sugar free recipes

Tahini

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

Tahini is the easiest thing in the world to make.  I use tonnes of it to put in slices, hummus, as toppings or just by the spoon full!  It’s a great no-nut peanut butter substitute.  Sesame seeds are full of all the good stuff:

  • Incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper are especially concentrated in sesame seeds. Many of these minerals have a vital role in bone mineralization, red blood cell production, enzyme synthesis, hormone production, as well as regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle activities.
  • The seeds are especially rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, which comprises of up to 50% of fatty acids in them. Oleic acid helps lower LDL or “bad cholesterol” and increases HDL or “good cholesterol” in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet which is rich in mono-unsaturated fats may help prevent coronary artery disease, and stroke by favoring healthy serum lipid profile.
  • Sesame seeds contain many health benefiting compounds such as sesamol (3, 4-methylene-dioxyphenol), sesaminol, furyl-methanthiol, guajacol (2-methoxyphenol), phenylethanthiol and furaneol, vinylguacol, and decadienal. Sesamol and sesaminol are phenolic anti-oxidants. Together, these compounds help stave off harmful free radicals from the human body.
  • Sesame is among the seeds rich in quality vitamins, and minerals. They are very good sources of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin.
  • 100 g of sesame contains 97 µg of folic acid, about 25% of recommended daily intake. Folic acid is essential for DNA synthesis. When given to expectant mothers during their peri-conception period, it may prevent neural tube defects in the newborns.

Just a handful of sesame a day provides enough recommended levels of phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and protein.

I used unhulled sesame seeds in this recipe, which you can buy from Binn Inn.  But you can use hulled (the white ones) seeds also.  You can also make this a raw tahini by omitting the toasting step.  Toasting (and the unhulled seeds) give the tahini a nuttier flavour which I prefer.

Tahini (makes about 400 gm)

Recipe inspiration from http://www.thekitchn.com

250 gm Unhulled sesame seeds

1/2 cup Grapeseed oil (or any neutral flavoured oil)

  1. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for 5-10 minutes until they are fragrant.
  2. Blend until the seeds form a powder that starts to stick together
  3. Add in the oil until it reaches the consistency you desire.  It should have the texture of peanut butter.

Store in the fridge.

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References

Nutrition and you

The Kitchn

Rice krispy treats

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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Very similar to the millet slice recipe, but using rice puffs instead. 

Express version:

2.5 cups organic puffed brown rice
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup brown rice syrup

You can just use the above for minimum ingredients.

However for the luxury version I amended to this:

In a pot heat on a low heat:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
2 T coconut oil
1/2 cup tahini

Add:
2.5 cups puffed brown rice
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped pumpkin seeds
Handful of chopped dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla

Press into a slice tin.  Refridgerate for an hour.  Slice and keep in the freezer for instant snacks.

Baked Cran/chia energy bread slice

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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Baked granola bars

Recipe credit http://www.ohsheglows.com

Ingredients:

3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground into a flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup packed pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way.

Add rolled oats into a high-speed blender. Blend on highest speed until a fine flour forms. Add oat flour into a large bowl.
Add water and pitted dates into blender. Allow the dates to soak for 30 minutes if they are a bit firm or your blender has a hard time blending dates smooth. Once they are soft, blend the dates and water until super smooth.

Add all of the ingredients into the bowl with the oat flour and stir well until combined.
Scoop the mixture into the pan and spread it out with a spatula as evenly as possible. You can use lightly wet hands to smooth it down if necessary.

Bake at 325F for about 23-25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
I suggest freezing leftovers to preserve freshness.

Nb: I was confused when I bit into these as they were called granola bars but they don’t have the bite and they’re not dry like a granola bar. I like them! But if you’re unused to the texture that chia seeds give to an end product it will confuse you too! Chia gives this slice a kind of spongy texture. This is more like a seedy cranberry Chia energy bread slice….consider it renamed!

I like to keep this in the freezer for those times I need an energy hit.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/01/08/soft-chewy-sugar-free-baked-granola-bars/#ixzz3yl9K2iZc

Amaranth porridge

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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I’m quite new to cooking whole foods like ancient and gluten free grains  so a lot of the stuff I make is experimental.  Like the sultana cake which has 4 ingredients, is super yummy but doesn’t hold together.  I’ve made it 5 times now.  I’m not posting it till  its fabulous!

Today I made amaranth porridge.  On the likability scale I’d give it a 5.  I like it because its good for me but its not porridge in the sense of what I’m used to.  I’m used to the creamy goodness of oats and this is nothing like that.  Its more like quinoa..a little bubbly seed that has texture.  Like most of these ancient grains, dressing them up with flavours and textures is important.  However take a geez at its profile…high protein and low carb.  Bucket loads of nutrition!

But I’m on a mission at the moment…theres a pair of jeans draped over my mirror that I fitted a year ago and damn it – I WILL fit them again! 

Health benefits
One reason amaranth is emerging into the forefront among grains is because of its remarkable nutrition. It’s higher in minerals, such as calcium, iron, phosphorous, and carotenoids, than most vegetables. It has truly remarkable protein content: cup for cup, 28.1 grams of protein compared to the 26.3 grams in oats and 13.1 grams in rice.

Amaranth is a great source of lysine, an important amino acid with protein content comparable to that of milk, more easily digested; neither can be said of other grains. To support this positive aspect of amaranth, it also contains primary proteins called albumin and globulins, which, in comparison with the prolamins in wheat, are more soluble and digestible.

One cup of raw amaranth contains 15 milligrams of iron, while white rice contains only 1.5 milligrams. One cup of raw amaranth also contains 18 milligrams of fiber; in comparison, white rice contains 2.4 grams.

At 105% of the daily value per serving, the manganese in amaranth is off the charts, yet it contains fewer carbohydrates. Amaranth contains more than three times the amount of calcium and it’s also high in magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. Amaranth contains 6 to 10% oil, predominantly unsaturated, or around 77% unsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid, required for optimum nutrition. Not least in this list, amaranth is the only grain with documented vitamin C content.

Amaranth porridge

1/2 cup amaranth (rinsed)
1 cup water (add extra 1/2 cup if needed)
1 tsp cinnamon
Sweetener optional

Simmer until porridge thickens and threatens to stick to the bottom of the pot.

Serve with your choice of milk and chopped stonefruit and pineapple…or whatever fruit you like.

Stay tuned: Next time I’ll sprout the amaranth for 24 hours for better digestion.

   

Buckwheat oat pancakes (gluten, lactose and sugarfree – low fructose)

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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Mum and I are about to set out on a ROADTRIP!  Woohoo!!  So sustenance required!!

This recipe was one I made in home economics at primary school!  But I’ve subbed out the flour, milk and sugar to make it lactose, gluten and refined sugar free and low fructose!!  You could sub the butter out for any nut butter and replace the egg with a chia egg to bind.

Buckwheat produces a naturally drier pancake however the fats compensate for this.  Buckwheat is a fabulous gluten free flour – one of the most alkalizing and highly beneficial for bloodtype A’s (me), who thrive on an agrarian diet high in carbohydrates, low in fat.

Enjoy!

Recipe  (makes 7 good sized pancakes)

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup milk of your choice
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 tsp aluminium free baking powder
1/2 tsp himalayan salt
2 T grassfed butter
1 egg
2 -3 T brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
Coconut oil to cook

Blueberries:
3/4 cup blueberries
1 T brown rice syrup

Combine rolled oats and milk and let stand for 5 minutes.  Add flour, salt, egg and sugar and stir.  Add melted butter.  Sprinkle xanthan gum in top and stir in quickly without overstirring. Cook in coconut oil.  Serve loaded with the blueberries and more brown rice syrup.

Raw Sauerkraut

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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Today I’m making tangy, crunchy
Sauerkraut.  This delicious, cultured sidedish provides lots of gut-loving bacteria enabling good digestion.  If you love the crunch of raw veges but your gut struggles, fermented veges are the way to get all that nutrition and fibre into you!

Recipe credit Elaina Love – Pure Joy Academy

Yields 4 cups

1 head cabbage, red or green
1/2 – 1 tsp high mineral salt (hinalayan ir celtic)
1/2 cup lemon juice or 3/4 cup lime juice
4 T dried dill or 1/2 cup fresh dill chopped
2 T caraway seeds
4-8 cloves garlic crushed

1.  Slice the cabbage using the 1mm setting on mandolin or food processor or cut paper thin with a knife. 
2.  Mix all ingredients together and massage with hands.  Continue to work until liquid starts to release.
3.  You may need to rest so leave the cabbage for 1/2 an hour and  come back to it until when you press on the cabbage, the liquid rises to the top.
4.  Place in a jar and press down until the liquid rises above the cabbage.  The juice may sink back down.  This is ok.
5.  Place a lid or towel on jar and let set for 1-4 days at room temperature depending on desired sourness.
6.  Once sauerkraut is ready, store for up to 8 months in fridge.

Triple Citrus Dill Vinaigrette

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

 

Triple Citrus Dill Vinaigrette

Recipe credit to the Gerson Institute

Ingredients:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1 day-old baked potato
1/4 cup dill leaves
1/2 cup flax oil
Instructions: Put all ingredients in blender and puree. That’s it!
Store in a mason jar and enjoy on salad or cooked greens!

Yield: About 3 cups

Super green pie (with chickpea crust)

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

Thanks to Ma for the recipe for this superfood pie, and pics – love your work!

This is a nutritious and yum take on the traditional quiche – but all whole food, dairy, gluten and sugar free – and full of veggies, good protein from the chickpeas, fat from the eggs, carbs from the veggies and rice flour.  The crust on this pie is so versatile – you could vary the filling – make it your own!

Chickpea crust

1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas or one can well rinsed
quarter cup brown rice flour
2T tapioca flour
3/4 t baking powder
2T Olive oil
good pinch of salt

Whizz chickpeas then add rice flour, tapioca flour, baking power mix well then add salt and oil. Gently press into a lightly oiled baking dish. Cook on 160C for approx 8mins no longer than 10minutes (you just need the base to set in order to hold the filling if you over cook it, it will harden and then crack (filling leaks out!)

Filling
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
3 T olive oil
5 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
Good handful of spinach
1 courgette
1 carrot
handful of fresh herbs (eg parsley, coriander or basil)…or combination of these
salt and pepper
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
3 tomatoes or 1cup of cherry tomatoes

Whizz garlic and onion (or finely chop), add olive oil, saute.
Whizz eggs, milk, add finely grated courgette, carrot and herbs ( I blitz in thermomix). Mix in garlic and onion, spices and season with salt and pepper. Pour into crust, top with sliced tomatoes.
Cook 180 C for approximately 45 mins.

Enjoy with fresh salad and a selection of raw vege sticks with homemade hummus

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Raw Key Lime Pie

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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Raw Key Lime Pie
Crust:
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup almonds (soaked & dehydrated)
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup pitted dates
1 T coconut oil
pinch Himalayan salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1. Puree the shredded coconut until it becomes like flour.
2. Put in remainder of ingredients and puree until nuts are fine and crust binds together.
3. Shape into a 9″ torte pan

Filling:
2 cups young coconut meat (about 4 coconuts)
1/2 cup coconut palm nectar OR xylitol (or to taste)
1 cup coconut oil
1 green zucchini, chopped
the peel only from 1 more zucchini
Zest of 1 lime
2 T lime juice (approx 1 lime)
1. Blend coconut, sweetener and coconut oil together until smooth and creamy.
2. Remove 1/2 cup of the white coconut mixture. Add the zucchini, lime and lime zest, and blend again until smooth.
3. Reserve 1/8 cup of the green filling into the pie crust and let set for up to 1 hour in the refrigerator
4. Keep the white coconut mixture at room temperature, and after the green layer sets in the refrigerator, spread the white layer on top of the green layer.
5. Decorate with lime zest.
6. Refrigerate for 2 or more hours before serving.

Coconut vege filled wraps

Posted on by Kirsty Healey

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Coconut vege filled wraps

This wrap is made with raw vegan coconut wraps. They don’t go soft like the nori and aren’t quite as foldable. They have a slightly sweet taste and a nice bite to them.

Loaded with grated zucchini, onion, avocado, tahini and miso paste with spicy Byron Bay kimchi and olives…Yummo!