Warm Veg Salad
{ THIS GLUTEN FREE WINTER SALAD IS GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE AND VEGAN. ENJOY THIS NOURISHING AND DELICIOUS WINTER SALAD BY CLARISSA KOCOVSKI IN COLLABORATION WITH PIMP MY SALAD }
{ INGREDIENTS }
SALAD
800g Baby White Potatoes (washed)
1 Red Onion (roughly chopped)
1 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
2 Cups Asparagus (roughly chopped)
230g Cannellini Beans (drained)
Handful of Pimp My Salad Coconut Bacon
Handful of Pimp My Salad Super Seed Sprinkles
½ Cup Black Rice (cooked)
DRESSING
3 Tbsp Smooth Tahini
2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Pimp My Salad Cashew Parmesan
½ tsp Pure Maple syrup
½ tsp Salt
{ METHOD }
Preheat the oven to 200C. Slice potatoes into quarters. Place on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Place the red onions onto the same tray. Drizzle oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix. Roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the dressing, add all ingredients including Pimp My Salad Cashew Parmesan to a small bowl or recycled Pimp My Salad jar. Stir until you have a thick paste. Add a few teaspoons of water until you reach a runny consistency.
Add the asparagus and beans to the same tray. Toss. Roast for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.
Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Time to plate up! Arrange rocket into the bottom of a serving platter. Add the warm veggies. Sprinkle over a generous handful of Pimp My Salad Coconut Bacon and Super Seeds. Add black rice. Drizzle over the dressing. Enjoy!
Brookfarm
Founded in 1999 by Pam and Martin Brook, Brookfarm is today Australia’s leading producer of premium quality Macadamia products. Brookfarm works on the 3 P’s Principal: Passion for quality, Passion for a better environment and Passion for great tasting healthy food. BROWSE OUR RECIPES & ARTICLES SWEETS: BAKING Apple, Polenta & Golden Syrup Pudding { AN EXTRACT FROM BROOKFARM’S MINI COOKBOOK ‘THE CHEF ON OUR FARM’. RECIPE COMPLIMENTS OF CHEF STEVEN SNOW OF FINS RESTAURANT. } Read More »
John O’brien, Founder And Creator Of The Gluten Free O’brien Beer
JOHN O’BRIEN, FOUNDER AND CREATOR OF THE GLUTEN FREE O’BRIEN BEER { O’Brien beer is completely free of gluten. This beverage allows you to enjoy that cold one at the end of your day – gluten free! } O’Brien gluten free beer is the first of its kind in Australia! Creator, John O’Brien, set out to create a beer that he could still enjoy after being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. Thanks to his determination you can now enjoy a gluten free beer in a variety of flavours. We sat down with John to discuss the genius behind O’Brien beer! ygf: Hi John! Thank you so much for sitting down with us today! Can you please tell our yum readers a little about yourself? Hi everyone! My name is John O’Brien. I am an engineer by trade and worked as a consulting engineer in a national consulting business before abandoning my career in 2004 and commencing my new brewing career. ygf: Wow that’s quite an exciting career change! How did the O’Brien gluten free beer brand begin? I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 1998, and my doctor said no more beer (amongst other things like bread, pasta and pizza – my staple diet). I said to myself, “I can do without the other three, but I can’t do without beer.” So I went on a search for gluten free beer. I quickly found there was no such thing. After I got fed up with cider, I started on a research and trial journey to make my own at home. First, I had to convince my wife to move house because I needed a back yard shed. Luckily she agreed and the trials began in our new house. They were terrible at first, but gradually I started making an acceptable beer. I then started to look into if there was a market out there for gluten free beer because I was sure I wasn’t the only one with this problem. So I developed a business plan and set about raising the necessary capital. ygf: It must have taken some getting used to changing your whole diet! It’s very lucky for gluten free patrons that you love your beer. We love that O’Brien beer is 100% gluten free. How do you ensure that your products are gluten free? We only source gluten free raw materials, including gluten free grains, and we only make gluten free beer. We do very occasionally make a barley based, Ballarat centric beer but we use separate equipment where cross-contamination is possible to make this beer. ygf: It is so fantastic that you are so vigilant about avoiding cross contamination. What do you think sets your beer apart? What makes you unique? O’Brien Beer is unique because we are industry leaders. O’Brien Beer is 100% gluten free, not a barley based beer with the gluten ‘removed’ or ‘reduced’. We were the first to produce a commercial gluten free beer in Australia. We were the first in the world to produce a naturally brewed low alcohol gluten free beer. We were the first, second and still the only gluten free beers to win a GOLD medal at the Australian International Beer Awards (the 2nd largest beer awards in the world). We make the largest range of 100% gluten free beers by any company in the world. ygf: It is so impressive that you were the first to produce a commercial gluten free beer in Australia! That is quite an achievement. As you said earlier there was a lot of trial and error. Any funny stories you feel like sharing with our readers? There have been many incidents that I look back on and have a laugh at, however many were not funny at the time. One particular incident was when I was doing trial brewing in the backyard shed. I had set up a roasting oven to roast the gluten free malt and the malt and oven caught fire. Luckily, I was able to put the fire out before it got out of control. ygf: Lucky you were quick to put out that fire! I’ve accidentally set a few things on fire when I’m trying out recipes. It’s great to be able to look back on these things and have a laugh. What is your vision for the future? Anything exciting we can all look out for? We plan to continue to lead the gluten free beer industry. We are always looking at ways to improve our products and processes. We are always looking to develop new products, some of which may find their way into production later this year. ygf: We will keep our eyes on the brand and we look forward to seeing those new products you are developing! How do our readers access buy some O’Brien beer? There are more than 300 stores, pubs and bars that stock out beer across Australia – you can find these at https://rebellionbrewing.com.au/find-our-beer/ . You can also purchase our beer online – we ship anywhere in Australia. ygf: O’Brien beer is in so many locations! That’s great to hear! Thank you for sitting down with us John. We wish you all the best with the brewing of new products to come. Keep an eye on those fires! Stay in Touch: https://rebellionbrewing.com.au/about/ https://www.facebook.com/OBrienBeer/ https://www.instagram.com/obrienbeer/
Gluten Free: What Does It Actually Mean?
Gluten Free: What does it actually mean? { We hear about “gluten free” all the time but lots of us still have questions! Read on to learn what gluten is, coeliac disease facts and finally understand complicated food labelling. } Consumers are faced with interpreting food labels every time they buy a packaged product. Food labels provide a range of information and it can be overwhelming deciding what to focus on. For the gluten free consumer, there are particular items of benefit on a food label, for example allergen statements and nutrient content claims, such as ‘gluten free’. Gluten Free. Have you ever wondered what that statement really means though? This article endeavours to provide some information on gluten from a nutrition and food labelling perspective. It covers topics such as what gluten is, what coeliac disease is, and looks at gluten labelling on foods. Most importantly, we hope it instils a desire for further knowledge; for it is knowledge that provides us with ability to make informed decisions to meets our needs. What is Gluten? Gluten is a type of protein naturally found in many grains such as wheat (and its varieties), rye, triticale, barley and oats. What is Coeliac Disease? Coeliac Australia reports that approximately 1 in 70 Australians have coeliac disease, with 4 out of 5 remaining undiagnosed. Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disease where consumption of gluten causes inflammation and damage to the small bowel. The small bowel has an extensive surface area as it is covered in villi (tiny projections that protrude out) which help absorb nutrients from food. In people with coeliac disease, consumption of gluten causes the villi to become flattened and inflamed resulting in reduced capacity for nutrient absorption. Coeliac Australia states that the inflammation caused by coeliac disease can also present in other areas in the body such as the skin, joints, bones, liver, pancreas, thyroid gland, nervous system and reproductive tract. Early diagnosis and treatment of coeliac disease is important as it can reduce the risk of associated medical conditions. Currently treatment involves lifelong adherence to a gluten free diet to heal the small bowel and improve overall health. Gluten Labelling on Foods As a way of introduction to food labelling, food for sale in Australia and New Zealand is required to comply with food standards. These food standards are developed by an agency aptly named Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Enforcement of the food standards is not carried out by FSANZ, rather it is carried out by state and territory and New Zealand agencies. Included in the food standards, it states that a mandatory declaration is required when a food contains certain allergenic foods or substances. ‘Cereals containing gluten’ is included in this list of foods or substances that require a declaration. Conversely, should a food not contain any gluten and the manufacturer wishes to label it as ‘gluten free’, the food standards state that the following conditions must be met for a product to be labelled ‘gluten free’: The food must not contain: Detectable gluten; or Oats or oat products; or Cereals containing gluten that have been malted, or products of such cereals A product that makes a gluten content claim is also required to show ‘gluten’ in the Nutrition Information panel. As gluten is a type protein, it is shown in the panel as a subset of protein. In the the below pictures, both products are labelled ‘Gluten Free’ however they have shown the gluten content in the panel slightly differently: one product lists the gluten content as ‘0 mg’ and the other lists the gluten content as ‘Not Detected’. Coeliac Australia states that the current level of gluten detection in Australia is 3-5 ppm, that is 0.003 g to 0.005 g of gluten per 1 kg of product. This means that for a product to be labelled ‘gluten free’, gluten needs to be not detected at this level. The definition used in Australia is different to other countries, for example, in North America and the EU, where the limit for ‘gluten free’ foods is slightly higher at 20 ppm or less. We hope the above provides a bit of insight into how the relationship between gluten, nutrition and food labelling. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of manufacturers to comply with food standards including the information they provide on food labels. For further reading, we recommend checking out Coeliac Australia for further information on understanding coeliac disease and eating gluten free. Disclaimer: This article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended as advice and should not be relied upon as such. Independent advice suited to individual circumstances should be sought from relevant industry professionals prior to making any decisions.
