Black Rice Banana Muffins with Chia Seeds (Gluten free, Dairy free, Refined sugar free)
Wednesday, September 11, 2019These healthy black rice muffins with chia & avocado oil are naturally gluten free, refined sugar free, and dairy-free. They’re so tender, fluffy, and very delicious too. Apart from that, they are sweetened naturally with 5 very ripe bananas. Bake a batch for breakfast, afternoon pick me up treat or anytime you have a dessert craving. Feel free to swap the black rice flour for brown rice or white rice flour.
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- Grease 6-8 jumbo muffin cups with coconut oil or butter. Whisk together black rice flour, chia seeds, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl.
- Mash the ripe bananas in another mixing bowl. Add in eggs, avocado oil, and sherry. Stir to combine. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in golden raisins.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Top with almond slices. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Bake the muffins in the middle of hot oven for about 20-22 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
Fig and Coconut Tart with Pistachios and Mint
Saturday, September 07, 2019A sugar-free, delicious, and fruity dessert recipe from Lorraine Pascale via BBC Food - perfect for when fresh figs are in season. It's so easy to prepare and shows off those beautiful figs really well. Grapes are a good alternative to figs here, but you can make this tart with pretty much any fruit you like.
Crust | Filling |
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- Heap the einkorn flour on the counter and make a well. Put the diced butter, egg, and salt in the middle. With your fingertips, mix and cream the ingredients in the well. Draw the flour into the center and work the dough with your fingertips to a grainy texture. Add the cold water and mix in until the dough begins to hold together. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently until just smooth. Flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface, then use to line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular fluted loose-bottomed tart pan. (I used a 10cm x 30cm rectangular and a 12cm round) Put in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Remove them from the fridge and cover with baking paper, fill with pastry weights or dried beans, and blind bake for 15 minutes if using two smaller baking pans, 20 minutes if using one large pan. Remove weights or beans and paper. Return to oven for 5 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Scoop coconut cream solids into a mixing bowl. Reserve remaining liquid for another use. Beat coconut cream and stevia using electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Put the cream cheese into a separate bowl and fold the whipped coconut cream into the cream cheese. Put the filling in the tart case, then arrange the figs on top and scatter over the pistachio nuts and mint leaves.
Stroopwafel Cream Hazelnut Rolls with Blueberry Glaze
Tuesday, September 03, 2019These tender, sweet rolls filled with a caramel wafel cream and finished with a blueberry glaze are super fluffy, light and absolutely delicious. The combination of colour and flavour is a nice change up from standard sweet rolls and they are equally perfect for breakfast or brunch. Plus they make fantastic use of fresh seasonal berries. A stroopwafel is a caramel sandwiched wafer originally from Holand. Feel free to use other cookie butter if you can't find Stroopwafel Cream.
Dough | Blueberry Glaze |
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- Blend blueberries and raw sugar into juice. Place the juice in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add in egg, melted butter, salt and spelt flour. Crumble the fresh yeast over.
- Stir at slow speed until the dough roughly comes together. Increase the speed and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover with a plastic film and set aside for 1 hour to rise.
- Grease and line the base of a 26cm springform pan with baking paper. Punch down the dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth. Use a rolling pin to roll out to a 30cm x 40cm rectangle.
- Spread the stroopwafel cream over and sprinkle with chopped roasted hazelnuts. Starting from 1 long edge, roll up to enclose filling. Cut the roll into 8 portions. Arrange the rolls, cut-side up, in the pan. Cover. Set aside for 45 minutes to rise.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the icing together and beat until smooth. Drizzle over the top of rolls while still warm and serve immediately.
Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with Cherry Radishes and Mushrooms
Wednesday, August 28, 2019These budget friendly roasted chicken quarters are easy to make, juicy and delicious. Use your favourite seasonings, though sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper are enough to bring out their natural aromas and flavours. You can store these in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat them in the oven to recrisp the skin. You can make this with a different cut of meat, but you will want to stick with a bone-in, skin-on cut because skin and bone add so much flavour to the dish.
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- Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Dry the chicken leg quarters with paper towels and rub with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Evenly sprinkle black salt, peppers, garlic powder and chopped rosemary on both sides of each quarter and gently pat to make the seasonings stick. Arrange the chicken leg quarters in a baking tray lined with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Toss the mushrooms and cherry radishes with the remaining tablespoon of avocado oil. Season with salt and peppers. Add them to the chicken quarters in the baking tray.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the chicken skin is crispy and golden brown. Different ovens bake differently so the exact time may vary. Remove the chicken from the oven, let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Red Rice Salad with Green Beans, Mushrooms and Sardines
Wednesday, August 21, 2019Chewy, nutty, nutritious, this delicious red rice salad is perfect for outdoor eating on those hot summer days. It is great served with grilled beef, chicken or fish and pack up any leftovers for lunch the next day. It actually tastes much better the next day. The nutty, earthy flavour and crunchy, firm texture of red rice elevate the dish instantly, but you can use any brown rice in its place.
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- Boil the rice in plenty of salted water until just cooked, about 25 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, prepare the roasted vegetables. Toss trimmed green beans and button mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with black salt and freshly ground peppers. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender.
- Place apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, the remaining olive oil and the minced garlic in a glass jar with a fitted lid. Season with salt and peppers and shake well.
- Tip the drained red rice into a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the warm rice and mix well. Let it soak in a little, then toss in the roasted vegetables together with roasting juice, sliced celery and chopped chives.
- To serve, place them over some salad greens and top with sardines.
Blackberry Chia Crumble Bars
Wednesday, August 14, 2019The base and topping are made with butter, spelt flour, almond, baking powder, a little coconut sugar, zero-calorie sweetener and lemon zest. The cookie dough is then enriched with an egg and perfectly firm to support the thick layer of berries, that are coated in coconut sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and chia seeds. You can easily make this all year round with seasonal fruit. The chia seeds helps to thicken the mixture and add another layer of nutrition. You can use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead.
Crust | Black Berry Chia Filling |
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 26-cm / 10-inch springform pan or a 5cmx30x25cm cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl, add in coconut sugar, erythritol sweetener, almond meal, spelt flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Whisk all the ingredients to combine. Use a for to blend in diced butter and egg. Dough would be crumbly. Pat two thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan.
- In a large bowl, combine coconut sugar, lemon juice and chia seeds. Add in berries and gently fold to combine.
- Spread the berry mixture onto the crust and crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before slicing.
Baked Zucchini with Parmesan
Wednesday, August 07, 2019This easy delicious baked zucchini dish is the BEST way to use up summer zucchini when the season is in full force, esp. if your garden has blessed you with an abundance of this summer squash! Enjoy it with some salad leaves with a simple vinaigrette or with grilled chicken.
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 22cm round ovenproof dish with olive oil.
- Place sliced zucchini and potato in a large bowl. Add half of olive oil and toss to coat. Season with black salt pepper. Arrange the vegetable slices in a single layer in prepared dish, alternating between the green, yellow zucchini and potato slices, for a colour effect.
- Drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and tender. Sprinkle with chopped parsley leaves to serve.
Zucchini Bread with Port Soaked Raisins and Brazil Nuts
Wednesday, July 31, 2019This amazing zucchini bread recipe is made healthier with spelt flour, a combination of coconut sugar and zero-calorie erythritol sweetener instead of refined sugar, and Brazil nuts--a good source of healthful fats, protein, fiber, and selenium. Tawny port soaked raisins add a delicious dimension to the bread that you should not pass up.
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- Soak raisins in tawny port for an hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 160C320F. Grease and line a 30cmx11cmx7cm loaf pan. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Stir in coconut sugar, sugar sweetener.
- Make a well in the center and add in eggs, melted butter, vanilla, zucchini, Brazil nuts, port-soaked raisins and a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined, then spread into the prepared pan. Top with extra Brazil nuts.
- Bake on middle shelf of oven for 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!