I was looking at my three remaining ripe bananas and thought now what can I do with them? Banana bread or cake but then I thought muffins would be nice.
I fancied a bit of comfort food so decided to have a go at some gluten free baking. I haven't baked for a while and to be honest I sometimes get a bit put off by gluten free baking as I don't seem to get things to rise too well or something usually goes a bit a miss. These however turned out ok. Now this isn't the actual photo of mine but they did look very similar. Yes they were that yummy I forgot to take a picture before they got eaten. So what recipe did I use? Well I tend to favour the recipes on the Doves Farm website as I use their flour. I followed the recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins but didn't fancy chocolate ones so omitted the cocoa and chocolate chips. Here is the recipe and method...... www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-banana-muffins I just used less oil as I thought it might make it a bit too wet. I do realise you need quite a bit of moisture to keep the sponge together with it being without the gluten but it worked ok so I got more fluffy sponge. I also just cut the sugar down a little as well, only because I'm trying to cut down anyway and although not diet friendly I just thought it may help. It's all about preference though, I find bananas sweet enough anyway. I loved them though, nicely sweet and spongey. They didn't rise as much as I'd like so if I made them again I may try and improve that but overall I was pleased. I may chuck the chocolate chips in next time - live dangerously. Give it a go and see what you think.......I've come to the conclusion that gluten free baking is about practice and altering things to make them work. I used to have to run strictly by a recipe and expect it to be perfect, just like the picture in the book but soon realised it sometimes doesn't happen like that. I've managed to let myself go a bit and play around with the ingredients., not easy for me but I did it. I'd forgotten how much I loved baking and how relaxing I find it. It's just that I don't really need to eat everything I bake. I may have to find some victims....oops I mean volunteers to eat my wares. Mmmm now where can I find them? I'm sure I'll find some. Thank you for reading today, please feel free to pop back tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday but for now........ Take care and happy baking
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No I've not been online dating and I've not purchased a new handbag I've fell for coconut milk. Now I have experimented with different milks before as you know but stayed away from this one as I never cared for coconut much at all. Well I don't know what's happened to my taste buds, they've suddenly woken up and felt the need for a tropical infusion. I never liked Bounty Bars so not sure whether I'm having a mid life coconut crisis but hey it's ok. My love story started at the beginning of the week when I tried some coconut rice pudding while out for a meal and wow it was gorgeous. I thought that surely I could make that from scratch so I bought some pudding rice and coconut milk and had a go. It turned out like this..... ....and it tasted so good with an added dollop of jam in there too. I just followed the instructions on the packet using 2oz of rice and 1 pint of milk also adding some sugar, I then just brought it to the boil and let it simmer until it came together and looked like rice pudding. It did take quite a while because the coconut milk is thin so it took a while to simmer but was worth the wait.
A dessert which is dairy free and gluten free and so easy to make I may never buy a can of rice pudding again. It just tastes so much better when homemade. You could swap the coconut for another plant based milk and stay dairy free or go for a semi skimmed cows milk. If you fancy being really naughty it could be made with a full fat creamy milk but remember the calories if you're counting them. My affair continued as I tried the coconut latte at Costa and now I'm a regular again, feel my loyalty points may increase.....always looking on the bright side me. They are fabulous and so tasty......please don't stop them Costa, keep them flowing. Well that's my new love and we are staying together for a while, I just can't believe I'm even tolerating coconut in my life, wow there's hope for a real love life yet. Thank you so much for reading, join me again tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday but for now take care. Now I'm not a vegetarian but I get very bored with sausages and need a change. I like a bit of a sausage (steady!!) but I need gluten free and I want low syns for Slimming World.
Well these chunky babies from Linda McCartney's vegetarian range are wheat free and get this........syn free too. I know, spoilt or what? But what do they taste like? They are really nice, a kind of stuffing sort of texture so if your looking for a meaty likeness then these are not for you and why would you if you're vegetarian? They are also suitable for a vegan diet so very free from, they are packed with protein which means they will keep you fuller for longer. This is very true as I only need to eat two of these sausages, they are quite thick but with other sausages I usually end up eating a lot more.. They are best eaten freshly cooked, you can cook then from frozen either under the grill for 10 - 12 mins or in the oven, only taking 16 minutes there. They are in the frozen department of most supermarkets and priced at around £2 (depending on the shop) for a box of 6 sausages. So what are you waiting for? With them not costing any syns, meat free and I have found them ok on my gluten free diet they are not to be missed. Let me know what you think if you have tried them. I usually have the Hecks sausages which are great but just fancied a bit of a change. Thank you for reading today, please pop back tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday but for now..... Take care. Oh well done Tesco as this Free From Katsu Curry is absolutely delicious. I've eaten this one and even gone bought another, last one on the shelf as well woo hoo!
Yes it is that tasty, I think I would of stamped on someones toes for the last one and I'm not a violent woman. This is a marinated chicken breast in a maize and rice flour coating served with jasmine rice and a coconut and red chilli curry sauce. To cook it all you have to do is remove the chicken breast from the packet and pop that in the oven at 170 degrees C or gas mark 5 for 20 minutes. The rice and sauce which are separated by a plastic divider can be warmed up in the microwave for 3 minutes 30 (800w) or 2 minutes 30 (900w). When everything is ready you just serve it all on a plate and eat away brilliant eh, its tastes so lovely and is just the right amount for a light meal. If you are with Slimming World like me this will set you back only 8.5 syns which I didn't think was too bad for a quick meal on a busy day. Just save those syns peeps and eat without feeling guilty. This meal costs £3.00 which is a bit pricey but it's Free From and everything costs more but I bought a second one so obviously didn't think too much about the price. I was just happy to get a nice quick meal to have in the fridge for those evenings I just could be bothered to cook. Give it a go and see what you think......that's if I haven't scoured all Tesco stores for their stock first. Get in quick and let me know what you think. Thank you for being here and reading today, if you fancy reading some more then join me again tomorrow for my Autism Support Saturday feature. For now though you all take care of yourselves. |
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