Flour-free Passionfruit Bread

Ingredients:

6 large or 8 small passion fruit (enough to make approximately ½ cup juice)

3 eggs

1/3 cup coconut cream

1 small-medium zucchini

1 cup almond flour

½ cup finely shredded coconut

¼ cup coconut sugar (or erythretol for sugar-free)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

Halve the passion fruit and remove the seeds. Strain the seeds through a sieve into a bowl to extract the juice, stirring the seeds around until no more juice runs through.

Finely grate the zucchini and then squeeze out excess juice through a clean dish cloth or nut milk bag.

Place grated zucchini, passion fruit juice, eggs, coconut cream, almond flour, shredded coconut, coconut sugar and baking powder into a medium bowl and stir until combined. 

Pour mixture into a lined, greased loaf pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through.

Allow to cool slightly then enjoy!

Veggie-Loaded Gluten Free Loaf

This veggie loaf is so loaded with nutritious ingredients and tastes delicious. It is best to allow the loaf to cool slightly before eating as this will help it set, giving it a better (in my opinion) texture. I make this for my bubba all the time and she devours it! I just omit the salt/veggie stock when I bake it for her.

Feel free to play around with this recipe and get creative. You can try out different veggies, herbs, add some grated cheese, experiment with different flour options such as quinoa or cassava flours. I would however recommend you keep the coconut flour in there as this has an important role in the texture. Next time I make these I plan to try adding mashed green peas and also try it with roast pumpkin instead of sweet potato. Its one of those recipes where you can get creative.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 medium, whole sweet potatoes or 1 large sweet potato

2 leeks , dark green section removed.

1 cups worth of grated or finely chopped mushrooms

5 pasture raised eggs

1 1/2 cups grated veggies (you can mix and match, using what you have. I use carrots, zucchini, fennel, eggplant or broccoli)

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stem removed and chopped.

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil + 2 teaspoons for frying pan

1 cup almond meal

1 cup quinoa flour (or another gluten free flour such as chickpea or cassava)

2 tablespoons coconut flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons veggie stock powder (or substitute with salt)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F.

Poke 2-3 holes through the sweet potato skins and then place on a baking tray. Bake for approximately 35-40 mins or until cooked through (inside will be soft when cooked). Once cooked, scoop out the inside flesh and set aside to cool.

Thoroughly wash the leeks to remove any dirt or grit and then finely slice.

Place 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a frying pan and then add the leeks. Cook on medium heat while stirring until leeks have softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 mins until mushrooms are cooked well. Set aside to cool.

Squeeze out excess liquid from the remaining grated veggies. To do this I place them in a dish cloth or muslin bag and squeeze them thoroughly so the liquid strains through.

To a large bowl add the eggs and olive oil and beat with a fork until combined. Add the almond meal, quinoa flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutritional yeast, veggie stock powder or salt, pepper, rosemary, cooled sweet potato flesh, strained grated veggies, leeks and mushrooms and stir until well combined.

Line and grease a large loaf pan and then pour the mixture in.

Cook for approximately 40-50 mins or until cooked through. Allow to sit for about 30 mins so that mixture sets. Serve with some butter, olive oil, cheese, avocado, tomato + basil or anything else you like! Or just enjoy on its own.

Baked Curry Chickpea Fries

Chickpea fries are a delicious way to healthily indulge. The are simple to make however you need to plan ahead as they require a minimum of 1 hour setting time in the refrigerator. You can experiment with flavors by omitting the curry, cumin, cayenne & coriander seed spices and replacing with your own seasoning creation. They are also great plain, using just the veggie stock & salt. Heres the recipe:

Prep time: 5 mins + minimum of 1 hour in refrigerator

Cooking time: 5-7 mins stovetop before refrigeration and 35-40 mins in oven after refrigeration.

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour (aka besan or garbanzo flour)

2 cups vegetable stock (or 2 cups water with one low sodium veggie stock cube)

1 tablespoon curry powder 

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander seed powder

Pinch salt

Dash of cayenne pepper (adjust based on desired spice level)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1) Place chickpea flour, curry powder, cumin, coriander seed powder & salt into a medium sized saucepan. Add the liquid and place pan over a heated stovetop. Whisk continuously on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until mixture has thickened and starts to easily separate from the pan. Remove from heat.

2) Grease a square or rectangle pan and place mixture on top. Spread evenly to form a thin layer. Adjust the width based on the size you want for your fries. (#Note: If the mixture is over thickened here it will be tricky to spread. If this occurs you can sprinkle a small amount of water over the top to aid with the spreading process). Cover and place in the refrigerator to set for a minimum of 1 hour, up to 24 hours.

3) Once mixture is completely cool and set, preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.

3) Remove mixture from refrigerator and slice into even sized pieces (slice size is based on how you like your fries). 

4) Place 1/2 the amount of oil onto a tray and then layer the chickpea fries on top. Drizzle the remaining oil over the fries and place in the oven. Bake for 20 mins and then remove and carefully turn the fries over. Return fries to oven and bake for a further 15-20 mins or until exterior is crispy and golden. Remove from oven and if needed sprinkle a small amount of salt over fries.

These make a great snack, side dish or appetizer. Serve with a chutney, greek yoghurt, tzatziki or your own dipping creation. Enjoy!

Spelt-Quinoa 'Cheesy' Muffins

Prep time (including cooking quinoa) 30 mins

Cooking time: 30-35 mins.

This recipe uses nut milk and cheese however is not 100% vegan as I did use eggs. You could try using an egg replacer if you want to make this completely vegan.

These are a high protein snack so great when you need a dose of sustainable energy. They make a nice side dish for meals or can be enjoyed on their own.  Here's how I made them:

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 "not chicken" vegan stock cube (or you can use veggie stock)

2 eggs

1 cup of almond milk

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup of spelt flour

1 cup of almond cheese, grated

4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (if you don't have this you could add additional cheese)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.

2) Place the quinoa into a pot. Add 2 cups of water and the stock cube (or 2 cups of veggie stock). Bring to the boil and then reduce heat. Cover pan and simmer until quinoa is cooked through- approximately 20 mins. 

3) Combine spelt flour, baking powder, rosemary, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and cheese. Beat eggs with the milk and oil add to the dry ingredients. Fold liquids into the mixture until just combined. 

4) Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and divide the mixture evenly into the tin. Place in the oven and cook for 30-35 mins. Serve and enjoy!

Apple & Almond Butter

This is about as simple as snacks get! takes about 1 minute to prepare with only 2 ingredients:

1 apple

1-2 tablespoons almond butter (I use raw almond butter as it is more nutrient rich, however you can also use the toasted version)

All you need to do is slice the apples and add the almond butter on top. Next step- eat! Its as simple as that and it tastes delicious!  

I have this snack at times I need an extra burst of fuel to get me through until my next meal. With vitamins, fiber and protein it definitely does the job!

Baked Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

This is one of my favorite snacks to munch on. They do however get a little dangerous as once I start its hard to stop! These baked chickpeas make a great addition to salad or an alternate to croutons with soup. You can also get creative and add them to other meals you make for extra flavor, crunch and nutrition- including fiber, protein, iron, zinc, manganese and folate 

 I prefer to make these from scratch by soaking and cooking them myself. To do this you will need to plan ahead as the chickpeas need to be soaked overnight. If you don't have time however, you can also use canned chickpeas. Here's how its done.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of dried chickpeas (or 1 cup of pre-cooked chickpeas)

1 stock cube of choice (To use if you are cooking dried chickpeas). I like to use the "not-chicken" vegan stock cube

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons of dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin powder

Salt to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1) To cook dried chickpeas: Place the chickpeas into a bowl and cover with water. The chickpeas will double in size when soaked so be sure cover them with enough water to accommodate for this. Soak overnight. 

Once soaked, add the chickpeas and the stock cube to a pot of water and bring to the boil (the stock is not essential, I just prefer the flavor of the chickpeas when they are cooked in stock). Reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow chickpeas to cook for 60 to 75 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and drain. 

2) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Place the chickpeas onto a tray and add all seasonings. Mix to combine the seasonings evenly over the chickpeas. Drizzle on the olive oil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Toss the chickpeas every 20 minutes or so while cooking. Remove from the oven and enjoy!