Raw Carrot Cake

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Raw carrot cakeWhat is good about raw dessert is that it is totally free from gluten and dairy and therefore makes great for people with allergy. It is made of wholesome ingredients with all goodness, easy to assemble, no baking time and delicious, too! Here are some of the ingredients of this raw carrot cake with health benefits. I didn’t add any sweeteners for this recipe except using dates. If you have a sweet tooth, you can add honey or maple syrup or any of your favorites.

  • Walnuts: high in protein, vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, minerals, lecithin and healthy oils. Great for brain health (memory and cognitive function)
  • Himalayan salt: made up of 62-85% sodium chloride and 14-38% other trace minerals including sulphate, magnesium, calcium, potassium.
  • Cinnamon: regulates blood sugar, great for diabetes, helps with stable energy levels and moods.
  • Vanilla bean powder: contains small amount of B complex vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron and zinc.

Raw carrot cake1Ingredients (makes 4)

1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, soaked overnight
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp tahini paste
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
6 dates
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Place all the ingredients in your food processor and blend until you get a dough consistency. Place a cling-film over the muffin tin and spoon the cake mixture into each hole. Press firmly and set in the fridge. Serve with thick Greek yogurt.

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

Berry Chia Pudding

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Chia puddingChia is an excellent source of omega fatty acids, protein, antioxidants and it’s full of minerals, calcium, protein, vitamins and fiber. Plus it is low in calories and is incredibly satiating. Serve this as breakfast or dessert. It is totally gluten-free, dairy-free, low sodium, low sugar, low calorie, vegetarian and vegan-friendly. For summer dessert, you can even pour the mixture into popsicle moulds and freeze them. Healthy ice cream for kids!

Ingredients (serves 2)

50g chia seeds
1 can of coconut milk
2 tbsp of maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
a pinch of salt
berries and pomegranate for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Let the chia seeds swell in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, stirring occasionally. Serve with mixed berries and pomegranate.
Chia pudding1

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

GF Lupin Savoury Muffins

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When I went to one of my favorite local health food shops today, I came across lupin flour. Have you heard of it? I’ve seen lupin beans at Kakulas brothers, but not the flour. I couldn’t resist myself taking some home for a little gluten free baking experiment.

Lupin or Lupini beans are yellow legume seeds of the lupinus genus plant, a common food of the Mediterranean basin and Latin America. Flour from the lupini bean has many health benefits such as high dietary fiber, high protein, no starch, non-GMO, and a low glycemic index. It helps manage hunger throughout the day as well as provides higher brain function. It is also naturally gluten-free. Yay!

The problem with gluten-free baking is that it can have a weird texture, or the hint of a strange flavour. It is best to swap half of the flour in your favorite bread or cookie recipe with lupin flour. It is on the salty savoury side so skip adding any additional salt. And it has a texture closer to cornmeal so extra moisture is also helpful. I wanted to bake something savoury using lupin flour today. Spinach, feta cheese, black olives and thyme sounds good to me! These muffins are packed with protein – great for breakfast! I only made three for experiment, but feel free to double up the recipe and make 6 muffins.
Lupin muffinsIngredients

50g lupin flour
50g buckwheat flour
20g flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
30g feta cheese, crumbled
10 black pitted olives, chopped
1/2 cup of baby spinach, chopped
1 tsp thyme
2 large eggs
40ml of olive oil
a pinch of salt

Lightly beat eggs and olive oil in a large bowl. Add all dry ingredients in and stir to combine. Add crumbled feta, chopped olives and spinach, and thyme into the mixture and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture into a muffin tins and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 20-25 minutes until cooked.

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

GF Rhubarb Pie

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rhubarbIt is a rhubarb season! These glossy, crisp and rose-red stalks are amazing. It is quite tart and tangy, but cooking or baking makes it beautifully sweet and sour, perfect for a dessert. Rhubarb technically is a vegetable, but more often it is compared in the fruit family. It was mainly used for medicinal purposes back in 2700 BC from China. It has many anti-oxidant benefits, helps your digestion and mostly will help with allergies like coeliac, gluten or dairy intolerance, lung irritation and poor circulation. They are naturally low in calories and contains some fibre, calcium, vitamins C, A and K, magnesium, potassium, manganese and a little iron. Rhubarb is also a good source of lutein, good for your skin and eyes. Its vibrant red colour is powerful antioxidants that can promote good health and help prevent heart disease and cancer.

In this recipe, I added maple syrup to counterbalance the tartness of the rhubarbs and rose water, vanilla and cinnamon to compliment the rhubarbs. Make it for dessert and have the leftovers for next morning. It is delicious x
rhubarb pieIngredients

For the filling
3 stalks of rhubarb, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup rose water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
a pinch of Himalayan salt
1/2 cup coconut flour

For the topping
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp golden flaxseed

Put all filling ingredients except coconut flour in a saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes until rhubarbs are tender. Take it off the heat and let it cool. Then mix the rhubarb mixture and coconut flour in a bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle chia seeds and golden flaxseed. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for about 30 minutes. Serve warm with thick Greek yogurt or coconut cream.

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

Rustic Leek and Yogurt Soup

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Leek soupLeeks belong to the family of onion, garlic, shallots and scallions. They are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The green leaves actually contain 100 times more beta-carotene and twice as much vitamin C as in the white parts. So do not throw away greens! The combination of vitamins A, C and E as well as other powerful antioxidants in leeks protects your skin against damage by free radicals. Leeks are also a good source of fiber which aids in digestion. They are a natural diuretic and detoxify your skin by flushing the wastes out of your body. Great for cleansing!

This soup is perfect for chilly weather. The main ingredients for this simple yet yummy soup are leeks and yogurt. Use the whole leek! I know the green parts are quite tough, but they have more nutrition than the white bottom parts. Lots of fibre from the leek and probiotics in yogurt makes this soup super easy to digest. It is quite rustic, not a silky smooth soup. Make sure you don’t boil it after adding yogurt otherwise it will curdle.

Ingredients

1 leek
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp coconut amino sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
3 cups of water or stock
1 cup of Greek yogurt
a handful of tarragon leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and thinly slice leek. Heat a large stockpot and melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add sliced leek, amino sauce, tarragon and minced garlic into a pot and cook until leeks are softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add water or stock, bring up to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 10-20 minutes. Puree in batches until smooth using a blender. It should be quite thick. Return to a pot, add yogurt and gently simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat. Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with tarragon leaves and yogurt to serve.

Posted in: Breakfast, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Vegetarian