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.

Vegetarian SCD Food

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

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.

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.

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.

My Favourite Superfoods - Walnuts

Monkey nuts were one of my favourite snacks as a child but walnuts only ever made an appearance at Christmas in the bowl of mixed nuts on the table. I remember that they were the easiest nut to crack! But what a mess they made, tiny bits of shell flying all over the sparkling white tablecloth. Actually, walnuts aren't nuts, they're drupes. Drupes are fleshy fruits where the fruit surrounds a shell with a seed inside but unlike other drupes like cherries and peaches for example, we eat the seed of the walnut fruit instead of the flesh itself.

Spicy Candied Walnut Pieces GF SCD

Since the festive season is approaching, I thought I'd share with you our recipe for candied walnuts which feature in my Waldorf Salad recipe. We use the walnut pieces because they're quite economical but if you prefer to use walnut halves, they will look much prettier!

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!

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.

My February 2015 TVK Box

I took these pictures on the same day I received this Vegan Kind box because I didn't trust myself not to open everything in one go and eat them on the very same day! Such an awesome selection this month, I just couldn't wait to get stuck in!

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!