You know when you have an idea for something in your head and you are completely convinced it could work and it will be delicious, and then you make it and it’s just a… mess? Yeah, that happened the first time I tried to make these. And I was going to give up and just make something from an actual recipe. Then, with help from Frase, I continued the experiment, added an extra egg, some buckwheat flour, left them in the waffle iron a little longer and voila -Gluten Free Coconut Waffles. They taste just as delicious in real life as they did in my head. crisp and golden, light and fluffy in the middle and lots of coconut flavour.
CAULIFLOWER SAUCE MACARONI AND CHEESE
This recipe marries two of the greatest things in the world. Both are cheese based (aren’t many great things?), both are comfort food, and both bring on fond memories for me. Cauliflower cheese was my absolute favourite thing as a kid. Well one of my favourite’s, a high school friend’s brother once had a whole head of cauliflower covered in cheese sauce and baked in the oven as a birthday cake so I would dare say it’s actually his favourite thing haha. As a teenager I was obsessed with macaroni and cheese, actually I still am, there may be no greater comfort food. But I can’t sit here and pretend that mac’n’cheese is particularly good for me – not that everything I eat has to be! However, that doesn’t mean I can’t try to make it a little more nutritious. And I think I have… even better, it’s just as comforting and delicious.
CAULIFLOWER RICE, ALMOND AND HERB SALAD
Cauliflower rice is such a great way to get an extra vegetable into your meal. It’s easy, has a lovely light texture and soaks up flavour. The flavours and textures of this salad are addictive: sweet, savoury, a little bit of heat, with chewy dried fruit, crunchy nuts and finished with fresh herbs. You can serve it warm in winter or cold at a summer barbecue.
PORRIDGE WITH GLAZED ORANGES AND PISTACHIOS
One of the best things about porridge is the endless variations it offers. It’s just a vehicle for flavour. And this one has some amazing flavours. The sticky and sweet oranges, crunchy pistachios and tart yoghurt make for a fantastic combination, all on a bed of warm creamy porridge.
CARAMELISED BANANA AND COCONUT PORRIDGE
Even though Melbourne is still giving us some gloriously sunny days, they are few and far between and the mornings have got chilly. Very chilly. And chilly mornings call for creamy porridge. I like sweetening my porridge with banana slices, they turn to more of a banana mash as you cook the porridge, and this spreads the flavour around. I love to add extra bits and pieces to spice it up. This one is mixed with coconut (and coconut milk if you like) and topped with golden caramelised banana and the crunch of granola/ toasted nuts and coconut. What could be better to warm you up?
PUMPKIN AND MANCHEGO LOAF
Yay for savoury pumpkin bread! As it’s a savoury recipe it has no added sugar, is full of added nutrients from the pumpkin and is delicious. There’s no butter in the recipe but a swipe of butter on warm pumpkin bread would be glorious. So would some avocado and radishes. The manchego cheese gives it a mild bite that is really lovely with the hint of cayenne. This is great for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
THAI CHICKEN BURGERS
Or should I say Thai Chicken Sandwiches?? Either way, these are ridiculous. They’re just so tasty, and so easy and so flavoursome. Juicy chicken, colourful flavoursome slaw, creamy mayonnaise/yoghurt and a crunchy roll, is there anything better? I once made these for some friends and made enough chicken and slaw to serve 8 but only had bread rolls for 4, this ended in one of my housemates going down to the supermarket after we had eaten and grabbing more rolls so we could have round two. Round two did not disappoint.
EASY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE
This is an easy and delicious recipe for a rich, bitter sweet chocolate brownie. It’s gluten free and lower in sugar than the typical brownie recipe. It’s also quick and easy to prepare and brilliant with a cup of tea. I’ve mixed coconut flour and almond meal in this recipe as I think they both add a delicious flavour and texture.
LEMON DELICIOUS PORRIDGE
It’s getting cold in Melbourne and the crisp mornings have me craving porridge, and I’m trying to mix up my combinations as much as possible. This is a dreamy dessert like porridge. It’s reminiscent of a lemon delicious pudding or a lemon tart with the combination of creamy vanilla scented oats, tart lemon curd (without cream or butter) and toasted almond crumb. But it makes a much more nutritious breakfast than either of those options, thanks to the oats and added nuts!
SPICY BBQ SAUCE
The sweet, tangy, smoky flavour of barbecue sauce is so addictive. This is my healthier version. It still contains sweetener, however I have used much less than in the usual recipes. The recipe also calls for passata instead of ketchup and a bit of an extra chilli kick because I love the stuff. This is a more of a ‘Kansas City style’ barbecue sauce, so it has a strong tomato base flavour, with a nice balance of sweet, vinegary and spicy notes to finish. The coconut sugar adds that molasses note even if you don’t use the molasses.