The classic breakfast of French toast or eggy bread gets a gluten-free makeover just in time for Christmas!
Yield: serves 2
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Gluten-Free Eggy Bread
Growing up in the American South, elaborate cooked breakfasts were how you started the weekend and one of my all-time favourites is my mom's French toast. French toast, or eggy bread, as it's called in the UK, is a deliciously simple dish of bread dipped in eggs and pan fried, served with maple syrup and fresh fruit. It works best with slightly stale bread, and given that most gluten free bread naturally has many of the properties of slightly stale normal bread, it works great! This is one of those easy to make yet impressive breakfasts that you could pull out of your back pocket when you have guests or even for Christmas morning.
Boost your iron intake with this berry smoothie bowl scattered with chia and flax seeds!
Yield: 1 smoothie bowl
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Gluten Free Berry & Iron Smoothie Bowl
This breakfast is one of those feel-good meals that will invigorate and energise you, whilst keeping you full. You'll notice there aren't any measurements given in the ingredients list, just because I believe smoothies should be made with only the things you like -- and as much or as little of them as you want! I made this recipe in my Nutri Ninja, so the instructions call for you to layer the ingredients so that the biggest bits are closest to the blade. If you are using a traditional blender with the blades in the bottom of the container, reverse the order.
Made overnight, this easy chia pudding is sweet and tart with a touch of honey and ripe blackberries!
Yield: 1 bowl
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Gluten Free Blackberry Vanilla Chia Pudding
Breakfast foods are my favourite, but even though I'm a morning person, I don't always feel like getting up and preparing something first thing in the morning. So after I discovered chia seeds, a friend of mine shared with me this revolutionary breakfast of chia pudding. The best thing about it? You just make it up the night before, leave it in the fridge and you can grab it on your way to work. Easy.
This nutty gluten free layered cake is made from meringues and with toasted almonds and hazelnuts!
Yield: 2 mini marjolaine cakes
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Gluten Free French Marjolaine
Here's last week's #GBBOGlutenFree TechnicalChallenge offering! It's really yummy, although I think it's a bit of a nut overload and perhaps not worth all the effort you'll put into this recipe! If you watched the show, you'll know that the contestants and Mary baked a large marjolaine, but that was too big for a family of three, so I've cut the recipe down make these two smaller cakes that are much more manageable. Still, even with all the hard work, I'd say these are great for a special occasion but not an every day bake. They're surprisingly easy to make, although labour intensive!
I am a little obsessed with Halloween! I just love the idea of all that candy, the costumes and the cute decorations. Two years ago, I created a pretty simple orange Halloween macaron recipe that was a big hit, but this year I wanted to take my Halloween macarons one step further! These little Frankenstein heads are just the cutest. They're easy to do -- no, really; they are! And they'll be the talk of the table at your Halloween party! Don't worry if you're not the greatest artist, I'm not either! No one's going to care if your stitches are wonky or your mouths are too small; it's all about their incredible taste!
A couple of notes: feel free to make these as green as you'd like. If you're in the UK and not using American gel colours, you'll probably find that due to EU regulations, the colours aren't exactly vibrant. I think it's fine; there's not many E numbers in the gel paste colouring here. If you're in the US, however, your food dye is a lot more concentrated and will probably yield a deeper green. Either way is fine!
A gluten free interpretation of a classic French fougasse, that's vegan-friendly!
Yield: 4 fougasse
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Gluten Free Fougasse
I first encountered the fougasse about two years ago on a one-day baking workshop hosted by Pinterest. Then, the fougasse I made, with its poppy seeds and delicious herbs, was full of gluten and I couldn't eat it. I never went back to the idea of making a gluten free fougasse. When I saw it on Great British Bake Off last week, I was excited but also nervous. Gluten free bread can be difficult at the best of times, but trying to replicate a recipe from two years ago into a gluten-free version was daunting.
Still, here's my attempt and I have to say, it turned out much better than I thought! Just a few things to remember: gluten-free bread doesn't rely on the structure of gluten to give it that elastic texture. As a result, this is a more dense bread than its gluten counterpart, but it's still delicious! In my reasearch, I learned that the fougasse is eaten in dozens of different ways, from a savoury snack to a Christmas dessert. I decided to keep it simple and stick to French herbs, but you can use whatever you'd like!
Ingredients:
For the fougasse 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 1/2 teaspoons easy blend yeast 2 tablespoons olive oil 30 grams gluten free buckwheat flour 75 ml boiled water 150 ml cold water 270 grams gluten free bread flour herbs de provence sea salt Need a conversion? Use this handy chart.
You can even add some caramelised onions to this recipe or a sprinkle of cheese or even a few twists of salty French salami or other cured meat. As I mentioned, there are dessert versions of fougasse, sweetened with sugar, dried fruits and nuts, giving you endless possibilities once you've mastered this delicious recipe!
Gluten Free Vegan Fougasse
Instructions:
Place the flour in a bowl and stir in the yeast and salt.
Boil a kettle and fill a jug with 75 ml hot water and top with 150 ml cold water.
Add the olive oil and honey to the water.
Create a well in the middle of the dry mix and dump the water, oil and honey mix in the centre.
Mix quickly to make a soft, sticky dough.
Sprinkle a bit of the buckwheat flour onto a clean surface and knead the dough until smooth.
Don't knead too much - remember gluten free dough behaves differently from gluten dough.
Place back in the bowl and cover with a towel for an hour.
Knock back the dough, divide into four equal parts and shape into vague leaf shapes.
Use a bench scraper to cut one vertical line down the centre and three to six diagonal lines on either side.
Sprinkle each fougasse with the herbs and a bit more salt and allow to rest for 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 240c / 450f.
Bake the fougasse up to 20 minutes or until cooked through. If the fougasse isn't browning, feel free to brush each fougasse with a little olive oil or butter and return to the oven.
More Gluten Free Great British Bake Off Challenges:
This gluten free, vegan & vegetarian friendly butternut squash & leek soup is creamy & indulgent!
Yield: 4
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Gluten Free & Vegan Butternut Squash & Leek Soup
It is soup season! The absolute best time of the year and to kick things off, I thought I'd share a lovely recipe suitable for my fellow Coeliacs, vegans and vegetarians, too! You will not believe how easy this soup is to make and how super creamy and delicious it is! It's the perfect thick soup for Bonfire Night, by the way! Just a head's up; I've used cashew milk to make this soup extra creamy and give it a nice, nutty flavour which works so well with butternut squash. Prepare to be blown away. Oh, and this soup is definitely freezable, too!
You'll love this super quick, gluten free version of classic British Bakewell tarts!
Yield: 2 mini tarts
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Gluten Free Bakewell Tarts
Okay, so these aren't exactly authentic Bakewells. They're more Fakewell tarts; but they're incredibly delicious! I love a good Bakewell,whether it's the authentic way with flaked almonds instead of icing sugar or whether it's the commercial way with globs of icing sugar and a plump, candied cherry or whether it's Mary Berry's controversial recipe. Did you guys see how much hate she got from die-hard bakers? Sheesh!
Still, if Mary Berry got shtick for topping her tart with feathered icing, then I'm going to get shtick, too; because my tart doesn't even feature a traditional shortcrust pastry. Instead, I've kept it gluten free with a safe biscuit base (which adds to the fun, I think)!
This creamy mushroom risotto is naturally gluten free and finished with a luscious sage oil & Parmesan crisp!
Yield: 2
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Gluten Free Portabello Risotto with Sage Oil & Parmesan Crisp
I carry my tension in my shoulders and when I've had a stressful day and need to unwind, nothing relaxes me more than laboriously stirring a skillet of risotto. The thing about a good, creamy risotto is that you have to pay it attention. You have to shower it with wine, feed it stock and slowly coax it together. You can't rush a good risotto - although you can successfully pull off a decent slow cooker risotto.
I first shared this recipe four years ago and it is a dish that we have had a lot over the years! You don't have to use portabellos; you can use your favourite mushroom. But if you do; definitely pair them up with the nutty Parmesan! And those Parmesan crisps are a fun way to bring in a bit more flavour to your dish.
There's nothing spooky about this sweet gluten free cinder toffee; it's perfect for Halloween!
Yield: 6 witch's hats or 1 square baking tray full
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Gluten Free Halloween Cinder Toffee
Y'all, it's the first day of Fall! Or the Autumn, as my British pals say. This time of year has always been my favourite and the countdown to Halloween is officially on! The chilly night, the fun of dressing up and all the candy you can eat? What's not to love! To celebrate the best season of the year, I whipped up this delicious witch's hat cinder toffee or honeycomb. If you don't have a silicone mould, you can just use a square baking tin and then, once set, cut the honeycomb to break it up.
This vegetarian, vegan and gluten free treat is perfect on Halloween or even on Bonfire Night on the 5th of November. Whether you make it for your ghoulish night of groovin' or wait to pass it around whilst you watch the fireworks on Guy Fawke's Night; this treat will satisfy any sweet tooth this autumn.
You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe!
Let's start with a bit of a lesson: American style pancakes > crepes. Any day of the year. Now that we've gotten that out of the way ... :) I'm back with my version of last week's Technical Challenge on the Great British Bake Off. Paul Hollywood (ever pushing the boundaries and insisting contestants on a baking show don't actually bake) set the task of making beautiful lacy French pancakes. Or crepes.
Personally, I hate crepes. Can't stand them. I'd much rather prefer a thick American style pancake. So when it came time to do this challenge, I stuck to my guns and made the type of pancake batter I'd normally make, with sugar and eggs and pancake mix with baking soda in it. You can take the girl out of America, but you can't take the American pancakes out of the girl. But these aren't your ordinary pancakes; these babies are made with gluten free pancake mix and are completely dairy free as I've used delicious cashew milk instead.
Start your morning with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice with no added sugar!
Yield: 1 250ml glass
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Fresh Squeezed Valencia Orange Juice
I cannot resist freshly squeezed orange juice. What used to be a luxury when staying in hotels or dining in restaurants is now a task I can complete in a matter of minutes with my Nutri Ninja. Plus, there's no added sugar, no preservatives; no nasties at all. Nothing but pure, pulpy orange juice just the way God intended.
Last week was bread week on the Great British Bake Off and it was a week I was dreading. Gluten-free cooking and baking can be tricky at the best of times, but the one thing that always makes me nervous is bread. Bread relies on gluten to make it what it is. Without it, it's difficult.
Spurred on by my Gluten Free Viennese Whirls from last week, I was determined to have a good go at these Dampfnudel - German sweet dumplings and to make them gluten free. I scoured the internet for recipes for a gluten free alternative but could only find one. In German with no translation. My limited German was no match for that recipe. So back to the drawing board, I sought out my Larousse Gastronomique. Of course Larousse had a recipe for Dampfnudel! While reading it, I came across a revelation: Dampfnudel can be made in the oven! No steaming for me!
Viennese Whirls -- crunchy, buttery cookies sandwiched between creamy vanilla buttercream and fruity jam. They're bliss and last week's Technical Challenge from the Great British Bake Off. I love watching Bake Off, but it always makes me frustrated that there's rarely any mention of gluten free alternatives or even gluten free baking, so I've decided to challenge myself to trying every technical challenge but making them suitable for coeliacs. It'd be great if you joined in! Just use the #GBBOGlutenFree hashtag to share your bakes and spread the word about gluten free baking!
These biscuits are easy to make, guys. So simple. In fact, I got a little bit too cocky whilst making them and allowed my first batch to burn. Don't do what I did. Keep an eye on your oven, because they'll turn fast!
We took the #DysonChallenge & spent the morning learning how to be engineers with Dyson & Currys!
Taking the #DysonChallenge with Dyson & Currys
One of Callum's hobbies is using blocks to construct and engineer impressive structures--from complex hospitals to lofty medieval castles; he's an extremely hands-on kid. Naturally, I leapt at the opportunity to take him along to an engineering workshop hosted by Dyson and Curry's.
Two weeks ago, we joined the company of a dozen or so other would-be engineers and enrolled in a day-long Dyson bootcamp. Sheltered against the constant Manchester rain, we met in the perfect venue for a morning of engineering: the MOSI, the site of the world's first ever passenger train station, a natural homage to the beauty of industry and engineering.
Take lunch to the next level and keep it healthy with the #HartleysYourLunchbox Challenge!
Yield: 1 super fun, healthy kid's lunch
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A Gluten Free and Sugar Free Lunch with #HartleysYourLunchbox
When you're gluten free, lunch can be one of the most challenging meals of the day. Especially if you're 4. But, having a few go-to products that you know are gluten free, don't taste horrible and aren't laden with sugar is the key to creating quick, gluten-free lunches your child will devour!
I'll admit, in our gluten free lunch battles, I completely overlooked jelly. When he was younger, Callum was completely freaked out by the texture of jelly and wouldn't touch the stuff. Somewhere along the way, he's grown to love it (that was news to me!) and couldn't get enough of these Hartley's No Added Sugar Jelly Pots!
Raw Swiss chard and berries blitz to form a nutritional smoothie bursting with goodness!
Health Benefits of a Green Smoothie
If
you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll probably
notice that I do love a good smoothie - I even wrote a breakfast smoothie ebook,
once! You can download it for free! Smoothies are like gold dust for me, whether they're traditional out-of-the-glass types or smoothie bowls like this one or this one, I just can't get enough of them.
Summer is juicy watermelons and this easy semi-frozen treat is the perfect way of enjoying them!
I originally shared this watermelon granita with lime recipe two summers ago, and every summer since, I've spent a few days scraping semi-frozen watermelon to make this delicious treat. Keeping up with the spirit of revamping old favourite recipes, I've added in a tiny, adults-only twist: booze!
Kick start your morning with sweet fresh mango, superfood pumpkin seeds and gluten free corn flakes all in an icy and refreshing smoothie bowl!
Yield: 2
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Gluten Free Raspberry Mango Smoothie Bowl
I mentioned in my very first smoothie bowl recipe (this is my second, so clearly, I'm an expert) that I had been skeptical, but with one slurp from my spoon, I was converted. And it's true! And what that conversion has done is given me the courage to step outside the smoothie bowl box, to chuck more ingredients in the blender and to sprinkle more goodies on top with wild abandon.
Indulge in the perfect snack with a delicious twist with these # popcorn recipes!
13 Times Bloggers Killed the Popcorn Game
It can be super sweet or nice and savoury. It's inexpensive, tasty and not packed with fat. Popcorn is the snack of the gods in our house. We just can't get enough of it! Whether we're popping a bag for a movie or making our own flavours with kernels and a bit of butter, we're popcorn addicts. And we're not alone! Just check out these recipes from other popcorn lovers and see how they've totally killed the popcorn game:
I'm Anyonita, an American living in Britain. I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease as an adult. I am passionate about recreating traditional foods with a gluten-free makeover. Follow my easy, triple-tested recipes to make dishes you wouldn't believe were gluten-free!