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FEATURE ARTICLE:

Super Natural Foods

I have been baking for as long as I can remember. It all started when I was a curious little girl rummaging around in my parents’ pantry, trying to duplicate my favourite store-bought chocolate chip cookies. That was a pivotal point in my life – I realised I was able to make tastier baked goods than the packaged variety.

Over the years I came up with some pretty scrumptious delights. But everything changed when I decided to study nutrition. After completing an undergrad in Nutrition and Dietetics in Toronto, I then went on to do a one year post-grad in Holistic Nutrition. My diet changed completely – I cut out all gluten, dairy and refined sugars from my diet. I also never felt better!

My baking was put on hold for a while. I started seeking out gluten-free baked goods, but the products on the market were appalling. Granted we’ve come a long way, but I still can’t believe how many gluten-free products I find that are full of chemicals – anti-caking agents, humectants, preservatives, colours, and the list goes on. And to top it all off, they usually don’t taste all that great either, or the texture is all off.

So back to the kitchen I went! I slowly started tweaking all my previously loved recipes. Cutting out the wheat flour was one thing, but cutting out the eggs, butter and sugar was a whole other thing. But I persevered, and eventually I was making gluten-free and vegan baked goods that were just as good as their unhealthy counterparts. My goal was to make these healthy desserts appeal to everyone, not just those on restricted diets like myself.

Discovering the following Super Natural Foods made it possible:

Coconut Oil: The myth of coconut oil being a bad fat has finally been debunked! It is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. The oil gets utilised by the body and is so easy to digest that it won’t get stored as body fat. It is one of the most heat-resistant fats, so it’s perfect for baking. It makes the best butter substitute and adds such a nice richness to baked goods.

Coconut Nectar – aka Coconut Sugar: This is a natural sugar made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. It is often confused with palm sugar, which is similar but made from a different type of palm tree. Coconut sugar retains most of the nutrients found in the coconut palm. Most notable of these are the minerals Iron, Zinc, Calcium and Potassium, along with some antioxidants. It also has a much lower GI than most sweeteners. The best part is it tastes amazing!

Sorghum Flour: Sorghum is a cereal grain that originated in Africa about 5000 years ago. It is significantly more nutritionally dense than ordinary white flour. It’s high in protein and fibre, and contains a myriad of minerals. It is an amazing substitute for wheat flour in recipes. It’s by far my favorite gluten-free flour!

Raw Cacao: A Superfood for health and vitality – not like its roasted, processed cousin known as cocoa. Cacao is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and it tastes wonderful! It can be used in equal measures to cocoa in recipes.

Shirley Forster is a qualified Holistic Nutritionist who runs a Gluten-free Vegan dessert catering company: Soul Kitchen. Contact Shirley on: 0435 270 405 or email: shirleysoulkitchen@gmail.com. Soul Kitchen desserts are also available at Café Buzz Aroma on Varley Street in Yorkeys Knob.

REGULAR FEATURE – RECIPE

Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• ¾ cup sorghum flour

• ¼ cup tapioca starch

• 2 tbsp flaxseed (aka linseed) meal (can grind whole seeds yourself in coffee grinder)

• ½ cup coconut sugar

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp xanthan gum

• ½ cup coconut oil

• 1 tbsp applesauce (homemade or store-bought, but make sure it is sugar-free)

• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (recipe below)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl until well combined. Slowly pour in coconut oil and then add the apple sauce. Mix well until a dough is formed. Add chocolate chips and mix until they’re evenly distributed.

Using an ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop cookies onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about two centimetres apart. Bake in preheated oven set at 170 degrees Celsius for about 10-15 minutes (shorter for soft cookies, longer for crispier). Makes one dozen cookies.

Dairy-free Homemade Chocolate

• 1 cup cacao butter (about 220-250 grams of solid cacao butter)

• 6-7 tbsp raw cacao powder

• 3-4 tbsp coconut sugar (or maple syrup)

• ½ tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

• ¼ tsp vanilla powder

Bring a saucepan of water (about a quarter full) to boil and then turn the heat down to simmering. Add cacao butter to a heatproof bowl and place over the simmering water in the saucepan. Melt the butter, stirring with a whisk or spatula, until it is melted.

Add cacao powder, vanilla, coconut sugar and salt. Whisk together over simmering water until all dissolved and well incorporated.

Either pour the chocolate into moulds or onto a tray lined with parchment paper.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If using a tray, break up the chocolate into chunks; this way you’ll have chocolate chunk cookies

October 2013