Gluten Free Fresh Fig and Walnut Cake
Friday, October 20, 2023This naturally gluten-free, deliciously moist and flavourful cake is made with fresh figs, walnuts and buckwheat flour. The combination of earthy walnuts and sweet ripe figs bring out the best of each other. I have used erythritol sugar to sweetened the batter, but feel free to use caster sugar instead. Besides ground walnuts, you can also use hazelnuts or almonds. It's delicious at the end of a family feast or served for afternoon tea with a simple dust of icing powder or whipped cream, ice cream or Greek yoghurt.
Low Carb Butternut Bread
Wednesday, October 18, 2023Storebought low carb breads are either incredibly expensive or they simply don't taste good. This homemade version of low carb bread is super moist and flavourful thanks to the use of grated butternut squash, Parmigiano-Reggiano and marjoram, sugar free and gluten-free. Butternut squash, like potato, makes your bread twice as moist. But potatoes in low carb bread ain't a good idea. Sure, the squash also has a few carbohydrates, but much less than those tubers.
If you are interested in low carb or keto way of eating, but don't want to give up bread, then you might be interested in trying my other low carb / keto bread recipes.
- Keto Cauliflower Garlic Bread
- 2-ingredient Pork Rind Keto Bread
- 4-Ingredient Keto Bread with Cashew Butter and Chocolate Chips
- Low Carb Tahini Bread with Hemp Flour
- Low-Carb Bread Rolls with Quark and Wheat Germ
- Seedy Low Carb Bread with Goat Cheese and Thyme
- Seedy Keto Burger Buns
- Dairy-Free Keto Bread with Herbes de Provence
Pistachio and Raspberry Scrolls
Thursday, October 12, 2023Fluffy, pillowy and nutty -- these scrolls will fill your kitchen with a sweet, delicious aroma. Besides pistachio cream, almond or cashew cream are also fantastic to use for the filling. Scrolls are usually just frosted with a simple sugar glaze, but cream cheese based frosting would be just as great for these buns. They are best eaten warm, straight out of the oven for the breakfast or as a snack.
West African Roasted Pepper and Peanut Butter Chicken
Tuesday, October 10, 2023This easy recipe with roasted chicken thighs celebrates the rich flavours of poulet maafe / mafé, a spicy, creamy, nutty chicken stew that is an ultimate comfort food in Western Africa. Instead of stewing the chicken, I marinated bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a peanut sauce overnight, then roasted to perfection. For the sidedish, I serve zoodles tossed with some of peanut sauce. You can serve the chicken with couscous and carrot salad.
Simple Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil Bundt Cake
Tuesday, September 26, 2023What better way to celebrate pumpkin season than with this lightly green coloured dessert, studded with uniquely hull-less Styrian pumpkin seeds.
This simple bundt cake features the rich, nutty flavour of pumpkin seed oil from Styria, a province in southeastern Austria. Styrian pumpkin seed oil is made by pressing roasted, hull-less pumpkin seeds from a local variety of pumpkin, the "Styrian oil pumpkin". In addition to its characteristic dark green color, pumpkin seed oil also has a distinctive nutty taste.
Pan Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash and Brown Butter Hazelnuts
Sunday, September 24, 2023This is an elegant meal that is really easy to prepare. Scallops take only 3-4 minutes to cook until caramelized yet succulent. The trick to achieving that golden crust without overcooking the scallops is to heat your cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat for a few minutes until very hot and the scallops should be dry when they hit the pan. Pairing the plump, juicy and perfectly browned sea scallops with creamy butternut squash puree (parsnip puree would be fabulous too) that's roasted with garlic and thyme and brown butter hazelnuts is simply heavenly.
Cucumber Spaghetti Salad with Dill Dijon Dressing
Sunday, September 17, 2023Classic Buttery Hamantaschen
Friday, September 15, 2023Hamantaschen, triangular-shaped cookies stuffed with any of a variety of fillings, are a traditional treat often served during the Jewish holiday Purim. But you can always bake them any time when those cravings hit. They are most often filled with fruit preserves, chocolate, or poppy seed fillings.
The dough is easy to make and yields a rich, buttery, lemon-scented cookie that is full of flavour. It keeps the shape during the baking, as long as you don’t overfill your cookies and your filling has the proper thick texture. Another tip to keep hamantaschen in shape is to CHILL them overnight before baking. You can use any hamantaschen filling you like, poppy filling is our favourite.
Pistachio and White Bean Dip with Tomato Salad
Thursday, September 14, 2023Don't underestimate the power of a simple can of beans. Blended with pistachios, parsley, garlic, cumin, olive oil, and lemon, they effectively transform into a creamy, luscious dip. Topped with a vine-ripened cherry tomato salad and sprinkled with dukkah and extra pistachios, this quick and delicious dip makes a simple yet impressive starter or a light lunch.
Ricotta Fritters with Coffee Sugar
Tuesday, September 12, 2023These airy crunchy fritters are a mix of drained ricotta, blanched almond flour, lemon zest, egg and panko breadcrumbs. They are then fried to beautifully golden and crispy with a tender, fluffy centre, served scattered with some espresso sugar. If desired, serve those delicacies with some extra berry coulis or coffee syrup.
Keto Ricotta Tomato Tart
Wednesday, September 06, 2023This easy, keto friendly, naturally gluten free tomato tart brings out the wonderful flavour of juicy, ripe grape tomatoes with a rich, creamy cheese filling. The filling is similar to a no-bake cheesecake, featuring a slightly dense, smooth mix of ricotta cheese, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh goat cheese, with lemon juice and zest to add a bright and tangy note that balances and enhances the flavour of rich cheeses. Use a mix of heirloom tomato varieties for the topping if you can. Change up the herbs if you want. The crust can be baked one day ahead. You can use other tart base (like this turmeric crust, Gruyere spelt crust or this einkorn crust) if you ain't on keto.
Fig Salad with Arugula and Serrano
Monday, September 04, 2023This simple and delicious autumn salad is chock-full of lovely ingredients including fresh figs, Serrano ham, toasted pinenuts, and a homemade shallot vinaigrette. Parma and Prosciutto ham are both good substitutes for Serrano, or replace the ham with cheese (freshly grated Parmesan, blue cheese or Feta) if you prefer. To make this more substantial, you could serve some quinoa or sourdough bread with it.