LEMON ALMOND MEAL TRUFFLES

This citrus bliss ball recipe was modelled from Eleanor-Ozich’s first cookbook, My Petite Kitchen. I have changed the recipe slightly, after many MANY practices. I prefer using maple syrup to honey, as it contains less fructose, however you can certainly use honey if it is on hand. You could substitute the lemon rind & juice for lime, orange or grapefruit if desired. This is one bliss ball that I never feel guilty about eating! I've made these balls for several of my clients, friends and family and haven't heard anything but positive comments so far! 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups firmly packed almond meal
• 1 cup firmly packed unsweetened desiccated coconut
• 3 tablespoons organic maple syrup or organic honey
• the zest & juice of 1 medium lemon (or large if you really want a good citrusy hit!)
• 1 teaspoon pure/organic vanilla extract / essence 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (in liquid form)

PREPARATION 

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine, adding 1/4 cup of a water slowly to the mixture. 

2. Mould the mixture into small tight little balls using damp hands. Place each finished truffle in a single layer on a plate. 

4. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set (if you can resist trying one!). I love these at room temperature or after time in the fridge. It is best to store these in the fridge and eat within 4 days (but that shouldn't be a problem!). 

Makes / 16 - 24 truffles (depending on the size you choose to make) 

Total Preparation time / 20-25 minutes (plus extra to refrigerate) 

x Emily 

MILLET, ORANGE & LEMON MUFFINS

Whilst this photo is crystal clear (no filter on instagram required) I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to import the original photo onto my computer. So I have to be satisfied with an instagram one. 

Moving on...these muffins are adapted from another Heidi Swanson specialty and are incredible for a gluten and dairy free treat. They are fluffy, bright and the zest of the orange and lemon is very prominent in the flavour. You almost feel as if you are eating a fruity cornbread when treating yourself to one of these muffins. It’s also a great way to consume some millet, which is an ancient seed (often mistaken for a grain) that can be cooked similarly to how quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal and farro is cooked. Millet’s popularity has risen in recent years due to the fact that it is gluten free and due to its nutritional benefits. This little seed contains ample amounts of magnesium (which assists in lowering blood pressure, decreases the risk of heart disease and eases muscle cramps and tightness), is full of fibre which slows down digestion and leaves you feeling fuller for longer, is high in alkaline (which helps our body pH to stay balanced) and is easy to digest.

INGREDIENTS

• coconut oil, to grease muffin tin 
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free self raising flour
• 1/3 cup raw millet
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda / bi-carb of soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup lactose-free yoghurt
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup almost melted nutalex 
• 1/2 cup organic honey
• the grated zest of 1 medium lemon and 1/2 a large orange
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to just above 200 degrees celsius and place a rack in the top third of the oven. Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin with coconut oil (using baking paper to grease creates the least amount of mess). 

2. Stir together the flours, millet, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. 

3. In another large bowl, whisk the yoghurt, eggs, nutalex, honey and lemon & orange zest and juice until well combined. 

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl and stir gently until the flours are just stirred through. 

5. Divide the batter into the 12 prepared muffin holes, filling the batter to the rim or just below. To ensure that the muffins rise evenly, wet a tablespoon with water and run the spoon along the tops of the batter in each hole to even the muffin tops. 

6. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the muffin tops are golden and you can just start to see cracks forming on the top of the muffins. Leave in the tin for five minutes, then transfer the muffins onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. 

Makes  / 12

Total Preparation time / 15 - 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 20 - 22 minutes 

x Emily 

RASPBERRY, LEMON & MINT FRAPPE

Sometimes the best things in life are really the simplest. Take this raspberry, lemon & mint frappe for example. I was cooking yesterday afternoon and found myself not quite hungry, but peckish. This humble frappe was created and satisfied not only my appetite but my sweet cravings as well. All you need is a blender, some fruit and a just a hint of resourcefulness and 

ingenuity.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen; if frozen lightly thawed)
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup apple juice (low sugar apple juice is best; I used Charlie's apple & water)
• 1/2 cup water 
• the juice of 1/2 a large lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly shredded. 

PREPARATION

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the consistency is of a thick juice. Serve cold, with mint on top, if desired. 

Serves / 2

Total Preparation time / no longer than 5 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 

LEMON PEPPER RISOTTO with CALAMARI & BABY SPINACH

Another Coles food magazine recipe. I have never cooked with calamari before as I tend to not be too adventurous with food from the sea. I just think of it as unknown territory. But I put on my beautiful matryoshka (Russian doll) apron this afternoon and felt brave, therefore I decided to give calamari a try. It’s common knowledge that lemon and seafood go well together and this recipe is proof of that. If you love lots of lemon with your seafood, add more than 1 tablespoons of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Risotto can sometimes be bland, so a good sea salt & black ground pepper are a necessity here. I was lacking fresh herbs in my kitchen today, but some fresh finely chopped parsley, basil or dill would go nicely stirred into this risotto at the step 4 stage. All in all, a very satisfying ending for my first calamari cook off.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups vegetable stock, preferably Massel brand 
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 a brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups arborio rice 
• 1/2 dry white wine 
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest 
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 250g cleaned calamari rings, cleaned & ready to cook (can be frozen as long as they are thawed)
• 25g crumbled goats cheese, finely grated sheep's pecorino cheese or finely grated parmesan
• a generous handful of baby spinach, washed, drained & roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

COOKING 

1. Heat coconut oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stirring for one minute or until transparent. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes or until just softened. Add rice and stir well to coat. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated, then stir in the lemon zest, lemon pepper seasoning and dried basil. 

2. Meanwhile, combine stock and 3 cups water and cover to keep warm. After step one reduce heat to a medium simmer and add 1 cup of hot stock and water at a time to rice mixture. Stir consistently until liquid is absorbed, then add another cup of stock and water. Repeat until stock and water mixture is all absorbed and rice is creamy; this will take around 16-18 minutes. 

3. Stir the calamari in the rice mixture for around 4 minutes or until calamari is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and add baby spinach, cheese, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper. Stir well to combine and serve warm, with extra lemon zest and baby spinach on top, if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x Emily 

LEMON & ORANGE POLENTA CAKE

It’s not an easy feat to make a gluten, dairy and wheat free cake taste delicious. Throw in the fact that you want a cake to be reasonably healthy and low in fat as well and its damn near impossible. I stress that this cake is for a special occasion, due to the plentiful amount of margarine in the recipe. A word to the wise; do not reduce the amount of margarine or you will be left with an inedible dry cake (my first attempt!). The polenta and ground almonds in the cake are a much healthy alternative to brown or white sugar and flour. The orange & lemon zest really gives a fruity tang to the cake that lifts the otherwise mild taste of polenta. I wish I could say that I had come up with this recipe myself, however the substance of the recipe came from ‘The Best Gluten-free, Wheat-free & Dairy-Free Recipes’ by Grace Cheetham.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g dairy-free margarine (such as Nutalex), plus extra to grease
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4-5 tablespoons honey
• 200g polenta
• 100g almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• zest of 1/2 a large orange 
• zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1 lemon

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a cake tin with margarine. 

2. Using an electric mixer or hand-held electric whisk beat the margarine until it becomes light and fluffy (this should take a few minutes). Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time and then the honey. 

3. Using a large metal spoon, gently stir in the polenta, almond meal and baking powder. Add the orange & lemon zest and mix well. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and firm to touch. Remove from the oven and leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, before placing it on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Dust extra almond meal and lemon/orange zest on top of the cake if you wish. 

Serves / 8-10

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes

Total Cooking time / 35-40 (not including cooling time)

x E