Glimpse into Lamingtons

This weekend in Australia is a long weekend, because on Monday, January 26th it is Australia Day. On this day in 1788, the arrival of the First Fleet of the British Ships occurred. It is now a celebration of our diverse country, our history and this beautiful land.

As with all celebrations, iconic food is a must! One such treat is the humble Lamington. Typically, this is a square of sponge cake, covered in chocolate sauce and desiccated coconut. I decided that I must create a grain/gluten/egg/dairy free version, which is also low in FODMAPs, and simple to make. Here is what I came up with, and from all accounts, it is reasonably close considering the limitations!

Glimpse into choc chip banana bread

When you are grain free and gluten free, bread and cake textures are a distance memory! A recent discovery I made in a local health store was green banana flour. I have been experimenting with it, and it makes quite fluffy, baked treats.
This recipe is also dairy and egg free, so it can be a little dry once it has cooled. I find that it is yummy toasted or microwaved, and topped with mashed banana, strawberries or coconut butter.

Choc chip banana bread

1 cup green banana flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup choc chips
1/4 - 1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup banana, mashed
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 coconut oil
1 gelatin egg (1 tablespoon of gelatin dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water)
1 chia egg (1 tablespoon of chia seeds dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water)



Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Line loaf pan with baking paper.
Combine dry ingredients well.
Combine wet ingredients well.
Stir the two mixtures together. Pour into the lined pan.
Cook for 40 minutes, or til inserted skewer comes out clean.

Glimpse into healthy icecream

An important part to our special Christmas recipe, which will be revealed in its entirety this Foodie Friday, is this amazing and delicious recipe...

 

Banana ice cream

Basically, this recipe is: FROZEN BANANAS! All that needs to be done, is slice up a banana for each serve, and freeze. When ready to serve, simply blend the slices in a powerful food processor.

It is delicious in this simple form, but of course, you can add healthy extras for different flavours. Here are some of my favourite combinations:

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 29 - coconut, and a choc chip almond cookie square recipe

I have a super simple recipe for you today. Everyone seemed to like the look of it on my instagram account, so here it is!

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 28 - Rice syrup

This week, I made a super quick and simple, sweet bread to toast up for snacks and breakfasts. Instead of baking the usual banana breads (which, don't get me wrong, I love!), I chose to make one which revolved around rice syrup. I think rice syrup is delicious, and it has been a lifesaver when looking for a substitute for high fructose sweeteners such as corn syrup, honey, and sugar.

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 27 - buckwheat

Being intolerant to so many different foods as I am, it is possible to slip up now and again and miss something that you can or cannot have. This has been the case for me with buckwheat. Somewhere along the lines, I had thought that I could not have buckwheat due to the FODMAP content, but my mum discovered recently that I was wrong. So I bought some activated buckwheat and gave it a trial. It seems to have been a success and I can indeed tolerate it! This makes me happy to be able to add another food to my can-eat list! It is crunchy, which is an exciting texture change in my diet, and the flavour is quite versatile. I have eaten it sprinkled on coconut yogurt with fresh fruit, and have made toasted muesli/granola with it, and hope to make cookies with it soon. 

Buckwheat is not actually a wheat, even though the name might suggest this. It is a fruit seed, so it is actually a good alternative for people avoiding gluten and wheat. It has been shown to have beneficial effects on cholesterol and blood pressure, it can maintain blood flow and protect against heart disease, and some cancers and illnesses. It is high in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, manganese, copper, and phosphorus. Buckwheat contains a high quality protein, containing all eight essential amino acids. It balances blood sugars and keeps hunger at bay for longer than wheat or grain alternatives. 

It is gluten, dairy, nut and egg free, contains only tiny amounts of fructose and very low amounts of fructans. Being on a low fructose/FODMAP diet, it can be easy to not ingest enough fibre. Buckwheat is high in beneficial insoluble fibre. Subsequently, these benefits make it a great food to be eaten by people on a restricted diet. 

This website provides some other interesting details: http://www.fineli.fi/food.php?foodid=161&lang=en

Today I thought I would bring to you the recipe I created for buckwheat, quinoa and mixed seed granola. 

Glimpse into chocolate walnut muffins - Foodie Friday week 19

On this Foodie Friday, I wanted to make a simple sweet for a friend's birthday. I am loving baking with cacao of late, so apologies, here is another chocolatey recipe!! Mmm mmm!

I love adding walnuts into baked treats. They add an amazing taste and texture, and have many healthy benefits. They have good quantities of omega 3 fats, protein and fibre, and melatonin (which helps regulate sleep). They contain antioxidants and vitamins for healthy hair and skin, and are good for heart and brain health, decreasing your risk of cancer, and can destroy harmful free radical chemicals. Pregnant women can reduce their baby's risk of allergies by eating the fatty acids, and men's fertility can even be boosted by the little walnut! All these sound to me like awesome reasons to throw a few walnuts into your baking!

Glimpse into Foodie Friday week 7 2014 - Cinnamon

Good afternoon! Happy Foodie Friday! 

Yes, I know. It is Saturday. Oops! The first Foodie Friday of the new series should have begun yesterday, but as most of us know, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has its moments which make a regular routine unrealistic! I may have to change Foodie Friday to a bi-monthly thing, rather than weekly, but I will see how I go!

Today's ingredient is cinnamon. I use it all the time, such as in the Passion Pleasers I posted about on Sunday. Other recipes I have created on my blog which use cinnamon are:

• spiced pineapple syrup cake
• choc banana quinoa cookies
• zuchinni brownies
• breakfast cakes
• quinoa breakfast bowl
• nut, seed and banana bread
• waffles
• power balls. 

It is delicious, and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes, and in meals, treats or drinks, and in an oil for therapeutic use. Even if you don't use it as the feature flavour in a dish, it can be a hidden added nutrient!

Cinnamon was once highly valued in trading, more so than gold, and it is not hard to see why. 

Just half a teaspoon a day can help lower your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL - low density lipoprotein). It contains manganese, calcium, iron, and dietary fibre. It has anti fungal, antibacterial, anti parasitic, anti-clotting and anti inflammatory properties (amazing!). It is a natural food preservative due to its ability to prevent bacterial growth.The smell can boost brain activity, and cognitive and memory function, and can relieve nervous tension. It can help improve the pain from arthritis, headaches, migraines and menstrual cramping. It keeps blood sugar levels steady, so is great for weight loss and type 2 diabetes.  It is also safe for people with Fructose Malabsorption and following a FODMAP diet. To top it all off, it is delicious! 

What a fantastically beneficial ingredient to add to your meals and drinks!