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 

CAROB or DARK CHOCOLATE GLUTEN FREE COOKIES

I've made this recipe five times over the past week, in an attempt to get the ingredients and their amounts exactly right. I have also served these cookies to many people over this time period, but the person who has most enjoyed these cookies is my fiancee! He has put in a request for these cookies to be baked every single week from now on. If you do not like the idea of caffeine in your cookies, opt for the carob option. If you feel cheated eating a cookie without chocolate in it, add dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs. If you do not eat eggs, replace the 1 egg with 2 extra tablespoons of coconut oil. The only problem you will face with these cookies is just eating one at a time! 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup real maple syrup (not flavoured)
• 1/3 cup carob buttons or dark chocolate or cacao nibs 
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon bi-carb of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 free range egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, in liquid form 
• pinch of sea salt

Baking

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. 

3. Shape the dough into 12 even sized balls, then flatten with your hand or a fork on the prepared baking tray. 

4. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees, then lower the heat to 160 degrees for 5 minutes. 

5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely - this is the hardest step of all! 

Makes / 10 / 12
Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

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 

RAW KEY LIME TARTS

I have to thank social media outlet Instagram for this amazing recipe, as I came across it whilst looking through my feed. Nutrionistinthekitch.com is the author of this recipe and she has an amazing website, with so many healthy, vibrant and inventive dishes listed for all to view. Friday afternoon called for some creative baking and 12 of these little bright green tarts were made in my kitchen. I do not often make raw food (as I overdosed on a raw cheesecake once (I ate too many slices) and was very very ill) however this tart is something special. Do not be scared of the green colour or the amount of avocado in the tart, as the end result tastes fresh and citrusy.

INGREDIENTS

Crust/Base

• coconut oil, for greasing
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 
• 1 cup walnuts
• heaped 1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)

Filling 

• 2 1/2 avocados
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 2 kiwifruit, skin peeled & thinly sliced, to garnish

PREPARATION / COOKING (of some description!)

1. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. Combine the coconut and walnuts in a food processor and blend until coarse. Add the dates and process until the mixture starts to stick together. You may need to add a splash of water or two to get the mixture to this point. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of the date, walnut & coconut mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and press down gently, so that the mixture fills 1/3 of the hole. 

3. Place all the filling ingredients into the food processor and process until smooth. Spoon a large tablespoon of the filling into each muffin cup and smooth the top with a spoon. Place a fresh slice of kiwi fruit on top of each tart. 

4. Freeze for 60 minutes / 1 hour to set. Continue to leave in the freezer and remove a few minutes before eating by placing the tart at room temperature. 

Serves / 12

Total Preparation time / 

Serving size / 1 tart = 192 calories 

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 

BEETROOT CUPCAKES

These beetroot cupcake cross muffins could also be described as the healthy version of red velvet cupcakes. I’ve witnessed several friends attempting to eat a cake that contained beetroot and being unable to get over the fact that they are eating a vegetable for dessert. To that I simply say, try eating it again. This beautiful Teresa Cutter gluten-free dairy-free cupcake recipe is filled with natural sweeteners like cacao powder, almonds, cinnamon, honey and of course beetroot. It has quickly become one of my favourite treats to bake and my fiancée cannot get enough of them (which is saying something as I have extreme trouble getting him to eat anything that does not contain meat). If you cannot get past the fact that these cupcakes do not have a topping or frosting, scoop some natural yoghurt or warm berries on top. 

INGREDIENTS

• 260g (2 medium) unpeeled beetroot, washed & grated raw
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste (paste is far better!)
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, beaten
• 150g (1 1/2 cups) ground almonds / almond meal
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/5 - 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 2 heaped tablespoons honey 
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• pinch of sea salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda or 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 10 capacity muffin/cupcake tin with coconut oil. 

2. Combine the grated beetroot, vanilla, eggs, almond meal, cinnamon, cacao, honey, coconut oil, salt and bicarb or baking soda into a large bowl and stir/mix until all ingredients are combined. Spoon the mixture into the 10 prepared cupcake tins, make sure each tin has the same amount of mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through (that is, you can insert a skewer or knife into the centre of any cupcake and it will come out clean). Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Serve topped with natural yoghurt, mixed berries or by itself (my favourite way to eat them). 

Makes / 10 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35-40 minutes (plus cooling time)

x Emily