Michelle Koen » dairy free

Coconut crepes, with banana cream and blueberries

Michelle — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:54:47 +0000

After losing the photos I'd taken for Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day from my camera I was a little frustrated but posted a link to these cauliflower pancakes. From this I was asked about crepes. You see, it's quite easy to make fluffy pancakes, but much harder to get soft delicate crepes without the magic binding properties of gluten. Somewhere in the deep dark recesses of my mind I recalled I had cracked the code. Trawling through old notebooks I finally found a recipe for a very low-carb crepe using pea protein. It sounded like the perfect afternoon snack with a little ABC (almond, brazil, cashew) nut butter spread. These were really very good, but the request had been for one using quinoa or coconut flour. Again, this morning I got out my crepe pan (the pan that no one else is allowed to use for anything else) mixed up a few ingredients and like magic crepes appeared. The lovely thing about crepe batter is that it's so thin that making a batch is quick enough that the first few don't get too cold. Inspired by the coconut milk in the batter, I felt the filling needed to be banana-y. Unfortunately, I was out of bananas, but a client had given me some banana flavoured whey to try. Combined with the tanginess of the blueberries and a little sprinkle of coconut it felt like a very lavish Thursday morning breakfast! I will give both the pea protein and quinoa flour versions of the recipe. Both work exceptionally well, without cracking or falling apart. I was even able to 'flip' a few in the pan! Serves: 1 small (either protein or quinoa crepes) Prep-Time: 7 minutes Cooking times: 13 minutes Crepe: Lower-carb version

20g/ ¾ scoop Rice or Pea protein powder
1 whole egg, beaten
2 egg white
160ml/ 2/3 cup light coconut milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Crepe: Quinoa Flour Version

35g/3 heaped Tbsp Quinoa flour
1 whole egg, beaten
2 egg white
160ml/ 2/3 cup light coconut milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Banana Cream

15g / ½ scoop banana flavoured protein powder (or 1 small mashed banana)
40g /2 Tbsp light ricotta
a splash light coconut milk

Cooking oil for spraying/brushing
100g Blueberries
1 tsp shredded coconut, to serve.

Place the protein powder or quinoa flour in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring to combine thoroughly between each addition. Gradually add the coconut milk to form a batter the consistency of runny cream. Preheat a small frying pan to a medium heat. Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the banana cream to form a smooth, yet thick consistency. Set aside. Lightly grease the pan.Pour a quarter cup of the crepe batter in to the pan and swirl to thinly coat the base. Wait for about a minute, until the edges become firm, then slide a spatula around the edges to loosen before flipping and cooking for a further 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make approximately 5 crepes. Fill each crepe with a dollop of banana cream and blueberries. Roll or fold, and top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Protein crepes 259 kCalories, 31.6g Protein, 1.7g Carbs, 0.5g fibre, 13.7g Fat Roll or fold, and top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut. Quinoa crepes 318 kCalories, 19.4g Protein, 23.7g Carbs, 2.5g fibre, 15.6g Fat Banana Cream with blueberries 167 kCalories, 15.6g Protein, 15.7g Carbs, 1.8g fibre, 4.2g Fat

Hazelnut and Choc-Hazelnut Macaroons (sugar-free/gluten-free/dairy-free)

Michelle — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:32:24 +0000

By making these biscuits I could bring the downfall of Christmas in my family. Chocolate, the downfall of Christmas? I know…. It's a risk I'm willing to take.

Introducing anything new to our family's Christmas is risky. I got weird looks with these stuffed eggs last year; but everyone loved them. This year, I mentioned to my mum I'd seen Viv's Gianduiotti, and that I wanted to try a making chocolate Haselnussmakronen. There were serious murmurs about ruining Christmas! Chocolate, ruin christmas? Bah! Plain hazelnut macaroons are steeped in family history. Originally Haselnussmakronen, traditional German macaroons from my grandmother's recipe. These have always been my favourite Christmas biscuit ever since I was young. When the Christmas baking was handed down to me, I saw how easy it would be to lower the carbohydrates in these. No one even noticed. We now have several diabetics in our Christmas party and the low-carb approach is really appreciated. To placate everyone, and satisfy my curiosity, I prepared both. If the family don't get into them, the woman I bought the hazelnuts from will happily take them off my hands. I hope that these make your Christmas extra special. xo

Gianduja and Haselnuss Macaroons for Christmas

To make 15 of each

300g (18oz) hazelnuts, plus 30 extra
150g 85% dark chocolate or cocoa farm sugar free chocolate
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch
salt
a pinches cinnamon
1 cup granular sweetener, or 200g castor sugar
4 fresh egg whites, at room temperature

Place your oven racks near the centre of the oven, allowing for a little room for the air to flow. Preheat an oven to 120ºC/250ºF. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place the hazelnuts, reserving the 30 extra, in a food processor and grind until they are a fine powder. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. Break the chocolate into squares and place in the food processor, process until fine crumbs are formed. Place in a second mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla, salt and cinnamon to the ground nuts, and mix until combined. Place a third of the nut mixture (about 100g) in the chocolate bowl. Divide the sweetener equally amongst each bowl, half a cup in each. Stir both bowls to combine the mixtures.
In a large clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold half the egg whites through the non-chocolate mixture until evenly blended through to form a sticky, slightly crumbly dough. Repeat with the chocolate hazelnut mixture.
Using your clean hands (for extra hygiene wear gloves), form each mixture into balls the size of walnuts and place on the prepared trays. Gently press a hazelnut into the top of each one.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar for a further 20 minutes before cooling on a wire rack or elevating the trays on bowls to allow air to flow under them.

Substitutes and Alterations:

If you don't have a food processor, purchase ready ground hazelnut meal from the supermarket and grate the chocolate with a cheese grater.
Raw castor sugar, natvia or spenda would all make suitable sweeteners in this recipe

This time last year I shared with your my family's Christmas Cinnamon Stars

Cashew Finger Cookies

Michelle — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:55:39 +0000

Crispy, golden buttery cookies made from all natural ingredients; without the butter, sugar or flour. I've been playing around with a few little ideas for Christmas and asked what everyone was after over on my Facebook page. Shortbread was one suggestion. These aren't quite shortbread but they fill the house with the sweet smell of baking, all the same. Even better, because they don't contain any butter, they'll keep for much longer, making them the perfect sugar-free gift to tuck inside a Christmas card.

Cashew Finger Cookies

90g (¾ cup) cashews
2 egg whites, from fresh eggs
¼ tsp cream of tartare
⅓ cup sweetener (I used Natvia, you could use raw castor sugar, Splenda. Xylitol doesn't work in my experience)

Makes 12 cookies

Preheat an oven to 120ºC/250ºF. Line a large, flat baking tray with baking paper.
Place the cashews in a food processor or blender and grind to a powder. Set aside.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartare in a clean dry bowl. Whisk to form stiff peaks. Fold in the sweetener and the ground cashews.
Fit a 5mm nozzle to a piping bag. Fill with mixture. Pipe the mixture in 4cm/1.5in lengths onto the baking tray. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove once golden.
When you remove the the cookies from the oven, they will still be soft. Don't fret! Let them sit for about 20 minutes and they'll be beautifully crispy.

Chocolate Chilli Mango Pudding (for breakfast)

Michelle — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:59:24 +0000

Now that Summer is on the way and there is so much fantastic fresh fruit around, I'm looking for interesting ways I can incorporate all this deliciousness into my breakfast. I've set the omelet pan aside and discovered chia seeds. Chia seeds are rich in omega-3's and fibre, both good things which we're all told we don't eat enough of. Additionally, those tiny little seeds have some amazing super powers, being able to hold up to 9 times their volume in liquid! I've also learned they are a great egg replacer. Look out for some interesting experiments, or should that be egg-less-speriments (sorry), in the near future. I've had chia seeds in my pantry for about a year now. Occasionally i will sprinkle them on oats or into baked goods, but it wasn't until recently I discovered their amazing gelling properties. Chia pudding is hardly a secret in the raw/vegan community, but for me it's been an exciting new discovery. I've been eating chia pudding for breakfast the last few weeks with either almond milk or coconut milk and mangoes. This is all part of pretending I'm on a tropical holiday somewhere. While making my breakfast the other day, I was on the phone to my friend/client/massage therapist, Carly, and the conversation landed on Chocolate. Don't all good conversations at 7.30am? By the time we hung up, my chia had gelled and I had the idea that chocolate was a perfectly normal (and antioxidant rich) breakfast food. Once I had chocolate and mango all ready to go, I couldn't leave chilli out. Vivienne might not have forgiven me. She's promised me that they're a perfect combination. And they were. The chia gel was smooth and cooling along with the mango, the coconut milk sweet, the cacoa powder earthy and a little bitter. The bitterness going perfectly with the occasional zing of chilli. It all summed up my tropical island fantasy breakfast perfectly. 2 Tbsp chia seeds 1/2 cup water 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder 2 Tbs coconut milk 1 ts sweetener (I used natvia) a sprinkle of chilli flakes (if you're brave) 1 mango, diced Mix the everything except the mango in a bowl. Leave to sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally while you drink your morning cuppa. Top with the mango and eat. Preparation and Storage: This whole recipe can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated in an air tight jar. Substitutes and Alternatives: For a smoother texture place the chia seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder before mixing. To boost the protein content I sometimes sprinkle hulled hemp seeds on top of mine.

Raw Carrot Salad with Sesame, Soy and Lime Dressing

Michelle — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:30:42 +0000

Summer's nearly here. Which means it's time for some fun salads. Continuing on with the Asian flavours, is this bright and crunchy carrot salad. Traditionally carrot salad is popular in many cultures, the most well know are those from the middle-east. However, this salad is a spin-off from an Asian noodle salad I used to cook back in my vegetarian days. As it is, it's raw/vegan, but you could add egg noodles, rice noodles or even low carb konnyaku noodles to this if you want to make it a bigger meal. I'm keeping a big tub of it in the fridge and using it in wraps or just grabbing it for a quick snack. The herbs may get a little soggy but I'll allow that because as the bright flavours of the dressing soaks through the crunchy carrot the flavours just become better and better.

Carrot Salad with Sesame, Soy and Lime Dressing

4-5 carrots, grated (to make 2 cups)
1 large (170g) red capsicum, shredded
200g (2 cups) snow peas, shredded
1 big handful mint, shredded
½ bunch coriander leaves

Dressing

4 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce (sugar-free optional)
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce (or Braggs Aminos/Tamari for soy/wheat-free)
1 Tbsp kecap manis
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp sesame seeds

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
In a small bowl combine the dressing.
Toss the dressing through the salad.

Makes 4 large serves. Nutrition per serve (using sugar-free sweet chilli): 114 Calories 5.4g Fat, 0.9g Saturated, 0mg Cholesterol 2.9g Protein 10.7g Carbohydrates, 4.5g Fibre 914.2mg Sodium

Flourless Coconut and Mango Cake

Michelle — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:55:03 +0000

Lately I've been dreaming of a return visit to Thailand. Silly really considering half the country is under water right now. To compensate I've been going a little crazy for all the amazing tropical fruit which is coming into season at the moment. Especially, pineapples, papayas. And finally, mangoes were under $2 each at my rather pricey fruit and vegetable shop. I could hardly contain my excitement. The plan was to have them for breakfast with some homemade yoghurt and oats. However, I got chatting to Viviane from 'Chocolate, Chilli, Mango on Facebook and was persuaded to do some baking. I don't bake very often. I'm not a sweet tooth, but Viviane's recipe for Flourless Mango Cake' caught my eye because of it's lack of processed ingredients. Her recipe called for coconut sugar and coconut oil, However, my curiosity about coconut flour has been brewing and this was all I needed to have a play.

Flourless Coconut and Mango Cake

: Makes 1 x 20cm round cake

35g (2 discs) palm sugar
250g shredded dried coconut (or coconut flour)
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 large mango, peeled and pitted
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup macadamia oil
1 tsp baking powder
icing
15g (½ disc) palm sugar, extra
30ml (1 shot) Cointreau, triple sec or orange juice
½ cup water
20g shredded dried coconut, extra

Pre-heat an oven to 180ºC. Line a 20cm round baking tin with baking paper.
Place the palm sugar in a food processor and crush to a powder. Set aside. Repeat with the shredded coconut until a fine flour is formed. You may need to do this in batches. Add to the palm sugar and set aside.
Place the banana and mango in the food processor and puree to a paste. Add the remaining ingredients, except the egg whites and the coconut flour mixture and process until combined.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Thoroughly fold ⅓ of egg whites into the batter from the food processor. Add the remaining egg whites and lightly fold until combined.
Gently transfer the mixture to the baking tin and bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven and rest on a rack for 10 minutes.
Mean while combine the remaining palm sugar, Cointreau and water in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Use a pastry brush to brush the syrup over the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 40 minute(s)

Diet tags: Reduced carbohydrate, Gluten free

Number of servings (yield): 12

Coffee alternative for coffee lovers

Michelle — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:06:50 +0000

Warm frothy milk, sweet nutty taste and a little spice. It's not coffee, it's a Dandelion Soy Latte. In my quest for a tasty alternative to coffee my friend and massage therapist, Carly, suggested I try dandelion lattes. It wasn't until I was in Melbourne at Leroy Espresso in St Kilda that I saw one on the menu. I was hooked! I ordered 3. Roasted dandelion root tea has a similar texture and flavour to coffee without the health, fairtrade and chemical concerns of coffee. Dandelion is also said to help with water retention. I'm still experimenting with different ways of brewing my tea. I bought BonVit's Dandelion blend but must have bought the 'fine' grind as it put up a mighty fight in my espresso maker. It would be perfect for drip filter but we threw out our machine years ago. Next time I'll try the medium. The coarse grind would be perfect for plunger. To be honest, I didn't even notice it came in different grinds until I visited the BonVit website just then. Watch out though, however you make it, because it sets like concrete if you don't clean it up after making it. In a further experiment to find the perfect DSL at home. I came across Hari Hari Chai. I am familiar with there beautifully package chai but never even knew they had a dandelion option. Even better, they did mail order. Opening up the parcel post bag was like walking into an indian grocer I was hit in the face with warm, spicy aromas. It was like a big Indian woman giving me a hug! Hari Hari's website assured me that their grind would be perfect for my espresso machine, so I had extra motivation to get my morning walk done and give it a try. For my tempremental Silvia it was a bit of an ask. She likes her coffee ground at 3 3/4. I get raised eyebrows when I ask for this but 4 is too coarse and 3 1/2 too fine. So it came out a little watery, but the flavour. Mmmmmmmmmm spicy. What a shame I need to experiment some more with my stovetop espresso to see if it'll work! As for the soy milk. This of course makes a huge difference. I have two preferences. Rich, thick and creamy BonSoy. The soy milk that tastes like you're drinking full fat milk. Even their website knows how naughty you feel drinking it (check out the porn soundtrack!). Unfortunately, Bonsoy is full of added sugar so it's my special treat soy milk. Australia's Own Malt Free Soy Milk gets my 'everyday' tick of approval. It's not super beany and froths well with my espresso maker. Stir in a spoonful of sweetener or a drop of stevia and it's a pretty perfect coffee break. For anyone interested in the process of making their own Dandelion root tea, you'll find instructions here. In my quest for more sustainable living, I might even give it a go.

Coconut Custard with Rhubarb Compote

Michelle — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:44:42 +0000

My memories of rhubarb are that my mum used to always ruin a perfectly good apple crumble with it. This was slightly changed by my dear friend Pippa, who on her return from Finland a few years ago, brought a most delicious rhubarb desert to our house. Still, until last night this fruit had remained a mystery to me. While browsing a 'free vegetables' list. That is, list of vegetable who are fibrous or low enough in calories and sugar to be included in a serious 'leaning out' diet I spotted rhubarb. Ever since then I've been eyeing off the rhubarb at the farmers markets and at my organics shop. It's thick stalks and strange colour taunted me 'You'll never make anything out of me'. Finally, on Friday I picked some up from Wilson's Organics. The guy who always serves me and I both commented on how we'd never cooked it before. He's quite used to me buying mystery ingredients each week and I report back whether they're a success or not. Upon leaving the shop I broke a small bit off a stalk and had a taste. 'PWFATTSST!' Don't do that. How anyone would ever think of eating this stuff after a raw taste is beyond me. However, I persevered and with a bit of scanning of my cookbooks concocted a plan. Nutrition Data has this to say about Rhubarb:

It is also a good source of Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium and Manganese.

However, further research suggests that

... while it’s true that 1 cup of diced rhubarb contains about 10% of the daily value for calcium, it is hardly bioavailable at all, owing to the presence of these pesky natural compounds called oxalates, which bind to the calcium in the vegetable and prevent us from being able to absorb it. So in fact, rhubarb is NOT actually a good non-dairy source of calcium...

Coconut Custard with Rhubarb compote

Rhubarb Compote

6 stems of rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
the zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon, freshly squeeze orange juice (or water)
1 teaspoon Splenda®

Coconut Custard

2 eggs, beaten
165ml of light (coconut) milk*
½ teaspoon vanilla essense
1 tablespoon Splenda®

Place all the ingredients for the compote in a small fryingpan/skillet over a medium heat and cook, stiring occasionally, for 8 minutes. To make the custard, heat the milk until almost boiling. Either 2 minutes in the microwave or on the stove, stiring until bubble form at the edges. In a large metal or glass bowl combine the eggs and Splenda®, while whisking add in the hot milk. Place the bowl over a saucepan with about 5cm of simmering water in the bottom of it. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. If lumps form, it'll still taste good but it might not be dinner party material. Once the mixture is at the desired thickness it can be allowed to cool and reheated again gently in the same manner. The slightly scrambled version in the photo was very delicious, so if it's just your Sunday breakfast don't worry, you haven't ruined it. Divide the rhubarb amongst 2 ramekins and place the custard on top. Use a small spoon to give the mixture a 'half-turn' to make a pretty swirl. *Plain low-fat milk works fine also. I always buy TCC light coconut milk (like at the bottom but in a green can) Nutrition per serve (makes 2 serves) Calories: 180 Fat: 10.8g Carbs: 13.8g Fibre: 3.7g Sugar: 3.4g (mostly from the OJ- replace with water to reduce) Protien: 8.4g (you could boost this by adding in a scoop of vanilla whey to the custard mix)