Had a go at making Soda Bread recipe from Cyndi’s “Changing Habits Changing Lives” cookbook and it turned out well, nice and dense bread with a smudge of organic butter. I did find the bread took more like 60 minutes to bake and for the skewer to come out clean. I used a mix of brown rice, besan, potato, arrowroot and maize flour but did not include soy flour as does not agree with my digestion! I also sprinkled top of loaf with some more sesame seeds and chia seeds.

2 organic free range eggs
400ml sparkling mineral water
2 tablespoons cold pressed macadamia oil
1 tablespoon tahini
3.5 cups gluten free flour mix (see above)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
In a glass bowl combine eggs, water, oil and tahini, mix well.
Add flour, salt and sesame seeds and mix well.
Scrape into a lined loaf tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes.
Test with a skewer, if comes out clean the bread is ready.

Gluten Free Soda Bread

Went along to the Cyndi O’Meara and Thermomix presentation last night and was impressed. Cyndi is inspirational and the Thermomix amazing. I could eat most things prepared including some gluten free bread based on recipe from Cyndi’s book which was fantastic with the butter made in Thermomix – will try and post recipes as soon as mine gets delivered!

I was cleaning out the pantry and found a tin of apple pie filling and decided to make a crumble. I found this recipe in the Cyndi O’Meara “Changing Habits, Changing Lives” cookbook. I adapted it as cannot have the rolled oats!

1 tin of pie apple
3 cups roughly chopped rhubarb (cooked)
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
cinnamon
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1/4 cup sunflower/pumpkins seeds
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup hazelnut meal
1/4 gluten free plain flour
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius fan forced.
2. Mix cooked rhubarb, apple, sugar and cinnamon in bottom of oven proof dish.
3. Mix almonds, seeds, coconut, hazelnut meal and flour in a bowl.
4. Mix honey and melted butter and combine with crumble mix.
5. Spread over apple, rhubarb mix and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
6. Serve with quality cream or ice-cream.

Once again another recipe from Belinda Jeffrey’s Mix & Bake. This cake is very rich so once again small serves! It is equally delicious cold from fridge or warmed up with vanilla bean ice-cream (my favourite is Weiss brand).

250g unsalted butter
250g good quality dark chocolate
85g sifted Dutch processed cocoa
200g roasted pecans
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
1/3 cup brandy
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GF Rich Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Raspberries

1. Preheat over to 180 degrees c. Butter and line a spring-form cake tin.
2. Melt butter over double saucepan and add chocolate till melted. Take of the heat and add cocoa. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile whiz the pecans in a food processor.
4. In large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Mix in vanilla and brandy. Finally stir in the ground pecans. Batter should be loose and runny.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake cake for 45 minutes or until the side is set but the middle of cake is still a bit wobbly.
6. Cool the cake completely in tin on a wire rack. Once cool release the side of the tin and invert cake onto a plate. Cover the cake with cling wrap and chill it in the fridge, will keep for at least a week.
7. When you are ready to eat cake serve dusted with pure icing sugar and serve with cream.

I have been making minestrone with cornbread but using a packet mix. I found this recipe in Belinda Jeffery’s Mix & Bake and decided to make it from scratch.

Pumpkin Cornbread & Minestrone

375g jap pumpkin cut into 3cm chunks
150g fine stone ground yellow polenta
1 1/2 tablespoons gluten free plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
45g unsalted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg lightly beaten
pepitas for topping

1. Steam pumpkin until tender. Drain and leave it cool. Mash.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees c. Put polenta, flour, baking powder, salt, bicarbonate of soda and nutmeg into a bowl and whisk them together.
3. Put butter in loaf tin and pop in oven to melt. Thoroughly stir the buttermilk and egg into the mashed pumpkin.
4. Remove tin from the oven and swirl around tin to coat. Tip excess butter into the pumpkin mixture and then pour into the dry ingredients. Mix together into a batter and scrape into tin, levelling batter and scatter top with pepitas.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes or until bread lightly golden and feels springy to the touch in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool bread in tin for 10 minutes and then turn onto wire rack to cool.
6. When ready to serve slice bread into chunks. Best warm or toasted and keeps well in fridge for up to 5 days.

This mousse is divine, so rich and decadent! Best in small serves!

1 envelope of unflavoured gelatine
1/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup castor sugar
2/3 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
2 cups cold whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Sprinkle gelatine over cold water in small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water, stir until gelatine is completely dissolved. Cool slightly.
2. Combine sugar and cocoa in large bowl, add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of mixer, scraping bottom of bowl occasionally until mixture is stiff. Pour in gelatine mixture, beat until well blended. Spoon into serving dishes.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Garnish as desired. Makes 8 servings.

Using Turban Chopsticks green curry paste which is gluten free I made a chicken curry with basmati rice. Just add 1/2 jar of the paste with some coconut milk and 1 cup of water with some stir fried chicken and chopped capsicum, brocollini, baby corn and snow peas. Served with a dollop of low fat Greek yoghurt. Visit Turban Chopsticks for more gluten free products and some great recipes. I love the Royal Festival Biryani Rice as well for a quick meal just add some chicken.

Turban Chopsticks Green Curry

Nic from my work place who is a great cook, brought us all in some delicious and moist orange cakes. Perfect with a short black for morning tea. It came from Belinda Jeffries “Mix & Bake”.

Classic Flourless Orange & Almond Cake

2 large navel oranges
250g almond meal
250g castor sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs
icing sugar or apricot glaze

1. Place oranges in saucepan of boiling water and boil for 2 hours until soft. Drain and leave to cool. Once cool chop and puree finely in food processor.

2. Preheat oven to 170 deg C. Prepare cake pan or line muffin tins.

3. In a bowl use whisk to mix together almond meal, sugar and baking powder.

4. Put the eggs in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the orange puree and almond mix and mix on low speed. Pour batter into tin or muffin tray.

5. Bake for about 1 hour or less for muffins, until cake firm on top. Cool cake or muffins. Either dust with icing sugar or make a apricot glaze with apricot jam or conserve.

GF Orange Cupcakes

I have tried lots of different gluten free breads and my favourite commercially available bread is from Bodhis Bakehouse. That said the best bread is the one I bake myself using Sunbeam Quantum Smartbake with gluten free cycle. Tastefully Yours sell the breadmaker and all the supplies to make the bread.

Ingredients
500ml warm water
3 x free range eggs
1/2 cup oil (olive, grapeseed or chia)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup besan (chick pea) flour
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup arrowroot
3 tablespoons grain (chia, pepitas, sunflower seeds)
1 tablespoon xantham gum
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons yeast

Method
1. Place ingredients in bread pan in order listed
2. Place bread pan into breadmaker
3. Choose gluten free cycle, dark crust and 1kg loaf size option
4. Press start

The bread takes about 2.5 hours to bake and smells delicious like any bread baking. It needs some time to cool before slicing but is great fresh. After the first day bread is best toasted or freeze individual slices for later use.