RICE PUDDING

This rice pudding has been adapted from a 4-Ingredient Recipe by Kim McCosker. I make a big batch of this rice pudding at the beginning of the week and it provides my husband and I with breakfast for four days each (it serves 8!). It can also be served as a dessert! The touch of cinnamon really makes the dish so don't leave it out! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups arborio rice
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups milk or milks of your choice - reduced fat cows milk if you can tolerate dairy or choose from soy, lactose-free, oat or unsweetened almond milk as alternatives
• 1/2 cup sultanas 
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Optional - 1-2 servings of fruit of your choice, such as 1 banana, sliced, a handful of blueberries or strawberries 
• Optional- a handful of shredded or flaked coconut, lightly toasted 

Cooking 

1. Bring the 2 cups of rice and the 4 cups of water to the boil in a medium saucepan, covered. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer and continue to cook, lid askew. 

2. Cook until water has almost all absorbed, then add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Keep heat low. Once the milk has been absorbed into the rice, remove from heat. Add the sultanas and cinnamon and stir well. 

Top with fresh fruit and/or coconut and serve warm. 

Serves / 8 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

HEALTHY GLUTEN FREE MUESLI CUPS

I found the inspiration for this recipe in a 'Who' magazine that I was reading on a plane the other day. These were initially 'Vegan Quinoa & Chia Bars' however after a few experiments in the kitchen alternating the recipe it changed. If you would like to make the recipe vegan friendly, substitute the egg white for 1 tablespoon chia seeds and whisk these with 1/4 cup water, then leave to stand for at least 10 minutes or until the ingredients have become gel like. I used egg as 1. I eat eggs, 2. when cooked chia seeds lose almost all of their nutrients, and 3. in my humble opinion I think they make the muesli cups stick together more favourably. I like using puffed rice in sweet recipes as it is so light, however you could substitute for rolled oats or quinoa flakes. Take extreme care heating the egg white and other wet ingredients on the stove, as you do not want to cook the egg! These cute little sweet cups can be stored in an air tight plastic container for seven days but I seriously doubt that they will last that long in your kitchen as they are so light and moreish! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg white
• 3 generous tablespoons of honey, maple syrup or rice malt syrup
• 2 tablespoons rice bran oil
• 3 tablespoons water 
• 2 cups of puffed rice 
• 1 cup of mixed dried fruit & raw nuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut 
• patty cake holders- disposable or washable 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with the patty cake holders. 

2. Pour the egg white, whatever sweetener you are using, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and 3 tablespoons of water into a small pan. Heat over very low heat, making sure not to cook the egg white, stirring for just a couple minutes or until the mixture is runny and warm. 

3. In a large bowl combine the puffed rice, mixed fruit & nuts and coconut and stir. Pour in the warm liquid from step 2 and stir well to combine until all the dry ingredients are wet. If this does not occur, add a splash more of your sweetener. 

4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared patty cake holders. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cups are brown in colour. Remove from heat and leave to cool completely. 

Makes / 12 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes maximum 

Total Cooking time / 30-35 minutes 

x Emily 

BLUEBERRY & MILK ICE BLOCKS

Since spring hit Brisbane, I have been experimenting with creating homemade ice blocks. Theres something about an ice block that makes me think 'treat'. This recipe initially had 2 layers; the first layer was the blueberry & almond milk and the 2nd layer frozen banana, ice cubes and vanilla extract. I actually found that the blueberry flavour was nicer and more refreshing than the banana, hence why I settled on pure blueberry. I highly recommend that you invest in some ice block moulds (they usually come in a package of 6) for summer, as there are infinite ice block and ice cream flavours you can make! I have personally tried my hand at banana, mango, watermelon and now blueberry. Watch this space for more healthy ice block / ice cream recipes...I feel a raspberry ice cream coming soon! 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 3/4 cup reduced fat cow's milk (or lactose-free, soy or unsweetened almond milk if dairy intolerant) 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup 

Method

1. Place the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is soft and combined. Carefully pour the mixture into 6 ice block moulds, filling each mould to the top. 

2. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 45 minutes- to 1 hour to freeze. Remove from the freezer a few minutes prior to eating them or run the ice block moulds until hot water to loosen them from their moulds. 

Makes / 6 
Total Preparation time / 5 minutes, plus freezing time 

x Emily 

TERESA CUTTER'S HEALTHY CARROT CAKE

This is by far the most delicious carrot cake I have never had the pleasure of eating. It is filled with half a kilo of vegetables, low in sugar and gluten & dairy free. It is also incredibly easy to make, as it does not require any electric mixing or any icing. I served this cake on father's day to eight people (myself included) and we all loved it. Looking past the moistness and lightness of this cake, it is also very good for you. The 500 grams of carrots in this cake contain lots of vitamin A and carotenoids that assist with a healthy immune system. Almond meal is always a foundation in the cakes that I bake, as they take the place of flour beautifully, create a moist texture and are choc-full of protein. 

Ingredients

• 500g grated carrots
• 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 300 g almond meal
• 50 ml macadamia coconut oil, plus extra to grease
• 160 g organic maple syrup, honey or rice malt syrup
• 1 cup sultanas
• 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• Optional- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nut 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a 18-20cm baking tin with baking paper and grease lightly with coconut oil. 

2. Combine carrot, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond meal, oil, sweetener, sultanas, baking powder and nuts, if using. Stir well until all ingredients are combined. 

3. Bake in the oven for 60-90 minutes, checking every 5-10 minutes after the 60 minute mark to see if the cake is cooked through. Cover with foil if the top of the cake starts to really brown. 

4. Remove the cake from the oven, leave it to cool completely in the tin and then gently turn the cake out. 

Serves approx. 16. This cake is tasty enough to serve without icing but you can top with natural yoghurt if you desire. 

Total Preparation time / 15 - 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 60-90 minutes plus cooling time. 

x Emily 

95 CALORIE ANZAC BISCUITS

Who doesn’t love a good anzac biscuit? Especially one that you can eat without feeling guilty whilst following a healthy eating plan! These anzac biscuits are super cute and very moreish. Be mindful that they are 95 calories each, so only 1 per day as a treat. 

After giving away all of my Mini Cacao Fudge Treats that I made last week, I decided that it was time for another treat. Michelle Bridges recipe for these biscuits calls for ¼ cup brown sugar, however if you use granulated stevia you save a massive amount of calories overall. I always like to bake with gluten-free flours, however you can use plain flour if it is more accessible to you as it contains the same amount of calories. I added more cinnamon than Michelle, as I love this spice and like to really taste it in desserts. I replaced golden syrup with honey as honey is slightly lighter in calories and I am not a big fan of golden syrup, even though theres a very neglected bottle of it in my pantry that desparetly needs to be used! No doubt I'll be sharing these bad boys around so I can clear my kitchen of sweets and be able to make another treat recipe next week! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (150g)
• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour, plus extra (75g)
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut (45g)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (8g)
• 1/4 cup granulated stevia 
• 1/4 cup honey (85g)
• 1/4 cup olive oil / rice bran oil (60g)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda (5g)

Baking  

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon and stevia in a large bowl and stir well. 

3. Pour the honey, oil and 1/4 cup water (60g) into a small saucepan and heat over low-medium heat, stirring until all ingredients are mixed. Stir in the bicarb of soda and once the mixture has foamed, remove from heat. 

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and stir until well combined. To shape the biscuits, make sure your hands are slightly wet (you will need to re-lubricate your hands a few times).   Roll heaped tablespoons of the mixture and place on the prepared tray 2cm apart. Press each ball lightly with a fork covered in flour, just to flatten the biscuits slightly. 

5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on the tray (during this cooling time the biscuits will harden slightly, so do not worry if they are a little soft when you remove the tray from the oven). 

Makes  / 20 

Each biscuit / 95 calories

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 10-12 minutes 

x Emily 

DATE & ORANGE COOKIES

If you ever seen a professional cook or chef being interviewed they will frequently talk about ‘failures’ they have experienced in the kitchen. I’ve had many, which I will happily share; once I left rice boiling on the stove for not one but TWO hours (needless to say my pan was almost incinerated), another time I served hard as a rock spaghetti (how you screw pasta up I don’t even know) and on a few occasions I have made cookies for my fiancée only to burn them to an absolute crisp. All these failures have been imperative to my cooking journey, however, as I have learnt vital lessons, such as which ingredients never ever go together and that you should always watch the stove and not walk away and get absorbed in another task. All invaluable experiences and not always common sense to all.

 The reason why I bring up this topic is that these Date & Orange cookies were my third attempt at making gluten-free, dairy-free cookies from scratch. First I tried a chia & poppy seed combination which was basically tasteless (although my gorgeous fiancée ate them all). Secondly I baked a cacao orange dough which was extremely dry and inedible (again they were consumed in a few days by Chris). Lastly came the date & orange mixture. I hope you enjoy it. 

And most importantly; don't sweat the failures in the kitchen. My beautiful friend Dani assured me after my second failed cookie attempt that the next batch would be a hit and it was. Keep experimenting with recipes and flavours - you will constantly be rewarded with new knowledge if not always edible dishes;)

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups almond meal (150g)
• 100g dried dates, processed finely
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, lightly beaten 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, in liquid form
• 1 heaped teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the almond meal and dates in a large bowl and mix well. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the remaining ingredients (the eggs, syrup, baking powder, oil, orange zest and juice) and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. 

3. With wet hands handle about 2 tablespoons of the cookie mixture and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto the tray and then gently press your palm into the ball so that the dough becomes a circle. Continue this until no dough remains, making sure to place the cookies a few centimetres apart on the tray. Place the tray in the oven for around 25 minutes or until the outsides of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack before eating. 

Makes / around 15 

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

ITALIAN CARROT, LEMON & ALMOND CAKE

I have the very talented Maggie Beer to thank for this inspired recipe. I came across this gem of a cake whilst browsing through my compact ‘Kitchen Garden Companion’ cookbook of Maggie’s. I was able to make the cake gluten & dairy free just by simply changing the type of flour and butter that I used. I baked this cake twice in the last 5 days with remarkable success! On Wednesday it featured as a light birthday cake for my mother-in-law, and we found that there was just enough cake between the four of us after a massive lunch. And just yesterday this succulent loaf was a perfect dessert for an early Mother’s day celebration for my beautiful mumma. I luckily doubled the ingredients and quantity of cake for my family, as between five hungry mouths we almost devoured the whole loaf in one sitting. The recipe above is the doubled version, as this cake is so moreish and mouthwatering you will be surprised how much of it you eat! The carrot and lemon work together to produce a welcoming and deliciously light orange flavour. For haters of carrot, you cannot even taste the vegetable in this cake, but you can appreciate the beautiful bright orange hue that it leaves behind. This is by far the best tasting gluten-free and dairy-free cake I have ever eaten (and I've tasted a lot of these). I feel that this cake recipe will be with me for many years to come.

INGREDIENTS

• 20g dairy-free butter or margarine, such as Nutalex, melted
• 1 1/2 cups densely packed almond meal 
• 250g carrots, peeled & grated 
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free self-raising flour
• finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
• 4 eggs, preferably free-range, yolks and whites separated
• 200g caster sugar
• Equipment - pastry brush, electric mixer 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Using a pastry brush if available, grease a medium sized (approx. 18cm x 8cm) loaf tin well with melted butter. Line tin with baking paper and grease again with remaining butter. 

2. Place almond meal and grated carrots in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add flour and lemon zest and mix well, using your fingers if possible, to make sure that there are no lumps of carrot in the mixture. 

3. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar on high in an electric mixer for a minute or until thick and pale. Gently stir into the carrot and almond mixture. 

4. Wash and dry the electric mixer and beater well. Add the egg whites and whisk on high for a few minutes or until stiff white peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the carrot and almond mixture until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. (If the top of the cake looks like it may brown, place foil on top of the cake and continue cooking). Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife along the outside of the cake and gently turn out onto a large plate or a cake cooling rack. Remove the baking paper and serve. 

Serves / 8-10 

Total Preparation time / 12-15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 1 hour / 60 minutes 

x Emily 

RAW GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY-FREE CACAO MOUSSE

Meet the most talked about superfood in the neighbourhood: Cacao Powder. I admit I was a latecomer into this craze, only purchasing my first bag of this amazing powder just last week and I'm already hooked. Sprinkle it on your toasted muesli or into a smoothie for a boost, add to date balls or even use it as the foundation of a gluten-free, dairy-free mousse. This Chocolate Mousse is a recipe from the newest Four-Ingredient Gluten & Lactose-Free cookbook by Kim McCosker. Uber simple to make, it tastes better if you invest in top quality organic or pure maple syrup, not maple 'flavoured' syrup. It’s a gorgeous raw, vegan, gluten, dairy and egg free dessert that can be whipped up in 5 minutes!

The down low on Cacao

·      Cacao powder is made from the seeds of an Amazonian fruit tree and is the purest form of all chocolate 

·      It is one of the most nutrient rich and complex foods

·       It is considered to be a raw food as the temperature used to produce cacao powder never exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, therefore all its vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are preserved (unfortunately regular chocolate is not made this way!)

·      Cacao powder has…wait for it….360 % MORE antioxidants that regular cocoa

·      Cacao is the WORLD’s highest source of magnesium, which is essential for the development of strong bones & teeth, brain power, energy production and relaxing of muscles, detoxification, and the regulation of metabolism.

·      Cacao contains the highest level of antioxidants a food can possibly have; more than green tea, blueberries and red wine combined. Antioxidants help the body to fight off nasty infections, among other things.

·      This ancient Aztec & Mayan food is super equipped with iron and contains 314 % of the recommended daily intake of iron per 28g serving.

·      Cacao increases the endorphins in your body, which boosts your serotonin levels which in turn makes you happy.

·       Last but not least, cacao is great for your skin as it comprises of sulfur, a mineral that assists in detoxifying the liver and therefore encourages strong nails, healthy hair and clear skin.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium avocados
• 1 large banana
• 1/4 cup gluten-free raw cacao powder
• 1/2 cup organic/pure maple syrup 

COOKING 

1. Remove the flesh from the avocados and spoon into a food processor or good blender. Add the banana, cacao and syrup and blend until smooth. Spoon (or pipe if you want a more elegant look) mousse into 4 glasses and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Add cut fresh fruit on top of the mousse to serve, if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / 5 minutes (plus 2 hours refrigeration)

x Emily