Sharabelle bakes

Mindfulness  I encountered the concept of mindfulness when I first went through therapy over 10 years ago. After I was diagnosed with depression.  Meditation and guided relaxation did nothing for me, however I have always found comfort in words.  I love to read, basically anything.  Books, ebooks, newspapers, blog posts.   I'm a visual person, it's how I understand the world and interact with people.  Using mindfulness principles I have learnt a lot about myself, good and bad.  I've learnt I like who I am as a person.  We all have faults but that does not make us bad people. These are some of the quotes I have found the most helpful.  Many of them are writing down on post it notes and stuck on my fridge.  I recommend trying it, let's be honest the fridge is probably one of the most used items in our homes. Too often we feel judge, by our family, friends and peers.  Or even people we meet through our day...

KOKO Dairy Free ( As at 1/6/17)  Currently £1:30 in Morrisons.  Full price £1:84 This yogurt was thick and creamy just like greek yogurt.  Smooth in texture and with a subtle coconut flavour.  It was perfect topped over my mixed soft fruit for breakfast.  I love sprinkling mixed seeds on top as well.  I  enjoyed this product so much I went out this week and bought another carton.   The yogurt is so thick it would be perfect dollop over a slice of warm chocolate cake.  Or used as a replacement for creme fresh, in sweet and savoury dishes.   If you like coconut you will love this yogurt.  It's made from dairy free yogurt cultures. It's suitable for Coeliacs, Vegetarians and Vegans.  It's been approved by the Vegetarian and Vegan Society.  

 Linda McCartneys red onion  a nd rosemary sausages I admit to only buying these because they were on special offer.  I'm generally not a big fan of veggie products shaped to look like meat ones.  However due to my limited diet I always have a look at the products in the frozen aisles, to see if there are any dairy/gluten free items.  I find that most vegetarian food have either dairy or gluten added, so it's always worth checking before you buy them. The sausages are dairy and gluten free, however they are not made in a free from environment.  So are not suitable for allergy sufferers.   I was pleasantly surprised tasting these.  The rosemary flavour tastes natural and really comes through.  While the texture is not that off putting.  I really enjoyed them.  I ate mine with my pimped up beans.  I like to mix ratatouille and 1tsp of sun dried tomato into my beans, to boost the flavour.  I then cut up t...

Top 5 Basic Baked Recipes  - Dairy free If you can make your own, then why buy??????  These are road tested dairy free and vegan baked recipes. I'm lactose intolerant so I know the importance of a good recipe that can easily be adapted. What I've discovered is that there are 5 main base recipes that I use the most. Adjusting the ingredients and flavours to fit the season or occasion.  Or what ever food I'm craving that day x These 5 basic recipes, makes baking dairy free a whole lot easier.  1. Quick Bread Beetroot Soda Bread Scones Basic Soda Bread Recipe 8 oz Self Raising Flour 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 200 ml Dairy free milk 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar Pinch of Salt Pre-heat your oven to 230 Celsius Measure and dry ingredients, flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk to mix in the ingredients. Make a well in the centre and pour in 200 ml milk & vinegar Use a knife to bring the dough together. If you still have some flour at th...

High Street Bakers www.rowies.scot When I was researching  Haggis  for a previous post, I started thinking about what us Scot's really do eat.  Haggis might be our national dish, but at most we only eat it once a year. The typical Scottish working lunch usually comes from one of our local bakeries or a food van.  Hot and cold filled rolls  are still the top item to buy. But who could pass up the chance of a pie and a cake. Buttery or Rowie This is a breakfast classic from my hometown of Aberdeen, sold widely in the Aberdeenshire area.  You might see them sold in other parts of Scotland, but there just not the same.  Think of a flat croissant that's a doesn't puff up. There considered a savoury pastry due to their salty taste.  Traditionally these were made with butter, which is why their called butteries. However some less than scrupulous bakers started to use lard.  The commercially produced ones are made using oil, ...

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 ...

Alpro Ice cream When I saw this was on offer at my local Morrisons Store, I decided to treat myself.  The weather has been so hot in Scotland, so perfect for Ice Cream. The Ice Cream was easy to scoop out of the Tub, it has a nice smooth texture and melted on the tongue.  You can just make out the taste of the Hazelnut, through the Chocolate flavour.  It's not as strong a taste as Nutella, but I liked that. They 2 flavours were evenly blended together.  I prefer dark chocolate, so could have done with a stronger flavour.  However those of us that like dark chocolate are in the minority.  I believe this one would be perfect for children.  I didn't become lactose Intolerant until I was an adult, so can only imagine how a child must feel when others get to eat ice cream. The tub is only 500ml and retails at £3:50.  Dairy free ice cream costs more because they need to ensure strict hygiene throughout the process to stop cross cont...