Egg free recipe

Choc chip Gingerbread Muffins

~ desertcook ~ 5 Comments

I love any excuse to bake … and Christmas provides SO many opportunities!!!

These delicious little morsels are a cross between my doughnut muffins and my Christmas pancakes.

See below the recipe for a gluten free Coeliac friendly version too.

  • 200g flour (half wholemeal if you like)
  • 80g sugar
  • 1.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp No Egg powder OR 1 whole egg
  • 1.5 tsp GF baking powder
  • 65g melted butter of choice
  • 240g milk of choice
  • 1/4 cup choc chips (we use dark chocolate dairy free chips)

In a large bowl place the flour, sugar, salt, spices, egg replacer and baking powder. Use a whisk to combine the dry mix. (or Speed 4 for 6 seconds)

In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the butter and milk.

Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk vigorously to combine mix until smooth. (Speed 5, 8 seconds)

Fold through the choc chips (speed 4, 5 seconds)

Place into lined/greased muffin pans and bake in a preheated 180C oven for about 20 minutes.

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Mini muffins take 12-15 minutes.

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To make these Coeliac friendly replace the spelt flour with 200g of a gluten free flour mix plus 1 tsp of psyllium.

Makes 12 regular or 24 mini muffins.

These freeze and defrost really well.

**If you’re looking for a fun gift, make up a large glass jar of all of the dry ingredients in layers, then add a tag with instructions about the wet ingredients to add and the baking directions.

Enjoy 🙂

“This recipe has been included by Twinkl among their top picks for Delicious Christmas Dessert Recipes“

Gingerbread (that will also stand up in houses!)

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A few years ago Libby posted this amazing Gingerbread recipe and it has been my go to Christmas cookie recipe ever since.

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Everyone loves this gingerbread, but it can be a little soft for construction work! Since we make our own Gingerbread houses, I’ve been playing around with the recipe to come up with a slightly harder gingerbread that can stand up to the building process a little better but still meets all of our allergy requirements and this is it.

If you are making this mix in a Thermal Cooker, you will need to be mindful of the weight capacity limit of the machine – I do only a half batch at a time in my Bellini. This recipe does make a large quantity of dough, and half is more than enough for a house and some cookies.

  • 250g vegan butter
  • 180g brown sugar
  • 2 eggs worth of egg replacer (or 5tbsp aquafaba)
  • 300g golden syrup
  • 800g plain GF flour mix (or closer to 900g of you use wheat flour)
  • pinch salt
  • 6 tsp ground ginger
  • 4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 2 tsp bicarb soda
  • 120ml boiling water

In your stand mixer, cream dairy free spread and sugar until light and fluffy (Speed 5, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat twice).
Add in the egg replacer. If you are using the aquafaba here, you need to add in this extra step: in the small bowl of your mixer place the aquafaba and beat it until frothy – you don’t need to go quite as far as sort peaks forming. Add this mix into the beaten sugar mix and beat to combine. (Speed 4, 8 seconds)

Add in the syrup then mix well (Speed 4, 12 seconds)

Dissolve the bi carb in the boiling water.

Mix together dry ingredients and then add to the wet mix mixture in parts, alternating with the bicarb water. Start with 800g of flour then add more 1 tbsp at a time if the mixture feels too soft. I used a full 900g last time. (Set machine on speed 4 for about 3 minutes to allow you to add mix through the measuring cup opening while the machine mixes). *Note that the mix will still be fairly soft when it is ready to go in the fridge – it is not a really stiff dough.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours – overnight
Remove dough from fridge and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then roll dough out (use a little pure cornflour to dust the surface) and cut out to shape.

Lay on lined baking trays and place in a preheated 170C (or 160C fan forced) oven for about 15 minutes.

They will be browned and still slightly soft to touch when removing from oven
Remove from oven but leave on tray for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack.

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For your reference – this is a big quantity of dough – it makes about 130 small gingerbread men!!

Then if you’re making a house you just need to get building!

For a fabulous egg free Royal icing (to use as your cement) check out this one. I made and used 2/3 of this recipe to construct and decorate our house. (For a thermal cooker: place icing sugar in bowl and set machine to speed 4 for about 2 minutes, add lemon juice and glycerine through the measuring cup opening in the top. Mix until thick and well combined … you probably won’t need all of the 2 minutes!)

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My 3, 5 and 7 year old decorated ours this year and they are very proud of the outcome!

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Hope you are enjoying Christmas baking as much as I am 🙂

 

Chicken, chick pea and date curry

~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

This delicious Moroccan inspired curry is actually adapted from one that Libby gave me at a recipe swap night about 8 years ago – thanks Lib!

  • 8 chicken thighs, diced
  • 800g tin crushed tomatoes
  • 2 x 420g tin chick peas, drained and rinsed
  • 12 medjool dates, diced
  • about 4 tbsp oil of choice
  • 1 brown onion, finely diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp plain GF flour
  • 3 tsp ground cumin
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp tumeric
  • 2 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 cups hot chicken stock (I used Massel)
  • 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds or blanched almonds

Into a large plastic zip lock bag, place flour and all dry spices, shake to combine then add in the diced chicken and shake well until coated.

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Heat oil and brown chicken in a couple of batches, then set aside.

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Heat some more oil, add onion and cook for a few minutes translucent.

Add garlic, and cook stirring for another 2 minutes.

Return the coated chicken along with any spices remaining from the bag to the frying pan.

Stir well and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and stock to the pan. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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Add the chick peas and dates and cook, stirring for another 5 minutes.

Add in the sunflower seeds or almonds and serve with brown rice, corn cous cous or cauliflower rice.

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Makes about 10 serves and freezes and defrosts well.

A few Budget/Bulk Cooking tips:

  • For less expensive dates you can use dried ones. Just add them to the pot about 5 minutes earlier so they have longer to soften and plump up.
  • When I need to make this meal stretch further, I add an additional 400g tin of tomatoes and an additional tin of drained chick peas. Works beautifully to feed our family 4 times over!

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Lots to freeze – even the rice can be done in bulk.

Enjoy 🙂

Salted Caramel Bliss Balls

~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

I guess it’s no surprise to you by now that I’m posting more salted caramel flavoured recipes!

These bliss balls came about because I had some almond milk dulce de leche left over and I want to stop myself eating it from the jar with a spoon!

See below the recipe for nut free and coeliac options.

  • 150g rolled oats*
  • 30g rolled quinoa
  • 20g flax seeds
  • 3/4 tsp Himalayan salt
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp almond milk dulce de leche (or use an extra tbsp maple syrup)
  • 1tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 12 pitted medjool dates

Place oats, quinoa, flax and salt in the bowl of your processor and blitz until fine (Speed 8, 12 seconds).

Add in seed butter, syrup, vanilla and dulce de leche. Process until well combined. (Speed 7, 8 seconds, then scrape down sides).

Add in dates one at a time through the top chute, on to spinning blades then process until date is finely chopped and evenly distributed.  (Speed 4 whilst you are adding dates, then up to speed 7 for 15 seconds).

Use teaspoons of mix and roll into balls.

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Makes about 22.

Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

*To make these coeliac friendly: remove the oats and bulk up the quinoa to 60g and add in 1 cup sunflower seeds.

Enjoy!

Salsa

~ desertcook ~ 11 Comments

My husband and 3 boys are serious Mexican food fans (even miss Fussy quite enjoys it) – Tacos, Nachos, Enchiladas, Steak Burritos, Mexican meatballs, Taco steak with Mexican Bean Salad, Salsa Chicken …. we could eat Mexican just about every other night and they’d be happy!

What I’m not so happy about is the quantity of additives and preservatives in  the jars of salsa type sauces to use in these dishes. So I’ve had a go at making my own based on the back of a jar we’d had … and it was a winner! This makes quite a big batch so we will be using this from now on instead of the store-bought variety.

  • 800g tin crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 medium capsicum (colour of your choice)
  • 1/2 brown onion
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced chilli
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp pink salt flakes
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar/maple syrup

Simply place all ingredients into your food processor and pulse until you reach the consistency you enjoy.

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Fewer times for a chunky salsa to dip your chips in, and more times for a smoother salsa to go inside your burritos, enchiladas, Salsa Chicken etc.

Makes quite a large batch – the equivalent of 3 large store bought jars.

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Enjoy!!

Chocolate Protein Drink (‘Milo’ Substitute)

~ desertcook ~ 12 Comments

My big boys love Milo. My husband loves Milo … and quite frankly, I’d quite happily eat it straight from the tin too if it wasn’t for the health concerns …. I suspect all Aussie kids would have done it at one time in their lives 😀

But it’s not an option for my little miss and I’d really rather that my boys weren’t getting the refined sugar, oils and additives from it either. So I’ve been trying to find a way to make a home made version that we could all enjoy.

This is a pretty good approximation. I have to tell you that it is not like eating the original (for obvious reasons!), so please don’t expect an exact replica, or you will be a bit disappointed! But it is sweet, chocolatey and has crunchy bits when mixed with cold milk. So if you are you missing a chocolately drink or you just want a healthier version, then this is a good place to start!

For us, it is also a simple way to make sure that our biggest boy gets the weekly Hazelnut quota that he requires after his nut challenge.

I based my mix on this one from Changing Habits.

  • 3 tbsp each of sunflower, pumpkin, chia and flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup roasted almonds
  • 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts (skin off)
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder OR 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup coconut sugar

Place nuts and seeds in high power processor and process until fine – be careful not to overdo it and wind up with a butter! (Speed 8, 8 seconds).

Add in cacao and sugar and process again to combine (Speed 4, 6 seconds).

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Store in airtight jars. Makes 2 large jars.

Use as you would use Milo. I doesn’t completely dissolve in cold milk because of the nuts and seeds, but the cacao and sugar do giving the milk a chocolatey appearance whilst leaving the crunchy bits, typical of Milo. Don’t use with hot milk – the chia and flax seeds give a gelatinous mix if you do!

We use it in milkshakes, on top of porridge, in pancakes or even sprinkled on to frozen banana ‘ice cream’. Yum!!

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2 out of my 3 bigger kids drank it and loved it. Harry wasn’t convinced with just plain milk, but we have discovered that he loves it in a milk shake (you can find his favourite milkshake recipe at the end of the post!). My husband drank it and enjoyed it although knew that it was different to ‘the real stuff’! Ellie and George … well … they likes to eat it by the spoonful!

If you want a really fine mix, try using the milling blade in a smaller bullet type blender (like a Nutribullet).

For a nut free version:

  • 3 tbsp each of chia and flax seeds
  • 3/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
  • 3/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 3/4 cup cacao powder
  • 1 1/4 cups coconut sugar

To dry roast the seeds, place them in a large baking tray under the grill, on the shelf furthest away in the oven. Watch them carefully … it only takes a few minutes! Flip seeds in tray a few times during cooking process to ensure even cooking coverage.

Allow seeds to cool before adding to processor with chia and flax. Follow above method for remainder of recipe.

Enjoy 🙂

Harry’s Choc Shake:

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tbsp drinking chocolate mix
  • 1 tbsp rolled oats
  • 1 tsp Sunflower seed butter
  • 1 cup cold milk of choice.

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender/processor and blend until very smooth.

Drink immediately – Harry says it’s best with a blue straw 🙂

Teff cookies

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As is often the case, my wonderful and delightful (but cheeky and determined!!) little miss is the source of inspiration for my baking experiments.

We are struggling to get enough protein into her, but she is quite a fan of baked goods. So I have been trying to find higher protein flours to work with and Teff came up.

Apparently, according to my research, it is the world’s tiniest grain. It originated in Ethiopia where is has long been a staple in their diet. Compared with other grains, it has a higher percentage of bran and germ which makes it higher in fibre and protein. It’s also go the highest calcium content of all grains … another deficiency we struggle with. It has quite a light flavour and is naturally gluten free – wins all ’round!

So now …. what do I make with it?

Well, I bought a packet (of Bob’s Red Mill Teff) and on the back there was a recipe for teff and peanut butter cookies.

This is my adapted version.

  • 1.5 cups teff flour
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (honey or rice malt works too)
  • 1/2 tsp himilayan salt
  • 175g sunflower seed butter
  • 6 large medjool dates
  • 3/4 tsp GF Baking powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil/vegan butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

In your processor mix together syrup, seed butter, vanilla and oil. Process until completely combined (Speed 5, 10 seconds)

Remove the seeds from your dates and drop them, one at a time, through the chute of the processor on to spinning blades, then process until dates are very finely diced and well mixed in (Speed 4 while you are adding the dates then up to speed 7 for 15 seconds).

Add in the baking powder, salt and flour and process to combine into a thick dough (Speed 5 for 15 seconds, scrape down sides and repeat).

Use a teaspoon to scoop out the mixture and roll in to walnut sized balls, then press down with the back of a fork on to a lined baking tray.

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Place in a preheated 180C oven and bake for 15 minutes. They don’t spread out much, but do rise a little.

The cookies will still be soft when removed from oven but they will harden as they cool.

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Makes about 30-35 cookies. Store in an air tight container or pop them in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Mexican Seasoning

~ desertcook ~ 12 Comments

I have adapted this seasoning from this one at the Thermomix recipe community.

We use it for Tacos, Nachos, Meatballs, on our Mexican Steak and in our Salsa Chicken.

  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp onion flakes
  • 1 tsp pepper corns
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder (increase to 1 tsp for a ‘medium’, rather than a ‘mild’ seasoning)

Place all ingredients in a high powered processor (I use my Nutribullet for ease of clean up!) and grind until fine and well combined. (Speed 9 for for 30 seconds in a Thermal Cooker). Or you could also use a mortar and pestle.

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I usually make a double or triple batch and store in a jar in the freezer.

Use 2 tbsp per 500g of mince.

Enjoy 🙂

Lemon and Blueberry tart

~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

A little while ago I saw this amazing looking recipe for a Lemon and Blueberry shortbread slice and I couldn’t stop thinking about how I wanted to make something similar in an allergy friendly and low sugar version.

After recently having discovered ‘Aquafaba’ as an egg replacer I thought it might be a good way to add some lightness and rise to the filling of a tart. You can find out more about this amazing discovery at aquafaba.com

So after having a little play, this is my tart.

(See below the recipe for a nut free version)

  • 180g Plain Gluten Free flour
  • 160g almond meal
  • 3 tbsp Rice Malt Syrup
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • juice and finely grated zest of 4 medium lemons
  • 80g Stevia
  • 50g pure cornflour
  • 1 tbsp Nuttelex
  • 1/2 the drained liquid from a 400g tin of chic peas
  • 100g fresh blueberries

To make the crust place the flour, almond meal, syrup and oil in a food processor. Process to combine well and until it resembles wet sand (Pulse twice, then speed 5 for about 15 seconds in a Thermal Cooker).

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Grease a 26cm round spring form pan and tip the base mix into the bottom. Use your hand to press the mix down to cover the bottom and a little bit up the sides.

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Cover with baking paper and add blind baking weights (rice or beans work well) and place in a preheated 180C oven and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the weights and paper and return to oven for a further 5 minutes then remove from oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 160C.

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In a large saucepan place the zest, juice, stevia, cornflour and Nuttelex and heat over a gentle heat, whisking regularly to avoid lumps, until the curd begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

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While to curd is heating, place the chic pea liquid drained into a stand mixer and whip on a high speed until fairly stiff peaks form (not as stiff as a meringue). This will take about 4-5 minutes.

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Fold the whipped mix through the lemon curd mix – don’t over mix it.

Pour the lemon mix on top of the crust.

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Place blueberries on top and place in a preheated 160C oven for about 40 minutes. The top will be golden and beginning to crack.

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The filling of the tart will still be quite soft when you remove it from the oven but will become firmer as it cools.

Cut and serve – lovely warm or cold.

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We took this one to share with family for afternoon tea and it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone – even those without any food restrictions!

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Enjoy 🙂

For a Nut Free Version; replace the almond meal with equal quantity sunflower seed meal or omit the almond meal and use gluten free flour plus 1 heaped tsp of psyllium (to help with flexibility).