Incredible bacon jam!

February 21, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is the most delicious spread that can be used in so many different ways, including slathering on burgers.
The bacon is basically slow-cooked with onions, spices and brown sugar.

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1 lb thick cut hickory smoked bacon, finely chopped
2 medium white onions, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup brewed dark coffee
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy.
Remove all but 2 Tbsp. of the bacon grease.
Turn the heat to low and add in the onions and salt then cook until browned or lightly caramelized.
Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
Remove all but 1/2 tbsp of the grease.
Add in the brown sugar, cider vinegar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and prepared black coffee.
Let cook down until slightly thickened and lightly browned, or about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in balsamic vinegar.
Serve warm or in the refrigerator in an airtight container or mason jar.

Do-ahead · Vegetable sides

Low-carb cheesy zucchini gratin

February 21, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

Cheesy Zucchini Gratin is not only low carb, it is insanely delicious and loaded with garlic and the most heavenly cheesy cream sauce. Adults and children will both love it.

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1 large zucchini, sliced thin & cut in half circles
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup of beef broth
1 cup cheese of your choice (mozzarella/asiago mix is great, also provolone/fontina works wonderfully too)
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large oven proof skillet, melt butter with the onions until lightly caramelized, then add in the fresh garlic and saute for about 1 minute on medium heat.

Add in the beef broth, salt, pepper and the heavy cream into the onion/garlic mixture and stir to combine.

Allow it to slightly begin to bubble, then add in the parmesan cheese and stir.

Add in the sliced zucchini and cook an for an additional 5 minutes until softened..

Top with your cheese of choice evenly across the entire top and bake at 425F for about 12-15 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown to your liking.

Chocolate · Do-ahead

Marmalade-marbled chocolate brownies

February 17, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

The chocolate-orange combination is sublime and the British cookies called “Jaffa cakes” springs to mind. Marmalade is divine marbled through the gooey, chocolatey brownie.

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1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Seville orange marmalade
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch square pan.
Melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat.
Add the sugar and marmalade and beat until blended.
Add the beaten eggs and vanilla essence; mix.
Add the flour, walnuts and salt. Stir to blend.
Spread in the pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Baking · Chocolate · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Chocolate olive oil cake

February 14, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

This cake from Nigella Lawson is absolutely wonderful and gluten free.
It’s very moist, not too sweet and divine simply served with raspberries and creme fraiche.

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Makes: 8-12 slices

⅔ cup regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
6 tbsp good-quality unsweetened cocoa (sifted)
½ cup boiling water
2 tsp best vanilla extract
1½ cups almond meal or ground almonds
½ tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 cup superfine (caster) sugar
3 large eggs

Preheat your oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF.
Grease a 9inch springform tin with a little oil and line the base with baking parchment.

Measure and sift the unsweetened cocoa into a bowl and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
In another smallish bowl, combine the almond meal with the baking soda and pinch of salt.

Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream.
Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond mixture.
Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream, as a pudding.

Baking · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

5-ingredient flourless orange and almond cake

February 13, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda2 Comments

This cake is so easy and incredibly tasty and moist, given the whole orange goes into it.Well worth having in your repertoire and delicious served with creme fraiche and dark berries

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2 large oranges
6 large organic eggs
½ lb ground almonds (also called almond flour)
½ lb sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Wash the whole oranges and simmer them, unpeeled, in water to cover for 2 hours. Cool, cut them open and remove the seeds. Puree the oranges, including the peel, in a food processor.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Beat the eggs in a food processor or large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, including the orange puree, and mix thoroughly. Pour into a buttered and floured cake tin, with a removable base if possible.
Bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the tin before turning out.

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Egg based · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Indian-spiced tomato and egg casserole

January 21, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

Baking · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Paleo/Whole 30 fudgy three ingredient cookies

January 12, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda2 Comments

These wonderful 3-ingredient cookies have NO gluten, grains, dairy, eggs, or added sugar!
They come together in a snap and only require a bowl and spoon to make.
From the Food Blog “A Clean Bake”

*I use creamy almond butter as I’m on the Whole 30, but you can use peanut butter if you prefer.

The salt is what pulls the whole cookie together, making the cocoa taste more robust and bringing out the sweetness of the bananas. The salt is actually pretty important, even though it doesn’t technically go in the cookie.

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Servings: 24 cookies

3 ripe bananas about 1 1/2 cups puree, mashed or pureed until smooth
1/2 cup natural unsweetened creamy almond butter(or creamy peanut butter if you prefer)
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder. (I like Scharffen Berger)
handful coarse sea salt for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to thoroughly combine the first three ingredients until it reaches a smooth and uniform consistency.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a greased or lined cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a pinch of sea salt.
Bake for 8-15 minutes (see note) until cookies lose their sheen.
Allow to cool and set on the cookie sheets for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yield: About 2 dozen cookies.
Troubleshooting tips:
If your cookies are too lumpy, try running the dough in the food processor for 30-60 seconds.
The moisture content of the dough may vary (for example if your large banana is bigger than they ones I used). If the batter is too thin and watery, you can try two things: add more cocoa to absorb the moisture, and/or bake for longer.
Make sure you thoroughly stir your almond/peanut butter. If it is too oily (such as from the top of a new jar), that might be another reason why your batter could be too runny.
On the other hand, if your PB is the right consistency, it can be tough to stir into the batter. Try microwaving it for 15-20 seconds until it’s smooth and easier to work with.
Depending on the moisture content of your bananas, your baking time could vary from 8 minutes to 15 minutes.
If your dough is more like a thick batter, just plop the portions of dough on the cookie sheet and they will spread out by themselves. No need to flatten with a fork.
If you don’t want to garnish your cookies with salt, add a pinch to the batter.

Chocolate · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Whole 30/Paleo brownie balls

January 11, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

When you’re off sugar, grains and dairy, sometimes you really want something sweet and it can be hard to find. These little gems are chocolatey and rich, but really healthy with lots of protein, fiber and healthy fats.. Thank you to “Paleo Grubs” blog.
You simply blend everything together, and then roll the ‘dough’ into bite-size brownie balls.
Sometimes it’s nice to roll the finished brownie bites in chopped nuts or dried coconut and they are definitely best served straight from the refrigerator.

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1 1/2 cups walnuts
Pinch of salt
1 cup pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. I love Scharffen Berger)

Add the walnuts and salt to a food processor. Mix until the walnuts are finely ground.
Add the dates, vanilla, and cocoa powder to the blender.
Mix well until everything is combined. With the blender still running, add a couple drops of water at a time to make the mixture stick together.
Using a spatula, transfer the mixture into a bowl. Using your hands, form small round balls, rolling in your palm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Breakfast · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Chai spiced Paleo chia seed pudding

January 8, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This fabulous chai spiced Paleo chia seed pudding is one of my favorite breakfast or dessert dishes. It’s Whole30, has a bit of spice, fall fruit and your favorite toppings!
Recipe from blog, “Real, SImple, Good”

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1/4 cup chia seeds
2 tbsp hempseed
1 cup full fat coconut milk (or sub nut milk of choice)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of sea salt
Optional toppings:
Chopped nuts or seeds (I love pecans and walnuts)
Almond butter
Honey (not for Whole 30)
Fresh or frozen berries
Banana slices

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except toppings with a whisk. Let everything settle, mix again and again until the chia seeds start to expand. You can eat right away or let it firm up a bit in the fridge.

When you’re ready to eat, layer on all the toppings and enjoy!
I like to heat mine up a little before adding all the toppings for an overnight oats kind of feel!