banana cake

 

For the cake:

• 3 medium-sized ripe bananas
• 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 100 g (⅔ cup) raisins **
• 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) ***
• 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 120 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)

For the frosting:

• 400 g (14 oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk ****
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)

To decorate (optional):

•  Banana , sliced

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Peel the bananas and place in a wide-bottomed bowl, then use a fork to mash until you get a smooth paste
• Place the coconut oil in a separate large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the maple syrup to the same bowl along with the vinegar, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins and ground almonds
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Add the mashed bananas, and mix well, adding the milk a small amount at a time until you get a loose batter. You may not need to use it all depending on how liquidy your bananas are - you may also need to add a little more milk if your bananas are dry
• Transfer mixture into a greased baking tin lined with baking paper (I used an 18cm/7inch springform baking tin)
• Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Once out the oven, leave to cool on a wire rack before applying the frosting

For the frosting:

• You’ll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won’t happen and you won’t be able to make this cream!
• Open the tin upside down – the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups or smoothies)
• Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl
• Add the lemon juice and maple syrup 
• Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy

To decorate:

• Carefully spread the frosting over the top of the cake
• Top with the sliced bananas, if desired
• Best when fresh but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*The vinegar is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to make the sponge fluffy.

**You can alternatively use almond flour.

***Raisins can be omitted, or replaced with chopped dates, dried mango, dried pineapple or dried papaya. Or, you could use fresh fruit such as blueberries or raspberries. Or dark chocolate chips.

****You can alternatively use 200g (7oz) coconut yogurt.

You could also add some desiccated coconut or chopped walnuts to the cake batter.

For an alternative cashew-based recipe, check out my vegan cream cheese frosting post!

olive oil bread

 https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/olive-oil-bread/

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (1.4 grams)
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons water (lukewarm) (162 grams)
• 3/4 teaspoon honey (5.30 grams)
• 2 cups flour (all purpose or bread flour) (250 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (2.85 grams)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (40 grams)

Instructions

• In a small bowl add the water and honey, sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then stir.
• In the bowl of your stand up mixer whisk together the flour and salt, make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture and oil.  With the hook attachment knead until the dough comes together and forms a ball (about 10-12 minutes, stop halfway and scrape off the dough from the hook and the sides of the bowl).
• Remove the dough to a flat surface and knead into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl (roll in the dough in the bowl), cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for approximately 2 hours, or doubled in bulk.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and punch down, form into 10 - 12 balls** (keep the dough covered while making the balls), place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for approximately 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C).
• Brush the dough balls with a little olive oil and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, until golden and when tapped on the bottom there is a hollow sound.  Let cool or eat warm.  Enjoy!

**You can also roll the dough balls into a long rectangle shape and roll up (see photo).

Crisp and crunchy cauliflower crackers

 

ingredients

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 2 tbsp flax seeds – (whole)
• 2 tbsp flax seeds – (ground)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 cups millet flour – use cassava flour if you want them grain free
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ¼ cup boiling liquid (from steamer)
• 1 tsp dehydrated onions – (optional)

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Wash the cauliflower, cut the florets and steam it by placing it in a steamer basket or an insert over boiling water. Steam (covered) until the cauliflower is tender – up to to 8 minutes. 
• Add the cauliflower in a food processor (you should have aprox. 2 cups of  mashed cauliflower) along with the flour, salt, chia and whole flax seeds. 
• Add flax meal (ground flax seeds) – 2 tbsp to that 1/4 cup of cauliflower boiling water, let it rest for 2 min, it will form a gel. Add that to the mixture, it will help hold the dough better. Mix until all is incorporated.
• Between one sheet of parchment paper and a plastic wrap roll out the dough until thin (2mm/ 1/16 inch) and evenly.
• Carefully pull the parchment paper with the cauliflower crackers onto a baking sheet. Cut into squares.
• There should be enough mixture to do a second sheet. 
• Reduce the heat to 360F and bake until beginning to brown on edges, about 15-20 minutes. Flip and cook the cauliflower crackers another 20-25 minutes until the underside begins to brown.

Notes

1. At the last 15 minutes check them often so they don’t burn. If the crackers on the edges cook faster, remove them. 
2. Cooking time will vary depending on how wet the cauliflower mixture is when it goes in the oven and how crispy or chewy you want your finished cracker. 
3. In case the cauliflower crackers are not getting crisp enough turn the temperature down to 300 F and bake a bit longer. 
4. Allow them to cool fully and then place them in an airtight container. Shielding the crackers from air will help maintain their snap up to a week. I don’t recommend to freeze as they will lose their crisp. 
5. Millet has a light texture and mild buttery, sweet flavor. But you can also use other medium flours (or a combination of 2 flours) if you don’t like millet, like: teff, sorghum, buckwheat, oat or brown rice, they all have a similar texture.
6. To make these cauliflower crackers keto friendly you need to replace the millet flour with coconut flour, and you will need less, because the coconut flour tends to absorb a lot of liquid. Reduce the amount of flour in half and then add more little by little, if it’s too mushy. To make sure it holds well together you can also add an egg. If you do that, adjust the amount of flour and omit the addition of water.

Beet Crackers

 

Beet Crackers With Flax Seeds (Vegan Gluten Free)

Savory beet crackers recipe made with beet puree, flax seeds and other healthy wholesome ingredients. These vegan gluten free veggie crackers make a tasty / dairy free gluten free snack for kids school lunch or after school snack, great on the go or as party finger food and appetizer. This beet crackers recipe is perfect for when you want a crunchy snack while on a gluten free, dairy free, vegan or clean eating diet. 

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Resting Time10 mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American, Clean Eating, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free

Servings: 140 crackers

Calories: 38.4kcal

 

Author: HealthyTasteOfLife

Ingredients

• 1 cup pureed beets – steamed beets + 4 tbsp water 
• ½ cup flax seed meal
• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp onion dried
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 3-4 tbsp avocado oil – optional, but helps with crispiness

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Instructions

• Cut 1 large beetroot into quarters and place into the pot or steamer. Allow to steam for 15 minutes, or until they feel tender when pierced with a fork. Keep the water for later.
• To a blender add the steamed beets and 4 tbsp of the water (that was used for steaming, it still has some vitamins leaked in there). Add the oil and the flax seed meal and blend until you get a smooth paste.
• Transfer to a large bowl and mix the rest of ingredients to form a soft sticky dough. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes to absorb the moisture.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Use half of the dough and roll out with a rolling pin between two parchment papers. The layer should be about 1/16 inch (or 1.5-2 mm) thick. If your dough is too thick, you’ll end up with softer crackers that resemble a bread stick more than a true cracker. 
• Remove the top paper, pick up the parchment and slide it onto a baking sheet and bake for 5 min. Then take it out and using a cookie cutter or a pizza cutter, form the shapes you want. It's easier to cut when the dough is more solid. Put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes (25 min total).
• At this time the edges can be removed and if the ones in the middle are not done yet, close the oven door with the heat off and leave the crackers to harden and dry in the residual heat for about 30 minutes.

Lotion DIY

 

Gentle Homemade Lotion for Sensitive Skin {with emulsifying wax}

This version requires an accurate digital scale to make.

Ingredients

• 18 g sunflower (or other) oil
• 12 g shea or mango butter
• 7 g emulsifying wax
• 40 g aloe vera gel
• 33 g distilled water
• preservative of choice (see below)

Directions to Make

1. Weigh the distilled water and aloe in a heatproof container.
2. Weigh the sunflower oil, shea butter and vegetable emulsifying wax in a separate heatproof container. (I use two small 4 oz jelly/canning jars.)
3. Place both jars down into a saucepan containing a couple inches of water, forming a double boiler of sorts.
4. Turn the burner to medium low and heat until the wax is fully melted – about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Pour the hot water/aloe and melted wax/butter/oil together into a clean jar and stir briskly with a fork for several minutes.
6. Stir frequently until the lotion starts to thicken as it cools. I usually place the container down into a bowl of ice water to help speed this step up.
7. Once cool enough for your preservative of choice, stir that in and mix well.
8. Pour into lotion containers or jars.

* There are many choices when it comes to preservatives. I currently like Leucidal SF Complete (ECOCERT/COSMOS approved, Lactobacillus & coconut ferment) used at 4% (or 4 grams in this recipe). Check LotionCrafter, The Herbarie & Formulator Sample Shop for more options.