I call these my “half coconut brownies” as for this batch I used half coconutty ingredients such as oil, sugar & flour. But all could be substituted for regular flours or butters you have on hand. Crispy outside and chewy, fudgy center makes for the perfect indulgent treat.
Ingredients
Wet
100g Butter or Oil (Melted, I used Coconut oil)
120g Sugar (I used unrefined Coconut sugar, but any will do!)
100g Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla
2 Flax Eggs (or regular, non-vegan!)
Dry
100g Flour (I used 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 coconut flour)
1/4 tsp Xanthan gum (not necessary if your flour already has it)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
45g Cacao/Cocoa Powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 350/160 c Fan. Prep an 8×8 dish with parchment paper.
Mix WET ingredients until well incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients and then slowly fold in dry to wet.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for ~35 minutes until edges are hardened and middle will still be a bit gooey.
Here is a healthy treat that is more veg than cake! Packed with root veg such as carrots & beetroot. As well as courgette & maple syrup for extra moisture and natural sweetness. Seeds and nuts add for simple, lovely texture additions to this loaf.
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (or just use more Cinnamon, if you don’t have that spice on hand!Small amounts of Clove, Ginger would make lovely additions as well)
30g (1/4-1/3c) Pumpkin Seeds (or add-ins of choice)
VANILLA ORANGE ICING
35g (1/3c) Powdered Sugar
Orange Juice (from zested orange)
1/4 tsp Vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 160c Fan/350F. Prep a loaf baking tin with parchment paper.
Grate your vegetables – ensuring to squeeze excess water out of the veg once grated. Add to the rest of the WET ingredients.
In separate bowl, combine DRY ingredients. Fold DRY ingredients into WET and mix through.
Bake for 45-60 min (Mine took 60)
Once loaf is baked and cooled, ice with Vanilla Orange Icing Sugar for a subtle sweet topping.
Notes
Mix up the veg for this loaf if you’d like! An original “root” cake includes parsnips (hence the ROOTiness!) but I am not a huge fan. So in my version I used my beloved Courgette (140g). Low-FODMAP Carrot (160g), and Beetroot for that smashing color (100g).
I recall walking through Bristol and telling Koala, “I think this is my favorite English city we’ve visited.” There was something about the scenery, size, and charm that is perfectly well suited for a weekend away. I’d reckon I would even recommend it to weary London tourists! There was definitely no shortage of pretty walks and health food cafes. Here’s a tour of what we did in Bristol!
We stayed in an Airbnb across the street from Castle Park.
We were here due to a work meeting Koala had on a Friday. So we departed separate trains out of London and met up after work. I arrived just after lunch time, and headed to a cafe that is also a yoga studio…because I figured that sounded basically like home to me.
Favorite Bristol Cafes
Cafe Matariki inside Pacific Yoga – Amazing Gluten Free treats and salads/sandwiches. I didn’t get to a yoga class here, but maybe next time!
We also had brekkie once or twice at Spicer + Cole, a no-fuss cafe with gluten free bread and other options. I enjoyed the GF Avo Toast with Tomatoes & Tofu! What a feast.
Be Natural Kitchen – Located within St Nicolas Market. A lovely place to shop artisan stalls and grab a lovely piece of zucchini cake with avocado frosting!
A Few Bristol Adventures
Bristol is a great city for avid walkers! With a wide variety of sights and green spaces, it basically has a walk for whatever kind of day you fancy. One morning we stopped off at the Windmill Hill City Farm – an adorable, little community-run farm with quaint gardens and some animal friends. Very cute little gift shop on the premises, where I bought myself a pair of locally made earrings.
What a viewSmell my finger?
On our full day in Bristol, we walked to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. On the way, we stopped off at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Both of these sites I’d certainly recommend having a peek!
Koala & I by the Clifton Suspension Bridge!
Date night in Bristol
We enjoyed the calm ambiance of Fishers restaurant. Located not too far from the Clifton Suspension Bridge, it makes for a perfect stop off after a long day of exploring Bristol. They are keen on the GF lifestyle and do make their support very clear which is always reassuring!! I absolutely loved the fish & chips and for dessert they had gluten free sticky toffee pudding! Only the 2nd time in my life I’ve had this special treat. See my IG video of the sticky toffee pud in action! After Fishers we headed back toward our Airbnb and stopped off at the wine lounge Le Vignoble. I became enamored with wine bars after experiencing Vagabond in London. This is the same concept of choose-your-own single pours and tastings.
Fish n Chips!Sticky Toffee Pud!Decisions, decisions
Our last morning in Bristol we had some time before our train. So we walked the river and found a little cafe that is also a grocer with the cutest store filled with everything a health foodie could need! Better Food had gluten free bread for our eggy morning we paired with a treat. Their gluten free bread was crisp and seeded – paired nicely with the fluffy eggs. We also stopped by the M Shed to have a look around. Great place to go for the history of Bristol!
I loved Bristol and it is a great spot for a gluten free / health foodie. Plentiful options for exercise, fresh air, foods and fun. Looking forward to going back to explore more of the city in the future.
No processor needed for this one! Just some fine chopping and a little arm workout. Goes great with gnocchi!
Ingredients
1 handful finely chopped Basil
2 tbsp Walnuts (or Pine nuts, if you have them on hand)
1 smushed clove of Garlic (Perhaps Asafoetida could suffice here if you’re very sensitive to Garlic/low-FOD option)
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan (Vegan option: I also have tried this without Parm, and just added some salt)
Olive Oil, to desired consistency
Directions
Finely chop Basil & Walnuts. Smush Garlic clove with back of knife and then back of spoon – combine all of these together and smush a bit more. Add Parmesan (or salt), if using.
Rich in complex carbohydrates, low in calories and fat and gluten-free, polenta is a lovely choice to try in flavored loaf cakes. Also commonly paired with orange, this Lemon-Blueberry alternative comes with yummy textured pieces from the frozen blueberries.
100g (7 tbsp) Butter, melted (coconut oil for Vegan option!)
150g Sugar (3/4c)
180ml Milk (3/4c) (I used Almond for flavor)
60ml (4 tbsp) Lemon Juice (about 1-2 lemons)
Lemon Zest (about 1-2 lemons)
100g (1c) Blueberries (or more, if desired! They really help add necessary moisture to this loaf)
Directions
Preheat oven to 170C Fan (375F) and prepare baking loaf.
Combine DRY ingredients in one bowl. WET ingredients into a separate bowl.
Add WET to DRY and then add blueberries. Mix gently and quickly get into the oven. The acid from the lemon reacting with the baking soda/powder will be important to help the loaf be as fluffy as possible. So make haste! 🙂
Bake for 45-55 minutes.
Optional: Add additional lemon juice or water to icing sugar for a delicious topping.
These easy cookies have an added health boost of high protein, high fiber quinoa! The natural nutty flavor of the seeds helps create a sweet, vegan treat that works for breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Ingredients
2 Ripe Bananas (Mashed)
120g (scant 1/2c) Peanut Butter (I used PB2 Powderw/ coconut milk)
60g (3 tbsp) Maple Syrup
25g (2 tbsp) Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
400g Quinoa (~2 1/4c) (Cooked)
90g (1c) Gluten Free Oats
Directions
Preheat oven to 170c Fan/375f. Prep a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
Cook ~200g (1c) Quinoa with twice the amount water. Bring to a boil, turn down to low and simmer for 10 min. Turn heat off completely and allow to rest covered for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Mix mashed Bananas with Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup, Sugar, Vanilla, Salt and add in Oats & Cooked Quinoa. Add-ins always acceptable! (nuts, chocolate chips, cranberries)
Place spoonful scoops of batter on to parchment. These cookies won’t spread. I shaped and pat them down just a touch.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until just turning golden on top.
I topped mine with dark chocolate drizzle and coconut flakes & almonds – feel free to get creative with whatever you’d like or leave them plain!
Notes
RINSE QUINOA! Always rinse quinoa to release some of the bitterness that can come with the outside of the seed.
This easy bread uses pantry staples and is SO rich and decadent, a serving of healthy zucchini without the use of too much sugar!
Ingredients
220g (1.5c) Zucchini/Courgette (Shredded)
120g (1 c) GF SR Flour
40g (1/2 c) Cacao Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
100g (2/3 c) Chocolate (Cut up baking bar or chips)
2 eggs (sub flax egg for Vegan)
50ml (scant 1/4c) Oil
100g (1/2 c) Sugar
2 tbsp Coconut Milk (warmed)
1 tsp Instant Coffee
1 tsp Vanilla
Icing
100g (1/2 c) Icing Sugar
1 tsp Coconut Oil
1 tbsp Water
Directions
Preheat oven to 160c Fan/350f. Prep a bread pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
Shred zucchini and place in paper towels or tea towel. Squeeze the living daylights out of it to release water. Set aside, you’ll be adding to the wet ingredients soon.
Vegan Tacos with Gluten Free Sweet Potato Tortillas (low-FODMAP)
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Prep time
15
minutes
Cooking time
20
minutes
I’ve missed soft flour tortillas. Here you can make your own with only TWO simple ingredients! Along with Quorn and other low-FODMAP vegan ingredients, this is a tummy-safe Mexican dish the family will love.
Ingredients
Filling
1 pkg Quorn meatless pieces (Baked tofu another great option!)
Avocado (mashed)
Peppers (yellow, red – use green sparingly if low-FOD)
Vegan cheese
Baby lettuce
Tomatoes
Lime
Cumin
Red Pepper Flakes
Taco Shells
1 Mashed Sweet Potato (Oven for 1 hr or Microwave ~8 min)
Flour (GF varieties, I used Buckwheat!)
Directions
Cook sweet potato, mash and add approximately 1:1 amount of GF flour to mix. You’ll need a well-floured board to roll/press out mixture into desired tortilla size. Add tortilla to hot pan (no oil) and fry for 1-2 minutes each side until golden. Keep warm under towel while you prep the filling.
Saute peppers, tomatoes and Quorn mince, pieces (or Tofu) for 15 minutes. Flavoring saute mix with cumin, salt, & red pepper flakes
Add mix to taco shells, adding lettuce, cheese, & avocado mash. Pinch of salt and squeeze of a lime!
Notes
If the sweet potato mix is sticking to your hands or the board, use a bit more flour and gently pat them out to tortilla size, flipping as you go. I used a spatula to flip frequently to keep dough properly floured and non-stick. I used my hands to work into shape.
These easy cookies are both quick to make and a quick to disappear! Brown sugar makes them pillowy while using crunchy PB will add texture that goes very well with the chunky chocolate.
Ingredients
150g (1 cup) Dark Brown Sugar
100g (2/3 cup) Butter (melted) (vegan)
1 Egg (or vegan replacement – such as Chia/Flax Egg (1 tbsp & 3 tbsp water). OR 3 tbsp extra nut butter)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
300g (~1 1/4 cup) Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
225g (~1 2/3 cup) Self Rising Flour (GF)
200g (~1 cup) Chocolate Chips/Chunks (Vegan, if desired)
Directions
Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Beat Sugar & Butter until smooth. Beat in Egg & Vanilla. Then beat in Peanut Butter
Fold in Salt and Flour (I always sift GF flour especially)
Cut up chocolate bar for chunky bits and/or fold in chocolate chips if using
Roll small balls and place on parchment. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just starting to get a bit of color.
Notes
Not pressing down rolled dough balls will make for about 30-40 perfectly small, two bite puffy cookies!
