One of the most infurating things as a coeliac, if going out shopping, and the lack of selection for both snacks and lunch. Often your limited to sushi, chips ( and risk the oil, batter etc), salads (then numerous questions regarding the content of the dressing) and then there is the occassional cafe that sells a few gluten free cakes!
I don't live near the city, I am at what you could call the bottom of the Southern Highlands, a semi rural, small but expanding country town. Out here the blocks are significantly larger, and the house prices somewhat cheaper, the down side to this lifestyle is living 20-30 minutes from the nearest major shopping complex, movies, multiple restarants etc. Subsequently my selection of gf food is even less than it was before.
However, I am a frequent visitor of Narellan Town Centre (the closest shopping centre). I recently stumbled across a lovely cafe Vero Cafe, it has recently changed ownership, as I walked closer I saw the sign I love to see the gf symbol!
The first time I ate at this wonderful cafe, was for lunch with girlfriends, one of my friends mother and two prams! We carefully positioned ourself in a corner, as the cafe is on the smallish size, we didn't want to take up all the room! After we arranged our seating, I picked up the menu......
WOW!!! I was so excited, there was not only a gluten free vegetable fritta with a delicious side serving of salad, for a very reasonable price, but there was also gluten free bread available! You could choose to have the bread fresh or toasted, for only an additional $1 (considering it costs at least $5.50 for a loaf of gf bread, this is a resonable price!). I was more than happy to pay the additional dollar!
How exciting!!, I could have a toasted sandwich if I wanted! If you had asked me before I was diagnosed if I would get excited over a toasted sandwich the answer would have been NO! But gf bread is so hard to find at Cafe's, and it's so nice to feel normal, to have a simple toasted sandwich, and have the confidence that you won't get sick!
Aside from the food, the service was outstanding. I was ensured that all of the food was gf, and this was guaranteed as the owner was a coeliac and sampled the food herself! That was enough convinving for me! All our needs were met, the coffee was delicious as were all the meals.
My second visit was to sample the gf cakes and coffee. I had a delicious chocolate cheesecake, it was so cute!, in a little patty cake holder. The texture was betweem cheesecake and cake and the size was perfect! My dearest friend had the gf chocolate cake (she is not coeliac or gluten intolerant, the cake simply looked delicious!), it was simply delectable! It had a ganache type icing, and the inside was so rich and moist and yummy!! The two of us couldn't finish one piece of cake! The prices were very resonable between $4.50 and $5.50 per cake! The selection of gf cakes was also outstanding!
I have been back numerous times, in which I have tried the gf toasted sandwiches, delicious mango and pistachio macarons! Each time I visit the cafe, which is quite frequently, there seems to be a new selection of delicious gf cakes to tantilse your taste buds! I have also tried a delicious crispy asian salad, also gf free. The sizes and prices are always perfect! The coffee is a natural rainforest blend and is always made to perfection!
The final element that makes this Cafe a step above the rest, is not just the gf options, but they also take orders. That's right you read correctly! So if you fall in love with a cake, you can simply place your order and have it on a regular basis!
If you are a local, or are travelling through the Camden, Narellan, Macarthur area, I suggest you stop in at the town centre and try this wonderful Vero Cafe! I would also suggest visiting this cafe, if you are thinking of establishing your own cafe with gluten free options and use this as a base, a guideline for how to develop your own succesful gluten friendly cafe!
You will find the cafe at the Woolworths end of the Town Centre, if you have any queries you can call ahead on 4647 6001!
Enjoy and let me know how your visit is, tell them that the gluten free blogger sent you, they will know who I am! I can't wait to hear your opinion, but they get 5 stars from me!
Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL or Facebook under Mishaps and Mayhem Of A Gluten Free Life. The lovely Delucieux is running a comp to win an ice cream maker, entries close today!, click on the link to enter http://www.ledelicieux.com/2012/01/18/cuisinart-ice-cream-maker-giveaway/. Goodluck!
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Friday, 27 January 2012
Winner of Good and Easy Eats
As most of you know thanks to Kim Wilson I've had the pleasure of running my very first giveaway, an amazing e book Good and Easy Eats. The book is amazing, it is not just a recipe book, but a guide to change your life, to a healthier lifestyle.
I have cooked several recipes from the book and have become addicted to the banana muffins and the smoothies, I have even replaced my standard lunch with a fruit filled smoothie, with the pleasant addition of nuts. It has helped me to change my life to a healthier version of my previous life.
I would like to thank all of the people who have entered and although unfortunately there is only one winner, you can purchase the e book at Amazon, type in Good and Easy Eats.
I am proud to announce the winner of the competition is JJ from the wonderful food blog http! It's nice to see this book go to someone who I know will really enjoy every part of the book. I'm sure we will see some adaptions of Kim's recipes on www.84thand3rd.com://www.84thand3rd.com
I am also running another competition for the person who becomes my 100th twitter follow, I made the statement last night and today I only need another four followers to get to 100. The 100th follower who stays following me for a minimum of a couple of days, will win either a piece of hand made jewellery or a piece of custom designed art, the options is yours to choose. To follow me on twitter the link is @MMOAGFL.
I am also on Facebook under the page Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life. I hope you enjoy not only my blog posts but twitter and Facebook pages. I am in the process of revamping my blog to make it a little user friendly.
I would also like to thank my readers for their patience my health hasn't been that kind to me, thus the lack of blog posts. I really appreciate your loyalty and staying with me, even though at times it may be a week in between posts! It really does mean alot to me! So thank you again.
I have cooked several recipes from the book and have become addicted to the banana muffins and the smoothies, I have even replaced my standard lunch with a fruit filled smoothie, with the pleasant addition of nuts. It has helped me to change my life to a healthier version of my previous life.
I would like to thank all of the people who have entered and although unfortunately there is only one winner, you can purchase the e book at Amazon, type in Good and Easy Eats.
I am proud to announce the winner of the competition is JJ from the wonderful food blog http! It's nice to see this book go to someone who I know will really enjoy every part of the book. I'm sure we will see some adaptions of Kim's recipes on www.84thand3rd.com://www.84thand3rd.com
I am also running another competition for the person who becomes my 100th twitter follow, I made the statement last night and today I only need another four followers to get to 100. The 100th follower who stays following me for a minimum of a couple of days, will win either a piece of hand made jewellery or a piece of custom designed art, the options is yours to choose. To follow me on twitter the link is @MMOAGFL.
I am also on Facebook under the page Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life. I hope you enjoy not only my blog posts but twitter and Facebook pages. I am in the process of revamping my blog to make it a little user friendly.
I would also like to thank my readers for their patience my health hasn't been that kind to me, thus the lack of blog posts. I really appreciate your loyalty and staying with me, even though at times it may be a week in between posts! It really does mean alot to me! So thank you again.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Chocolate & Baileys Macarons
This is my second entry into #SABH, with a theme Death By Chocolate, hosted by the lovely lady behind from Hungry Australian, it was simply too irresistible! My mind kept on ticking over, thinking of what I would cook, I always new there would be a minimum of two recipes.
http://hungryaustralian.com/2012/01/15/death-by-chocolate/
The first was the Chocolate Strawberry Bites, which took three attempts and three variations of the original recipe to get it right, but I am happy to say I was pleased with the end result!
So for my second entry I had decided on making chocolate macarons. I had eaten a mango macaron only very recently and loved the texture. I thought how delicious would a chocolate macaroon be, the combination of textures is what makes the macarons so delightful. The first place I went to find a chocolate macaron recipe to use as a base was Taste, here is the direct link http. ://www.taste.com.au/recipes/21975/chocolate+and+lemon+macaroons
I slightly adjusted the original recipe to suit my needs, and to be honest what was in the kitchen. Generally I was happy with the macaron recipe but not with the filling. It just didn't match up with the Death By Chocolate Theme. So I put my thinking cap on and I came up with a Baileys and Chocolate Buttercream icing, much nicer. Baileys is such a nice combination with chocolate and buttercream icing seemed like the perfect match.
This dessert is very delicious but as it contains alcohol that is not cooked, the alcohol content still remains, thus this is a dessert for adults. It is always wise to inform your guests that there is alcohol in the dessert, so if they are drinking and driving, at least you have informed them and it is then their choice up to how many of these delicious macarons they eat!
Chocolate Baileys Macaron's
Ingredients:
360g icing sugar
200g ground almonds (I used almond meal)
40g cocoa (the original recipe called for Dutch cocoa, I used Nestle cocoa and it was fine)
5 egg whites (eggs need to be at room temperature, this is REALLY important)
1/3 cup caster sugar (If you don't have caster sugar, put normal sugar in a bowl and use a stick mixer to blend to a finer consistency like caster sugar)
1 1/2- 2 cup of icing sugar
100g unsalted butter (slightly melted)
8-10 pieces of milk chocolate
1 tablespoon of hot water
Slug of Baileys (to your liking)
Method:
Sift the icing sugar, ground almonds, cocoa into a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs until soft white peaks form, add caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisk until dissolved. Stir in the almond mixture (the mixture will be quite thick). Spoon mixture into a piping bag (this is the best option, for the best presentation of the macaroons), fit with a 5mm nozzle, pipe a small amount of mixture (about 3cm) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Using a wet finger, smooth out peaks and set aside for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius, bake 2 trays of macaroons at a time, swapping trays half way through, cooking for a total time of 25 minutes (a good idea to set the timer at 12 minutes), or until firm to touch. Allow to cool and slide a knife underneath macaroons to remove from baking paper. You can store them in an airtight container for a week or until ready to assemble.
For the Buttercream icing, using a hand held electric mixer, mix butter, icing sugar, Baileys, hot water and mix, when mixed through, add the chocolate (melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals). Taste the mixture and add Baileys to your taste. Lay out macaroons, using a teaspoon, place buttercream icing onto the macaroon, then add another macaroon on top like a biscuit. Repeat this with all the macaroons. Place in the refrigerator to set, they taste even better after being left in the fridge for a day to let the tastes, blend together.
Hope you enjoy this delicious dessert.
Don't forget to like the Facebook page Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life, and follow on Twitter @MMOAGFL, these are both ways you can enter the competition to win a free e book, Good and Easy Eats by Kim Wilson, competition closes the 30th January. Goodluck
http://hungryaustralian.com/2012/01/15/death-by-chocolate/
The first was the Chocolate Strawberry Bites, which took three attempts and three variations of the original recipe to get it right, but I am happy to say I was pleased with the end result!
So for my second entry I had decided on making chocolate macarons. I had eaten a mango macaron only very recently and loved the texture. I thought how delicious would a chocolate macaroon be, the combination of textures is what makes the macarons so delightful. The first place I went to find a chocolate macaron recipe to use as a base was Taste, here is the direct link http. ://www.taste.com.au/recipes/21975/chocolate+and+lemon+macaroons
I slightly adjusted the original recipe to suit my needs, and to be honest what was in the kitchen. Generally I was happy with the macaron recipe but not with the filling. It just didn't match up with the Death By Chocolate Theme. So I put my thinking cap on and I came up with a Baileys and Chocolate Buttercream icing, much nicer. Baileys is such a nice combination with chocolate and buttercream icing seemed like the perfect match.
This dessert is very delicious but as it contains alcohol that is not cooked, the alcohol content still remains, thus this is a dessert for adults. It is always wise to inform your guests that there is alcohol in the dessert, so if they are drinking and driving, at least you have informed them and it is then their choice up to how many of these delicious macarons they eat!
Chocolate Baileys Macaron's
Ingredients:
360g icing sugar
200g ground almonds (I used almond meal)
40g cocoa (the original recipe called for Dutch cocoa, I used Nestle cocoa and it was fine)
5 egg whites (eggs need to be at room temperature, this is REALLY important)
1/3 cup caster sugar (If you don't have caster sugar, put normal sugar in a bowl and use a stick mixer to blend to a finer consistency like caster sugar)
1 1/2- 2 cup of icing sugar
100g unsalted butter (slightly melted)
8-10 pieces of milk chocolate
1 tablespoon of hot water
Slug of Baileys (to your liking)
Method:
Sift the icing sugar, ground almonds, cocoa into a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs until soft white peaks form, add caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisk until dissolved. Stir in the almond mixture (the mixture will be quite thick). Spoon mixture into a piping bag (this is the best option, for the best presentation of the macaroons), fit with a 5mm nozzle, pipe a small amount of mixture (about 3cm) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Using a wet finger, smooth out peaks and set aside for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius, bake 2 trays of macaroons at a time, swapping trays half way through, cooking for a total time of 25 minutes (a good idea to set the timer at 12 minutes), or until firm to touch. Allow to cool and slide a knife underneath macaroons to remove from baking paper. You can store them in an airtight container for a week or until ready to assemble.
For the Buttercream icing, using a hand held electric mixer, mix butter, icing sugar, Baileys, hot water and mix, when mixed through, add the chocolate (melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals). Taste the mixture and add Baileys to your taste. Lay out macaroons, using a teaspoon, place buttercream icing onto the macaroon, then add another macaroon on top like a biscuit. Repeat this with all the macaroons. Place in the refrigerator to set, they taste even better after being left in the fridge for a day to let the tastes, blend together.
Hope you enjoy this delicious dessert.
Don't forget to like the Facebook page Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life, and follow on Twitter @MMOAGFL, these are both ways you can enter the competition to win a free e book, Good and Easy Eats by Kim Wilson, competition closes the 30th January. Goodluck
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Bites
This is an Easter activity that I have combined with www.whatcanieat.com.au, to think of fun Easter ideas, with this idea, you simply replace the strawberries with easter eggs to make a very cool and home made Easter treat!
Chocolate Strawberry Balls
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 heaped tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. bicarb soda
200g almond meal or ground almonds
250g caster sugar
60g of cocoa
1 1/2 punnets of strawberries
Slug of Baileys (to your liking)
1 block of milk chocolate
100g unsalted butter
1/2 punnet or more of strawberries (for decoration)
Easter Eggs
Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Cut strawberries in half and put in food processor with Baileys until blended through and cut into small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until ingredients is combined. Now this is the part where you must grease the 20cm spring form cake tin and use baking paper and bake for 1 hour. Let the cake cool before removing. If you want to do the smaller delightful strawberry chocolate balls, remove the cake from the tin, while still warm, the cake will fall apart. Break the cake into smaller pieces, place in a bowl cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge. Get our your patty cake holders and roll the cake mix into small balls and place inside the cup cake holder. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, checking at 30 second intervals, and stirring each time. Add the melted chocolate and butter and top with a small section of a strawberry, or Easter egg, you might like to alternate to create something rather cool! Repeat with remaining mixture. I think this is a delightful way to ensure such a rich cake, in small bite size portions. The only problem is, you are more likely to go back for seconds and thirds! If you do make it as a whole cake, I would cut strawberries in half and decorate around the side of the cake after using the chocolate and butter to make a delicious ganache icing
I hope you enjoy this cake and the original recipe was part of a wonderful Blog Hop, hosted by the Hungry Australian. Remember you can find me on Twitter @MMOAGFL. The lovely Jennifer at Delicieux is running a great comp to win an awesome set of Kitchen appliances, just head to her website to enter!
Chocolate Strawberry Balls
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 heaped tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. bicarb soda
200g almond meal or ground almonds
250g caster sugar
60g of cocoa
1 1/2 punnets of strawberries
Slug of Baileys (to your liking)
1 block of milk chocolate
100g unsalted butter
1/2 punnet or more of strawberries (for decoration)
Easter Eggs
Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Cut strawberries in half and put in food processor with Baileys until blended through and cut into small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until ingredients is combined. Now this is the part where you must grease the 20cm spring form cake tin and use baking paper and bake for 1 hour. Let the cake cool before removing. If you want to do the smaller delightful strawberry chocolate balls, remove the cake from the tin, while still warm, the cake will fall apart. Break the cake into smaller pieces, place in a bowl cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge. Get our your patty cake holders and roll the cake mix into small balls and place inside the cup cake holder. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, checking at 30 second intervals, and stirring each time. Add the melted chocolate and butter and top with a small section of a strawberry, or Easter egg, you might like to alternate to create something rather cool! Repeat with remaining mixture. I think this is a delightful way to ensure such a rich cake, in small bite size portions. The only problem is, you are more likely to go back for seconds and thirds! If you do make it as a whole cake, I would cut strawberries in half and decorate around the side of the cake after using the chocolate and butter to make a delicious ganache icing
I hope you enjoy this cake and the original recipe was part of a wonderful Blog Hop, hosted by the Hungry Australian. Remember you can find me on Twitter @MMOAGFL. The lovely Jennifer at Delicieux is running a great comp to win an awesome set of Kitchen appliances, just head to her website to enter!
Friday, 13 January 2012
Good & Easy Eats Amazing Competition
I'm so excited to announce my very first competition! I've recently had the pleasure of reviewing a fantastic, healthy and delicious e book, by the wonderful Kim Wilson, 'Good & Easy Eats'.There are an amazing 70 recipes included in this fabulous e book. It's not only a recipe book, but a guide to healthy wholesome living, equipping the reader with all the tools to change your eating habits and adapt to a healthy living lifestyle. Kim has kindly offered a copy of this book for one lucky reader!
I've had the pleasure of using the recipes in this great book! One of the great things I've learnt from using Kim's recipes, is that nuts of various forms, can be used in smoothies. Kim's recipe for juice smoothies are delicious, and I've made the smoothie numerous times with a variety of fruit, always including either crushed nuts or pistachio nuts. Kim recommends soaking the nuts as it softens the nuts to begin the process of germination and increases the digestibility and nutritional value of the nuts. I have to be honest, I always forget to soak the nuts but will make sure I do tonight, for my smoothie tomorrow.
I'm from Australia where sorghum is very hard to find, I've tried everywhere and have been unsuccessful. The lovely lady from the blog 84thand3rd, has told me that sorghum flour is available at some health food stores, the brand is Bob's Red Mill Ranges, please let me know if you find it and what store from. I baked Kim's Banana Muffins, which called for sorghum flour, for Australian readers, I used 1/2 cup of gluten free corn flour and 1/2 cup of arrowroot flour, the muffins turned out beautiful. Unlike any other muffin I have tasted, you could taste the goodness in these wholesome muffins. Once again for Australian's some products that you may need to go to a health food shop are; apple cider vinegar, ground flax (I brought Flaxmeal). I highly recommend purchasing this delightful e book, it is not just a recipe book, but will inspire you to change your lifestyle habits. Since I began to read this book, I have already begun to make healthier lifestyle changes. I have replaced lunch with a smoothie, and the banana muffins are perfect for either breakfast, or a wholesome snack in between meals! The muffins taste best warmed up, a quick zap in the microwave, makes them taste even better.
For Australian readers, the USA has different standards for gluten free products, they produce certified organic oats, which you will find in some of the recipes in this book. At present in Australia, oats is something that is still being debated if it contains gluten. My advice for Australian readers, is to avoid oats, you could use another grain such as quinoa in place of oats. Kim's website is: http.://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/
Any questions you have about the competition just send me an email or contact me on twitter @MMOAGFL. Goodluck with the competition.
I've had the pleasure of using the recipes in this great book! One of the great things I've learnt from using Kim's recipes, is that nuts of various forms, can be used in smoothies. Kim's recipe for juice smoothies are delicious, and I've made the smoothie numerous times with a variety of fruit, always including either crushed nuts or pistachio nuts. Kim recommends soaking the nuts as it softens the nuts to begin the process of germination and increases the digestibility and nutritional value of the nuts. I have to be honest, I always forget to soak the nuts but will make sure I do tonight, for my smoothie tomorrow.
I'm from Australia where sorghum is very hard to find, I've tried everywhere and have been unsuccessful. The lovely lady from the blog 84thand3rd, has told me that sorghum flour is available at some health food stores, the brand is Bob's Red Mill Ranges, please let me know if you find it and what store from. I baked Kim's Banana Muffins, which called for sorghum flour, for Australian readers, I used 1/2 cup of gluten free corn flour and 1/2 cup of arrowroot flour, the muffins turned out beautiful. Unlike any other muffin I have tasted, you could taste the goodness in these wholesome muffins. Once again for Australian's some products that you may need to go to a health food shop are; apple cider vinegar, ground flax (I brought Flaxmeal). I highly recommend purchasing this delightful e book, it is not just a recipe book, but will inspire you to change your lifestyle habits. Since I began to read this book, I have already begun to make healthier lifestyle changes. I have replaced lunch with a smoothie, and the banana muffins are perfect for either breakfast, or a wholesome snack in between meals! The muffins taste best warmed up, a quick zap in the microwave, makes them taste even better.
For Australian readers, the USA has different standards for gluten free products, they produce certified organic oats, which you will find in some of the recipes in this book. At present in Australia, oats is something that is still being debated if it contains gluten. My advice for Australian readers, is to avoid oats, you could use another grain such as quinoa in place of oats. Kim's website is: http.://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/
Any questions you have about the competition just send me an email or contact me on twitter @MMOAGFL. Goodluck with the competition.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Delicious Wholesome Banana muffins.
I'm very excited to announce that Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life, will be running our first compeitition, commencing this Friday! I have had the pleasure of reviewing 'Good & Easy Eats' by Kim Wilson from http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/ . On Friday I will be revealing more of my thoughts on this wonderful and inspiring e book.
Until Friday, this is a preview of one of the delicious and healthy muffins. Everyone who has tried them, has commented on our nice they are and you can actually taste how wholesome they are, not filled with sugar. For Australians, some of the products aren't as easy to buy, I found the apple cider vinegar, brown rice flour, and Flaxmeal from a great health food shop.
Ingredients:
4 bananas mashed 1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup water 1/2 cup of arrowroot flour
1/3 cup honey*(I used Maple Syrup) 1/2 cup of gluten free cornflour
1/3 cup oil or butter (I used vegtable oil) 1 tsp. cinammon
1/3 cup ground Flax (In Australia it's Flaxmeal) 2 tsp. baking powder
Opt. up to 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Method:
Combine ingredients in left column (except for walnuts if including). In a separate bowl combine ingredients in right column. Lightly mix the two together and then fold in walnuts. Scoop into oiled muffin cups. Bake at 180-200 degrees celiscus for about 20 minuts. Makes about one dozen muffins * maple syrup (I used this, or agave (I'm unsure if this can be found in Australia Note: The original recipe called for 1 cup of sorghum flour, unfortunately in Australia, I have not been able to purchase this flour, the arrowroot flour and gluten free cornflour is my subsitiute, and it worked well and tasted delicious!
Don't forget you can follow me on twitter @MMOAGFL or like our Facebook page. Any questions, write a comment or simply email me.
Remember the wonderful #SABH is running another blog hop, this time hosted by http://hungryaustralian.com/, the theme this month is Death By Chocolate (delicious!!), entries open on 16th January, you just have to be a food blogger, click on the link I have provided for more information. I will be entering as well, a delicious and choc filled surprise, so the information you will also be able to find here.
Enjoy these wholesome muffins, I'm making more to put in the freezer, to have healthy snacks ready!
Until Friday, this is a preview of one of the delicious and healthy muffins. Everyone who has tried them, has commented on our nice they are and you can actually taste how wholesome they are, not filled with sugar. For Australians, some of the products aren't as easy to buy, I found the apple cider vinegar, brown rice flour, and Flaxmeal from a great health food shop.
Banana Muffins
4 bananas mashed 1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup water 1/2 cup of arrowroot flour
1/3 cup honey*(I used Maple Syrup) 1/2 cup of gluten free cornflour
1/3 cup oil or butter (I used vegtable oil) 1 tsp. cinammon
1/3 cup ground Flax (In Australia it's Flaxmeal) 2 tsp. baking powder
Opt. up to 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Method:
Combine ingredients in left column (except for walnuts if including). In a separate bowl combine ingredients in right column. Lightly mix the two together and then fold in walnuts. Scoop into oiled muffin cups. Bake at 180-200 degrees celiscus for about 20 minuts. Makes about one dozen muffins * maple syrup (I used this, or agave (I'm unsure if this can be found in Australia Note: The original recipe called for 1 cup of sorghum flour, unfortunately in Australia, I have not been able to purchase this flour, the arrowroot flour and gluten free cornflour is my subsitiute, and it worked well and tasted delicious!
Don't forget you can follow me on twitter @MMOAGFL or like our Facebook page. Any questions, write a comment or simply email me.
Remember the wonderful #SABH is running another blog hop, this time hosted by http://hungryaustralian.com/, the theme this month is Death By Chocolate (delicious!!), entries open on 16th January, you just have to be a food blogger, click on the link I have provided for more information. I will be entering as well, a delicious and choc filled surprise, so the information you will also be able to find here.
Enjoy these wholesome muffins, I'm making more to put in the freezer, to have healthy snacks ready!
Monday, 9 January 2012
Delightful Berry Smoothie
This is the last, for a little while at least, of the Smoothie week (sorry I didn't get it posted yesterday).
Smoothies are something, that if made with the correct ingredients, such as; yoghurt, frozen yoghurt and with the addition of an abundance of fruit and nuts are quite healthy for you. If using frozen yoghurt or ice cream, just remember your smoothie won't be as healthy as you would like it to be.
I have fallen in love with the smoothie this summer, it has now became a part of my daily meal plan, I replace lunch with a delicious and healthy smoothie. They are full of antioxidants, goodness of nuts and are giving you your daily fruit and dairy intake in one.
If I get a little peckish for afternoon tea, I reach for a sesame snap snack, they are quite yummy, healthy and reach the spot, or I have a few nuts. Choosing a nut like Pistachios which you actually have to shell yourself stops you from over indulging, as you would on say perhaps cashew nuts!
I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I have and maybe you too can add this to your daily diet. Instead of paying lots of money for the popular shake diets, where you replace a meal with a highly processed substance, replace lunch with a delicious, natural, fresh and healthy smoothie!
Without further ado here is the delicious recipe
Delightful Berry Smoothie.
Ingredients:
1 banana
handful of frozen berries
2 scoops of berry frozen yoghurt
A squeeze of honey
6 pistachio nuts
A handful of ice
1/2-1 cup of light milk
Method: Break the banana into smaller pieces add to blender, add berries and frozen yoghurt. Squeeze in a small amount of honey and add the shelled pistachio nuts and ice, add milk and blend.
Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL, there is also a Facebook page that you can click on like and if you enjoy what you are reading then click on the follow link on the right hand side of the screen, of have the posts emailed to you directly. It is so exciting to get a new follower here, or on twitter and to see the number of people liking my page is amazing!
For the food lovers and bloggers out there don't forget that The Hungry Australian is hosting this months #SABH Sweet Adventures Blog Hop. The theme this month is Death by Chocolate, yummy!. I have so many chocolate ideas running through my head! All you have to do is be a food blogger to enter. Or check out the following site http://hungryaustralian.com/
Enjoy and don't forget to join us. Hope to chat to you soon on Twitter or Facebook or email me if you have any questions.
Smoothies are something, that if made with the correct ingredients, such as; yoghurt, frozen yoghurt and with the addition of an abundance of fruit and nuts are quite healthy for you. If using frozen yoghurt or ice cream, just remember your smoothie won't be as healthy as you would like it to be.
I have fallen in love with the smoothie this summer, it has now became a part of my daily meal plan, I replace lunch with a delicious and healthy smoothie. They are full of antioxidants, goodness of nuts and are giving you your daily fruit and dairy intake in one.
If I get a little peckish for afternoon tea, I reach for a sesame snap snack, they are quite yummy, healthy and reach the spot, or I have a few nuts. Choosing a nut like Pistachios which you actually have to shell yourself stops you from over indulging, as you would on say perhaps cashew nuts!
I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I have and maybe you too can add this to your daily diet. Instead of paying lots of money for the popular shake diets, where you replace a meal with a highly processed substance, replace lunch with a delicious, natural, fresh and healthy smoothie!
Without further ado here is the delicious recipe
Delightful Berry Smoothie.
1 banana
handful of frozen berries
2 scoops of berry frozen yoghurt
A squeeze of honey
6 pistachio nuts
A handful of ice
1/2-1 cup of light milk
Method: Break the banana into smaller pieces add to blender, add berries and frozen yoghurt. Squeeze in a small amount of honey and add the shelled pistachio nuts and ice, add milk and blend.
Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL, there is also a Facebook page that you can click on like and if you enjoy what you are reading then click on the follow link on the right hand side of the screen, of have the posts emailed to you directly. It is so exciting to get a new follower here, or on twitter and to see the number of people liking my page is amazing!
For the food lovers and bloggers out there don't forget that The Hungry Australian is hosting this months #SABH Sweet Adventures Blog Hop. The theme this month is Death by Chocolate, yummy!. I have so many chocolate ideas running through my head! All you have to do is be a food blogger to enter. Or check out the following site http://hungryaustralian.com/
Enjoy and don't forget to join us. Hope to chat to you soon on Twitter or Facebook or email me if you have any questions.
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Tropical Juice Smoothie
This week I have declared Smoothie week! As I wrote in my previous post Smoothies have now become a staple in my house, I have at least one a day! I enjoy both yoghurt, milk based smoothies and the fruit juice smoothie! After my delicious Mango, Banana, Passion fruit Yoghurt and Pistachio Smoothie, I had for lunch, in the afternoon I was getting a bit hungry.
As I had declared as a New Years Resolution to loose weight, I decided on a fruit juice Smoothie. Again this juice smoothie oozed of Australian Summer Fruits and nuts just topped off the perfect refreshing Smoothie. It felt like I was in Far North Queensland, sipping a delicious, refreshing smoothie. My husband arrived home from work as I was making the smoothie and was insisting that I remove the skin from the nectarines! He couldn't understand that you could eat fruit with the skin on! That's probably because the only fruit he will eat is Mangoes and the occasional apple, or strawberries and bananas in a smoothie. He thought my Tropical Juice Smoothie looked disgusting!
Without Further ado here is the recipe, don't be afraid to add different fruits.
Tropical Juice Smoothie
Ingredients:
1/4 of rockmelon(USA readers I'm certain you call it Cantaloupe)
2 red flesh nectarine
Juice of 2 oranges
1 banana
Small handful of crushed nuts
A handful of ice cubes
I added a little bit of tropical juice (you can also add water)
Method: Cut rockmelon, cut nectarines (leaving skin on), squeeze the juice of 2 oranges, break the banana into smaller pieces, add the nuts and ice cubes and additional juice or water if needed. Enjoy this tropical delight xx
Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL, you can also like my Facebook page, Mishaps and Mayhem of A Gluten Free Life. Finally #SABH is having another blog hop beginning on 16th January, the theme is Death By Chocolate, and it is being conducted by the lovely lady behind The Hungry Australian blog.
As I had declared as a New Years Resolution to loose weight, I decided on a fruit juice Smoothie. Again this juice smoothie oozed of Australian Summer Fruits and nuts just topped off the perfect refreshing Smoothie. It felt like I was in Far North Queensland, sipping a delicious, refreshing smoothie. My husband arrived home from work as I was making the smoothie and was insisting that I remove the skin from the nectarines! He couldn't understand that you could eat fruit with the skin on! That's probably because the only fruit he will eat is Mangoes and the occasional apple, or strawberries and bananas in a smoothie. He thought my Tropical Juice Smoothie looked disgusting!
Without Further ado here is the recipe, don't be afraid to add different fruits.
Tropical Juice Smoothie
1/4 of rockmelon(USA readers I'm certain you call it Cantaloupe)
2 red flesh nectarine
Juice of 2 oranges
1 banana
Small handful of crushed nuts
A handful of ice cubes
I added a little bit of tropical juice (you can also add water)
Method: Cut rockmelon, cut nectarines (leaving skin on), squeeze the juice of 2 oranges, break the banana into smaller pieces, add the nuts and ice cubes and additional juice or water if needed. Enjoy this tropical delight xx
Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL, you can also like my Facebook page, Mishaps and Mayhem of A Gluten Free Life. Finally #SABH is having another blog hop beginning on 16th January, the theme is Death By Chocolate, and it is being conducted by the lovely lady behind The Hungry Australian blog.
Thursday, 5 January 2012
A Summer Story and a Mango, Banana, Pistachio and Passionfruit Yoghurt Smoothie
Summer time to both myself and my husband, means the blender is out everyday at least once daily, blending up a delicious smoothie, using the lovely Australian fresh summer fruit. I have already started on the smoothie summer campaign and it has become my main lunch, which is quite filling and relatively healthy (depending on what you add to it!)
I'm also in the process of reviewing a great book Good & Easy Eats by Kim Wilson from Simply Natural Health. I've been playing with the recipes in her book and have been making smoothies not just using frozen yoghurt, yoghurt, or ice cream, but using juices and adding nuts to delightful smoothies. I have to admit that adding nuts is something I wouldn't of thought of before, but it adds a lovely flavour and the juice smoothies are so refreshing and not as heavy as the yoghurt based smoothie. I've added pistachio nuts and crushed nuts to both juice and yoghurt based smoothies and they make for a lovely twist, the pistachio nuts, personally work best with the summer fruits and not too many. It's also great to get in your fruit intake for the day, in one hit in a smoothie, a great idea for kids who refuse to eat fruit, if it looks and tastes like a yummy milkshake, they will drink it up without giving it a second thought!
The smoothie that I have to add today is full of lovely fresh Australian summer fruit, with the addition of pistachio nuts, it makes for a little twist, without it being too over bearing. Kim from Simply Natural Health, has advised me its best to soak nuts over night it helps with digestion, but I always forget, as I'm not sure what I'll feel like the day or night prior. Before I give you the recipe, I encourage you to get out the blender and have a play around with flavours. Remember that with any type of cooking we always have mistakes or not the turn out you hoped for, its all part of the learning curve of cooking, particularly gf cooking and also part of life. Don't beat yourself up about the small things, start off following recipes and you will start to get an idea of flavours that work together.
Without further ado here is the recipe:
Mango, Banana, passionfruit, yoghurt,and pistachio Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 large banana
1 fresh mango
1 small tub of passionfruit low fat yoghurt
6 pistachio nuts
1-2 cups of low fat milk
Handful of ice cubes
Method:
Break the banana into smaller pieces and place in blender, cut the mango and add to blender, add the tub of yoghurt, shell the pistachio nuts, cut in half and put in blender add milk (until just covering with a few cm gap the ingredients in the blender. Add a handful of ice to the blender. Blend on a low to medium speed for 20-30 seconds, check on how thick it is and if needed blend some more. Pour into either a large old fashioned milkshake cup if for one, or two smaller glasses for two people, if you use normal size glasses it will probably stretch to four!
I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I have.
Don't forget I'm now on twitter you can find me @MMOAGFL and if your reading this blog as so many of you are, simply click on the follow me tab to the right of the screen, or get new posts sent to you directly. I also have a Facebook page, which is under the blog name, all you have to do is click like and that's it on Facebook! It really makes my day when I get a new follower on twitter or the blog, it shows that people are liking what they are reading and care enough to follow me.
Also for the food bloggers reading this #SABH (Sweet Adventures Blog Hop), I competed in the last 2, Pavlovas and Festive Favourites,is having another blog hop, this time it's being hosted by The Hungry Australian and the theme is Death By Chocolate, my mind is a buzz with ideas of what things I will come up with, I think there will be more than one entry for me. There is a Facebook page under Sweet Adventures Blog Hop, follow them and get some more information I hope you enjoy your smoothie and I look forward to you joining me on my blog, twitter and Facebook, you will really make my day.
On Twitter at the moment I'm doing a fact a day about coeliac disease, a great easy way to keep informed about the disease and remove the fallacies from the facts, I hope this will keep you informed, encourage you to get tested and see how easy it is to make the change and believe me you will feel so much better when you change your diet, you won't know yourself!
Until the next Smoothie!! Enjoy xxx
I'm also in the process of reviewing a great book Good & Easy Eats by Kim Wilson from Simply Natural Health. I've been playing with the recipes in her book and have been making smoothies not just using frozen yoghurt, yoghurt, or ice cream, but using juices and adding nuts to delightful smoothies. I have to admit that adding nuts is something I wouldn't of thought of before, but it adds a lovely flavour and the juice smoothies are so refreshing and not as heavy as the yoghurt based smoothie. I've added pistachio nuts and crushed nuts to both juice and yoghurt based smoothies and they make for a lovely twist, the pistachio nuts, personally work best with the summer fruits and not too many. It's also great to get in your fruit intake for the day, in one hit in a smoothie, a great idea for kids who refuse to eat fruit, if it looks and tastes like a yummy milkshake, they will drink it up without giving it a second thought!
The smoothie that I have to add today is full of lovely fresh Australian summer fruit, with the addition of pistachio nuts, it makes for a little twist, without it being too over bearing. Kim from Simply Natural Health, has advised me its best to soak nuts over night it helps with digestion, but I always forget, as I'm not sure what I'll feel like the day or night prior. Before I give you the recipe, I encourage you to get out the blender and have a play around with flavours. Remember that with any type of cooking we always have mistakes or not the turn out you hoped for, its all part of the learning curve of cooking, particularly gf cooking and also part of life. Don't beat yourself up about the small things, start off following recipes and you will start to get an idea of flavours that work together.
Without further ado here is the recipe:
Mango, Banana, passionfruit, yoghurt,and pistachio Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 large banana
1 fresh mango
1 small tub of passionfruit low fat yoghurt
6 pistachio nuts
1-2 cups of low fat milk
Handful of ice cubes
Method:
Break the banana into smaller pieces and place in blender, cut the mango and add to blender, add the tub of yoghurt, shell the pistachio nuts, cut in half and put in blender add milk (until just covering with a few cm gap the ingredients in the blender. Add a handful of ice to the blender. Blend on a low to medium speed for 20-30 seconds, check on how thick it is and if needed blend some more. Pour into either a large old fashioned milkshake cup if for one, or two smaller glasses for two people, if you use normal size glasses it will probably stretch to four!
I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I have.
Don't forget I'm now on twitter you can find me @MMOAGFL and if your reading this blog as so many of you are, simply click on the follow me tab to the right of the screen, or get new posts sent to you directly. I also have a Facebook page, which is under the blog name, all you have to do is click like and that's it on Facebook! It really makes my day when I get a new follower on twitter or the blog, it shows that people are liking what they are reading and care enough to follow me.
Also for the food bloggers reading this #SABH (Sweet Adventures Blog Hop), I competed in the last 2, Pavlovas and Festive Favourites,is having another blog hop, this time it's being hosted by The Hungry Australian and the theme is Death By Chocolate, my mind is a buzz with ideas of what things I will come up with, I think there will be more than one entry for me. There is a Facebook page under Sweet Adventures Blog Hop, follow them and get some more information I hope you enjoy your smoothie and I look forward to you joining me on my blog, twitter and Facebook, you will really make my day.
On Twitter at the moment I'm doing a fact a day about coeliac disease, a great easy way to keep informed about the disease and remove the fallacies from the facts, I hope this will keep you informed, encourage you to get tested and see how easy it is to make the change and believe me you will feel so much better when you change your diet, you won't know yourself!
Until the next Smoothie!! Enjoy xxx
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Adults Only Chocolate Cherry Mousse, A New Years Eve Story
My new years this year was very quite, due mainly to my husband being sick and me in a fair amount of pain. So our new years was celebrated with our parents (dad was also sick!). I decided that just because it was small didn't mean we didn't get to celebrate in style! I got out my Christmas day dress and mum dressed up a bit, though my husband and dad, didn't have the energy or couldn't see the sense in it! We had cheese and biscuits and pear paste, nuts and I made mum and I the lovely cocktail I made for the Nuffnang competition, White Nectarine and Butterscotch Schnapps. It tastes divine and it would have been so easy to keep on making them and drinking them! But we stayed with the one, I wanted to last until midnight!
So mum made some delicious salads,with gf Greek sausages n onion! I was in charge of dessert,I decided on an old favourite my easy chocolate mousse but this time I added a few things to it!
I thought of the flavour combination that we all like and was in the fridge and in the alcohol storage and decided upon a combination of finely chopped fresh cherries, marinated in a cherry liqueur (that I had left over from the GF Cherry Ripe Cakes). I'll give you the recipe shortly, it went down a treat, a nice change from the normal mousse and it actually made it lighter and not so heavy after a lovely feast for dinner (and the pre- dinner nibbles), it was new years eve, so resolutions didn't have to start yet!
After our dessert, we sat down with my parents to watch Hangover 2, which was much better than I expected, but both my husband and I didn't know what to do when the C bomb was dropped a few times with mum in the room! I have to say it was nice to have a small and relaxing new years eve, and to have it just with our parents. It's something that we will look back on for a long time and appreciate it, this maturity talk must have something to do with turning 30!.
We all managed to make the midnight fireworks, with our beloved dog inside, on the map, so the big bad fireworks wouldn't spook our 40kg German Shepard!
If you get the change, make the time to have a small family new years eve, it really is something special and less of a hangover in the morning (maybe if I had of been feeling better there may have been some more cocktails!)
Adults Only Cherry Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
300ml (small) carton of thickened cream
1 block of milk chocolate (don't buy the expensive brands, they don't melt well, I buy Woolworth's brand chocolate and it works every time!)
1 cup of finely chopped cherries (cut around each side of the stem, then cut the remaining bits at the bottom)
Cover the cherries in the cherry liqueur, with 1-2cm above the cherries, place in bowl, cover with foil and marinate for at least 2-3 hours
Method:
Whip the cream with an electric (hand held) until cream forms peaks and becomes thicker. Break the chocolate up into small pieces and place in a microwave proof bowl, heat on high for 30 seconds, and stir with a wooden spoon, repeat this process until chocolate is melted. Fold in chocolate to cream. Add the cherries (not all the liqueur, the cream will curdle), get a spoon and spoon cherries into moussese, mix well. Place in small glasses and add a cherry, cut in the middle on the edge of the glass for presentation and enjoy!
Happy New Year to all.
Let me know how this yummy and easy dessert goes for you!
So mum made some delicious salads,with gf Greek sausages n onion! I was in charge of dessert,I decided on an old favourite my easy chocolate mousse but this time I added a few things to it!
I thought of the flavour combination that we all like and was in the fridge and in the alcohol storage and decided upon a combination of finely chopped fresh cherries, marinated in a cherry liqueur (that I had left over from the GF Cherry Ripe Cakes). I'll give you the recipe shortly, it went down a treat, a nice change from the normal mousse and it actually made it lighter and not so heavy after a lovely feast for dinner (and the pre- dinner nibbles), it was new years eve, so resolutions didn't have to start yet!
After our dessert, we sat down with my parents to watch Hangover 2, which was much better than I expected, but both my husband and I didn't know what to do when the C bomb was dropped a few times with mum in the room! I have to say it was nice to have a small and relaxing new years eve, and to have it just with our parents. It's something that we will look back on for a long time and appreciate it, this maturity talk must have something to do with turning 30!.
We all managed to make the midnight fireworks, with our beloved dog inside, on the map, so the big bad fireworks wouldn't spook our 40kg German Shepard!
If you get the change, make the time to have a small family new years eve, it really is something special and less of a hangover in the morning (maybe if I had of been feeling better there may have been some more cocktails!)
Adults Only Cherry Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
300ml (small) carton of thickened cream
1 block of milk chocolate (don't buy the expensive brands, they don't melt well, I buy Woolworth's brand chocolate and it works every time!)
1 cup of finely chopped cherries (cut around each side of the stem, then cut the remaining bits at the bottom)
Cover the cherries in the cherry liqueur, with 1-2cm above the cherries, place in bowl, cover with foil and marinate for at least 2-3 hours
Method:
Whip the cream with an electric (hand held) until cream forms peaks and becomes thicker. Break the chocolate up into small pieces and place in a microwave proof bowl, heat on high for 30 seconds, and stir with a wooden spoon, repeat this process until chocolate is melted. Fold in chocolate to cream. Add the cherries (not all the liqueur, the cream will curdle), get a spoon and spoon cherries into moussese, mix well. Place in small glasses and add a cherry, cut in the middle on the edge of the glass for presentation and enjoy!
Happy New Year to all.
Let me know how this yummy and easy dessert goes for you!
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