Non-salty chocolate balls

1 cup almond meal
1 cup dates processed
1-2 Tb raw cacao
2 Tb coconut oil

Mix
Roll in coconut

Eat.

Hamming it up

So we found some free-range, nitrite-free ham for Christmas. It does contain rosemary, so it's very high in salycilates, but I decided that was a reasonable compromise to make. And in any event, since I'd already promised Boy he could try the candy cane he was given at school for Christmas, I figured it wouldn't make much difference.

So now we're inundated with leftover ham.

So far, we've had scrambled eggs and 'bacon', fried rice with ham, fritters with ham, rissoles with ham....

Trying to think of a few more ideas to fill the coming week with ham!

Chocolate ice cream

I finally got my hands on a copy of Fed Up and, browsing the back section, I found a recipe for dairy-free maple syrup ice cream, which seemed easy enough. So I borrowed a friend's ice cream maker. It was only when I'd already put in the rest of the ingredients that I realised that I didn't actually have any maple syrup. So I tried making vanilla instead. It was uber sweet and not particularly nice (well, the kids liked it). Anyway, then I thought - what about chocolate....?

So here's my recipe for dairy/gluten/soy-free chocolate ice cream

2 cups rice milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tb vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tb cacao

Chill and mix in ice cream maker.

Golden Syrup Biscuits - gluten and dairy free, failsafe

A fun, tasty alternative to gingerbread men

Cream:
125g nuttelex
90g (3/4c) brown sugar

Add 1 egg and beat well

Combine:
125g (3/4c) gluten free flour
185g (11/2c) self-raising flour
1 ts bicarb of soda

Fold together

Add 2Tb golden syrup and combine

sprinkle extra flour onto flat surface and knead till soft but not sticky. chill for 30 mins

Divide mixture into 2 ( you can wrap and freeze the second lot for later, or leave in fridge till you are ready to cut and cook the second lot)
Roll out into 4mm thickness and cut into shapes
Place on tray lined with baking paper and cook for 10-15 minutes at around 180 celsius

Gluten and dairy free Banana Cake

Melt together:
125g nuttelex
3/4c brown sugar
1ts vanilla

Mash 2 large bananas
Mix with:
1 egg
11/2c gluten-free self-raising flour
2Tb non-dairy/gluten milk (ie, rice milk)

Add liquid ingredients

Cook for ~30 minutes at 150 celsius

Failsafe, gluten and dairy free Pear Cake

Cut up 2 pears into slices. If they're quite firm, you might want to poach them slightly

Mix:
2c self-raising flour
1c sugar
2 eggs
125g melted butter/margarine/nuttelex
1c milk


Pour half of mix into tin, place pear slices on top, then add the rest of the mix
Cook at ~190-205 celsius for about 40 minutes


The original recipe, as invented by my mum, uses 2 apples, which are sliced and cooked with a little brown sugar. The recipe also includes spices and you can put sultanas in the middle with the apple.

Hitting your stride

I was that strange woman a Coles today taking a picture of her shopping trolley.


It takes a while, but it all becomes easy eventually.
Shopping - a cinch. You always buy the same things. I don't even do a list any more.

Pears
Bananas
Leek
Beans
Carrots
Cabbage
Spring onions
Potatoes
Frozen peas
Chicken breast
Rice milk (on special!)
Rice crackers
Chips

We already had enough gluten-free flour, bread mix and quinoa crumbs at home so none of those today, ditto for daddy's rice puff cereal. The chocolate was a special treat