BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (GLUTEN, DAIRY & REFINED SUGAR FREE)

This delicious blueberry muffin recipe is adapted from one such similar recipe found on the Food Matters website, brought to my attention by my lovely sister-in-law. Food Matters is a film and a revolution, based on the belief that ‘your body is worthy of good care and that nobody is more suitably qualified to care for it than yourself’.

Food Matters began with an illness in a family. The sufferer experienced severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression and Anxiety that was treated with six different medications and left him feeling bedridden and worse than before he started taking the medicine. Family members could not convince the sufferer that the conventional medical approaches were not working, so they decided to try another medium; to make a film involving the world’s leading health and nutrition experts. These experts explained and proved to their unwell relative that ‘food is better medicine than drugs’ and within a mere three months the sufferer was off his medication, 50 pounds lighter and in excellent health.

This independently funded film has one very clear message: Food Matters. Go to http://www.foodmatters.tv/ to find out more about this powerful film. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup / honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / powder
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, plus extra to grease
• 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup oat / rice  / almond milk
• 1 heaped cup fresh / frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen) 

Baking 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. In a large bowl combine the almond meal, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and ground cinnamon and stir to mix. Add the syrup / honey, vanilla, oil, eggs and milk and stir well to combine. Carefully fold in the blueberries. 

3. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each muffin hole. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or longer if you want a firmer muffin. Leave the tray to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then remove the muffins from the tin and leave to cool completely. 

Makes / 12 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Oven time / 30-35 minutes for a soft, moist muffin / longer for a firmer muffin 

x Emily 

STUFFED TANGY QUINOA CAPSICUMS

I’ve made stuffed capsicums on several occasions over the years, mostly with couscous or rice as the foundation. I have ample amounts of quinoa in my pantry after buying up big at Costco (2kgs to be exact) hence this ingredient was chosen as the filler. Depending on how hungry you are, you can add some grilled chicken and/or lentils to the capsicums for more protein. I love the tanginess of the lemon, sumac spice and tomato as a topping. A sprinkle of whatever chopped/crumbed cheese you have on hand and finely chopped garlic will provide the quinoa with some added flavour. I love eating these capsicums as a light dinner. I do slightly prefer green capsicums over red for this recipe, however red always seems to be in much greater supply as my green grocer! 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups quinoa (any sort will do)
• 3 medium red / green / or a mixture of the two capsicum, deseeded & membranes removed and cut in half 
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 20-30g goat's feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon sumac
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (i.e parsley, basil, chives)

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Rinse the quinoa twice in cold water, then strain well. Pour the quinoa into a small saucepan and add 1/2 cups water with a generous pinch of sea salt. Cover the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes or until all water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked (taste to check). 

3. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a medium to large frypan over medium-high heat. Add the halved capsicums and cook on their round sizes for 5-6 minutes or until lightly scorched. Remove from the heat and place cut side up on the prepared baking tray. 

4. Once the quinoa is cooked, combine with the garlic and goat's cheese and spoon the mixture into the hollow part of the capsicums. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove. 

5. Whilst the capsicums are in the oven, combine the tomato, sumac, lemon, fresh herbs and a pinch of sea salt. Once the capsicums have finished baking, top them with this tomato mixture and serve warm. 

Serves / 2 hungry people

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35 minutes maximum 

x Emily 

ASIAN CHICKEN BROTH with UDON NOODLES

This broth was adapted from a recipe I found whilst perusing through Who magazine last weekend. I purchase a shameless gossip magazine once every two months or so, as I feel like I am on holiday when I do so. Lo and behold, besides learning about some very sad murders and what celebrities did this past week, I also got a killer recipe out of my reading. This broth is beautifully and full bodied, thanks to the ginger, garlic, two types of soy sauce and star anise, a Chinese spice with a strong taste similar to that of licorice. The recipe called for a whole 1.6 kilo chicken, however I found this meal much easier to make with chicken breast. Just make sure that you remove the chicken from the pan 12 minutes after the broth has started boiling and no later, or you will have tough chicken for dinner. Leave the chicken to sit on a chopping board for 10 minutes to continue cooking slightly before slicing. If you cannot eat wheat, you can substitute udon noodles for vermicelli.

Ingredients

• 500g / 2 free range chicken breasts
• 50g ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 large sticks of celery, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 pieces of star anise 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (keycap manis) 
• 1/2 bunch of coriander, stems and leaves separated
• 2 generous handfuls of green beans, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 270g udon noodles
• 1/4 bunch green shallots, finely sliced 

Cooking 

1. Place the chicken breasts, ginger, garlic, celery, carrot, star anise, two types of soy sauce and the stems of the coriander in a large, deep saucepan. Cover the ingredients with cold water and bring to the boil. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer. 

2. Once the chicken breasts have been simmering for 12 minutes, remove from the pan and leave to sit for a minimum of 10 minutes before slicing into thin pieces. (This waiting period will give the chicken time to continue cooking out of the pan and to cool down). 

3. After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the broth through a colander or large sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the vegetables. Pour the broth back into the saucepan. 

4. Bring the broth back to the boil and add the green beans and udon noodles. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the beans and noodles are cooked. Remove from the heat and add the sliced chicken. Pour into four bowls, sprinkling the shallots and coriander leaves on top if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 50 minutes approx. 

x Emily 

SPICED PUMPKIN & SWEET POTATO with CREAMY POLENTA

I have made this roast vegetable dish at least once a week for the past three weeks. As our little 40 plus year-old abode has no insulation whatsoever, I have spent the past few wintery weeks standing in the kitchen hovering near the warmth of the oven. I love winter as roasted spiced vegetables are one of my favourite things. Add in some hearty polenta and you have a substantial meal to warm your insides. Readers of this blog will know that ground coriander and cumin are some of my choice spices and I adore them with roasted vegetables, especially sweet potato. No need to add salt or cheese of any sort to the cooked polenta, as the flavour of the spiced vegetables is tasty enough. I do often like to add a sprinkle of ground black pepper to my polenta, as can be seem in the colour of the polenta above.

Ingredients

Spiced Pumpkin & Sweet Potato

• 800g pumpkin, skin & seeds removed and chopped into 2cm even pieces
• 800g sweet potato, peeled & chopped into 2cm even pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 heaped teaspoons ground coriander
• 3 heaped teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Creamy Polenta 

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (gluten free and low salt)
• 1 cup water 
• 3/4 cup polenta 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to MAX (240-260 degrees celsius). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Toss the chopped pumpkin & sweet potato with the garlic, coriander, cumin, oil and a pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper in a large bowl. Spoon the vegetables onto the prepared tray, trying to form a single layer of vegetables if you can. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin & sweet potato is very tender and golden. 

3. Meanwhile, make the polenta by bringing the stock and water to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Spoon 1/4 cup of the polenta into the pan at a time, stirring constantly until the polenta has absorbed most of the water, then repeat with the additional two 1/4 cups. Add more water if needed. When all the polenta is cooked, remove from heat. 

4. Spoon 1/4 of the cooked polenta onto a plate and top with 1/4 of the roasted vegetables. Serve warm and enjoy. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 10-15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25-30 minutes 

x Emily 

LOW CARB BANANA CHOC MUFFINS

These muffins were adapted from a recipe a client gave me. You can add 2 scoops of protein powder to the batter if you desire. I prefer to add an overripe banana. These dairy muffins are very easy to make and require no flour whatsoever. I made these on Friday and again today and have tweaked the recipe somewhat. The batter will appear quite runny before the muffins are cooked, however it is meant to look like this. I used dairy-free Lindt 70% dark chocolate for this recipe, however you can use whatever dark chocolate you have on hand or replace the chocolate with nuts. I chose this recipe for today as it is WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY! Celebrate with a small, delicious piece of dark chocolate or by baking with this delicious ingredient, as I did.

Ingredients

• coconut oil, in liquid form 
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup LSA (ground linseed, sunflower & almond)
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons white chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons flaxseeds 
• 1 small ripe banana, mashed well
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk, such as oat, rice or almond milk.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract/essence
• 50g Lindt dark chocolate (4 squares), cut into small pieces
• 4 free-range eggs, whisked 

Baking 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

2. Lightly grease a 12 slot muffin tin with coconut oil. 

3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine the dry and wet ingredients. 

4. Spoon around 2 1/2 heaped tablespoons of batter into each prepared muffin slot. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer or knife is inserted into the middle of a muffin and comes out clean. 

5. Leave the muffins to cool in their slots for 15 minutes, then remove onto a wire rack or tray and leave to cool completely. 

Makes / 12

From bowl to muffin / 35-40 minutes (plus cooling time)

x Emily