Author: Becki sharp

Living in Scotland with my husband and two daughters, trying to live slowly and gently.

Dairy Free Banana Bread

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Toasted banana bread with butter is what my husband and I often say we miss most about living in Sydney so occasionally I make a loaf and it’s great but so bad for us! I’ve made some edits to the recipe so it’s just a little bit better for us, plus it’s dairy free!

Sort-of healthy banana bread:

Makes one 1lb loaf

150g wholemeal flour
135g plain (all purpose) flour
1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 tsp salt
110g dairy free spread
150g caster (superfine) sugar
50g honey
2 free-range eggs, beaten
4 ripe bananas, mashed or pureed
1 tsp vanilla extract
60ml vegan buttermilk OR 60ml oat milk with 1tsp of lemon juice.

Pre-heat oven to 170c (340f)

Step one: mix the flours, bicarb and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Step two: cream together the dairy-free spread and sugar.

Step three: add the puréed banana (you can mash it but it’s so yuk getting a chunk of banana when eating the finished bread!), eggs, vanilla, honey and buttermilk. Mix well, don’t worry if it looks curdled.

(If using oat milk + lemon juice, mix them together in a separate jug and let sit for a few moments.)

Step four: tip in the flour mixture and fold gently.

Step five: Pour into a lined/greased 1 lb loaf tin and bake for roughly an hour, checking from 45 minutes that the top isn’t burning. Cover with foil if getting too brown.

Cool for a few moments in the tin then transfer to a rack.

Slice and toast then butter and eat warm!

Vegan Scones (and your guests won’t even notice!)

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img_8915How good are scones?! Afternoon tea with jam and clotted cream. Last minute Saturday breakfast, warm with butter. Stale the next day, perked up in the toaster for an afternoon pick-me-up. Yep scones are amazing.

I’m not sure I know anyone who doesn’t like them,  so why should those who can’t/don’t eat dairy and eggs miss out?

Here’s my recipe for honestly delicious dairy and egg free scones, your afternoon tea guests won’t believe they’re vegan!

Fair warning: scones don’t keep well usually but these butter-free vegan scones really don’t keep at all, so don’t hold back! (a 10 second zap in the microwave will do something towards making your dry-next-day scones enjoyable)

Makes 12 scones

800g/28oz self-raising flour (800g all purpose flour + 10 tsp baking powder)
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Baking powder
170g/5oz chilled dairy-free baking block (I use Trex)
150g/5oz caster (superfine) sugar
300ml/10 fl oz milk alternative (I like oat milk)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
70g/2.5oz raisins/sultanas

Pre-heat the oven to 180 c (350 f)

Step 1 – mix the flour, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl with a whisk
Step 2 – add the baking block, it is much softer than butter – use a spoon.
Step 3 – use a knife to mix the dry ingredients with the baking block until it’s well coated, then get your hands in a rub together like regular scones
Step 4 – add the sugar and rub until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs
Step 5 – make a well and add the milk, stir with your knife until the mixture clumps
Step 6 – add the dried fruit
Step 7 – tip the mixture onto a clean surface and knead together, if it’s sticky add a little flour
Step 8 – flatten with your hands to around 5 cm (2in) making sure it is totally level (no sloping edges) but BE GENTLE!
Step 9 – use a circle cutter to cut out your scones, don’t twist the cutter. Ball and flatten until all the dough is cut.
Step 10 – brush with milk alternative and bake for 17-19 minutes.

They should be honey coloured on top, well risen and pale on the sides. Cool for at least 10 minutes on tray or rack.

 

 

Egg Replacer Pancakes

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My eldest daughter loves pancakes, the fluffy American style ones in particular and will eat them hot for breakfast or cold straight out of the fridge any time of day! (She loves them with “sywup” 😍)

On her birthday I made a regular batch and a second batch which I substituted egg replacer for eggs and honestly, they were gross! A good splash of milk to the mixture made them palatable but the yield was still significantly less than the regular ones as they were so stodgy.

So I decided to create a recipe specifically for egg replacer, after some (extensive) experimenting, here it is!

225g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp egg replacer powder

Pinch salt

1 tsp syrup

35g flavourless oil (like sunflower)

3 tbsp water

300 ml milk

And the magic ingredient:

Half a very soft mashed pear (no skin or core)

Method:

Add the milk, oil and water to a jug.

Whisk together all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Slowly pour in the wet ingredients whisking as you go, don’t worry if it starts off lumpy.

Pour into circles in a frying pan over medium heat, flipping when the bubbles on top start to burst and leave holes.

They might seem stodgy right out of the pan but will be fluffy by the time you get them to the table.

Tip- they will brown quickly so watch them carefully and adjust heat accordingly.

Tip 2- if your pear is too hard, halve it and put in in a bowl with a splash of water in the microwave for 30 second bursts.

Dairy Free Kids Party Food

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I just hosted my daughter’s third birthday party and we had a couple of guests who couldn’t eat dairy. I wanted to use buttercream on the main cake so I made some extra cakes and treats to make sure there was something yummy and exciting for these kids to eat.

The dairy free options were ‘record’ cupcakes, Rice Krispy cake ‘microphones’ and chicken drumsticks. This party had a (loose) music theme.

‘Record’ Cupcakes

Yields 9 cupcakes

150g dairy free spread. I used dairy free flora

150g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

150g self raising flour

100g marshmallows

10g dairy free spread

Oreo biscuits

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Line a cupcake tin with paper or silicone cases.

Cream together the DF spread and sugar until pale and creamy.

Slowly add the beaten eggs, mixing well between additions.

Add the vanilla essence and mix well.

Gently fold in the flour.

Fill the prepared cases 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow your cupcakes to cool until possible to handle. Cut the top so it’s as flat as possible.

Melt your marshmallows with the spread, this is best done on the stove but you can do it in the microwave in 20 second bursts.

Spoon the liquid marshmallow onto the top of the cupcake and spin to cover the top, gently press an Oreo in the middle while still hot so it sticks as it cools.

(It looks a bit like a vinyl record if you want to see it!)

Rice Krispy Cake ‘Microphones’

Yields 12 cones

300g marshmallows

45g dairy free spread (or 30g of veg oil in a pinch!)

170g Rice Krispies

Flat bottomed ice cream cones

Silver balls

Method

Melt together the marshmallows and DF spread over a medium-low heat. I always let the marshmallow colour on the bottom just a tiny bit at the end to give a caramely flavour.

Meanwhile, stand your cones in a cupcake tin (a mini cupcake tin works best).

As quickly as possible stir in the Rice Krispies.

Oil your hands with a flavourless oil (sunflower/veg) and push a small handful of mixture gently into a cone with a domed top. Roll the some in the silver balls to make the microphone effect.

Rolling in sprinkles would make it look like an ice cream, if you prefer.

Adventures in Egg Replacer

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Yesterday I tried out my new box of egg replacer. I’m using OrgraN No Egg, widely available in the UK inexpensively, you can also get it in Australia and the US.

My first experiment was replacing one egg in a box of corn muffin mix (Jiffy). Mixing the ‘egg’ was a bit confusing, the instructions just tell you the powder to water ratio not how to mix or if it should be a certain temperature or left any amount of time. I put the two together and stirred with a spoon, I think I left quite a lot of powder at the bottom of the cup, and used immediately.

My corn muffins rose well but didn’t hold together at all and the taste was slightly off. All in all, not a success!

Later in the day I made a fruitcake. Matt has requested one for his birthday and it needs to be egg free, I thought I should probably practice!

I’ve used a Mary Berry recipe for an easy light fruit cake, copied below, which required 4 eggs. This time I mixed with a whisk until it was a bit foamy, I also put a spoon of batter back into the cup to help scoop out all the dregs. The cake sank a little in the middle when it cooled but I have to confess I was rushing a little and pulled it out of the oven a tiny bit early which probably didn’t help!

The taste was good, it was slightly dense but there was almond meal in the mixture so this felt natural and it was lovely and moist. Matt was happy with it so I’ll be making it again next week for the big day and will be a bit more patient!

Overall, I’m happy with the egg replacer. It’s not quite the same as eggs, or at least I haven’t figured it out yet, but it is a good alternative.

Mary Berry’s Easy Light Fruit Cake

Serves 12

Ingredients

* 225g butter (room temperature) or vegetable spread (at least 70% fat), plus extra for greasing

* 225g caster sugar

* 4 large eggs/equivalent egg replacer

* 225g self-raising flour

* 100g ground almonds

* 1⁄2 tsp almond extract

* 450g mixed dried fruit

* 25g flaked almonds (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C/325°F/Gas 3). Grease a 20cm (8in) springform or deep, loose-bottomed round cake tin. Line the base and sides of the tin with baking parchment.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter or vegetable spread and sugar with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until fluffy, then add the EGG REPLACER a little at a time, beating well between each addition to prevent curdling.

3. Fold in the flour, ground almonds, and almond extract and beat until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Gently fold the dried fruit into the mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until well combined.

4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top. If you like, sprinkle the surface with the flaked almonds.

5. Put the tin into the oven and bake for one and a half to two hours. Test the cake for doneness with a skewer. If the skewer comes out wet and sticky, return the cake to the oven to cook further. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

Welcome

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When my second daughter was 3 months old and her colic symptoms seemed to be getting worse not better we began to suspect food sensitivities. I am grateful to have never had to consider ‘free from’ food before except for the odd dinner guest with an allergy or two so this was absolutely new to me. I was breastfeeding so my diet was affecting her and I decided to give up dairy, egg and soya. Over the next 12 weeks this was the constant and I tried many things until finally doing a total elimination diet (post on this to follow!)

During this process we discovered my husband’s eczema is aggravated by egg.

So here I am, a passionate cook and foodie facing the challenge of a child with multiple food sensitivities and a husband with an egg sensitivity. Join me on the journey of learning to cook and eat great food that’s allergy friendly!