This is the salad I made for Christmas Day and I'm only just getting around to posting it but it is worthy of a place here. I usually make the turkey but this year I was let off lightly and I only had to do an interesting salad. So I thought about it for some time and dismissed many early entrants into the race and eventually came up with a hybrid of two ideas. I found the main part at the Betacyanin blog, played with the dressing and added the breaded cheese. It turned out to be a real winner but I do have to tell you that it is labour intensive with many parts. The good thing is it is a complete meal and tastes delicious. This is NOT a low Fodmap recipe. Eggplant, Quinoa, Hazelnut and Brie Salad Print Serves: 6 servings Ingredients For the salad 1 medium eggplant salt olive oil 1 cup uncooked quinoa 2-3 cups packed spinach leaves ½ cup coriander (cilantro) ½ cup mint leaves ¼ purple onion, sliced For the cheese brie cheese flour 1 egg, … [Read more...] about Eggplant, Quinoa, Hazelnut and Brie Salad
Chocolate Banana Tart – grain, dairy and refined sugar-free
A few days back I made this tart using the base I found in Carol Lovett's e-book, Indulge, which I mentioned in my last post. I have been looking for a good grain and nut-free pie crust which didn't fall apart and this is it. It was so easy to make - I actually used a food processor and it all came together like a dream. I didn't attempt to roll it out but just pushed it into the pie dishes and that worked well. This is the second recipe I have made from Carol's book and I am very pleased with it. If you are interested in the book, Click here to visit Ditch The Wheat and scroll to the bottom of the page to buy it. I filled it with the simplest of dairy and sugar-free fillings - uncooked banana, cocoa and coconut oil. Even out of the fridge it holds its shape well and the filling stays firm. I would say this was a triumph and the tarts look so pretty. I actually had all the ingredients in the house and it was all done and dusted in very little time. This would be a great dessert … [Read more...] about Chocolate Banana Tart – grain, dairy and refined sugar-free
Classic Vanilla Cake – grain, dairy and refined sugar-free
I belong to a Facebook group of wonderful women with food blogs and one of them, Carol Lovett, has written an e-book of grain-free desserts called Indulge. I offered to try a couple of recipes and this is the first one. I couldn't be more pleased with the result. It was easy to prepare and even easier to eat. It is light and a great basic for various different flavours and desserts. This could be the cake part of a trifle for example or the base of lamingtons. I decided to frost it with the coconut topping I have used before on my Banana Strawberry Muffins. Coconut cream whips up exactly like whipped cream and can be used as a substitute. Coconut is a healthy fat as long as it has not been hydrogenated but don't buy it in a can because BPA (Bisphenol-A) is used in the can lining. BPA especially leaches into canned foods that are acidic, salty or fatty, such as coconut milk, tomatoes, soup, and vegetables. BPA is not a good thing to have running around in your body so buy all … [Read more...] about Classic Vanilla Cake – grain, dairy and refined sugar-free
Coconut, Cranberry Cookies – grain, nut and sugar-free
I am ecstatic over my last baking effort. When I started going grain-free, I knew things might get worse before they got better. Because most of the grain westerners eat is refined, it doesn’t provide a lot of quality fibre. When I dropped it all from my diet, I had to replace it with something else or I would have starved to death so I upped the quantity of vegetables I ate. They have heaps of fibre and our bodies don’t like to suddenly get an overload. Our systems take a while to adjust to more fibre as it kicks the digestive system into top gear after being sluggish for so long. In fact, I had a rough few days and was very glad to be on a two-week break from work. But I stuck to it. One of the bonuses of changing the way I eat while on holiday is that I have the time to be aware of the effect of everything I eat. The fibre issue has settled down but what I have found is that nuts seem to be an irritant for me. Now this is a bit of a problem because grain-free diets like the paleo … [Read more...] about Coconut, Cranberry Cookies – grain, nut and sugar-free
Salmon Cream Cheese Bites – grain-free
It's New Year's Eve and the young ones are off out doing what all young people should do and that is celebrate the coming in of the New Year. I guess Adriano and I have seen too many of them because this year for the first time we are staying at home. But we did pop a bottle of expensive French champagne and I made nibbles to go with it. I am getting used to cooking for Adriano and Dario and then separating out the grain for me but these I made grain-free so I didn't have to worry. When I was slurring my words ever so slightly, I cooked dinner with every intention of photographing it, but then I couldn't be bothered and we ate it and now it's too late so all you get tonight are the appetizers. If you malabsorb lactose, make sure you use lactose-free milk and cream cheese. But first a photo of the young ones in our garden before they departed this evening, then the recipe. Dario and Alex (on the left) and their friends Salmon Cream Cheese Bites Print … [Read more...] about Salmon Cream Cheese Bites – grain-free
Chocolate Vanilla Tart – grain, dairy and refined sugar-free
My search for great grain, dairy and refined sugar-free sweets continues. The ingredients for such creations are often similar with some variations. They need a base of nuts to create something solid, then some oil, usually coconut for moisture and something sticky to keep it all together like a nut butter. The toppings or frostings involve bananas or whipped coconut cream for bulk with various flavourings like chocolate, almond, mint or vanilla - as in this case. The sweeteners can be either pureed dates, honey or stevia. Now let's get to today's offering - a chocolate tart with vanilla banana topping. This is not a low Fodmap recipe. Chocolate Vanilla Tart Print Prep time 15 mins Total time 15 mins Serves: 8 slices Ingredients For the base: 1.5 cups roasted unsalted cashews 1 cup date puree ½ cup smooth peanut butter For the topping: 120g sugar-free chocolate 1 banana 3 tbsp honey 2 tsp vanilla essence Shredded coconut or extra cashew … [Read more...] about Chocolate Vanilla Tart – grain, dairy and refined sugar-free
