The Little Design Corner: Gluten, dairy and sugar free recipe ideas

I'm a bit off topic today - but I figure this blog is about how I make my life work for me and my little people, so I thought it was worth sharing anyway! About 2 weeks ago we started our 5 1/2 year old on a gluten, dairy and sugar free elimination diet. His behaviour at school had become so difficult that we had made the decision to start him in a new school to give him a fresh start. And a few days prior to the new school term, and on advice from my husband's sister, who had tried my nephew on a similar elimination diet with great success, we made the decision to give it a go. And I cannot tell you the difference this diet has made! He's like a different person and life is so much less stressful.

So today I thought I would share a few recipes I've made up in the last few weeks to try and adapt some of my son's old favourites (e.g. ice cream for dessert!). Even if your kids don't have the same kinds of issues that my son was having - you may like to try these recipes anyway. Trust me they are really tasty, the kids love them (and my kids are very picky eaters!)- and really healthy as well!

Passionfruit and coconut "ice cream" tubs

My son loves to have an ice-cream after dinner, but this is obviously not possible anymore. So I made him these passionfruit, coconut milk, chia and agave "ice cream" tubs in left over yoghurt containers I had saved (that even came little individual spoons) - and they were a HIT.

1. Mix 1/2 cup of chia in a tin of coconut milk and leave to soak over night.
2. The next morning, mix in the juice of about 5-6 passionfruits (I passed through a sieve as my son hates the site of any kind of pip but leave yours in if you want), about 3-4 tablespoons of agave (to taste) and a bit of sugar free vanilla extract if you want.
3. Give it all a good mix, spoon into little tubs and put some of your favourite fresh fruit on top.
4. Put into freezer. You can eat them after a few hours for a softer mix - otherwise they freeze very solid and sometimes the kids need help spooning it out (mine didn't mind).

These were a serious hit in my house!

Healthy apple crumble

There's not a hint of any of the usual unhealthy ingredients in this crumble and it tasted really, really good.

1. Peal and chop about 10 granny smith apples. Mix in about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, some agave and some freshly ground nutmeg - or whatever spices you like to cook apples with (e.g. cloves if you like them - personally not my favourite). Mix in some sultanas if you want - I didn't do this.

2. Cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat until the apples are soft, but still have some texture.

3. Prepare the crumble by mixing together about a cup of almond meal, a cup of brown rice flour, some chopped cashews (about 1/2 cup), a few tablespoons of agave and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Rub together like you would a normal crumble until the mix makes a breadcrumb type consistency. Use more wet ingredients if it's still a bit dry.

4. Place apples on the bottom of a baking dish and cover with the crumble mix. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crumble topping goes brown and a bit crispy.

This was so tasty and even though the boys (hubby included) all asked what ice-cream/custard we had to serve it with (um - that would be none!) - they still ate nearly all the crumble in one sitting!

Chilli and lime roasted cashews

1. Mix a few cups of raw, unsalted cashews in a bowl with a few teaspoons of chilli powder (or more if you like them hot and less if you are serving to the kids), a few tablespoons of agave, the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Place in a hot oven (about 200 degrees) for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to turn them every 5 minutes or so - otherwise they will burn. And keep a really close eye on them! You are waiting for all the wet ingredients to dry out and the nuts to go crispy. (Note that while the nuts are hot they will be soft and won't crisp up until they have cooled down).
3. Remove from oven, mix in a bit more salt if you want, let them cool then place in an airtight container. They should last a week or more - but the family loved these so much ours were gone by the second day!!