Delicious gluten free banana and coconut cake.

It's been too hot here lately for any baking, so on this cooler, wet day I thought I'd get reacquainted with my oven and make something yummy for morning tea. I found a recipe for a banana and coconut cake on Pinterest and adjusted it to suit the ingredients in my pantry. The result was one damn fine, gluten free cake. Yum.

Gluten Free Banana and Coconut Cake
1 1/2 cups of gluten free self raising flour (I used Aldi's 'Has No...' SR flour)
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup apple puree (I cut and steamed two apples and then pureed them)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat your oven to 190˙C and line a loaf tin with baking paper. Combine the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and apple puree until combined. Mash the bananas with a fork and mix into the wet ingredients. Add the coconut. Mix the dry ingredients bit by bit into the wet ingredients until just combined. Pour the mix into your lined tin and bake for about 50-60 minutes. Check on it after 40 mins (my oven can be slow). If the top is browning too quickly, cover it in foil.
Enjoy!

Quinoa Choc Chip Cookies.

A couple of weeks ago I had the most delicious Quinoa Choc Chip Cookie at my favourite cafe Anonymous. Ever since then I have been searching the internet for a recipe to try. I found one here and tried it out this morning (I did alter it slightly, my version is below). My cookies are a lot finer than the one I had at Anonymous, but just as delicious!
The cookies are by no means healthy, but if you are after a good gluten free choc chip biscuit give this recipe a try.

Quinoa Choc Chip Cookies
1 1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 egg
115g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup choc chips (I only had chocolate buddies, so I roughly chopped them)

Preheat the oven to 180º c.
In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl combine the egg and cooled, melted butter. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet mixture to the flour and mix to combine. Stir in the choc chips. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes (this will make the dough easy to work with).
Roll teaspoons of the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Flatten the cookies slightly with your fingers or the back of a spoon. The dough should make about 24 cookies.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

Chickpea Salad: an old favourite.

A little while ago a bought a carton of chickpea tins from Costco. At the time I had a million recipe ideas in mind, but the reality of so many tins was overwhelming. I made hummus, curry and even salt and vinegar chickpeas (which were awesome) but I still had tins left.
Then I remembered this quick chickpea salad. I hadn't made it for years, but now it's back as a regular lunch time favourite.
The recipe isn't an exact thing, you will get a feel for how you like it. So don't be scared to experiment a bit.

Chickpea Salad
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
A good drizzle of Olive Oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (feel free to add more or less if you want)
A few sun dried tomatoes cut into strips
A quarter of a block of feta cheese (again feel free to use more or less), chopped or crumbled.
A handful of parsley, finely chopped. You can also use basil in the summer months.
Black pepper to taste

Put the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and add the oil and balsamic vinegar, mix to combine. Add the feta, sun dried tomatoes and herbs and toss to combine. Add a small amount of ground black pepper. Serve on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy!

The best ever Chickpea Biscuits.

When I was first offered one of these Chickpea Biscuits by a fellow pre-school mum, I thought 'oh great, I bet they taste like they've been poured through an old boot', but to my surprise they were delicious and I got the recipe then and there! They are one of the best gluten free biscuits I've ever had, and even my fussy four year old is hooked.
I'm thinking I might even get a little creative with the recipe and turn them into jam drops, or add some caraway seeds to the tops. Yum. The possibilities are endless.
Even if you're not gluten free they're worth a try.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup besan flour (chickpea flour)
125g Nuttelex lite or butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch or arrowroot (I use arrowroot)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 ˚c. Add all ingredients to a mixer and beat until creamy in texture. Add extra rice flour if needed. Dollop teaspoonfuls onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Ensure there is enough space for the dollops to spread. Bake until golden around the edges, 10-15 mins. Cool on rack.

Deconstructed Babaghanoush.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and had to give it a try. It's now one of my favourites. I haven't done much cooking with eggplant, but it really is a surprisingly easy vegetable to cook. This recipe makes a great lunch, warm or cold. Tonight I plan on having it for dinner with some Quinoa and extra vegetables. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, sliced length-ways
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of cherry tomatoes (I used a mixture of red and yellow)
1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with sesame seeds

Tahini Dressing:
1/4 cup Tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons of olive oil
(Note: My Tahini dressing wasn't smooth like the original recipe, it was more like the consistency of hummus. I'm not sure why. It still tasted good though.)

Method:
In a small mixing bowl, add juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tbsp olive oil, cumin powder, smoked paprika powder, chili powder, minced garlic, pinch of salt & pepper and stir to combine. Place eggplant slices on a baking sheet and thoroughly coat in the marinade.
Marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat a large non-stick grill skillet on medium high. You can use a proper grill or fry pan if you don't have a skillet.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the hot skillet or pan. Add slices of marinated eggplant. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Depending on the thickness of each slice, cook for at least a minute on each side. If you like it soft, cook for a little longer.
Prepare tahini dressing in a small bowl, by combining all of the above ingredients. Set aside.
Remove grilled eggplant and put on a plate to cool slightly. Chop into bite size pieces.
In a mixing bowl, add halved tomatoes, chopped parsley and grilled eggplant. Lightly toss everything with tahini dressing or serve the dressing on the side. Garnish with some toasted sesame seeds.

You can find the original recipe here.

Cooking with Coconut Flour.

I've been doing a bit of experimenting in the kitchen of late. Being gluten free is part of it, but I really do enjoy trying new things.
I went to the health food shop in search of quinoa flour and left with coconut flour. I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I got home and started reading about cooking with coconut flour I started to get nervous. You can't just substitute coconut flour for wheat flour. Because it's so dense you use a lot less, and need a lot more eggs! I was convinced my first batch of apple and cinnamon muffins would be a flop, but they turned out well. They were very nice with some fruit and yoghurt for a breakfast treat. I used this recipe, but I think they would have been nicer with some blueberries or sultanas in them.
My next coconut flour cooking adventure was a a batch of Lamingtons. We called them 'Flamingtons' – fake Lamingtons. I was so worried at first, but for a healthy gluten free, sugar free, butter free Lamington they turned out ok. I wish I had've used normal dark chocolate instead of 70% dark chocolate, because I think they needed a little extra sweetness.
I have also used coconut flour in gluten free zucchini fritters – they were a success. The Lamington and zucchini fritter recipes are both from The Healthy Chef.
I recommend giving coconut flour a try, but make sure you do your research before you start cooking!

Activated Almonds.

Activated almonds have been a hot topic of conversation this week, after celebrity chef Pete Evans listed them as part of his 'My Day on a Plate' food diary for the Sunday Age magazine on the weekend.
Admittedly, his food choices aren't that of an average person, but I think people did over react.
I found his food diary intriguing, and decided to give activated almonds a go.
I did some research and found a great blog called Easy Peasy Organic, which explained activated almonds and how to make them at home.
In a nut shell (pardon the pun), nuts are full of enzyme inhibitors that prevent them from sprouting in dry conditions. By soaking them you trick them into starting to sprout. The sprouted form has nutrients that are more easily absorbed and digested, which means our bodies get more of the goodness out of the nuts.
Making your own:
I started with a cup of almonds to give it a go, but you can do it with as many as you want.
Soak your almonds (raw – not roasted or salted) in enough water to cover them for 12-24 hours. I soaked mine for about 12 hours. After you have soaked them they will look puffy and may even look like they are starting to sprout.
Rinse the soaked nuts under running water. You can use them as they are (I put some in my morning smoothie), or you can 'roast' them. If you want to flavour them, nows the time to do it. I left mine natural, but you could add sea salt or tamari if making them for a snack.
To 'roast' the almonds without damaging the nutrients you've activated, you can either put them in the oven at the lowest temperature, or use a food dehydrator, which is what I have done. This process can take from 6-24 hours depending on the temperature you're using. The nuts are ready when they feel dry. Try a few to make sure they're done.
You can use the activated almonds as you would normally use almonds. They last well in an airtight container. They can even been ground into almond meal. The possibilities are endless!

Home grown.

I love having a vegetable garden. There is nothing more satisfying than cooking and eating something you've grown yourself. We only started growing vegetables/herbs last spring, so we are still amateurs, and doing everything by trial and error. We have had some successes and some disasters. Last summer our cucumbers and basil were amazing, but our tomatoes and zucchinis were terrible. This winter we planted broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. I'm still waiting for the cabbages, but the broccoli and cauliflower have been sensational! It's funny to think of how proud I am of a mere cauliflower plant!
We have planted some seeds in half toilet rolls, and then transferred them to the veggie patches once they have sprouted. This seems to work really well, so I'm looking forward to our summer crop of beans, carrots and corn.

In the kitchen.

What is better than Sunday afternoon cooking? I find it so relaxing. Today I decided to make a tomato relish from some over ripe tomatoes I had in the fridge. I searched for a recipe online, and ended up combining a few to come up with a relish to suit me, and suit me it does! Not only did it make the house smell delicious while it was cooking, it will be the perfect sauce to go with our turkish bread mushroom burgers. I also think it would be wonderful on a bacon and scrambled egg roll. Oh the possibilities. Here is the recipe:

Spicy Tomato Relish
1 tbs olive oil
1 small brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp hot chilli flakes (you can add more if you want it hotter)
1/2 tsp all spice
Pinch of dried herbs (I used oregano)
500g tomatoes, diced
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly. Add garlic, chilli, all spice and dried herbs and cook for 2 mins or until aromatic. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until they break down. Add the sugar and vinegar and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until it has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and cool in saucepan. Add the fresh thyme.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Fresh pasta.

After our long car trip we had a day to recover and relax. We did a little gardening and tidying and then decided to do some cooking. We have an abundance of herbs in our garden, so my talented husband made some fresh pasta and then we pressed basil and oregano into it. We put the pasta through the pasta machine until we got to the last, and thinest setting. Then we laid the sheet on the bench, found halfway and placed herbs on one half of it. We then folded the plain end onto the herbed end and put it back through the pasta maker, pressing both halves together. It took a while, but it was totally worth it. Not only did it look pretty, it tasted amazing as well.

Gift wrapping and such.

I'm excited to have finished wrapping our Christmas gifts! I was feeling very disorganised, but now that it's done all I can think about is handing them out on Christmas morning! This year, my son and I made our own muesli and packaged it using labels I designed and then had printed as stickers. Lella tells me her theme has 'aced' mine this year, so I'm looking forward to seeing it Christmas day!

Homemade muesli.

This morning, my two and a half year old sous chef and I made our own muesli. After a bad supermarket muesli choice I decided it was time to take things into our own hands. We made our own granola/crumble by mixing oats, chopped almonds and hazelnuts, cinnamon, a little brown sugar and a small amount of melted butter and then baked it for a few minutes on a tray. We then mixed it with oats, oat bran, chia seed, sunflower seeds, pepitas and chopped dates. It was so easy and I know exactly what's in it - we are two very happy muesli makers!

Baking days.

I purchased this month's Donna Hay magazine and was seduced by the 'Brownies' section. It was a rainy afternoon so decided to try the 'cookies and cream blondie' and the 'brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting'. Doing both on the same day was a bad idea. By the end I was almost in a sugar coma and couldn't stand the thought of chocolate. The 'cookies and cream blondie' wasn't great – it won't be on my make again list. It was a little strange and felt like it was missing something. The 'brownie cookies with peanut butter' were better, very rich, but easy enough to make. I loved the frosting, but I must admit I used less butter than the recipe called for. I think I'll move onto the ricotta section now...

Burger days.

It's Anooke's birthday this week, so we had a little celebration this afternoon. Anooke and Be love a novelty cake. Always have. I'm not a huge fan. Dry butter cake, too much icing... So when Anooke requested a Big Burger cake, I was a little apprehensive, but up for the challenge. Be did a Google search and found one we could use as a reference, and then I made two marble cakes and a big load of icing and baammm – one Big Burger birthday cake. I'm actually proud of the way it turned out. And it didn't taste that bad either.

Happy birthday my darling.

Bompas and Parr: The coolest guys in jelly.

How totally awesome are these guys? Not only do they make bespoke jelly moulds and cookie cutters, they design awesome and spectacular food experiences – sometimes working on architectural scale. I knew jelly could be cool, but not this cool. Be sure to visit their website, it will blow your mind.

Somewhere special.

Anooke's year 12 major art work was selected for this years Art Express exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW, so we drove into the city for the launch. It was so exciting to see her brilliant film playing at the gallery. Afterwards we wanted to take her somewhere special for lunch to celebrate. Lella and I threw some ideas around, but Anooke's idea of special was Harry's Cafe De Wheels – a totally stylin' roadside diner. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by Anooke anymore.

The perks of work.

I love my job, but it was made even better when one of our paper reps dropped in a box of Adriano Zumbo macarons. Everything about them was divine. The packaging, the colours, the flavours – oh the joy.

The best gift I've ever given.

My Son and I bought the 'Bourke Street Bakery' (by Paul Allam and David McGuinness) book for my Husband for Father's Day, and let me just say it's the best thing we've ever given him. We have had beautiful fresh bread on multiple occasions, as well as croissants, lemon curd tarts and grissini. We are looking forward to further exploration into the sweets section, but can't complain about what we've had so far. If I'd realised I was married to a brilliant baker, I would have bought the book ages ago!

Feeding the Bump.

It's been a while since I was pregnant, but as I was cooking dinner last night I was reminded just how good 'Feeding the Bump' by Lisa Neal is. It's a book of nutrition and recipes for pregnancy – full of simple, healthy and delicious food and great facts. I cook from it at least once a week and everyone loves the food. Some of our favourites are Green Soup, Red Lentil Soup, Chicken Soba Noodle Salad, Bircher Muesli, Hummus and Tamari Roasted Almonds. I recommend this book to anyone thinking about having a baby, with a baby or who just likes healthy food. It's full of information and answers a lot of those tricky 'what can I eat while I'm pregnant' questions.

Image via We Heart It

A birthday challenge.

Anooke turns 18 next week and we are celebrating the fact on the weekend. We are having a simple family affair with an elaborate cake. Anooke has asked for a croquembouche sitting on top of a mudcake and then drizzled with dark, milk and white chocolate. Mum is taking care of the mudcake and my job is the croquembouche. I will keep you posted on how this goes – hopefully it will be a stunning success and not a soggy disaster! I love the look of this chocolate croquembouche, what are the chances of mine looking the same?