citric vitamin water

A trip to the dentist has left me feeling completely sorry for myself and a little tender. I don't have much to share other than it's nice to have polished teeth again.

Luckily a little pre-thought had me make up a jug of this vitamin water. Mainly because I knew I wouldn't be racing home to eat nuts or crackers, but would want something cool and soothing.

The flavours, vitamins and minerals have leached out of the fruit into the water, creating a beautiful refreshing drink with barely any calories.

So after a long day today, I have just sat down to enjoy a tall glass full of this simply tasty vitamin water and share it with you. It would make the most refreshing summer evening drink, something to keep in mind as these spring days get warmer.

Ingredients

(makes 2+L)

1 large grapefruit, sliced into 1/2 cm rounds

1 medium orange, sliced into 1/2 cm rounds

2 inch knob of ginger, finely sliced

water

Add fruit and ginger to a large jug (2 or more litres) and cover with water.

Sit in refrigerator for 4-6 hours to allow flavours to infuse.

Pour over ice or just as is.

Tip: you can top up the water as you go, will last for 2-3 days.

dairy-free lamingtons

Lamingtons were a childhood favourite of mine.

They are one of my first baked treats that really worked out well for me, every time. From about the age of 13/14 I loved being in the kitchen baking. I have fond memories of hanging out on the bench helping mum while we made ANZAC cookies.

When I got the gist of baking on my own, most afternoons after school I would be straight into the kitchen and browse through my favourite cookbook of all time – Woman's Weekly ‘Sweet Old Fashioned Favourites’. The go-tos would be: Devil’s Food Cake, Vanilla Slice, Coconut Ice, ANZAC Cookies and of course Lamingtons.

Now that I am older and my tastes have changed, I find myself baking less and less. But I was feeling nostalgic and decided to come up with a dairy-free, low-gi option for one of my all-time favourite homemade bakes.

I was amazed at how similar to the old version these were! The main difference was the coconut sugar in the sponge as it added a deeper rich caramel flavour. Yum!

Ingredients

(makes 12)

Sponge

3 eggs

1/2 c coconut sugar

1/2 c self raising flour

1/2 tsp bi-carb soda

Icing

1/2 c cocoa powder

1/4 c agave syrup

1/8 tsp stevia powder

1 tblsp cocoa butter

1 tblsp creamed coconut or coconut oil

1 vanilla bean, scraped

1/4 c water

tiny pinch of salt

chipped coconut

Sponge

Heat oven to 150 degrees and line a 9"x12" baking dish with baking paper.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl until thick and creamy.

Slowly add coconut sugar until well dissolved.

Next, slowly fold through sifted self-raising flour and bi-carb soda.

Pour mixture into the dish and bake in oven for 20 mins.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

Icing

Bring a saucepan to boil, half filled with water.

Next combine all ingredients for the 'icing' in a small bowl and stir constantly over the boiling water until butter is melted.

Assembly

Slice sponge into small squares.

Dip each square into 'icing' then roll into the chipped coconut and place on a plate.

Repeat the process for all the squares and place the plate in the refrigerator to cool.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

everything from scratch pizza

I love to make everything from scratch. Knowing what goes into the food you make/eat is so important these days. So many times have I looked at the back of packaging and not known 9 out of 10 of the ingredients listed.

Recently, I was having a lunch with my dad and we were at this café where their specialty was crepes. Dad was egging me on, so when I asked if it was dairy-free, the lady informed me that they pre-buy their crepes and that she would check. She started reading the list on the back to me: Energy, Fibre, Protein, Carbohydrates, Sodium. She then proudly announced that ‘nope, no dairy here’. I was stunned! She was reading out the nutritional information rather than the ingredients! I had no idea that some people may not know the difference between the ingredients and nutritional information. Not to mention that maybe everyone isn’t as much of a control freak as I am, and may not even pay attention to the ingredients of the food they are eating. It sure was an eye opener..

Anyways, to finish the story, I got my hands on the packet and read that it did in deed have dairy, so opted for a smoked salmon salad instead.

For a while now, I have been wanting to make this caramelised onion and pumpkin spelt pizza - ever since the organic food festival a couple of months back.

Ingredients

(8 slices)

300g pumpkin, skinned, deseeded and cubed

1 tsp olive oil

Dough

7g dried yeast

2 tsp raw sugar

2/3 c warm water

1 c wholemeal spelt flour (+ extra for kneading)

1 tblsp olive oil

pinch of salt

Sauce

5 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tblsp water

2 tsp malt extract

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

pinch of salt

Caramelised Onions

2 large brown onions, finely sliced

1 tblsp olive oil

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

fresh parsley to serve

Firstly, heat oven to 200 degrees.

Toss pumpkin and olive oil and place on a baking tray, in the oven for 30-40 mins.

Next, you will need to start the dough.

Whisk yeast, sugar and water in a small jug and set aside for 2 mins to activate.

Place spelt flour, oil and salt in a medium bowl.

Once the yeast is bubbly and activated, mix it into flour - knead until elastic and smooth (adding extra flour as needed).

Roll into a ball and place into a flour lined bowl. Cover and set aside to double in size (I find it helps to place the bowl above the warm oven).

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a heavy based pan.

Simmer on medium heat until sauce-like (approximately 10-20 mins).

While you are waiting for your sauce to simmer down, add onions, oil and vinegar to a medium saucepan.

Heat on medium and toss the onions until softened and caramelised.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble

Ensure the oven is on the highest heat setting.

Roll out dough on a floured pizza stone or baking tray (approximately 1.5 cm thick).

Spread over the tomato sauce, then the caramelised onions.

Finally, sprinkle over the roasted pumpkin.

Place in hot oven and bake for 35 mins or until the edges start to darken.

Remove from oven, garnish with parsley and slice into 8 portions.

Enjoy!