Cashew & hazelnut fruit crumble

I've had a craving for apple crumble all week. It was one of my absolute favourite desserts when I was a kid and I haven't had it in ages.

Tonight was the perfect night for it. We shared a chaotic early dinner with baby Bonnie, then later once we'd put her to bed we enjoyed big bowls of dessert and relaxed. A lovely way to end the weekend.

I've given traditional apple crumble a healthy makeover. This one is gluten free and has no refined sugar. I used cashews, hazelnuts and oats to form the crumb. Dates and coconut oil bind it together. All the ingredients are thrown in the food processor so dessert comes together in no time.

We enjoyed ours with fresh cream but this could easily be kept dairy free by pairing it with your favourite dairy free ice cream. Enjoy! x

Cashew & hazelnut fruit crumble

2-3 cups cooked fruit (depending on your dish)

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup of chopped dates

3/4 oats (use GF labelled oats if necessary)

1/4 cup coconut oil - melted

1/8 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 160 degrees

Place your cooked fruit into your baking dish.

Place all remaining ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until the texture is a course crumb.

Cover your fruit with the crumb mixture and place in oven.

Bake for approx 30 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully. The nut crumb can burn quickly.

Serve warm or cold.

(Vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)

The BEST banana bread

Somewhere along the way I've gotten addicted to morning tea. I'm not sure when it happened but I've come to really look forward to a mid morning cup of tea and a sliced of something baked. And while I think terms like guilt-free are unhelpful, I do want to feel good about everything I put in my mouth. 

This moist, delicious banana bread is my morning tea constant. I've used almond flour and coconut to form the flour component and it's lightly sweetened with 2 ripe bananas and a couple of tablespoons of honey.

Gluten free baking like this loaf appeals to me because it's so nutrient dense. There's not loads of refined flour or unnecessary sugar. I notice the difference in how I feel when I eat this way and I'm quite happy to make it a daily treat. The added bonus is that baby Bonnie can enjoy some too. 

I've used honey to sweeten this but you could easily use dates or maple syrup instead. 

The BEST banana bread
2 Tbsp Honey or maple syrup / quarter cup dates 
2 very ripe bananas - mashed
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees celsius

In a food processor add eggs, honey and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Add the banana and combine.

Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well.

Pour the batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.

Allow to almost entirely cool before slicing.

Enjoy as is or with a thick spread of butter.

(Gluten free, refined sugar free)

The day after the party and a loaf

What a perfect winter morning we had in Auckland today. Bright sun and a clear sky. Mondays should always be so pretty.The house felt strangely quiet after a very busy day yesterday. There were still balloons bouncing around and lovely birthday cards scattered around. Yesterday was our Bonnie's 1st birthday party. Her first year has flown by and it was fun to celebrate reaching the milestone with some of our favourite people. My partner and I been blessed to have a wonderful gang of family and friends support us the past year while we've tried to master this parenting business.

Her party was a morning tea. Foolishly I got too caught up in hosting to take a picture of the pretty table We enjoyed lots of delicious homemade food, bubbles and strong stovetop coffee.

At the end of the party I had lots of requests for one recipe in particular. It's not one of mine. I'm just spreading the good word. The much requested recipe was the "Life Changing Loaf" from mynewroots.org. I served it lightly toasted alongside smoked salmon and my roasted pumpkin & garlic cream.

This recipe is ridiculously easy to make. A clever mixture of nuts, seeds and oats. Naturally gluten free and vegan. It's basically combine, soak and bake. Make sure you use a silicon loaf pan. It's essential that you're able to turn the loaf out halfway through cooking.

Thank you to Lucy for reminding me about this recipe.

The Life Changing Loaf of Bread by My New Roots

1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds 
½ cup / 90g flax seeds 
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds 
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats 
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
3 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks 
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt 
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or honey
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.

Place all dry ingredients into a flexible silicon loaf pan and stir well.

Whisk together the oil, maple syrup and water. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until really well combined. The dough should be very thick. Smooth the top and then let sit on the bench for at least two hours. Overnight is fine. You'll know the dough is ready if it retains it's shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it.

Place the loaf into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and place it upside down directly onto the oven rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes.

The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.Allow the bread to cool entirely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container for up to five days or pre slice and freeze for easy toasting. (I think this bread is best as toast)

(Vegan, wheat free)

If you've never checked out Sarah Britton's My New Roots blog- quick. Do it now! It's inspiring and uplifting. I'm so appreciative to the lovely Rachel who passed it on to me. 

www.mynewroots.org

Coconut, Sultana & Lemon Loaf

Now that I've got a child mornings are especially hectic. My partner and I rush around getting our daughter sorted, coffee brewed (big priority in our household) and attempt to get him out the door at a reasonable time. Most of the time my breakfast takes a back seat to everything else. This coconut, sultana and lemon loaf is a great breakfast solution for me. It can be eaten with one hand while standing up.

It's lightly sweet so is delicious with my cup of coffee and rich enough with the good fats from the almond flour and coconut to give me a bit of distance.

I found the original recipe on a South African paleo food blog and wrote it down. I haven't been able to find the site again to credit it here. The original recipe used only desiccated coconut as the "flour". I prefer a 50/50 mixture of coconut and almond flour and I added sultanas, lemon zest and a little spicy warmth in the form of cinnamon and nutmeg. The result was much more me.

I have two thick slices of this plain or spread with home made roasted almond butter. Having a breakfast of all home made elements is a lovely way to start the day.

This loaf is a great snack any time of the day though. One you can feel good about too. It's gluten free and uses just two tablespoons of maple syrup to sweeten the whole loaf .

Coconut, sultana & lemon loaf
1 1/2 cups ground almonds
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp maple syrup
5 free range eggs
1/2 cup sultanas
1 tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 140 degrees.

Use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup.

Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder. Beat to combine.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and the sultanas.

The batter should be very stiff.

Spoon the batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper. Use a spoon to smooth the top of the mixture.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave the loaf to cool entirely before slicing.

(Gluten and refined sugar free)

Pumpkin & Banana Muffins

A good friend of mine has developed gestational diabetes. This means no sugar (natural or otherwise) and no refined white flour. She and I planned to visit a friend who has just had a baby and I wanted to be able to bring something for afternoon tea that everyone could enjoy.
I'd been thinking about using pumpkin to make a cake or muffins recently. I adore pumpkin and thought it would be a great way to impart natural sweetness. So this recipe happened.

Total deliciousness. The nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla add a pumpkin pie spice that's divine. Banana and pumpkin give creaminess and a subtle sweetness. The end result is somewhere between a moist little pudding and a muffin.

2 very ripe bananas (well mashed)
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin*
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
desiccated coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Place all the ingredients except vinegar and baking powder in a food processor.

Mix until well combined. Wont take long.

Add vinegar and baking powder and pulse food processor until combined.

Spoon finished mixture into 10 holes of a 12 muffin capacity tray.

Sprinkle with coconut (optional)

Bake for 20 -25 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool entirely before eating.

These are best stored in the fridge in a sealed container and will last 4 days.

(Sugar free & gluten free)

*I roasted half a crown pumpkin cut into four big pieces. Once it was cooled I scooped out the cooked flesh. This method will give the best flavour. Pumpkin that is boiled will end up waterlogged and not as sweet.