(Vegan; no gluten, dairy, cane sugar, soy, eggs or citrus)
This is superbly moist, sweet and – for the disciplined – it keeps well. The cake is best made the day before eating to let the many layers of flavour frolic and mingle. However no satellite images will monitor your compliance. Remember that there is some advance preparation; the dried fruit needs to soak overnight for thorough infusion with the sweet juice.
Serves 3-4
(No gluten or dairy)
Richly layered with flavours and aromas, this can be put together in minutes thanks to some good quality supermarket convenience items. Read the labels of all condiments to avoid artificial additives. Accompany the soup with seeded multigrain toast, or hot gluten-free pita bread topped with avocado or hummus.
Salad, Dip, Spread, Filling, Pie or Casserole
Serves 4 as a main
(Vegan; no gluten, dairy, citrus or egg, with options for cane sugar and nightshades).
A culinary chameleon, ideas follow for serving this as a substantial salad or dip, a sandwich filling, or as one of several main dishes. About half the beans are chunkily processed at first to create a smooth carrier for the punch of the seasonings. The remaining beans and vegetables are stirred in for some visual and textural contrast. Easy and delicious.
Serves 4
(Vegan; no citrus, cane sugar, dairy, gluten, legumes or nightshades)
Profuse with colour, sweet and tangy flavours, this is an ideal partner for a rice or Asian noodle dish, curry, barbeque, grilled or smoked fish. Look in health stores for pickled ginger that is prettily pink without artificial colours.
Serves 4
(No gluten, dairy or cane sugar)
Watch these disappear. High in calcium, hormone-balancing isoflavones, and vitality-sustaining protein, low GI, yet delicate of structure, these will entice even the breakfast-phobic. No one will ever guess the ingredients involved. Maple syrup is a classic topping, or try new Apple Syrup, which is available in supermarkets and is free of added sugar.
(Mostly vegan options; no gluten, dairy or cane-sugar – plus options for nightshades)
Tofu Quick Tip
This is my favourite way of easily using tofu. It solves many a lunch and dinner dilemma. Guests assume it is cheese. Yet it has more protein, little saturated fat, and none of the adverse hormone disruptors of modern dairy products.
Makes 18
(Vegan; no cane sugar, dairy, gluten or soy)
Are you looking for a special treat or gift that tastes of and symbolizes all the rich, sweet, luxurious pleasures of life? Ask most women and of course this implies chocolate. To make it more challenging though, perhaps the recipient prefers to avoid cane sugar, dairy, gluten and soy. Is monastic austerity all that is left to them? This recipe can come to the rescue.
Serves 3-4
A hearty salad with some savoury grunt and a warm accompaniment can accommodate many seasons. Among its many other nutritional virtues, the carbohydrate content is an important source of water. In addition to the 6-8 cups we need to drink, even more top quality fluid is needed to help produce the astounding 9 litres of digestive juices required daily.
(No gluten, dairy or cane sugar; with options for soy)
It is challenge enough to produce moist and fluffy baking that is gluten– and dairy-free, but a chocolate icing without added sugar is a culinary Everest. The cake achieves sweet stimulation courtesy of dried and fresh fruit, a little honey, plus spices and vanilla. Thanks to maturing flavours, it tastes even better the next day. Alternatively, the batter can be poured into paper-lined tins and baked as muffins. The icing is rich and creamily convincing despite some non-traditional ingredients. The trick with any dietary substitution is to achieve equivalent flavour, as well as consistency or structure. One of the hurdles here is to offset the natural bitterness of the cocoa content. This is compensated for with a date puree (pre-soaked into sweet succulence) although few taste testers will recognise its presence. For the creamiest result the dates are best soaked overnight.
Serves 4
(No gluten, dairy, cane sugar; with options for soy, nightshades, and plant/animal protein).
Pureeing half of the soup gives it a thick, creamy texture along with the visual benefits of the remaining diverse and chunky pieces. The lime juice added at the end provides an important percussive tang. Both legumes such as beans, and tart citrus juices significantly slow the breakdown of the meal’s entire carbohydrate content into glucose. This means that blood sugar and vitality levels are gradually raised and sustained. This prevents post-meal fatigue and makes inappropriate weight gain less likely. Legumes are high in sustaining plant protein and the bowel’s favourite fare: soluble fibre.