Imperfectly Paleo

Over the weekend I helped my daughter bake a tea loaf called Bara Brith - neither of us had come across this unusual sounding loaf made with tea and absolutely LOADED with sugar and dried fruit. Needless to say, it went down a storm and apparently we are baking another one this weekend! It got me thinking how I could make a slightly healthier version Apple and Carrot Earl Grey Tea Loaf Think: - a fraction of the dried fruit - stripping out all the refined sugar - adding masses of grated carrot and apple The children loved this as much as the high sugar version - hurrah! I also added some chopped walnuts for a bit of texture. Feel free to increase the amount of raisins (any other mix of dried fruit) to taste but remember the apple and cinnamon already add sweetness. The texture of this loaf is quite dense and high in moisture owing to the amount of fresh fruit/veg. Once sliced it can be lightly toasted under a grill and smeared with butter or dairy free equivale

It was two years ago that I first published this recipe and a lot has changed in that space of time. All else aside, my little blog continues to chug along - admittedly at glacial pace and with, at times, so few page views that I am led to wonder why I bother. Except I know that the reason I bother is because this is my dream and it's what I love. What is there left in this life without dreams to nurture and creativity to channel? So on I go.  Whole Orange and Butternut Squash Breakfast Muffins Revisited I'm revisiting some oldies but goodies so as not to forget about these recipes. Sometimes us oldies need to know that we're still loved. I've tweaked this recipe ever so slightly from the original and added more accurate measurements and a pinch of nutmeg but in essence it's the same super easy muffin recipe, that uses a whole orange - skin, pith and all, and plenty of butternut squash. Enjoy. Whole Orange and Butternut Squash Breakfast Muffins Gluten

These little cuties can be made in two 'flavourways' (if there is such a thing - think colourways in flavour terms!). My favourite is the Lemongrass and Strawberry but Ginger and Marmalade Thumbprint Cookies is a very close runner up. Just substitute Lemongrass with ground Ginger and Strawberry jam with Marmalade. Lemongrass and Strawberry/ Ginger and Marmalade Thumbprint Cookies Feel free to make some homemade jam and the internet is awash with recipes for chia jam, but St Dalfour's jams (high fruit content with no added sugar) are deliciously fruity and take a mere fraction of a second to open a jar! Lemongrass and Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Refined Sugar-free Makes 8 Ingredients : 1 1/2 cups (150g) almond meal 1 tbsp (15g) coconut flour, sifted 1/2 tsp baking powder pinch sea salt 1 tsp dried lemongrass, finely ground 3 tbsp (45g) coconut oil, melted (use refined coconut oil if you prefer a less coconutty

Yes, the title is an alliterative mouthful but that's how I like to roll - ha ha - get it? I made this absolutely aeons ago but didn't get round to writing it up and somehow just forgot about it.  It is super dense in texture (so don't expect a fluffy swiss roll feeling) and also rather fiddly to make but is really fun and definitely very healthy, being packed with all the green stuff - kale, spinach, matcha, moringa. Mostly I just make and eat the 'cake' bit - real life means patience and time don't often allow for the rolling and faffing! Matcha Moringa Roll with Carob Coconut Filling Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Nut-free Makes 8 pieces Ingredients : Cake: 45g kale leaves, washed and dried 60g spinach, washed and dried 2 medium, ripe spotty bananas (weighing 170g when peeled) 1/2 cup + 1 tsp (75g) coconut flour, sifted 1 tbsp (5g) moringa leaf powder 1 tbsp (5g) matcha green tea powder 4 medium eggs 2 tbsp cinn

Does anyone, except a former English Literature and Linguistics student, care about the nuances between doughnut versus donut ? Thought not! Easy Chocolate Mini Baked Doughnuts These little one-bite mini versions are simple but chocolatey. Feel free to glaze with a simple coconut oil + high cocoa content chocolate concoction if in the mood for something more decadent. Sprinkles also always an option. Easy Chocolate Mini Baked Doughnuts Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Nut-free Makes approx 25 mini Ingredients : 1/4 cup (35g) sifted coconut flour 1/4 cup (25-30g) unsweetened cocoa powder, or cacao 1/2 tsp baking powder big pinch sea salt 3 tbsp (50g) coconut oil, melted 4 medium eggs 2 tbsp unsweetened pumpkin puree 1/2 ripe medium banana optional 1-2 tbsp honey, agave or maple syrup Instructions : 1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius, 350 degrees farenheit. 2. Lightly grease a mini doughnut tin with coconut oil (or use silicone

For some, this recipe could be considered pushing the Paleo boundaries. If quinoa is that one step too far over the line for you then there is an option to substitute it for extra dessicated coconut. I am too long in the tooth to be so meticulous about a little bit of quinoa once in a while but it depends entirely on how it affects you as an individual. Coconut Quinoa and Raisin Cookies

I have no idea how I've travelled this food blog journey without yet making a coffee flavoured dessert. Every day after lunch I have my regular daily cup of coffee - nothing fancy as I don't own a coffee machine but I totally enjoy that moment of blissful idleness. It's the chasm between the morning's mania and the impending afternoon chaos. It's a small fissure of freedom but that's what coffee o'clock denotes to me. Chestnut Mocha (Coffee) Dairy Free Vegan Cheesecake  

My children and I absolutely LOVE sharon fruit (aka persimmon). Recently, as I bit into a particularly ripe and delicious one I experienced what can only be described as a Proustian memory - the same taste, smell and texture shelved in a box decades old; the home I shared with my parents, sisters and brother; the way the sunset always cast a luminous orange glow across the red carpet (yes, it was hideous!) in the living room. It is distant yet close - like the family I now see so rarely: logistically distant but always in my heart... Persimmon and Squash Autumn Slice

Let me be very clear at the outset: aside from their shape these bear absolutely zero resemblance to the average doughnut! That's not to say they don't taste good but there is truly nothing worse than unmet expectations - spiralling into disappointment, frustration and potential anger... After all, this is the highly sensitive subject of doughnuts, people! No-Bake Mini Matcha Sesame Dougnuts

A few weeks ago a fellow food blogger, Audrey Snowe aka The Unconventional Baker, who I admire immensely, instigated a little interactive Instagramming to encourage some social chitchat and engagement (albeit on a virtual level). Blueberry Lemon Parsnip Dairy Free Cheesecake

Though the general consensus of carrot cake is that it is healthy because it features a vegetable in its title, invariably this is just delusional and wishful thinking! However, all carrot cakes were not created equal... Raw Carrot Cake Squares  

No sugar, no nuts, no eggs, no grains or gluten (obviously), no nasties. Contains hidden kale and spinach. And the best thing? The kids LOVE it! Egg-free Nut-free Hidden Greens Banana Brownie

Let me cut to the chase: this was my birthday cake. And a rather significant birthday at that! Which basically meant I had free rein to incorporate all my favourite things - and felt absolutely no obligation to include the things that aren't. Yay! P.S. Best wishes for 2016 - may it be filled with happiness, health and much joy!

This is one for the serious chocolate lovers - who love it dark, dense, slightly bitter and ever so grown up! Serious Cocoa Fix Sweet Potato Mini Muffins

Most Paleo/ Vegan raw cakes (the ones that kinda masquerade as cheesecakes but actually taste nothing like cheesecake!) are packed with nuts. Aside from the fact I am appalling at portion control and eating nuts by the cupful, albeit in a smooshed up consistency, really does me no favours digestively or calorically speaking, my daughter is actually allergic to several varieties. I made this to celebrate her major achievement this week and hope she likes it! Spirulina Mint and Carob Raw Cake

I love matcha and I love brownies - the hybrid result is these deliciously squidgy, naturally sweet and full of goodness Matcha Blondies. Matcha Blondies I adapted the recipe from my Squidy Sesame Protein Brownie recipe but obviously without the cacao  and using the antioxidant rich flavour of matcha with warm honey and vanilla undertones. 

Could anything be more the stuff of dreams than indulgent chocolate being healthy? Well, in this case, a resounding yes! Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Dream Cake

Kale. Coconut. Cake. These are definitely a few of my favourite things! Kale and Lime Cupcakes with Whipped Coconut Cream When the lovely people at Paleo Parents agreed for me to feature a guest post I was over the moon with excitement. Then I was struck with the dilemma of choosing just ONE recipe! After much to-ing and fro-ing I settled on the one that encompasses how I feel about the food I choose to cook and eat every day: healthful, tasty, pretty and unconventional.Thank you again to Paleo Parents for featuring my recipe - you can go check it here Guest Post Kale and Lime Cupcakes

As much as I love coconut flour and am fiercely loyal to the regular inhabitants of my life, dietary or otherwise, sometimes, out of nowhere comes an itch to venture off-piste just for a brief adventure! Squidgy Sesame Protein Brownies

Lavender grows in abundance in this part of the world. It smells so relaxing and looks so beautiful that when I recently visited a lavender farm I knew I had to devise a recipe that set it centre stage. Lavender Fig and Honey Mini Cheesecakes Lavender is a herb that has a huge host of uses, including easing anxiety and stress, antiseptic properties and apparently relieving muscle and joint stiffness