Sunday, December 30, 2012

Roasted Delicata Squash seeds...

Just to say.... it works with these too!
See my post on these Roasted Butternut Squash Seeds

I have also tried this with "Potimarron" seeds (have just googled this and it is apparently known as "Red Kuri" squash) but they were a bit flat and chewy compared to Butternut and Delicata.

Mix them up with dired fruits (Rains, gojis, blueberries, mulberries, cut up apricots and figs...the combinations are endless!) I should say at this point that this batch has got oil, salt, cinnamon, vanilla powder AND a squirt of honey on!! OK, it starts out simple... then greediness gets the better of me and I... elaborate! ;D

Anyway, delicious!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Breeeeeaaaad! (well, near as dammit!) Focaccia actually!


God bless people who share online!
I am a regular follower of Micki Rose's Truly Gluten Free (TGF) blog - recently, she pointed me in the direction of some recipes she shared when she had a guest spot on Foods Matter. I had mentioned wanting to use linseed (flax seed) flour and as I have been tentatively experimenting with eating egg, I thought I'd give it a whirl! Here's a link to the recipe... my modifications are below...

http://www.freefromrecipesmatter.com/recipes/guests/articles/micki-rose-11-12.html

I did less mixture so adjusted ratios accordingly. I also had no baking powder, so used bicarbonate instead, adding a dash of vinegar to the mixture to activate it. It worked a treat - light and fluffy bread and no taste of vinegar! I sprinkled chopped rosemary and sea salt on mine.
I also made less mixture so couldn't do it in a tray - I made little buns instead!
This is the first time I have eaten anything ressembling bread in over 18 months!! WOOOHOOOOO! Thank you to Micki - and to 'Chrissie' who apparently originally shared the recipe on Micki's blog!
I have eaten mine with oven cooked veggies and with tapenade so far! Y.U.M!
Enjoy!!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Roasted Butternut seeds!

Something I CAN eat, woo!
mmm... crunchy nutty sweet yum

I am not managing to post often - partly lack of time - partly don't know where to start as my diet keeps getting more and more restrictive! This blog will have to serve as occasional inspiration for vegetable combos!!
Anyway, today I was roasting some butternut squash slices - and decided to keep the seeds and roast them at the same time -WOW! Why have I never done this before?! 

lightly seasoned

Scoop out butternut innards, if comes away easily from flesh, just give them a rinse then spread out onto kitchen roll... any stringy bits of flesh will stay behind on the tissue when you transfer them onto another piece of kitchen roll. If they are more sticky and gloopy, put in a bowl of water and swish about/ rub with fingers to work flesh loose then drain and do as above to get off last bits and dry.

Then, I believe you can just roast them dry - but keep a close eye on them as they scorch easily.
I coated mine very lightly in olive oil. Half of them I sprinkled cinnamon onto. The other half, I seasoned very slightly in sea salt and pepper....

 The reults are delicious! Roasted them for about 12 mins, maybe 15... tossed them halfway through.
For some reason, the lightly seasoned ones taste of popcorn! And the cinnamon ones don't really taste of cinnamon but it gives them a sweet side that makes them taste nuttier - and seeing as I no longer eat nuts, this now tastes positively tropical to me lol!! ;D (My nearly two year old loves them too btw - RESULT!)
Enjoy!!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Link to Ghislaine Lanctot's Book "Medical Mafia"

This is a link to a copy of Ghislaine Lanctot's book The Medical Mafia ('How to get out of it alive and take back our health and wealth')
It looks to be a good read... it has been re-published in 2002. This poor lady has been made to pay just for relaying information to the masses!

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/archivos_pdf/medical_mafia.pdf

Buckwheat Flapjacks

160g Buckwheat flakes (rolled)
80g raisins
As much dried fruit as you like (I use a palmful of goji berries, sultanas, 2 or 3 apricots, maybe a couple of prunes, you could use mulberries, cranberries...etc)
Fresh berries if you have any (a few strawberries)
2 tspns sweetner (sweet freeedom or agave syrop)
A big lug of apple juice (use less if you use fresh fruit)
A palmful of pumkin seeds
Chia seeds
Lin (flax) seeds
(Any other seeds or nuts according to your tastes/ allergies!)
Olive oil (about a quarter cup)
pinch of salt

Mix it all together! I don't mix this one, so you may want to pre-chop the fruit!

Spread onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray and cook on a low heat for about 10 mins or so (preheat the oven for a few mins) then turn over by putting another sheet of greaseproof paper over the top and flipping it. Then peel off the original paper from the top side and cook in th eoven again for 3 or 4 minutes for a nice even colour and texture. Voila!

This recipe is not recommended as totally TGF Barrier Plan safe - as buckwheat is almost always cross-contaminated apparently (most 'gluten free' companies still process foods containing rice, oats, millet and corn - and are therefore NOT GLUTEN FREE!)

Monday, September 24, 2012

Curried buckwheat burgers

These also contain lectins (the red lentils so are not suitable for the Barrier Diet- for those of you trying to heal from leaky gut). You can do this with only buckwheat and maybe bind with egg if you can eat it or soaked chia seed gloop.

1 cup (dry) coral lentils (red lentils)
1 cup (150g) Buckwheat flakes (or oats if you eat them)
Palmful chia seeds, optional (any seeds!)
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely or crushed
1 inch fresh ginger
courgette/ carrot, grated, optional
An onion or large shallot, chopped very finely
lots of mint (fresh or dry)

Curry spices*
Olive oil / grapeseed oil
sea salt and pepper


*check there are no additives like dextrose (usually corn derived and therefore containing gluten)

Cook the lentils and drain well. Add buckwheat flakes when they have cooled a bit. These should soak up any water in the lentils and all bind together well. Add spices, s+p and mint etc and mix well by hand.
I pre-cook (fry to colour) the onions and grated veg, quickly, in olive oil, adding the garlic and ginger 30 seconds before you finish frying. Add these into the above mixture.
Bring it all together with your hands and form 'burgers', not too big so they cook nicely and have a nice crsipy outside to squidgy inside ratio going on, if you know what I mean!
I then coat them with flour - I use chick pea or buckwheat flour.
Enjoy!

Good with salad - good with anything, depends what you can eat!  Bon appetit :)

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Balsamic Beetroot Side

This is one of those recipe suggestions that looks insanely easy and totally unremarkable... but I'm telling you, it's Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious! What can I say? A lucky combo that created itself through things that needed to be eaten in my fridge! I ate this with Baked courgette - also very very simple but flavour-tastic!  :)

Ingredients:

Diced beetroot
Chickpeas
Sliced radish

Vinaigrette:

Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar * and red wine vinegar, half of each
Dijon mustard and grainy mustard
Garlic, chopped
Fresh mint, chopped

Mix together chopped veg, chick peas and vinaigrette. Let it stand for a while for the flavours to mix and develop.
Delicious as a salad but could also be a perfect relish (chop ingredents finer) for tortillas, burgers, fish or whatever you fancy! I imagine it would be delicious with cucumber too...Mmmmmm.

* watch out for ingredients! Often contains colouring (caramel) or flavouring... it need only contain wine vinegar and grape must.