Butterscotch and Pear Gluten Free Tart

This tart would go so beautifully with a cup of tea in the afternoon, or dressed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Us Coeliacs don't always get to enjoy sweet treats as most cakes/slices are made with wheat, but when you try this I think you'll agree that there is absolutely no reason why wheat is necessary in this tart, and instead there are plenty of nutrients replacing it!
I have made this base previously with a Stone Fruit Tart, so this is another version and a little more decadent with the addition of a butterscotch sauce.
If nuts are an issue, replace the almonds with sunflower seeds, puffed amaranth or even chestnut meat if it's that time of the year.
Without a Thermomix this recipe can still successfully be made, have a look below for the conventional recipe.
Enjoy...

 

Butterscotch and Pear Gluten Free Tart

Ingredients

15g Chia seeds
25g chickpeas (or chickpea flour if not using a TMX)
20g flaxseed/linseeds
30g brown rice (or brown rice flour if not using a TMX)
25g raw buckwheat (or buckwheat flour if not using a TMX)
40g raw almonds (or almond meal if not using a TMX)
35g rapadura sugar (or brown/raw/coconut sugar)
20g organic shredded coconut
100g gluten free SR flour
100g butter
2 organic beurre bosc pears

Butterscotch Sauce
65g rapadura sugar (or brown/raw/coconut sugar)
135g cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method - Conventional

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.
2. Peel and slice pears lengthways and set aside.
3. If you have a food processor, grind up the chia and flaxseeds until fine.  Add the coconut and process until finely chopped. (If you don't have a food processor, just add all flours and seeds in a large bowl and work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until a fine breadcrumb consistency).
4. Add flours and sugar and mix to combine.  
5. Add butter and pulse until thoroughly combined.
6. Press mixture firmly into prepared tin with your fingers or the back of a spoon to make an even base.  Place the sliced pears evenly over the base.
7. Place the butterscotch sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.  Pour evenly over pears.
8. Place in preheated oven and cook for approx 45-50 minutes.
9. Allow to cool in the tin until just warm.  Slice carefully and serve with organic vanilla yogurt, ice cream or cream.

Method - Thermomix

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.
2. Peel and slice pears lengthways and set aside.
3. Place chia, flax, chickpeas, rice and buckwheat in TM bowl and grind for 30 seconds on speed 9.
4. Add almonds, sugar and coconut and grind on speed 8 for a further 5 seconds.
5. Add SR flour and butter pieces and process on speed 6 until combined (approx 5-10 seconds).
6. Follow step 6 above. 
7. Place butterscotch sauce ingredients in the TM bowl (no need to have washed it - just get as much of the base out as you can).  Cook at 90 degrees, speed 1 for 3.5 minutes.  Pour evenly over pears.
8. Follow steps 8-9 above.

Carrot cake slice - Nut free, egg free and gluten free

Filling the lunchbox every day is a constant challenge, so I've been told!  I'll find that out first hand this year.  And so given I use nuts in most things I make, it has been a challenge for me to ditch the nuts (during the week anyway!) and to come up with some lunchbox friendly snacks that will still nourish and energize my little man as he takes on each of the days events.

This recipe has no highly processed ingredients, with the bulk of the mix coming from carrots, sunflower seeds and brown rice!  It is also low in added sugar, using dates to sweeten, with just a little help from one of the least processed sugars, rapadura.  Taste the mix before pouring into the tray and if your tastes say 'sweeter please', blend through another couple of dates, some grated apple or sultanas.
I experimented and made a coconut 'icing' to put on top of each slice however you could go more traditional with a cream cheese frosting or even a lemony type icing which would be yummy too!

Of course this isn't just for kids!  Given the ingredients, it would make an energising snack for busy days on the go, between meals, or even with a cuppa and a chat! (or breakfast!).

Carrot Cake Slice - Nut, egg and gluten free

Ingredients

150g brown rice (or brown rice flour if not using a TMX)
30g chia seeds
300g carrots
120g sunflower seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
40g rapadura sugar
6 medjool dates (or 1/2 cup sultanas)
70g butter

Method - Conventional

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line a slice tray with baking paper.
2. Place carrots, sunflower seeds and dates in a food processor and blend until almost smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Pour into prepared slice tray and place in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Cool in tray for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.
6. When cool top with coconut icing (recipe below) or desired topping.

Method - Thermomix

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line a slice tray with baking paper.
2. Place rice and chia seeds in TM bowl and mill on speed 10 for 1 minute, scraping down once or twice if needed.  Set aside but no need to wash the bowl.
3. Add carrots, sunflower seeds and dates to TM bowl.  Blend on speed 6-7 for 30 seconds.  Scrape down and repeat.
4. Add remaining ingredients, including rice/chia flour and blend on speed 6 until completely combined (approx 20 seconds).
5. Follow steps 4-6 above.

COCONUT ICING

Place a 270g tin of coconut milk in the fridge for a couple of hours (I use Ayam brand).  Once it's cooled through, place 50g organic shredded coconut and 40g rapadura sugar in TM bowl.  Blend until a rough paste forms.  Open the coconut milk can without shaking and carefully spoon off just the solid part (the liquid will be down the bottom) and add to the coconut/sugar mix.  Add the finely grated rind of 1 lime and 1 tbs coconut oil and blend on speed 7 until creamy (there will still be some texture from the coconut), scraping a couple of times.Place in a piping bag and decorate individual cake squares as in the picture above or spread over the whole slice and cut into pieces.  

Chia cheesecakes with raw and roasted cacao base

Its been a while since I blogged a recipe so I was keen and eager to make my vision for cheesecake with health benefits come to life!
Perhaps it has been the constant smell and talk of chocolate at this time of year that has penetrated my recipe development process, or perhaps there has been SO much chocolate around me that I needed to change it up a bit and work on other flavours...... nah, don't think there can ever be too much chocolate around me!!! ( :
But certainly this is a dessert that you can feel a little better about eating!  Well, with the multitude of benefits from chia seeds, raw cacao, rapadura sugar, raspberries, dates, nuts, raw honey, mesquite powder, cinnamon, cardamon...... I'm thinking there's no guilt involved at all with this 'treat'!

Gluten, dairy, egg and nut free chocolate cake, although you wouldnt know it!

I felt totally chuffed when a friend of mine asked if I would make her daughters 1st birthday cake recently!  What an honour.  Then she listed the provisos and I must say it stopped me in my tracks for a minute!!  As her daughter has been reacting to certain foods, it has restricted what she can feed her until she can get further tests done.

Being Coeliac myself, and for a time was fructose intolerant too, I am quite aware of the limitations and frustrations of living with food allergies and intolerances, however this challenge was a real eye opener for me to see just how difficult it must be for parents with kids on restrictive diets.

Party time - healthy style!

It's been a longer time between posts than usual for me and this is the reason why!  I have been sitting on this one for ages feeling not quite right about it but couldn't put my finger on why.  Well, then it suddenly came to me and I realised that the tone of the post was quite negative and anyone that knows me knows I don't like negativity!  I'm defaulted to a glass half full person. 

Situations that have occurred in my life have made me that way and ironically even though they have been tragic events, I am thankful for the lessons I have learnt from them.  Anyway, that is soooo far off the point!

So originally the post was all about the horror of artificial preservatives, colours and flavours and copious amounts of fat, salt and sugar in all of the traditional party foods.  But it was weighing me down.  We all know that but what I decided you would benefit more from is being provided with tasty alternatives, plus a few recipes to get you started!