Sharabelle bakes

Things to do list - Recipes I need to make My recent blog on cake has left me craving a sweet dessert.  Since It's like going on a treasure hunt trying to find a restaurant that serves both a vegan and gluten free one, I'll just have to make my own.   Vegan coconut Panna cotta  - from Green Evi's blog The photo is gorgeous, even better there are only 3 ingredients in the recipe.  Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.  She's served it with fresh fruit, which adds a splash of colour.  I can't wait to try this recipe myself. No bake sweet potato cake  - Green Evie's blog Another recipe from Green Evie's blog.  It's a really unique recipe, I would never have thought of using sweet potato this way.  The shredded coconut and cocoa powder act as a binder in this recipe.  I'm really interested to try this one out. Vegan Chocolate pie  - from Food 52  I've used silken tofu in...

It started with a jar of  peanut butter! Ever since discovering P&J sandwiches I have loved peanut butter.  My mum's the same, I prefer crunchy while she prefers smooth.  We also love  Whole Earth  peanut butter, so were really impressed to find Morrison's doing their own brand.  100% peanut butter with no other additives.  How could it not taste good?  Well it didn't...... Peanuts have a natural oil and a film had developed in the top of both our jars.  I had to store mine in the fridge so it could firm up, even then it just didn't taste right.   I hate wasting any type of food, so my solution was to use it for baking or cooking.  Since I'm getting back to basics and trying to learn to bake gluten free, I decided to make flapjacks.   Peanut butter Flapjack Recipe  - Realfood.tesco.com  The recipe calls for dates to be added, I didn't have any so left them out.  The recipe was ...

Discovered these at my local Morrisons Store today.  I love finding new products to try.  These are great as they are Vegan, wheat free and Gluten free.  They are all priced at £2.00, so they work out at 50p each.  Which is pretty reasonable for a free from product.   Chocolate and Vanilla Cones   Strawberry and Vanilla Cones Chocolate and Vanilla Lion Iced Dessert I bought the Chocolate and Vanilla Cone, to try out.  The dairy free ice cream tastes good, but the cone wasn't really crisp.  It's been a few years since I last ate a cornetto, so I can't remember what they tasted like.  But I do remember that a few did have a cone crispness issue as well.   That sounds really weird I know, but how else do you describe it!!! If you try them out, let me know what you think of them xx

Morella Chocolate Cake - Bella Italia Many Cafe's Restaurants and shops are now providing gluten free options.  While this is a positive development, they are still ignoring the need for dairy free products. Not only for those of us that are lactose intolerant, they are also ignoring those who have gone vegan for ethical reasons.  The majority of vegetarian options are meals that contain cheese.  So not suitable for or vegans to eat.  From a money point of view they are ignoring a developing market opportunity.  Another point is many jelly type sweets/candies are still made with Gelatin, an animal product.  Meaning they are not vegetarian or vegans.  Perhaps they do this because it cost them less to produce them.  However again many individuals have gone vegetarian and vegan for health reasons.  Wouldn't it be logical to make a product that more people can eat, therefore earn them more profit. It's great to see main stream food ...

New Greggs bakery Gluten free sweet treats Greggs have finally brought out some Gluten free products.  Unfortunately they have Dairy in them, so I can't try them out.  I used to treat myself on saturdays and get my lunch from a local bakery.  I used to love buying the greggs bran Scones.  Totally shocked when I found out they stopped selling scones last year.  It was bad enough finding out they don't do Macaroni cheese pies anymore, especially in Scotland as their a firm favourite.  One day perhaps, I'll finally be able to go to a bakers and find a gluten and dairy free goodie.   Toffee free Toffee Popcorn Crispies - Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Belgian Brownies - Gluten Free If you get a chance to try these, let me know if they taste good x

SCOTTISH CAKE AND BAKE  STALL CLASSICS One of my favourite memories of my grandma was home baking.  Whenever a local church, girl guides or charity had a jumble sale she would always be there. She always had frozen some of these treats for us to eat w hen we went to visit her.  The cake and bake stall is always a favourite of any fundraiser.  I love how everyone involved would bake something to bring in for the stall.  Certain people would be famous for their particular bakes, so these would usually go first.  You never knew what you were going to find.  Every country has their own version, so I thought I let you into what you can find at a Scottish one. CAKES A must for every cake and bake sale are small cakes.  The Americans had cupcakes, we make our own smaller version.  Cupcakes seem to have taken over lately, but I love the nostalgia of our smaller cakes.  There also small enough for kids to enjoy.  Lets be hones...

MR KIPLING  NEW GLUTEN FREE RANGE Recently discovered that the Mr Kipling Brand are taking advantage of the increasing demand for Free From Foods, by releasing their own range.  There currently for sale in Tesco Supermarkets.  I don't know when they plan to roll out the new cakes to the other supermarkets.   Mini Cherry Bakewells TESCO £2.50 Ginger and Lemon Loaf Cake TESCO £3.00 Apple Loaf Cake TESCO £3.00 Cherry Bakewell Loaf Cake TESCO £3.00 Can't wait to try these out x

Latest high street finds Vegan, gluten free, nut free, dairy free contain fruit juice Discovered these veggie wine gums at my local Pound stretchers.  450g for £1.99.  I had a look on Amazon and they are nearly double the price.  They taste really good.  So good I've had to switch shelves.  They were too easily reached, and I have to watch how much sugar I eat.   Abbey Rice Cakes Gluten free bread is too expensive so I have rice cakes spread with marmalade for with my breakfast instead.  Pound stretchers are now stocking these rice cakes.  Currently only 19p per pack.  The best before date is 1/6/2017, but there going to be okay for at least another 3 months.  

Since being diagnosed with IBS I started to take a lot more notice of the food I ate and the production process.  I started to find that our constant demand for cheaper food prices was having unexpected effects.   - For our health - For human rights violations - For farmers - For animal welfare - for global warming  I was really distressed that our actions could have unintended consequences.  It really made me think and changed the way that I saw food.  It's not just about shopping round for the best deal.  Or complaining about high prices.  I firmly believe that as consumers we need to take more responsibility for our actions. CONSUMER CULTURE Veganism and vegetarian have an important message, our consumer culture has seen our farms turned into mass food production sites.  Reducing the welfare of the animals.  Animals have been breed to be bigger, meaning more profit for the food producers. Making it...

CHOCOLATE CRISPY CAKES The below Choc crispies recipe are my Grandmas.  Written in the back of my prized possession, her 1950's Good Housekeeping cookbook.   June is the anniversary of her death.  So in honour of her memory I thought Id make some crispy cakes. When ever there was Jumble sale or fundraiser for the local scouts, she we be right their.  Her first stop would be the cake and bake stall.  The treats were always the handmade ones that you would never be able to buy in your local baker.  Simple things like marshmallow top hats, Scotch pancakes. This was one of the first things I learned to make with my mum.  It's also one of the easiest recipes to make dairy free, gluten free and even better it's vegan. You can use either gluten free Cornflakes or Rice Crispies, they both work just as well.  Grandmas recipe uses cocoa powder and cadburys flakes for hers.  I prefer to use melted chocolate in mine. I had to chuckle a...

Everyday Dairy Free My dairy free dream I've tried a lot of dairy free milk and this one if my favourite.  I used to just buy what was on offer.  Not anymore there just not as good as my Rice Dream milk. I buy shops own brand soya milk for baking, it has the consistency of whole milk so is better for baking with.  It's also more economical as your not going to taste the milk once your cake or cookies as baked.   Pure - Dairy Free There are 3 Pure spreads on offer, soya spread, sunflower oil spread and my favourite Olive spread.  Pure spreads are also great for baking cakes and cookies with.   They do contain palm oil, however I have checked this out and they get their supply from sustainable palm oil farms. Say no to palm oil Next time you're out shopping check the ingredients of the product you are buying.  Rain forests are being cut down at a rate, of over 300 football fields an hour.  Harming the e...

I was diagnosed with IBS over 20 years ago.  I was in my early 20's I didn't realise at the time how much my life was going to change.  All I got was a leaflet from my Doctor and advice on keeping a food diary to find my triggers.  As Ive gotten older the symptoms have gotten worse, another bit of information they don't tell you in the beginning.  I've done a lot of research over the years and know how confusing it can be to work out why your symptoms have triggered.  So I've tried to come up with an easy guide to simplify the advice that I have found helpful.   1. EMERGENCY SUPPLIES Always have a bottle of water and an emergency snack with you.  So the next time there's a traffic Jam or you can't find any where to eat, your are already prepared.  I also carry Peppermint tea bags with me, a bit strange I know.  However not everyone has herbal tea bags, and I don't want my friends to feel bad if they don't have any. Healthy snacks -...

Gosh! Dairy Free Sweetcorn & Quinoa bites with Harissa & Paprika Gluten, Egg, Dairy, Nut & Soy Free Suitable for Vegans I'm on a low budget so I only really buy Free From products when they are on sale.  This week I was able to try these Sweetcorn & Quinoa Bites.  These looked the perfect size for a light lunch and versatile enough to be eaten several ways.   Had them with a salad for lunch.  I wanted to try them without anything else to masking the flavour.  The second time I had them in a wrap with chilli mayo and salad.  First I'd cook them longer than the packet instructions.    They are soft inside so It would be better if they were crispier on the outside.  I thought they might have been spicier but there mild.  The paprika gives them a smoky flavour.  The sweetcorn, well... makes the sweet.   These were a little too sweet for me.   This is a good product, just not...