Paleo Lemon and Blueberry Loaf

I, like many people, just love to watch the Great British Bake Off. It's just such an entertaining show and it's one that encourages people to get back into the kitchen! What more do you need? Now if you are anything like me you will need to watch this show stuffed to the brim or have some nice healthy cakes to hand. Otherwise you will spend the entire show drooling and/or repeatedly going to your cupboards hoping some baked creation will have magically appeared.

To prevent such sweet cravings I try and have some sort of cake made and waiting to fill the void. I recently tried this lemon and blueberry loaf and really enjoyed it. It's light and tasty with just enough stodge to satisfy. It is moist and so easy to make and keeps for a few days (if you don't polish it off in one sitting!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of ground almonds
1/4 cup of dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
4 organic, free range eggs
1/2 cup of organic coconut oil - melted (Cold pressed/Extra Virgin if possible)
1/3 cup of raw honey (organic and local ideally)
Juice of 1 lemon (organic and unwaxed)
Zest of 2 lemons
1 - 1 1/2 cups of organic blueberries

Optional glaze:
1/3 cup of full fat butter - melted
2 tablespoons of softened coconut oil
2 tablespoons of raw honey
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or Gas Mark 4.
Mix all the dry ingredients together except for the blueberries.
Slowly add in the wet ingredients, one egg at a time.
Ensure the batter is mixed thoroughly.
Line a bread loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Place 1/2 the batter in the tin. Using 1/2 of the blueberries place them gently on top of the batter.
Cover with the remaining batter and then the remaining blueberries.
Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes covering with foil if turning too brown.
When it is cooked allow it to cool on a wire rack.
If you wish to use the glaze then mix all ingredients together and once the loaf is fully cool drizzle the glaze over the top and allow it to soak into the cake.
Slice and enjoy!

Prep Time:
5-10 minutes

Cooking Time:
30-35 minutes

Dietary Information:
Paleo
Gluten Free
Wheat Free
Sugar Free
Diary Free
Vegetarian
Good Fats
Blueberries are one of your 5 a day and provide many anti oxidants which are great for repairing and healing resulting in better skin, hair, nails and overall health.

Storage Instructions:
Like most cakes this is best eaten warm from the oven! But it will keep for a few days in a sealed container. If you have good will power you could slice the loaf and freeze in individual slices to be defrosted and eaten when wanting a quick treat!

Enjoy this dish guys. I really do and it definitely fills a gap for stodgey, sweet treats without breaking free from eating clean.

Sweet Summer Treats

Since moving to Germany I decided to join a book club. It is with the ladies I work with and we keep it relatively casual and as an excuse to get together, have some nice food and chats away from the work environment. We also actually talk about the book!

Each person brings a food dish and it makes for the most lovely evening. This week I decided to bring dessert. The weather is warm here and there are so many strawberry farms near by I thought Chocolate covered strawberries would be perfect. Cheap, easy and healthy to boot. They went down an absolute treat with all in attendance! Here's how you can do the same:

Ingredients:
60%+ Dark chocolate (I usually use 75-80%)
Strawberries
Desicated Coconut
Chia Seeds
Drop of Olive Oil

Method:

First you need to prepare your strawberries. Wash them well, leaving the stalks intact. Allow them to dry completely or pat dry with kitchen paper or a towel. Any moisture will prevent the chocolate from sticking.

Using a metal pan on low heat break the  chocolate into pieces and melt with 2-3 drops of oil. The oil allows you more time to work with the chocolate and also gives it a lovely sheen.

As the chocolate is melting stir every few seconds to prevent it burning. You can also melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a metal pan with the base covered in water this is known as the bain marie method.

As the chocolate is melting prepare a tray or plate with some grease proof paper. Have the strawberries near by and get two small bowls filled with your toppings. Here I used dedicated coconut and chia seeds. Other options are crushed nuts, ground goji berries, almond flakes, crushed pistachios or orange zest. Equally you can just serve them with plain chocolate.

Using the green stalks as a hand hold dip the chocolate into the pan of melted chocolate covering as much as possible. Immediately dip the berry in the topping of your choice. Place on their side on the greaseproof tray and allow to cool.

These are best served from the fridge on a warm summers day.

The perfect quick, healthy and tasty end to a summer's meal.

Prep Time:
Less than 5 minutes!

Dietary Information:
Gluten Free

Wheat free

Sugar Free 

Paleo 

Vegetarian

Nuts are packed with good fats, omega 3s (brain food) minerals and vitamins.

Chia seeds are full of protein, antioxidants and make you fell full for longer.

Dark Chocolate is packed with anti-oxidants and helps lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind).

Storage Instructions:

These can be made in advance and when cool stored in a sealed container or frozen. 

You don't have to use just strawberries. Sliced Banana is also good and looks wonderful with lots of different toppings.

Enjoy!

Coconut and Mango Drizzle Cake

I invented this recipe by accident and often they are the best ones! I went to make lemon drizzle cake and realised I had no lemons! I did however have a mango that was going off and so I decided to try and re-work the recipe.

This was met with delight by my husband who has a real penchant for mango and all exotic fruits.

It's a simple and quick recipe, Paleo, Gluten Free, Sugar Free and delicious. You dont have to be a baking genius either as if it doesn't look pretty you just cover it over with the drizzle!

This is such a summer dessert with tastes of the Caribbean, summer and sunshine. Perfect for entertaining outside or after a BBQ. It's moist and tasty and good for you too!

Ingredients:
110g Grass fed butter (Kerrygold or equivalent)
110g Honey (locally sourced and organic)
4 large free range organic Eggs
200g of dessicated Coconut
1 large ripe Mango

Method:
Peel and de core the mango setting half of the pulp and juice aside.
Mix all the other ingredients together in a large bowl, ensuring they are well blended.
Add in one half of the mango pulp. Try to avoid too much juice as it will make the mixture soggy.
Line a loaf tin (or what ever tin you have) with greaseproof paper.
Pour the cake mix into the tin and cook in the oven  at 170 deg C for 45 minutes.
Check after 25 minutes and if it is starting to burn cover with some tinfoil.

Allow the cake to fully cool.
Blend the other half of the mango until smooth. If you feel it is too runny (depending on the amount of juice) then add some grain free flour to thicken it, or chia seeds or if you aren't concerned with fat loss/nutrition then add some sugar/honey to sweeten and thicken.
Drizzle this mixture over the cake and serve!

Prep Time:
5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 
30-45 minutes

Dietary Information:

Paleo

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Sugar Free

Vegetarian

Full of good fats - coconut

Low in carbohydrate

Eggs are full of protein, high in vitamins and minerals and great for your hair, skin and nails.

Serving Suggestions:

This is fantastic served as it is, or with some whipped coconut cream or normal cream. Or if you are feeling naughty some ice cream!

Storage Instructions:

This kept in a covered container for 3-4 days but it may not last that long!