Raspberry Coconut Slice - Gluten Free, Real Raspberries and a Nutritious Lunchbox Filler!

There wouldn't be many people out there who haven't had a slice of the traditional Raspberry Coconut Slice in their life!  Whether it was a staple in Grandma's slice tin or a local bakery favourite, this slice conjures up memories of days gone by.
When this slice popped into my head the other day, I wanted to maintain the traditional flavours and textures of the slice, whilst increasing the nutritional value (as I had planned for this to be a successful inclusion into Master 5s school lunchbox).  So the obvious renovation was to first swap the raspberry jam for just the fruit itself, and then a little tinkering to the base has boosted the fibre, protein, omega 3s, antioxidants and so the list goes on!
If you like things really sweet you may find you want to add a little more sugar, but remember the raspberries add sweetness and for the kids I reckon they are sweet enough!

Easy to make and even easier to eat, this slice is guaranteed to spice up the lunchbox, the morning tea platter at work, or even just the humble cuppa for a rare 'me time' moment! 
If you don't own a Thermie, just use brown rice flour, available at your local health food store and some good supermarkets.  The rest can be made with an electric mixer, food processor, or with a bit of muscle power, bring the tradition right back into this recipe with a good ol' fashioned whisk and wooden spoon!
Enjoy...

Raspberry and Coconut Slice 

Ingredients

100g butter
3/4 cup (120g) + 1/4 cup (40g) rapadura sugar (or coconut sugar, brown sugar)
3 eggs
3/4 cup (150g) brown rice (or brown rice flour)
2 tbs (25g) chia seeds
1/2 cup (70g) gluten free self-raising flour
1/3 cup buttermilk
250g fresh or frozen organic raspberries
2 cups organic desiccated coconut

Method - Conventional 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm lamington tin with baking paper.  Add chia seeds to buttermilk, stir, and allow to sit until needed.
2. Using an electric mixer, food processor or whisk/wooden spoon, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Add 1 egg. Beat until combined. 
4. Sift flours over butter mixture and add buttermilk/chia mixture. Stir gently to combine. 
5. Spread mixture over base of prepared tin. Evenly place raspberries over mixture. 
6. Whisk remaining eggs and 1/4 cup sugar together in a bowl. Stir in coconut. Sprinkle mixture over raspberries. 
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden. Cool in the tin before slicing.  I've stored mine in the fridge due to the raspberries.

Method - Thermomix

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm lamington tin with baking paper.
2. Place brown rice and chia seeds in the TM bowl.  Mill on speed 10 for 1 minute.  Set aside. No need to clean the bowl.
3. Add butter and 3/4 cup sugar to TM bowl and whip on speed 6 until pale.  This will require a few stops and scraping down the bowl.
4. Add 1 egg.  Blend on speed 5 for 10 seconds or until combined. 
5. Add flours and buttermilk.  Blend on speed 2 until just combined.
6. Spread mixture evenly over base of prepared tin.  Scrape as much mixture out of the TM bowl as possible but no need to clean.  Evenly place raspberries over mixture.
7. Add remaining eggs and 1/4 cup sugar to TM bowl and whiz on speed 4 for 15 seconds.  Add coconut and stir through on REVERSE, speed 1 until combined.  Sprinkle mixture over raspberries.
8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden. Cool in the tin before slicing.  I've stored mine in the fridge due to the raspberries.
 

 

Black rice, seed and choc chip cookies - gluten and nut free

My eldest son starts school next year and already I think I have heard more about 'lunchbox etiquette' than anything else to do with school!!!

It seems gone are the days when pretty much every lunchbox consisted of a peanut butter or ham sandwich, cheese stick, Prima (Juice Box for many other parts of the country/world!), pack of chips and piece of fruit!  And that's probably a good thing on the whole!

These days you have to be 'nude food' compliant, 'rainbow food' savvy, cold chain compliant, and must have not a trace of nut in sight!  5 days of the week, 38 weeks of the year, 13 years straight! AAAUUUGGGHHHH.  How ever are we going to get out of the door each morning??!!  And will we be accepted by the lunchbox police? ( :

In all seriousness though, the allergy thing is a big one these days, with so many kids administered with an EpiPen in the case of an anaphylactic shock.  So not only do these parents understandably spend so much time and effort keeping their children safe and avoiding nuts, every parent who has school aged kids really needs to be mindful of the products they are sending to school in lunchboxes.  That can be tough for a family not needing a radar for nuts in their life (or any other allergens for that matter).

So given I use nuts a lot, I really wanted to start exploring the nut free world so that next year we can be armed with some yummy homemade snacks that might just win over not only the lunchbox police, but also the nutrition police (me!) and most importantly, the taste police (being my boys!!).

Nutrient wise, when it comes to bikkies, these little guys not only contain a lot less sugar than probably all store bought varieties and many home baked too, but also actually provide goodness, coming from the black rice, sesame seeds and chia seeds!  As I spoke about on Mellymaks Facebook page recently, 'black foods' are a powerhouse of minerals, isoflavones and antioxidants, helping to strengthen the immune system among other benefits.  And milling the whole grain means that not only do you get those immunity benefits, but the fibre and healthy fats from the bran, germ and endosperm!

I spoke a lot about the benefits of seeds in STEP 3 of Mellymaks STEPS program, and the chia seeds and sesame seeds in these bikkies will certainly boost the kids with energy and nutrients galore!