Category Archives: Dairy Free Recipes

[RECIPE] MY EASY GLUTEN FREE CARROT CAKE

As it’s National Carrot Day today (seems to be a national day for just anything these days!) I thought I would share with you my easy and simple gluten free Carrot Cake recipe! As the main body of the cake does not contain any dairy ingredients, it can be easily made dairy free by changing the ingredients in the frosting. There are some dairy free carrot cake frosting recipes that simply involve icing sugar mixed with water [here] but for those who enjoy a creamier frosting, some people mix icing sugar with vanilla essence and dairy free butter [here].

INGREDIENTS – [FOR THE CAKE]

  •  140g grated Carrot [this usually eqautes to 1 large carrot]
  • 3 medium free range Eggs
  • 175g Muscovado Sugar [Light]
  • 175ml Vegetable Oil
  • 175g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
  • 1 teaspoon of Gluten Free Baking Soda
  • 50g  Walnuts [broken into small pieces]

METHOD

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°c
  2. Using a cheese grater, grate the Carrots and put aside for later
  3. In a mixing bowl, add the 3 eggs and whisk until it’s frothy
  4. Add the Muscovado Sugar and Vegetable Oil into the whisked eggs and continue to mix together
  5. Sieve the Gluten Free Self Raising Flour and Baking Power into the mixing bowl and continue to mix until well combined
  6. Add the Walnuts peices and the grated Carrot into the mixture
  7. Generously grease a cake tin [or use greaseproof paper] and pour the Carrot Cake mixture in
  8. Pop the cake in the oven and bake for 30/35 minutes
  9. Once baked, insert a butter knife into the centre of the cake. The cake is ready if the knife comes on clean
  10. Leave the cake in the cake tin and leave to cool on a wire rack for 5 /10 minutes
  11. Remove the cake from the cake tin and leave to cool on the wire rack.
  12. Refrain from adding the icing or the frosting until the cake has cooled down.

INGREDIENTS – [FOR THE FROSTING]

  • 250g Cream Cheese [brought to room temperature]
  • 50g Butter [brought to room temperature]
  • 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 275g of Icing Sugar

Although the frosting for the carrot cake is quite easy to make, I have been using Betty Crocker Vanilla Buttercream for the frosting instead and it tastes just as good. You can find the Betty Crocker range in all major supermarkets in the baking aisle. However below, is the step by step instructions to make your own carrot cake frosting. Also, feel free to omit or replace ingredients to make the frosting dairy free. 

METHOD

  • Whilst the cake is in the oven, add the Cream Cheese and Butter in a separate bowl, and mix together until the mix has become quite creamy
  • Add the Icing Sugar and Vanilla Extract to the bowl and mix together.
  • Once the cake has cooled, use a cake palette knife [I often use the back of a spoon] and generously spread the frosting on cake

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[Recipe] Healthy Lemon Flavoured Quinoa

Ah Quinoa - which before I knew how to pronounce it, called it Quin-noa! (FYI it’s pronounced ‘keen-nwa’), It’s such a super healthy grain. Totally gluten free, full of benefits and is bursting with protein and vitamins! It’s no wonder it’s hailed a super food and for those who are sticking to a healthy diet have replaced rice with this funny sounding grain!

Now I’m always wanting to embark on a healthy eating regime but I do so well for a few days then stuff my face with the delightful bad stuff like… pizza, pasta, take away (all gluten free of course) but since I’m due to go on holiday to Florida in a couple of weeks, I was worried I’d look like Shamu the killer whale and get harpooned out of the pool! [fun fact: I’m actually terrified of Whales!]

For the first time ever, I have introduced Quinoa to my diet and I absolutely love it! I’ve had it alongside my curry and with my salads in the evening. Although some people may argue that it’s actually quite boring and tasteless, I have started to cook with a little hint of lemon, which makes it perfect for summer!

So if you fancy trying Quinoa, then here is my super easy recipe for Lemon Flavoured Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of dried Quinoa
  • 2 cups of Boiling Water
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 Lemon

 

Method:

  1. Measure out your dried Quinoa 
  2. Rinse the dried Quinoa in a sieve under cold water. Make sure you do this as the Quinoa can taste quite bitter 
  3. Add the 2 cups of Boiling Water and bring to the boil 
  4. Add the salt and reduce the heat until the water simmers. Continue to simmer until all the water has absorbed 
  5. Carefully pour the cooked Quinoa into a bowl, squeeze the 1/2 lemon into the Quinoa and mix to combine 

 

 

 

 

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The Perfect Brunch: Avocados on Toast

I can’t believe it’s been exactly a year since I flew to the other side of the world and I’ve still yet to blog about it!

Last year me and Mike embarked on a trip to New Zealand to witness our lovely friends, Dave and Jen get married. Although the journey there wasn’t the greatest as I became very ill, I did have the greatest time of my life over there!

One of the things I loved about New Zealand wasn’t just the amazing and breath taking beauty of the place, it was the fact that every place I went for food, even in the remotest of places, did gluten free and for once  I did not have to worry!

The first place we visited in New Zealand was Christchurch which sadly since their terrible earthquake, most places were still being rebuilt and we often found ourselves amongst rubble and building works. However whilst stubbling around trying to find somewhere to eat we came across this weird little town made up of shipping containers called Re:Start.

It was here in Re:Start where we ended up going to Hummingbird coffee shop which had a delicious breakfast menu and they could also provide gluten free bread and it was here where I tried avocados on toast for the first time and a love affair was born!

It’s so easy to make that I feel silly typing out the recipe! But if you are unsure and wouldn’t mind trying it out for yourself, here’s the short but sweet recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 large ripe Avocado
  • 1 Tomato (of any variety)
  • 1 Spring Onion
  • 2 slices of Gluten Free Bread (I prefer Genius multi seeded)

Method:

  1. Place the slices of a bread in a toaster or under the grill
  2. Once toasted, apply the avocado, tomato, spring onions and season with salt and black pepper

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