So easy snacker-balls

So, I’m still taking advantage of a few re-blogs especially as they are relevant to my week ahead. Each week I create something in my kitchen to nourish the mamas who attend my Infant Massage courses and this week I am going with a tried and true recipe. So quick and easy while being oh so delicious and nutritious.

From May 2019 …. The sun is still shining here and for the end of May the days are surprisingly warm …. especially in our little sun trap.  So with the temperature outside being balmy for this time of year and the temperature inside being hot, due to babies needing to be fully undressed for massage, I thought that a cooler treat would be ideal last week.

Making the most of the good weather …. walking up Hapuku River

These super easy treats came about, as many things do, through my resistance to pay for something that I was sure I could make at home.  That ‘give it a go’ mentally is definitely a kiwi trait I think, definitely a very strong trait of mine anyway. Combine that with a bit of frugal living and … well … you end up trying to create at home (making 45 of them) what would cost you $9 in the supermarket for just 10 balls.  Back then I named these little treats Snackerballs, after themselves telling me that they weren’t ‘Frooze balls’ ….. then low and behold a year or two later I see that ‘Snackaballs’ appeared on the shelves.  Obviously onto a good thing with the name back then, shame I didn’t trademark it 🙂

These are another ‘one pot wonder’ which you can whip up quickly and easily, adjusting them to your taste-buds pretty easily.  I just store them in the fridge so they can be made whenever and last for ages … if they aren’t gobbled up before that.  Over the years of making these we have tried lots of variations; adding different things like cranberries at Christmas, grated chocolate, nuts, seeds, carob and recently ground LSA (Linseed, Sunflower seeds and Almonds).  We found Healtheries LSA Superfruits , which is super yum, a while ago when making some apple crumble and I have to say that adding this did give the snackerballs a bit more firmness which I quite liked. Though it does have a bit of sugar added to it (in the blueberries for some reason) which some of you may what to avoid.  

Anyway here is the basic recipe I worked out and then the only limit is your imagination!

Snackerballs

• 1 Cup dried dates
• 1 Cup boiling water
• 2 Cups desiccated Coconut
• 3 Tablespoons black chia seeds
• 1 Tablespoon psyllium husks
• 1 Tablespoon ground LSA (optional)

-Soak the dates in the water for 10-15 mins and then mash into a smooth paste – of course if you have a blender this is easier 🙂

-Stir in the other ingredients and mix until fully blended

-Shape the mixture into small balls (makes around 45 with this recipe) and put into a container.

-Refrigerate and enjoy

Packed up and ready to go to class

Hope this finds you all enjoying tasty treats with your loved ones.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Crochet Cake

With another Infant Massage Course starting tomorrow it is time to get baking!! So I thought I would share, and make, an old favourite to take the pressure off a bit as the wrist is coming along but still not 100%.  This cake got its name after I continually made it for a series of crochet ‘catch-ups’ we were having. It was a great option for the GF (Gluten Free) and RSF (Refined Sugar Free) amongst the group.  It is in fact a very simple and delicious gluten free, diary free and sugar free cake which, if served warm, can also be used as a yummy dessert. 

I hope that you enjoy it as much as everyone else does. It it has sparked a big discussion between themselves though as the original recipe had eggs in it.  Are eggs, produced by happy hens, which occur regardless of what we do (a bit like fruit on a tree) allowable on a vegan menu? The Vegan said no and the Meat Eater said yes.  I think that debate will go on for a bit!! In the mean time this vegan has decided to err on the side of caution and I have made this version with some Organ Egg Replacer 🙂

The cake does end up quite ‘moist’ and can sometimes seem uncooked in the middle. I think the vegan version with egg replacer even more so. Leaving it in the oven a little longer can help with this. Thankfully though there is nothing in it that can cause any tummy upsets but if you prefer your cake firmer then think of this as a pudding dish. It has to be said that personally I’m happy with however my sweet stuff comes so gobble it either way 🙂 Give it a go and see what you think.

Crochet Cake – aka diary free, gluten free, sugar free delight

1.5 Cups dates

1.5 Cups of boiling water

1/2 Cup Oil (Sunflower is good as little taste

2 egg replacer (I used 4 tsp Organ Egg replacer to 2 Tb cold water for this one) or 2 eggs for non Vegan version

2 ripe bananas – mashed

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp GF baking powder (2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda, 1 part arrowroot if you want to make your ow)

1 Cup rice flour

1/2 Cup desiccated coconut

• Soak dates in the boiling water for 10-15 mins (in a large bowl) before mashing into a smooth thick paste.  If this is still a bit watery you can heat it slightly.
• Mix in oil to the date paste and stir until blended.
• Add egg replacement and bananas to date/olive oil mixture and mix until blended fully.
• Add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix until everything is blended.
• Line a cake tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture.
• Bake at 180C for 50-60 mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Near the end of baking you may want to cover the cake with tin foil to allow it to keep cooking without the top getting too dark. It does take a while to get it fully baked.
• Enjoy warm with yogurt/whipped cream or allow to cool fully on a rack to enjoy later.

Hope this finds you enjoying lots of natural sweetness in your life and sunshine to warm your days.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

‘Life Changing’ Loaf

With my upcoming Infant Massage course confirmed as going ahead I have had baking on the mind. This awesome recipe and reblog is from Jan 2017 …….

It seems only fitting that the woman who helped me bring my daughter into the world and hence changing my life forever would then give me this recipe for ‘Life Changing Bread‘ 10 years later, almost to the day. Thank you to the most amazing Douala in Ireland, you know who you are.:)

This recipe for ‘The Life-Changing Loaf’ is so, so delicious and worked just like the writer said (even the original photo and mine look similar!) that even though I have only made it once I had to share. I did change it …. of course you already knew that I would … only because of my lack of checking that I actually had enough sunflower seeds and because I wanted it nut free.  The thing is that it worked perfectly anyway which just goes to show how great this recipe is.  I did find it interesting that she considers this loaf pretty much gluten free even though it has oats in it as I have always believed that oats do contain gluten.  I did include them in my loaf as oats are something I can tolerate more than other grains however the person I got the recipe from used quinoa flakes instead.  I’ll leave that decision up to you.

Fresh out of the oven

Please check the original blog for the recipe of ‘Life Changing Bread’ and guidelines that they give however below I will put the recipe which I used and the modifications I made.  In the original recipe they use a silicone loaf tray however as I don’t have one of those I simply lined my regular loaf tin with baking paper.  In doing this I was able to lift the paper to check if the loaf was staying together before baking.  The down side of this was that I did have to mix the ingredients in separate containers first before pushing down into the tin.

Delicious as toast also

1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup whole linseeds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 ½ cups rolled oats (jumbo ones not the ‘quick’ or fine ones)
2 Tbsp Black chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt (actually I just ground a bit in)
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 ½ cups water

• Melt coconut oil and honey in a large pot then whisk in water.
• Combine dry ingredients really well and then pour the wet ingredients over.
• Mix everything thoroughly  until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes thick
• Tip into a lined loaf tin.  Press in and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
• Let sit out on the bench for 2 hours. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
• Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
• Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down on a baking paper lined tray and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
• Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.
•  Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

So there it is!! Experiment, play, bake and enjoy lots of nourishing goodness.  One thing is for certain … I will be making this again and again.

Arohanui

Y

Sweet treats

For a long time now I have been trying to make vegan meringues. I say trying because aside from an initial failed attempt when I was sugar free I have thought about this more than actually doing anything. So, with Christmas coming up and the vegans in the house trying to think of yummy stuff we can indulge in, vegan meringues have come onto my radar again.

Mum had traditionally made meringues with themselves whenever we went there for Christmas …. well they watched and got to lick the egg beater afterwards which is probably the best way to bake if you ask me! But since those times, himself and I have become vegan and Mum is no longer with us. So, meringues (and pavlova but that is another topic) have been dropped from the menu for quite awhile.

This year though I decided to change that and with a tin of chickpeas in hand I began to look up vegan meringue recipes. Last time, without sugar, my meringues didn’t set hard and definitely still tasted very chickpea flavoured. Not such a delicious dessert it has to be said. It was clearly a memory etched into himself’s head as he actually tried to dissuade me from even trying them again! Not one to be deterred easily though, once my mind was set on something, I stumbled on. Thanks to the internet and The Plant Based School I found a quick and easy recipe to follow …. you must know my style by now don’t you 🙂 Just aquafaba (chickpea juice from the can) and sugar whizzed together and then baked.

On the tray ready to bake

I have to say that all was going pretty well and I was feeling pretty smug. That is until I realized our new gas oven won’t stay at a low enough temperature! With a bit of fiddling we managed to get it under the minimum setting and continued with fingers crossed. The results? Well, they weren’t too bad in the end though maybe a little browner than a usual meringue. Himself was impressed (so was I just quietly) and we counted it a success. The only thing was what do you put with them? They were super sweet so needed something less sweet to balance them and obviously the usual cream accompaniment was out. The problem resolved itself fairly quickly though in the fact that himself gobbled them up before I came up with any feasible ideas.

I wasn’t that convinced about having the meringues as a dessert even with himself saying otherwise. Then I was reminded of a dessert my Mum made one time she stayed with us which involved meringue, custard and fruit. Maybe this would be a better option for our Christmas dessert. With rhubarb in season it would be the perfect balance to all that sugar. I hadn’t actually made it by myself, I have to say. When Mum did make it with me I had an almost two year old ‘helping’ and was pregnant with our second so the memory of it was a bit scratchy to say the least. This didn’t stop me sharing the recipe with family though so I thought I should probably give it a go myself.

Another internet search for vegan custard and we were away laughing, so to speak. Basically the recipe is a layering of fruit, cold custard and uncooked meringue which then gets baked in the oven at a low temperature (30mins at 120C). Mum had peaches in hers but as I mentioned I thought it needed a bit of balancing with something less sweet. The local markets obliged nicely with some fresh rhubarb which I stewed up minus sugar (our usual way of having it) and then got the custard brewing so both of them could have time to cool. The final steps were whizzing the meringue up and layer it all before baking. The result wasn’t that great to look at (I’m blaming the temperature of my oven again for the brown top and the fact that vegan custard is white rather than yellow) but the taste was great and a win all round.

Not the prettiest but the taste made up for it

Because I don’t really want to be in the kitchen all day on Christmas day I’ve decided that instead of the baked version I am going to do an ‘Eton Mess’ style in a glass. I’ll make the meringues the day before … and hide them! … along with the stewed fruit and custard. Then on the day people can just stack and layer how they like into a glass. Well that is the plan anyway 🙂

As I write this ‘recipe’ I do wonder why I actually write about food on here. I’m certainly not the greatest of chefs that is for sure and I certainly don’t have all the brightest and best gadgets nor all the best solutions. I guess though I’m trying to share that if I can do it and have some fun then so can you! Thank goodness for all those real foodies out there is all I can say!

Hope this finds you experimenting and enjoying the luxury of having enough to eat.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Breakfast pancakes

With Christmas next month and a very excited boy in the house – think he takes after his grandmother there in his enthusiasm of Christmas so early 🙂 – I have begun to think about what kai we are going to have. With two dedicated meat eaters in the house and two dedicated vegans it can sometimes be hard to find recipes that will keep everyone happy. Add to this my preference to be gluten free, caffeine free and refined sugar free and well …. you can probably get the picture. Someone is usually less than impressed with what is on offer!

Himself found a Christmas Turkey to help him bring the festive cheer into the house! So like his Nan 🙂

So I thought I would start getting out the recipe books again and trail some ready for next month. I confess I was at a bit of a loss until herself decided to whip up a pile of waffles the other day. It reminded me that I had a pancake recipe from The Happy Pear lads which they reckoned could be used for waffles too. We have tried vegan and GF waffles before but the result was a little slow going as the mixture needed cooking a little longer and the waffle needed quite a bit of coaxing from the waffle iron too. Herself pretty much banned us from doing it again but ……… as she went into town today I thought I would give it a go with the new recipe. The recipe below is pretty much The Happy Pear recipe (pretty sure it was in this book) except I added some more milk (soy), which gave the mix a better consistency, and also just used a GF flour rather than regular flour.

I felt for sure that the whole waffle thing would go much this time without her watching over my shoulder and with my ‘new’ recipe. Sadly I was wrong. The whole waffle thing still ended up taking ages, still needed a lot of help to get out despite me putting in loads of oil first and tasted a little too crunchy by the time I got it out. Time for the frying pan to emerge and time to head back to basics. When waffles were the mission I decided to omit blueberries as I knew the waffle iron was not partial to them. Now that I was back to making pancakes I decided to throw a handful in to make them all the more delicious.

I used sunflower oil for cooking these so that there was minimal flavour from the oil and decided on making chunkier mini pancakes to stack. The results were so much better and everyone was munching happily. Not one comment or question on the ingredients either which is a great sign! So I think we have our Christmas breakfast sorted …… yay ….. and without further waffle from me here is the recipe.

• 120gm Gluten Free flour (I use Edmonds premixed for this)
• 135ml rice milk
• 50ml unsweetened soy milk (this is my favourite at the moment)
• 1 mashed banana
• 2 TB maple syrup
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• A handful of blueberries (optional)

-Mix all the ingredients together

-Heat your frying pan (I love my cast iron one)

-Spoon in the mixture to create two small pancakes

-Wait until they ‘bubble’ on top then flip to cook the other side

-Check and remove when both side are done

-Enjoy either by themselves or with your favourite topping

Hope this finds you relaxed, rested and ready to enjoy the week ahead.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Homemade Kombucha

Every Sunday morning I have a routine …. get my 2 litre jug, add some loose leaf tea and some dextrose along with hot water and let it cool. Later in the day I then drain off my last week’s brew and pour the cooled ‘big cup of tea’ in with the a SCOBY ( Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast). All this is to create my refreshments for the week … homemade kombucha. My big jar of brewing Kombucha then sits on the bench all week waiting to for me to begin the process all over again the next Sunday.

The Routine Begins

Despite its current popularity, my kombucha making routine began almost 10 years ago after attending a fermenting workshop in Hokitika. There we were given samples of different kinds of homemade kombucha to try and sent away with a piece of SCOBY. I remember coming home with in and themselves laughing at my rubbery ‘squid’ like creature in a jar. How on earth was that going to make a drink? Despite all the ribbing though they all enjoyed either making some or drinking it in the following years.

The great thing with this is that it is so easy and inexpensive to make unlike some of the shop versions. Like many of the fermented foods Western cultures are ‘discovering’, Kombucha itself has been around for a long time ….. at least a millennia maybe even two. This little fermented drink is thought by some to originate from North East China and was drunk throughout Russia, Eastern Europe and Japan for centuries. Aside from being delicious (though some may argue with that so maybe it is more of an acquired taste) is also has many health benefits which have be scientifically studied and proven. Some people may worry about the added sugar however this is mostly ‘eaten’ by the SCOBY in the ferment so Kombucha is actually a good low sugar alternative.

As a family we have experimented with all sorts of variations in tea and sweeteners. Himself was very fond of a black tea and honey version until he became vegan. Herself on the other-hand enjoyed a berry tea and sugar variety. My favourite however is Green tea and dextrose and I now have two jars of it on the go every week after herself gave up making her berry kombucha. Being a wee bit impatient (I can hear my mother laughing already) and an ardent believer in keeping things simple, I drink my brew within the week rather than giving it a second ferment. A quick google search will give you all sorts of information on creating more exciting brews through second ferments though if that is your thing 🙂

The Benchtop Brews

The SCOBY with grow to the diameter of your jar thanks to the ‘food’ you are giving it in the form of tea and ‘sugar’; it will eventually cover the surface of the brewing kombucha. . To help the new brew along though we always leave at least 2 cups worth of kombucha in with the SCOBY … a bit like you would have a sourdough starter. There are loads of fermenting groups around the country which you can contact to get some so that you can begin your brew, usually free as the SCOBY just keeps growing layer upon layer. If you’re local to me though I’m happy to get you started too 🙂 Below is the basic recipe for feeding your SCOBY each week.

Kombucha Recipe

• 2 Litres of boiling water
• 2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea (or 2-3 teabags)
• 3/4 cup of Dextrose or sugar (you only need 1/2 cup if you are using honey)

-Combine all ingredients into a large jug or bowl.

-Allow to cool

-Pour over the SCOBY and starter in your glass jar

-Leave, covered with a cloth, for a week before pouring into bottles

Hope this finds you happy, healthy and enjoying the changes of season around you.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Banana & Walnut Bread

Without any face to face Infant Massage or Baby Reflexology courses lately there hasn’t been a pressing need for baking. The other month however, after herself baked and decorated yet another master piece, I felt like making something a little sweet for me too. That combined with all the rainy weather we have been having has sent me into the kitchen to create!

Cloudy skies that lighten for a bit before pouring with rain

The trouble is that so many things don’t agree with me that it can be hard to find something to hit the spot. Something vegan and gluten free was required. Combined with this I have been trying to have a better relationship with the food I’m putting in my body; being more mindful about what comes in, how often it comes in and how it impacts my health. There are definitely up and down days however on the whole I am feeling much better physically and mentally as a consequence. As part of that process I have been finding and using a lot more vegan recipe books from the library in a bid to nourish my body and of course find some new sweet treat recipes.

Although I have shared another Banana and Walnut Bread recipe a few years back, I really think this one is much better as it is a more flavoursome and denser. It is a super easy, fail safe recipe however in my usual style it is an adaption from the recipe I first saw, which was called Banana Bread, to suit both what I had in the cupboard and my own tastes. While I found the original recipe in ‘Vegan Intermittent Fasting’ by Dr Petra Bracht, which despite the name actually has a whole heap of delicious recipes, what follows is my adaption of it. The book is worth the purchase or at least getting it out of the library just for the nourishing recipes within!

Sliced up ready to enjoy

As with most of the bread recipes I use, I cut up the loaf on the first day and freeze the slices. Two slices per bag waiting to be toasted up and enjoyed at a later date. This recipe toasted up better than most and is so nice warm that I highly recommend using this option for yourself …. or enjoying it straight out of the oven! The recipe in ‘Vegan Intermittent Fasting’ used chocolate but as my body doesn’t like it very much, this was swapped out for walnuts. Not only because I love them but because of they are good for the brain and body. I also changed the flours to create a gluten free version using a combination of two gluten free flours. Completely omitting the sugar from the recipe created an even healthier sweet treat too.

• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 3 ripe bananas (I often use frozen too)
• 100ml unsweetened soy milk
• 3 Tbs Almond Butter
• 1 Tbs Apple cider Vinegar – see here if you want to make you own for next time 🙂
• 150gm buckwheat flour
• 150gm rice flour
• 60gm chopped walnuts
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 Tbs baking powder

– Preheat the oven to 180°C

– Blend the first five (wet) ingredients together until smooth and well combined. I just have a hand blender that I use as everything fits in the large ‘cup/jug’ that comes with it

– Mix the last six (dry) ingredients in a bowl

– Combine the wet and the dry ingredients ensuring that you mix really well. There is a tendency for the walnuts to get a flour coating on them if everything is not blended well

– Pour the mixture into a baking paper lined load tin

– Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

– Remove from the oven, you should be able to easily lift the loaf out with the sides of the baking paper, and place on a cooling rack.

– Allow it to sit for at least 15 mins before slicing and enjoying with a cuppa 🙂

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Christmassy Snacker balls

I know, I know …… it is way too early to be thinking about Christmas!! Themselves however have had other ideas and they are super excited about it.  They have even been buying each other presents and because of their excitement they have also been giving them to each other already.  Clearly they are confident that there will be a supply of gifts coming on the actual day from us and others :).

Seedlings in our handmade, compostable pots

All their chatter about December has started me thinking ahead though and what we are actually going to do this year which is a bit overwhelming, in the middle of work, at times. Thankfully in between all the Christmas talk they have been busy growing seedlings and getting their own garden plots ready.  Today they got the frames all built with the help of himself, and began transplanting everything in.  It has been great to see how eager they are to grow and care for their little seedlings and how excited they are to have their own gardens.  Long may it last and fingers crossed that we have some delicious fresh, garden grown peas, beetroot, lettuces and carrots for our dinners soon.

Herself and her new māra kai (garden)

Anyway …. with another week of Infant Massage to make snacks for and themselves chatter about Christmas kai I thought I would do a bit of a twist to my usual Snacker Ball recipe (click here to see that one).  As regular supermarket cherries aren’t actually vegan due to the colouring in them I have opted for cranberries to give it a ‘cheery, red’ look.  However you could always swap them out for cherries or other fruit and even add a bit of almond essence for a more ‘christmassy’ taste.  It is one of those recipes that you can play around with easily to get it just how you and yours love it. So without further ado  ….. here it is 🙂

Some extras for themselves

• 1 Cup dried dates
• 1 Cup cranberries (or other dried fruit)
• 1 Cup boiling water
• 2 Cups desiccated Coconut
• 3 Tablespoons black chia seeds
• 2 Tablespoon psyllium husks
• 100gms dark chocolate (broken up into small pieces)

-Soak the dates, chia seeds and cranberries in the water for 10-15 mins and then mash into a smooth paste – of course if you have a blender this is easier 🙂

-Stir in the other ingredients and mix until fully blended

-Shape the mixture into small balls (makes around 50 with this recipe) and put into a container.

-Refrigerate and enjoy

Hope this finds you all calm and without any Christmas stress mounting.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Crochet Cake – DF, GF, SF delight

My plan was to share a new recipe on here today …. that is until I got word at the 11th hour that the Infant Massage Course  I was running (through the local Women’s Centre who needs a minimum number of participants) could go ahead.  Then it was all guns blazing to organize everything, including baking some morning tea!

Looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow 

So I thought I would share, and make, an old favourite to take the pressure off a bit.  This cake got its name after I continually made it for a series of crochet ‘catch-ups’ we were having as a safe option for the GF amongst the group.  It is in fact a very simple and delicious gluten free, diary free and sugar free cake which, if served warm, can also be used as a yummy dessert.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as everyone else does …. it has sparked a big discussion between themselves now that we have happy chickens producing our eggs.  Are eggs, produced by happy hens, which occur regardless of what we do (a bit like fruit on a tree) allowable on a vegan menu?   I think that debate will go on for a bit!!

Crochet Cake – aka diary free, gluten free, sugar free delight

1.5 Cups dates

1.5 Cups of boiling water

1/2 Cup Rice Bran

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas – mashed

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp GF baking powder (2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda, 1 part arrowroot)

1 Cup rice flour

1/2 Cup desiccated coconut

• Soak dates in the boiling water for 10-15 mins (in a large bowl) before mashing into a smooth thick paste.  If this is still a bit watery you can heat it slightly.
• Mix in olive oil to the date paste and stir until blended.
• Add eggs and bananas to date/olive oil mixture and mix until blended fully.
• Add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix until everything is blended.
• Line a cake tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture.
• Bake at 180C for 50-60 mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Near the end of baking you may want to cover the cake with tin foil to allow it to keep cooking without the top getting too dark. It does take a while to get it fully baked.
• Enjoy warm with yogurt/whipped cream or allow to cool on a rack to enjoy later.

Hope this finds you enjoying lots of natural sweetness in your life and sunshine to warm your days.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Veggie Flatbread

After a week of off and on rain is has been nice being in the garden a little, watching the strawberries turn red, the washing blowing on the line, themselves gardening and the chickens scratching.  Yes …. after what felt like an eternal wait for themselves we have got ourselves a little brood.

The latest addition to the whānau

There was so much discussion about breeds and so much searching that I thought they would never decide however in the end, due to their first picks not being available, they went for a brown shaver each. In the meantime I had posted on FB about bantams and someone replied, so we quickly went from no chooks on Wed, to two on Thursday then four on Saturday!  They are taking their time getting used to each other, tending to stick in their pairs for now 🙂  I don’t think the Shavers had been outside at all so the first couple of days for them was quite funny to watch as they discovered wind, sun, rain, bird song and of course themselves snuggling them like crazy.

Anyway onto the recipe you say … and I shall.  This week is a great one for using up leftover veggies.  I have been experimenting with a biscuit recipe that called for mashed pumpkin and ended up with loads of leftovers.  Bread is one of my big loves, even though the feeling isn’t always mutual, so what better to make than flatbreads to get a bit of a doughy fix.  It is another super easy one that you can adapt to suit the tastes of your whānau (family).  I used mashed pumpkin and buckwheat flour this time however I have also made kumara and rice flour ones for a sweeter version and also plain old spud ones. Of course the flour you use is also interchangeable for those gluten munchers among you 🙂

Frying flatbreads in the pan

They don’t take long to fry up if you already have the cold mashed veg so are great for an on the spot snack or addition to any meal … even breakfast.  Themselves really love them and heap all sorts of toppings on.  I’m sure you’ll find them a hit in your household too.  I haven’t put any amounts in this recipe as it really just depends on what you have …… any amount works as long as you get the doughy consistency to be able to shape your ‘discs’ for frying.

• Mashed Veg (kumara, pumpkin, potatoe or any combo)
• GF flour (buckwheat or rice works well)
• Oil – for cooking)
• Salt and/or herbs (personal taste to dictate here)

-Add salt and/or herbs into the mashed veg as you desire.

-Mix in enough flour with the mashed veggies to form a soft dough. It may still be a little sticky but this will work out with a bit of flour as you form into discs.

-Spoon or grab out balls of dough which you can then flatten (going around in your hand) into discs, using more flour to help. If the dough is soft and sticky then make a little thicker.

-Fry in the pan with a little bit of oil if desired until brown on each side.

-Enjoy with salad bits or whatever your favourite topping is 🙂

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz