Vanilla 'buttercream'

This is a useful 'cream' for putting in a victoria sponge or to make fairy cakes.  It can also be used on top of a fruit salad.  The amount below give you a thin layer on a 7-8 inch sponge.

Ingredients

70g of drained yoghurt

1 tsp of vanilla extract 

2-3 tsp of honey

Method

Mix the ingredients together and taste.  If it is still too tart keep adding honey by 1/2 tsp until you get the desired sweetness.   Keep in fridge until needed.

Temperature Conversion chart

Oven temperature guide

Gas Mark	Fahrenheit	Celsius	Description
1/4	225	110	Very cool/very slow
1/2	250	130	---
1	275	140	cool
2	300	150	---
3	325	170	very moderate
4	350	180	moderate
5	375	190	---
6	400	200	moderately hot
7	425	220	hot
8	450	230	---
9	475	240	very hot

Victoria sponge cake / Birthday cake

I was dreading my daughters birthday as it was the first one since giving up gluten and with years of castle cakes / Thundercat cakes etc I know my daughter had high expectations! I know she misses out on lots of 'treats' and didn't want her to feel second best on her big day.  However I need not have worried as this was delicious, healthy and I got several requests for the recipe from other mums.  

I need to make the two layers separately as I dont have a mixer big enough to fit the mixture in one go and I don't get good results from my oven if I bake two cakes at once.  However if you don't have this issue you can just double the ingredients and bake both layers at once.

These sponges can be made in advance, wrapped in clingfilm and frozen - meaning one job that can be done well in advance of the party!

Ingredients

250g almond flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
45 grams melted butter 
80ml honey 
1 tbsp vanilla extract 
Zest of one lemon (optional) 
2 tbsp of lemon juice (optional) 

Portion of vanilla frosting
Jam
Vanilla buttercream
Fruit for topping 

To make the sponge layers:

• Follow the instructions to fairy cakes to create the cake mixture
• Pour into a lined / greased 7 or 8 inch round tin for approx 30 minutes
• Take out and put on a rack to cool
• Repeat process for second layer

 


To create the victoria sandwich:

• When both layers are ready check if you need to take a thin slice of one of them to give you a flat surface.
• Place the cakes face down on a surface.  Cover one with Jam. 
• Cover other cake with a layer of vanilla buttercream 
• Carefully lift one cake and place on top of the other so the jam and cream meet together

For the topping:

• Make a portion of vanilla honey frosting (This can be done a few hours in advance) 
• Chop up strawberries into small pieces and half raspberries, and grapes  (or whatever fruit you want to choose)
• Put a thick later of frosting all over the cake - I like to put quite a lot around the edges so it drips down and gives the cake a decadant feel
• Decorate the cake with fruit
• Scatter the left over fruit around the base of the cake 

The easiest tomato Soup (could be Heinz!)

My kids loved Heinz tomato soup.  I still don't think they have realised that what I am giving them is not tomato soup!

People on a healing diet are often advised to have soup or stock at least once a day.  My children are not going to have a cup of stock with their dinner, however much bribery is involved.  However they will have a cup of this soup.  Once you are in the routine of having stock in the fridge this is an easy lunch or a good gap filler after school.

You can use any home-made stock.  We started with chicken as that gives the cleanest taste.  Now the kids are more accustomed we use beef stock and lamb stock for a deeper flavour.  Initially I used to add a spoonful of honey and a splash of cider vinegar to truly get that 'Heinz' taste.  Now we just have it plain.

My daughter likes it plain.  My son likes grated parmesan on the top.  This goes well with Lois Lang bread, plain crackers or chicken wings.  You could also toast almond or cashew bread and make croutons (but I am never that organised!)


Ingredients

An equal measure of any home-made stock and passata (around 750ml  of each will serve 4)
Honey to taste
Cider vinegar to taste
Salt and pepper


Instructions

• Pour the stock and passata into a pan.  Add honey and vinegar if required 
• Bring to the boil then simmer for at least 20 minutes - the longer you simmer the thicker soup you will have. 
• Season in the pan or at the table

Spicy fried 'rice' (aka cauliflower but don't tell the kids)

When I originally wrote this post we were grain free - we now have rice again but still enjoy cauliflower rice as a lighter alternative.

Rice was always one of our favourites and fried rice was a weekly staple.  When I saw you could make mock rice with cauliflower I never believed this would fool my kids. However due to the addition of peas and spices they have never guessed it is vegetable based, let alone the dreaded cauliflower. Although it is called spicy rice it simply has flavour - there is no off putting hotness.  However if you are all hardened curry fans you could up the curry powder or add in some chillies.

It does require a bit of faffing about getting the water out of the cauliflower but honestly, its worth it when the kids eat it all and ask for more!

I have specified when to add curry powder, peas etc but have often forgot the order when trying to cook and do homework with kids and it still works fine.  The most important thing is to ensure the onions are soft before adding the cauliflower and not being shy with the oil. (It's a very healthy oil and a good way to get the right kind of calories into kids)

What I love about this dish is you can very easily serve the kids and then reheat later for adults, throwing in some additional chillies or serving with a chilli sauce for more adult palates.  It goes well with roast chicken, chops, even oily fish like mackerel and salmon.

We make it using coconut oil.  If you are not following GAPS  you could use olive oil (be careful with the heat)

We use a ready made curry powder because we can buy it from a local store where we trust it has no hidden ingredients.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower
1 onion, chopped (can use red or white but my kids object to red)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp of medium curry powder
Peas (enough for a decent portion per person)
Salt and pepper to taste
Coconut oil for frying

Recipe
1.  Wash and dry the cauliflower.  Whizz it up in food processor
2.  Using kitchen paper or a clean tea towel pat the cauliflower to remove some water
3.  Heat at least 2 tbsp of coconut oil in a wok. Once hot reduce to a low to medium heat
4.  Fry the onion for a few minutes until it is starting to go translucent.  Add the garlic and the curry powder and add for a few minutes.
5.  When the onions are soft add in the cauliflower.  You may need to add more oil. Cook for 5 minutes.  In another pan bring some peas to the boil and then drain.
6 Add the peas to the cauliflower and season.
7. Cook for another few minutes until the cauliflower tastes soft and cooked (I have found this can vary from cauliflower to cauliflower and heat used etc so it  is always best to go with what tastes right rather than rely on an exact timing)

Hummus (Haricot bean instead of chick peas)

• 

  
  
  Hummus is such a useful dish - it can be put in packed lunches, served with chicken, used at parties etc.  So I was gutted when I realised GAPS meant no chickpeas, no hummus.  However I then came across some recipes for white bean hummus and realised it is easy to adapt the recipe and to use 'legal' haricot beans.  If you are okay with chickpeas just replace the haricot beans with chick peas 

It is always best to pre-soak beans and is essential if you are on GAPS /SCD.   Although not a big job it is a fag to remember to soak things so this recipe will make enough hummus for a couple of weeks (I split it into 3 and freeze two batches).  You could just use half the ingredients for a smaller batch or to test out the recipe.

To soak beans:

Stick 400g of beans in a large dish, fill with water.   Soak for 24 hours, replacing the water about half way through.  Thoroughly rinse the beans before soaking

To cook beans:

It should tell you on packaging how long beans need to be cooked for. WIth haricot beans its at least an hour. 

Ingredients 

• 400g cooked and drained haricot beans 
• 4 tbsp of tahini
• 3 garlic gloves,crushed
• Juice of  2 lemons
• 3/4 to 1 tsp of cumin 
• Salt and pepper
• 250ml olive oil
• Paprika 

Recipe

• Blend all the ingredients except for olive oil and paprika in a blender. If you or your kids like your hummus more bland you could start with a little less garlic and cumin and taste first.  
• Keeping the blender running add the olive oil in slowly.
• Store in the fridge or freezer 
• Before serving garnish with a sprinkle of paprika (if the hummus has been frozen you may also want to add a little extra oil)

Cranberry sauce

Home made cranberry sauce is heaven and nothing like the pink rubbery stuff that comes in a jar.  This recipe is very versatile - you can use all orange juice for a stronger orange flavour or more honey for a sweeter sauce.  We like ours with some tartness left - it is better to make it with less honey and then add in later as once it is too sweet it is hard to rectify.

Honey does not have the same preserving properties as sugar so I make this around a week before Christmas.  Alternatively it could be made in advance and frozen 

Ingredients

10-12 ounces of cranberries

120ml freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)

120 ml water 

110g honey

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tbsp of orange rind 

Instructions

• Wash cranberries
• Put in a pan with all the ingrediants
• Bring to the boil then simmer for approximately 10 minutes.  The cranberries will burst and the sauce will thicken
• Remove, cool and keep refrigerated.