Tag: two kitchens

Organic Spelt Soda Bread

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I love bread! There, I said it. Who doesn’t? When you try to live a healthy lifestyle you can’t really eat many breads because they all have so many preservatives in them, as well as other nasty ingredients. As you all know from my previous few posts, I’ve started weaning my baby, and although I am spoon feeding him some food, I’m trying to do as much baby led weaning as possible – or as much as he tells me he is comfortable with… So I’m looking for as many options as possible of foods that he can hold and feed himself. Toast is a great breakfast option but store-bought breads are so full of rubbish that I really don’t want him to have them.

I saw one of Paul Hollywood’s baking shows and he was making classic soda bread. It looked so simple and I thought, I must be able to substitute the white and wholemeal flours for spelt flour, so I gave it a go and also added some other ingredients to suit my own taste.

It turned out delicious – perfect actually, if I do say so myself!

Although spelt is ‘classified’ as wheat, it’s actually not wheat at all. It’s an ancient grain that has been cultivated for thousands of years and has nothing man-made in it and although it technically has gluten in it, the molecular make-up of the gluten in spelt flour is very different to that of normal wheat flour. it is more soluble and therefore more easily digested and less likely to cause an intolerance. And from gluten to dairy… It’s not often I eat dairy but if I can get a nice cheese from a farmer’s market I’m a happy bunny and this bread is perfect with a lovely bit of cheese on top, (there is also dairy in the recipe) and let’s add to that a glass of organic wine, seeing as we’re already being naughty! Alternatively, a good dollop of almond butter will taste amazing too.

Ingredients

2 cups (a normal mug is fine to measure a cup)
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
284ml carton of organic buttermilk
1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a loaf tin with baking parchment and grease with coconut oil.

Sift the spelt flour through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard the tiny bits of brown left over in the sieve. Add the salt, bicarb and cinnamon and mix well.

Now add the buttermilk and agave, mix it in with the spoon by folding, then use your hands to really knead it all together. You’ll have to do this fairly quickly as the buttermilk will start reacting with the bicarbonate of soda. You could sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and knead it there instead of the bowl. I find this makes it easier.

Once it’s thoroughly mixed in, shape it into the loaf tin with your hands.

Take a knife and cut a fairly deep cross into the top, then sprinkle with some more flour and put in the oven for 30 minutes. When ready the base should make a hollow sound when you tap it.

It should fall easily out of the loaf tin, then place it on a wire rack to cool a little, but you can cut into it while it’s still warm – and you’re going to want to!

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Peppermint Matcha Latte

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I wanted to start a gentle detoxification of the fertility drugs I had to take, so I decided to start drinking matcha tea. I bought the ceremonial grade (this is the highest grade and should be the one you use if it’s for drinking) and started having one cup a day (can’t have more as I’m breastfeeding). One afternoon I fancied something sweet. I used to love a chai tea latte at Starbucks but I try not to drink any of that anymore, so I wondered if I could make matcha into a latte. Turns out you can, and it’s delicious! You can add the peppermint like I did or have it without.

Ingredients

1 tsp ceremonial grade matcha tea
1 mug full of almond milk
1 tsp agave nectar
1 drop organic peppermint oil

Method

Heat the almond milk in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the matcha, stir quite well to get the milk to absorb the powder, then add the agave and peppermint oil and stir until well incorporated.

Pour into a mug and enjoy as a warming, satisfying afternoon drink.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Overnight Chia Oats with Strawberry Compote

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Overnight Oats with Strawberry Compote

Overnight oats is this easiest thing to make and it makes such a nice change from the usual breakfast. You can also do all sorts of flavours and toppings so it never gets boring. Get a good batch of organic, gluten free oats, some almond milk, and some fruit and nuts and you’re ready to go! The chia seeds give extra goodness and protein.

Ingredients

1 cup organic, gluten free oats
1.5 cups almond milk
2 tbsp pure organic maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tbsp chia seeds
A big handful of organic strawberries

Method

Mix your oats, milk, maple, chia seeds and cinnamon in a bowl, cover with cling-film and leave in the fridge overnight.

When you’re ready to eat it the next morning, make the compote by putting the strawberries in the food processor.

Layer both mixtures up in small cups or bowls, top with nuts or seeds of choice. Yummy and so great for the kids!

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Raw Caramel & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats

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Raw Caramel & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats

Yesterday I posted our Chocolate & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats and today I thought I’d try the recipe with caramel instead of chocolate, using our Raw Caramel Recipe, and they are divine! Again using quinoa instead of Rice Krispies for gluten free, organic, protein-filled goodness.

Ingredients

1 x Raw Caramel recipe
2 cups puffed quinoa pops

Method

Make the caramel as per the recipe above then put the puffed quinoa in a bowl and pour the caramel over. Mix it well, you might need to squish it all over with your hands – the kids will love it!

Arrange some muffin cases in a cupcake baking tin and add some of the mixture to each case, then put in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Once ready you can keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Valentine’s Pancakes

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These look like they’re filled with some sort of nasty artificial colouring, right? Wrong! Can you guess what the pink colour is? OK I’ll tell you… it’s beetroot! I love my healthy pancake recipe but I wanted to make something extra special for Valentine’s Day without using artificial colouring and all the colourings and flavours we need are already found in nature. I used my usual recipe, just added beetroot and changed it very slightly. I promise it doesn’t taste of beetroot either – they just taste like insanely yummy and fluffy pancakes. So easy to make as well, oh and they’re vegan too!

If you’re trying to be healthy but want to treat your partner to breakfast in bed this Valentine’s Day, you can’t get better than these. Yummy, nutritious – both buckwheat flour and beetroot are good for the blood and lowering cholesterol. The chocolate sauce is full of protein and is a great aphrodisiac – just what you need for Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients

Half cup buckwheat flour
1 beetroot, peeled, chopped and steamed (or ready cooked)
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
5 tbsp purified water
1 ripe banana
Half cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp maple or agave
Pinch Himalayan salt
Coconut oil for cooking

Method

First, mix the flax seeds in a bowl with the water and put in the fridge for 10 minutes to create flax ‘eggs’.

While it’s in the fridge, start preparing the rest. Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Once the flax eggs are ready, add this to the mix and blend until smooth.

Transfer this to a bowl so it’s easier to access with the ladle.

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Use a non-stick pan and heat some coconut oil in the middle, just a little, and when it’s hot, add a small ladle full of the mixture to the centre and spoon it over to create a pancake shape. It will only need around a minute on each side, but all hobs are different so you want it to be fluffy and cooked on the inside but not burnt on the outside. Repeat until the mixture is used up.

Top with homemade chocolate sauce or maple syrup, coconut cream or any topping of choice.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

LOVE,
Lauren

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Chai Ginger Snap Cookies

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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

Chocolate ‘Nice’ Cream & Overnight Oats Breakfast Parfait

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Oh how I love a breakfast parfait. It’s so important to get your protein in in the morning, I’d say especially if you’re a veggie but it’s for anyone really. It’s the most important time of day to have a good protein intake so most of my breakfasts are packed with plant-based protein. I see some people doing nana ice cream parfaits in massive jars but for me it’s too much, this amount is just the right portion size for breakfast, I’d say. My protein today came from the almond butter in the oats, the almond milk in the oats (calcium also), the cacao in the ice cream, and the quinoa pops layered in the middle and sprinkled on the top. I also added maca powder to the overnight oats to give me extra strength and endurance.

Ingredients

Overnight oats layer
1 cup organic jumbo rolled oats
2 cups almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp organic natural maple

Chocolate nana ice cream layer
2 frozen bananas
1 heaped tsp raw cacao
1 tsp organic natural maple

Extras
Puffed quinoa pops

Method

The day before, combine all the ingredients for overnight oats, mix well, cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

When you’re ready to make the parfait, take the bananas out the freezer and put them in the blender with the cacao and maple and blend until smooth and creamy.

Layer a few spoonfuls of the overnight oats on the bottom, put the quinoa pops in the middle, then spoon the ice cream on the top and sprinkle with more quinoa pops.

You should have a big bowl of overnight oats left so you can have this for breakfast for the next few days in whichever variation you like…

Enjoy!
Love,
Lauren

No-Fry Vegan Falafel

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The chickpea, ladies and gentlemen, making yet another appearance. They’re just so bloody versatile! Yesterday I made cookies with them, last week hummus, today falafel.

Where I come from, falafel are fried in oil (where I come from just about everything is fried in oil!) but here at Two Kitchens we’re about healthy, nutritious food and Raine and I often take traditional recipes and try to make them healthier so these are baked instead of fried and have no grains or animal produce in them, they are fully plant-based. Here’s how:

Ingredients

2x 400g tins chickpeas
2 small carrots
1 onion
A handful of coriander, chopped finely
A handful of parsley, chopped finely
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp Himalayan salt
Some pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Drain the chickpeas in a colander and rinse with cold water. Then pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess liquid and leave there to drain for a minute.

Peel the carrots and onion and put them in the food processor with the chopping blade or on a chopping setting to get them chopped up nice and small, very quickly. It shouldn’t take more than 10 seconds. Scoop it all out into a bowl and leave to the side for a moment.

Put the chickpeas in your food processor (you don’t need to clean it of the carrot and onion) and blend until smooth but not for too long as you don’t want to make hummus.

Once blended add the grated carrot and onion back in, along with the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine. Alternatively you can remove all of it from the food processor and mix in a bowl.10

Once combined, wet your hands slightly and shape into balls or flatten them for falafel that fit nicely into pitta bread. I’ve done both in the picture below so you can see.11

Once all balls are on the baking tray, put them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they are nicely golden but not burning. You can turn them over half way.

Serve straight away, either in pitta with salad and hummus or on a plate along with other plant-based goodies. I served it for dinner with roasted butternut squash, chopped avocado and homemade tahini.14

I’m feeling very happy and positive today, so I’m sending that out to all of you who need the same!
Love,
Lauren