All posts tagged: glutenfree

Choc-Almond Slice with Cocavo

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Baking is one of my favourite hobbies. Cookies, brownies and slices are my favourite things to bake. So, when I was sent the whole range of Cocavo products recently (and having never used their products in baking or cooking before), I was super excited to create a recipe using Cocavo’s products.  For those of you that are not familiar with Cocavo, they are a New Zealand owned and run company which produces a unique blend of extra virgin coconut and avocado oils, bringing the healthiest cooking oil to the market. Their products are made from all natural premium ingredients and are dairy and gluten free, and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Cocavo has five delicious flavours, including: Cocavo Original (used in a variety of sweet and savoury dishes) Cocavo Light (the light flavour does not have the aroma or taste of coconut, which makes it the perfect cooking oil for everyday use) Cocavo with Chili and Lime (use for seafood or stir-fry dishes) Cocavo with Cilantro, Lime and Ginger (will bring out the flavours in Thai or …

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

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When life gives you lemons, make a lemon meringue pie. You may already know about the brand I Love Food Co. – they make the scrumptious I Love Pies (my favourite being the Free Range Butter Chicken) and sausage rolls, plus the I Love Baking Cookies – love the Peanut Butter Choc Chunk ones!  All of their pies and sausage rolls are made with their homemade light and delicate sour cream pastry, which uses sour cream and New Zealand butter – no palm oil in sight! And, after the demand for it by consumers, supermarkets and gourmet food stores are now stocking their delicious pastry around the country. Check out their stockists here.  I was recently sent some of I Love Food Co.’s Sour Cream Pastry, plus their gluten free version. Having never used gluten free pastry before, I wanted to try it out! And, having never ever made a Lemon Meringue Pie, I thought I would do that too! This Lemon Meringue Pie was super fun to make, and tasted heavenly. Adapted slightly from this recipe here.  …

Hapī, Napier

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Hapī is WOW. Their ethos “you are what you eat” and that “physical and mental wellbeing is a true reflection of how you fuel your body” rings true to my New Year’s Resolution for this year, so I was really excited to check out this cute cafe, while on holiday in Napier. At Hapī, their food is plant based, full of nutrients and very delicious. If you are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free or just love eating one or all of the above, then Hapī is your place! Their menu is extensive – for such a small cafe, they sure have a range of everything on offer. Their cabinet display is also one of the best I have seen in New Zealand, with all the food well presented and the staff continuously preparing all the goodies just behind the counter. I could literally stand there for ages, watching them make sandwiches! For breakfast, there are Acai and raw granola bowls, tofu scramble, omelettes and eggs your way on their beautiful paleo bread.  For lunch, you …

The Caker aka Jordan Rondel

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  [Jordan Rondel aka The Caker + her sister, Anouk]  I have a very fond memory of when I first tried one of Jordan Rondel’s cakes. It was early 2013, and the High Street Market was on at Freyburg Square. As soon as the clock struck 1pm, I rushed down to the square, determined to try only one thing: cake. Ever since devouring a slice of Jordan’s Dark Chocolate, Pear + Pistachio cake that day, I have been following her journey ever since. The same year, Jordan released her first cookbook titled ’50 New and Unusual Recipes’ and yes, her creations are interesting, but they work. What I love about Jordan’s cakes (and other delights) is that you won’t find anything similar in Auckland. They are also not your usual carrot cake, banana cake or simple chocolate cake. For example, in her book you will find recipes such as a ‘Rhubarb + Black Doris Plum cake’, ‘Vegan Triple Coconut + Raspberry cake’, ‘Sweet + Salty Potato Chip Cookies’ and ‘Raw Hazelnut + Chai Brownies’. Her aim is to use organic ingredients and some of her cakes are vegan, dairy and gluten …

Little Bird Unbakery, Ponsonby

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I first visited Little Bird Unbakery with a friend in late 2013. After having trouble finding a park in Ponsonby, we were told we would have to wait an hour for a table. All that driving around made us ravenous and we couldn’t wait that long, so instead we grabbed a Raw Mixed Berry Cheesecake from the cabinet and headed up to the main road for some quick (and healthy) food. A few weekends ago, I decided to try out Little Bird for brunch one Saturday. It is an incredibly popular place and one of the waitresses told us that it is normal in the weekends to wait about an hour for a table. To fill in time, I suggest browsing through the products they sell, which you can buy online here (the cacao and raspberry macaroons are delicious), scanning the menu, reading through their recently published cookbook and last but not least, deciding which sweet treat you will have after your main meal, because even though you may be full, you won’t want to go …

The Food Show, Auckland

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  I don’t know about you, but every year I get very excited about the Auckland Food Show, held over three days in July/August at ASB Showgrounds. I love it because it gives you a chance to meet all your favourite product owners, try new foods, take home free samples/goodie bags and taste, taste, taste! Last year, I discovered The Lucky Taco at The Food Show and it is definitely one of my favourite foodie experiences to date! Delicious tacos in either a corn or flour tortilla plus an agua de horchata (sweetened, iced rice milk infused with cinnamon) and you’re all set for the day! I attended the show on Friday and was instantly surprised at how much bigger the event was compared to last year. I was also excited to see that many new companies have popped up over the last year and that really gave me a chance to talk to the owners about their product, which is what I really love. My new favourite products that I tasted included the Deluxe Hot Chocolate by West Coast Cocoa, Coconut Flour …