No-sugar Chocolate Linseed Fudge

31 May

Fudge flavour and health

I have to confess loving real fudge even if I do find it way too sweet and I know it is super-unhealthy. I aways used to find making it an unpredictable fiddle-faddle but my main issue is cleaning pans of their coating, inside and out, of rock hard sugar. This healthy recipe is for sugar-free fudge – great for the figure and diabetics – and it is much quicker and easier to make, it’s almost instant. My sugar-free fudge is real food, with healthy ingredients nuts, linseed, cocoa so it is full of great nutrients, antioxidants, fibre and omega-3 – and low GI too. It tastes great, with no refined sugar and no naughty fats it doesn’t make you feel guilty but has real fudgy texture.

Lime and Chocolate

As a child one of my favourite sweets was chocolate limes even though I was always a bit disappointed that they weren’t chocoaltey enough nor were they as sharp lime should be. When I made this recipe with the zest of a whole lime it was very grown up and just what I wanted. If I was making it for children I would either use less zest or make it with orange.

Simple, sticky, 2 ingredient molasses flax bars

01 Apr

Molasses: tasty, healthy and natural sweetening

I love molasses almost as much as chocolate in baking. It is a healthy sweetener with almost half the sugar of other sugars but loads of healthful minerals and masses of glorious flavour. There are just two ingredients so these bars are very easy to make. I enjoy these healthy bars for breakfast, not too sweet and a great start to the day,. They are also delcious with a cup of coffee or packed in lunchboxes or rucksacks for walking and cycling.

Every day I love these bars more and more until they are finished. They are intensely flavoursome and relatively low in sugar,, which is made even healhtier by the high fibre of the linseed which slows down the rate you digest sugars thereby protecting you from sugar spikes and the droopiness that follows foods made with refined sugars and starches.

Healthy ground linseed bars

With almost 14g of ground linseed in each bar it means a whopping 5.5g omega-3 and 6g fibre but only 12 g sugar and no wheat and gluten-free. Which makes these really healthy bars and a great way to eat your daily linseed.

Traditional buckwheat and flax drop-scones, gluten-free, vegan, saturated fat-free

11 Feb

I often cook without eggs so that it is a fat-free and healthier option. I use chickpea flour with buckwheat flakes (or flour) and ground flax as a more nutritious alternative to wheat flour, eggs and all that stuff. I use a coarse ground chickpea flour called maghaj but gram flour works just as well.

I use coarse gound chickpea flour and buckwheat flakes because they are lower GI than finer flours and make breads and baking more chewy, substantial and satisfying.

“Cheesy” buckwheat & flax drop-scones (gluten-free, vegan, no added fat)

11 Feb

When I don’t have any eggs to hand I am pleased to revert to a fat-free healthier option and use chickpea flour as an alternative. I use a coarse ground chickpea flour called maghaj but gram flour works just as well.

I love nutritional yeast, it’s very tasty and low calorie. It is fat-free, full of vitamins, high in fibre. has lots of protein and it has a lovely cheesy flavour. It also has a long shelf life so you can always have some in the cupboard as a standby for recipes like this, Nutritional yeast and real Parmesan or grated cheddar work equally well.

Malt loaf, gooey, squidgy and gluten-free

02 Feb

Luscious gooey malt loaf

One of the things I miss most being wheat-free, cereal-free and gluten-free is the gorgeous Soreen malt loaf; but now I have made my own and it’s just right. I love the flavour combination of slightly, burnt raisins and malt. All squidgy and gooey served with a good spread of best butter; it’s worth the calories. Just the thing with a cup of tea in the afternoon, elevenses or whenever you need some malty sustenance. So scrummy after all these years without malt loaf.

Loaf or traybake

If you don’t have a loaf-tin no matter, just use a baking tray. I find the traybake an excellent option as it doesn’t cry out for butter like the loaf. 😉

Gluten-free maltloaf — Gluten-free malt loaf

Superior sports energy

Malt is an amazing and technically superior sports food because unlike other sugars which break down into glucose and fructose, which is what gets stored as fat, malt breaks down only into glucose which is used for energy, Ideal during endurance sport – or hard work in the garden – when fuel reserves are low. Add to that omega-3 from the ground flaxseed and vitamin b from the buckwheat it’s a lot of superfood in a cake. I take it out as an energy top up on long walks or runs.

Turmeric, cauliflower & linseed bread

Cauliflower turmeric linseed bread slices

02 Feb

Cauliflower ingredient for gluten-free bread

This is very easy to make.

Lots of wonderful nutritious stuff going on in a delicious savoury bread. Full of all the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, polyphenol power of linseed, turmeric & cauliflower and no gluten of starch in sight! You can make sandwiches with it or just have it in the fridge for something tasty and healthy to take the edge off your appetite when come home ravenous. It’s savoury and nice on it’s own, add it to your lunch-box, it’s a great way to increase your vegetable and dietary fibre intake.

All ingredients are super low GI and starch free so suitable for weight loss and diabetic diets. Linseed also gives you a helping of omega-3 for good measure.

Turmeric has a great reputation for being anti-inflammatory, it needs both black pepper and oil to get the best from it. This recipe provides both, the ground linseed proves the necessary oil.

Baba Ganoush Aubergine Meze Dip

01 Oct

Traditional dip

Baba ganoush is a delicious traditional Middle Eastern aubergine dish made with olive oil. I have made the recipe with with linseed oil, olive oil and a mixture of the two and I have to say I think I prefer the cold-pressed linseed oil and mixed oil versions. Baba ganoush is a dip, a side dish for salads or cooked meals, a sauce for pasta or spread generously on pitta bread, toast or rice crackers – it goes particularly well with buckwheat crackers and flax crackers, see recipe or ladled onto flax bread muffins, see recipe.

Healthier version

Made with fresh veggies, herbs and spices this is a healthy dish to start. Making the recipe with Flax Farm cold-pressed linseed oil is a great way to up the omega-3 content of the meal and make it even healthier.

Three tips for great Baba Ganoush

Well made baba ganoush is sublime. The one you will enjoy best comes about through trial until you get the balance of flavours you enjoy. You can’t be too precise with ingredients as the aubergines are never quite the same size or flavour. Feel free to vary the addition of spices, herbs and tahini to taste or what you have available .

The three top tips to making baba ganoush well are:

Really blacken the skin of the aubergine. Whether you cook it over the gas, on the barbecue or under the grill cook it past the point where you think it must be done!
Squeeze/drain water out thoroughly
Add a generous amount of chopped fresh herbs, either mint, parsley or both.

Raw Blackcurrant Ice-Cream with Linseed (dairy-free, sugar-free and no saturated fat)

Sugar-free, saturated-fat-free, dairy-free blackcurrant & banana ice-cream recipe.

29 Jul

Healthy Ice Cream Recipe

This recipe came about after going out for summer walk over the South Downs with a friend who decided to.restore herself with a blackcurrant ice cream; knowing her ice cream was laden with dairy, saturated fat and sugar didn’t make it any less tempting. So as soon as I got home I made this recipe which is sugar-free, saturated-fat-free, dairy-free and low GI and much lower in calories. Since then I have been working on perfecting and find it makes and excellent breakfast during warm weather as well as satisfying dessert.

Having learnt how to make this sort of ice cream, healthy and delicious, brimming with all the goodness of fresh fruit and Flax Farm cold-pressed linseed (flaxseed) oil and ground linseed (omega-3, soluble and insoluble fibre, antioxidants,lignans) I am never going to buy conventional ice creams and sorbets ever again. Check out our recipes for other varieties to keep your healthy with these super treats that are somewhere between conventional ice creams, sorbet and semifreddo desserts.

Quick and Easy to Make Homemade Ice Cream

This healthy ice home made cream recipe has the added benefit of being incredibly quick and easy to make – useful when you need an emergency dessert!

For dinner parties dress it up with sweetened fruit coulis and toasted flaked almonds, your guests will love it.

Pineapple, Banana and Passionfruit Ice with Linseed (dairy-free, sugar-free and no-added saturated fat)

30 Jul

Healthy Sorbet Style Ice Cream Recipe

I think this is my favourite ice cream or sorbet of all time. I first made it getting back after a ParkRun on a hot July morning; just the ticket!

Another benefit is it’s super quick and easy to make. It’s really refreshing but much healthier than a sorbet and more satisfying. I love making my own ices this way, I can’t think I will ever want to buy them from shops again and these healthy ice creams and sorbets go down well even with those who are still adverse to eating healthily.

Quick Linseed Pizza !

12 Apr

This pizza linseed Pizza is “free-from” most things but delicious. It is super healthy, I use little or no salt, it can be free from saturated fat and vegan, of course low GI, gluten-free and completely paleo. Everyone eats this as happily as the “real” thing seemingly oblivious to it being über healthy and free from. It is properly sustaining but not bloating like wheat based pizza and works better and tastier than bought pizza bases.

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