalapeño Spam and smoked cheddar sausage roll.

Jalapeño Spam and smoked cheddar sausage roll Gary Lum
Jalapeño Spam and smoked cheddar sausage roll

For lunch, I had leftover spicy asparagus soup.

Leftover Spam of asparagus spicy soup. What you don't see is the dollop of sour cream in the bottom of the bowl. Gary Lum Panko crumbed salmon
Leftover Spam of asparagus spicy soup. What you don’t see is the dollop of sour cream in the bottom of the bowl.

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Baked salmon pastry parcel

Posted by Gary

Baked salmon done differently tonight. This is a piece of tail in a pastry parcel and kept moist with a cheesy white sauce will of chives, dill and parsley.

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Baked salmon with cheesy white sauce in pastry with garlic chilli vegetables. Gary Lum
Baked salmon with cheesy white sauce in pastry with garlic chilli vegetables.

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Baked salmon with cheesy white sauce in pastry with garlic chilli vegetables. Gary Lum
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Baked salmon pastry parcel
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

For something a bit more extravagant, I wrapped my baked salmon in puff pastry and kept it moist with a white sauce laden with Coon cheese, chives, dill and parsley. It's served with some chilli garlic frozen vegetables. 

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 1
Calories: 1000 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 1 piece Salmon
  • 1 tablespoon Butter Room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Frozen peas, corn and capsicum
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chilli flakes
  • 1/4 cup Coon cheese grated
  • 2 tablespoons Chives chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Dill chopped
  • 1 piece Egg beaten
  • 2 tablespoons Plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup Full cream milk
  • 1 teaspoon Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Parsley chopped
  • 2 sheets Puff pastry thawed
Instructions

  1. Preheat a small benchtop oven to 250 °C/480 °F.

  2. Add a piece of salmon on some baking paper and place on a baking tray and then put it into the oven for 10 minutes.

  3. Thaw the sheets of puff pastry.

  4. While the salmon is baking and the puff pastry thawing, melt the butter in a saucepan until it foams. Add the flour and whisk quickly and then add the milk. You want a little more than normal for a white sauce because the cheese will thicken it. As the sauce begins to thicken a little take off the heat and add the cheese, chives, parsley and dill and fold everything in.

  5. Allow the salmon to rest for five minutes. Make a layer of the sauce on one sheet of puff pastry and lay the salmon on that. Pour the rest of the white sauce on the salmon. 

  6. Brush the egg wash on the edges of the puff pastry and over the second sheet. lay the second sheet over the salmon (egg-washed side down) and seal the edges. Apply the egg wash to the top and then place into the oven for 15 minutes.

  7. At the 15 minute mark, pull out the baking tray, brush on some more egg wash and sprinkle a bit more grated Coon cheese on top. Finish baking for five more minutes.

  8. During this last baking phase put the frozen veggies in a bowl, add the olive oil, chilli flakes and garlic powder. Flash cook in the microwave oven for 90 seconds.

  9. Allow the baked salmon to rest for five minutes and then put it one a plate and add the microwave cooked vegetables. garnish with a sprig of parsley.

  10. Shoot a photograph and eat the meal and later regret just how much puff pastry you used.

  11. Wash the dishes and write the blog post and hope your friends share this on social media so everyone in the world gets to see it.

Recipe Notes

This meal is a bit heavy, but it's a nice extravagant way to enjoy your baked salmon. 

Baked salmon again! You do that so often.

I know. I do it because it’s quick and easy. This time I did it with a twist.

Could you use less pastry?

Yes, and a smaller piece of salmon would make that easy.

What if I don’t have dill and stuff like that?

The dill, chives and parsley impart a nice flavour but these elements aren’t essential. You could use dried chives, parsley and dill if you wanted.

Could this work with other fish?

I suppose so. Ocean trout would be nice. I’m not sure about a white flaky fish. If you give it a go let me know.

Does it have to be fish? I don’t like fish.

I reckon this would work with a thin tender cut of beef (then it would be a strange variation of Beef Wellington), lamb or pork or even a chicken (I’d do thigh over the breast to keep it moist).

Could this be adapted to a vegetarian version?

Sure, I suppose. You could use mushrooms and other vegetables. If you do that let me know how it turned out.

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How to cook beef brisket in a slow cooker

Posted by Gary

Beef brisket is a cut of meat not often found in Australia but made famous by American cooking shows and situation comedies like Big Bang Theory with Howard banging on about his mother’s brisket.

There are now even American barbeque joints in Australian cities selling ribs and brisket.

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Slow cooker beef brisket with cabbage, potatoes and Brussels sprouts bathing in gravy Gary Lum
Slow cooker beef brisket with cabbage, potatoes and Brussels sprouts bathing in gravy

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Slow cooker beef brisket with cabbage, potatoes and Brussels sprouts bathing in gravy Gary Lum
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Beef brisket in a slow cooker on slow cooker Sunday
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 10 mins
 
Beef brisket slowly cooked is a thing of beauty. Here’s how to cook it like a boss. You can’t go wrong in a slow cooker.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 4
Calories: 1000 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 1 kilogram Beef brisket
  • 100 millilitres Spicy barbeque sauce
  • 1 litre Warm water
  • 2 teaspoons Brown sugar
  • ½ cup Red wine vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Chilli flakes
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
  • ½ piece Drumhead cabbage (shredded)
  • 250 grams Brussels sprouts (the baby ones)
  • 2 pieces Potato (halved)
  • 2 tablespoons Butter (room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons Plain flour
Instructions
  1. To a slow cooker vessel add the Brussels sprouts, potatoes and cabbage. This will keep the meat off the bottom of the vessel.
  2. Add the water, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chilli flakes, and garlic powder.
  3. On top of the vegetable trivet, place the meat and then add on top the spicy barbeque sauce.
  4. Place the cooking chamber into the slow cooker, seal the lid and set for 8 hours.
  5. After the timer goes off, turn off the slow cooker, unseal the lid and open the slow cooker. Remove the cooking chamber and remove the meat onto a cutting board. Place the vegetables into a bowl and empty the remaining juice into a jug and work out if it’s worth keeping.
  6. With a sharp cook’s knife, slice the meat into thickish slices for dinner and slice the rest for refrigeration for work lunches.
  7. In a saucepan, make a quick roux with butter and flour and then make a gravy with the leftover juices.
  8. Plate up the vegetables into a shallow bowl, add a few slices of meat and then pour over the gravy.
  9. Shoot a photograph.
  10. Eat the meal and then wash the dishes.
  11. Blog about the meal and hope your friends on social media will share the recipe and make you famous.
Recipe Notes

This is a fabulous meal for a cool or cold autumn or winter Sunday dinner.

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Let me know what you think

If you make this please let me know what you thought of the dish and the recipe?

What are vegetable options could you use?

I did think about serving this will coleslaw but it’s getting into mid-autumn and I need comfort vegetables. I had a friend on Facebook suggest making a vegetable au gratin like a sweet potato au gratin. It can also be done in the slow cooker with aluminium foil (not to my American friends, it’s aluminium).

Can the meat be frozen?

Well, yes it can, preferably vacuum packed to avoid freezer burn and so you can gently heat it up in a warm water bath for a pseudo sous vide meal.

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Do you like nice photographs?

Check out my post from my other blog on reflections on Lake Ginninderra.

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Super spicy asparagus soup or Spam of asparagus spicy soup

Posted by Gary

Asparagus soup is one of those delicious yet uncommon soups [although I’ve made it once before]. I never had it as a kid even though Mum would regularly use asparagus in salads and as a vegetable to accompany meat dishes. We’d always comment about the smell of our urine later in the night and it’s something that still stimulates an olfactory memory.

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Spam of asparagus spicy soup Gary Lum
Spam of asparagus spicy soup
Spam of asparagus spicy soup Gary Lum
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Super spicy asparagus soup
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
This is a quick and simple recipe that I made up in my head based on the notion that any vegetable can be converted to a soup if you boil it, process it and add cream.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 2
Calories: 500 kcal
Author: Gary Lum
Ingredients
  • 500 grams Asparagus (fresh and cut into 2 centimetre segments)
  • ¼ piece Onion (white or brown)
  • 100 grams Jalapeño Spam (diced)
  • 1 piece Potato (medium and diced into small cubes)
  • ½ cup Sour cream (full cream preferred)
  • 1 piece Red chilli (diced)
  • 1 piece Jalapeño pepper (diced)
  • 2 teaspoons Chilli flakes (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan sauté the onions and Spam until the onions are soft and turning colour.
  2. Add in the asparagus and potato along with the chilli flakes and garlic powder and then add sufficient boiling water from a kettle to leave about a centimetre of asparagus and potato showing above the surface of the water. You don’t want the soup too watery. You can then toss in the finely diced red chilli and Jalapeño pepper. Bring the soup to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes and then check that the potato and asparagus are soft.
  3. Process the soup with a stick blender until it is smooth.
  4. Place some sour cream into a serving bowl, as much as you desire and then pour over the soup.
  5. Serve with some toast if you like.
  6. You can garnish it with something contrasting in colour. I would suggest some red chilli and a grind of cracked pepper.
Recipe Notes

If you don’t like sour cream you could use normal pouring cream or thickened cream. If you wanted to avoid cream altogether that would work too.

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What if I don’t like Spam?

Bacon pieces would be a suitable substitute

What if I’m vegetarian or vegan?

Leave out the meat

Can I freeze some for later?

Yes

Is this safe for children?

Yes, if they like spices. If not, don’t add the chilli flakes and cut back on the fresh spices

Will this soup make my pee smell funny?

If your pee normally takes on a strange odour after eating asparagus then it probably will after eating this soup too.

Can I make a bigger batch for a family?

Sure, just increase the amounts proportionally. You may need to simmer the asparagus longer and it may take longer to process the soup.

Let me know

If you make this recipe please let me know. How do you feel about Spam in soup?

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