Tag: dairy-free

Dessert

Cherry Clafoutis (GAPS)

Jenny

clafoutisrack

Over the past few weeks, the internet has been simply awash in recipes for cherry clafoutis. Yes, I realize it is cherry season. I too have been enjoying the sweet and plentiful cherries at the market and in my local shops. But I had not made clafoutis in nearly a decade, since I stopped baking with gluten and dairy. Finally, the other day after the umpteenth clafoutis recipe popped on my screen, I decided it simply must be possible to make a tasty gluten and dairy free version. And since the cherries I had to hand were very sweet, I had a go at making it free of refined sugar as well. Let me know what you think!

Cherry Clafoutis

500 g sweet ripe cherries, pitted

200 ml coconut milk

3 large eggs

75 g ground almonds

75 g pure vanilla extract

a bit of coconut oil or ghee to grease the pan

Serves 6-8

Preheat your oven to 175 C.

Grease your pan with a bit of coconut oil or ghee (I used a 26 cm cast iron skillet), and place the pitted cherries in a single layer in the pan.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz to obtain a batter-like consistency. Pour over the cherries, and bake for 45 minutes.

Cool for at least 15 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Snacks

Rosemary Breadsticks

Jenny

rosemarybreadsticks

Here is one the recipes from my GAPS on the Go workshop last week, where we made lots of snack and lunchbox foods – and then sat down and ate them! Thanks so much to everyone who came. If you missed out watch this space, as I will be offering the workshop again next autumn.

Rosemary breadsticks (adapted from the Against All Grain cookbook)

200 g ground almonds

1 large egg

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic granules

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Makes 16 pencil-length breadsticks.

Preheat your oven to 180 C.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well using a hand-held mixer (or a stand mixer if you have one).

Divide the dough by half, then half again 3 more times until you have 16 equal parts. Roll each part first into a ball, then into a pencil shape using your fingers. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 12 minutes turning once halfway through.

Important: these breadsticks are quite soft when they come out of the oven. For crispy breadsticks, cool and dry on a rack for 48 hours.

Side dishes

Quinoa salad with broad beans, avocado and cucumber

Jenny

quinoasalad

I absolutely love broad beans (favas), and get very excited when they are in season. The other day I picked up some young fresh broad beans from Natoora that were absolutely tiny and tender, and made this quinoa salad, which pairs well with grilled lamb or poached salmon.

Although I have been making quinoa for years, this time I tried Gwyneth Paltrow‘s technique for perfectly cooked quinoa – the trick is to use a paper towel to catch excess moisture – and it did come out perfectly cooked. Thanks Gwyneth!

Quinoa salad with broad beans, avocado and cucumber

175 g uncooked quinoa

400 ml water

750 g broad beans in the pod

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cucumber

a small handful of chives

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Start by preparing the quinoa as it will need time to cool. Rinse the quinoa, then place in a pan with the water and a pinch of salt, and bring to the boil on the hob. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes – until all of the water has been absorbed by the quinoa. Take the pan off the heat, and place a paper towel between the pan and the lid. Leave this for 5 minutes to absorb any excess moisture, then fluff with a fork. Tip the cooked quinoa onto a large plate and spread out as thinly as possible, then leave it to cool to room temperature.

To prepare the broad beans, begin by opening each pod and removing the beans. Toss the beans into a pan of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, then plunge the cooked beans into a bowl of cold water. Pop each bean out of its outer skin, and they are ready to eat.

Peel and dice the avocado and cucumber, and combine in a bowl with the broad beans and quinoa. Whisk together the oil and vinegar with a bit of salt and add to the salad. Sprinkle chopped chives on top and serve.

Drinks

BRITA Collaboration – Chocolate coconut milkshake

Jenny

BRITA Chocolate Coconut Milkshake

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been working on some healthy drink recipes for kids using BRITA filtered water. In my practice, I recommend that all of my clients stick to water as their default drink. Drinking plain filtered tap water is an excellent habit to adopt, especially for children who will hopefully keep up the habit of drinking water for the rest of their lives. However, in life there are always occasions when a special treat is called for – a birthday, a party, to cheer up a rainy day or to make a picnic even more special. The recipes I have created for BRITA are intended to taste delicious and satisfying, but remain a healthy choice.

This week I am sharing a chocolate coconut milkshake recipe. This thick and creamy milkshake is made with coconut milk, which contains healthy fats and provides a great alternative to cow’s milk, and also has protein-rich cashew butter as an ingredient. The milkshake’s sweet taste comes not from refined sugar, but from dates and bananas. I’m sure your kids will enjoy whipping this one up with you.

Chocolate coconut milkshake

Ingredients

150 ml coconut milk

2 medium frozen bananas (peel and slice the bananas before freezing)

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon cashew butter

100 ml BRITA filtered water

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients except the water in a blender and blitz until smooth.

Very gradually add the water until a drinkable consistency is obtained (you may not need to use all of the water).

Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings

Photo in this post courtesy of Iris Worldwide.