Christmas Cake Recipe

Transcription

1 Christmas Cake Recipe gluten free, grain free, nut free, dairy free, refined sugar free This is a wonderful cake, filled with beautiful flavours of cinnamon, rosemary and dates. Baked in a 20cm round cake tin this cake yields 12 slices (a good size after a big Christmas feed). Served with fresh labna (see recipe below) and lovely fresh fruit, some grated chocolate and pretty much what ever takes your fancy this cake is high in protein, is very filling and really can go a long way. 1 cup pepitas 1 cup coconut sugar 1 1/2 Cups desiccated coconut (fine) 1 tablespoon coconut flour 1/2 cup dried pitted dates 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary (finely chopped) 2 Teaspoons cinnamon (ceylon is what I use) 1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg 1 Teaspoon bicarbonate Soda ((bicarb) or baking soda) Pinch salt (good one) 4 eggs (60 gram is best) 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil (you can use coconut oil, butter or any oil you prefer - olive oil gives this cake richness and adds to the fruitiness of the overall flavour) 1/2 Cup water 1. preheat oven 175C 2. line a cake tin with non-stick baking paper 3. place all DRY ingredients and fresh rosemary into your food processor and grind down until ingredients are finely chopped - like a fine bread crumb 4. Pour into a mixing bowl 5. add eggs, oil and water 6. using a whisk combine well 7. pour mixture into lined cake tin 8. cook for minutes on middle shelf 9. cake is cooked when it bounces back when lightly pressed 10. remove from oven, leave in cake tin for 10 minutes, remove and place on a cooling rack 11. decorate and enjoy! 1

2 Labna gluten free, grain free, nut free, sugar free, egg free I always use whole yoghurt, Greek style, full fat, nothing skinny, I just go for the good stuff, close to nature, nothing removed and filled with loads of nutrients and essential fats my body needs. Remember to read the label before purchasing yoghurt look for a brand that does not contain gelatin. Gelatin will prevent the whey from draining off and good yoghurt simply does not need it. 2 cups plain whole full cream yoghurt (Greek style is terrific) 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt or sea salt (optional or less if you prefer). I have made it without salt - no worries Combine the yoghurt & salt together well in a bowl make sure you remove any lumps from the salt before adding to the yoghurt 2. Line a bowl with muslin/cheesecloth & pour the mix into the cloth 3. Bring the corners together & tie off with string or a strong rubber band 4. Place a hook through the string/rubber band & hand the cheese overnight in the fridge (remember to place a large bowl under the mix to catch the liquid 5. Remove from the fridge (if you live in a cold environment you can hang it in your shower or over your kitchen sink) the next day tip out the liquid (whey) 6. unfold the wonderful package & there you will find a beautiful housemade soft cheese NOTES if you would like a harder cheese leave it for 2 nights if you prefer not to use salt just drain the yoghurt overnight & follow the same instructions to keep it longer in the fridge place it in a lidded container & cover the cheese with olive oil 2

3 Berry Yoghurt Dessert/Topping gluten free, grain free, nut free, sugar free, egg free This is one of my favourites. Is so easy. Pretty darn delicious and only needs a few ingredients. I use this as a lovely cool dessert or topping for other fruit, a cake, some lovely freshly sliced mango or straight from the fridge. It has a lovely soft pink/purple colour this is from mixing frozen blueberries into whole Greek Yoghurt or Coconut Yoghurt (without any of the additives or sugar added). I make a tonne of this stuff and place it in the middle of the table with cake, fruit & some lovely cheese. People just get what they want and eat what works for them. 1kg of whole Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt 1 cup of frozen blueberries (or you can use raspberries if you prefer) In a ceramic or glass dish, mix the yoghurt and frozen berries together until the colour from the berries starts to mix with the yoghurt If you like it a little on the sweet side add some honey (not too much), coconut sugar (no more than a teaspoon), or some maple syrup. Mix this through and let sit covered back in the fridge. As the berries start to defrost they will bleed more colour. Mix again before serving Top with some frozen berries (we love eating these frozen on hot days) Sprinkle with some cinnamon Enjoy! 3

4 Spud Salad gluten free, grain free, nut free, dairy free, no mayo, no additives An all time favourite. This is when I splash out and buy organic kipfler potatoes. I really do grab a few kilograms of these little waxy, flavoursome spuds, wash the dirt off, gently simmer til just cooked and serve. A big dish of these goes a long way, is a wonderful source of carbs (yep, I squish in quite a few over Christmas), is something every body loves, is terrific served at room temperature, can be cooked the day before and just keep the crowd happy with some good comfort food. 2 kgs of kipfler potatoes (organic if you can) A big saucepan of water Place the potatoes (uncut) into the cold water Place on heat and bring to a gentle simmer Cook until just done (firm but soft enough to bit through) Remove from heat Drain Set aside til cool Once cool slice down the length of each potato Place into a large serving bowl Toss a heap of olive oil over those sliced spuds, salt to taste, cracked pepper to taste and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley Toss and serve If you are preparing the day before only cook the spuds and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge until the next day Remove 1 hour before serving Add all the bits (salt, olive oil, pepper, parsley), toss and take to the table I serve mine with wedges of lemon, It is really bloody good! 4

5 Mango & Pear Salsa gluten free, grain free, nut free, dairy free, sugar free, egg free I sometimes find that Mangoes are a bit too expensive to purchase lots for a big family gathering so I grab a couple of the best ones I can afford and turn them into a salsa everyone can enjoy. A salsa goes a lot further, is beautiful with chicken, salads a whole tonne of stuff. Making the salsa is easy chop chop chop (no food processor here or you will turn it into puree), a couple of mint leaves finely chopped, some pepper and you are done. Best of all, everyone gets to enjoy the freshness of new season mango without breaking the budget! 2 ripe mangoes 2 ripe pears Chop up the pear finely (this helps to hold up the mango chunks so they don t get lost on the bottom of the bowl) Chop the mango into ½ cm cubes/bits (whatever your knife skills and timing allows) Finely chop 2 or 3 mints leaves (no more it will over power the dish) Combine well and place into a serving bowl Sprinkle with cracked black pepper I serve at room temperature 5

6 Almond & Chia Flat Bread gluten free, grain free, dairy free, yeast free, sugar free I love a versatile bread recipe that can be used as a loaf, a focaccia, a savoury muffin, little pancakes, a big double batch for loads of hungry bods. My Almond & Chia Seed Loaf is just that. A handful of simple ingredients (which you can change up as needed) to deliver a bread that is beautifully fresh the day it is baked and remains that way for days afterwards. I love baking a double batch in a large, short sided tray (like a lamington tray), topping it with loads of the good gear, baking and serving straight to the table at Christmas. I have included some images and ideas of what you can do for toppings, but here are a few of my faves:- Zucchini thinly sliced, topped with pepper (no salt it will go liquidy) and freshly chopped thyme, a dash of olive oil and bake Apricot jam (without all the rubbish), goats fetta, pepper blob the jam in tiny mounds evenly all over the bread, add the fetta, crumbled all over, pepper and bake til the bread is cooked through and the jam has started to caramelise Freshly chopped rosemary, chunky salt, olive oil drizzled all over the top Little bits of chicken mince, fig jam (without all the rubbish), pepper, sage leaves finely chopped, red chilli finely diced with some seeds in for a bit of kick and heat Feijoa chutney (or any chutney you love), rosemary, garlic, thyme, mozzarella All of these breads are baked in a flat tray and I use a DOUBLE mix so I get a tonne of bread for everyone and hopefully some left overs the next day. See OVER for the basic bread recipe (SINGLE) remember to DOUBLE it 6

7 SINGLE BREAD MIX 1 cup almond meal (I used almond meal because it is already blanched and easier for me to digest) 2 tablespoons chia seeds (soaked in 30 mls of water (or you can simply put them into the dry mix and add water to the overall recipe if you don't have the time to soak the seeds)) 30ml water (this is used to soak the chia seeds (do this whilst preparing the dry mix)) 3/4 cups arrowroot or tapioca (remember to sift this to remove any lumps) 1 teaspoon bi-carb (baking soda) (sifted with the starch to remove any lumps) 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or use lemon juice if you cannot have vinegar) 3 eggs (usually no larger than 60 gram eggs) pinch salt 1. preheat oven to 175C 2. soak chia seeds in water whilst preparing the dry mix in a bowl. Stir to make sure the seeds are in the water 3. sift arrowroot/tapioca and bi-carb (baking soda) into bowl 4. add almond meal and salt and mix well 5. use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients to help break up lumps and distribute ingredients evenly 6. add eggs, soaked chia seeds and apple cider vinegar 7. combine everything well until there are no lumps 8. don't be tempted to add any liquid - this mix is meant to be thick 9. pour mix into a FLAT (LOW SIDED) baking tin lined with non-stick baking paper or a FLAT silicon mould lightly oiled with oil of your choice 10. REMEMBER: this is a SINGLE MIX double it if you are baking a flat bread for a large group 11. ADD ALL OF YOUR LOVELY BITS to the TOP of the wet mix (see steps below for some ideas on how best to do this) 12. bake for minutes until the bread is firm (single loaf) to the touch and bounces back when lightly pressed. The top will be golden in colour and firm to the touch. 13. If you have a new oven, hotter oven or a big kick ass fan forced number check the time for your bread to cook it may only take 15 minutes (remember it is a flatter loaf) 14. Remove bread from the oven and turn out onto a cooking rack. 15. Adjust cooking time for a larger flat bread. Topping your Wet Bread Mix before Cooking Step 1 prep all of your bread topping bits first and have them ready to sprinkle lovingly all over the wet bread mix. Step 2 turn on your oven and heat to 175C, line a long, shallow baking tray (one that virtually fits all the way across your oven) with non stick baking paper Step 3 make a double batch of the bread mix if you are making this for a lot of people (a single for a small number) Step 4 pour the wet mix into the lined baking tray Step 5 blob little bits of the chutney, meat, cheese, herbs, thinly sliced zucchini, (whatever combination you are making) all over the wet mix make it nice and even if you can so no one misses out Step 6 lightly drizzle olive oil all over the mix Step 7 OVEN TIME pop it in the oven and bake it til the bread bounces back usually no more than 20 minutes Step 8 remove from the oven and carefully slide the bread and the non-stick paper out of the baking tray and onto a cooling rack. 7