Tag: healthy baking

Blueberry Banana Bread

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I had a heap of blueberries in my fridge and some ripe bananas so I thought I’d use my classic banana bread recipe and add blueberries. If you want a more chocolatey version, see here. This one is so light and fluffy and yummy and of course gluten, dairy, sugar and egg free ❤

Ingredients

3 large very ripe bananas, mashed (if they are small, use 4)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 heaped tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp filtered water
1 cup buckwheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Handful blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180° and line a loaf tin with baking paper and grease with coconut oil.

Mix the flax seeds in a small bowl with the water and set aside so it can set. (this is a flax ‘egg’ and used instead of eggs.)

Mash the bananas in a large bowl and add the coconut oil and maple, then add the flax mix and mix well.

Now add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Mix in the blueberries gently and spoon into the prepared cake tin.

Put it in the oven for around 25–30 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. My oven tends to cook things much quicker than most so it’s been a bit of a learning curve, your oven may need more time.

Leave on a wire rack to cool then turn out of the loaf tin onto a plate.

Delicious served with peanut or almond butter!

Love and health,
Lauren

Easiest Yummiest Healthiest Brownies

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Thanks to my friend Emma at Mrs Hollingsworth’s for the inspiration for these yummy brownies. These may become a staple when needing to bake something that’s quick and easy with very few ingredients.

They’re actually great for baby led weaning as all natural ingredients and a wonderful (albeit messy!) texture that babies will love. I’d advise leaving out the walnuts if making these for babies.

They’re gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan. Oh and they’re shamazing! What’s not to love??

Ingredients

1 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water and left for 10 minutes to thicken)
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup cashew or almond butter
Pinch Himalayan salt
1 tbsp water (more if needed)
1/2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup walnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. This temperature really is key with brownies, any hotter and they won’t be gooey.

Now put all the ingredients except the walnuts into a food processor and blend until a smooth and sticky batter forms. If it’s too sticky (i.e. it forms a big ball), just add in a little more water a tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. Crumble the walnuts into the bowl and stir in, then spoon the batter into a lined baking tin or mould and press down with a spoon to make sure it’s all nice and even.

Bake for 25 minutes, then leave for another half an hour to cool (as the brownies will continue to cook after they are taken out the oven).

Once cool, cut into squares and devour!

Love & health,
Lauren

Healthy “Oreos”

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My son loves Oreos, so I wanted to come up with a healthier version for him.
Buckwheat is gluten-free and is considered a wholegrain, even though it is not in fact a grain. It lowers cholesterol and blood pressure; contains antioxidants and easily digestible protein; is high in fibre and helps to combat diabetes.
I’ve used coconut blossom sugar to replace regular sugar. While it is still a sugar and shouldn’t be consumed in large amounts (like any form of sugar) it is a much better option than processed cane sugar. It’s made by evaporating the nectar of coconut blossoms, so is raw, unrefined and unbleached. This means that it retains nutrients, notably zinc, iron, calcium and potassium. It also contains a fibre called inulin, which makes it much lower GI than regular sugar.
A good rule to remember is that not all calories are equal – you always want your calories to be as nutrient dense as possible. So if you are going to have a treat which contains some form of sugar, rather go for a natural form of sugar which has a higher nutritional value.

Ingredients

For the cookies:
110g organic virgin coconut oil
110g organic coconut blossom sugar
2 eggs
55g raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp organic vanilla powder or extract
1/4 tsp Oryx Desert Salt
280g buckwheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax (you can grind whole flax seeds in a coffee grinder or use pre-ground)
1 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
2 tbsp water

For the filling:
1 cup raw cashews
60ml raw honey
30ml coconut oil
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1/4 tsp Oryx desert salt


Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Sift the cacao powder to remove lumps. Combine with the other dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the coconut oil and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time while beating. Add the dry ingredients and combine well. Add the water only if the dough is a bit dry or crumbly.

Dust your work surface with extra flour and roll the dough out to about 2mm thickness. Cut out into 5 or 6cm circles. Bake on a cookie tray lined with baking paper or silicone mats for 10 – 12 minutes. Allow to cool.

To make the filling, combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Sandwich two cookies together with the filling and allow to set.
Makes 24 cookies.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Lauren & Raine

The Best (Healthy!) Lemon Drizzle Cake

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Lemon Drizzle Cake

Both of us love lemon drizzle cake. There’s nothing better than that sweet, moistness with a slight crisp to the coating – it’s a British staple! But the traditional recipes all require the usual unhealthy ingredients that we like to stay away from: flour, sugar, butter etc. So Raine and I put our heads together to come up with this healthy substitute and guys, we don’t mean to blow our own trumpet, but this cake is quite possibly even better than the traditional kind!

It’s totally gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free, but it’s not vegan as we had to use eggs. Just make sure you get organic, free-range eggs and good quality ingredients all round.

I have to apologise for the slightly burnt edges – I’m waiting on a new oven! Anyway, please give this cake a go. It’s so easy to make and just to die for!

Ingredients

100g ground almonds
70g coconut palm sugar
2 organic, free-range eggs
100g vegan margarine (we thought coconut oil might make it a bit too oily. You can get a good quality, non-hydrogenated vegan margarine from your local health shop)
1 tsp baking powder
Zest of one lemon

For the coating:
2 tbsp raw cacao butter
Juice of one lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a loaf tin with a bit of coconut oil.

Put the ground almonds, coco palm sugar, eggs, margarine, baking powder and lemon zest in a large bowl and mix well.

Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven for around 30-35 minutes until the edges start to come away slightly from the sides and the top is spongey.

Prepare the coating by melting the cacao butter on a very low heat in a saucepan. Once melted, turn off the hob, squeeze in the lemon juice and mix. Pour this over the cake while it is still warm and remove the cake from the tin once cooled.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Gluten-free Biscotti

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Biscotti

Biscotti are a family favourite so I knew I had to come up with a healthier version of these traditional Italian biscuits. They are wheat- and grain-free, and I’ve used some stevia, allowing me to cut the amount of coconut sugar in half. I love to have them with a cup of tea or hot chocolate while I’m working on the blog 🙂

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 tsp stevia (or replace with an additional 1/3 cup coconut sugar)
pinch of Oryx Desert Salt
1 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 C.

Place 1 cup of the almonds in a blender or food processor and grind finely. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup almonds roughly. Combine both with the almond flour, coconut sugar, stevia, salt, baking powder and zest.

Beat the eggs and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the egg into it. Use a fork to pull the dry ingredients into the egg, mixing as you go. It may look like the mixture is too dry, but just keep going and it will come together. Use your hands to fully combine if necessary, and then shape it into a ball.

Dust your work surface with a generous amount of almond flour. Divide the dough in half, and then shape each half into a log about 7cm wide and 3cm high. Place both logs onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat, or greased with coconut oil.

Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Turn the oven down to 140 C. Slice the logs at an angle and about 1.5cm thick. Slicing at angle will give you the traditional biscotti shape. Lay the slices out on the baking tray and return to the oven to dry out; 30 – 40 minutes, depending on how you like them.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Paleo Brownies

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Paleo Brownies

These brownies are gluten- and grain-free, and by using stevia and only a small amount of honey to sweeten they are very low in carbs too. The use of almonds, flax, egg and avo means that they’re a decent source of protein; and the coconut oil, along with the flax, is great for controlling cholesterol. A truly guilt-free treat!

Ingredients

65g raw cacao paste
80g organic virgin coconut oil
60ml raw almond butter
60ml raw honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup ripe avo
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla powder
1 cup ground almonds
60ml ground flax seed
1 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of Oryx Desert Salt
1 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
1/4 cup chopped raw pecan nuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a square baking dish with coconut oil.

Place the cacao paste, coconut oil, almond butter and honey in a glass or steel bowl which can fit over a saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl over the saucepan, gently melting the ingredients.

Mash the avo with a fork until smooth. Whisk the egg and vanilla, and combine with the avo. Set aside.

Combine the ground almonds, ground flax, stevia, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Once the chocolate mixture is completely melted and whisked together, slowly pour it into the egg mixture whilst whisking vigorously, to prevent the heat from scrambling the egg. Stir in the dry ingredients and the chopped pecans.

Spread the batter into the baking dish and bake for about 20 – 25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Fig, Berry and Coconut Cake

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IMG_0938

I love fresh figs, and they’re even better roasted with a bit of honey. This cake is very simple and quick to make, as well as being wheat-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free. Perfect for afternoon tea 🙂

Ingredients

60ml raw honey, plus a little extra
60ml organic coconut blossom sugar
125ml organic virgin coconut oil
2 free-range eggs
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Oryx Desert Salt
2 tbsp acaì powder
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 cup organic or homemade coconut flour
1 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
2 large fresh figs

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Cream the honey, sugar and coconut oil with an electric beater. Add the eggs one at a time while beating. Add the vanilla, salt, acaì powder and tapioca starch and beat well. Add the coconut flour and baking powder, and lastly stir in the berries.

Spread the batter into a 20cm cake tin lined with baking paper or a silicon liner. Cut the figs into quarters lengthways and push them into the batter in a neat circle, with the inside of the fig facing upwards. Drizzle a little honey over the figs.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden, the figs caramelised and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool before turning out.

Health and happiness!

Love,
Raine

Choc-Chip Sweet Potato Cookies

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Sweet Potato Choc Chip Cookies 1

If you’ve read my Joburg recommendations in the “Two Kitchens Loves” page, you’ll know that I am a big fan of the Organic Emporium in Bryanston. It has replaced regular supermarkets for my day-to-day grocery shopping. The owner, Debbie, is so passionate about the work she does, it’s hard not to get caught up in her enthusiasm!

Last week I was in the store and Debbie asked me to come up with a recipe for Wensleydale’s new organic Sweet Potato Flour. I made these gluten, sugar and dairy-free choc-chip cookies. They’ve been really popular with everyone’s who’s taste-tested them for me!

Sweet potatoes are naturally gluten-free and low-GI so the flour makes a great substitute for regular wheat flour. It is quite granular, so it gives the cookies a chunky texture. If you’d prefer a smoother texture you can grind the flour more finely in a blender. In the first batch I used a combination of honey and coconut sugar to sweeten; and in the second batch I replaced the coconut sugar with organic stevia leaf powder. Both worked equally well, so it’s just a matter of preference. If you’re watching calories I would recommend using the stevia.

Ingredients (makes about 20 cookies)

1/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup organic coconut sugar OR 1/2 tsp organic stevia leaf powder
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew etc)
2 farm-raised eggs
1/4 tsp organic vanilla powder OR 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp himalayan salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ripe banana, finely mashed with a fork
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rolled oats
75g Gayleen’s Decadence Raw Chocolate Baking Slab, available at the Organic Emporium
1 1/2 cup Wensleydale’s Sweet Potato Flour, available at the Organic Emporium

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Make sure that the raw chocolate is cold from the fridge. Chop it up into small pieces for your “chocolate chips” and then return to the fridge. If left at room temperature it may start to melt.

Beat together the oil, coconut sugar or stevia, honey and nut butter. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir in the vanilla, salt, bicarb, banana and water. Add the oats and chocolate chips. Now stir in the sweet potato flour. You will notice that the flour is very “thirsty” and the dough will thicken quite quickly. Stir well so that there are no dry lumps of flour.

Line a large baking tray with silicone mats or baking paper. Place a heaped tablespoon of dough onto the tray and spread out into a neat circle, about 1.5cm thick. You can wet your fingers to prevent the dough from sticking to them. Repeat till all the dough is used up. The cookies will not spread during baking, so you can place them quite close together.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until slightly golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Chai Ginger Snap Cookies

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Chai Ginger Snap Cookies 1

I love the flavour of my vanilla chai tea from Pukka, and I used it when I made my healthy pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and it worked a treat so I thought I’d use it for these cookies.

The gingery taste is so yummy to me, and as a true Brit, the first thing I did was dip it into my tea, and it was heaven!

They literally need no more than 8 minutes in the oven. I left mine for 10 and you can see that some of them are a little burnt (still nice dipped into tea though!) So really watch the clock on these…

Ingredients

1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp coconut palm sugar
2 tbsp organic vegan non hydrogenated margarine
1 tbsp coconut oil and extra for greasing
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp almond milk
1 chai or vanilla chai teabag
2 and quarter cups ground almonds
4 heaped tbsp buckwheat flour
1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tsp ground ginger

Method

Preheat the oven to 180.

Start by putting the honey in a small saucepan over a low heat and leave for around 5 minutes until it bubbles and turns darker. At this point, add the margarine, coco sugar, coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.

Then add the teabag. Give it a few dunks then remove from the heat and let it steep while you take care of the dry ingredients.

 

In a bowl add the ground almonds, buckwheat flour, baking soda and the spices and mix well.

Remove the teabag from the honey mixture and pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix very well, making sure you get all the flour from the bottom.

Line a baking tray (you will probably need 2 baking trays) with baking paper, grease with some coconut oil and then here’s the bit that will make this easier for you: put some coconut oil on a tablespoon (so that you don’t dirty the tub of coconut oil) and grease your hands all over. Once your hands are well greased, take a small bit of the mixture in your hands to form a small ball then put it on the baking tray. Do this until the mixture is finished and then wash your hands if they have too much mixture on, dry and re-grease them with coconut oil then flatten them all with your fingers until they are smooth and fairly flat but with a bit of bounce to them.

Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and put on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with a turmeric latte for extra anti-inflammatory goodness!

Love and light,
Lauren

Rhubarb & Raspberry Crumble

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rhubarb crumble

Magical food
Wonderful food
Heavenly food
Beautiful food
Food, Glooorrriiiooouuusss Fooooood!

That Oliver Twist sure knew what he was talking about didn’t he! We just love food! And we especially love desserts. And we especially ESPECIALLY love desserts that are guilt free! All of our desserts here at Two Kitchens will be gluten free, refined sugar free and dairy free. Look at this picture, could you tell the difference?! This is heavenly!! Nutritious also as the nuts supply our bodies with essential fatty acids and protein, and believe it or not, rhubarb has huge amounts of health benefits. It aids weight loss, improves digestion, is great for the skin, has cancer preventing properties, improves circulation, and, can you believe, helps prevents Alzheimer’s Disease! What’s not to love??

Ingredients

For the rhubarb:

475g rhubarb, cut into 5cm pieces
the juice of 1 1/2 oranges (reserve the zest for the crumble)
125ml raw honey
1/3 cup dates, chopped
pinch of himalayan salt
100g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

For the crumble:

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp himalayan salt
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
the zest of 1 lemon (plus the orange zest you’ve reserved)
½ cup almonds, soaked for 6 hours
60ml coconut oil
40ml raw honey

Method

Firstly, remember to pre-soak the almonds. Drain, rinse & pat them dry.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

In a saucepan combine all the rhubarb ingredients, except for the raspberries. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until tender. Stir in the raspberries, and pour into an oven-proof dish.

For the crumble, put the oats, ground flaxseed, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, orange and lemon zest and almonds into a food processor. Process until a crumb-like texture forms. Add the coconut oil and honey and combine well. Spread over the rhubarb mixture.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the crumble is golden and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Best served warm, but also delicious served at room temperature for breakfast the next day, with some coconut yoghurt!

Health & happiness!

Love,
Lauren & Raine