Gluten Free Buckwheat Banana Bread

It has been a long time sorry all! Here's my latest recipe. I also now have a youtube channel with video recipes which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXmlI4FDoPruQcomPZvyrSA

Ingredients:
3 cups buckwheat flour (don't use Bob's Mill brand or it will be very dark)
3 x Organic Free Range Eggs room temperature OR 3 x Tbs flaxseed mixed with 12xTbsp water
1 Tbsp Rice bran oil 
3 x bananas
1 Tsp baking soda (check the ingredients for no added nasties)
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp stevia

Directions:

1. Line bread tin with grease proof paper (you can add butter to the tin to make paper stay better) and preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. In a bowl add 3 peeled bananas, stevia, oil, vanilla extract, 3 eggs and baking soda and mix using an electric blender.
3. Add in the buckwheat and mix under all combined to a cake batter consistency. If the mixture isn't at this consistency you can add 1/2 cup of water.
4. Bake for 3o minutes in a moderate oven, it may take less time the hint is when you start getting the nice smell of baked bread it is done. You can check by putting a skewer in the middle to test it, if it comes out clean it's done
5. Let cool for 5 mins, then take out of the tin and let it cool on a wire rack
6. Cut into pieces and store the rest into your fridge. Great with homemade almond butter
   
   Optional - add blueberries or carob nibs in the mix and flaked almonds on the top for extra textures.

Buckwheat flatbread (vegan, gluten free, dairy free)

I absolutely love this bread, I could eat it everyday but this girl has to watch her figure. This is a great replacement for any flatbread and can be cut up and baked to turn into nachos. Buckwheat is not wheat as the name assumes and is completely gluten free. The best thing about this recipe is it takes less than 10 mins to make and cook.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Buckwheat flour

1/2 cup room temperature water

1/2 Tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

1 Tbsp Rice bran oil

1 Tsp Olive oil

Directions:

1. Place buckwheat flour in a small bowl with salt
2. Make a hole in the centre and add olive oil and mix
3. Slowly add water until the mix becomes a batter, it can be a relatively watery batter which is fine
4. Set aside for 2 mins and heat up a fry pan
5. Add rice bran oil to the pan and distribute it evenly around
6. Pour buckwheat mix in pan and use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture out evenly and quite thin
7. Allow to cook on one side for 2 mins then flip over and cook on the other side for another 2 mins. If you want the bread more crispy cook for longer
8. Serve with eggs or fill with anything you like!

Gluten free buckwheat bread

For those who are gluten intolerant, are on an anti-candida diet or just want to try a different type of bread this is my go to carb.

This is a recipe I've adapted from a forum about candida.

 When the bread gets stale they make delicious croutons.The basic recipe is as follows;

Ingredients:

3 cups buckwheat flour (don't use Bob's Mill brand or it will be very dark)

3 x Organic Free Range Eggs OR 3 x Tbs flaxseed mixed with 9xTbs water

1 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt 

2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Rice bran oil 

1.5 cups water 

1 Tsp baking soda (check the ingredients for no added nasties)

1 x sprig of rosemary (optional)

1 x minced garlic clove (optional)

Directions:

1. Line bread tin with grease proof paper (you can add butter to the tin to make paper stay better)
2. In a bowl sift in buckwheat
3. Add salt, oil, eggs and baking soda
4. Drizzle in 1.5 cups water as you don't want to put too much but it is a wet dough
5. Let it rest for in a warm area for an hour before baking, it can turn out without resting but do this at your own risk
6. Bake for 5o minutes in a moderate oven (around 180 degrees celcius), it may take less time the hint is when you start getting the nice smell of baked bread it is done. You can check by putting a skewer in the middle to test it, if it comes out clean it's done
7. Let cool for 10 mins, then take out of the tin and let it cool on a wire rack

Optional: Put loads of nice spices in it like rosemary and thyme and garlic after Step 4 to give it flavour or have it plain and use it as toast and put a variety of spread on it

Molokhia Nashfeh (Dried Jew's Mallow stew)

This is one of my favourite Arabic dishes. Molokhia is similar to spinach but is slimier in texture once cooked. Don't be put off by this as it has amazing flavour.

You will need the following ingredients:

400g Molokhia Nashfeh (Dried Jew's Mallow) - you can either make this yourself by drying fresh Molokhia or buy it ready made from an Arabic grocer
200g diced lamb shoulder
1 Tbsp mixed spice
1 Tsp pepper
2 Tbsp dried coriander
1 head of garlic - minced (must be fresh)
1 x lemon
4 cups of water
1 Tbsp Himalyan sea salt

Directions:

1. Boil lamb in water with mixed spice and pepper
2. Skim off any of the fat/scum from the top of the water
3. When it's half-cooked add in the Molokhia
4. In a frying pan you want to fry a head of crushed garlic and 2 tablespoons of dried coriander
5. Once it's nicely cooked (not browned) put it into the Molokhia
6. Add the juice of one lemon to the stew and let it all cook together for 5 mins
7. Also add salt to taste at this stage
8. Serve it with buckwheat groats with a slice of lemon on the side

Family recipe with a twist: Bamyeh (okra stew)

The twist for this dish is I serve it with buckwheat groats instead of rice. Buckwheat is a great source of fibre and is gluten free and wheat free. It replaces most of my former carb intake, which consisted of pasta, rice and wholemeal bread. The perfect thing is it doesn't bloat you, it doesn't raise your blood sugar levels and it slowly releases energy keeping you fuller for longer.

Bamyeh is a traditional dish from the Middle East that my mum used to make all the time growing up. I hated vegetables at the time, but for some reason okra never registered as a vegetable to me as it was so ingrained in my everyday.

So here's the dish, please let me know if you have any questions.

Ingredients:

200g okra (also called lady fingers)
150g cubed lamb shoulder (you can cut these into smaller pieces if you like)
1 x head of garlic
1 Tbsp mixed spice
1 Tbsp Himalayan sea salt
1 Tbsp white pepper
1 x lemon
2 Tbsp tomato concentrate
1 x tin of organic chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried coriander
2 Tbsp of olive or rice bran oil
4 cups of water
150g Buckwheat groats - (to be cooked just like rice)

Directions:

1. Boil buckwheat groats with water and a pinch of salt as if you were cooking rice, once cooked set aside
2. For the stew, crush a whole head of garlic and chop okra into smaller pieces if they are too big
3. Cut up lamb shoulder or whatever cut you like (can even make it with beef) and add to a pot to quickly sear it
4. Add okra with half the garlic to the pot and add mixed spice and pepper
5. Pour water over it and let it boil for a bit
6. Skim off any scum on top of the water to make sure the broth is clear
7. Cook for around 10 mins then add a tin of tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of tomato concentrate
8. Let cook for another 20-30 mins.
9. In a fry pan cook the remaining garlic with lots of olive oil and a tablespoon of dried coriander (you could also use rice bran oil)
10. Add to the pot of okra stew
11. Add salt to taste
12. Serve with buckwheat groats and a lemon wedge as lemon brings out the flavour