Nancy made some gluten free Irish Soda Bread using a Gluten Free Goddess recipe which can find here. We did not have any sorghum flour (and cannot buy this in Australia anyway) so substituted with teff and brown rice flour. Nancy uses vegetable shortening, buttermilk and eggs as substitutes. Will have to give this a try experimenting with the gluten free flours I can get in Australia. Hopefully Rusticana will continue to stock different types of Bob’s Red Mills alternative flours.

Nancy made us gluten free pancakes for Sunday breakfast using the Bob Red Mill Biscuit & Baking mix. They were delicious! The boys had them with bacon and maple syrup while I like mine with berries and vanilla yoghurt.

Blend 1 egg, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 cup of oil. Add to 1 1/2 cups of the Bob’s Red Mill mix. Add about 2 cups of water. Makes 18 pancakes and same recipe can be used for waffles. I hope that Rusticana in Bunbury can stock this versatile mix as well as other Bob’s Red Mill products.

Bought Melinda’s Choc Fudge Brownie mix as well as 20% off with Coeliac Society card at Coles, check out website here.   Made the brownie mix and as suggested sprinkled some chopped Toblerone on top of the mix before baking and bake for 35 minutes.  Tasted delicious with crunch bits and soft fudge like centre.

Choc Brownies!

Wintery weather today so made some Apple Crumbles Melinda’s mix, check it out here.   I followed the recipe on the back of the pack but added some sultanas in with the fruit mix.   I then added some ground up almonds and pecans to the crumble mix and topped it with some pecans.   Served up with some Thermomix creme patisserie (custard) made with 4 eggs and lemon zest for flavour and colour.

Apple & Rhubarb Pecan Crumbles

Wafflicious!

I have been craving waffles since read the Well & Good post that told me can use their muffin mix to make waffles.   Think the craving also brought on by the fact that it is only 4 weeks till we fly to America for a 2 week holiday to spend time with Aubrey’s parents, so craving Hershey’s and waffles.   Went out and bought a waffle maker and also Well & Good muffin mix from Tastefully Yours.   Check out Well & Good website here.

Ingredients
1 pack of Well & Good Muffin mix (450g)
3 eggs
4 tablespoons melted margarine
2 tablespoons honey
310ml water

Method
Mix all ingredients with wooden spoon until smooth.
Rest 10 minutes.
Spoon 1/2 cup batter into waffle iron and cook 3-5 minutes on high setting until golden.

For choc waffles add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the mix.
Serve with berry couli or maple syrup and ice cream.

Cold weather means hearty soups and my favourite is minestrone.   This is my first time trying minestrone in the Thermomix.   I substituted rice for pasta shells and it came out like a risotto, delicious with some shaved parmesan and toasted gluten free sour dough bread.

Gluten Free Minestrone with Rice

Ingredients:

Handful Italian Parsely
Handful Basil
1 Onion peeled & quartered
3 cloves of Garlic
50g Olive Oil
400g diced Mushrooms, Celery, Zucchini & Carrot
400g tin diced Tomatoes
400g soaked Italian soup mix (beans & lentils)
1 Massell vegetable stock cube
750g water
50g Tomato paste
1 tablespoon raw sugar
Pinch of sea salt
130g Arborio rice

Method

Place parsley and basil into TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7, set aside. Place onion, garlic and olive oil into TM bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 6. Saute for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1. Add all remaining ingredients except rice and cook for 15 minutes at 100 degrees celsius on Reverse + speed soft. Add rice and cook for a further 10 minutes at 100 degrees celsius on Reverse + speed soft. Put into Thermo server when cooked.   Serve with shaved parmesan.

I felt the need for something sweet and baked but trying to eat well so avoiding baking cakes. So instead made a date loaf based on Cyndi O’Meara’s recipe in the Changing Lives cookbook and just substituted gluten free flour mix.

Ingredients
170g pitted dates
80g macadamia nuts
80g sultanas
220g filtered water
160g honey
2 tsp baking powder
320g gluten free flour mix (brown rice, besan & buckwheat)
1 free range eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan forced)
Place dates and nuts into TM bowl and chop for 8 seconds on speed 8
Add sultanas and water and cook for 3 minutes at 80 degrees celsius on reverse speed soft
Allow mixture to cool before proceeding
Add the remaining ingredients and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5
Pour into large, lined loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes.

The weather has finally got cooler in the south west and so it is soup weather! This pumpkin soup recipe comes from the Everyday cookbook. I made it with the Asian style soup variation for some spice. Also used some of the Serafine gluten free bread to make some crunchy croutons.

Ingredients

1 onion peeled and quartered
1 garlic clove
2cm ginger
1 red chilli
1 tablespoon butter
250g butternut pumpkin peeled and roughly chopped
250g sweet potato peeled and chopped
1 carrot washed and chopped
Massel vegetable stock cube dissolved in 500ml water
Pinch rapadura sugar
2 tablespoons light coconut cream

Place onion, garlic, ginger and chilli into the TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7
Add butter and sauté for 3 minutes at 100 degrees C on speed 1
Add pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot, chop for 15 seconds on speed 7
Add stock and sugar and cook for 20 minutes at 100 degrees C on speed 1
Add coconut cream and blend for 15-20 seconds by slowly going from speed 1 to speed 9
Garnish with gluten free croutons, dollop of natural yoghurt and sprinkle of paprika

Thanks to Sarah from High Aspirations for the recipe for Chocolate Nut Balls  which make a yummy healthy snack and great alternative to chocolate easter eggs!    They have raw cacao in them which David Wolfe lists as one of his 10 superfoods.   Find out more about the food of the Aztec gods here.

Ingredients:

1 cup nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pitted fresh dates

1/2 cup coconut

1 tablespoon nut butter

4 teaspoons cacao powder (organic pure raw chocolate powder)

extra coconut for rolling in.

Method:

Process nuts in food processor or Thermomix.

Add remaining ingredients, binding with approximately 1 tablespoon water until mixture becomes lumpy.

Roll into small balls and roll in extra coconut.  Store in fridge.

Chocolate Bliss Balls

It is Aub’s birthday today so to celebrate we had lunch at Mash Brewery. I had cider and Aub can still have his beer! Lunch was crispy pan fried salmon with potatoes and vegetables.

Crispy Gluten Free Salmon

When we got home had gluten free Torta Caprese the flourless almond cake from the Everyday Thermomix Cookbook. I made mine with hazlenuts insteads made a heavier and nuttier tasting cake.

Ingredients:
250g Dark Chocolate broken into pieces
250g Hazelnuts
150g Rapadura sugar (milled to caster sugar)
150g Butter, room temperature
6 eggs
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Cocoa
1 tbsp Amaretto

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
Place chocolate in TM bowl and grate for 5-10 seconds on speed 8. Set aside.
Place hazelnuts in TM bowl and mill for 4-6 seconds on speed 6. Add to chocolate.
Place remaining ingredients into TM bowl and mix for 20 seconds on speed 7.
Add chocolate and hazelnuts and continue to mix for 30 seconds on speed 6.
Put mixture into a lightly greased spring form pan lined with baking paper.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 1 hour, if hot oven reduce to 160 degrees celsius.
Cool cake and ice with chocolate ganache icing made with melted dark chocolate and cream.
Delicious served warm or cold and serve with cream or ice cream.

Birthday & Easter Torta Caprese (Flourless Cake)