I have guest posted with this recipe at the blog of a very special lady, Kristen from The Food Renegade. Her tag line says, "challenging politically correct nutrition." She is one of the heroes of blogging who puts herself out there to try to increase an awareness of healthy nutrition that is unfortunately no longer mainstream. She advocates eating real food and has stepped forward to challenge the governments and the food producers of the world for their less than pure policies where our food and our health are concerned. Take a look at her blog, not just for the recipe for these bars but also to experience her passion for a cause. Subscribe to my mailing list … [Read more...] about Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow Bars – Grain-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free
nut-free baking
Afternoon Tea Cookbook (grain, nut, dairy and sugar-free) – a few teaser photos
I have spent another busy weekend baking all sorts of delightful grain, nut, dairy and sugar-free delights for my e-cookbook and I thought I would leave you with a few photos of the results. You will have to wait for the recipes and even for the names because that could be giving away too much information. … [Read more...] about Afternoon Tea Cookbook (grain, nut, dairy and sugar-free) – a few teaser photos
Banana Mousse Cake – grain, nut, dairy and refined sugar-free
The banana coconut loaf I made on Saturday is almost finished - it was that popular. So I have had to bake again to make sure we have enough for the week. Today, Monday, is a holiday here in Auckland, New Zealand and for me the perfect activities when I have some spare time are baking and photographing. I have made the same base vanilla cake you can find here, which comes from Carol Lovett's e-book Indulge and then I devised a wonderful banana mousse for the topping and used a few leftovers for the filling between the layers. The banana mousse is made from only 4 ingredients and can be used by itself as a dessert. For the filling, I whizzed together in my trusty mini food processor the lemon curd left over from my lemon meringue tarts, and the leftover coconut topping and strawberry puree from the banana coconut loaf and it made an interesting tart pink mixture which contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the bananas. Now, I know that the blueberries I have placed on top … [Read more...] about Banana Mousse Cake – grain, nut, dairy and refined sugar-free
Banana Coconut Raisin Loaf – grain, nut, dairy and refined sugar-free
It was about time I tackled a grain and refined sugar-free loaf and my favourite has always been banana so a banana loaf it was. This was an experiment, using all the knowledge I have so far gained about these new products and how they work as opposed to ordinary flour, butter and sugar. I adjusted as I went and the recipe below is the result. This loaf has worked really well and tastes great. I made a coconut cream topping to go with it in case it was dry but it wasn't bad at all. Oh, and I have used coconut sugar for the first time instead of honey or date puree. It gives a great, almost caramel flavour. Coconut sugar is a natural product made from the nectar of the coconut palm tree and doesn't put stress on your blood sugar levels the same way that white sugar does and retains all its minerals and vitamins. It also has an extremely low glycemic index of 35. But there is some conflicting information on the internet and I am not completely convinced that this is not just another … [Read more...] about Banana Coconut Raisin Loaf – grain, nut, dairy and refined sugar-free
Lemon Meringue Tart Recipe – grain, nut & refined sugar-free
I have been wanting to create a lemon meringue pie for some time because I love them but had to work out how to do each of the components without grains or refined sugar. I already had the crust down pat because I am happy with the one from the grain and refined sugar-free e-book Indulge which I have used before on the blog. The other two parts, the lemon curd and the meringue took a bit more to sort, but sort them I have. These tarts take a little while to make but I have plenty of lemon curd left over for something else. I have been thinking it is probably time to let you have a progress report on this new food journey of mine. I have been refined sugar-free for a couple of months now and the biggest thing that has happened there is that I no longer get low blood sugar, which used to floor me out of the blue. This is also related to the cutting out of grains, because they are very guilty of causing sugar-level swings. I have been grain-free now for about a month and the other … [Read more...] about Lemon Meringue Tart Recipe – grain, nut & refined sugar-free
Carrot, Coconut Muffins with chocolate topping – grain, nut and refined sugar-free
I have made some amazing carrot cake cupcakes in the past so I wanted to make something similar but grain and refined sugar-free and this is the result. These are good and the chocolate topping makes them amazing too. This topping could also be used as a chocolate mousse as is or you could even fold through some whipped cream if you are not dairy-free. But this time I used it as a frosting. Make sure you blend this really well so there are not lumps of avocado or you will taste it. Otherwise the chocolate is the overwhelming flavour. Before we get to the recipe, here are a few brief facts about avocados: Foods like avocados that contain monounsaturated fat lessen your LDL cholesterol, which is harmful to your body. One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies show that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease and stroke than those who don't. A typical avocado will contain both insoluble and soluble … [Read more...] about Carrot, Coconut Muffins with chocolate topping – grain, nut and refined sugar-free
