Almond and Pumpkin Slice

As requested by my friend Cattie, here is the recipe for this handy, dandy slice. It's easy to throw together, super moist with a tender crumb and freezes well, and is gluten free and keto. If your pumpkin is not super sweet, you may need to add more of your preferred sweetener. As always, sweeten to your taste levels. I don 't like things super sweet, so I tend to err on the side of less is more. t = teaspoon

INGREDIENTS

• 125 g butter, room temperature
• 80-100 g natvia (sweetener)
• 5-10 drops liquid stevia concentrate 
• 125 g cream cheese, room temperature
• 125 g almond butter, or preferred nut butter
• 125 g sour cream
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 110 g raw pumpkin, grated or shredded in blender or food processor
• 50 g almond meal
• 1 t baking powder
• 0.5 t salt 
• 20 g coconut flour
• 1 t psyllium husk powder
• 20 g chia seed - ground

METHOD

Cream butter and natvia in a stand mixer or by your chosen method until light and fluffy, then add in the cream cheese and almond butter until well combined. In a jug, stir together the eggs, the sour cream and the vanilla. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add in the sour  cream mixture slowly until all incorporated.  Stir the pumpkin into the wet mix.

In another bowl, stir all the remaining ingredients together and then fold the dry ingredients into the wet. When combined, pour into a lined baking tray and bake at 160 C fro 45-60 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick from 40 minutes.

OPTIONAL -  You can add extra spices, like cinnamon to the mix. Walnuts would also complement the taste of this slice. I garnished mine with a few slivered almond.

Matcha Frangipane and Ganache Fat Bomb

I love frangipane tart. Like, it's the best thing ever. I really felt like making some last week, but I hadn't decided quite how I wanted to recreate it the keto way. Later that day, I was wandering through my local Woolworth's supermarket and found a reasonably priced matcha tea in the health food section in the Macro home brand (along with a spicy beetroot one that will make an appearance this week) and realised I had found what I didn't know I had been looking for.

These fat bombs have been incredibly popular in my house, to the point I had to shoo my menfolk out of the kitchen before they demolished them all when I was clearly trying to take a photo haha! Makes 12 mini cupcake sized fat bombs.  

INGREDIENTS

BASE

• 75 g dark chocolate in small pieces ( I used 90%)
• 30 g cream
• 15 g ghee
• 5-10 drops Nirvana liquid stevia (I used caramel)

FILLING

• 85 g butter - room temperature
• 65 g almond meal
• 15 g xylitol or sweetener of choice
• 15 g natvia or sweetener of choice
• 1 teaspoon Matcha powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• pinch of salt

TOPPING

• 75 g dark chocolate in small pieces( I used 90%)
• 30 g cream
• 15 g ghee
• 5-10 drops Nirvana liquid stevia (I used caramel)

METHOD

Gently melt together the chocolate and cream from the base ingredients list in a bain marie or microwave in 5-10 second bursts. When almost all the chocolate is melted, add in the ghee and the sweetener to taste. Evenly divide the ganache mixture among 12 silicone mini cupcake liners, making sure to cover the base and spreading the ganache up the sides as well. Place in freezer to firm up.

Next, mix all the ingredients of your filling together until homogeneous. I used a spatula. Set in fridge to firm up a little, then divide evenly into 12 pieces (you will probably have a little too much, but you can just eat that ... :P ) Push the filling into the bases and pop back into the freezer while you prepare the topping.

Prepare the topping as you did the base. Cover the filling and any holes, you may find you need to mound it up a little to cover everything. *OPTIONAL* Dust with extra matcha , almond slivers or both. 

Keep in the freezer and serve frozen.  

Keto Sweet and Sour Turmeric Fridge Pickles

I love pickles so much. I'd happily eat them every day at every meal. I made 2 big jars and gave one to my dad. I wish I had kept both now, they are so delicious

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg of mixed vegetables for pickling, cut into bite sized pieces. I used cauliflower, carrot, cucumbers, zucchini and daikon.
• 50 g salt

BRINE

• 3 c white vinegar or ACV
• 2 c water
• 6 T natvia
• 1.5 T salt

SPICE MIX

• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 t cumin seed
• 1/2 t coriander seed
• 1/2 t black mustard seed
• 1/2 t chilli flakes
• 1 t pepper corns
• 4 cloves
• 4 t turmeric powder

METHOD

Salt your chosen vegetables and evenly distribute it throughout then set the vegetables aside in the fridge for 24 hours.

The next day, dry toast your spice mix excluding the turmeric powder *OPTIONAL*

Sterilise your jars, I ran mine through the dishwasher. Mix the spice mix and turmeric together and evenly split between your jars. Get your salted vegetables and put in a strainer. Rinse well to remove the excess salt and pack firmly into jars.

Heat your brine mix until at a simmer. let cool so it's not so hot it will crack your jars, then pour into the jars, leaving a little headspace. Seal and when cool enough, store in the fridge. Invert the jar every now and then to mix the spices through along with the turmeric. It's ready to eat in 3 days, but better if you can leave it for a few weeks. This is a fridge pickle and as it has not been processed, it is not suitable to store in the cupboard. 

Keto Paneer Makhani / Butter Masala Paneer

This recipe does have a lot of ingredients and steps, but it is well worth the effort and surprisingly easy to prepare. It is a delicious vegetarian version of butter chicken. My family love this so much. You can halve the recipe, this makes a lot! T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon :D

INGREDIENTS

PART ONE

• 90 g whole almonds
• 250ml boiling water
• 125ml water, extra

PART TWO

• 20 ml lime juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 T garam masala
• 1 t garlic paste
• 1 t ginger paste
• 1 t salt
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1 kg paneer, cubed

PART THREE

• 50 g light olive oil
• 50 g ghee
• 50 g butter

PART FOUR

• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 cinnamon stick, approx 5 cm
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 1 bayleaf or a sprig of curry leaves

PART FIVE

• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 1 t turmeric
• 1/2 t chilli flakes or to taste
• 1 T dried onion/ onion powder
• 2 t garlic paste or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 t ginger paste
• 1 t of salt
• 700g tomato puree (I use italian sugo or pasata)
• 250 ml water

PART SIX

• 1 T natvia or sweetener of choice
• 150g spinach, fresh or defrosted frozen
• 250 g cream
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

METHOD

Take the almonds from PART ONE and soak them in the boiling water, set aside.

Mix all the PART TWO ingredients in a large ziplock bag and set aside in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes before continuing the recipe.

Put all the PART THREE ingredients into a heatsafe jug and heat gently in the microwave until the oils are just melted and are able to be mixed together. Use about 2 T of this mixture to pan fry the marinated paneer. Set aside and wipe out pan.

Check the almonds. They should have soaked for at least 30 minutes and be able to slip their skins when squeezed. Remove the skins from all the almond, and rinse. Place in a blender with extra water from STEP ONE and blend to a smooth paste.

In the wiped out fry pan, dry fry PART FOUR ingredients gently until fragrant. Add in the remaining oil mixture along with the PART FIVE ingredients except the tomato puree and water and fry gently to toast the powders for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree, almond paste and 250 ml water and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent catching.

With the heat on low, add in the PART SIX ingredients and the reserved paneer, stirring gently until well incorporated and heated though ensuring the spinach being cooked.

Keto Raspberry Rosewater Jelly

I'm obsessed with jelly, but I really don't like the taste of the diet sugar free ones, and it's not something I can share with my toddler if he wants a taste. I pulled out my gelatine and came up with this.These are light jellies, and the flavour may be more subtle than you are used to, so feel free to adjust things. Be careful how much acid you add in, the more acidic a liquid is, the less effective gelatin is. Now remember, this is not a no carb jelly, but it's totally worth it in my opinion. If you like a softer set jelly, you can, of course, reduce the gelatin amount. For a more firm set, increase it. I actually made a second creamy jelly later and set cubes of the raspberry jelly in it, which is what you see in the picture.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 teaspoons gelatine powder 
• 3 tablespoons of natvia or other sweetener 
• 630 - 670 ml water approximately 
• 100g raspberries 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 2 teaspoons of rosewater 

METHOD

Bloom gelatin in 125 ml of cool water. Meanwhile, place raspberries in a pot with 250ml water and gently heat until the raspberries break down. Strain pulp into a measuring jug to remove the seeds (If you want the jelly to be clear, do not push the pulp through the strainer. If you don't mind and want to get your moneys worth out of those expensive and delicious morsels, push away!) Mix the gelatin into the raspberry juice. If the raspberry has cooled down too much and the gelatin doesn't melt, just heat the liquid until the gelatin dissolves. Stir in the sweetener, lemon juice and rose water. Add enough water to reach 700ml volume. Taste and add more sweeter, lemon or rose water if desired. Put in a mold in the fridge until set, usually about 4 hours. Serve with cream, or cut into small cubes and set in a creamy jelly for a jelly cake.