Glimpse into blog tweaks

I love to write and to share my ideas and experiences on my blog. I am constantly thinking of new ways to make it more interesting and give my readers a blog which they enjoy. Due to my health, it is quite hard for to me remain consistent, but I try my best, and you are all so understanding and patient with this! I wanted to share with you some new ideas and updates I have for the blog, so here they are.                                                              

Glimpse into raw chocolate

I am a self confessed chocoholic, and thankfully, I have not had to let this go with all my food intolerances (apart from a few phases of elimination diets - but they won't take it from me!). The great thing about having to reassess what type of chocolate I eat, is that I now consume a treat which is actually full of nutrients and healthy fats, and low in sugar. I make a raw chocolate, which is easy and simple to make. It is such a quick recipe that you can satisfy your chocolate cravings almost immediately! It can also be flavoured to suit your tastebuds and creativity. All these attributes make this chocolate pretty darn amazing, I think. Life is about finding things which make you happy. Instead of denying yourself something you love, alter it so that it is good for you!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cocao powder

4 tablespoons maple syrup/rice syrup (more if you like it sweeter)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Pinch of salt

1. Mix together ingredients until well combined. 
2. Pour into a shallow tray.
3. Sprinkle with your favourite additions. Try these ideas: zest of one lime and one orange plus a handful of cacao nibs.... Shredded coconut.... Smashed frozen raspberries... Crushed nuts... Or stir into the mixture 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of mint essence, or 1 - 2 teaspoons of rosewater.
4. Set it in the freezer for at least 1/2 - 1 hour. 
5. This keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer so that you are always ready for those chocolate craving moments! 

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 blueberry and coconut cake

For my family's Christmas Eve dessert, I made a blueberry and coconut cake. It is like a fruity, coconut cheese cake, without the dairy!

This was the perfect cake in terms of preparation, because I was able to make it the day before, and as it is a raw cake which is set in stages, you can do it a little at a time for an even lower energy consuming cake!

It was also great for a summer time treat. I had left it in the freezer til a half hour before we wanted to eat it, however, we had to keep waiting for it to thaw, and eventually ate it quite hard and frozen! It was still good, but the leftovers revealed that it was much nicer and easier to eat when left in the fridge rather than the freezer. I suggest that you set it in the freezer, but store it in the fridge so that it is soft when you come to eat it.
It can be kept in an airtight container for several days in the fridge, or will keep well for a later date in the freezer.

My recipes are usually my own creations because I rarely come across recipes which I can use that contain ingredients that I can tolerate. However, this recipe is a result of the inspiration from a recipe from The Merry Sisters. You can find it here: http://themerrymakersisters.com.au/paleo-choc-blueberry-cake-epic/. I have made changes to it, to make it more appropriate for my low fructose, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, and egg free diet. I find I have trouble tolerating too many nuts, so I went for more coconut than nuts, but if you prefer nuts, feel free to swap the 2 cups of coconut in the middle to soaked cashews.

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 50 - pancakes

I love pancakes - who doesn't?! The only problem with pancakes, I feel, is cooking pancakes! I can not do it. Even back in the day, when I used "normal" pancake ingredients, like eggs and wheat flour, I was never any good at it. I am a very patient person, but when it comes to delicious treats, waiting for the pan to be the correct temperature, and knowing the exact time to flip, is obviously not my forte!
However, as I do love a good pancake, I try every now and again, and who knew, but persistence was the key! I developed these grain free, gluten free, egg free, dairy free, low FODMAP pancakes, and they are pretty darn scrummy! Learn from my mistake; be patient and wait til your fry pan is hot!

This seemed like a great addition to our Christmas theme, as no matter what season your Christmas falls in, pancakes are an indulgent and delicious (and healthy, in this case) treat for holiday breakfasts!

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 49 - Christmas trifle

I hope that you are excited! It is our first Christmas Foodie Friday for 2014! That means the great reveal of this week's big recipe, which has slowly unfolded over the week.

Did you guess what it is?!

What does a combination of strawberry jelly, ice cream, chocolate sauce, and banana bread turn into?!....

Christmas Trifle (1 serve)

Choose your favourite long or large glass, or pretty bowl suitable for a trifle.

1. Start off with 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate sauce
2. Place a jiggly layer of 3-4 large tablespoons of strawberry tea jelly
3. Then scoop on 3-4 large tablespoons of mint ice cream
4. Break up a few chunks of choc chip banana bread over the ice cream
5. Top that with 3-4 large tablespoons of strawberry ice cream
6. Pour on 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate sauce
7. Sprinkle the top with a combination of shredded coconut, dried strawberries, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and crushed nuts.

I hope that you enjoy this Christmas coloured trifle! Such a decadent treat packed with nutrition! Double score!

Glimpse into strawberry tea jelly

This month will be full of special posts to get us ready for the festive season! Just because you have restricted diets, or because you have chronic health issues, does not mean you have to miss out on the festive cheer! I will bring you ideas on how to be part of this Christmas season.

This week's extra posts will revolve around a surprise recipe which will be revealed in its entirety this Foodie Friday. The large (but easy) recipe will be broken down, and the first part of this recipe will be....

Strawberry tea jelly!

1 1/2 cups of boiling water
2 jasmine green tea bags
1 ginger tea bag
3 teaspoons of gelatin
1/4 cup of orange juice
2 cups of strawberries
1-3 tablespoons of maple syrup (optional)

1. Add the gelatin into the boiling water in a small bowl and stir constantly til it is dissolved.
2. Steep the tea bags in the boiling water and gelatin mix. Set aside til the tea is strong.
3. Blend the strawberries in a food processor.
4. Sieve the fruit puree into a large bowl, so that the strawberry seeds are removed.
5. Stir the orange juice into the strawberry puree.
6. Add the maple syrup if desired.
7. Remove the tea bags from boiling water. Pour the tea into the fruit mixture.
8. Stir until well combined. Cover the bowl with cling wrap.
9. Place the jelly mix into the fridge til set; at least 2 hours.

You can choose different teas, fruit and juice to use for the jelly, depending on your favourite flavours.

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 47 - banana

Today's Foodie Friday ingredient is the humble banana!!

These delicious fruits are a quick and easy hit of carbohydrates, which normalise blood sugar levels, and so are great for sustained energy, workout fuel, and maintaining a good mood and a clear and effective mind. Bananas are a great source of fibre, antioxidants and some important vitamins, such as B6 and C. They can even help prevent and fight some cancers. Due to their no fat, low salt and high potassium combination, they are a fantastic food for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. Bananas also have a pretty neat trick up their sleeve. Due to their low calorie content combined with their ability to be very filling, they have a high satiety index. This means it is fairly impossible to get fat on bananas! In terms of fructose content, bananas are safe for most of us on a fructose restricted diet. This is because the fructose and glucose content is fairly equal.

I use bananas in a lot of my baked treats and smoothies as they are a delicious thickener and a great egg replacement. They are also awesome by themselves, or sliced up with a few shakes of cinnamon on them. It is great to keep some sliced bananas in the freezer so that you always have some to use. Frozen bananas can be used in recipes such as "icecream", smoothies, or defrosted for cakes.


Here is a very simple recipe for you which you can knock up when 3:30-itis hits!!

Choc dipped bananas

1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of cocao
1 banana

Mix the oil, syrup and cocao til combined well. You may like to adjust the ratio to suit your taste preference.
Dip the banana into the mixture. The banana can be whole or sliced.

You may like to eat it as is, runny and straight out the bowl. Otherwise, try setting the chocolate by placing the dunked banana into the fridge or freezer til set to the desired firmness. Keep in mind that the banana may brown slightly. If you are not on a nut or seed free diet, you may like to also smear the banana with your favourite nut butter or tahini too!


Here are some other recipes on my blog which contain banana.

Choc banana quinoa cookies
Nut and seed banana bread
Spicy banana slab
Quinoa pancakes
Choc nut smoothie
Green smoothies

Glimpse into Foodie Friday - week 45 - nut free pesto

I posted a pesto recipe on Instagram a while ago, and have also shared the pesto with friends a few times, and I keep getting requests for it to appear on the blog! With it being on my blog's instragram account, I kept thinking I had posted it! So here it is! Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm!

This pesto is nut free, but full of flavour. Make sure you stir it before serving, as the liquid can separate a little and become a tad runny.

Pesto 

1 cup of kale or spinach
2 cups of basil
1/4 - 1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-5 anchovies (to your desired taste)
1/4 cup of olive oil (add a few splashes of garlic oil too if you like)
1 pinch of salt


Optional add ins:

* 2 tablespoons of oregano
*1/2 cup coconut milk
*10 olives

Blend all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Serve with fresh sliced vegetables, such as carrots, cucumber and celery, or through a bowl of zoodles/zucchini "noodles" (or any other way that takes your fancy)!

Glimpse into healthy "Bounty" bars

 

I think recipes which make healthier versions of commercial chocolate bars and lollies are super exciting and fun! Today, I want to share with you a recipe for Bounty Bars, which is of course free of gluten, dairy and egg and is low in FODMAPs. This one is so simple and quick to make you'll wonder why you would bother going all the way to the shops just to buy a bar full of sugar, wheat and dairy!

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 lemons and a No Bake Lemon Slice - Foodie Friday week 14

For this week's Foodie Friday, I am looking at the humble lemon, and am giving you a tasty, super easy, no bake slice recipe which I made up recently. I have struggled to post lately because I haven't been well, so I apologise for my silence!

Lemons (and other citric fruits) are considered the lowest fructose containing fruits. Therefore they are great for use in meals and drinks for those of us with fructose malabsorption. They also have health benefits such as helping to improve skin health and beauty. They can have a calming effect so are good in stressful situations, and can help with metabolism, digestion and the elimination of toxin build up in the body. They also have antiviral qualities, with vitamin C, and can boost energy.

Soak up the benefits in this nutritious no bake slice.

No bake lemon slice

Base

1 cup quinoa flakes or gluten free oats

1 cup almond meal (or LSA - linseed, sunflower and almond meal)

1 cup desiccated coconut

200g dairy butter

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 lemon rind

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 tbsp rice syrup

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup rice milk (if needed*)

Icing

2 cups dextrose

1 1/2 tbsp melted butter

3 tbsp lemon

Line a 20 x 30 cm tray or airtight container with baking paper.

Mix all the base ingredients together well.

Press the mixture into the lined tray or container.

Refrigerate until firm.

Combine the icing ingredients well til smooth.

Spread icing over slice base.

Refrigerate until firm.

Cut into squares.

Store in sealed or covered container in the fridge or freezer.

*You may find your mix is wet enough without the rice milk, or you may just desire a few splashes. 1/2 cup creates quite a moist slice, but it still is firm. A fork is in order to eat it with though!

Glimpse into Foodie Friday; week 10 2014 - chia seeds

Chia seeds are amazing little things. They can be used as a gelatinous gel when soaked in water to replace eggs in baking, in smoothies to make them thick, as crusts and coatings, in puddings for a healthy twist, in breakfasts for an extra hit of nutrients...so many options for such tiny seeds! They are tasteless, but provide a great texture to foods.
Did you know that it is a member of the mint family?

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!