Almond Flour Pancakes with Cinnamon-Maple Pecans

I have been wanting to try out a fantastic Maple Glazed Pecan recipe by My Whole Food Life. I added all the ingredients plus a tablespoon of cinnamon and in 2 hours we had hot, sweet pecans! Now I could have simply eaten the whole batch by the handful – but refrained and cooked some almond flour pancakes instead!

Almond Flour is a great grain-free alternative to regular flour (not something to consume daily but great substitute for the odd sweet treat or to crumb fish and meat). It also has a softer consistency than coconut flour which is great for baked goods. I saw a recipe ages ago but I can’t remember where so I just threw these ingredients in and it worked (sometimes I get lucky).

Throw the nuts on top of the pancakes serve with some maple syrup and sliced banana and you have a delicious (naughty) Monday morning breakfast!

Almond Flour Pancakes with Cinnamon-Maple Pecans (My version of recipe by My Whole Food Life )

Ingredients

Cinnamon-Maple Pecans

3 Cups Raw pecans

1/4 Cup Maple syrup

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract)

1 Teaspoon Sea salt

1 Tablespoon Coconut oil

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Almond Flour Pancakes

1/4 Teaspoon baking soda

2 Cups Almond flour

1/3 Cup Almond Milk (Water, coconut milk, normal milk would work also)

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Maple syrup

Directions

Cinnamon-Maple Pecans

Umm put in the slow-cooker and cook for 1-3 hours, stirring often until your house smells amazing! Eat while hot and allow any remaining to completely cool before sealing in an air-tight glass jar.

Almond Flour Pancakes

 

1. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and maple syrup.

2. Add flour and baking soda slowly, stirring well until smooth.

2. Add a little coconut oil to a fry pan and cook on low-med heat in batches with only 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture per pancake (they are very delicate little things and burn easily so keep your eye on them).

Makes 15-18 mini pancakes!

Next time I will be cooking up a side of bacon to add to the plate – maybe for Boxing day breakfast??

 

 

The BEST EVER Chocolate Muffins

Yesterday I accidentally made the BEST EVER Chocolate Muffins. I planned to make coconut flour chocolate cake, but was out of coconut flour. Using almond flour instead and adjusting the liquid quantities resulted in a fantastic grain-free, dairy-free, low sugar recipe that I could not wait to share!

Ingredients

4 cups Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Cacao powder

1 Teaspoon Baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Rock Salt

1/2 Cup Coconut oil

1/2 Cup Raw local honey

4 Organic Eggs

2 Tablespoons Organic Vanilla Essence (yes it is a lot but just trust me)

1 Cup Dark Chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Dairy Free but you can use anything you like)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 170 degree (c). Line a muffin tray with papers.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients until well combined and all lumps of flour have broken up.

3. In a separate bowl mix all the wet ingredients with a fork – beating well.

4. Add dry ingredients gradually to the wet ingredients mixing until just combined.

5. Add chocolate chips and stir through.

6. Divide between the muffin cases and bake for 25minutes.

Yum! They are so delicious – we only have 2 left from the batch I made yesterday and I think I deserve dessert tonight……..

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

Well my Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes were a hit at my birthday party, so for my business launch last night I decided that this variation would suit the occasion perfectly!  I think I may have found my signature dessert!

Ingredients (makes 12 cups)

Crust

1 cup macadamias (processed until a mix of small chunks and some flour)

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink rock salt

Cheesecake Layer

3 cups cashews soaked overnight

1/4 – 3/4 cup coconut nectar (I only use a 1/4 cup but think you may like it sweeter than me so just test the cream and add to suit your tastes. You can also use pure maple syrup or raw honey as a substitute)

3/4 cup organic coconut oil

3/4 cup of lemon juice

1 tablespoon organic vanilla essence

Pinch of salt

Raspberry topping

2 cups frozen organic raspberries

1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in hot water for 15min then drained)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (c) and line cupcake tray with 12 liners. I bake the base to give a little crunch but this recipe can be raw by simply throwing the base in the freezer to set!

2. Combine crust ingredients and press a large teaspoon of mixture into each liner. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

3. Drain your cashews and place in food processor with other cheesecake topping ingredients and process until creamy. This will take several minutes. Stop and test consistency – should be smooth and light. Spread evenly into each cup and freeze for an hour.

4. For the raspberry topping blend dates with a tablespoon of water to form a paste. Add raspberries and blend, blend, blend, until the consistency of soft sorbet. Spread evenly into each cup and let set in fridge for at least 2 hours!

Enjoy 🙂

Super-Food Squares

Superfoods. We have all read the hype and the promises of these “miracle” foods but lets take a step back and breakdown just what makes 5 of the ingredients in this recipe make the list!

Chia Seeds – Little seeds that pack a serious nutritional punch. Full of protein, fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. Chia seeds also contain an array of vitamins A, B, E and D and other minerals including potassium and zinc.

Goji Berries – These funny little berries that you will find in the heath food aisle of your supermarket have all 18 amino acids and more Vitamin C per gram than any other food. Other vitamins they are high in are B1, B2, B6 & Vitamin E. Just one more thing…they have more iron than spinach.

Walnuts – Yes they are ugly but don’t judge a book by its cover, walnuts have been shown to lower cholesterol, assist in controlling high blood sugar and support cardiovascular function. They are full of healthy fats and have excellent levels of vitamins B6, B1 and pantothenic acid. They contain a stack of minerals also but are especially high in manganese and copper.

Almonds – Just like walnuts almonds contain healthy omega-3 fats which have many health benefits. They also help to prevent gallstones, assist in weight loss and reduce blood pressure. Almonds are incredibly rich in manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, iron, zinc, potassium, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Niacin and Folate!

Coconut Oil – Besides beautiful skin and hair there are seemingly endless benefits of this oil, once frowned upon due to it being around 90% saturated fat! This is not bad news as Lauric Acid makes up around 50% and is a medium chain triglyceride, that assimilates well in the body. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which can help in dealing with viruses and bacteria that cause diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. The last few years have seen a resurgence in the inclusion of coconut oil in our diets as research has discovered its ability to build immunity, reduce inflammation, improve digestion and various other benefits.

The above summaries do not explore all the vitamins, minerals and benefits for our Super ingredients but they do outline key benefits that make these foods worth including in your diet. To get them all at once why not try my delicious Super-Food Squares. Delicious, nutritious and perfect for any time you need a boost!

Ingredients

1 cup Goji berries

1.5 cup Walnuts

1 cup Almonds

1/2 cup Chia seeds

7 Medjool Dates (or 10 packaged dates soaked in a little water to soften)

2 Tablespoons Almond flour

1 Tablespoon Coconut oil

1/2 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Rock Salt

1 Teaspoon Vanilla essence

1/4-1/2 cup Maple Syrup or honey (I use less than 1/4 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (c)

1. In food processor crush 1 cup of walnuts (leave out the remaining half cup), almonds and salt.

2. Add dates, vanilla & coconut oil and process until it comes together as a dough leaving some texture.

3. Transfer to a bowl, add remaining ingredients (including extra 1/2 cup walnuts) and mix well.

4. Press firmly into an 8×8 glass baking dish.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove, cut into squares and serve!

Easy As Sauerkraut

I have always ensured that I include healthy probiotics in my diet. My usual source was natural yoghurt, so once I went dairy free I needed to find a substitute and sauerkraut was it! Consuming probiotic foods is a great way to balance the good and bad bacteria in our digestive system, fight off yeast infections and reduce inflammation. Lacto-fermentation is the process used to pickle vegetables. It works because bad bacteria can not survive in the salty brine and once they die off the good bacteria can work their magic.  The good bacteria change the lactose and other sugars into lactic acid and consequently preserve the vegetables by creating an acidic environment. I started with this simple sauerkraut recipe and now change it up each batch  – with a mix of purple & green cabbage and adding carrot, apple, caraway seeds, fish sauce or chilli for flavour.

Ingredients

1/2 a large head of cabbage

3 Cups of filtered water

2 Teaspoons Himalayan Pink Rock Salt

Directions

1. Cut out cabbage core and discard.

2. Finely slice cabbage (I use my food processor but a knife does the job!)

3. In a clean bowl dissolve salt in filtered water.

4. Loosely fill a large clean glass jar with cabbage.

5. Pour salt brine over cabbage and use a clean spoon to push down on the cabbage to get rid of any air bubbles.

6. Loosely place lid on top and put jar on a plate to catch any juices once the fermentation starts.

7. Leave at room temperature for 3 days. During this time remove the lid and make sure the cabbage is completely submerged in the brine, top up with salt brine if it is not. You can start to get excited when tiny bubbles start forming on the surface, this means the magic is happening!

8. At the end of the 3 days the kraut should be ready! It should smell and taste a little sour.

9. Tighten the lid and place the jar in the fridge for an additional 5 days to increase the probiotic properties and flavour. Keeps in fridge for up to 3 months!

So there you go Easy As Sauerkraut without the nasty preservatives found in many store bought versions and much cheaper!

 

Oatmeal Apple & Currant Cookies

This recipe was a throw together this morning as school lunch was looking pretty ordinary. They were an absolute hit for a second breakfast and with the hubby! Gluten Free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, processed sugar free!

Ingredients

2 small bananas mashed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups gluten-free oats

1/2 cup shredded organic coconut

1/4 cup died dried apple

1/4 cup currants

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees (c)

2. Combine banana, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut oil and honey.

3. Add oats, coconut, currants, and apple.

4. Mix together and roll into 12 balls, place on 2 trays lined with baking paper and flatten.

5. Bake for 30-40min (I like mine crunchy so closer to 40).

6. Cool and enjoy. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

 

 

 

Bacon, Banana & Maple Muffins (with Chocolate Chips)

My mouth is watering just blogging about these delicious muffins! I had saved a recipe by The Café Wellness that included the incredible combo of bacon, banana & chocolate and I really wanted to try them. Then last night as I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a question “What is your favourite flavour combo?” I quickly added my 5 cents worth replying “Bacon, Banana & Maple Syrup”. And after collecting my monthly supply of Nitrate-Free, Free-Range Bacon from Dawson Valley Free Range yesterday how could I not make a batch of my own. I planned to use maple syrup instead of honey and leave out the chocolate chips as I thought they would make the muffins too sweet!

Ingredients

2/3 Cup Coconut Flour

1/4 Cup Tapioca Flour

1 Teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Cup Coconut oil

3 Organic Eggs

1 Teaspoon Organic Vanilla Essence

1/2 cup Almond Milk

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

5 Short Cut Nitrate Free bacon rashes

2 Ripe Bananas Mashed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180 degree (c). Line a muffin tray with papers.

2. Dice bacon into bite size pieces and cook over medium heat until cooked half-way through stirring regularly.

3. Mash bananas in a small bowl and put aside.

4. Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

5. Whisk eggs in a small bowl and put aside.

6. When bacon is cooked add all wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with a metal spoon until well combined.

7. At this point my 5 year old injected her opinion “these look really good mum, but they would be even better with some chocolate chips in them”. So in went 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Next time I would add half a cup of toasted walnuts at this stage. Fold in gently.

8. Divide between 12 muffin cases and bake for 18-20 min or until slightly golden. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in tin and then eat while still warm. AMAZING. They freeze and would be great for breakfast with nuts instead of the choc chips… Enjoy!

Nut Free Lunchbox Bars

Being grain, dairy, legume & processed sugar free…lunch box treats can be a challenge! I have a great range of bars and slices that I bake regularly but 90% of these contain nuts (not peanuts). This means that they are a no-go at school (nut free). My goal- to make a nutritious nut-free snack bar that is resilient enough to withstand being thrown in a 5 year old school bag or survive a day in my handbag!

Ingredients

2/3 cup tahini

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup shredded coconut

1 large banana

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a food process and blend until very smooth

2. Pour into a standard loaf tin lined with baking paper and top with whatever you desire! I chose seeds for this batch but choc chips are the BOMB!

3. Bake for 50 minutes @ 170 degrees (cover with foil if starting to brown too much)

4. Allow to cool and slice!

Wrap them individually in baking paper and secure with a sticker for easy lunchbox treats! Great to freeze!

Spiced Mandarin & Carrot Muffins

These are a creation inspired by my love of carrot cake and the need to clear out my fridge! They were a delicious afternoon tea and will be breakfast tomorrow too! Dairy-free, grain-free, nut-free.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup raw honey

2 carrots (grated)

2 mandarins (split into segments)

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons coconut oil

5 medium eggs (when dealing with coconut flour egg size is important, use one less if using extra large eggs)

Directions

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend for a minute or two

2. Pour into a lined muffin tray and bake @ 180 for 20-25min or until spring back when touched lightly

3. Remove and cool in tray

4. Store in fridge for 3-4 days or freeze!

Serve with a big scoop of coconut cream or yoghurt!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Well it took me an entire 24 hours of scanning recipes to decide what to make for my Birthday (yes I made my own cake – my husband is away and the challenge of a grain-free/dairy-free dessert was a little too much for the rest of my family lol).

I decided on a recipe by Primally Inspired and they were amazing!! This is the recipe as I made it!

Ingredients (makes 10 cups)

Crust

1 cup pecans (processed until a mix of small chunks and some flour)

3 Tablespoons Organic Coconut oil

1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup

1 Teaspoon Organic Vanilla essence

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink rock salt

Pumpkin Pie Layer

1 Cup roast pumpkin

1 Organic free range eggs

1 Teaspoon mixed spice (cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice)

1-2 Tablespoon honey (to your taste – I just used 1)

Cheesecake Topping

1 Cup cashews soaked overnight

2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Organic Coconut oil

1 Lemon juiced and water added to make up 1/2 cup of liquid

Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (c) and line cupcake tray with 12 liners.

2. Combine crust ingredients and press a large teaspoon of mixture into each liner. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool

3. Mix pumpkin pie layer in food processor until smooth. Put about a tablespoon of mixure in each cup, smooth off tops & bake for 45min or until set. Remove and let cool

4. Drain your cashews and place in food processor with other cheesecake topping ingredients and process until creamy. This will take several minutes. Stop and test consistency – should be smooth and light. Spread evenly into each cup and decorate as you wish!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

5. Let set in fridge for atleast 2 hours and then devour!

I was extremely happy with the consistency of these cheesecakes and the added bonus was that the entire family enjoyed them thoroughly! I think the biggest test when making healthy alternatives is to have people who typically don’t eat as you do rave about your healthy version…and everyone did! Total winner! I think you could get away with blended chia gel or gelatin for an egg free version!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes