Piggies! I am SO excited to share this scrumptious gluten free vegan mantecado cookie recipe from November's Pig Of The Month, Magali Pès Schmid. Read Magali's fascinating journey with whole foods. She is one of my favourites readers, and an unending source of inspiration to me. She is an incredible self-taught cook who is always developing delectable snout worthy recipes! These gluten free vegan almond lemon and cinnamon cookies are absolutely delicious. Best of all, they are SUPER easy! Just throw all of the ingredients into your mixer, food processor, or in a bowl with a wooden spoon (I made them that way too), bake and devour.  Mantecado cookies or "Spanish crumble cakes" are traditionally eaten at Christmas, weddings and other... Keep Reading

I am having an absolute blast with my gorgeous family! They arrived from Australia a week ago and we have been flying the piggy flag with gusto, exploring the snout-worthy culinary delights of Los Angeles. In my humble opinion, no whole foodie tour of L.A would be complete without a visit to Real Food Daily. I was so proud as my ever-supportive family, who are not vegetarians, but rather "whole foods/slow foods geeks," dove into their vegan troughs with over-zealous piggy enthusiasm and joy. Ann Gentry's delectable vegan recipes continue to inspire and delight me, and I was thrilled that my foodie family agreed. The food is so simple and clean. My sister Kara was hilarious: she closed her eyes as she cleaned every last morsel off her... Keep Reading

"Listen up" discerning piggies - here's a recipe NOT be to missed! This little treat is a SHOWSTOPPER: and would have to be one of the most incredible gluten free cakes I have ever tasted in my life. Of course, I am going to say that about most of Nigella Lawson's inspired recipes. However, I have served this up to many happy snouts who proudly agree (after two or three or FOUR slices) that this is sheer piggy heaven - a stunner, a winner, a keeper! AND dare I say it……"ANGELS"!!! I first sampled a bite of this heavenly damp lemon and almond cake when Zoe made it for one of our famous feasts with Kris and Beth. Now, we all know that Zoe is a wonderful cook, and always serves up something pretty special. But this magic mix surpassed even my... Keep Reading

My profound apologies for feedburner's transfer meltdown that has resulted in email diarrhoea spewing many repetitive email feed outs, that I fear have not been as palatable the fifth time around as they were the first! This is a food blogger's nightmare! Those of you who have patiently clicked through would have noticed that this malfunction is due to my redesign launch. I can only liken this transfer experience (one year in the making) to a baby getting her first tooth -- a little painful as the tooth breaks through the skin, but then so satisfying when you realise what you can now sink those teeth into! Well I have a lot to chomp down on at the moment, and even more to digest. I just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew! But... Keep Reading

I absolutely love cooking with my friend Kris. Not only is she one of my dearest friends and amongst the most generous people I know; she is a phenomenal vegetarian cook. Kris and I met when we were in a play together for Ranters Theatre over 13 years ago, and we have been breaking gluten free bread with love ever since. Beth and Zoe were also in the play, and we have all been kindred spirits ever since, having regular lunches and dinners throughout the year as a group. One of the most wonderful things about our friendships is that we are all obsessed whole foodies; and all three of these ladies are absolutely incredible vegetarian cooks. So, needless to say, there is always something delicious on the table. I will celebrate Zoe later this... Keep Reading

I am allergic to fruit cakes. Thankfully it is only the human variety that I find a bit hard to digest. But in the kitchen, mixing up a gluten free fruit cake always seems to bring out the romantic, old-fashioned side of me. As I am blending up my healthy fruit cake batter I find myself grabbing for my finest china in anticipation of a glorious English tea party with friends. It has  always puzzled me why nuts and fruit cake are used so widely as pejoratives. I suppose the phrase “as nutty as a fruit cake” used as far back as the 30’s to describe anyone crazy, eccentric or different is hard to shake. My friends and I only ever use these terms in jest. But I still think maligning my beloved fruit and nuts in such a way does them a bit of a... Keep Reading

OK, so this post is a few weeks late! It was Anzac Day in Australia a few weeks ago. For those of you in other countries, this is a national holiday and day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand where we celebrate and honour the contribution made to our great countries by the soldiers in World War One when they landed in Gallipoli. It now also commemorates the efforts in World War Two. I always get a bit choked up at the service; and have proudly watched my grandparents march in the parade with their medals on more than one occasion. It is a special day of pride, gratitude and reflection for most Australians and New Zealanders, as the “Anzac legend” has had a significant impact on defining the identity of both nations. My... Keep Reading

OK – so we are due for a gluten free sweet treat; and this rustic gluten free apricot recipe dishes up “a slice of the gluten free good life” without the sugar bomb. I have to admit, this gluten free recipe is a bit more decadent than my usual healthy recipes; and can be a little bit fiddly and time consuming. But it is well worth the effort. Trust me, snouts far and wide unanimously agree – this gluten free slice is a stunner. The first time I tasted this delectable apricot crumble treat, it was made and served to me by an eight year old when I was volunteering at my mum's school kitchen. So it is literally child’s play, and absolutely s’blended! Do you know the thing I love best about this gluten free slice recipe? It utilizes all... Keep Reading

I can’t count the number of times I have made these delicious gluten free carrot muffins. They are quick, easy, and absolutely scrumptious. I used to “make a date” with my carrot grater on many a lazy Saturday afternoon, and make a quadruple batch of these carrot and date muffins to take for snacks at work; and there were many grateful snouts! I have always loved the combination of carrots and dates. Mix in your favourite honey, and you’ve got a blend that makes these gluten free carrot muffins a winner on every level. I have had this muffin recipe on a scratchy bit of paper for about 20 years, and the little card that I have now glued said paper to still takes pride of place in my healthy recipe file. This was the first “refined sugar... Keep Reading

One of the things I missed the most after starting a gluten free diet was going out for a really great pizza. I happily ate my stash of Amy’s frozen rice crust pizzas to stave off the wheat weeping, but longed to find a home made gluten-free pizza base recipe that I could make from scratch. I continued experimenting with every packaged gluten-free pizza dough mix I could find, and did have some success -- the Wholefoods mix was quite good. Although, like so many of the other mixes, I found them a bit too starchy and doughy, or they tasted like cardboard. I was left wanting. However, a couple of years ago, I hit the gluten-free pizza base jackpot! I took some fantastic gluten free cooking classes with Rachel Van Den Bosch, and she... Keep Reading