Onion Bhajis GF

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.

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

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.

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.

Hasselback Courgettes or Zucchini with Basil Oil GF SCD

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.

Cashew and Sunflower Bites - Suma Bloggers Network GF SCD

These spicy, grain free, gluten free, paleo and vegan cashew and sunflower bites have been on my to do list ever since I enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Kupfert and Kim in Toronto a year ago.

A Few Things I Like - 3

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.

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

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.

My Favourite Superfoods - Cauliflower

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.

Vegan Tuck Box

Have you ever tried snack boxes? They're becoming incredibly popular and they're so much fun, you never know what you're going to get inside! It's a little bit like buying your own surprise birthday or Christmas present. But one of the downsides of these schemes is you usually have to take out a subscription so it was great to discover that you can buy a single gluten free (or regular) vegan snack box from Vegan Tuck Box without subscribing, whenever you want one! And you really don't have to be vegan to treat yourself to one of these! 

Eating Gluten Free and Vegan in Toronto

This post follows on from my first post this year about Toronto - IMO the most amazing city for finding gorgeous gluten free and vegan cafés and restaurants. Eating out is easy, there is so much choice. We only actually travelled into the city twice on our three week holiday and on the second occasion there were two places I just had to visit - the new Bunner's bakery shop in the Kensington Market area and Fresh (for chips!).

Suma Blogger's Network - Chocolate Coated Almond Flapjacks GF

I haven't been able to discover why the British call oat bars "flapjacks". All I know is that these sweet and utterly moreish bars made with oats, golden syrup, sugar and butter become incredibly popular in the 1920s following the long period of rationing during the First World War. It is believed that they became known as "Flapjacks" in the 1930's sometime but in the US, the word "flapjack" refers to a pancake and these are nothing like a pancake!

Gluten Free & Vegan in Toronto - Kupfert & Kim

We've just returned from a fantastic holiday in Canada, visiting family and enjoying the incredible Summery Weather (compared to the UK). I thought I would share with you some of the places where we ate when we visited Toronto. I've already written about a couple of them before but we revisited them this time and the food was still awesome! The lunch we ate on our first visit to Toronto was so delicious I couldn't wait to tell you about it so I've written a short post about the place today and I'll be writing another post about the food we ate on our second visit to Toronto soon.

Rucola Cream Soup - Guest Post from Jona of Oh Wholly Vegan

One of the most gratifying outcomes from writing a blog is friendship! I've been fortunate to meet many, many amazing and talented people from all over the world and I'm excited to introduce you to one of these awesome and inspiring people, Jona Friedri of Oh Wholly Vegan. Jona is currently living in Prague and set up her blog in January of this year to share her delicious vegan recipes, many of which are gluten free. Pictured below are just a few of her creations, the brussels sprouts recipe is one of my favourites!

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Black Garlic, Chilli & Rosemary GF

Have you ever cooked with Black Garlic? I  tried this black garlic from Sainsbury's but I had to do some on-line research first to find out what it was and what best to use it in. Initially I used it in some hummus - big mistake!  It tasted awful! So, intrigued to find vegetables that would compliment the strong bitter-sweet flavour, I reckoned that sweet potatoes or butternut squash might be a good bet!

Salted Roasted Almonds GF SCD

This is one of my favourite snacks and it's the simplest of recipes. I LOVE almonds and they're so good for you - good for your immune system, good for your bones, good for your brain, good for your skin and good for your heart!

Grain Free Lemon Birthday Cake GF SCD

We enjoyed having visitors to stay this weekend and we celebrated my son's birthday with a simple to make birthday cake. Simple because I didn't really want to spend all my time in the kitchen given the limited amount of time we would have together. That said, as you probably know if you're on the SCD, a considerable amount of time is always spent cooking!

Stove Top Vegetable French Cassoulet - Suma Bloggers Network GF SCD

I was going to bring you a slow cooked Vegetable French Cassoulet this week for my second contribution to The Suma Blogger's Network but when I reached into the cupboard and brought out my casserole dish I noticed it was cracked so I decided to prepare it on the stove top instead. All is not lost though since one legend of this historical French dish states that it was originally cooked in a cauldron on top of an open fire so perhaps this stove top version has turned out to be authentic after all.

Savvy Spreads and Coconut Chocolate Cream Biscuits GF

Award Winning company Savvy Spreads recently contacted me to ask if I would like to taste test their range of 100% natural ingredients spreads. Based on traditional Mediterranean preserve recipes and made with only the finest pure, natural ingredients (and organic where possible), I was happy and curious to try them out. Curious because I wondered just how these sweet spreads would taste like when one of the main ingredients is tahini!

Roasted Cauliflower with Paprika and Oregano GF SCD

I made roasted cauliflower for the family recently and it was so delicious. Cauliflower is trending. Apparently, in 2015, it will become the new kale and deservedly so, I think! For the past few years I have seen cauliflower made into pizza crusts, mashed instead of potatoes, puréed for sauces and roasted whole. It's such a versatile vegetable!

Freezing Herbs and Other Uses For Ice Cube Trays

Sainsbury's are currently promoting and encouraging people to get the most out of their freezer and have assembled some great ideas, inspiration and practical tips for simple freezer solutions as well as some recipes to help you get the most out of your freezer.  All this information is over at Sainsbury's Love Your Freezer Hub. Here there is a section called "8 ingenious uses for an ice cube tray" and I'd like to add another idea to this section ... freezing herbs in an ice cube tray.