wheat free

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Who Would Have Thought…

Who would have thought that tahini ( ground sesame seed paste) and maple syrup could  taste this good?  Today I made my first raw food dessert – raw caramel slice from  Vladia Cobrdova’s “A Whole New Way To Eat.”

I love the base- dates and almonds, the caramel – basically tahini, coconut oil and maple syrup and the choc top –  mostly just cocoa and coconut oil. YUM.  A little goes a long way – but  make sure you keep this in the fridge.  The recipe  states this will keep for up to three weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, which is good because this recipe made a huge amount.  If you are down this way – pop in for a coffee and a taste.

 

raw caramel slice

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Start Your Day Right!

Looking for a healthy nutritious high fibre start to your day and something this will keep you going until lunch time?

Try this  – Oat Bran, Quinoa and Chia Porridge  (p.20) from Anna Gare’s Delicious Every Day  – wheat free, diary free goodness.  Suggestions for serving – a drizzle of honey, extra almond milk and pistachios.   I had an almond and coconut milk mix on hand so used that and am allergic to honey so made a quick strawberry coulis (with frozen berries) to naturally sweeten this dish – delicious!

porridge

 

 

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Pumpkin-Spiced Quinoa Balls: One Handed Cooks – Allie Gaunt, Jessica Beaton & Sarah Buckle

Cover One Handed Cooks

One Handed Cooks

Allie Grant, Jessica Beaton and Sarah Buckle

Penguin Random House Australia

Viking

ISBN: 9780670079018

 

 

Pumpkin-Spiced Quinoa Balls

Pumpkin Spiced Quinoa Balls

 

‘Extracted from One Handed Cooks by Allie Gaunt & Jessica Beaton with photography by Sarah Buckle, Viking, RRP$39.99

M a k e s a b o u t 4 0

P R E P T I M E 15 minutes

C O O K I N G T I M E 55 minutes

 

½ (about 550 g) butternut pumpkin (squash), seeded and cut into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup (95 g) quinoa

1 cup (80 g) finely chopped broccoli florets

1 small red onion, finely grated

Steamed vegetables, to serve

 

This simple finger food is all-natural, with a subtle hint of spice and little pops of texture to excite your baby.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Put the pumpkin into a bowl, add the olive oil and spices and toss to coat. Arrange the pumpkin in a single layer on a lined tray and bake, turning halfway through cooking, for 25 minutes or until soft and caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
  3. Meanwhile, place the quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Transfer to a heavy-based saucepan, add 1 cup (250 ml) water and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside, without lifting the lid, for 4 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and leave to cool.
  4. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
  5. Scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and place in a bowl. Squeeze the liquid from the grated onion and use paper towel to pat the onion dry. Add the onion, broccoli and quinoa to the pumpkin and mash together until well combined. Dollop teaspoon-sized balls of mixture onto the remaining lined tray.
  6. Bake the balls, turning halfway through cooking, for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with steamed vegetables alongside.

 

N U T R I T I O N N OT E Spice doesn’t always mean ‘hot’, so don’t let the word scare you off when cooking family meals. Incorporating a range of spices into your child’s meals will help in the transition to family food and encourage positive eating behaviours.

S TO R A G E Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Alternatively, freeze the uncooked balls, on a lined tray covered with plastic film, until frozen, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

Freeze, GF,WF,DF,EF,V

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Very Berry Shake: Supercharged Food For Kids – Lee Holmes

SuperchargedFoodForKids_cvr

Recipes and Images from Supercharged Food for Kids by Lee Holmes (Murdoch Books).

VERY BERRY SHAKE

SERVES 1

125 g (412 oz/1 cup) fresh or frozen mixed berries
12 banana, peeled and frozen
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) almond milk
4 ice cubes

Whizz all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

 

Very Berry Shake

 

HEALTH TIP
Need breakfast on the run? This shake will provide ample energy when time is short.

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Chocolate Popsicle’s – Supercharged Food For Kids – Lee Holmes

SuperchargedFoodForKids_cvr

Recipes and Images from Supercharged Food for Kids by Lee Holmes (Murdoch Books).

CHOCOLATE POPSICLES

MAKES 4

2 bananas
65 g (214 oz/14 cup) nut butter
60 ml (2 fl oz/14 cup) additive-free coconut milk or coconut water
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
14 teaspoon stevia powder or your sweetener of choice
4 iceblock (popsicle/ice lolly) moulds and sticks

 

Whizz all the ingredients in a food processor to combine.

Pour into the ice block moulds and add the sticks, then freeze until set.

 

Chocolate Popsicles

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Chocolate Caramel Slices- Deliciously Ella Every Day – Ella Woodward

 

Deliciously Ella Every Day

‘These recipes are from Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward,

published by Hachette Australia,

RRP $29.99.’

 CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SLICES

 

“One of the pricier recipes in the book as it’s very nut-heavy, but trust me, it is such a treat. The three layers melt together perfectly like little bites of paradise, with the ideal mix of biscuit, caramel and chocolate, just like a super-healthy, even-more-delicious version of millionaire’s shortbread.” (p.228)

 

Makes about 16

 

For the base

150g almonds

125g pecans

400g medjool dates, pitted

2 tablespoons almond butter

 

For the caramel layer

400g medjool dates, pitted

6 heaped tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the chocolate layer

100g cacao butter

1 tablespoon almond butter

150g medjool dates, pitted

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

2–4 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)

 

Start by making the base: simply put the almonds and pecans in a food processor and blend for about 1 minute until a grainy flour forms, then add the dates and almond butter and blend again until the mix becomes nice and sticky. Transfer the mix to the bottom of a baking tin lined with baking parchment (mine is 31 x 21 x 6cm), pushing it down firmly with a spatula. Place the tray in the freezer for 20 minutes.

 

Next make the caramel layer. To do this simply put all the ingredients into the food processor with 120ml of water and blend until smooth and creamy, then pour on to the base layer and put the tray back into the freezer for 30–40 minutes, so it becomes firm enough to pour on the chocolate layer.

 

Finally make the chocolate layer. Place the cacao butter in a saucepan and melt on a low heat with the almond butter. Once they’ve melted, pour into the food processor with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

 

After the caramel has become solid, spread the chocolate layer on top, then place the tray back into the freezer and freeze for about 2 hours.

 

Store the whole sheet in the freezer. Take them out and leave at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, to let them warm up a little, then cut them into 16 slices to serve.

 

DELCIOUSLY ELLA EVERY DAY by Ella Woodward. Hodder & Stoughton Publishers 2016

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Chamomile and Lavender Tea – Heal Your Gut – Lee Holmes

A delicious and calming tea for all occasions – Chamomile and Lavender Tea reproduced with permission from Murdoch Book and Lee Holmes author of Heal Your Gut.

Chamomile and Lavender Tea

Chamomile and Lavender Tea

Serves 2

The combination of these two delicate and calming herbs will settle your nervous system and relax your digestive system, especially if you’re feeling stressed or tense.

2 teaspoons lavender buds

2 teaspoons chamomile buds

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) boiling filtered water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Put the lavender and chamomile in a teapot. Pour over the water, then add the lemon juice. Infuse for 10 minutes, then pour into mugs or glasses (or strain it if you prefer) and serve.

 

*Recipes and Images from Heal Your Gut by Lee Holmes (www.murdochbooks.com.au)

Cover Heal Your Gut

Heal Your Gut – Lee Holmes

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Kefir Yoghurt: Heal Your Gut – Lee Holmes

Heal Your Gut - Lee Holmes www.murdochbooks.com.au

Heal Your Gut – Lee Holmes http://www.murdochbooks.com.au

Maintain and restore with food – phase three of the protocol for healing your gut according to Lee Holmes includes eating a fermented food every day. “Once your gut lining is healed…you can start to incorporate one cultured food such as Cultured Vegetables…Sauerkraut…Kimchi…Coconut Kefir or Home made Kombucha to colonise your gut with healthy flora. and boost your inner ecosystem.”  (p.83)

 

Kefir Yoghurt

       Kefir Yoghurt

Recipes and Images from Heal Your Gut by Lee Holmes (www.murdochbooks.com.au)

 

Kefir Yoghurt

serves 2

Boost your inner ecosystem with the beneficial bacteria in this delicious yoghurt to keep your immune system strong.

You’ll need a sterilised glass bowl or large jar, a blender, a strainer, a square of muslin (cheesecloth), an elastic band and a wooden spoon. (Avoid using metal, and store in a glass jar.)

 

3 young coconuts, at room temperature

2 dairy-free probiotic capsules or 1 tablespoon dairy-free probiotic powder

liquid stevia or stevia powder, to taste

fresh berries, to serve (optional)

 

Open the coconuts and strain the coconut water into a bowl. Set aside.

Scrape out the coconut flesh, trying not to include any husk, and place in a blender. Add the coconut water and blend until creamy – it should have the consistency of yoghurt.

Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and add the contents of the probiotic capsules or the probiotic powder.

Cover the bowl with muslin (cheesecloth), securing it with the elastic band, and put in a cool, dry, dark place for 1–2 days. When ready, it should taste fairly sharp without a hint of sweetness.

Add stevia to taste, then refrigerate and enjoy over the next 7 days. Serve with fresh berries, if using.