A Christmas challenge…

With Christmas around the corner and countless chocolates, sweets and biscuits in the shop windows, most of whom don’t cater for the GF people of the world, I’ve decided to set myself some christmas challenges.

I really like christmas. Correction, I love christmas.

I wear Xmas earrings and dress the dog up.

I am one of those people, so it stands to good reason that I also love christmas food.

This year I am attempting to re-create the annual christmas fruit cake gluten-free style. I would like to point out it’s never been attempted before. It is nanna’s secret recipe and there is a lot at stake.

Pride for one and disappointed bellies for two, come christmas day. My nerves are already on edge.

I also love rum balls. But this year, will attempt to make rum bliss balls. A much healthier take on the christmas tradition but with a hint of the good stuff.

I am also going to attempt some citrus spice fruit cake muffins and a desert. Thinking about what would make the most festive, but healthy desert. Forget the pav, I’m thinking of quinoa fruit spice puddings but will have to wait and see.

Fingers crossed as I’m planning on testing these recipes out over the next couple of weeks before the big day. Taste testers may be required 😛

x

J

Time for a Friday follow..

So I’m going to put up a weekly friday follow a bit more regularly. Basically a shout out to a blog, poster or organisation who deserves some blog love in this GF world.

The biggest one and most overdue one goes to the Goodness Gracious Organic Gluten Free cafe in Yandina.

They did my birthday cake this year. A chocolate raspberry brownie cake. Di-vine! So for the first time I had a birthday cake which not only didn’t make me feel ill, but tasted awesome and was one which didn’t leave a bucket load of dishes in the sink.

It is my absolute favourite place to go to at the moment, not only is everything in the cafe completely gluten-free, but they are allergy friendly too, with vegan, dairy, egg and sugar-free foods on offer.

Set in the most quaint little Queenslander house, in gthe sleepy sunshine coast town, Yandina. The cafe is spread out over a courtyard and within a house which is crowded with retro antiques and knick knacks as well as gluten, sugar and dairy free books.  It’s the first place since going gluten-free that I’ve been able to have pancakes outside of home. Just imagine, 12 months without pancakes for breakfast. A tragic scenario indeed. They also offer lunch and breakfast options which range from more than just a salad with no dressing or steak.

Happy days! I love it so much I’m planning on introducing every one of my friends to it, including one of my closest mates tomorrow for breakfast 🙂

happy friday and sending out a bag load of blog love to Goodness Gracious 🙂

x

J

 

choosing bliss this sunday morning

Blue skies. Sunshine. Light spring breeze. My runners and me.

The perfect start to a sunday morning.

My idea of bliss really. The rush after a run is like nothing else.

But to top it off today, afterwards I baked up a bit of a storm for morning tea and thought I’d share the end result

Fresh raspberry/strawberry scones. GF, NF, EF, DF, Vegan Friendly and SF.

I don’t need to tell you they were delish do I? ;P Happy Sunday all.

Also thought I’d share my favourite quote that I always think of on Sundays. Can set you up on the right foot for the rest of the week 🙂

x

J

“Every morning when I get up, the first thing I decide is: What do I want? Misery? Blisfullness? What am I going to choose today? And it happens that I always choose blissfulness. It is my choice, it is my life, “ Abdullah

my banana bread brings all the boys to the yard..

So my banana bread brings all the boys to the yard, damn right it’s better than yours. Well healthier anyway.

Who doesn’t love a good piece of banana bread? Toasted on a brisk morning and slathered with a nice bit of almond butter or honey. It’s refined sugar free, dairy free,  egg free, lactose free, gluten free and vegan friendly. It can also be made nut free.

The perfect other half to a cappuccino in my book. So I thought I’d share my banana bread recipe which has taken quite a while to perfect but which never fails to bring all the boys  and girls to the kitchen 🙂

The Goods:

2 cups of gluten-free plain flour

1/2 cup of coconut oil

2 tablespoons of honey (you can use agave syrup instead about 2/3cup will do if want to make it vegan)

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

1 cup of sultanas

1 handful of chopped walnuts

2/3 cup of Almond, Rice or Soy milk. I prefer soy for this one

1 1/2 cups of mashed lady fingers (about 4 decent sized ones)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon of xantham gum

2 teaspooons of baking powder

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 apricots (fresh or tinned in natural juices, no added sugar)

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xantham gum, cinnamon  and nutmeg until all combined.  Add the sultanas and walnuts to the flour mix and stir until all are coated.In the meantime heat the coconut oil and allow to cool lightly. In a separate bowl mix the honey, milk, vanilla and maple syrup together. Add the oil and stir well. Add in the mashed banana and apricot and stir well. Once all combined at the wet mix to dry and fold in carefully until well combined.

Line a bread tray with baking paper and pour in the mix. Bake in the centre rack for 30-45 mins at 180 degrees. Rotate the tin after 20 minutes. Check the bread at 30 mins with a measuring stick and once it’s nicely brown on top it is ready. Allow to cool before removing from tin and cut, if you can stand it.

x

J

ps. would love to hear if anyone else’s banana bread brings the boys to yard or other breads for that matter and their recipes 🙂

“If we’re not willing to settle for junk living, we  certainly shouldn’t settle for junk food.” -Sally Edwards

 

blowing a chocolate raspberry kiss..

So as a little thank you to the hospital staff for all their care, compassion and understanding last week I though I’d send them a chocolate raspberry kiss.

Well an edible one anyway.

Along with some choc raspberry nut biscuits, I sent up some kale and carrot muffins, apricot and banana muffins and a couple of choc cherry muffins. All made GF, LF, DF, EF and vegan friendly chocolate.

Thought I’d share a pic of the biscuits. Saved a couple for home and they don’t look like they will last the day 🙂

x

J

 

let them eat cake..

So it’s the weekend and it’s dad’s birthday.

Sure I’ve been unwell, but that’s no excuse not to attempt a bit of baking. Just a little.

It can’t hurt can’t it?

Here is a shot of a new concoction. Here’s hoping it goes down well.

Introducing the Happy 66th. A ginger chocolate fruit cake infused with an espresso shot and a fresh raspberry baked centre. Topped with chocolate icing flavoured with hint of port.

All SF, LF, EF and GF of course.

Something tells me it won’t last the weekend 😉

x

J

berry nice to meet you..

I’ve been having a love affair with berries for quite a while now. All types. Raspberries, blueberries, mulberries, black berries. None are safe when I am around. Especially when I am in the kitchen.

So when I saw a recipe for a sugar loaded orange berry cake, I thought I’d have a go at turning it GF, SF and LF. As I was changing quite a few elements, I decided to stick with the eggs, at least for this attempt. I didn’t want to change too much and have it emerge as yet another GF baking disaster.

ready to go into the oven..

The Goods:

2 cups of gluten-free self rasing flour

2 tablespoons of honey

2 eggs lightly beaten

3/4 cup of almond milk

2 orange rinds

1/4 of freshly squeezed orange juice

130g coconut oil

150g raspberries

80g of blueberries

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 180c. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon in bowl, add the eggs, milk, rind and juice. Add the oil last and mix gently. Pour into baking dish. Use all the raspberries to top the cake, pressing them gently into mix and bake for 20 mins. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top and bake for a further 20 mins.

The final result? A dense, but tasty summery cake/pudding for afternoon tea or desert, best served warmed up on these chilly winter evenings. Drizzled with golden syrup or some greek yoghurt.

 

 

x

J

just like a chocolate milkshake only healthier and harder..

Golden roughs. Chocolate crackles. Snickers. All favourites of mine, prior to discovering I was GF.

I still get the occasional twinge for them, a craving every time I hear of a kid’s birthday party (chocolate crackles are always there if it’s a good birthday party) or if I catch a glimpse of the golden shimmer of the golden rough packaging.

Just enough to emit a sigh. Well, sighs will be no more since discovering this recipe courtesy of body change wellness blog.

I made a few changes, but omg these didn’t even last a day in our house. Just delicious!

The Goods:

• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons of pure Cacao
• 1 tablespoon of vegan choc chips
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of Honey or Maple (for vegans)
• 1 cup of chopped almonds/walnuts
• 1/3 cup of puffed rice
• 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal
• 1/4 almond meal
• 1 cup of sultanas
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or what I usually do is lightly grease a cookie sheet to drop cookies on). Chop the nuts- use a food processor it’s easier. In a cooking pan on medium heat melt chocolate, coconut oil and honey or maple. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, pecans, and coconut. Drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper and refrigerate until they harden or pop them in the freezer for a bit, like I did.

Simple awesome!

x

J

A savoury and a sweet walked into a bar…

The biggest quandary known to snackers worldwide. The sweet vs savoury conundrum. I have always fallen into the sweet category myself, but I know quite a few folk who have a hankering for the savoury stuff.

So building on the raspberry wonderland muffin base I’ve created a few hybrids I just couldn’t help but share. All SF, GF, LF and vegan friendly 🙂

 

Kale & Carrot Savoury Muffin

The Goods:

3 Chopped leaves of Kale

1 finely chopped onion

1 Large field mushroom finely chopped

1 carrot finely grated or chopped in a processor

1 cup of plain GF flour

125ml Olive Oil

125ml Almond Milk

1 tablespoon of crushed turmeric (much better for flavour)

2 teaspoons of paprika powder

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 teaspoons on baking powder

 

Mix the flour, paprika, turmeric powder and baking powder together until well combined. Then fold the kale, carrot, onion and mushroom into a separate bowl. Add the oil, milk and crushed turmeric. Mix well. Fold into the flour until well combined. Scoop into a muffin tray and bake for 10-15mins on 180 degrees. Top the muffins with some grated parmesan. Or for a vegan friendly option – vegan cheese. Rotate after 5 mins and check the cheese doesn’t go too brown. Serve warm.

and for the sweet fiends out there – 2 recipes to whet your appetite:

Choc Date Apple Muffins

The Goods:

1/4 cup of chopped dates/prunes

1 tin of Ardmona apples (no added sugar)

1/2 cup of sultanas

2 tablespoons of pure cacao

125ml almond milk

125ml olive oil

1 cup of plain GF flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder (gluten free)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of Honey

1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup

 

Mix the flour, cinnamon, cacao and baking powder together. Add the apples, sultanas, olive oil and milk all in one separate bowl. Add the honey and maple syrup and combine. Fold into flour until all is combined. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 10-15 mins. If you want to make it double choc – use sugar-free dark goiji berry chocolate and put tiny pieces in the middle of the muffins to create a melt in your mouth chocolatey centre.

and for those who like a ginger/citrus punch:

Ginger Citrus muffins

The Goods:

1 cup of orange zest

1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 of freshly cut ginger

1 tablespoon of crushed ginger

2 tablespoons of all spice

1 tablespoon of nutmeg

1 cup of gluten free plain flour

125ml almond milk

125ml olive oil

1 & 1/2 cups of sultanas

1/4 cup of crushed walnuts

2 teaspoons of baking powder (gluten free)

2 tablespoons of honey

Combine spices, flour and baking powder in one bowl, add zest and mix through. Pour oil, milk, sultanas, honey, ginger and orange juice into a bowl and stir well. Fold into flour mix. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 10-15 mins.

There’s always a debate at morning tea as to which one is best with coffee, but so far the arguments peter out as soon as everyone takes a bite.

Enjoy

x

j

 

 

So my apples kissed a lime..

Anyone who knows me well knows I am a fan of lime, mint and well to be honest all of the ingredients that go into a classic mojioto. But when we were recently inundated with a surplus of limes, for the first time mojiotos were far from my thoughts.

Before I knew what I was doing, I created a new recipe – Apple Cinnamon Lime bread. So popular that I only managed one picture of it before it was demolished by the family yesterday.

The Goods:

1/4 cup of lime zest (equivalent of about three limes)

1/4 cup of lime juice (freshly squeezed post zesting)

2 cups of Plain Gluten Free flour

2 Teaspoons of Baking powder

2 Teaspoons of Bicarb soda

1 Teaspoon of Xantham gum

2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon

1/2 cup of Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup

1/3 cup of Sultanas

2/3 cup of Almond Milk

1 tin of Ardmona apples 400g (no added sugar)

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

 

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and xantham gum. In a separate bowl mix, oil, milk, honey, maple syrup, sultanas, apples and vanilla together. Fold into the flour mix and gently stir until all are combined.  Line a bread pan with baking paper and pour mix in. Baking for 35-40 mins. Rotate 180 degrees after 20 mins. Once cooked it will have risen and be bouncy to the touch. Leave in the tin for 20 mins. Then remove and serve 🙂

x

J