Tag: quick

Zucchini Cheese – Dairy free, melty delicious cheese

I am a lover of all things cheese. Cheese is life. When cheese and life begin to clash, in my world, this is quite a problem. I am 99% dairy free, as my body does not love me eating dairy. The 1% allows for me to sometimes, eat cheese. I save my cheese eating for special occasions, like when we are at a function, event or family gathering and someone brings out the cheeseboard! I allow myself some cheese, and my body seems to be ok with this (and so i sternly tell it). But at home, when life calls for cheese, i am totally happy for this replacement.

Sincerely Yours,

A fellow Cheese Lover

Recipe Notes

coconut free

Use light olive oil instead

Vegan

Replace gelatine with an equal measure of agar-agar

Cheesy Flavour

I brought nutritional yeast to try in there because apparently it tastes cheesy, i’m more than happy to leave this out, it is not to my taste! So if you like nutritional yeast then some of that too.
Half a teaspoon onion and / or garlic powder can also make this next level, or sometimes I use garlic salt instead of regular. But i don’t always have these and it’s fine without. A pinch of smoked paprika can give a subtle smokey depth and a more yellowy colour. 

Gelatin

This ‘cheese’ is set with gelatin, make sure you choose a good quality, setting gelatin (I personally use Great Lakes Beef Gelatin) cheap supermarket gelatin can sometimes have a nasty flavour. I have tons of recipes on my blog that use good quality gelatin so you will have no trouble using it up! 

Storage

It stores in a sealed container in the fridge for about 5 days to a week. You can Freeze, but on defrosting it can be a little watery, so is best used for melting and adding to meals after that, rather than snacking. 

If you are after a delicious, cheesy dairy free meal, then my Mac and Cheese  is inspired by this recipe, I highly recommend you check it out! 

You could also use this cheese sauce recipe to make your cheese instead – (a few more ingredients but the flavour is next level!)  Use 2 Tablespoons gelatin to every 1.5 cups of cheese sauce. Heat the sauce, sprinkle the gelatin on and whisk through (or blitz in blender) until melted. Then set, as below in the recipe. 

Print Recipe

Dairy Free Zucchini Cheese

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Keyword: AIP, allergy friendly, dairy free, easy recipe, egg free, grain free, paleo, SCD

Ingredients

  • 1 generous cup peeled diced raw zuchinni 2 small – med sized ones
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil i use refined coconut oil here because i don’t want my ‘cheese’ to have lingering notes of coconut!*
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice this makes it quite lemony but i like it this way, you could reduce slightly
  • 2 tablespoons gelatine**
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Good shake of white pepper

Instructions

  • Steam the zucchini until tender (about 5 mins if its diced small) drain all water off, and keep in the hot pan.
  • Add the coconut oil to melt. Sprinkle the gelatine over the top and let it melt and dissolve in while stirring.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients.
  • blend up everything in your blender, food processor or stick blender. I have a taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
  • I set ours in a mini silicone loaf pan so it make about 2 mini blocks of ‘cheese’. But set in a lined container of choice, that your are happy to store and slice your ‘cheese’ from that shape.
  • Takes a couple hours to set in the fridge. Stores in there in a sealed container for about 5 days to a week.

Notes

*coconut free? – use light olive oil instead
**vegan? You can replace gelatine with an equal measure of agar-agar

Kayla

Real Food Jelly Lollies

Ingredients

Strawberry & lime

1 cup strawberries (frozen is fine)
1/4 cup water x2
1 T lime juice

1 T maple syrup (optional)

2 T gelatin*

Blueberry

1 cup blueberries (Frozen is fine)
1/4 cup water x2
1 T maple syrup (optional)
2 T gelatin*

Peaches

1 cup peaches (i used tinned – rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup water x2
1 T maple syrup (optional)
2 T gelatin*

*(you can use up to 4 T gelatin for a firmer jelly / lolly like consistency)

what to do

Put the fruit, one lot of 1/4 cup water and sweetener for your your chosen flavour in a small pot and heat through.

While its heating add the gelatin to the other 1/4 cup water and stir. It will expand and soak up the water. Add this to the hot pot and stir through until dissolved.

Remove from the heat and blend the mixture in a blender, or with a handheld blender.

Pour into moulds, or line a tray with cling wrap and pour into the tray to cut into shapes when its set.

Set in the freezer for 20 – 60 mins depending on the size, or overnight. This part is essential for making sure the jellies come cleanly out of the moulds, especially if its a fiddly mould – like a lego man! you can store them in the freezer and defrost over night in the fridge before needed, or store in the fridge for a couple of days.

They should be able to handle being at room temperature for a couple hours, but are nicest when cold.

Kayla

Choc Almond Cranberry Bliss Balls

Ingredients

1 c almonds
1 c dates
1/2 c dried cranberries
1 t vanilla extract
1 T coconut oil
1 T raw cacao or cocoa powder
1 c desiccated coconut

what to do

Put the almonds in the food processor and pulse until they are broken down. If you want almond chunks then leave them a bit chunky, if you want them all blended in then grind them to a powder. Add the rest of the ingredients and process on high until the dates are broken down and the mixture is clumping and sticky. Roll into balls and store in the fridge or freezer. I store them in the freezer and they get eaten straight from there.

Remember there is lots of dried fruit in these, even though they are wholefoods etc, they are still a ‘sometimes’ treat 🙂 they are especially good as an after dinner sweet or a high energy lunchbox treat.

Kayla

Homemade Coconut Yoghurt

This makes just under 1 litre of coconut yoghurt, You might need to make sure your coconut cream is chilled, so you can scoop just the cream from the can. We don’t have to worry about that in Stratford, we have solid coconut cream and coconut oil pretty much all year round!

Ingredients

3 tins ‘essentials’ brand coconut cream (from countdown) or any coconut cream that lists only one or two ingredients: coconut extract, water.

1L glass jar or container (washed well with very hot water)

2 teaspoons probiotic powder (from a capsule or from a powdered probiotic)

1 Tablespoon sweetener (I use maple syrup)

what to do

Scoop the cream from the coconut cream and put into a small saucepan. Heat gently just to remove all the lumps and make it all smooth.

Take off the heat, make sure its only just luke warm. pour it into your jar or container. Then add the sweetener and probiotic.

Put the lid on and shake it. Place the jar in the oven with the oven light on, for 12 hours or overnight, this keeps it at a nice steady temp that’s not too hot or cold. (Make sure you tell the other family members about this or you might get up in the morning to find your coconut yoghurt has spent a long lonely night alone, in a cold, dark oven, when a well meaning spouse turns the light off before bed!)

Take it out and put straight in the fridge, it is ready to eat in another 6 or so hours when its properly chilled. Enjoy!

If you don’t have an oven light that works well (it turns out i might be quite privileged to have one of these?) then a hot water cupboard or a yoghurt maker will also work. With the yoghurt maker you need to make sure the water isn’t too hot and might need to change it once, after 6 hours in the winter.

Kayla
Dairy free easter chocolate

Easy Dairy Free Easter Chocolate

Finally, an Easter chocolate i am happy to feed both my boys! No refined sugar, preservatives, soy lecithin, dairy or gluten.

You can also find my hot cross bun recipes – paleo / grain free here and all allergen free here. I also have a collection of allergy friendly easter treat recipes that you might like.

If you try these don’t forget to tag me on Facebook or Instagram

Dairy free easter chocolate
Print Recipe

Dairy Free Easter Chocolate

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Raw cacao butter or coconut oil
  • ¼ cup Raw cacao or dutch cocoa powder Cocoa powder will do, but it's not as nice
  • ⅛ cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice Honey for SCD compliant
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Melt the cacao butter over a low heat in a saucepan.
  • Add the cacao, sweetener and vanilla and whisk thoroughly to combine everything.
  • Pour into molds, ice cube tray, or a container lined with baking paper.
  • Set in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

If you are using coconut oil, you will need to keep these in, and eat them straight from the fridge or freezer. If you used cocoa butter then they are fine stored at room temp, but i do find they start to form a powdery coat on them after a few days, i guess maybe from the lack of sugar and preservatives. So i keep them in the fridge. I usually double this mix and it makes an impressively big jar of chocolates!

Kayla

Grain Free Banana Pancakes | 3 Ingredient

These grain free banana pancakes are so easy to make, and only have 3 ingredients. You can add more if you like, but they get by just fine with the 3! You can make them nut free, by replacing the peanut butter with a flour of your choice, or a Protien powder. Obviously the flour you use will depend on whether they remain grain free or not!

Nut free

Replace the nut butter with a flour of your choice:

Wheat flour, almond flour, spelt, gluten free flour, buckwheat, coconut flour, oat flour and tapioca would all work. Or use a protien powder of your choice (we use this one).

Nut Free and Grain Free

Use either coconut flour, almond meal or tapioca. Make sure you add the baking powder (or 1/3 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp vinegar if your store brought baking powder isn’t grain free) when you use these flours as it helps to add lift with the addition of the flours and keep the pancakes fluffy!

My kids love these grain free banana pancakes for afternoon tea, or a quick, easy breakfast. Sometimes I pour the mix into my muffin tray and bake them … I guess that would make them ‘Puffins’? ‘Mancakes’? ‘Muffcakes’? Haha – you decide, just know that whatever you call them, you need to be comfortable with the level of awkwardness that results if your child might name them to their neighbour, or the supermarket checkout operator … In any case if you’d like to bake them, pour into muffin tray and bake at 180℃ for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked in the centre. (They will puff right up in the middle, then ‘deflate’ when taken out of the oven).

Options:

So you can also add the following to the pancakes which would then not make them ‘3 ingredient pancakes’ but would still make them super quick, easy and versatile!

  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon protien powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (I highly recommend adding this, it helps to keep them light and fluffy)
  • A handful of frozen berries

I have been known to include ALL of the above at once!

You can also cook these in the waffle iron – they come out delish and are also great for lunchboxes!

If you make these don’t forget to let me know, leave a comment, and share them by tagging Chef Ashton on Facebook and Instagram.

Print Recipe

3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes

These Banana pancakes are so quick and easy to throw together. They are naturally gluten and dairy free, and there are several variations you can use to suit your preferances and dietary requirements.
Prep Time10 mins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, lunch, lunchbox, Snack
Cuisine: Gluten free, Grain free
Keyword: coconut free, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, nut free, pancakes, treats
Author: Kayla

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 banana
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut butter (or any nut butter)

Instructions

  • Either mash the banana and add the eggs and peanut butter, stir to combine or whizz the whole lot up in the blender, or with a handheld blender.
  • Fry with some coconut oil, or other neutral tasting oil, on low – med heat until bubbles begin to form and pop. Then flip and brown on the other side.
  • We enjoy these with coconut yoghurt and berries

Notes

To make these nut free replace the nut butter with a flour of your choice, wheat flour, buckwheat flour, gluten free flour, spelt flour and coconut flour would all work. You can also use a Protien powder of your choice instead of nut butter or flour as well. 
If you have some extra time, you can add 1 tsp baking powder to the mix, it helps them to rise and adds a bit of fluffiness. 
 
 

Kayla