‘Coleslaw’

April 19, 2017April 19, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

As well as the common allergies we have in our home, we also have a few more unusual ones. Raw cabbage is one of those.

Last time my biggest boy came across raw cabbage it took 4 days for the swelling in his lips and face to go down. So …. add in the usual dressings and that’s coleslaw out for us then!!

This is our delicious alternative – loaded with veggies, has all the lovely fresh crunch of standard coleslaw and an awesome creamy, yet healthy dressing!

Hope you enjoy!

1 raw beetroot
2 medium carrots
1/2 head broccoli
4 tbsp creamy avocado dressing
OPTIONAL: a good handful of toasted pine nuts/walnuts

Peel the beetroot and then grate it and the carrots – food processor is easiest. Or you can do them julienne style with a mandolin.

Chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces.

Place all of the veg into a large bowl, add in the avocado dressing and toss through until well coated.

Top with a sprinkling of pine nuts or walnuts if you are able (toast them on a baking tray under the grill for just a few minutes – watch them carefully and toss part way through to get even browning).

Serve as a side salad at a bbq, with the protein at your main meal, or even top it with a tin of salmon as a delicious lunch.

Enjoy!

Choc Banana Breakfast Bars

April 6, 2017July 9, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

Well, breakfast, or any time you need a filling snack to fuel you well!

These are a twist on my Banana Oat Biscuits. Super easy to make from stuff I always have in my pantry and quick enough that you can have a batch knocked up for breakfast in 5 minutes!

The fibre, great fats and protein help to boost your energy levels and keep you full for a while and the cinnamon in the mixed spice is useful for stabilising blood sugar levels … what’s not to love?!

See below the recipe for a Coeliac version and a few extras.

2 large bananas, very ripe
3 cups rolled oats
1 tsp mixed spice
1 heaped tbsp sunflower seed butter (or other nut butter)
1tbsp cocoa
1tbsp honey/maple syrup
2tbsp almond meal
3 tbsp milk of choice (unsweetened almond is great here)
3 tbsp aquafaba OR 1 whole egg
Pinch salt flakes

In your blender/processor/bullet/thermal cooker add the bananas, milk, aquafaba, honey and seed butter until smooth. (Speed 3 working up to speed 5 for 15 seconds).

In a large bowl use a whisk to mix together the remaining dry ingredients.

Pour the wet mix into the dry and fold together until well combined.

If using your blender or thermal cooker or processor to combine the two mixes use a low speed, so that you don’t shred the oats.

Place into a lined baking dish (mine is 25cm x 18cm), smooth and press down firmly.

Place into a preheated moderate oven for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool before slicing. Makes about 12 bars.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or even in the freezer.

Extra Options:

To make these coeliac friendly use 2 cups puffed rice and 1 cup rolled quinoa in place of the oats.

For nut free use a seed meal OR replace with 2 tbsp of wholemeal flour

For a sweeter option you could mix through some chopped dried fruit (dates or sultanas are my favourite but cranberries or apple work too)

20170405_081134-1 — This little dude takes aaaages to get going in the morning so breakfast is often ‘on the go’ for him – these are perfect!

Enjoy

Cheesey Sprinkles (vegan Parmesan cheese substitute)

April 2, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 12 Comments

Cheese replacements are tricky for us. The 3 boys eat dairy cheese now, but I don’t eat much dairy and Ellie can’t tolerate any.

All of the delicious creamy nut based cheeses are out for us and we try not to eat much soy. Hm.

Little miss has adapted beautifully to eat Bio-Cheese …. but …. for those of us who have actually eaten cheese in the past, it is really not that palatable an option. So if we are all eating the same dinner, we don’t use bio-cheese, instead, often making a cheesey tasting sauce with nutritional yeast flakes.

Then I was on a recipe sharing FB page and I saw one of the ladies mention that she made a dairy free Parmesan with Cashews and nutritional yeast and salt. I was so intrigued and started tinkering with a version that was safe for us.

And here it is! Such a cheesey flavour and aroma, and SO simple!

1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup roasted almonds OR roasted sunflower seeds
2tbsp, heaped, nutritional yeast flakes
1tsp pink salt flakes
Few grinds black pepper
1/2 tsp Italian herbs

Place all ingredients into your processor/bullet/thermal cooker and pulse until you get a nice crumbly consistency.

Store in an airtight glass jar. Leave it in the fridge if you’ll use it up within a week or so. We don’t so I pop it in the freezer to avoid the oils from seeds or nuts going off.

Sprinkle it on to your Lasagne or your Bolognese. I found that its cheesey flavour together with the creaminess of my avocado dressing was a real winner on our pizza too!

I’ll be using it as a topping for some savoury crackers next!

Enjoy 🙂

Creamy Avocado dressing

March 31, 2017April 1, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

Salad dressings are bit of a challenge when you are dealing with food allergies, or if you want healthier options! The store bought variety are mostly loaded with sugars plus stabilisers and emulsifiers that we tend to avoid when possible.

As such, we have just mostly avoided dressings – when I do use them, a vinaigrette of some description is my normal ‘go-to’, but occasionally the mood strikes for something a bit different and creamy!

This super simple dressing is amazing! Creamy and rich, it holds beautifully to salads that you toss through it and it’s delightful drizzled on salmon or chicken … maybe even lamb or beef, but I haven’t tried that yet!

the flesh of one avocado, very ripe
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp fresh chopped dill
a good pinch pink salt flakes
a few grinds of black pepper

Optional: If you want a more liquid version of the dressing, add in 1 tbsp of Aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas)

Place all ingredients into your blender/processor/bullet/thermal cooker and process until smooth. (Speed 5, 8 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

20170331_190456-1 — Oops – I forgot to take a photo of the whole batch!

Tonight we tossed a good tablespoon of the dressing through a raw broccoli and beetroot salad and then topped our baked salmon with some more! Divine!

This quantity of dressing is probably enough for 5-6 people, and lasts a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy 🙂

Chocolate protein hotcakes

March 26, 2017April 6, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Hotcakes are a very popular weekend breakfast in our house. I love that they can be loaded with goodies to make them nutritious and filling. This version is a twist on my Vanilla Almond hotcakes.

They got absolutely demolished …. 4 very full little people at the end of breakfast!!

1 1/2 cups, wholemeal spelt flour OR 1 1/3 cups plain GF flour mix
1/2 cup of my chocolate protein drink mix*
2 tsp GF baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk of choice – I like unsweetened vanilla almond milk (add an extra splash if you use GF flour)
1 small overripe banana
1 heaped tbsp sunflower seed butter (or other nut butter that your diet allows)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas) OR 1 whole egg
vegan butter/butter/nut butter to serve

*If you haven’t made the Choc Protein Drink – then you can roughly replicate it with 1 tbsp cocoa, 1 tbsp coconut sugar and 2 tbsp almond or seed meal.

For a nut free/lunchbox safe version make sure you follow the nut free version of the Protein Drink mix

For a more chocolately version, replace the sunflower seed butter with some of my chocolate seed spread or choc hazelnut paste!

In a large bowl whisk together all of your dry ingredients (Speed 4, 10 seconds). Then set aside.

In a blender/food processor/bullet/thermal cooker, place the banana, milk, sunflower seed butter, vanilla, aquafaba/egg and blend until well combined (Speed 6, 10 seconds)

Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk well to combine. (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

Pour the batter into a hot, lightly greased frying pan, wait until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until both sides are a deep golden brown.

Top with butter of choice and serve warm.

They freeze well too – I make double batches and freeze sandwich style with a filling in between for an easy, filling, low mess snack.

Enjoy 🙂

Date and carrot loaf (or muffins)

March 25, 2017March 25, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

We have busy afternoons after school most days. Filled with activities for very boisterous, active kids! The parents at these activities are forever digging into their bags for goodies to fend off the cries of “I’m huuuuuungryyyyyy”. A while ago, a friend had date loaf for her kids to keep them going at Jujitsu (Hi Kylie!).

It inspired me to have a go at my own. I’d grown up with my Mum’s version, but these days I’m after less oil, sugar and refined ingredients …. and look for any excuse to hide bonus goodies. So these ones were created. Hope you enjoy them – they’re are like a cross between traditional date loaf and a carrot cake!

10 medjool dates
1 tsp bicarb soda
1tsp instant coffee (optional)
1 cup boiling water
2 medium carrots
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce*
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 1/4 cup wholemeal spelt/ rye flour
1/2 cup rolled oats/quinoa/desiccated coconut
1 rounded tsp GF baking powder
Pinch pink salt flakes
1/2 cup chopped walnuts OR 1/4 cup each roasted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

* To make my apple sauce I just core my apples and cut them into quarters (don’t peel – keep the benefit of the skin’s nutrients!) and steam them until soft with a little bit of water and a pinch of cinnamon and then blend or process until you reach the consistency you like. (Speed 2, Steam Temp for about 10-12 minutes, then turn off temperature and increase speed gradually up to 6). I make it in bulk and store it in reusable squeezy pouches in the freezer.

Remove and discard the seeds from the dates, then place them in a bowl, sprinkle over the coffee (if using) and bicarb soda and then pour over the boiling water. Set aside.

Use your processor to blitz the oats into a flour (Speed 6, 8 seconds) then set aside

Grate or process the carrot until fine (drop onto blades spinning on speed 5, then up to speed 6 for 8 seconds).

Add the apple sauce, vanilla and all of the date mixture to the processor and process until smooth and well combined (start on speed 4 then gradually work up to speed 6 for 15 seconds).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oat flour, flour, baking powder, salt and seeds/nuts. If you haven’t used the coffee, an added teaspoon of cinnamon here.

Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and fold together until combined.

Spoon into a lined loaf tin or muffin holes. Place into a pre heated moderate oven, until well risen and golden. Takes about 25 minutes for the muffins or 50 minutes for the loaf.

Allow to cool. Makes about 14 muffins.

20170325_095356-1 — Toddler tick of approval – My cheeky boy as he pinches his 3rd one!!

If you want a sweeter more desserty kind of treat, you can top them with an icing made from whipped cream cheese (dairy or soy), sweetened with maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. A scattering of extra nuts or seeds on top is yummy too.

Enjoy 🙂

I haven’t made a coeliac friendly version of this one yet. I’d try 1 cup of a GF flour mix, and maybe have another tablespoon of flour to add in if it looks too thin. Let me know if you try!

Roasted pumpkin pastry rolls

March 22, 2017April 19, 2018 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Years ago, many years ago(!), when I was a poor uni student, there were a few things that sucked me right in at the campus cafes – $1 student guild coffee, $2 Coke zero and the vegetarian sausage rolls.

The Coke Zero addiction is well and truly beaten, the coffee … well …. let’s not go there! And as for the vegetarian sausage rolls – I’ve never seen another one like it after Graduation. I have seen vegetarian ones around but they are usually loaded with dairy and nuts and, since pastry doesn’t feature very often in our diets, I just haven’t considered them.

Recently, with my desire to add variety to our diets, but decrease our meat consumption, I’ve been playing around with a vegan and nut free version and I think we have a winner!

Obviously you need to use a puff pastry that suits your dietary needs, but if you need a mutli-allergy suitable pastry and live in WA you really, REALLY have to check out Busy Bees Gluten Free pastry (I buy from Weigh n Pay in Woodvale)! It is amazing! It comes in a long roll and it handles just like wheat based pastry. It is soft and easy to work with and even non GF people have been happy to eat it!

3 sheets puff pastry of choice (GF if required)
1 medium butternut pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed
400g tin chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp garlic olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp pink salt flakes
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Optional – 1 large handful chopped spinach (frozen is fine)
Optional – add in a fist sized piece of diced sweet potato too

Dice the pumpkin and toss it in the olive oil. Place it in a lined baking tray and sprinkle with the rosemary and salt.

Place in a preheated 200C oven for about 45 minutes.

Add the chick peas to the pumpkin and mix in well to coat in oil. Return to oven for further 15 minutes.

Place pumpkin mix into a bowl, add in the rice and spinach (if using) and use a fork or potato masher to crush all the ingredients together. If you want a smoother mix, use your processor or thermal cooker to combine all of the ingredients (Speed 5, in 6 seconds bursts).

Cut the pastry sheets in half and divide the mixture up between the sheets.

I find it is best to place it in a line down the middle of the pastry.

Roll the pastry over the top of the mix to form long cylinders.

Lay on a greased baking tray with the join side facing down (helps the join to hold together as it puffs).

Cook in a preheated 200C oven until pastry is puffed and golden brown. (You can use a short burst under the top grill to get them extra golden and flaky). Takes about 30-35 mins in my oven.

They freeze well – just reheat in an oven, not a microwave otherwise you get soggy pastry.

Enjoy

Veggie loaded sausage rolls

March 22, 2017April 8, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 5 Comments

Sausage rolls are a massive favourite with my kids … and husband!

They are easy to make and they are perfect for hiding lots of veggies, so it is nice to know that they are a slightly healthier option for my family I have changed and modified my mix over time and this is the mix that I have found gives the best flavour and binds the best without egg.

I use Chevup sausages in my mix. They are a skinless, gluten free, Aussie beef sausage with about half the saturated fat of normal sausages – I feel much happier about using them than the sausage mince that is commercially available. You can find more details about them here.

The sausages I use also have a lovely flavour, so if you are using regular beef mince, there is a note below the main ingredients for a couple of extra things for you to add.

Gluten, egg, dairy, nut and soy free pastry is the next issue. There are many GF pastries out there but they are often really disappointing. Obviously use the one that suits your diet and that you enjoy.

I have used this pastry from the Gluten Free Bakery:

And it does a pretty good job. But ….

if you live in WA you really, REALLY have to check out Busy Bees Gluten Free pastry (I buy from Weigh n Pay in Woodvale)! It is amazing! It comes in a long roll and it handles just like wheat based pastry. It is soft and easy to work with and even non GF people have been happy to eat it!

8 Chevup sausages
250g beef mince
1/2 tsp onion flakes
1 medium zucchini
8-10 button mushrooms
Handful spinach
Fist sized piece pumpkin
200g tinned chick peas (drained)
1/2-1 cup GF bread crumbs (you can blitz rolled oats or quinoa to use here instead)
4 sheets of puff pastry (1 used 3 regular and 1 ‘everything free’)

If you are not using the Chevup sausages, use

700g beef mince, plus
1/4 tsp mild paprika
1/4 tsp garlic flakes
2 tbsp GF bbq sauce

Finely grate the zucchini and pumpkin. (Speed 6 for 8 seconds, scrape down and repeat). Then add in the mushrooms, spinach and chick peas and process until the mix is fine (Speed 6, 10 seconds, scrape and repeat).

Add the additional flavourings, if using and process again (Speed 5, 8 seconds)

Add the sausages and mince, to the processor and process until it is quite smooth (Speed 6, 15 seconds at a time, scrape down in between).

Add the breadcrumbs. Start with 1/4 a cup and gradually add more if the mix is too wet. (Speed 6 for 10 seconds at a time) I used about 2/3 cup last time. The mixture should stick together quite well.

Cut the pastry sheets in half and divide the mixture up between the sheets.

I find it is best to place it in a thin line down the middle of the pasty.

Roll the pastry over the top of the mix to form long cylinders.

Lay on a greased baking tray with the join side facing down (helps the join to hold together as it puffs).

Cook in a preheated 210C oven until meat is cooked and pastry is puffed and golden brown. (use a short burst under the grill to get them extra golden and flaky). Takes about 35-40 mins in my oven.

Makes quite a lot of sausages rolls (about 45 party sized ones) … so I did have to convince my kids that they couldn’t just keep eating them because they were there.

They freeze well – just reheat in an oven, not a microwave otherwise you get soggy pastry.

Enjoy 🙂

P.S. If you wish you could enjoy sausage rolls but are after a vegan version – have a go of my Roasted Pumpkin Pastry rolls

Thai beef rice paper rolls

March 15, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

I’m always encouraging my kids to try new things or test again for the things they think they don’t like …. so I thought it was time I took my own advice!

I have never thought I liked cold rice paper rolls – but if I’m honest, I can’t actually remember the last time I tried them. So, since my kids like any thing wrapped and choosing their own food, this seemed like a perfect dinner option. So I tried – and I really loved them …. and so did everyone else! 2 of the 4 kids asked for them in their lunchboxes and I had a particularly happy husband!

The trick is to get everything ready before you soak and fill the wraps, then it just works as a little production line. These are best fresh, but keep in an airtight container in the fridge they’ll last 24 hours.

For the Thai beef part you’ll need;

800g gravy beef/casserole beef
125ml coconut cream
1 heaped tbsp red thai curry paste (I like the Aayam bran)
1/2 cup beef stock (I like Massel for a store bought brand)

Place the beef into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Mix together the cream, paste and stock and pour over the beef. Place on the lid and cook on low for 6 hours.

Use a fork to shred the meat and then allow to cool before placing in fridge (or use it hot in the wraps if you’d prefer). This quantity of beef did 12 rolls for us.

You need a packet of rice paper wraps – they are usually in the ‘international food’ aisle of the supermarket. They are hard and brittle, but you dunk them in warm water to soften them (follow the instructions of the back of the pack).

We filled them with cooked brown rice, avocado, the Thai beef and your choice of crunchy salad or veggie fillings. The kids added cheese to theirs as well.

Fill, roll and enjoy – A great transportable food for picnics and lunchboxes too!

Popeye pancakes

March 8, 2017March 8, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

After the success of my Hulk muffins and with the continued abundance of spinach in my garden I thought I’d try my luck at making a super healthy green breakfast pancake.

Pancakes are a very regular breakfast in our house – I love that I can add in whole grains and great fats and protein to fill hungry tummies and power little brains for a busy day – my vanilla almond hotcakes are our standard so I thought I’d change those ones up a bit …. and cross my fingers 😉

These were incredibly well received …. to my surprise, Harry (my most avid green avoider!) ate 2 of then and then said “Hey! These are green! What did ya do to ’em?!”. I told him it was spinach and it’d make him strong like Popeye. He just shrugged and ate another 3!!!!!!! Ellie loved them so much that she has taken a couple of them to school for lunch, sandwiched together with a nice thick layer of Chocolate seed spread in the middle.

These are loaded with fibre, calcium, protein, iron, magnesium and more – What a win!!!!!

A few notes:

You’ll need a good blender/high powered processor/nutribullet/thermal cooking machine for this one.

This is a double sized batch – there’s just no point making single batches with my hungry hoards any more!!! I freeze the left overs in a zip lock bag and use them for morning tea. It makes about 45-50 pikelet sized – so go ahead and halve the recipe if you don’t need as many!

My kids are used to eating things with added spinach (even if they are not aware of it!!) so if this is a new idea for your kids, maybe start with 150-200g of spinach instead of the 250g I used.

250g fresh spinach
2 cup spelt flour (I did half wholemeal) OR 2 cups plain GF mix (I like half each Bob’s red mill all purpose and white wings)
1 cup rolled oats/rolled quinoa/desiccated coconut
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 very ripe banana
8 medjool dates, deseeded
1 cup boiling water
2 cups milk of choice
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tbsp fat (coconut oil melted/vegan butter/light tasting oil etc)
4 tsp GF baking powder
Pinch pink flaked salt
1 rounded tsp mixed spice.

Place the dates in a small bowl and cover them with the boiling water, and the vanilla, then set aside.

Place the oats and seeds into your blender/processor etc and process until you have a fine flour (Speed 7, 8 seconds, scrape and repeat).

Add in the spices, salt, baking powder and flour, then process again until evenly combined. The set the dry mix aside.

Into your processor tip the spinach, the dates and their water, the milk, your fat and the banana. Blend very well until the mixture is smooth. You may need to pulse and scrape down the sides of your processor a few times. You want the mixture to be very smooth – not to have stringy bit of spinach left in it!! If you’re using a Thermal cooker, start on speed 4 for about 8 seconds, the gradually work up to speed 8 for about 20 seconds. Then scrape down and repeat.

Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and use a whisk to combine well. (I found this double batch to be too heavy for my thermal cooker, but if you are using a single batch, then add the dry mix into the wet that is in the bowl and process on speed 4 for about 10 seconds, the crape down and repeat for another 6-8 seconds).

Look at that colour!

Pour the batter into a hot, lightly greased frying pan, wait until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until both sides are golden brown.