Recipe Recommendation: September

Oh dear! I’ve really let the blog go, haven’t i? The longer you leave it, the harder it is to get back into it. So much has been happening so i want to get on top of it so i can bring you all our news!

First up though, back into the recipe recommendations.

Looking back at this month it seemed that I hadn’t done much cooking or baking! However I think it’s just that I didn’t use many other people recipes, only mine!

Anyway i will leave you with some delicious pictures instead.

We went and stayed with my parents to celebrate Father’s Day and my birthday. For Father’s Day my Mum baked this DELICIOUS dairy-free Persian Love Cake. IT WAS SO GOOD. I had a dollop of coconut yoghurt on top of mine. So yum. I’m drooling thinking back on it.

 

And then for my birthday she made a dairy free Lemon Meringue Pie. Also delicious.

 

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Recipe Recommendation: August

Unfortunately i don’t have any recipes to recommend this month. Usually i have a pretty good reason why however the only thing i can think of is that i sliced my finger tip open and was out of action for a week or two in the kitchen (that’s actually a pretty good reason come to think of it). Never rush when you’re cutting up bread!

Anyway I’ll leave a picture for you of this great cake we made for Ethan’s 3rd birthday. He’s a mad Disney Cars fan and he was stoked with his birthday cake and two new cars.

Recipe Recommendation: July

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of July. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

Vegan Vanilla Cake

For our wedding anniversary we decided to have a picnic with the kids rather than go out for a fancy meal as i have to be super strict with no dairy and soy while breastfeeding Ava. Rather than a cake, i decided i wanted trifle so of course you cannot use the traditional jam roll that you buy from the supermarket if you cannot have dairy or soy! I made this cake for the trifle and while the recipe for the trifle as a whole needs tweaking, this cake was DELICIOUS!!! I even made it again as cupcakes and it turned out fantastically! Don’t mind my attempts at piping icing though 😉

Recipe Recommendation: June

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of June. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

All of our hens went into molt at the same time and stopped laying for over a month so we had no eggs for quite awhile. I wanted to still keep baking so researched different egg replacement methods. Obviously flax and chia are a popular alternative at the moment however i find that they yield quite a dense crumb, which is fine in heavier baked goods however i wanted light and fluffy, white flour blueberry muffins. Vinegar is in fact a substitute for eggs and this recipe is a testament to how well it works. Delicious! Kel preferred when i used a rye/barley mix instead of white flour (see below) however i prefer the white flour ones 😉

 

Recipe Recommendation: May

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of May. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

We’ve pretty much run out of beef in our deep freezer and the next steer isn’t due to be culled for at least two months. We’ve also been wanting to try and eat less meat and more plant based meals and with my need for no dairy, we’ve been experimenting a bit with vegan dishes. This one was EXCEPTIONAL. Oh it was so good. I’ve made it again since and it’s probably going to become a staple meal in our household.

Red Pepper Cheese Dip (Vegan)

I noticed that I’d been making a lot of sweet snacks and no savoury ones. I was really craving some cheese and crackers (which i cannot have) so i found this and thought i’d give it a go. It was great! We all enjoyed it and although i don’t have it pictured, the best veggie to dip in it was actually steamed broccoli! So delicious.

Recipe Recommendation: April

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of April. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

Pina Colada Water Kefir Ice Pops

I’ve been brewing Water Kefir lately (read this post here) and each brew increases your yield of Water Kefir grains so unless you want to brew enough Water Kefir to supply an army, you need ways of using up the excess grains that you’ve grown. Obviously you could just compost them however it seems such a waste. People have come up with many various ways to use up your Water Kefir grains, and i found this one that i was super keen to try because i LOVE Pina Coladas and i was wanting something healthy and refreshing in the warmer weather. Also Ethan is not a fan of the taste of Water Kefir however he really enjoys sharing one of these with me so it’s a great way to get some extra probiotics into him! Definitely recommend.

Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)

As surprising as this might be, i didn’t realise you could make white sauce, or Bechamel, dairy free. I thought it had to be butter and milk. It doesn’t. It has to be fat and liquid. Kel informed me afterwards that you can even make it from stock! Well. That opened up a whole new world for me! I’d been craving Aussie style Mac n Cheese (cooked pasta, white sauce and cheese on top, baked in the oven) and i found this recipe so thought i’d give it a whirl. It wasn’t until after that i realised that basically oil had been subbed for butter and non-dairy milk for dairy milk and i could have figured that out for myself (haha). If you’re like me though and you forget quantities and like to have someone else’s recipe to work with rather than just experimenting from scratch, this is a great recipe to start with when making a dairy free (or vegan) white sauce. Apart from the cheese on top, this was just as good as the dairy version and totally satisfied my craving!

Tahini Cardamom Cookies (Vegan & Gluten Free)

I finally found a cookie recipe that ticks all the boxes for Ethan’s “cup of tea and biscuit” time! These are easy, healthy, quick and delicious! Ethan loves to help me make them and because they are vegan (no raw eggs) i don’t mind at all that he loves to “taste” the batter constantly (and lick the bowl clean at the end). I’m not a huge biscuit person however even i enjoy a couple of these with a cuppa. Cannot recommend this recipe enough.

Slow-cooker Chicken Cacciatore

I forgot to take a photo of this dish – i remember it being a bit hectic when i was serving up so in all the rush i obviously didn’t stop to take a photo for the blog! I didn’t add the mushrooms because they make my father-in-law ill however it was still super tasty and warming.

Maple-Sweetened Banana Muffins

I can’t believe i don’t have a photo of these muffins because I’ve literally been baking a double batch every week for a month or so! These are obviously great considering i keep baking them. They are dairy free and super easy to make – Ethan often helps me make them. A great muffin for morning or afternoon tea.

Healthy Quiche Taco Boats

My brain must have been taking a holiday the past month considering i forgot to take a photo for the THIRD time of a recipe i made. These were delicious and a hit with the whole family.

Water Kefir

We’ve been interested in the idea of improving our gut health with either Water Kefir or Kombucha for awhile now so when a notice appeared on our local noticeboard from a neighbour with excess Water Kefir grains, we thought, why not?

Water Kefir grains from our neighbour

After searching up various methods for brewing the Water Kefir, I found this one, that after I’ve been using for awhile now, am super happy with.

I accidentally added double the amount of molasses for my first batch, hence why it’s so dark 😛 However since then i have added the correct amount and it looks and tastes much better!

Brewing a double batch of Water Kefir

Bottled with sugar added for the second ferment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does it taste like? It actually kind of tastes like beer! Surprisingly enjoyable. Kel has one each night with his dinner, just like you would a beer – except this one is much better for you. His digestive system seems to be going well so here’s hoping it’s doing lots of good and improving his immune system 🙂

 

Recipe Recommendation: March

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of March. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

No Food Processor Protein Balls

Awhile ago i bought a giant tub of vanilla flavoured pea protein powder however i much prefer the dairy-free Isagenix shakes so it’s just been sitting there unused. I found this recipe to start using it up! I’m not a huge fan of these protein balls as i find them too rich however Ethan can’t get enough of them (we’ve given him a limit of two per day) and Kel loves them too although they are quite calorie dense so he doesn’t have them that often.

How To Make The Perfect Custard

I had half a carton of Bonsoy that had been open for too long and i didn’t want to waste it. I had some fruitcake to eat and so i thought, why i don’t make custard? I know how to make custard however i wasn’t sure whether simply substituting the milk would work so i looked up a recipe to guide me. OHMYGOODNESS. This was actually the best custard EVER. You could hardly tell it was made off soy milk and it was SO delicious. Even Kel had a serve and loved it! I’d be interested to try the recipe with other milk substitutes. Highly recommend even for normal milk.

Recipe Recommendation: February

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of February. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

Paleo and Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Naturally Dyed Icing

Ethan loves having a cup of tea and a biscuit with his Pop and although Milk Arrowroot biscuits aren’t too bad, i was wanting him to have something a bit less processed. Although this recipe fit the bill and was super delicious, they were SO sweet (and we didn’t even add the icing!) and aren’t really an everyday biscuit so although i do recommend the recipe, only as a sometime treat! Ethan did have a lot of fun using the cookie cutters.

Italian Tomato and Spinach Risotto

This is the second time i have forgotten to take a photo of a recommended dish so you will just have to take my word for it! I’m loving The Healthy Mummy recipes at the moment because they are super easy, delicious and healthy! What more could you want? This was a great dish that tasted like a meatless version of bolognese with rice instead of spaghetti 😀

Recipe Recommendation: January

These are the recipes that I’ve tried from other bloggers/websites that I haven’t altered that we’ve really enjoyed for the month of January. It’s nice to recommend others plus it’s also encouraging to know the recipe didn’t just work for the person posting it but for others too (I’ve tried so many recipes that just simply haven’t worked).

75 Calorie Super Greens Energy Balls

Awhile ago Kel wanted to up the nutrition in his diet. Apart from the obvious of eating healthier foods for each meal and snack, he wanted to give a greens powder a go to give him an extra boost. After trying it with water, juice, even mixed into a smoothie, it was obvious that this was not going to be an enjoyable daily ritual but a necessary evil. He didn’t find the taste enjoyable and nor could he mask it. It soon fell by the wayside. A few weeks ago i was trying to come up with healthier snack alternatives for him that i could make when i received this recipe in an email from The Healthy Mummy. Above was my first attempt. Kel tried one and didn’t really like it. Oh well. It was worth a go. Anyway i get a text later on that day that he had eaten another one and he didn’t mind it so much, the taste was growing on him. Well he ate the rest of the batch and asked me to make another. And another. I think that it actually was a success then?! He’s said they aren’t the most enjoyable snack in the world however it’s the nicest way to ingest the greens powder and his body feels good eating them. I think that’s a win-win.

Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Bliss Balls

After the success with Kel’s snack, when i received another email from The Healthy Mummy with this recipe, i knew i had to try it! I LOVE cheesecake and being dairy free means cheesecake is a no-no. Although i found these super tasty, to me they were more like raspberry shortcake than raspberry cheesecake. There’s a lot of almond meal in them, which i think is why. I would definitely still recommend them though!