Apple, date and oat bran muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 cup of oat bran

1 cup spelt flour or gluten free flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and coarsely grated, or finely diced

2 eggs

6 medjool dates, pitted

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil or coconut oil or butter

200 mL milk (¾ cup)

Method

Preheat oven to 160c fan forced or 180 normal

In a large bowl place your oat bran, flour, mixed spice, apple and baking powder.

Blend your eggs, dates, oil and milk together and then add to dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

Spoon into a 12 holed muffin tin. Line and grease if needed. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Store in an airtight container for 2 days on the bench and then put in the fridge if there are any left!

Gluten free/grain/dairy/nut free muesli bars

Perfect for your child's lunchbox or for your snack, the chocolate drizzle gives it a yummy optional extra

 

For nut free use a seed mix only, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, chia, flaxseeds, hemp and use avocado or light olive oil.

For dairy free do not use butter and use dairy free chocolate

Ingredients

½ cup of dates, tightly packed (100g)

¼ cup of other dried fruit, raisins, apricots, craisens, figs etc

1 ¼ cup of all sorted nuts and seeds, I have used coconut, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts-use all seeds if nut free

2 tbsp macadamia oil, you can use coconut oil or butter depending on the intolerance

1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

Line a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking paper, leaving some overhanging so you can lift it out.

In a food processor blitz everything, except the egg until it is mostly all fine. Add your egg a do a couple of pulses until combined.

Press into your tin and bake for 8-10 minutes, should be a little firm.

Leave for 5 minutes and lift out of the tin and cut in half, then cut each half into 5 so you have 10 fingers.

As an option (when the bars have cooled) you can drizzle chocolate over. This is 40g chocolate, melted then put in a little glad snap lock plastic bag (you can use a piping bag as well) snip a tiny piece off the corner then drizzle over the chocolate.

Date, walnut and banana loaf

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup boiling  water

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp butter

3 eggs, beaten

2 ripe bananas, mashed

¾ cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup coconut flour

¼ cup other gluten free flour

1 tsp baking powder

Method

Put dates, boiling water, baking soda and butter in a bowl for half an hour to soften. Preheat oven to 180° c, Grease or line a 22cm loaf tin. Put eggs, walnuts, vanilla and banana. Combine with date mixture, baking powder and flours, mix altogether and place in tin. Bake for 35-40 mins or until loaf springs back when lightly touched. Leave in for 10 mins before turning out onto a wirerack. You could use any combination of dried fruit

Munchable Slice

Make these completely dairy-free with your favourite dairy-free chocolate chip. Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

1 cup  unsweetened almond milk/coconut milk
3 large (50 grams) medjool dates or 50g grams of other dates
2 tbsp  chia seeds
1/2 cup  dried cranberries/craisens                          
1 cup  quinoa flakes/rice flakes
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (50 grams) coconut oil, melted
1-2 tbsp  water
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips(you can use normal if you want dairy)
1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts(or other nuts)

2 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 cup  shredded coconut

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease or line with baking paper a 16 by 16cm cake tin.

Put the milk and dates in a blender and puree. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the chia seeds. Set aside. Put the cranberries in a bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside.

In a small bowl or food processor mix together the quinoa flakes, almond meal, coconut  sugar, xanthan gum( if using), and salt. Mix in the melted coconut oil and 1 tbsp of the water until a crumbly dough forms. You may need to add another tbsp of water. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Put the chocolate chips on top of the crust, followed by the chopped walnuts and sesame seeds. Drain the cranberries and layer them on top of the walnuts/sesame seeds. Pour the milk mixture over the top of the dough and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the coconut over the top and lightly press it into the almond milk.

Bake for 40 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through, until the coconut is golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting. Cut into 16 squares or bars.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container.