Almond Cookies with Flavour Kick – Gluten and Dairy Free

I am very grateful for the numerous gluten and dairy free recipes, that friends share with me. This week I enjoyed baking Almond Cookies – a recipe given to me by my friend, Janine. 

This almond cookie recipe is naturally gluten and dairy free which made it easy for me to bake (no experimenting with conversions).

What I particularly liked was that the recipe made 24 cookies (none of this bake all morning only to get 12 cookies).

Ohhh yeah did I mention that these cookies are ‘moreish’ – with a surprising gentle flavour kick.

Almond Cookies
(Gluten and dairy free)

150g icing sugar
1 free range egg beaten
225g almond flour
1 finely grated lime rind
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
* In a large mixing bowl, combine icing sugar & beaten egg.  Beat until mixture is white.
* In another bowl, combine flour, lime rind, vanilla essence & cinnamon.  Then gradually mix into the sugar & egg mixture.
* Knead dough in the bowl until pliable (about 5 minutes)

Almond cookie dough after kneading

* Cover with a tea towl and leave for 15 minutes.
* On a lightly floured surface,  roll out dough to make a long thin sausage shape (about 4 cm thick).

Almond cookie dough rolled into a long thin sausage roll shape

* Cut into 24 segments.

Cookie dough cut into 24 segments

* Roll each segment into a ball.
* Lightly oil the palms of your hands then flatten each ball.
* Place each flattened ball on a lightly oiled oven tray – giving each plenty of room to spread when baking.
* Bake for 15-20 mins or until golden brown.

Flatten almond cookie dough - given space to spread in the oven

* Cool biscuits on a cooling rack.

Almond cookies cooling on wire rack

A Yummy Winning Recipe for Stale Bread

Bread and butter pudding - easy and yummy way to use stale bread

The smell of hot cinnamon wafts from the kitchen and fills the cold Autumn air.

Yep it is still blowing a gale here.  Everyone you speak to is rattled by the wind.  Everyone has been staying indoors.  This recipe was baked with my neighbours in mind (fingers crossed we will soon be outside enjoying a windless, sunny Autumn day soon).

This recipe is great for using stale bread (reducing food waste).  However it is so easy and yummy, why wait till bread goes stale?

Bread and Butter Pudding  (gluten and dairy free)

5 free range eggs
2 cups rice milk
5 tablespoons of coconut cream
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 slices of gluten free brea bread, crusts removed (stale or fresh)
Jam of your choice (I had kiwifruit jam on hand)
Handful of sultanas

*  Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
*  Grease a medium sized baking dish.
*  Whisk eggs, rice milk, coconut cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl.
*  Spread both sides of each bread slice with jam.
*  Arrange half the bread in rows in prepared dish.
*  Sprinkle with half the sultanas.
*  Repeat with remaining bread and sultanas.
*  Pour egg mixture over bread.
*  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.
*  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and set.
*  Serve with a spoonful of coconut cream (or two spoonfuls).

Conclusion

“ohhhhh” “yummm” was all I heard, then slience until everyone finished.  I just love it when non gluten and dairy intolerant people enjoy my food too – not knowing it is gluten and dairy free.  Giddy up, this was a winner!

Simple Orange Cake that is Gluten and Dairy Free

My cousin in the foreground, while 'Nanna' and our Little One, lick the icing bowl in the background.

Today will be a sad day.  Today I will be driving my cousin to Sydney airport so she can fly home to Brisbane (my Mum will stay for another couple of weeks).

As a fitting farewell to my beautiful counsin (more like my little sister), I wanted to share her yummy orange cake that she made for us (with her permission of course).

Simple Orange Cake
(Gluten and dairy free)

1 & 1/2 cups self raising, gluten free flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
125 g of dairy free butter (I use Nuttelex)
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 free range eggs
Vanilla
1/4 cup rice milk
Grated rind of 1 orange
1 tablespoon of orange juice

* Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
* Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
* Throw all ingredients into the bowl and beat with an electric mixer.
* Pour into a well greased 20 cm round tin.
* Bake for 30 minutes.
* Allow to cool.  Icing is optional.
* Enjoy with loved ones.

Bye bye Mellie, see you soon.  xox

A Large Spinach Baseless Quiche – Gluten and Dairy Free

We have a full house – full with loved family members.  Evening meals we have enjoyed sharing good ‘slow food’ together.

Last night I made a large spinach and cherry tomato baseless quiche. Served with fried toasted slices of my polenta bread in garlic.  As always everything was gluten and dairy free.

Spinach and Cherry Tomato Baseless Quiche – Gluten and Dairy Free (feed four adults as a main meal).

8 free range eggs
1 cup gluten free plain flour
3.5 cups of rice milk
5 tablespoons of rice bran oil
Garlic
2 cups cherry tomatoes halved **
1 large bowl of spinach **

** last night the spinach and cherry tomatoes came from our garden – it doesn’t get fresher than that!

* Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
* Fry chopped spinanch and cherry tomatoes in oil and chopped garlic (I prefer rice bran oil). Once spinanch is soft, remove from heat and set aside.
* In a large bowl wisk eggs, milk and oil together.  Then slowly add flour.  Mix well.
* Pour egg mixture into an oiled large lasagne pan. Then carefully spoon the spinanch and tomatoes into the mixture, so it is even throughout (pour all the yummy garlic juices in too).
* Bake in oven for 35 minutes.

Conclusion
Everyone loved the quiche.  Nobody even noticed it was gluten and dairy free.  Even our Little Toddler enjoyed it.

White Vegetable Heartwarming Soup

White vegetable soup with a slice of polenta bread

I love the simplicity of one pot cooking. As the weather cools, I crave home cooked food – especially soups.  This is a very simple one pot, soup recipe that can be easily changed according to the vegetables you have in your fridge or garden.

* Rice bran oil
* Two garlic cloves chopped
* White vegetables – half cauliflower, half cabbage, one peeled zucchini, a peeled choko, handful of lighter flesh mushrooms
* 1/2 cup of pine nuts
* 4 cups of vegetable stock
* Salt and pepper

* Fry garlic and mushrooms.
* Add chopped vegetables to fry/cook for 5 minutes.
* Add pine nuts and vegetable stock.  Bring to boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasional.
* Using a hand food processor, mix into a smooth, thick soup consistency.
* Add salt and pepper to taste.

To accompany the soup, a slice of polenta bread will do the trick.

Now isn’t that easy!?!

Polenta Bread – Gluten and Dairy Free

The rain is relentless. It is flooding in numerous locations across New South Wales of Australia.

I am craving warm, home cooked, comfort food.  Time to make some home baked bread.

Gluten & dairy free polenta bread

115 g rice flour
45 g tapioca flour
3 & 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta
2 tablespoons of caster sugar
3/4 cup rice milk
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg

* Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
* Prepare 11cm by 22cm loaf tin with olive oil then lightly dust with gluten free flour (this way you don’t need baking paper).
* Sift flours, baking powder and salt. Then add polenta, sugar, rice milk, olive oil and egg.  Mix well with a mixing spoon.
* Pour mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 25 minutes.

Slice and serve alongside your favourite home cooked soup.  This will warm your soul.

Pavlova Base Recipe – Naturally Gluten & Dairy Free

Yesterday we got together with my Husband’s family for Easter Sunday.

We were asked to bring the dessert. I decided to bake a pavlova for a change (as pav bases are naturally gluten and dairy free anyway).

A Simple Pavlova Base

4 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar

* Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
* Beat egg whites vigorously while gradually adding in sugar. It will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes for the mixture to firm (to hold shape).

* Fold in cornflour then add vanilla and vinegar. Mix lightly.
* Wet a cooking tray with cold water then spread mixture to form a shell.
* Turn oven down to 125 degrees C and cook for an hour and 15 minutes.

* Once cooled top with coconut cream (dairy free).
* Add some cut up fruit (strawberries and kiwifruit is tradition) then drizzle over passion fruit.

I apologies for not having a photo of the finished pavlova – it was devoured before I remembered to grab the camera. 🙂