A breakfast slice...

I truly believe breakfast is the most essential meal of the day, which is why I go to a lot of effort in planning and preparing food that will carry hubby and I through to lunchtime. 

Many days my husband is so busy at work that he won't get time for a lunch break until 2 or 3pm so having a nourishing and sustaining meal at 7am is essential.

This week I played around with an old recipe we enjoyed back when the kids were little, but this time I eliminated wheat, sugar and dairy, replacing them with home pressed apple juice and healthy wholegrain oats.

Ingredients:

2 cups wholegrain oats

1 1/2 cups sultanas or raisins

3/4 cup coconut

3 grated apples (skin included)

2 1/2 cups apple juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg

grated rind of one lemon

1/4 cup coconut oil

Method:

Place the oats in a food processor and pulse for 10 seconds to break them down a little.

In a large bowl add the oats, apple juice, sultanas, grated apple, lemon rind and coconut. 

Mix well, cover with clingwrap and let soak for about 6 hours.

  (I do this in the morning and bake it later in the afternoon)

 After the soaking time mix the coconut oil, cinnamon and the egg into the mixture.

Pour into a lined slice tray and bake for 40 minutes at 180C (375F)

 Let cool and cut into slices.

Serve with fresh fruit and a smoothie for a very satisfying and delicious brekky!

IDEA: this is also yummy served warm with custard and berries for a dessert...actually, I'd even have it this way for breakfast in winter. ;-)

If you'd like to download and print the recipe to add to your personal recipe file it's right HERE.

Enjoy!

Grain-free apple pie & coconut cream...

I was really missing pie last weekend. 

So I went hunting for a good grain free base that was nutritious and tasty!

I found some good ideas at Elana's Pantry and just tweaked things a little to suit what I had on hand.  

THE BASE...

Preheat the oven to 180C (375F)

1 1/2 cups nuts (such as pecan, walnut, almonds or macadamias) blitzed to a breadcrumb texture in your food processor.

Add a tablespoon of coconut flour (or almond meal), 1 egg, a teaspoon mixed spice, and a pinch of good quality sea salt - pulse in your processor for about 20 seconds.

Spread across the base of a greased pie plate.

THE TOPPING...

Peel, core and finely slice 4 Granny Smith apples.

Grate 2 whole apples down to the core.

Mix the apples in a bowl with a tablespoon of gluten free cornflour, 1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Spread the apple mix over the top of the nut base.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the pie, add small dobs of butter across the top of the apple mix (about 2 tablespoons worth of butter), and return to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve with Vanilla Coconut Cream...

Chill a can of coconut cream in the fridge for at least four hours.

Place the contents of the can in a bowl with a teaspoon of pure vanilla essence, or the seeds from one vanilla pod (extra delicious!), and beat for a minute till they are combined and you have a lovely thick cream texture.

It's yummy served warm and really does taste like apple pie.

We ate the cold remains like pieces of pizza the next day and the day after that...still delicious.

Let me know if you try this recipe and what changes you may have made, ok? 

I'm always looking for good 'tweaks' that give recipes alternate personalities!

hugs

TWO YEARS LATER and a recipe...

It's been two years since I wrote and shared anything on my old healthy-living-cooking blog.

Many times over this Year of Gentle Domesticity I've wanted to revisit, re-read, and take inspiration from the 50+ blog posts and walk back through those three and half years to remind myself of all the good I'd learned along the way, and also to update on what I've learned and applied in the past two years. 

Recently I deleted that old blog, but not before transferring all those blog posts over here, to my new healthy-living-kitchen-lovin-cooking blog.

 So let me say WELCOME because it's a privilege to have you visit "Cooked Simply, With Love"!

My plan is to post here once or twice a week (all food and health related) in between my main gig at Elefantz - which if you don't know is my design website & blog, 'cause when I'm not cooking and homemaking I'm a stitchery (embroidery) designer. 

Health background...

My hubby and I both have the auto-immune disease Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and find we are increasingly unable to tolerate wheat so I'm gradually re-inventing some old recipes my family love into versions that are wheat-free and more nutrient dense.

I've been a chronic migraine recipient since I was in at least 6th grade but with regular tracking over many years have narrowed down my food triggers (which I can manage) as well as weather and light triggers (which have a life of their own). My food and health choices play a massive part in helping me steer clear of many migraines that would otherwise swamp my life.

I can always tell when I've slipped off the health wagon because migraines knock on my head with back-to-back regularity - and that's what happened recently so it was a good nudge to begin blogging about health again and living it day by day.

I'm overweight by 18kgs (40 pounds) and on a gal who's just 154cm (5'1") that ain't nice.

And I'm not just talking about aesthetics. I'm talking about inside my skin!

My vital organs are crowded within visceral fat that can do serious damage to my health tomorrow, next month or next year. 

I've declared war on that fat for my health's sake and for my family's sake.

I don't want my family suffering with grief due to my premature death from heart attack, stroke or other medical issues which could have been avoided if I'd had the self control to watch what I ate, and more importantly for me, how MUCH I ate.

 Exercise is another area that needs my attention. We live in the tropics of North Queensland, Australia, and it's HOT. It's hot and HUMID. Exercising outside is unpleasant for 8 months of the year unless you go walking late at night or well before the sun comes up and whilst that used to fit into my husband's schedule last year it doesn't now, and I sure ain't walking alone in the dark. 

A gym is out of the question due to finances, but I did find an old video on Ebay last week of an exercise program I did daily back in 2001-2 which gave me great results so I've dusted off the VHS player ready to begin when the postman delivers it.

 Fortunately we have air conditioning and I work from home, so all I need do is schedule an exercise break each morning after hubby leaves for work. It's important that I make this a ritual five mornings a week so I'm not distracted by work - a downside of working from home is that there is always something to do right before your eyes and distractions are everywhere.

Dietary preferences...

Healthy food. 

As close to nature as God made it.

(yep, I'm a Christian who LOVES the Lord and His life giving truths)

I dabble with recipes that are found in the paleo, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, raw foodie, sugar-free, nourishing traditions & trim healthy mama lifestyles - working with the aspects which are best for our (mine and hubby's) individual requirements because each of us are so unique.

 I think you're getting my big picture by now?

Let me kick start Cooked Simple, With Love with a recipe that's just been posted on my Elefantz blog.

This is a wheat-free slice which will keep well in the fridge for a week.

I made it on Monday and have only had two small pieces since then, but it's really nice. I'm just exercising self control and reminding myself it's an occasional treat, not an everyday staple.

In fact, I'm going to freeze the rest. 

We have a NutriBullet and apart from making delicious smoothies and nutri-blasts, it also mills grain or nuts and seeds to flour. 

For this recipe you'll need oat flour (which you can purchase at the health food store) but if you have the right kitchen appliance why not make it yourself? 

 I mill a few cups of non-contaminated gluten-free oats at a time and after using what I need for a recipe the rest is stored in the freezer for my next baking day...

 MATRIMONY SLICE (wheat-free)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milled rolled oats, or purchased oat flour

3/4 cup almond meal (almond flour)

1/4 cup rolled oats

grated zest of one lemon

1 cup dessicated coconut

75g melted butter

75g coconut oil

1/2 cup rapadura sugar

1/4 cup raw honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

1 heaped teaspoon aluminium-free/gluten-free baking powder

1/2 cup jam (100% fruit, no added sugar)

almond flakes

Method:

 Preheat oven to 180C (375F)

Grease and line a slice tray.

In a large bowl mix together the oat flour, almond meal, rolled oats, lemon zest, coconut, sugar, spice and baking powder.

In a large jug gently stir the melted butter, coconut oil, honey and egg until blended.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.

Press a little over half of the mix into the base of your slice tray.

Spread the jam across the top (if you warm the jam a little in your microwave it spreads very easily).

Crumble the rest of your slice mix over the jam.

Scatter the almond flakes across the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The top should be risen and golden brown. 

When cool, cut into 16 slices and store in your fridge.

Enjoy!