Kitchen Escapades: Surviving the Baker's Den

Many may think that being a dietitian equals extraordinary chef, which in my case, is DEFINITELY NOT. I have to give credit to a course during my Uni years, which taught me to master the art of cooking on another level. Fast forward 11 years later, here I am getting all experimental, especially when it comes to baking. Baking, for those who don’t know me, is not my forte. I have had some massive fails, unless it came out of a box and premixed. However, I can now proudly say, I have excelled in the baker’s den! Here I am sharing MY recipes, which have had public (i.e. fiancé & friends) approval so Bon Appetit! 

Amaranth Nut Crunch 

Now, this is just a recent recipe that I’ve experimented with using Amaranth and Nut butter, which were hidden away in the pantry. It is a great snack to keep in hand, when hunger strikes whilst running from one meeting to another! 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of popped amaranthIMG_3707
  • 1/2 cup of gluten free muesli
  • 1 cup of mixed chopped walnuts and cranberries
  • 2.5 tablespoons of organic nut butter of choice
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Place the amaranth, muesli, nuts, cranberries and spices in a bowl.
  2. In a separate, microwave safe bowl, slightly heat up the honey and nut butter together, until smooth then add to rest of ingredients.
  3. Mix the ingredients gently until they start clumping together.
  4. In a 20cm X 18cm baking pan, place the mixture and gently press into the pan tightly (you can use baking paper to avoid the mixture sticking to your hands.
  5. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 
  6. You can then gently slice into your desired squares/bars then place into the refrigerator once cooled.
  7. Store in an air-tight container.

Blueberry Cinnamon Gluten Free Muffins

I have tried endless versions of these muffins and adding blueberries were everyone’s favourite. You can substitute the berries for dried fruit or other fresh berries.

Ingredients (Makes 6)photo (1)

  • 1 cup of gluten-free flour
  • 1 cup of almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon of GF baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 60ml  of vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup of lactose free milk or rice milk
  • 2 tablespoons of honey or sweetener of choice
  • 1-2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • Sunflower seeds for topping
  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
  2. Combine the flour and almond meal, baking powder and cinnamon. Then, add all wet ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and honey).
  3. Mix all the ingredients gently until a smooth mixture is formed. Add the blueberries and gently mix.
  4. Spoon the batter into a non-stick muffin tin, sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top.
  5. Place in oven and bake for 20minutes.
  6. Once muffins are baked, let them cool on a rack for 10minutes before popping them out of the tin. Enjoy!

So there you have it! Two guaranteed recipes for taste and simplicity, created and conquered by a previous failed baker! Wishing you all a great start to the week…

On April 14, 2014   /   Exercise & Fitness, Recipes   /   Leave a comment
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