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10 Ways to Cook with Dried Fruit - Dairy Free




Dried_fruits : Dried Mixed Fruit Stock Photo

DRIED FRUIT

Cooking Dairy free is easy, so why pay premium prices for Free from Products when you can make your own.  

I love dried fruit in both savoury and sweet dishes.  During the summer I love making carrot and raisin couscous salad.  I love added them to cakes and cookies, there sweetness lets me reduce the sugar in the recipes.  As someone with IBS and food intolerance's, my digestive system is a lot happier with the sweetness of dried fruit rather than sugar.  

Have I mentioned I love dried fruit!!!!!

All these recipes are dairy free, or easy to make dairy free by substituting your favourite free from milk and spread.  



1. On the Side

Balsamic red cabbage


Adding dried fruit to side dishes just makes them look more special.  







2. Salads

Fruity Couscous Salad Recipe

Carrot & Raisin Couscous

I love making Couscous salad, the tiny grains of pasta soak up any flavour you add to them.  My personal trick is to add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to the dry grains and mix through before adding the stock.  It makes the grains less clumpy.  


Broccoli au Tournesol   (Broccoli & Raisin Salad)





3. Preserves



2013_02_20-FigJam-1.jpg

The Kitchn.com
Mission fig Jam 

Dried fruit are a commonly added to both jams and chutney recipes.  However until I did a little research I didn't know you could make a jam from just dried fruit.  



Dried Apricot Jam

Mission Fig Quick Jam


4. Drinks

Fresh fruit is added to Spanish sangria and festive punches, so why not Dried fruit.  


Dried Fruit & Grapefruit Smoothie

Dried Fruit in Cocktails

Kompot with dried apricots

Coconut & Date smoothie 

 This recipe calls for coconut water & homemade Almond milk.  Coconut water is a bit too expensive for me. So I would make this recipe just using coconut milk.  (Not the canned Variety, but the dairy free milk substitute found in the chill aisle at the supermarket.  




5. Soup


Fruktsoppa (fruit soup) recipe

UKTV
Fruit salad isn't really appealing in the winter months so why not try a lovely warm fruit soup.

Fruktsoppa - fruit soup

Scandinavian sweet soup

Lentil Soup with a hint of fruit




6. Winter warming Stews


Vegetable tagine with apricots

Taste.com.au

I really Love Love Love Love Love stews, especially in winter.  Next too soup there the ultimate comfort food.  On a cold winter night, eating one is like getting a lovely big hug.



Vegetable Tagine with Apricots

Five a day Tagine

Sweet potato, lentil & Raisin stew

Dried fruit and Lima bean stew (Broad beans)  The cream in the recipe is optional so this one is easy to make dairy free.




7. International 



Blue World Map

(Webweaver.nu)


Adding dried fruit to savoury dishes is not a new foody fad.  It's also not limited to one global cuisine but many.  

Fettuccine with Swiss chard & dried fruit   Leave out the Parmesan to make dairy free or use vegan cheese

Bulgar pilaf with toasted Almonds & Dried fruit

Savoury curried rice with dried fruit  Use Vegetable stock to make this vegetarian.  

African inspired Peanut curry

Dolmades




8.  Sweets & Candy



Ina Gartens 
French chocolate Bark

If your really craving something sweet why not something that counts towards your Five fruit and vegetables a day goal.  

Dried Fruit Gums

Dried fruit & nut bites

French Chocolate Bark

Chocolate covered Raisins






9. Snacks

Peppered fruit recipe

uktv/food

My granny was one of the cleaners in a hotel in Edinburgh.  One of the chef's introduced her to sprinkling pepper on Strawberry's and it's been passed down in the family ever since.  If it tastes good with fresh fruit, then why not dried

Peppered Fruit

Hot Curried Dried Fruit

Lightened up Granola 

-  It might not seem like a snack to everyone, however I love to snack on dry cereal.  It's just like eating popcorn but with a lot more Vitamins and minerals.




10.  Traditional Scottish Recipes

Vegan Dundee cake

aspiring vegan.com



Normally I would end my 10 ways to cook blog with dessert.  Doesn't all good things end with dessert.  However there some of the best traditional Scottish recipes make excellent use of the humble dried fruit.

My mum used to cook Clootie Dumpling every New year, for folk popping in to First Footing our house.  I personally loved it covered in Custard. It's one of the few recipes that I would never attempt to make myself, It just wouldn't be as good as my mums.  

Clootie Dumpling

Black bun

Fly Cemetery slice  - Named such as not because it tastes like it, more that it resembles one

Dundee Cake  This recipe uses Flax seeds/Linseed's as an egg substitute.




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