gluten free – Page 5

Super Power Breakfast {vg, gf}

Published on November 21, 2013 by nathaliejasmin2019Leave a comment

I have porridge oats pretty much every day. They are comforting, especially in the colder months, and they keep me going for four to five hours. Something, which eggs have never achieved. Furthermore, oats are cheap! I tolerate oats well, but I know that 20% of celiacs cannot tolerate oats. It definitely worth giving them a shot, however, as there is no breakfast coming anywhere near porridge! There should be certified gluten-free oats in the health aisle of your local supermarket or in health shops, so you might wanna go with them. Oats are indeed a super power breakfast.

I usually just fill a mug with 2/3 cup (approx. 50 g) of oats, top them up with boiling water from the kettle, stir, and then microwave them for 30 seconds – this works fine, even with rolled oats. I normally have them with flax, cinnamon, berries and/or banana. This is a really quick, really healthy, and really satisfying breakfast.

This is a more fancy version of my standard porridge, prepared on the stove top. It is still reasonably quick to make, and it makes a bigger batch of porridge even though you use just as much oats as for the microwave version. As you might have learned, I have kind of a fondness for coconut flour. I am so happy since I got my coconut flour from here, and I use it almost every day to make a quick snack or just to satisfy any carb cravings I might have without using up my carb credits hehe. It tastes so rich and coconutty, but is still virtually free of net carbs, as the carbs in coconut flour are almost all fibre! Isn’t that good? Oh yes, and it is a lot lower in fat than coconut, which is also good! Coconut flour absorbs HEAPS of water, and I just love how you add a little water or almond milk to coconut flour and get the loveliest mousse! But that’s a different story…

Back to my super power breakfast – one word of warning: DON’T have that when you have a lunch meeting on with your hubs/date/bestie/sister/mum/boss/whoever – you will NOT be hungry for lunch if you have this for breakfast! So if you are one of those who are magically drawn to the chocolate bar vending machine in your office at 11 am, have this for breakfast, and spare your wallet and your waistline the disgrace! Honestly, isn’t the prospect of being fully satisfied until the early afternoon worth getting up 2 minutes earlier? I think it definitely is. And that’s why we go straight to the point now:

Super Power Breakfast

Serves one

2/3 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free)
600 ml (1 pint) boiling water
pinch of salt
2 tbsp (14 g) coconut flour
1 tbsp (10 g) flax
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
stevia to taste
toppings by choice (e.g. fruit, nuts, honey, maple syrup…)

Boil water in the kettle. While you are waiting, start dry roasting oats and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat while stirring continuously – don’t let them catch! When the water has finished boiling, pour into saucepan (watch out – there will be splashes when the water touches the hot pan), keep stirring while boiling for about one or two minutes. Reduce heat and add flax, whisking thoroughly as to prevent the flax from becoming a “flax egg”, then add the coconut flour and keep stirring. As coco flour absorbs so much moisture, you should soon have a thick and lovely porridge! Now transfer to a bowl (I love how it comes out really clean from the saucepan – must be the coconut flour), top with your favourite toppings and love the feeling of satiety.

Tip: If you want to be even fuller, you could try replacing (part of) the water with your favourite dairy free milk. I haven’t tried that though, as I found that using just water is sufficient for me and saves me money.

Enjoy!

Instant, healthy, low carb (no carb), vegan, paleo chocolate mousse

Published on November 13, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20193 Comments

The yummyness, the fluffyness, the beauty - chocolate mousse can actually be good for you! — The yummyness, the fluffyness, the beauty – chocolate mousse can actually be good for you!

Marveling at the Wonders of Instant, Healthy, Low-carb, Vegan, Paleo Chocolate Mousse or I Want it All, Act I, Scene I

Test Eater: Wow, this looks great! You must have spent ages making this!
Chef: Not even a minute, dear.
Test Eater: Um. So it’s bought stuff, ay? I thought you make things from scratch!
Chef: All from scratch, darling. (Well, I didn’t harvest the coconut or the cocoa.)
Test Eater (tries some): This is heaven! Honestly, this is one of the best chocolate mousses I have tried, and I am picky you know…actually, I shouldn’t really have a treat like that… (becomes serious) It must be loaded with sugar and carbs!
Chef: Not a trace. This is virtually carb-free.
Test Eater: Yeah right. So it’s filled with bucket loads of artificial sweeteners and other poisonous stuff!
Chef: Just the sweetness of nature, honey. (Well, it doesn’t actually contain honey because it’s carb-free.)
Test Eater: Wow. So I can have as much as I want – but you can’t, since you can’t have dairy! And we can’t offer it to XXX – she’s a vegan!
Chef: In this dessert, there is not a cow in sight – nor any other animal.
Test Eater: OK, I give up. What IS this stuff, and how did you make it?
Chef: Scroll down to the recipe!

Common dilemmas and how to solve them. A practical guide.
Problem 1: You need your chocolate fix and you are extremely impatient and/or short of time.
Solution 1: Make this chocolate mousse.

Problem 2: You have an insatiable sweet tooth, but you are trying to eat more healthily.
Solution 2: Make this chocolate mousse.

Problem 3: You are on a low-carb and/or paleo diet, but you miss chocolate mousse.
Solution 3: Make this chocolate mousse.

Problem 4: You love chocolate, but you are worried about all the unhealthy ingredients in it.
Solution 4: Make this chocolate mousse.

Problem 5: You need/want to cut out dairy, but you need/want chocolate mousse.
Solution 5: Make this chocolate mousse.

Problem 6: You are a vegan, but you suddenly have an odd craving for chocolate mousse.
Solution 6: Make this chocolate mousse.

Problem 7: You need your chocolate fix, and you need it now.
Solution 7: MAKE. THIS. CHOCOLATE. MOUSSE. NOW.

It takes one minute to make. One minute! Doesn’t matter whether you are suffering from a very sudden, very intense chocolate craving that does NOT allow postponement or whether you need a goodie for a surprise guest or whether you just can’t be bothered spending hours making a great dessert – this is it. Got the in-laws over for Christmas? Why spend hours making dessert when you need/want the time for your beauty routine/yoga lesson/wrapping presents/unwrapping presents? You can make this in one minute. Or less. One minute, that’s 60 seconds. That’s how long it takes – maximum. And that’s a promise. (OK, your coconut milk must be refrigerated, but you should have a couple of tins in your fridge anyway – at least when you are trying my recipes ;-))

I know not everyone cares whether desserts are healthy, but this one is. Spot on. There is no more than three ingredients (four if you count the water): Coconut meal, coconut milk, raw cocoa. That’s it. No sugar, no grains, no dairy, no processed crap, no GMO, no thickener, MSG, emulsifier, colourant or flavouring. Just. Pure. Goodness. Straight from mother nature. It is real, it is paleo, it is nutritious.

It is low-carb, if not no-carb, it is absolutely sugar free, but without nasty sugar replacements that can spike your blood sugar. This is as low GI as it gets. And it is very filling!

It is absolutely dairy free, and it goes without saying that it is also gluten and soy free. It is vegan. It is a very allergy-friendly dessert as even many nut sufferers can have coconut.

Oh, and for those who are interested – it is also veeeeeery delicious. Not to mention divine.

Dear vegans, low-carbers and paleoists, here comes the one-minute-guide how to have your mousse and eat it, too. Thanks for reading, my friend, and if you can spare one more minute of your precious time, you better make this. NOW.

Note: This has quite a strong flavour. If you like your stuff very sweet, you should probably add some stevia or erythritol. Use honey to make it paleo. I don’t sweeten it, as I don’t like my things overly sweet, but then – I’m special. 😉

Serves 1 very hungry chocoholic or 2 normal people 😉

4 tbsp coconut flour
4 tbsp solidified coconut milk (should have been stored in the fridge overnight)
4 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp filtered water

The coconut milk should look like this:

Mix all ingredients bar the water in a small bowl, then slowly add the water while stirring until smooth.

Tip: Use less water to get chocolate halva!

Enjoy!

Raspberry Champagne Sorbet with Mint

Published on November 7, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20193 Comments

It's decadent, it's pink, it's tangy, it's refreshing, it's Nat's Raspberry Champagne Sorbet! — It’s decadent, it’s pink, it’s tangy, it’s refreshing, it’s Nat’s Raspberry Champagne Sorbet!

I thought it was time to venture into new areas of dessert making that did not involve an oven, and since I have had an ice-cream maker for a while, sitting unused on the bench, I thought it was a good idea to make use of it instead of just dusting it, as usual – and I think I am gonna do this more often now! It came in handy that we had some champagne left from a gathering a couple of nights ago, and the mint in our yard is overgrowing, so my mind came up with this concoction. It is a raspberry champagne sorbet with mint, and it is divine, whether you are entertaining the in-laws or having a girl’s night. It is lovely and pink and yummy. It is especially refreshing in summer, but also great on New Year’s Eve. In fact, you can just have it anytime, and it could not be easier to make!

It contains regular sugar though – in ice-creams and sorbets, you cannot really replace the sugar, as the texture won’t work out any more, and you need the sugar to keep it smooth, or it gets brick hard (I learned that the hard way). I know there are sugar free ice-creams out there, but not only are they made in high-power machines which are able to whip more air in than an ice-cream machine for home use, but they are filled with nasties, and we would rather have sugar than thickeners, fillers, emulsifiers, starches, preservatives, and who knows what! Trust me, this is worth every calorie! And the sugar content is rather low when compared to other ice-cream recipes anyway.

375 g frozen raspberries
375 ml champagne
70 g sugar
juice of 1 lemon
mint to taste

Dissolve the sugar in the champagne and bring to the boil; then add the lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes. Take the syrup from the heat, add berries and mint and puree everything with a stick blender. Transfer to a container and chill thoroughly (for several hours or according to the instructions by the ice-cream maker’s manufacturer). Churn in your ice-cream machine according to instructions.

Enjoy!

mhh...straight off the spoon is best! — mhh…straight off the spoon is best!

Vegan Frosting II

Published on November 7, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20192 Comments

I experimented a bit more with my dairy and soy free frostings, as I found that Xanthan does not only get lumpy, but is also a bit hard on the stomach for some folks!

This coconut frosting is relatively easy and quick and tastes great! It also has a better texture than my previous frosting and uses arrowroot instead of Xanthan.

1/2 tin of coconut milk
a bit of erythritol to taste
pinch of salt
teaspoon of arrowroot, dissolved in a teaspoon of water
a drop of vanilla
100 g coconut oil
20 g Nuttelex or other dairy free spread (you can use butter if not strictly vegan or dairy intolerant)

Simmer coconut milk, sweetener and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the arrowroot paste and vanilla, bring back to the boil and swiftly whisk out any lumps. The mix becomes shiny and of goopy texture. Remove saucepan from the heat source and quickly stir in coconut oil. Let cool, transfer to container and chill for 2 hours. Once nice and cool, remove from fridge and beat with the spread until it looks like frosting. Voilà! Your vegan frosting is ready to use! Great on my carrot cake! Be careful: This frosting gets very firm in the fridge, but will melt very quickly when outside the fridge.

Enjoy!

Sweetened Condensed Milk – Dairy free and sugar free!

Published on November 7, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20191 Comment

Who doesn’t like puddings, custards, fudge or millionaire’s shortbread (aka caramel slice)? And who wouldn’t want to have these treats sugar-free, dairy free and low-carb? Who of you vegans, low-carbers and dairy intolerant folks has not pondered old favourite recipes calling for condensed milk – only to resign yourself to the fact that no dairy and no sugar means saying good bye to your favourite treat?

Don’t fret! Rescue is nigh! Would you have thought that you can create a sugar free dairy free worry free version of this yummy ingredient (I prefer it straight from the spoon!) all by yourself? All you need is yummy-tummy almond milk – which you should have in your fridge at all times anyway, some erythritol, stevia, honey or other sweetener of your choice, a pinch of salt, and a drop of vanilla, as well as an hour or so of your precious time – so if you are like me, you don’t even need to leave the house! The great thing about almond milk (and other non-dairy milks) is that the risk of burning is considerably reduced.

Makes approx. 400 g sweetened condensed milk (equivalent to 1 tin from the shop)

1 l unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp erythritol or other sweetener (I have used honey and agave before, which also works well, it just gets a bit more runny than with sugar crystals, so if you make condensed milk for fudge or millionaire’s shortbread, I would use a solid sweetener like erythritol, stevia or palm sugar.)
pinch of salt
drop of vanilla

Place all ingredients in a saucepan (the bigger it is, the quicker you will have your condensed milk!), bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered on low heat, stirring every few minutes until the mixture has reduced by about half and has turned a slight amber colour (this takes between one and up to two hours). At this stage, it will still be slightly runny, but that is okay – it will firm up, promise! Let cool in the pot for a few minutes, covered by a clean teatowel, then transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate. Enjoy straight from the spoon or in your favourite recipes. Lasts about one week in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Dairy free frosting

Published on October 30, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20193 Comments

For all frosting addicts out there who cannot or don’t want to have milk, yes, I created a dairy free frosting that tastes like a cream cheese frosting! And no, it does NOT contain Tofutti or any other GMO-laden soy crap. It is made with coconut milk – however, you won’t taste the coconut much in the final product so don’t fret if you are not the biggest coconut fan in the world – you will still like it, I promise. You can find the recipe below.

1/2 can of coconut cream (full fat or light – both work fine)
1 teaspoon of honey
pinch of salt
80 g coconut oil
80 g vegan margarine (Nuttelex) or butter
1/8 teaspoon xanthan to thicken

-Heat coconut milk, honey and salt, bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 minutes
-add xanthan, stirring continuously, bring to the boil and remove from heat – the mix should have a shiny surface
-stir in coconut oil, whisking or using a blender
-set to cool for 15 minutes and transfer to fridge for another 2 hours (the longer, the better), until mix has firmed up
-when it is thoroughly chilled, transfer coconut mix to a mixing bowl (you might need to blend it again with a stick blender to make it really smooth), add the margarine or butter and mix with hand blender for 2 minutes until thick and fluffy
-decorate muffins with the frosting using a cake decorator or silicon spatula

Vegan, dairy free and soy free whipped cream

Published on October 30, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20193 Comments

WP_000398 — Carrot cake muffins with vegan whipped cream filling

What do strawberries, applestrudel and icecream sundaes have in common? – They are nothing without whipped cream! What do whipped cream, cheesecake and frosting have in common? It is a challenge to make them dairy free! However, after much experimenting, I have come up with a recipe for a dairy free (and soy free!) whipped cream which comes very close to the original without the saturated fats and the cholesterol! Living in Australia, I based this yummy and versatile cream on the delicious macadamia nut, which is packed with vitamin, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, phytosterols and heart-friendly mono-unsaturated fatty acids.

Update: If you don’t want/can’t have nuts, please have a look at my new, much easier, quicker, faster vegan whipped cream recipe, which is also lower in fat!

To add to these health benefits, there is plenty of coconut oil – according to experts one of the healthiest foods on the planet – please have a look at this or this article if you are interested in reading up on coconut oil.

This cream gets very firm, making it ideal for decorating and layer cakes. It can be served with any cake, dessert or fresh fruits – or just spooned straight from the bowl into your mouth! It is not difficult to make; however, you will need some time for soaking the nuts and a good food processor.

Ready? Here we go:

Ingredients

1 cup of macadamia nuts (raw, unsalted, unprocessed)
30 g coconut oil
30 g vegan margarine (Nuttelex)
1 teaspoon of stevia
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla

-Process the nuts in your food processor, using the pulse function, until they have a become powder – it doesn’t matter if there are still some bigger chunks
-let the “nut powder” soak in 1 cup of filtered water for 2 to 4 hours until thick and white
-with a stick blender or your food processor process nut paste until smooth
-heat the nut paste with the coconut oil, stevia and salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly
-chill mixture in fridge overnight
-transfer chilled mixture in a bowl, add margarine and vanilla and mix with hand blender until thick and fluffy

Gluten free, low carb, vegan carrot cake muffins

Published on October 29, 2013 by nathaliejasmin20195 Comments

Those who think that gluten free cooking is complicated and tasteless hasn’t tried these fantastic carrot cake muffins – they are ready in a jiffy, packed with fibre (they really are satisfying!) and beta-carotene, low carb and low GI, and of course completely gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and sugar free! Have I mentioned that they are extremely yummy, too?

Alternatively, these muffins are even better filled with my vegan whipped cream! Highly recommended! (see left-hand picture above)

Watch out, these delicious little cakes will be gobbled up before you know it – so better make a bigger batch if you need them for a party! You can easily double or triple this recipe. They last well in the fridge (in fact, they taste even better the next day) and you can freeze them without any worries.

Makes 12 muffins

For the muffin batter
2 eggs or egg replacer to make it vegan
100 g of honey (can be substituted with organic maple syrup or agave nectar)
40 ml olive oil
100 g plain gluten free flour
30 g flax seed
1 teaspoon gluten free baking soda
50 g nuts (almonds and/or walnuts are best, but you can use any nuts) – more nuts improve the flavour even further
1 1/2 cups of freshly grated carrots – the more carrots, the more moist and delicious your muffins will be
1/2 teaspoon xanthan (if your gf flour mix doesn’t contain it already)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or Celtic sea salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 dates (optional, but adds taste and texture – could be replaced with raisins and/or sultanas)

For the frosting
1/2 can of coconut cream (full fat or light – both work fine)
1 teaspoon of honey
pinch of salt
80 g coconut oil
80 g vegan margarine (Nuttelex) or butter
1/8 teaspoon xanthan to thicken

Muffins:
-Preheat oven to 180° C
-Beat honey, eggs, oil, vanilla in a large mixing bowl until smooth
-In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, flax, soda, xanthan, salt and cinnamon
-Add to wet ingredients and beat until smooth
-Mix in carrots, nuts and dates and transfer batter to muffin pan
-Bake for 30 min or until a toothpick comes out clean

Frosting:
-Heat coconut milk, honey and salt, bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 minutes
-add xanthan, stirring continuously, bring to the boil and remove from heat – the mix should have a shiny surface
-stir in coconut oil, whisking or using a blender
-set to cool for 15 minutes and transfer to fridge for another 2 hours (the longer, the better), until mix has firmed up
-when it is thoroughly chilled, transfer coconut mix to a mixing bowl (you might need to blend it again with a stick blender to make it really smooth), add the margarine or butter and mix with hand blender for 2 minutes until thick and fluffy
-decorate muffins with the frosting using a cake decorator or silicon spatula

Enjoy!

Tips
– use sugar free orange marmalade instead of honey, to get a more tangy and zesty taste
– add some ginger to the dough for some exotic spiciness
– mix some gingerbread or pumpkin pie spice in the frosting for a delish Halloween or Xmas treat
– replace the carrots with cooked pumpkin or sweet potato for an extra luscious treat
– you can of course make this a cake instead of muffins. This recipe is enough for one round 20 cm baking pan. Double this recipe for a bigger cake.