Sharabelle bakes

Traditional scone's One of my favourite topics of conversation is food.  I can get over exciting talking about food and recipes.   I often take it for granted that people have the same cooking knowledge as I do.  However I've come to realise that I was lucky to have a mum and grandma to teach me how to cook and bake. Over the years Iv discovered a lot of ways of how not to do things in the kitchen. For me kitchen disasters, are just a way of learning what not to do. This knowledge comes in handy when people ask me for advice.  Scones is top of the list of recipe that I'm asked about.    There are 2 recipes below that I use, the second one is for soda bread.  When my hands started to get bad due to fibromyalgia, the soda bread recipe was the  easiest  one to make.  Sometimes we have to adapt the way we could and bake to make up for health problems.   TOP TIPS Mindful baking   I practise m...

Rice pudding is one of my all time favourite comfort foods.  My mum used to make baked rice pudding for us, when we were kids.  We would fight over who would get the skin that was on top.  Rice pudding is an easy recipe to make dairy free, gluten free and vegan.  The recipes I've found could easily be served at a dinner party. Not just for a family meal.   It has always fascinated me,  how many global variations of the same basic recipe there are.  Did it happen because of global travel and migration.  Or did a lot of cooks just have the same idea.  Vegan Coconut rice pudding   from neurotic mommy Using tinned coconut milk makes this recipe extra creamy.  I love to top mine with fruit compote.  Rice pudding is one of those dishes that can be served hot or cold.     Zardah recipe  from In search of Suckoon Pakistani Royal Dessert made with Sweet Yellow Rice and loads of nuts, raisins, murabbas an...

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 ...

Bananas about bananas This is a re-post of an older blog. I had committed myself to year long mission to experiment making as many recipes as possible with my favourite fruit the banana. Why?....... It all started with as a joke during a conversation with a friend, who noted I seemed to add Banana to a lot of my recipes. I had just become totally Lactose Intolerant to the point that I have to read ingredients labels on foods and prescription pills to make sure they don't contain any milk derivatives. (Some pharmaceutical companies use lactose to bulk out pills, since its cheap) I went back to my research roots and started surfing the net looking for dairy free recipes. What I discovered was the wonderful world of vegan baking, Where I learnt that it was possible to bake dairy and egg free.  Banana's make a great substitute for eggs in some recipes. Perhaps it's because I'm Scottish but baking without eggs is pretty appealing, since it costs less money since I ...

When I first started looking a dairy free baking, I discovered vegan websites and blogs.  I was inspired when I found out that, bananas could be used as a egg substitute in home baking.  Another benefit was that banana's are a great food for those of us with mental health problems like depression.  Thats why it's a great Good mood food. It was then I gave myself the challenge to find out as many things and recipes that used bananas.  Check out my Banana Project page, for a list of my Thank Banana it's Friday blogs xxx Why eat Banana's?  1.  There a tasty self packaged portable snack. 2 . You can use a mashed banana as an egg substitute 3.  They have a natural sweetness which allows me to reduce the amount of sugar I need in a recipe 4.  There high in fibre so there perfect for my IBS 5 . Great for giving an energy boost, that lasts longer than caffeine 6.  A great source of  potassium,  bananas  may also help to p...

Bananas about Bananas Thank Bananas it's Friday, because ......  I've had to wear a Santa hat to work for the past week and I don't have to wear it for the next 3 days xxx The Banana project my slightly demented mission to make as many recipes using my favourite fruit (The Banana) in a year.   No matter how bizarre the recipe sounds.... The rules all the recipes must be dairy free Banana Coconut Tea loafs My last attempt at a Banana coconut cake was not that great.  It was a bit too moist in the middle, though they were perfectly OK to eat when they were cut in half and toasted. Instead of using someone Else's recipe, I decided to adapt a tried and tested banana bread one from   vegetarian.about.com Banana bread cake  Changes: I reduced the flour by 1/2 Cup and instead substituted a 1/2 Cup of desiccated coconut. I then poured the batter into my mini loaf tins.  Finally I sprinkled a little more d...

I'm Bananas about Bananas My 1 year mission to make as many meals and recipes using my favourite fruit the banana. Thank Bananas it's Friday, I'm not working this weekend.  Instead my weekend is going to be filled with family fun.  What could be better xxx Raw coffee banana cake pops This is one of my own recipes.  I get cravings for sugary foods like any other individual.  However it does not agree with my IBS, as too much sugar is one of my triggers.  I discovered this recipe for  Date and Cocoa Raw truffles  while surfing the Internet looking for healthy snack ideas.   Its now become my base recipe for my own date truffles, you can customise them any way you want. - Ground Almonds - Desiccated coconut - Rolled Oats - Muesli Last time I made a breakfast truffle with muesli, dates and bananas.  This time I went a bit more grown up, by using coffee.    Note : I make mine slight...

Bananas about Bananas The Banana project: - To make as many recipes in one year using the humble banana.  No matter how weird or strange they appear.   I am especially Thankful this Friday, because it's pay day. Im even more thankful for the extra money I made from doing overtime.  All my Christmas presents are bought, along with the cards.  I'v also got pressies and cards for the Birthdays that fall in December.   This weeks recipe was inspired by my love of Nutella.......... I fell in love with Nutella when on a holiday in Paris, France.  Since becoming Lactose intolerant it's been off the menu for me.  So I got excited when I discovered Sun.Pat Chocolate Peanut butter, shopping in Asda. Im one of those people that can eat peanut butter straight from the Jar.  So I find the safest thing to do is use it too  bake, in case I overdose.   I used a Recipe I from my Vegan Cupcakes take over the world co...

Fruit and Nut ' War' Cake BANANAS ABOUT BANANAS I'm especially Thankful it is Friday this week.  I forgot to re-order my prescription for my medication, which I take for my IBS.  The one that stops me waking up at night as I feel my digestive system working.   I pick it up today so  I'll actually get a decent sleep tonight.  Tired and cranky may be cute in children, not especially in Adults.  Hence my friends and family will also be especially thankful this Friday as well.   The focus of my Banana project this week has been - Fruitcake.   It seemed appropriate considering my sleep deprivation.   For this recipe I took inspiration from a  Fruit and Nut war cake Recipe , that I found when searching the Internet.  So many dairy & egg free cakes were created due to rationing, Necessity being the mother of invention.   I halved the recipe quantities for testing and left out the alcohol, since it is one of...