GLUTEN FREE Apple and Blackberry healthy muffinz

 ohhhh what to do with my bumper crop of berries!!?! There were so many recipes these juicy sweet berries would've made special, but recently I have been finding myself needing a portable yummy snack for my break times in the school staff room.

Whilst All my colleages dunk their biscuits in the tea and coffees after a testing morning of educating little'uns, I sit there nibbling my fruit ( not that fruits bad! fruits good for you kids, eat it!) ... but treats just satisfy that 11o'clock sweet tooth snack attack sooo much more. And in any case this is a muffin that healthy and jam packed full to the brim with goodness.

Made from soya yoghurt instead of any fat these muffins are moist and packed full of a deliously sweet berry flavour, whole blackberries and chunks of cooking apple add texture and an extra tart hit in every bite.

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE MUFFINS
MAKES 6 (large)
86 CALORIES
Ingrediants
1 pot of Alpro Blackberry soya yogurt
1/4 cup Splenda/ granulated sweetener
1 cup blackberries
1 egg white/ 1 tsp flax seed
1 medium cooking apples cooked and pureed
1 medium apple finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla flavouring
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg)
3/4 tsp salt


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
2. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients...  flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside.
4. In another bowl, combine the following ingredients... pureed apple, Alpro yogurt pot, sweetener, vanilla extract, and egg.  

5. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold the mixture.  DO NOT OVERMIX. 
6. Add the berries and chuncks of apple and fold gently.
7. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners.
8. Place the muffins in the oven for 16-18 minutes.

Gluten Free + Vegan Pear and Plum CRUMBLE.

 This year, the weather has been weird. Never know whether to wear a bikini or anorak... I choose to wear both, but that's beside the point. All this sunshine and showers has done wonders for all the green things. especially the old plum tree in my garden. Its heaving with a bumper crop of super juicy and ripe fruit. in the slightest breeze a dozen will fall on my noggin. So, a bit like a newton moment, it hit me. actually use/eat them.

 I made a simple compote firstly and added it to my oatmeal. it was gooood, but that just wasn't enough. So I got rubbin' crumbs, and topped the home grown fruit and made a PLUMBLE.

 yup... PLUMS + CRUMBLE = PLUMBLE.
Ingredients
1 cup of stoned and chopped plums
1 medium peeled pear, chopped.
1 tbsp honey or agave nectar
cinnamon + nutmeg to taste.


for topping
2 tbsp soya spread or butter
50g gluten free plain white flour mix
30g gluten free oats
30g ground almonds
30g coconut flour
2 tbsp granulated sweetener or sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F or 180*C. In a small oven dish, placed chopped and prepared fruit. stir in sweetener and spices.
2. in a separate bowl, stirp flours oats, almonds. 
3. divide butter and rub into flours until  fine crumb consistancy is made, then add sweetener r sugar.
4. top fruit with crumble mix and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until bubbling, golden brown and crisp.

 Such an easy dessert, but all the flavours work incredibly well, the tart plums are warmed by the spices and complimented by the sweet, nutty and buttery crumble topping. YUM.

I served mine with some vanilla ice cream. A warm crumble maybe a autumnal pudding, not so much converted in the summer months, but the seasons are a bit crazy and so am I.

Is the weather where you are as unpredictable? have you grown any veggies or fruit in your garden?

peanut flour banana bread (Gluten Free)

When a batter tastes like peanut butter cakey heaven.... ya know your on to something.

I couldn't stop licking the spoon / whisk/ bowl/ spatula... to much information??  maybe. But it sure saved time on washing up... ;)
My stash of peanut flour is very, very precious... I can't find Peanut flour anywhere in the UK and don't get me started on shipping costs from the US. My stash is so much of a valuable commodity, I hid it. I hid it from myself and my grubby baking mitts and forgot all about it. In fact, its been left untouched for months. It struck me to finally use it this morning, Whilst working out what four would be best for  a GF banana loaf... so with great pain and a heavy heart, I added the flour to the mix and stirred up a revelation.

Boy oh boy am I glad, I decided to crack open that sack ... I just wish i had done it sooner.
This banana bread is light, fluffy and delicately flavoured. just the right sweetness and a hint of peanut. Perfect with some chocolate PB for afternoon tea. The loaf is high in fibre, low carb and high protein. If you dont have and peanut flour I reckon it would work well with coconut flour too.
 GLUTEN FREE PEANUT FLOUR BANANA BREAD.
Ingredients
 3/4 cup peanut flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs or 1 tsp flaxseed mix
1/4 cup sweetener
1 tbsp Agave or honey (optional)
3 tbsp  milk
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
(optional add ins I used some 2 tbsp of Seeds,, but you could add nuts, shredded coconut or chocolate chips...)

Its so, so easy to make...

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 350 F.  
2. Mix all the flours and dry ingredients together in bowl
3. Puree (or mash) bananas, whisk in eggs and honey.
4. Add wet ingredients into dry.  
5. Pour into a 8-by-4 inch baking loaf pan.  (A 9-by-5 will create a more short, squat loaf like mine!)  Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in it comes out clean.

 Use ya loaf, and bake this now.

Blueberry Pie (Gluten free pastry)

 

 Since finishing University I have found my self feeling liberated and able to bake with out a guilty "i shouldn't be icing this cupcake i should be studying'' conscious. I can breathe a sigh of relief and get down to what i ultimately love most, baking and Beebz. Bobbin has been getting lots of extra walks and attention and my kitchen has been a hive of activity.

 

My mind has been racing with lots of recipes I want to try out or convert to gluten free. This afternoon I took on pastry... This was a first attempt and I'm gonna keep dabbling with quantities but here's my very healthy GF recipe for

BLUEBERRY PIE.

  

Gluten free sweet short crust pastry

1 cup sifted gluten-free flour mixture (I used doves white flour mixture)
1 tbsp granulated sweetener
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup applesauce (orrrr 2 tsp butter)
2 tablespoons ice-cold water
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum
around 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar (dusting/ for rolling)

    1.    In a medium bowl, sift together the flour mixture, sugar, and salt.
    2.    In a small bowl, combine the oil, water, and vanilla.
    3.    Pour the liquid mixture into the center of the flour mixture. With a rubber spatula, stir the dough well until it holds together.
    4.    With your hands, knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
    5.    With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle.
    6.    lift pastry and press in to greased 8' pie dish.
    7.    with remaining dough roll out and cut into strips for the pie top.

 Blueberry pie filling
1 cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
4 dates finely chopped
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tsp water

    1.    In a saucepan add all ingredients and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and dates are soft.
    2.    pour blueberry filling in to pie crust and basket weave the strips of remaining pastry, brush with egg and sprinkle with a little caster sugar.
    3.    bake ya pie at 185/350 for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden.... allow to cool and slice it up.

  Enjoy on its own but I shoveled my slice down my pie hole with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. mmmmhmmmm.

 I have to say the gluten free and mostly fat free pastry was quite crispy on top, and a little chewy when still hot, but once it had cooled completely this pie was awesome. I think its the sweet fruity filling that makes it.
 One day i will make buttery flakey pastry but something inside me yearns to find and invent healthy alternative recipes...probably because when, like me and my sweetooth, you have 3 servings of pudding type meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner and pudding) something like butter has gotta give....but some times i have to admit the original is best. So if its special occasion or you just want an super amazing crust i would substitute the applesauce for 2tbsp of chilled butter. 

 

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Gluten free and fat free Strawberry and Date crumble bars.

 

So, after searching quite extensively, there really aren't many gluten free baked goodies/ dessert recipes out there on the big ol wide web. So this afternoon i took it upon my self to do some inventing/experimenting...

And so i bring to you...

STRAWBERRY DATE SHORTCAKE CRUMBLE SQUARES!

yep the name needs working on but it describes my baked treat adequately,

They have a short bread biscuit base, sticky sweet strawberry and date center and a crunchy, nutty crumble topping. I was a bit apprehensive and worried they may be a bit bland but they kinda tasted like a cross between a jammy dodger and one of those fig roll biscuits.

Completely fat free and gluten free and no processed sugar. 

You will be amazed at how good these are. They’re low in everything, except flavour.

88calories per square.

 INGREDIENTS
Makes 12 servings (2''x2'')
crust and crumble topping
1 1/2 Cups of  gluten free plain flour mix (i used doves)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
120g unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
 (add choice of chopped nuts for topping and or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)

filling
3/4 cup dates

1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 cup water


DIRECTIONS

1.  Pre heat oven to 180 degrees or 350 F.
2. First, chop dates and strawbs and throw them in to a pan with the water and simmer until mixture bubbles and dates have all mushed. 
3. In a bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. add puree and honey and rub until mixture is cumbley. 
4. Line a tin win foil and press 3/4 of crumb mixture in to the pan.
5. Pour and smooth over date and strawberry puree.
6. Add nuts to remainder of crumble mix and sprinkle over.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. remove and allow to cool and set completely before cutting up.
8. Boil kettle, make cuppa, put feet up, tv on and enjoy your tea time treat.