Banana Quinoa Breakfast Muffins.

Fancy a breakfast on the run packed full of nutrition and goodness. Look no further because I have created a recipe full of essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron, vitamin C, E and B6 and also dietary fibre . These muffins are not only delicious, but also moist and great for the whole family. I hope you like them just as much as my family does.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Quinoa Flour
• 1/3 Cup Sunflower Seeds
• 2 Free Range Eggs
• 1 Large Banana, mashed (or 2 Small)
• 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
• 1/3 Cup Almond Milk (other milk alternatives suitable)
• 1/3 Cup Walnuts
• 1/4 Cup Honey
• 1 Heaped tsp Baking Powder
• 2 tsp Cinnamon

What To Do:

• Place Quinoa flour, sunflower seeds, walnuts and baking powder in food processor. Pulse until it resembles a fine crumb texture. Add all of the remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined. Spoon into lined muffin tins until 2/3 full, and bake in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. The muffins are cooked when a skewer is inserted and it comes out clean. If using a mini muffin tin only bake for 8-10 min.

          Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Peanut Fudge

I'm loving the taste of chocolate and peanuts together lately. Well to be honest I think that's what was in my cupboard in abundance at the time when I created this recipe. I was hoping this would hold up as a lunchbox treat but it becomes quiet soft out of the fridge. So lets call it an after school snack. Its smooth, rich, delicious and soooooo good for you.
Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• 200 mls Coconut Cream
• 1 Cup Pitted Dates
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 3 Tbsp Organic Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Desiccated Coconut
• 1 cup Raw Almonds
• 3 Tbsp Raw Cacao Powder
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

What To Do:

• Place coconut cream, dates, maple syrup and peanut butter in a small saucepan. On a low heat simmer gently for 5 minutes or until dates have softened. Allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients and blend until well incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a square 20cm x 20cm tin lined with baking paper. Press until equal and flattened. Refrigerate or freeze until well set. Once out of the fridge serve immediately before it softens and melts.                                                                                                  Enjoy!!!

Rice and Vege Pancakes

These pancakes are a staple in our fridge lately. My 13 month old daughter will eat them at every meal of the day if offered, she loves them. We were having some issues with her digestion and trying to find foods that she likes. We were advised to hold back on the brown rice as the husk of the brown rice may be too dificult for her to digest. So we have temporally made a switch to white rice (eeeekkkkkk I never thought id say that). She absolutely loves the flavour of jasmine rice so I have used this in this recipe. I have a powerful machine that mills grains so i can make jasmine rice into flour. If you dont own a high powered milling machine you could use a mortar and pestle to grind up the raw rice or just use store bought rice flour. Brown or white rice will work just as well. I hope you like this one just as much as my baby girl does,
Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Jasmine Rice Flour (Brown or White Rice Flour will work)
• 2 Carrots (skin on)
• 1 Large zucchini
• 1-2 Spring Onions
• 1-2 Cloves Garlic
• 1-2 tbsp Tamari (wheat Free soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 Free Range Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Olive oil
• Olive Oil Spray for cooking

What to do:

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until the batter becomes a rough puree. If you don't have a food processor you could always finely chop garlic and spring onions, and grate carrots and zucchini. Then combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until it becomes a thickish batter. Place a non stick pan on a low heat and spray lightly with olive oil. Dollop 1 table spoon of batter on to preheated pan and cook on each side for 3-5 min or until well set and golden in colour. Continue until all batter is used. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week if they last that long or in the freezer for a quick and easy lunch, brunch or a lunchbox snack. Enjoy!!!

Buckwheat, Garlic and Quinoa Focaccia or Flat Bread

This recipe came about as I was trying to create a grain free bread. With the help of 2 websites http://www.elanaspantry.com/ and http://www.grainfreeliving.com/home my knowledge in the grain free cooking world has broadened. I have been using buckwheat, quinoa and arrowroot a lot more as they are not considered grains. I created this recipe as I wanted to replace typical white flour focaccia is traditionally made with. It is a great bread alternative, with a great flavour, but as it is dense it doesn't keep well. So the next BBQ gathering you host give this one a go. Tell everyone it is super healthy and great for there digestive system (it wont leave you bloated like most wheat based breads do), they'll love it.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 Cups Buckwheat Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Quinoa Flour
• 1/2 Cup Arrowroot Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 350 mls Lukewarm Water
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 heaped Tbsp Dried Yeast
• 4 Tbsp olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Dried Caraway or Fennel Seeds

What To Do:

• Combine water, 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and yeast in a bowl and whisk well. Finely Chop Garlic and add to wet mixture. Add flour and mix until well combined. The mix will be quiet wet. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to sit for 1 hour. Place 1 tbsp of olive oil into a roasting pan and grease well. Transfer focaccia mix to roasting pan. Press bread dough with fingers until approx 1 cm thick. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil on top of the bread. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds and caraway or fennel seeds. Season with salt and transfer to a preheated hot oven 220 degrees for 20 min. The bread is ready when it is golden and crisp and sounds hollow when tapped on top. Cut or break bread apart in to individual serving sizes, enjoy with dips, as a starter or as an accompaniment to soup.

Flat bread:

• After allowing the bread to sit for 1 hour, section the dough into golf ball sizes. Press with fingers until 1/2 cm thick. Heat a non stick frypan or griddle pan on medium heat. Using a small amount of olive oil spray or regular olive oil, grease the pan and place flat bread in. Sprinkle with a small amount of sesame and caraway or fennyl seeds and salt. when the flat bread becomes golden, flip and repeat on the other side. This may take up to 3-5 min per flat bread and the effort is well worth it.

Choc Peanut Biscuits (Grain Free)

Lately I have been dabbling in new year, clean eating, detox diets and have come across the paleo diet. A Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oil. I haven't been basing
my recipes around meat as I am a vegetarian, but i have been finding grain free deserts, treats and bread and rice/pasta alternatives. There is a whole new world of eating out there, and there is no reason why we should be eating processed food. Since I have been on my food journey I can really tell when a particular food doesn't agree with me. For example, if I have sugar I instantly get an ear ache and my vision becomes blurry, if I have dairy I have pain in my abdomen and if I have oats or dried fruits I get sleepy. So in saying that I try to avoid these foods where possible. Its amazing the affects food can have on you when you strip it all back.
So here is a grain free lunchbox treats. Sugar free, grain free, dairy free and by leaving out the organic peanut butter they could also be nut free.
Enjoy.

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Ingredients:

• 230g Arrowroot Flour
• 4 tbsp Honey
• 1-2 tbsp Molasses
• 110g Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 heaped tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 1 heaped tbsp Organic Peanut Butter
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan Salt

What To Do:

• In a saucepan combine honey, molasses, peanut butter and coconut oil. Heat over low heat until simmering and well combined stiring often. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients, stir until well combined. Roll into small balls and and place on oven trays lined with baking paper. Press down slightly on each ball to the desired biscuit size and place in a moderate oven for 10-12 min or until slightly browned and set. Allow to cool on tray before transfering to a storage container or jar.

Chewy Dairy Free Raw Chocolate

My favourite is raw chocolate especially this one that doesn't leave you feeling high on sugar. This one will have you going back for more. Not because your body is addicted to the sugary rush that comes with conventional chocolate but the smooth chewy texture is Devine. yummmmmmmmmmmmmo
(Note the chocolate looks a little frosty in the photo below as I was trying to speed up setting time by putting them in the freezer.)

Ingredients:

• 100g Raw Coconut Oil
• 3 tbsp Raw Honey
• 6 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder
• Pinch Hymilain Salt

What To Do:

• Heat oil in a double boiler on a very low heat until completely melted (no hotter than 40 degrees as the raw goodness of your ingredients will be damaged and not as nutritious.) Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients vigorously until well combined. Poor into silicon chocolate moulds or poor onto baking paper (and break up or cut when set). Allow to set in the freezer until solidified should take 30min. Store in a container in the refrigerator. Best savoured with a pot of herbal tea. Delicious!!!

Zucchini Slice (Gluten Free)

This recipe came about as one of my most loyal followers requested a quick, easy, throw in a pan/pot and cook recipe for dinner. I hope this fulfills the brief. Here it is. Gluten free and dairy free Zucchini Slice that's so tasty, hot or cold, for lunch or dinner. Just serve it up with a salad and roast potatoes and dinner is done.
Enjoy!!!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Zucchinis grated
• 1 Carrot (skin on) grated
• 1/2 Red Onion finely diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves minced
• 6 Eggs
• 1 tsp Baking Powder (gluten free)
• 1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tsp Tamari (wheat free soy)
• 1 Tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 Tomato
• 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 Tbsp Savoury Yeast Flakes

What to do:

• Combine eggs, oil, flour and baking powder, tamari and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Add grated carrot and zucchini, onion and garlic and mix well. Transfer mix to a 20cm square tin, lined with baking paper. Slice tomato into 5 thick slices and place on top. sprinkle with oregano then yeast flakes and bake in a slow oven 160 degrees for 1 hour or until set.

Enjoy!!!