Tortilla Espanola

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Spanish Omelet1Eggs are a great source of protein (One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids) and numerous vitamins, including vitamin A, potassium and many B vitamins like folic acid, choline and biotin. Eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D. Amazing!

Many people believe that egg yolks contain high cholesterol, enemy for the risk of heart disease and so prefer having egg whites only for protein. However, many vitamins and minerals are actually in egg yolks, not whites. Your body needs a balance when it comes to cholesterol. Eggs are a beneficial source of healthy fat and research has documented that eggs do not appear to promote heart disease risk. It could also help to prevent breast cancer. So eat the whole eggs, not just egg white!

Tortilla Espanola, a fancy name for Spanish omelet, is a fantastic way of cooking your eggs. Simple ingredients, healthy, inexpensive and tasty! You can even have it next day, which I think is better in terms of flavour. You can serve like pizza as a main or cut into little squares to serve as entree for your dinner party. You can add other vegetables or cheese as well for variations. Whichever you choose to do, it is all delicious 🙂

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 onion
2 potatoes
1 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of smoked paprika
Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

Heat coconut oil in a light, non-stick pan. Add chopped onion and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until soft (you don’t want too much colour). Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. You should be able to mash the potatoes with the back of the spoon. Crack the eggs in a large bowl and whisk gently. Season the egg mixture and then pour into a pan making sure the potatoes are just submerged. Turn down the heat and cook on low heat until the edges start to firm and the centre is still wet. Time to flip! Fun part starts. Use a palette knife or spatula to loosen up the edges and shake the pan so that the omelet is not stuck to the pan. Put a large plate over the pan and flip over. Slide the omelet back on to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes. Take it off the heat and transfer to a serving plate. You can serve this hot, cold or at room temperature.Spanish Omelet

Posted in: Breakfast, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Snack

GF Beetroot Chocolate Cake

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Beetroot cacao cakeRoots are amazing nutrition-dense vegetables. Beets, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, radish, yam, ginger, artichoke, celeriac, etc. They grow under ground which means they absorb good nutrition from the soil, full of antioxidants, vitamins and iron. Root veggies also have a slow-burning carbohydrates and fibre, which leaves you full longer and regulates blood sugar level.

Red sexy beets are available all year around, but best from summer to autumn. They’re full of beta-carotene and betalains, which are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. I love using beetroots for its earthy and sweet flavour, great when roasted, pickled, grilled or even raw. Beets go really well with citrus fruits, berries, goat cheese, cumin, nuts and tahini.

I made this decadent chocolate cake using grated raw beetroot, cacao powder and almond meal. It is gluten-free, refined sugar-free and guilt-free. Beautiful rustic texture, moist and chocolatey! It will be also nice to add a shot of espresso or ground coffee for the dark and intense flavour next time.

Ingredients

1 cup of grated beetroot
20g of flaxseed meal
20g chia seeds
2 eggs
50g almond meal
50g buckwheat flour
50g raw cacao powder
1 tsp of grated ginger
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 tbsp of coconut oil
a pinch of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
50g water

Add flaxseed meal, chia seeds and water into a bowl and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it’s set. Add eggs and maple syrup in and whisk gently. Then add other ingredients and combine well with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a prepared baking tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 40 minutes or until cooked. Put a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top to serve.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

GF Berry Crumble

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As the temperature drops down, I am craving for more warm, sweet and tasty breakfast. I don’t normally eat or make crumbles but felt like making one this morning out of the blue. I know it is more of a summery dessert with cream or ice cream on top, but mine is healthier, tastier and I think it is perfect for cold mornings. To top it off, I added a drizzle of Canadian pure maple syrup that my brother-in-law got me after his awesome trip to Canada. Beautiful caramel-like yet light sweetness goes really well with berries.

Coconut flour is made by drying and grinding the meat of a coconut. It is full of fibre and protein, leaving you full for longer and stable blood sugar level. It is also naturally gluten free, giving you no inflammatory allergy reaction to your body. It can be a bit tricky though because if you replace normal flour with coconut flour 100%, it will be crumbly and dense. I’ve been there and don’t want to be there again >.< I also find different brands have different texture and water content. So you need to experiment, control the amount of the liquid going into the batter and mix with other flours like almond flour, oat flour, buckwheat flour, etc.
Berry CrumbleIngredients

500g of mixed berries
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp of cardamom powder
1 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1 tbsp of maple syrup
a squeeze of lemon

For crumble
1 cup of rolled oats
1 tbsp of coconut flour
1 tbsp of almond meal
2 tbsp of coconut oil
a pinch of salt

Toss berries in spices and maple syrup in a large bowl. Transfer to a baking dish. Mix all crumble ingredients and make a crumbly dough with your hands. Pour the mixture over the fruits and bake in the preheated oven (200) for 20-30 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm with thick natural yogurt and maple syrup.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Chocolate Granola

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Chocolate GranolaAfter making home-made granola last time, it’s Chocolate Granola today. It is a healthy and guilt free way to indulge in some early morning chocolate. Never early for chocolate right? Well..a good kind of chocolate! It is naturally sweetened with a small amount honey and is high in fiber and protein from oats, nuts and seeds. The raw cacao powder is full of antioxidants and it is naturally vegan, dairy free and gluten free. It is delicious in a bowl with nut milk or yogurt. You can also sprinkle over a your smoothie or fruit salad. I make homemade granola about every month or so. But, if you are a busy mum or have no time standing by the oven, then make a batch and keep in the freezer, where it keeps fresh for months. It just takes 5 minutes for the dried fruit to soften up out of the fridge. Feel free to put more cacao powder or even add melted dark chocolate if you are a chocolate lover x

Ingredients

500g rolled oats
1/2 cup of raw cacao powder
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup
3 tbsp of peanut butter, melted
1 tbsp of cinnamon powder
1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
1 tsp of fine sea salt

Add-ins: Linseed, coconut chips, almonds, apricots, pepitas, sultanas, sunflower seeds

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and combine well. Spread mixture out in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven (170) for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Take it out of the oven, cool it down and mix with add-ins. Cool completely before storing in a glass jar.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, My recipes, Vegetarian

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

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Lemon poppyseed cakeWhen I caught up with my dearest friend from Singapore, she told me that it is illegal to take poppy seeds to their country. I was so surprised. Why??? The reason being is that every gram of seeds has about 33 micrograms of morphine and 14 micrograms of codeine. So…they are happy seeds? 🙂 That’s not enough to cause any ill effects from their use in baked goods, but it is enough to show up as a false positive result in drug tests. These seeds contain several vital minerals like zinc, calcium, magnesium, which is essential for the functioning of your body. They are an excellent source of carbs for energy and omega-3 fatty acids for healthy heart as well.

I just like looking at this cake – little dots of poppy seeds, moist inside and nicely browned outside of the loaf. Plus, it has the nuttiness, the crunchiness and the very distinct flavour from poppy seeds. Toasting these guys creates a nutty and sweet flavour. I think it needs more zingy lemon flavour and sweetness though. So if you have a sweet tooth, definitely add more sweetener or drizzle lemony icing on top. I packed a half of the loaf for my friend to take home. I’ve done so much baking recently and they are not disappearing quickly enough. Cakes, anyone? 🙂

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour
6 eggs
50g brown sugar
1 tbsp of honey
50g olive oil
1 lemon zest and juice
50g of poppy seeds
a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf pan with a baking paper. Toast poppy seeds in a pan for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Take it off the heat and set aside. Lightly beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add all ingredients in and stir to combine. Then pour the mixture into the pan and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until cooked or a skewer comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, My recipes, Snack