Grace Cheetham

My name is Grace Cheetham and my story is like many others. I was diagnosed with allergies/intolerances at a young age and I’ve spent many years following allergy diets. I remember feeling utterly bewildered when I was initially diagnosed – and full of despair. At first my diet was very bland and boring, but over the years I’ve experimented with different types of ingredients and different ways of cooking them, and created recipes.

Passionate about good food and allergy-free living, I set up a blog (glutendairyfree.co.uk) as well as a website (allergyfreecook.com). My blog has been voted one of the best gluten-free and allergy-friendly blogs by Channel4.com/4Food and one of the best food blogs by womanandhome.com.

I’ve also written a couple of cookbooks, called The Best Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free and Dairy-Free Recipes (A Cook’s Bible: Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free and Dairy-Free Recipes in the US) and Simply Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free. These have been published in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, as well as in Finland, Holland and Brazil.

For me, cooking is like alchemy – you take some ingredients and make a dish that can nurture you physically and emotionally. You can heap nutrients into your body – boosting your immune system, energy levels and vitality, and helping your body to alleviate symptoms and start to heal itself. Then you can just sit back and enjoy the gorgeous tastes, textures and aromas of the recipes you’ve created with each delicious bite.

For Grace's blog go to www.glutendairyfree.co.uk: for her site go to www.allergyfreecook.com – and you can buy her books from both her blog site and her website.

Grace's recipes

Click on the name of the recipe to go to it.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Berry, Acai & Chia Smoothie

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Rustic Italian Bread

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Chargrilled Pepper & Tomato Pizza

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Thai Prawn Curry

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Chocolate & Pear Tart

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Carrot Cake

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Berry, Acai & Chia Smoothie
gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, soya-free, egg-free, nut-free, citrus-free

One of the easiest (and most delicious) things to do to stay healthy, is to drink regular juices and smoothies. I often have one for breakfast – and this is one of my favourite recipes, not least because it’s so quick and easy to make.

This recipe showcases two amazing ingredients –
acai berry powder and chia seeds. Someone gave
me some acai berry powder the other day so I
tried it out in this smoothie and it gave the smoothie
a beautifully rich, complex taste – as well as incredible amounts of nutrients, including phytochemicals, antioxidants and omega-3 and -6. Buy some today –
you won’t regret it.

But how can I call this a smoothie, you’ll be wondering?… There’s no yogurt, banana or any of the other things you normally make a creamy smooth smoothie from.
The answer is the tiny, nutrient-powerhouse that is
the chia seed.

Chia seeds are super-rich in vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, potassium and iron, they have the highest amount of omega-3 in any plant-based ingredient and also contain excellent quantities of fibre and protein. What’s more, when chia seeds are mixed with liquid, they expand and form a coating of gel. This means that they can act as a bulking ingredient – and this is why you can get a smoothie consistency when used with a juice mix, and why many people swear by chia seeds for weight-loss as they feel fuller for longer. (It also means that they can be used as a substitute for eggs in baking, by the way.) So go for it with chia seeds – sprinkle them onto salads or stir-frys, thicken soups and stews with them and try them in this awesome smoothie.

Preparation time: 5 minutes     Serves: 2
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp acai berry powder
• 2 tbsp mesquite meal, agarve syrup or honey
• 300g/10½oz mixed frozen berries
• 1l/35fl oz apple juice
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Rustic Italian Bread
gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, soya-free, nut-free, seed-free, citrus-free

Making gluten-free bread is much easier than you might imagine. Generally I use a lot more liquid than in normal bread, so that the bread doesn’t burn or go too brown on top. And I find that potato flour works brilliantly. This recipe is based on a classic Italian rustic bread which is often filled with pieces of pancetta and cheese. But I’ve gone for a simpler (dairy-free) version, using just some rosemary and oil.

Preparation time 15 minutes, plus 1½ hours rising time     Cooking time 45–50 minutes     Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp easy-blend dried yeast
• 200g/7oz rice flour, plus extra for dusting
• 200g/7oz gram flour
• 100g/3½oz maize flour
• 100g/3½oz potato flour
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1½ tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp sea salt, crushed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and 350ml/12fl oz/scant 1½ cups warm water and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Sift the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt into the bowl of a food processor with the dough blade attached and blend to mix together. Add the eggs and 4 tablespoons of the oil and blend again, then add the yeast mixture and process for 5 minutes to aerate the dough. The dough will be sticky.
3. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hour.
4. Liberally dust a clean surface with rice flour and transfer the dough onto the surface. Cover your hands with flour and gently roll the dough on the floured surface until you have shaped it into an oblong sausage shape. Gently pat the dough with the palms of your hands to flatten it into a thick rectangular piece, dusting the surface with more rice flour whenever needed. Sprinkle the rosemary over the top and drizzle the remaining oil over. Taking one side of it in your hands, carefully roll the dough like a Swiss roll. Transfer to a piece of baking parchment and place on a baking sheet. Cover with cling film, leaving room for the dough to rise and leave for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Remove the cling film and bake for 45–50 minutes, until it is golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before serving.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Chargrilled Pepper & Tomato Pizza
gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, seed-free, citrus-free

I made pizza for Zoë’s 4th birthday party this year.
We had 16 little ones running around our home and garden and Zoë had a great time. (The mess at the end, though, was jaw-droppingly terrible!) Most kids love pizza – and it’s one of Zoë’s absolute favourites.

Of course kids think it’s delicious but it also
makes a great finger food meal for them when they’re learning to eat – so they usually start eating pizza from an early age and know that they love it.

We didn’t do a formal sit-down tea, so the pizza
worked well (along with hummus, carrot and
cucumber sticks and ice cream) as they could run around, dipping into the food whenever they wanted.

I also made a Pink Dragon Cake – but I’ll tell you about that another time…

Preparation time 25 minutes, plus 1 hour rising     Cooking time 15 minutes     Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp passata
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 80g/2¾oz drained, bottled or tinned chargrilled peppers oil, cut into slices
• 50g/1¾oz Parma ham, thinly sliced
• 8–10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 30–60g/1–2¼oz soya cheese, shaved

Pizza Dough:

• 85g/3oz brown rice flour, plus extra for rolling the dough
• 85g/3oz gram flour
• 30g/1¼oz maize flour
• scant ½ tsp xanthan gum
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried active yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. To make the pizza dough, sift the flours, xanthan gum and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and, using a metal whisk, mix thoroughly. Add the oil and mix in. Pour in 100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup warm water and, using either a wooden spoon or your hands, mix to form a soft dough. Alternatively, sift the flours, xanthan gum and salt into a food processor. Add the yeast and blend to mix together. Add the oil and blend well. Add 100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup warm water, a little at a time, and continue blending to form a soft dough. Process for 3–4 minutes to aerate the dough. Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover with cling film and leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Turn the dough out again onto a lightly floured surface and knead a little, then shape it into a ball. Flatten the dough slightly, roll it out into a large circle about 5mm/¼in thick and neaten the edge, using a sharp knife, if you like. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
3. Put the passata and tomato purée in a bowl and mix well, then spread it over the pizza base and sprinkle with the peppers, ham and tomatoes. Bake for 12 minutes until the base is starting to turn brown and the tomato sauce is bubbling. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top, then return to the oven for 3–4 minutes until the cheese has started to melt. Serve immediately.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Thai Prawn Curry
gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, seed-free, egg-free

This is a great dish to cook when you have friends round. You can make the curry paste the day/night before and kept it in the fridge until you use it. And you can prep the rest of the ingredients a couple of hours’ before everyone arrives, put the wine in the fridge – and then take a long soak in the bath… When they arrive, you can simply add the ingredients and then just stir (and chat) while you wait for it to cook. Perfect!
I’ve used lots more veggies than normal, in that add-nutrients-whenever-you-can-way. And you’ll find the curry paste is fantastically fresh and vibrant, and full of punchy flavours.

Cooking time 30 minutes Preparation time 15 minutes Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 100g/3½oz green beans, trimmed
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
• 100g/3½oz sugar snap peas or peas
• 100g/3½oz beansprouts
• 500g/1lb 2oz cooked large king prawns
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 small handful of coriander leaves, to serve
• steamed rice, to serve
• lime wedges, to serve
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped, to serve
• 1 large handful peanuts, chopped, to serve

Curry Paste:

• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 red chilli, coarsely chopped
• 2 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2.5cm/1in piece of root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 lemongrass stalk, coarsely chopped
• ½ tsp shrimp paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• 1 large handful of coriander leaves and stalks, coarsely chopped

1. To make the curry paste, put the ground cumin and ground coriander into a mini food processor or spice mill. Add the chilli, shallots, garlic and ginger and blend well, then add all of the remaining ingredients for the paste and blend to form a coarse paste.
2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Add the curry paste and heat for 30 seconds over a low heat. Add the coconut milk and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring well.
3. Add the tamari and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and stir well then add the vegetables and cook over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until they are just tender but still slightly crunchy. Take care not to let the  mixture boil or the coconut milk will curdle. Stir in the prawns and cook for another 2–3 minutes until they are hot, then stir in the lime juice. Check the seasoning and add a little more fish sauce to taste if needed. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve with rice, the lime wedges, chilli and peanuts and extra coriander sprigs, if you like.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Chocolate & Pear Tart
gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, seed-free, citrus-free

This is truly heavenly. A rich chocolate tart, with soft, sweet pears – and a very gooey middle. In theory, you should bake your tart until the filling is completely set, but the rich, oozing middle in this one defies all rules. It tastes too good to cook it any longer!
The pastry can, of course, be made by hand – but I’ve shown how to make it in the food processor, in order to make this super-easy. And it’s still light-textured, holds together, and a little crumbly when you bite into it.

Preparation time 10 minutes, plus making the pastry     Cooking time 35 minutes     Serves 6–8

Ingredients:

• 4 pears, peeled, halved and cored
• 150g/5½oz dairy-free dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, chopped or broken into pieces
• 50g/1¾oz fruit sugar or caster sugar
• 50g/1¾oz dairy-free margarine, plus extra for greasing
• 4 eggs, beaten

Pastry:

• 75g/2½oz rice flour, plus extra as needed
• 75g/2½oz gram flour
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 50g/1¾oz ground almonds
• 50g/1¾oz fruit sugar or caster sugar
• 80g/2¾oz chilled dairy-free margarine, diced
• 1 large egg, beaten

1. To make the pastry, sift the flours and xanthan gum into the bowl of a food processor and blend well. Stir in the almonds and sugar. Add the dairy-free margarine and blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and blend for 20–30 seconds until the mixture comes together to form a sticky dough. There should be a little extra moisture at the base of the bowl. If it is too dry, gradually add 1–2 tablespoons chilled water. If too sticky, add a little rice flour.
2. Shape the pastry into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease a loose-based 20cm/8in tart tin with dairy-free margarine and line the base with baking parchment. Liberally dust a chopping board with rice flour and roll out the pastry into a circle slightly larger than the tart tin, to allow enough pastry for the side, then neaten the edge, using a sharp knife. Be careful as the pastry will still be slightly sticky. Put the tin, face-down, on top of the pastry and turn the board over to drop the pastry into the tin. Ease the pastry into place, pressing down carefully to remove any air pockets, then prick the base all over with a fork. Line the pastry case with a piece of baking parchment and cover with baking beans.
4. Bake for 8 minutes until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment and beans.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the pears on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, make 5 slices down each half, starting about 1cm/½in from the top. Leave to one side.
6. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and rest it over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. Add the sugar and stir in thoroughly, then add the margarine and stir until melted. Add the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in thoroughly.
7. When the pastry is out of the oven, put the pears onto the base, fanning them out slightly if there’s room (it will depend on the size of the pears.) Pour the chocolate mixture over, taking care to cover all the pears.
8. Bake for about 25 minutes, until just darkening on the top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully put a plate on the top, turn it over, remove the tin and put a serving plate on the top. Turn the tart back over onto the serving plate. Serve hot or cold.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Carrot Cake
gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, seed-free, citrus-free

Here we are in the midst of root veg season. Parsnips, swede, celeriac and, of course, the humble carrot – all impart deliciously sweet, earthy tastes to stews, casseroles, soups, gratins, and roasted veggie dishes. But you don’t have to always think of these veggies as only for savoury dishes. Forget dark winter nights in front of the fire with a roasted vegetable lasagne, and think of tea-times with crisp, clear skies and winter sunshine – perfect for pretty, colourful comfort food. Enter carrot cake…
Here’s an awesome gluten-free carrot cake with a dairy-free frosting – and the addition of pine nuts to add texture and taste.

Preparation time 10 minutes     Cooking time 40–45 minutes     Makes 1 cake (serves 10–12)

Ingredients:

• 150g/5½oz dairy-free margarine, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 125g/4½oz fruit sugar or caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 4 tbsp clear honey
• 100g/3½oz rice flour
• 50g/1¾oz gram flour
• 50g/1¾oz maize flour
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 350g/12oz carrots, peeled and grated
• 100g/3½oz pine nuts

Topping:

• 25g/1oz dairy-free margarine
• 75g/2½oz dairy-free soya cream cheese
• 85g/3oz fruit sugar

1. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and dry-fry until just starting to turn golden, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and leave to one side.
2. To make the frosting, put the dairy-free margarine and soya cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat, using a whisk or hand-held electric mixer, until smooth. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and beat until light and fluffy. Put half of the pine nuts into the bowl of a mini-food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Add to the frosting and mix in. Cover and chill in the fridge until needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and lightly grease a deep 20cm/8in cake tin with dairy-free margarine and line the base with baking parchment. Using an electric mixer, beat the dairy-free margarine and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until well mixed, then beat in the honey.
4. Sift the flours, gluten-free baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum and cinnamon into the mixture and fold in, then fold in the carrot and the remaining pine nuts. Make sure the mixture is well mixed, but take care not to overmix it. Pour it into the tin.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with baking parchment to prevent the cake from overbrowning. Bake for another 20–25 minutes until firm to the touch and cooked through and a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Once cooled, spread the frosting over the cake and serve.
   

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