Sugar Free Easter Treats - Coconut Fudge

Last night was a late night for me, I was up until all hours making a few Easter treats for the children – I  ended up with some Coconut Balls (raw figs, dates, nuts, almond butter), Fig Newtons, Cashew & Date Bars and Coconut Fudge.

The one thing I have mentioned to people time and again about the way we eat, is how we are never deprived. How I don’t miss sugar or any other addictive substance because we eat so much better and are quite satisfied with our food.

There is a way around everything and a way to have your cake (or cookies or dessert) without  adding or using anything nasty in the recipe. This is just good wholesome food the way it was intended to be – homemade of course.

So – for a treat at any time of the year and something that I would consider to be far superior in taste – try some Coconut Fudge. It can be made with any number of things, we like to use fresh organic orange zest, but I also like lime and lemon too or sometimes a few berries.

The taste of coconut and orange is refreshing without the guilt or after taste (I never like the way my body felt even an hour after eating sugar)  of eating sugar. This fudge also nice crumbled over a cake or some other dessert as a topping.

Coconut Fudge

1 package creamed coconut

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

To make coconut fudge is easy! All you need to do is melt the creamed coconut in a small saucepan over a low heat. As it melts, add in the honey and keep stirring gently to ensure it is all melted.

Once there is only liquid in the saucepan turn off the heat and stir in the orange zest. You may also use lime or lemon if desired. For a little extra citrus taste add 1 tablespoon orange juice.

Pour out this coconut cream into a shallow dish (I cover the bottom in parchment paper) and place in the fridge to cool until it is set. As it cools it will harden – you can then cut it into pieces – just like any other fudge.

This tastes great and the best part – it’s sugar free!

April

Cooled down and ready to cut - Coconut Fudge

Sourdough Starter and a Healthy Gut

This week I have been busy watching my sourdough starter culture grow – it is fascinating to say the very least and such a lesson on life. I am interested in trying my hand at sourdough for a few reasons but there's no time like right now to get going with it.…

Actually I just love to cook, bake and eat – so that’s reason number one right there. I also love bread – good bread and I must say I get the most wonderful comments on my Irish Soda Bread from all over. And I wanted to expand out my bread experiences.

Then there is the adventure aspect of learning something new and doing something from the absolute beginning – then seeing it turn into a final product. One that only you and your own hands produced.

I love that part of it far more then anything else. I like that the starter culture which grows is mine and most likely unique to me, my family and the place where I live.

It has our own unique bugs in there – and that reflects the health of our guts. Which after many years of detox, healing, fasting, cleanses and being very careful with our diets are finally about as whole as they are going to be.

Right now I am eating a wider range of foods (all homemade) then I have ever eaten, organic, fresh, real and wholesome. And my energy is good, my digestion is good – I can actually sense more ‘life’ in my gut.

It feels different. Especially after this last cleanse – 30 days on water and herbal tea. Of course I would be different, it was life changing and I would recommend it to anyone. (supervised by a nutritionist might be better!)

So, back to my sourdough starter….on day 1, I placed some rye flour and some water (clean well water) in a jar, stirred it for 30 seconds and put the lid on. Then left it in the warmest spot in the kitchen for 24 hours.

Day 2 – I took out about ½ of the mixture and added another 2 -3 tablespoons rye flour and 2 tablespoons water, stirred for 30 seconds and then left it to stand for 24 hours in the warm place.

On day 3, I did the exact same thing. Then on day 4 it had bubbled up (you can see the air bubbles), it smelled sweeter – I threw out a little more then ½ of the mixture and then replaced it with more rye flour and water.

No, I was not fussing about exact measurements. I just added what looked like enough (the flour feeds the culture) flour and water and then stirred. I always use a  clean spoon for everything – the flour, then the water and stirring.

By day 5 I had a growing sourdough culture that was easily doubling in size (or nearly triple) in the 24 hours. It smelled slightly fruity and nice….on day 6 I used it for the first time….

And as of right now I have a sour dough bread rising (it’s a slow process) in the warm spot. I will keep you posted on how this goes…and my recipe tomorrow!

April

Sourdough Rye Starter 

Healthy Breakfast - Rice Pudding

 Sometimes we get a little tired of the same old, same old for breakfast….or at least some people do (I happen to love porridge and toast!). When you are in need of a small change there are lots of options, you just need to use your imagination.

 My children love rice dishes and so do my dogs, we make their food for them, so there is usually lots of extra rice or beans on hand. Rice is also a tasty and healthy option to have at any meal – so why not for breakfast as well? It’s so quick and easy to make too….

Any time you have left over rice, you can make this easy breakfast or dessert, depending on the meal you have in mind. It only takes a few minutes....

To make a rice pudding for breakfast I do some very simple things….I take a couple cups of cooked rice (brown basmati is very nice) add a little butter, sultanas, chopped nuts, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon or whatever our tastes might be on that morning.

This is mixed a little but not overly, just enough to stir the flavours around as well as for the milk. You don’t want it saturated, so don’t add too much milk and butter. We also like it warm, so if you want – place this on a stove to heat it gently.

Then, just before serving, I sprinkle a handful of toasted muesli or toasted crunchy oat cereal overtop or even homemade yogurt. This is a lovely treat on a cold morning and something different from porridge – it can be as sweet as you like or even a little fresher with some chopped fruit.

It’s all so good for you!

April

Rice Pudding for breakfast

Homemade Spelt Pasta

Yesterday the children wanted pasta – this is not something I have traditionally enjoyed much myself, however I know they like it – so it gets made for them once in a while.

Of course, now, if we want pasta, it has to be made from scratch (just like everything else!) and that was going to be the fun part. I remember many years ago, making pasta dough and really liking the fact that I could make something very fresh.

I also remember buying freshly made pasta or at least not the dried stuff from the shops – and it was nicer to not have gone through any extra processes. But, for something with so few ingredients, it should be fairly easy to make.

And of course, it is. For the most part it is only flour, water and salt – you can get fancy with your recipe and add things like eggs, flavourings, colours and so much…I wanted to do my own thing and naturally to add my own things too.

For my recipe I just used about 4 cups spelt flour, ½ teaspoon sea salt and 1 ½ cups (or a little more) warm water to make a basic spelt pasta dough. But then to dress it up a tiny bit I added in some dried thyme and finely chopped seaweed.

Then I let the dough sit for about 20 minutes or so to settle and come to room temperature. I cut the dough into about 6 smaller pieces and flattened them out on a floured surface with my hand.

Once they were flat enough I started moving them through the pasta roller to thin even more, gradually getting them thinner until they were thin enough and easy to handle to make the pasta.

We decided to just make a linguine type of pasta – so each flattened piece of dough was now wound through the cutter and long pieces of linguine were pushed out the other end.

It really is a simple process (especially with a hand operated pasta roller and cutter) – the pasta can then be placed directly into boiling water and cooked until the desired consistency is reached.

I like spelt pasta because it is not as heavy as wheat pasta and I like it without eggs, but plan to try making some with an egg in it very soon to see how it turns out. If you haven’t tried making this yourself, you are really missing out on some fun (especially with children) and such a refreshing meal when made from your own hands.

It's too easy not to give it a go!

April 

Home made spelt pasta