My mum is an expert baker. She was a home economics teacher in New Zealand for years and has always been in charge of the dessert section of any family occasion or dinner party. And she does the. best. meringues. ever. No argument. She often makes the good old original kind, this amazing chewy coconut flavour and many others. Mum’s meringues are light and airy with a crispy outer layer and chewy centre. Just how I like them.
RAW LIME CHEESECAKE
These raw ‘cheesecakes’ are so easy to make and as you store them in the freezer it means you can always have something on hand when those sugar cravings set in. But something a lot lower in sugar than your typical cheesecake or frozen treat! This one is fresh and bright and makes the most of the abundance of citrus that’s around at the moment. The lime and coconut is a classic combination for a reason – it tastes fantastic. Zesty, creamy cheesecake top layer on a base of chewy coconut and almond, so simple, so good.
GLUTEN FREE COCONUT WAFFLES
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.
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!
BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH STRAWBERRIES AND MINT
I’ve been experimenting a lot with buckwheat lately. It’s a flavoursome grain alternative (as it’s actually a seed) and I love it in all it’s forms, puffed in muesli, raw in porridge or flour in baking and… crepes! After making the stackable american style pancakes and crepes with buckwheat I’ve decided that the crepes are superior by far, thus this is the recipe I’ll share. My quinoa pancakes are still my go to for a healthier fluffy pancake!
SALTED CARAMEL AND PEANUT BUTTER RAW CHEESECAKE SLICE
Even though I’m not dairy free or vegan these babies are! My aim wasn’t to make them that, but to make a slice that contained loads of nutrients and good fats to balance the unrefined sweeteners it contains and that would therefore satisfy that never satisfied sweet tooth of mine. Loaded with tahini, oats, almonds, cashews, cacao, and dates (only one date per serve) it ticks those boxes. After a little bit of trial and error (and complete rejection of an earlier effort by my boyfriend, he actually took one bite and was just like ‘nope’) I have these on my hands and I don’t wanna share them! Haha. Four layers of sweet, nutty, caramel and chocolate goodness.
MAPLE AND CHILLI ROASTED NUTS
This recipe combines three ingredients that I find very addictive. And adds a bit of salt to them, so you know all self control is out the window. Maple. Chilli. Roasted Nuts. They are sweet, spicy, salty and ridiculous. My boyfriend has also humbly pointed out that he made a chilli and honey peanut version of these a while back so I am stealing his ideas. My dad all makes maple glazed pecans all the time so I guess I amalgamated both their recipes and made it mine, mine, mine. Haha happy holidays and all that stuff – get roasting!
‘ICE CREAM’ SANDWICHES
I am sitting on my bed with the sun streaming through the window eating ‘off cuts’ of these while I write this. Well if I’m being honest I actually finished eating while I waited for my computer to start up….
OVERNIGHT SPELT WAFFLES
This probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has just read the above title. But it is always best to be upfront about these things. Here it goes: you need to start this recipe a day ahead. Maybe a few hours would be fine… but I haven’t tried that! It is so worth it though. The flavour develops so much more and makes for delicious, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside waffles. What could be better?
YOGHURT AND BERRY BUNDT CAKE
This cake tastes as delicious as it looks. it’s not overly sweet and the berries on top of the cake go a little bit jam like and tacky. You don’t have to bake it in a bundt tin (see note at bottom) I just like that this tin gives you more crunchy cake crumb around each piece.