Monday 22 August 2016

Onion Bhajis GF

Onion Bhajis

When I first ate onion bhajis, I was genuinely surprised by how delicious they were. I'm not overly fond of spicy food but once I'd tasted these mildly spiced, golden bites of joy, they swiftly became a huge favourite. I posted an onion bhaji recipe a few years ago but I now tend to make this version since we always have ginger and coriander in the fridge. However, since both recipes have their merits, I've decided to post this recipe in addition to my original one rather than updating the original post.

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Tropic Skincare Review

Tropic Skincare Products including  the Hand Therapy Cream, Eye Refresh Cooling Gel and the Travel Essentials Bag

As you know, I don't usually review non-food items but I'm truly in love with these wonderful products from Tropic Skincare. I've only been using them a couple of weeks yet my skin is definitely beginning to feel so much softer and far more nourished and hydrated.

Monday 1 August 2016

Strawberries and Cream with Toasted Macadamia Nuts - Suma Bloggers Network GF SCD

Strawberries and Cream

Strawberries and Cream is such a simple Summer dessert yet it's the most perfect, in my opinion. But when you're following a dairy free diet what's the best alternative to cream? Vanilla cashew cream ticks all the boxes and it's quick and easy to make so long as you have a blender. Since we're still in the midst of strawberry season, I decided this recipe would be ideal for my contribution to the Suma Blogger Network this month.

Wednesday 22 June 2016

Some Really Lovely Olives - A Quick Review


I used to be extremely envious of people enthusiastically digging into a plate of olives with their little wooden cocktail sticks because I vehemently hated them, both the texture and the taste, and I really couldn't see what all the fuss was about. However, moving forward a few decades, I've forced myself to eat them and now, I can quite happily state I adore olives.

Monday 20 June 2016

Vegetarian SCD Food

Butternut Squash Burgers  mushroom and butternut squash discs, courgette slices, spring onions, tomato passata and diced garlic

If you're a vegan or vegetarian the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) may seem quite daunting but with a bit of creativity and support from those around you, it's not as difficult as you may think. To give you further encouragement, I thought you might like to take a glimpse of some of the amazing food my son and his girlfriend have recently prepared for themselves

Thursday 9 June 2016

Homemade Spice Mixes GF SCD


If you're wondering how to make your own spice blends to avoid all the nasty fillers and preservatives often included in prepared spice mixes, it's a very simple process and once prepared they can be kept for up to 3 months in a dark place. If we're cooking for the SCD we always make our own, just to be on the safe side, even if the ingredients on the jars and packets don't state any additives.

Friday 27 May 2016

SCD Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt SCD

Did you know that you can create soft, velvety, easy to scoop SCD ice cream from SCD Yogurt Cream? By adding natural fruits and nuts to flavour the yogurt cream, along with a little honey, it's possible to recreate all your favourite flavours. Now it's getting warmer in the UK, I've been reminded of the ice cream recipes I created a few years ago so I've gathered them together in one post so you can find them more easily.

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Hasselback Courgettes or Zucchini with Basil Oil GF SCD

Hasselback Courgettes or Zucchini with Basil Oil

These tasty baked hasselback courgettes (zucchini) make the perfect vegetable side dish especially if you're cutting back on carbs or following the SCD. I tried to get hold of some round courgettes but unfortunately I couldn't find any which is a shame because I think these would make the perfect replacement for hasselback potatoes.

Wednesday 11 May 2016

Saturday 7 May 2016

How to Replace Ingredients and Adapt Recipes For Grain Free Diets and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet GF SCD

Grain Free Vegetable Pot Pie

When embarking on a grain free diet, don't throw away your recipe books because it really is quite simple (with a little trial and error) to convert your favourite recipes and make many of them suitable for a grain free diet. When I first started cooking for the SCD, I was quite overwhelmed by it all but it didn't take me long to learn the "rules" and I've listed a few ways that we have converted our favourite recipes below.

Monday 25 April 2016

A Few Things I Like - 3

Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Hand & Nail Balm

It's been a while since I posted and I'm looking forward to sharing some new recipes with you soon but today, I thought I'd share with you some more of my favourite things.

Thursday 11 February 2016

My Recent Likes and Dislikes

A basket of cabbages

I just thought I'd write a quick post about some of the things that have been making me happy lately and some of the things that have made me cross. I'm on the way to recovery now but I'm still on my crutches and it's been a very frustrating 6 months. I'd never have imagined that a simple task of bringing in some washing from the garden would result in several months of chaos. I'm so grateful for all the support from friends and family and I'm now exercising to make my leg strong so I can learn to walk (and cook) again. I'm even looking forward to doing the laundry, would you believe it! So here goes...

Monday 8 February 2016

蛋 饺 - Egg Dumplings for Chinese New Year's Eve GF SCD

A plate of Chinese Egg Dumplings
Chinese Dumplings

Happy Chinese New Year! Did you know that this year is the Year of the Monkey? The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve-year cycle and each year in that cycle is related to one of the following animal signs : the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Sunday 7 February 2016

Pear and Ginger Pudding GF SCD

A bowl of grain free pear and ginger pudding with cashew cream

A few years ago I shared this recipe as part of the Seasonal Real Food Blog Series on Recipes to Nourish.  At the time I made this grain free dessert with pears but the combination of apples and pears together works beautifully and if you pop in some berries, the nutritional value of the pudding increases in leaps and bounds. Ginger has exceptional healing properties and is also well known for its powers in aiding recovery from colds and flu making it an ideal choice as a spice in cooking at this time of year. Plus, it's so warming and comforting.

Thursday 28 January 2016

My Favourite Superfoods - Cauliflower

Cauliflowers

What makes the simple cauliflower a superfood? Do you even like it or are you getting a little tired of seeing it popping up everywhere? Lucky for me, I've always adored the taste and texture of cauliflower, it was even considered to be a treat. But when I was growing up it was only ever cooked in season and not every day of the year. These days, the reliable Autumn cauliflower seems to be taking on much more of a starring role in the kitchen from making minor appearances in breadsticks and cakes to completely pushing the mighty old spud off stage.

Wednesday 6 January 2016

Happy New Year 2016

 View from Toronto Central Island and the CN Tower

Do you make New Year's resolutions? I don't see the point in them any more and why make resolutions to begin on the 1st of a new year. Why not today or tomorrow? In the past when I've made New Year's resolutions, I've never managed to stick to them for long and I've realised that, to some extent, they can actually cause some stress and anxiety and that's no way to start the New Year! However, I do try to set some goals but I don't set firm rules since I know they won't always work out.