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Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses: Sweet Swap 2013

Posted by  | Categories: Baking, Desserts, Featured, Recipes, Vegetarian

I have a tendency to often bite off more than I can chew. This habit applies not only to my constant overeating but to many other aspects in my life. Working under pressure seems to bring out the best in me however this can sometimes lead to being in the position where there is so much to do that it’s almost overwhelming.  Being a persistent and determined person I always seem to get through it all, often with success which only serves to drive me to do it all again. Earlier this year the rambunctious Amanda from Chew Town told me all about her project of The Sweet Swap over an oversized second breakfast at Miss Kitty’s Saloon. It sounded like such a great idea to me. The best way to describe The Sweet Swap is it’s kind of like a food bloggers Kris Cringle but not at Christmas and the presents are all edible.

"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"

The basic idea is this: make three batches of some sort of sweet treat that could survive a journey through Australia Post. Send a batch to each of your three nominated bloggers. Wait for your anonymous parcel to arrive from a different blogger. All proceeds go towards The Child Fund charity.

"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes"  "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"

Now I’m not a fancy chef.  My recipes have never been the main focus of my blog but more an expression of my interest in food while to meet all my intolerance criteria without sacrificing flavour. So here’s my offering. You won’t be able to stop at just one: Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses.

"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap" "almond butter" "coconut oil" "organic"

"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"

Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 24
 
Ingredients
  • 460 g milk or dark chocolate chips
  • 2-3 teaspoon coconut oil
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon powdered/confectioner ‘s sugar
  • ¼ cup of raspberry jam
Instructions
  1. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, saucepan or microwave. Once it’s melted down, add coconut oil to thin out. Add more, if needed.
  3. Add about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate to the bottom of each paper cup. Tilt the liners so the chocolate evenly coats the bottom and slightly up the sides. Another option is to take a pastry brush or even a small knife to spread the chocolate.
  4. Place the cupcake tin in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to let set.
  5. Meanwhile, mix together almond butter and powdered sugar – this makes it less sticky and easier to handle. Place almond butter mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  6. Once both timers have gone off, roll [in your hands] about ½ teaspoon of the almond butter mixture and place in the centre of each chocolate cup. Place tin back in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
  7. Remove and add ¼ teaspoon of jam on top of the peanut butter.
  8. With the remaining chocolate, cover each cup until covered. Top with sea salt – optional.
  9. Place muffin tin back into the freezer, last time I promise, for about 20 minutes.
  10. These can be left out at room temperature or in the fridge.
"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"
 
"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"
  
"Gluten Free Raspberry and Almond Chocolate Kisses" "Raspberry Almond Chocolate" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "chocolate recipes" "baking recipes" "meatless monday" "vegetarian" "dessert recipes" "desserts" "chocolate" "almond chocolate" "raspberry chocolate" "chocolate truffles" "jam and almond chocolate cups" "Chocolate Almond and Raspberry" "sweet swap"
Adapted with thanks from With Style and Grace

Savoury Green Smoothie & Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Featured, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

A number of you dear readers who have been following my Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge have suggested to me that I make some raw food desserts.  I wanted a raw dessert to serve us for our Monday night dinner that could actually pass off as our main meal.  It needed to be nutritious, filling and not too sweet.  To complicate my requirements furthermore, it had to comply with my fructose malabsorption (FM) restrictions. Many raw food desserts contain dried fruit which are completely off the menu for a FM so I had to delve a bit deeper for something more interesting."Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

To kick start our day, I created a savoury green smoothie which is low in calories yet full of nutrients. Unlike last week’s smoothie, this one is light on the stomach and easier to drink. For dinner I have made use of some organic chia seeds I recently received from the generous guys at Cheap Superfoods. The chia seeds are raw and unprocessed meaning that all their antioxidant and essential fatty acid content remains undamaged. The berry cinnamon chia pudding is dairy free, gluten free, raw, fructose friendly AND it tastes AMAZING!

  "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

Savoury Green Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 medium cucumber, with skin, chopped
  • 1 lemon, peeled and seeded
  • 1 handful of parsley
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding
Author: 
Recipe type: Pudding
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
  • 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight in the refrigerator
  • 2 cups water, filtered
Pudding
  • 1¾ cups cashew cream
  • ½ cup chia seeds
  • ¼ to ½ cup maple syrup depending on desired sweetness
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
  1. Drain and rinse cashews.
  2. Combine with filtered water in the OmniBlend and blend until smooth.
  3. Mix together cashew cream, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside.
  4. Slice strawberries.
  5. When chia pudding has thickened up (about 5-10 minutes) stir in sliced strawberries and blueberries.
  6. When serving sprinkle some freshly grated nutmeg on top.

 

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" “vegan recipes” “raw dessert” “dairy free dessert recipe” “gluten free dessert recipe” “fructose malabsorption dessert recipe” “dairy free recipe” “cashew cream” “chia pudding” “black chia” “chia berry pudding” “chia dessert”

The Boy’s review of the Savoury Green Smoothie & Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding:

“When deciding to switch to a plant based diet I knew the one thing I would really miss would be Dairy and in particular cheeses and desserts.  While I am more than happy to eat more berries and other fresh fruits, I have a real weakness when it comes to Ice Cream and knew that this was the one thing that I would really miss.  When Chomp told me that she was making us a raw desert I must say I was highly sceptical but at the same time hopeful that she could come up with something that would be a reasonable substitute.
 
The delicious Fruit and Cinnamon Chia Pudding that she prepared was a pleasant surprise and made for both a great dessert alternative and a filling breakfast again the following morning.   A thoroughly enjoyable treat it is easy to see that this dish could be modified into many different alternatives simply by changing the fruits and level of sweetness. 
 
The Savoury Green Smoothie is a simple, basic smoothie that was easy to drink and tasted great.  Being so simple to make and nutritious this one has now been added to my morning breakfast routine and replaced the store bought smoothie I was previously having.”

 

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

 

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information. Super Foods provided the organic chia seeds free of charge for me to use in this recipe.  

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Pineapple Kale Smoothie & Creamy Garden Chowder

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Featured, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

They say it takes us on average around 21-28 days to form a habit.  The Boy and I are only entering into the beginning of Week Three of our Raw and Meatless Mondays and I am finding that our vegetarianism stretches to encompass most of the week. Last night we ordered some take out from our local Thai restaurant Little Ying and the Boy insisted that I only order vegetarian dishes.  He has embraced this new approach to eating with much more gusto than I anticipated. I ordered some Tom Yum Goong for us and I even saw him scoop out the prawns and plop them into my bowl.

With memories of Thailand still fresh in my mind I was inspired to create this highly addictive green smoothie for our Monday morning breakfast.

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Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie

 

Pineapple Kale Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Fresh Pineapple
  • 2-3 Frozen Ripe Bananas
  • 1 Cup LIght Coconut Milk (you may need a bit more if you want a thinner consistency)
  • 2 Tbsp Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Cup Kale
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.

 

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" "banana smoothie" "pineapple smoothie" "coconut smoothie” “soup” “raw soup” “vegetable soup” “vegetable chowder” “vegan recipes”

Greenie goodness

Our soup for this evening requires a little extra time in the blender in order to slightly warm it before serving.  You can only do this with the more durable makes of blender so check beforehand so you don’t burn your machine out. The OmniBlend is designed to be able to heat soups without damaging the motor. I used my meat thermometer to heat it to about 50 degrees.

Creamy Garden Chowder
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 1 stalk of celery (include the leaves)
  • 1 cup of carrots
  • 1 small zucchini, chopped
  • ½ red capsicum, chopped
  • 5 cups water
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in blender until warm.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped red bell peppers.

This recipe is adapted from www.rawfoodrecipes.com

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" "banana smoothie" "pineapple smoothie" "coconut smoothie” “soup” “raw soup” “vegetable soup” “vegetable chowder” “vegan recipes”

Creamy Garden Chowder

The Boy’s review of the Pineapple Kale Smoothie & Creamy Garden Chowder:

“Three weeks into this diet experiment and it is rapidly becoming second nature with all my routine meals now replaced by healthy vegetarian alternatives.  The health benefits have already started to show as I have lost a few kilograms of weight and my energy levels are continuing to increase.
 
This week’s smoothie was a rich blend of Banana, Pineapple and Kale blended with Coconut and it was difficult to tell that it wasn’t a standard dairy based smoothie.  The Banana and Coconut are an excellent combination and made for a very delicious drink. While very refreshing it was quite heavy and I was left wondering how many calories it contained.
 
The Creamy Garden Chowder was a nice enjoyable dish with a slightly unusual taste which grew on me as I ate it.  While satisfying it was not overly filling and makes a good dish for a day when you don’t want a big meal.  If you struggle eating cold soups perhaps this style of warmed soup offers a potential alternative to the standard cooked and very hot traditional soup.”

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information.

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Pineapple Beet Smoothie & Thai Style Raw Noodles

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

I admit sometimes I completely underestimate my dear husband.  I thought that after the first week of our Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge his enthusiasm levels would start to wane.  This is a man who used to eat a whole roast chicken in one sitting. I’m not saying that I don’t have faith in him changing his eating habits, but I didn’t think it would happen easily.

The following Monday arrived and to my astonishment he bounced out of bed all excited and ready for his next smoothie to try. He is not a morning person and seeing him with this much energy first thing in the morning was a little out of the ordinary. Knowing how much he loves his pink drinks it was logical that this would be the colour of his next smoothie to taste test.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" "raw noodles" "zucchini noodles" "strawberry smoothie" "beet smoothie" "thai noodles"

Pineapple beet smoothie

Pineapple Beet Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • ½ pineapple
  • ½ medium beet
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • cup of cooled green tea
  • water, as needed
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.
"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free recipes" "paleo recipes" "baking recipes" "raw food" "raw recipes" "meatless monday" "Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge" "vegetarian" "raw food recipes" "blender recipes" "omniblend recipes" "healthy recipes" "gluten free raw recipes" "green smoothies" "green smoothie recipes" "raw noodles" "zucchini noodles" "strawberry smoothie" "beet smoothie" "thai noodles"

Raw Thai Style Zucchini Noodles

Thai Style Raw Noodles
Author: 
Recipe type: Pasta
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Paleo, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
Sauce:
  • ½ cup young coconut meat
  • 2 tbsp raw coconut butter
  • 1 red chilli
  • 2 tbsp raw peanut or almond butter
  • Coconut water as needed
  • ½ small ½ inch piece of ginger
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Juice of 1 lime with ½ of zest
Pasta:
  • 4 small zucchini cut julienne or spiralised
  • 1 bell pepper, cut julienne
  • 1 medium carrot, cut julienne
  • ¼ cup finely shredded dried coconut plus more for garnishing
Instructions
  1. In a blender combine the sauce ingredients and process until smooth.
  2. In a large bowl combine the sauce with the zucchini and bell pepper and carrot and ¼ cup of coconut and toss to coat.
  3. Place on plates and sprinkle with additional coconut.
 
The Boy’s review of the Pineapple Beet smoothie and Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles: 
 
“After a week of eating a nearly 100% vegan diet I must say I am feeling more energetic and refreshed as each day passes… who would have thought that a diet of meat and dairy would actually wear you down and make you feel worse!  I have decided to throw myself into this experiment and have been excluding meat and dairy from my diet except when it would be rude to refuse a meal someone else has already prepared. 
 
Looking forward to my smoothie this morning I was pleased to find a delicious “pink drink” of beetroot and pineapple as having grown up eating beetroot it is one of my favourite root vegetables.    Apparently beetroot is full of nitrates which have been shown to boost performance in endurance sports such as running and cycling and reduce blood pressure.   This along with its strong rich flavours certainly made it a winner for me. 
 
It was followed that night by a beautiful raw noodle dish that had me licking the bowl… it easily beat our first experience with the raw spaghetti dish at the Raw Kitchen in Fremantle and I can highly recommend this dish to everyone.  The mix of flavours from the coconut, garlic and almond made this dish simply amazing and I will now be expecting chomp to be making it regularly from now on!”

 

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information.

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Tropical Green Smoothie & Raw Curried Pumpkin Soup

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Perth, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

Over the past few years, the Boy and I have made a natural progression to eating a more vegetarian based diet. Whilst not completely giving up eating meat all together, our intake has been dramatically reduced such that our initial goal of a Meatless Monday has now extended into several days a week.

Our reasons for vegetarianism are twofold.

Our first reason comes back to being compassionate human beings.  Can we truly justify the way we farm production animals? Housed in completely unnatural environments with cramped stocking densities and fed highly processed foods such as pellets and other animal proteins? Worst still, how can we know that every animal that is slaughtered for our consumption didn’t suffer in the process? Many of you may have seen Animals Australia’s shocking footage of our live export cattle in Indonesia abattoirs last year. We were all left outraged and distraught at the horrific treatment of these innocent beasts. But these events are by no means isolated and happen all around the world every day. While I understand that sometimes brutal death is a part of life in the natural world, I am certain a lion hunting a gazelle in Africa doesn’t stop to consider her prey’s welfare before she kills it. But unlike these majestic big cats, we humans choose to slaughter animals to eat on a much larger scale than is necessary for our own survival.

Our second reason for changing our diet is purely selfish. It is a well-known fact that the more vegetables you include in your diet the healthier you will be. Eating a predominantly vegetarian diet has been proven to help prevent cancer, diabetes and heart disease, lower blood pressure and slow the aging process. In fact a study on a group of 70,000 participants recently published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine showed that vegetarians even live longer.  And who doesn’t want to live a long and healthy life? These are all wins in my humble opinion.

A logical progression from vegetarianism has been to consider taking it one step further and going raw.  Back in late 2011 the Boy and I shared a very enjoyable lunch at The Raw Kitchen in Fremantle. This was my first experience with raw food and I was fascinated to learn that you can make dairy-free cheese, cream and even cheese cake made purely from nuts.

Back in the week before our wedding I received a blender from OmniBlend to review and I thought this was a perfectly timed gift for me to start trying out some raw recipes. The Boy proposed that I try and create some more manly raw dishes for him so he could switch our regular Meatless Monday into a Raw Food Meatless Monday instead! We called it the Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge!

So here it is….Week One of the Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge!

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Tropical Green Smoothie

Tropical Green Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of water
  • ½ banana (frozen or fresh)
  • ¼ cup pineapple pieces
  • ¼ cup kale, chopped or minced
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high for one minute or until smooth. Drink immediately.
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Curried Butternut Pumpkin Soup

Raw Curried Pumpkin Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • ½ butternut pumpkin chopped into small cubes
  • ½ to 1 tbsp curry powder (to you preference)
  • ½ tsp real cinnamon
  • ⅓ tsp pink Himalayan salt
  • One young coconut (for both the water and the meat)
  • Black pepper, parsley, shredded dried coconut to garnish
Instructions
  1. Gradually add pumpkin and coconut water into the blender on low speed until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and then blend on medium to high until a smooth consistency. Season with cracked black pepper and parsley and/or some grated dried coconut

The Boy’s review of the Tropical Green Smoothie and Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup:

“While I have struggled with the idea of giving up meat I have come to realise over the last few years the catastrophic damage that the meat industry has had on the environment.  Added to that is the fact I can no longer justify to myself the suffering of another animal purely for my selfish enjoyment of the taste of their flesh.  
 
Therefore over the last year in what has at times been a difficult process we have gradually removed animal flesh from our diet. 
 
With this in mind I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the OmniBlend Whole Food Blender review that Chomp had been asked to do and get her to make some Raw Vegan dishes for us to try.  The first of what will be five weeks of what will be known as Raw Food Meatless Monday was a dish of raw Curried Butternut Pumpkin Soup along with a Tropical Green Smoothie. 
 
Now I must say the idea of cold pumpkin soup doesn’t sound entirely appealing however the dish turned out to be a very satisfying meal with the coconut nicely accenting the pumpkin and curry flavours.  The fact it was cold wasn’t even noticed as the meal was quickly devoured… this soup would make a great meal on a hot summer’s day. 
 
The Tropical Green Smoothie was very refreshing and is definitely best served fresh and cold.  A very filling drink that could easily be a meal on it’s own… I wonder what it would be like with a little vodka and crushed ice on a hot day?”

 

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

● Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

● Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

 Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

● Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

● Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

● Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

 Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

● Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

● Raw Red Capsicum Soup recipe (Week Five)

● Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

● Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

● Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

Omniblend Australia provided me with an free Omniblend V machine to use to develop these recipes. Read my review for more information.

 

 Omniblend Advert 480x480

OmniBlend V blender review

Posted by  | Categories: Blender Recipes, Paleo, Raw Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

The Boy and I initially got into juicing back in late 2011 as a result of watching Joe Cross’s documentary Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. This period marked the beginning of a long overdue quest for finding better health by dramatically increasing our vegetable and fruit intake. We have slowly gravitated away from eating meat as the predominant ingredient in our meals to it being a small component if at all. The Boy bought us the latest whizz-bang juicer and was so enthusiastic with his juicing that he managed to burn the first one out in just a week. He stuck to his guns however and returned to the shops to get a replacement juicer. Over the following nine months he lost over 20 kg in body weight. He was well on his way to become a picture of health and this was all just in time for our wedding.

With every batch of green smoothies we made, we would end up with massive amounts of fibrous pulp left over. A juicer only extracts juice and discards the pulp from the fruit and veggies into its waste jug. In the early days, I determinedly saved the pulp and would make it into a variety of different vegetable soups that looked more like swamp water than food. Some even tasted good. After a while I tired of this messy business and tossed the pulp onto the garden for compost instead. What a waste. I hate throwing food away!

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Not all smoothies are green! Pineapple Beet smoothie

Soon I realised that there is a much better way to make smoothies without having to eat swamp slime soup; with a blender not a juicer. Blending means you are eating the whole food, not just the juice and the fibre content is retained. Furthermore, high-powered blenders break down all the cell walls of the fruits and vegetables releasing all the phytonutrients locked inside the pulp, skin and seeds. This makes it easier to digest and allows the nutrients to absorb much more efficiently. After having this epiphany we discussed about getting a blender to replace our relatively new and fancy juicer. But talking was as far as we got because come mid-2012 we found ourselves knee deep in wedding planning and before we knew it time had flown away from us and we completely forgot about it.

So you can imagine my gratitude when earlier this year two weeks before our big day I received an email from the marketing director from a company called OmniBlend Australia who are manufacturers of heavy duty commercial blenders. He was keen to send me their popular blender; the OmniBlend V to review on the blog. In return for my review, the machine would be mine for keeps. No more pulp and swamp soup….woot!

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OmniBlend blender

The OmniBlend V Low Down:

● Price:

$280-390 AUD. Excellent value for money compared to similar machines on the market such as the Vitamix.

● Motor:

A powerful 3HP motor which can deliver a blade speed of 38,000 rpm. It is very energy efficient at only 950W (not bad considering it produces 3HP!). I am told that this blender is sturdy enough to withstand heavy duty commercial use in restaurants and juice bars.

● Blades:

The 6-blade cutting assembly is made from highest quality, Japanese precision stainless steel. Replacement blades are available for purchase. The blades and jug are designed for both wet and dry ingredients and can make a hot soup in minutes heating with just friction. I gave this method a try for some of my soup recipes for the Raw Meatless Monday Man Challenge, more on this in the weeks to come.

● Blending:

Without much effort or preparation this blender made light work of blending my soups and smoothies into creamy, smooth consistencies. It even coped with me churning harder raw vegetables into it like pumpkin. Because the Omniblend is a more heavy-duty machine, it has enough oomph to do more than just make smoothies. It can puree, mix, chop, grind and whip all sorts of foods including mill grains into flour, grind coffee, puree baby food, churn ice cream, make nut butters and nut milks, knead bread dough and it can even crush ice.

● Cleaning :

The OmniBlend is really easy to clean which is a big win in my books. One thing that used to annoy me about juicing (in addition to the pulp waste of course) was that every time I made a smoothie I would be left with a hundred and one parts to clean. If the Boy that made himself juice it was even worse. There would be bits of pulp everywhere.

With this blender there is only a lid and a jug to wash and because there is no pulp, the jug rinses clean in minutes.

I did notice that the black rubber feet on the body of the unit left little marks on my white laminate bench top but they wiped off easily with a damp cloth.

● Noise:

It has very quiet operation when compared to many of its competitors (e.g. Vitamix).

Noise level = 83.8 dB

● Programs:

It has timed, cycled and repeatable blending programs.

● The Jug: 

The 2 litre jug is made of unbreakable food-grade polycarbonate jug and is heat resistant to over 120 degrees Celsius which means you can blend hot soups straight off the stove top. It is suitable for both wet and dry ingredients unlike some blenders like the Vitamix that need separate wet and dry jugs/blade. The jug has quite a wide base compared to other blenders I have used in the past. This ensures that food particles don’t seem to get stuck under the blades when in use. They also offer a BPA-free 1.5 litre jug.

● Intelligent Overload Protection:

A built in sensor automatically turns off the motor when it detects excess usage. This prolongs the motors operating life and pre-empts breakdowns.

● Recipes: 

OmniBlend are happy to send their customers a bunch of free recipes or better still stay tuned on the blog over the next six weeks for my Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge!

● Warranty:

The OmniBlend comes with a standard 5 year warranty on the motor and 3 years on parts, or alternatively you can pay extra for a 7 Year extended warranty on the full machine. They offer free shipping anywhere in Australia.

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How does the OmniBlend size up to its competitors?

Froothie Optimum 9200:

Price: $430-500
● 3 HP motor delivering a blade speed of 44,000 rpm
● 6 stainless steel Japanese made blades
● Low noise level at around 80 dB
● High, Med, Low and Pulse functions
● Comes with a 2 L unbreakable polycarbonate wet/dry jug
● Intelligent overload protection
● 5 year warranty or optional 10 year warranty
Verdict: Very similar to OmniBlend in its specs yet it costs $120-150 more

Vitamix:

Price: $700-1300 depending on model and options.
● 2-3 HP motor depending on model
● 4 stainless steel blades
● Noisy at around 110 dB (Vitamix 5200)
● Variable speed functions
● Separate wet and dry blades/jugs. Comes with 2L unbreakable jugs
● Thermal protection to prevent overload and burnout
● 7 year warranty or optional 10 year warranty
Verdict: Very expensive by comparison to OmniBlend, it’s only a smidge more powerful but twice the price!

Amazon: Vitamix 5200s, Vitamix Professional Series 300 and Vitamix Professional Series 750

Breville BJB840 Juice & Blend

Price: $350-499
● Dual purpose machine with a juicer & a blender, 1000W motor on the juicer and a 1200W motor on the blender, not very energy efficient
● Surgical grade stainless steel blades
● Variable speed functions
● 1.5 L jug
● 5 year warranty on motor/2 year repair warranty
Verdict: Couldn’t find many online reviews for this one but I don’t believe this is a high powered, durable machine. I don’t really see the point in a dual use machine either.

Amazon: Breville BJB840XL Dual-Purpose Juice and Blend

Thermomix TM 31

Price: $1800
● 500W motor which revs its two blades at speeds of 10,200 rpm
Verdict: This kitchen dream machine does much more than a blender; it can also do chopping, beating, mixing, emulsifying, milling, kneading, cooking, stirring, steaming, weighing and melting. Although at nearly 10 times the price of the OmniBlend so it bloody well should!

Over the next coming weeks I will be publishing some blender recipes that I have created with my OmniBlend. The concept is for each Monday to not only stick with Meatless Monday and eat only vegetarian but to take it to the next level and make it a Raw Food Meatless Monday. For the whole day we will only eat raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and fructose friendly.

Tropical Green Smoothie (Week One)

Curried Raw Butternut Pumpkin Soup (Week One)

Pineapple Beet Smoothie (Week Two)

Thai Chilli Coconut Zucchini Noodles (Week Two)

Pineapple Kale Coconut Smoothie (Week Three)

Creamy Garden Chowder (Week Three)

Savoury Green Smoothie (Week Four)

Fruit & Cinnamon Chia Pudding (Week Four)

Raw Red Capsicum soup recipe (Week Five)

Cucumber & Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Almond Sauce (Week Five)

Sweet Treat Smoothie (Week Six)

Holiday Medley and Sweet Potato Mash (Week Six)

 

Chompchomp received an Omniblend V blender complimentary in return for writing this review. For more information head to www.omniblendaustralia.com.au.  
 
Six months after the publishing of this review Omniblend Australia contacted me with an offer to provide my readers with a discount when purchasing their new Omniblend blender.  Using the coupon code below you can buy the Omniblend at a discounted price.
 Omniblend Advert 480x480

Coconut flour Paleo Anzac Biscuits (gluten free)

Posted by  | Categories: Baking, Featured, Paleo, Recipes

Anzac Day is the national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand where we cast our hearts and minds to those who have fought for our country at war. The day is a national public holiday and across the country there are numerous dawn services that are held attracting both the young and old in the wee hours of the morning. Anzac Day wouldn’t be complete without Anzac biscuits which history claims they were apparently made by soldier’s wives to send to them abroad. After spending the last three months with my days off being filled with wedding planning, it is such a treat to have these days returned to me to indulge in whatever activities I please. It has been a while since I have made any effort in the kitchen so with both the fur children supervising from their cat scratch post I scanned my pantry for some inspiration. With Anzac Day approaching us this week, I have attempted to adapt the classic Anzac biscuit recipe to create Coconut flour Paleo Anzac Biscuits that are dairy free, gluten free and fructose friendly yet still remain delicious!! Is it possible?

Coconut flour Paleo Anzac Biscuits (gluten free)
Author: 
Recipe type: Biscuits
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 biscuits
 
Ingredients
  • 1 & ¾ cup almond meal
  • 1 cup flaked almonds
  • 1 cup dessicated coconut
  • ⅓ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup coconut oil, softened
  • ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
  • 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 130 degrees C.
  2. Combine the almond meal, flaked almonds, coconut and coconut flour in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Combine maple syrup and coconut oil in a small saucepan and heat very gently.
  4. Mix the bicarb and water together then add to the maple syrup mix, stir until mixed.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until combined. Add a small amount of water to help mixture stick together.
  6. Squeeze firmly into small balls to stick mixture together then flatten slightly and place on a baking try lined with baking paper.
  7. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden.
  8. Allow to cool on a rack before serving.

 Adapted from the website The Healthy Chef by Theresa Cutter the author of The 80/20 Diet and 101 ways to lose weight.

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(photos updated April 2014)

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(photos updated April 2014)

Coconut Flour Banana Bread (gluten free)

Posted by  | Categories: Desserts, Featured, Recipes

I have been eyeing off the bananas in our fruit bowl that have been slowing ripening over the week from a lovely golden-yellow into a patchy dark black. As no one seems to be tucking into them any time soon I figured the logical thing to do was to bake myself some banana bread.  I had a bag of organic coconut flour that had been sitting in my pantry for quite some time as I had been waiting for the inspiration to start experimenting with it. Well here it was, I was inspired.  Coconut flour is an interesting flour to work with, it is very high in fibre so you don’t need to use as much as you would with conventional flours. The high fibre content makes this banana bread very filling which was ideal for my bridal diet as I couldn't binge out on it like I normally would!

Coconut Flour Banana Bread (gluten free)
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1½ cup very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
  • 4 free range eggs
  • 60 grams melted butter or 75 grams coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons of raw honey or vanilla honey (if preferred, note honey is not suitable for fructose malabsorbers)
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon gluten free baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 145 C
  2. Oil or butter a loaf pan and line with baking paper.
  3. Mash bananas and mix in butter, vanilla essence, eggs +/- honey if desired.
  4. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking powder, sea salt and ground cinnamon.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine.
  6. Spoon into your lined loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 mins or until golden brown. Allow to cool in pan for 15 mins.
  7. Serve with butter or even a dollop of jam!
  8. Enjoy!!

Adapted from Gutsy‘s recipe.

July 2014 Addendum: It’s over a year since I posted this recipe and thought I might share with you some adaptations I have made . I reduce the amount of coconut flour by half and add 1/4 of a cup of chia seed. I’ve beefed it up and use 6 eggs and a good 400 grams of bananas. The rest of the ingredients stay pretty much the same. I found the addition of chia seed improved the texture without compromising on taste. For the full recipe head over to my post.

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Couldn’t wait for it to cool! Ooops!

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Low sugar, low carb and pseudo healthy!

Gluten free potato cake with smoked salmon

Posted by  | Categories: Modern Australian, Recipes, Seafood

These  gluten free potato cakes with smoked salmon make the perfect alternative to the traditional blinis. They take only minutes to prepare yet still taste fabulous.

Gluten free potato cake with smoked salmon
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 3 Yukon gold potatoes (about 450 grams), peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for garnish
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg white
  • 120 grams smoked salmon
  • ¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • Olive-oil, cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Combine potatoes, chopped dill, salt, pepper, and egg white in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.
  2. Coat two baking sheets with olive-oil cooking spray. Form pancakes by dropping about 1 tablespoon mixture on tray for each and flattening into disks. Bake until golden brown on bottom, about 10 minutes, rotating trays once during cooking. Remove from oven, and turn pancakes over. Return to oven, and bake until brown on both sides, about 7 minutes more.
  3. Serve pancakes topped with salmon and a dab of reduced-fat sour cream. Garnish with dill sprigs.

Recipe adapted from www.marthastewart.com/food

Prosciutto Wrapped Beef Fillet with Pesto

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Recipes, Steakhouse

Have you ever cooked a whole beef eye fillet? If you have you will understand what little effort it takes to produce a sumptuous meal. For those who haven’t this prosciutto wrapped beef fillet with pesto will convert you. Just make sure you buy ethically sourced meat!

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It was hard not to eat some of this before wrapping the fillet!

Prosciutto Wrapped Beef Fillet with Pesto
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 14 slices of prosciutto (about 120 gm)
  • 1 jar of pesto (I used a complementary jar of Roza’s Dairy Free Pesto)
  • ½ cup raw cashews, chopped finely
  • 1.5 kg piece of beef eye fillet
  • Fresh basil to serve
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place 7 prosciutto slices in a row, side-by-side and slightly overlapping, to create a rectangle. Repeat with the remaining prosciutto slices, slightly overlapping, at the long side of the first rectangle.
  2. Mix the cashews and pesto together in a small bowl. Spread the pesto mix over the beef. Place the beef, dip-side down, on the prosciutto. Roll up to enclose the beef. Place the beef, seam-side down, in a roasting pan. Roast for 45 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Top with basil.

Note: the original recipe can be found on www.taste.com.au and used Wattle Valley Baby Spinach with Cashew and Parmesan Chunky Dip

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Prosciutto wrapped pesto beef fillet (in my rush to serve I forgot the basil garnish!)

The Pesto used in this recipe was given free of charge by Roza’s Gourmet Sauces.

 

Roza’s Dairy Free Pesto)

Wasabi Devilled Eggs

Posted by  | Categories: Breakfast/Brunch, Recipes
Wasabi Devilled Eggs
Author: 
Recipe type: Finger Food
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 8 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • 1½ teaspoons gluten free wasabi paste
  • 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice-wine vinegar
  • 2 large scallions (3 tablespoons), minced (I OMITTED THIS INGREDIENT TO MAKE IT FRUCTOSE FRIENDLY)
  • Coarse salt
  • Pea shoots or sprouts, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Place eggs in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover eggs by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 13 minutes.
  2. Drain, and transfer eggs to ice-water bath until cold. Peel eggs, and halve lengthwise.
  3. Transfer yolks to a medium bowl, and mash with a fork until smooth. Stir in mayonnaise, wasabi, vinegar, and scallions. Season with salt. Pipe or spoon filling into whites.
  4. Garnish with pea shoots or sprouts.

Recipe with much thanks from www.marthastewart.com/food

 

 

Some Snippets from my Gluten Free Christmas Indulgences!

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Desserts, Featured, Melbourne, Recipes

Christmas is the time of year when the distance that separates me from my family feels the longest. December is our busiest month at work so I can only return back home for the silly season once every few years. This year I had booked our flights well in advance to avoid the last-minute price blow outs; flights across the continent triple in price around this time of year as people arrange to visit their family and friends.

Because we would not be in Perth to join the Boy’s family for Christmas Day, we agreed to celebrate our family lunch the weekend before our departure in a casual pool party affair at our house. However, in the lead up to flying out my work pressures were at boiling point so in order to avoid having a mental breakdown I opted for simple fresh dishes that were bound to please the Boy’s very hungry family!

"Prawns" "Kailis Bros Fish Market" "shrimp" "Leederville" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Fresh North-west Prawns from Kailis Bros Fish Market, Leederville

"Wasabi devilled eggs" "appetisers" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Wasabi devilled eggs

These wasabi devilled eggs were so quick to prepare and were snuffled up in minutes. Even by those who don’t really like wasabi!

"Christmas crackers" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

There was no room on the table for Christmas crackers!

"Smoked salmon" "potato blinis" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Smoked salmon on potato “blinis”

To replace the classic blinis that smoked salmon is traditionally served on, I baked these little potato “blinis”. They turned out a bit more like a rosti but still managed to complement the flavour of the fish without overpowering it. Being baked and not fried they were light and not oily at all.

"Mixed tomato salad" "basil" "balsamic vinagrette" "vegetarian" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Mixed tomato salad with fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette

"Roasted beetroot" "roast pumpkin salad" "rocket" "hazelnuts" "feta" "vegetarian" "salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Roasted beetroot and pumpkin salad with hazelnuts and feta

"beef eye fillet" "pesto" "Rosas gourmet sauces" "proscuitto""Proscuitto wrapped pesto beef fillet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Prosciutto wrapped pesto beef fillet

For mains I cooked a prosciutto wrapped beef eye fillet using some of my Dairy Free Pesto Sauce sent to me complementary to try by Roza’s Gourmet Sauces.  The original recipe used a Wattle Valley Chunky dip so I adapted and added chopped cashews. I was secretly hoping that after all our starters the Boy and I would end up with a fridge full of left overs but everything obviously tasted too good because alas there was slim pickings in the fridge the next day.

"Christmas tree" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Nothing beats a real live Christmas tree. The wonderful smell filled the loft apartment.

"Christmas Day" "fruit mince pies" "Pannetone" "cherries" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

The essential Christmas Day nibbles: succulent cherries, fruit mince pies, pannetone

"American Cocker Spaniel" "dog photos" "cute dog" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

The adorable Lily. She has stolen my father’s heart…he is besotted with her.

The following weekend we jetsetted over to Melbourne where we were to celebrate with my family. My Mum had also flown in from Adelaide so we could all be together. The schedule was a busy one: wedding dress fitting on day one, followed by some last-minute Christmas shopping, an indulgent night out on Christmas Eve at Rockpool with my Mum and then a day of festivities with eleven people and seven dogs at my Dad and step mum’s house on Christmas Day.  Here are some more snap shots of our memorable day!

"Flowers" "table setting" "christmas decorations" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

The most exquisite fresh flower Christmas table setting

"Ropiteau" "Nuits Sainte george" "Bordeaux wine" "red wine" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Cracking out the favourites for family!

"Beetroot marinated salmon gravlax" "seafood" "gravlax" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Puts my salmon to shame! Beetroot marinated salmon gravlax.

"Christmas Nativity" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Christmas Nativity

I apologise for the lack of photos of our mains; but for those interested we feasted on honey roasted ham, cranberry and macadamia stuffed turkey and roast pork with crackling. In my eagerness to get stuck in and eat I totally forgot to take photos! The best I can offer you is a shot of the duck fat potatoes.

"Duck fat potatoes" "vegetarian" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Duck fat potatoes…oh yeah!

"Christmas pudding" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Christmas pudding goodness. Just not for me. Not to worry! I have my own!

My Step mum’s sister owns a cake shop and so it was logical that she was delegated to make the Christmas pudding for everyone. I have grown accustomed to missing out on this fabulous end to a traditional Christmas feast but this year I was so lucky  as the lovely folks from Just In Time Gourmet had kindly delivered to my front door a sample of Newcastle’s Pudding Lady gluten free pudding for me to taste test.

"gluten free Christmas pudding" "Newcastle's Pudding lady" "just in time gourmet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

My gluten free Christmas pudding

"gluten free Christmas pudding" "Newcastle's Pudding lady" "just in time gourmet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

No crumbling or stodginess. A gluten free success.

Moist, rich and overtly fruity I accepted that while a fructose overdose was inevitable (and tolerable) I was to relish in the knowledge that no serious gluten aftermath would follow. With freshly made brandy cream drizzled on top this was a delightfully decadent way to end a feast. For those gluten intolerants out there…grab one while you still have the chance or risk having to wait another whole year!

"gluten free Christmas pudding" "Newcastle's Pudding lady" "just in time gourmet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Topped with home made brandy cream. In heaven.

"Chocolate nut Christmas tree" "chocolate" "nuts" "dessert" "sweets" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "recipe blog" "gluten free recipe" "Christmas gluten free" "Christmas" "lunch" "seafood" "entertaining"

Chocolate nut Christmas tree

Hoping all my lovely readers had a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a fabulous New Year!