Paleo Chocolate Mousse

This is a simple and easy paleo Chocolate Mousse to try. I find I like to add cinnamon when I make anything with chocolate. I like the taste of them together so have done it again here.

Paleo Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients
2 frozen bananas
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
100ml coconut milk

Topping
Granola

Method
Peel the skins off the bananas wrap in cling wrap and place in freezer overnight.

Take banans out of freezer and slice. It's not easy and be careful as they can go flying around the kitchen!

In a food processor place all ingredients and blend until smooth.

I like my mousse thick. If you like it a bit thinner add extra coconut milk.

I used granola for my topping as I like the crunch that goes with the smoothness of the mousse but you can use any fruit including strawberries, bananas, passionfruit... The choice is yours.

Chocolate Meringue Torte

How wickedly divine is this Chocolate Meringue Torte. It is even more delicious than it looks. The mousse is incredibly silky and smooth and it has a secret ingredient.

I was invited to dinner at my sisters and decided to bring dessert. Since she is doing Weight Watchers she gave me a choice of recipes. I chose this one but have changed it from the original which said that you had to buy the mousse but I wasn't having a bar of that. No added chemicals and preservatives for me.

I have never made chocolate mousse before because I thought it was too hard but I was wrong. I am definitely going to make chocolate mousse again. Just to enjoy on it's own will be wonderful.

The mousse recipe is from Masterchef when Matt, George and Garry made chocolate mousse three different ways. Of course I chose Matt's as it is the healthiest of the three but once again I changed it.

I used a little less chocolate and sugar and instead of milk I used Rice Milk. You wouldn't even know the difference.

This is an incredibly delicious, addictive dessert. It is so light and soft and silky in the mouth. It does take a little while to make - just over 2 hours - but it is worth it.

Chocolate Meringue Torte

Meringue
4 medium egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 tsp cornflour, sifted
100gm strawberries chopped

Chocolate Mousse
150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1/3 cup Rice Milk
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Meringue Instructions

Preheat oven to 160ºC.

Line 3 baking trays with baking paper. Draw a 25cm x 10cm rectangle on each sheet of baking paper.

Using electric beaters, beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle the cornflour into the mixture and gentle fold it in.

Divide meringue mixture among prepared rectangles and spread evenly. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp on the outside. Cool on trays.

Chocolate Mousse Instructions

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl in a microwave on medium heat for 1 minute, stir  then heat for a further 30 seconds or until chocolate has completely melted.

Heat rice milk until boiling then gently whisk milk into chocolate until just combined. Set aside to cool slightly. Gently whisk in egg yolks until just combined.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer beat egg whites to soft peaks. Sprinkle sugar over egg whites then beat until stiff and glossy.

Fold one-third of the chocolate mixture at a time into the  egg whites until combined.

Cover mousse with cling wrap and place into fridge until firm around 1 hour.

Combining mousse and meringues

Once the mousse has thickened get a platter and place one layer of meringue on the bottom. Then spread some of the mousse mixture on top.

Place another layer of meringue then spread more of the mousse mixture over it. Place last layer of meringue on top.

Spread a thin layer of chocolate mousse then top with chopped strawberries.

Spanish Almond Cake

I got this delicious recipe from Epicurious. I was searching for a wheat free cake as it was my nephews name day and I offered to make a cake. I had to make something I could eat so searched for a wheat free cake and found this one.

The story of the cake is what drew me to this Almond Cake recipe as I have had many Almond Cakes and most of them boring but this one is heavenly.

The Almond Cake recipe is from Claudia Roden's Food of Spain. Apparently those who visit the great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where the relics of the apostle Saint James are believed to be buried, see the cake in the windows of every pastry shop in town.

I definitely want to do this walk one day. It is one for the bucket list.

I have changed a few of the ingredients as I didn't agree with them. I don't like using too much sugar and don't like almond essence at all as it always tastes so fake.

I think if I make this again I would reduce the sugar even more or even try honey. I find when I use honey it makes the cake heavy and it doesn't rise as much. I am still experimenting. Also this is a very sweet cake so I might not use the vanilla essence either.

This cake is so deliciously light and the aromas of the orange and lemon peel are absolutely divine. It has an incredible aroma and will make you kitchen smell so fresh and homey. Always a good sign of a great recipe.

I placed the cake in a 20cm cake tin but it is traditionally made a bit thinner so if you have a larger tin just use that. It can be made in many sizes, big and small, thin and thick.

Let me know what you choose to do and how you went. It's always fun playing with recipes.

Spanish Almond Cake Recipe

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups blanched whole almonds
6 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Icing sugar for dusting or cover cake in apricot jam

Method
Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a smooth pale cream. Beat in the zests and vanilla extract. Add the ground almonds and mix well.

With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture. I love doing this. It's so nice and fluffy. The mixture is thick so you will need to do a lot of gentle folding until they combine.

I sprayed a 20cm/8 inch cake tin with olive oil and lined it with baking paper but you can use any size tin. A larger more shallow dish is more traditional. Pour the cake batter in the tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180C/ 350°F for 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

Cool in tin for a few minutes then allow to cool on wire rack.

Before serving dust the top of the cake with icing sugar or you can use apricot jam.

Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I got this delicious Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Paleofeet but I changed it a little.

I dolloped the cookies onto the baking tray thinking they would flatten but they stayed as balls but I like them. They are fun to eat and lovely and moist in the centre. 

I really love the honey flavour that comes through in these Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.

It is so easy to make you own almond butter. Just follow my instructions on how to make peanut butter and substitute the peanuts for almonds. Home made is always better than store bought and this is so easy.

It's wonderful to eat such natural, wholesome delicious food. Enjoy.

Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Makes
14 cookies

Ingredients
1/4 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
1 egg
1/4 cup smooth homemade almond butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbspns milk free chocolate chips

Directions
Heat oven to 180C and line baking sheets with baking paper.

Mix dry ingredients leaving out the chocolate chips.

Mix the wet ingredients in a food processor or by hand in a small bowl.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips.

Spoon heaped teaspoons onto a lined baking tray and bake for 10 - 13 minutes. Keep an eye on them between these times as they do burn quickly.

Note
-The cookies do not flatten as they cook they stay as is. So if you want the cookies to look store bought flatten them.

-When making home made almond butter I find you need to double the ingredients, for example to make 1/4 cup you need to use 1/2 cup of almonds.

Chocolate Nut Fudge Brownie

Delicious Chocolate Nut Fudge Brownie

Yummy oozie chocolate

Yuuuuuuuuuuuum

Chocolate Nut Fudge Brownie fresh out of the oven. Oh the aromas!

I wanted a quick and easy dessert to cook and found this Chocolate Nut Fudge Brownie on Health Bent one of my favourite recipe sites. I changed it a bit as I always do. I think it is a lot more fun this way.

For the topping you can add more chocolate and nuts. Go with your heart! Either way it is going to be delicious. You can never go wrong with chocolate and fudge.

This recipe is gluten free, wheat free, grain free and dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips. Not always easy to find but when you do stock up!

Choc Nut Fudge Brownie

Fudge Brownie
Ingredients
1 cup almonds made into almond butter or 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon almond butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of rock salt

Chocolate Nut Topping
Ingredients
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons choc chips
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.

2. In a bowl mix together the almond butter, coconut milk, egg, vanilla and salt. Then add the cocoa powder, sugar and choc chips.

3. For the topping sprinkle choc chips and nuts over brownie then drizzle with honey.

4. Bake in oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

5. Serve with lactose free vanilla ice-cream.  TO. DIE. FOR!


Note: It should still be moist in the middle so if you are testing with a toothpick you should get some chocolate on there it shouldn't be dry. If it is you have overcooked it and it's cake not fudge!

Chocolate Sultana Nut Cake - Gluten Free, Dairy Free

A slice of delicious Chocolate Sultana Nut Cake with a

soothing cup of Twinings Peppermint Tea

 

 



 The mixed nut meal on top and the naughty sultanas all on the bottom.

I have already made this easy Chocolate Sultana Cake recipe before in my wheat days. It was incredibly delicious then and is still just as tasty without flour.

This time around I used a cup of mixed nuts. I ground them up into a nut meal just for some fun to see how it would come out. Unfortunately all the sultanas sank to the bottom as you can see in the photo above but it is still a delicious cake.

I thought maybe the nut meal would hold the sultanas better and they would be evenly distributed but I was wrong. Not a bad thing. It has all been gobbled up already.

I also reduced a lot of the sugar and have started using xylitol. I used it before and unfortunately as it does to most people worked as a very good laxative to put it in mild terms.

I find honey makes a dense cake and was trying to make a "normal cake" consistency but the sultanas put a stop to that. I think next time I will use half the amount of sultanas and maybe 2 tablespoons of honey instead of the sugar and xylitol.

This chocolate sultana cake recipe is very easy to make and a favourite so will keep making it until I get it perfect. Stay tuned.

In the meantime make it and enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Sultana Nut Cake Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup mixed nuts
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
3 tablespoons raw sugar
1 tablespoon xylitol
3/4 cup rice milk
1 cup sultanas

Method
In a food processor grind up mixed nuts into a nut meal. You can use a single nut like almonds or cashew but I had mixed nuts and thought it would be fun to try something different.

Whisk eggs and sugar well.

Add milk and sultanas and mix well.

Combine almond meal and cocoa together then mix into wet ingredients.

Pour mixture into lined loaf tin.

Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 40 minutes.

Make sure it is in the middle not the top tray or it will burn and stay raw.

Then place foil on top to stop any further browning and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

 

Poached Coconut Chicken with Zucchini Chips

This is such an easy coconut chicken recipe. I had some coconut milk in the fridge and was wondering what to make with it. I had some chicken so decided to poach it in the milk. This is now one of my favourite recipes.

The chicken is incredibly delicious and so flavoursome and the spiciness of the zucchini chips with the fresh flavour of the mint is divine.

Poached Coconut Chicken Recipe with Zucchini Chips

Ingredients
1 chicken breast
200ml coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon mint
1/4 large zucchini sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried hot chili
salt & pepper to taste

Method
Cut chicken into large pieces.

Bring the coconut milk to the boil in a saucepan then reduce and simmer. Place chicken in milk and poach for 10 minutes or until cooked. Drain.

While the chicken is poaching slice up the zucchini and mix with chili. Cook in a small fry pan for a few minutes until slightly browned.

Place the chicken on a plate then when ready place the zucchini chips on the plate and top with herbs and season with salt and pepper.