Lamb Sausage Rolls

Gluten Free Banana Bread

So I LOVE banana bread. At the same time, I am also super fussy when it comes to the flavour combination, texture, etc., and between Spawn and myself, we have several dietary requirements. (TL;DR: this banana bread recipe is gluten free, nut free, dairy free, contains no refined sugars and is bloody amazing!)

Anyway, I have been hunting (without success!) for a banana bread recipe FOREVER. Until now.
I am in a few facebook groups with this amazing goddess, Angie. She is like the dietary requirement queen. I bow down to her, in my head. Probably would bow down to her in person, if I ever saw her walking down the street, LOL.
She shared this recipe, and I tweaked it minutely, purely because her recipe contained white sugar *hiss* and that stuff is satanic when ingested by Spawn! I also made the second batch dairy free, by substituting the milk with coconut milk, so my friend's little girl could have some. Fairly certain I'm her favourite now! ;)

Soooo.... Without further adieu, I give you this glorious banana bread recipe! Even if you don't have a tonne of dietary requirements, you'll probably love this bread, and would never guess it contains nothing unhealthy!

INGREDIENTS:
3 overripe bananas, mashed
130g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn ground cinnamon
2/3 cup coconut sugar (or raw sugar if you don't have coconut - I hear they're similar!)
2 tbspn milk of choice (I have only used light and coconut milk, but am fairly certain any milk would work!)
1 1/2 cups GF self-raising flour (you could easily just use regular SR flour if you don't need it to be GF)

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees, then grease and line a loaf tin.
In a large bowl combine the mashed banana and butter, mix to combine, then add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and milk, and mix until well combined. Add the flour (I do it in two lots, as GF flour is awfully messy) and try not to over-mix.

Pour the mix, which should vaguely resemble pancake batter, into the loaf tin, then put into oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.

OMG, you smell so good!

Allow to cool slightly before placing on cooling rack to cool further, then slice and enjoy!
Apparently the bread lasts in an airtight container in the fridge for five days, but I haven't had a chance to test that out yet. :)


Enjoy!

- L. x

mmm, tasty. Want some? ;)

Holy God in Heaven. [Churro Popcorn]

Get in my mouth.

I did a thing. I was googling random snack ideas yesterday and ended up on the topic of popcorn. Spawn LOVES popcorn. I'd almost say his obsession is borderline unhealthy, but he's not quite that bad, and he does enjoy it straight out of the popcorn popper thing.
Maker.
Popcorn maker.

Wait, where was I?

Right, popcorn. School snacks.
Anyway, Americans are crazy and do the weirdest things to the simplest of foods. Some are too bizarre for my lowly Australian self to comprehend, whilst others leave me with an, 'OMIGODINEEDTHATINMYMOUTHBEFOREIDIE!' face. I love that face.

Who loves churros? Who loves popcorn? Who loves cinnamony goodness? Who loves the idea of combining this into one orgasmic snack?!
Thought so. Me too, my friend. Me too.

So here we go. Churro popcorn!
This will be a little more complex for us Aussies as opposed to the lucky Americans, as we have to make our own cinnamon chips. But it's okay; they keep for ages and you'll inevitably use them in everything anyway.
Muahahahaha.

Cinnamon Chips!
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbspn ground cinnamon
2 tbspn vegetable shortening (could possibly use copha; not sure??)
2 tbspn light corn syrup
1/4 tspn vanilla extract - optional

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 95c. Line baking trap with baking paper and spray liberally with oil.
In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients until they have come together and are crumbly.
Spread onto baking paper using a spatula, shaping into a rough rectangular shape, about 5 mm thick.
Put in oven for 35 minutes, or until it is bubbly. You do not want it to crisp in the oven, it will do so when it cools.
Allow to cool completely and then chop into small square chips.
Store in an airtight container.

Well, there's one part done. Now for the fun part! POPCORRRRN!

Churro Popcorn.
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup cinnamon chips, melted
2 tbspn caster sugar
2 tbspn sugar
1 tspn cinnamon

METHOD:
In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, sugar, and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, drizzle the melted cinnamon chips over the popcorn. Toss to coat and then immediately sprinkle sugar mixture over popcorn. Toss again to coat.
Allow the popcorn cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.

I got this recipe from here.
http://www.melissas-cuisine.com/2012/04/churro-popcorn.html?m=1

Enjoy, fellow crazies! I know I have.

- L. x

Wholemeal Banana Berry Muffins

As the school holidays come to an end, it's time to make snacks for Spawn's lunches! I'm not sure how these will go being frozen, but they're yummy enough that they should be okay either way!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup blueberry yoghurt
1/2 cup milk (or just use 1 3/4 cups blueberry yoghurt - I used what I have as this polar blast is intense and I'm NOT leaving the house lol)
1 cup mashed ripe banana  (2 approx)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup frozen blueberries

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees and put patty cases in muffin tin.
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, then make a well and add all other ingredients, except blueberries. Stir until combined, but do not overwork.
You can either gently fold through blueberries now, or place them on top once mix is in cases. I did half and half - I love the smushy berries on top!
Fill the cases 2/3, then put into preheated oven for 20 minutes. Makes between 12-18 muffins, depending on how generous you are.

If freezing, do not do so until they have cooled completely. Otherwise they may go soggy and bleh.

Enjoy!

- L. x

Lunchbox Inspiration.

Every day, Spawn takes lunches to school that not only meet our needs (no additives, refined sugar, minimal gluten) but also the schools needs (no eggs, fish, kiwi, nuts). Being a single mum, I cannot afford to buy expensive pre-packaged food that meets our requirements - and finding such items is almost impossible anyway - so I make it all myself. Don't get me wrong: sometimes Spawn's lunch consists of nothing more than a carrot, a couple of mushrooms, a piece of fruit, and rice crackers with vegemite.... But most days I'm able to pull some stuff out of the freezer and give him an awesome lunch! It all comes down to how great your time management skills are, and how organised you can be.

I bet you're wondering what, exactly, does Spawn eat every day??? I'm blessed with a child who loves to eat healthy and knows that "too much sugar makes me silly, mummy!" He loves raw vegetables, which makes my life easier, so I just prep a heap of stuff once a week and pack his lunchbox the night before with delicious, healthy, homemade goodies from the freezer (or fridge, depending).

I see so many mothers complaining about being time poor, but it's really not that difficult - I dedicate an hour or two most weekends to meal prep, and then spend five minutes (max) each night packing Spawn's lunch.

Personally, I believe it to be worth it. Not cheating and giving Spawn packaged stuff (or boring sandwiches) means he is happier, calmer and more satisfied, as he loves eating his delicious lunches! Given his behavioural issues, I'm all for anything that helps keep him from having a full-blown meltdown!

So here we go. Below are some yumbox examples, and I've mentioned the things I make myself: some of these recipes can be found on my blog. We also use a 'regular' lunchbox when I'm too lazy to do the dishes, and Spawn enjoys rummaging for the good stuff on those days. ;)

Peace out. 

- L. x

Grilled chicken, anti-LCM..

Chicken Sausage rolls, homemade tzatziki..

Pizza scrolls (gluten free), muesli bar..

Rice paper rolls, dried fruit muesli bar..

Chicken pasta, hummus, banana & fig cookie..

Chicken Parma Balls

I LOVE these! They're so simple and affordable, yet so yummy! This recipe was originally a "4 Ingredients" recipe, however I have tweaked it a little to suit our tastes.

INGREDIENTS:
500g chicken mince (or turkey!)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use GF crumbs)
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tbspn (approx) mixed herbs
salt & pepper, to taste
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pizza sauce 

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180° and line a tray with baking paper.
Combine the mince, breadcrumbs, spring onion, herbs, salt & pepper, and half the cheese in a bowl. Mix together using your hands, until well combined.
Put the sauce into a small bowl, and the remaining cheese into another bowl.
Roll the mixture into meatballs (I like them to be 'two-bite-size', but do them whatever size - you may need to adjust cooking time accordingly) then dip them into the sauce and place on tray, sauce side up. Repeat until mixture is all rolled, then put in oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, dip in sauce again, but this time dip in the cheese after dipping in the sauce. Bake for a further 5 minutes, or until cheese is golden, "having become one with the sensuously delicious balls"**.

I serve these with anything - salad, vegetables, you name it! They're also great in the kids lunchboxes the next day!

Enjoy!

- L. x

**This description is one the 4 Ingredients author used, but I had to "borrow" it! It's too good! ;)

Sausage Rolls

So, I'm not really a fan of sausage rolls... Something about the texture of sausage meat makes me ill.... It's so.....sausagey. Bleh!

Anyway, I experimented and tweaked recipes to my tastes, whilst still keeping Spawn happy (Spawn LOVES sausage rolls!). These are still a work in progress, but I have the 'meat' aspect perfected! Next stop, pastry. Gluten-free pastry can be a pain in the backside!!!

INGREDIENTS:
500g lean beef mince
300g lean chicken mince
2 eggs
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 cup breadcrumbs (I use GF, but regular would work the same)
1 tbspn mixed herbs
1/2 tspn ground nutmeg
Squirt BBQ sauce
Salt & pepper, to taste
3 sheets frozen puff pastry (or your own puff pastry, if you're better than I am - feel free to share your recipe!)
Sesame seeds, to garnish

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 200° and line two large trays with baking paper. 
Add all ingredients, minus 1 egg to a large bowl and mix well, using your hands to ensure the two meats are combined. 
Cut each sheet of pastry in half. Grab enough meat mix to cover approx. 1/3 of the pastry, and roll into a sausage before adjusting to fill the pastry from one end to the other. Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl and gently whisk, then spread a little on the other edge of the pastry, before rolling lengthways. Place sausage roll on tray with join facing down, and repeat until all are done. Brush the tops with egg and then sprinkle with sesame seeds (or cracked pepper) and then put in oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
If you plan on cutting the sausage rolls into snack-size, gently mark the tops of the sausage rolls with a knife, but do not cut through until they have cooked and cooled slightly, as this ensures they don't dry out.

Serve with sauce, or on their own.
Can be frozen in airtight container/bag for 6 weeks. 

- L. x

Blackberry & White Chocolate Muffins

So these are the result of inter-species breeding between a muffin and a friand. They're not quite as dense as a friand, but too dense to be a muffin. To summarise; they're awesome! :D

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups plain flour
2 tspn baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
125g white chocolate bits
1 cup buttermilk**
1 tspn vanilla extract
100g butter, melted
1 punnet blackberries

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180° and lightly grease a muffin pan.
Sift flour and baking powder into large bowl, then add sugar, choc bits, and stir until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and butter, then add to flour mixture and stir with a metal spoon until combined. (do NOT over-mix!) Then gently mix through blackberries.
Divide the mixture between 12 muffin holes, then using the back of the spoon, gently swirl the top of the muffins to smooth the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool slightly before removing. Best enjoyed warm, or within 24 hours. I made these yesterday and they're already getting a little dry. (Good enough for the 5 year old, though!)

**you can make your own kind of buttermilk by adding a little white vinegar to a cup of milk and letting it stand for 10 minutes.

Banana & Fig muffins

I made these this afternoon to use up some figs I randomly purchased. These muffins are actually pretty good! I shall tweak, because it's what I do (I'm gluten intolerant, so I always make recipes I like friendly for my tummy once I know they're good to start with!).
Anyway, here you go!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn salt
200g fresh figs, chopped into small pieces (approx)
1 1/2 cups banana, mashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 tspn vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

**You could also add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, however I omitted these due to school being nut-free.

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180°, and lightly grease muffin tray.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, then add in figs (and walnuts if using), tossing to coat the figs.
In another bowl, whisk the banana, brown sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla, then add to dry ingredients and fold until all combined.
Divide batter evenly amongst the twelve muffin spaces, then bake for 20-22 minutes, or until tops are golden and skewer comes out clean.
Cool on rack before storing. Can be frozen for up to four weeks.