Easy Raw Licorice
150g Dried Dates
100ml hot water
2 Whole Star Anise

Place dates in hot water and leave to soak for 20-30 minutes or until nice and soft. While they are soaking, prepare star anise by grinding  the whole star in a coffee grinder or high speed blender. Place date mixture into a blender and blend up. Add star anise a little bit at a time until you have reached your desired taste. Use a piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped to pipe lengths of licorice onto a silicone dehydrator mat. Place in the dehydrator* for 8-12hrs or until firm but  slightly soft and sticky still.

*Note... If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use a oven instead. Start by turning the oven on the lowest possible setting. Place whatever you are wanting to dehydrate  in a non-stick baking dish or a pan lined with baking paper. Place the dish in the oven and keep the door open. Turn the oven fan on to keep air flowing so that there is no condensation. The time will vary quite a bit from a dyhydrator and may only take half of the time.

Saturday evenings have always been a chilled out time in the cottage. A time when we would have more time to play in the kitchen and cook nice meals together, a time where we would grab some takeaway and set up a picnic and let Henry play until the sun went down or a time when we would just put a platter together, eat, chat and be merry......that was until we had a baby #2. Four months ago, we welcomed our beautiful Maggie into the world. She is the most beautiful and loved little soul but is incredibly talented at consuming our time, attention, energy and conversations most nights. Like most people with a baby, our evenings are usually a whirlwind of chaos and whilst I love this stage of my life and am well aware that it's short lived, I sometimes miss normality and time to enjoy food with my family.

Last night, I was on a mission to cook a nice meal for us to share. I wanted something that reminded me of the nights when we were able to go out for a nice relaxed dinner together. I wanted something that would replenish my body after feeding Maggie nonstop for the previous 36hrs thanks to a growth spurt  and  I also wanted something that would be easy and stress free.

The dish I chose to put together, was a sweet garlic chicken.  This dish is super easy and will leave your kitchen smelling like a gorgeous Italian restaurant. Although it may not be the healthiest dish that I've ever put together, it really is delightful and perfect for a relaxing Saturday evening spent with family. Enjoy xo

Garlic and Coconut Sugar Chicken
4-8 chicken thighs (we love Inglewood Farms organic chicken thighs)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons of Italian herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary ect)

Preheat oven 160 degrees Celcius. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof pan or dish over medium heat. Add chicken, and brown both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside on a clean plate. Melt the remaining butter and add the crushed garlic, and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and add the coconut sugar, honey and Italian herbs. Return chicken to the pan or dish, stir through and place in the oven for 20-30min or until cooked through. Serve chicken immediately with steamed vegetables and mash.

 * Note. I added some zuchinni towards the end of the cooking time so that they could absorb some of the sweet garlic sauce but you could add other vegetables such as eggplant, capsicum ect

This recipe has all of the classic flavours of a fruit mince pie (buttery pastry, sweet dried fruit and aromatic spices) but is prepared in a not so classic way. It has already appeared at a few of our pre Christmas get togethers with friends and hopefully it can make its way to your festive celebrations. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. No need for suet, brandy and stirring over heat. It is just simply a matter of chopping, jarring up and letting all that good bacteria do the hard work for you. The end result is truly delicious and your visitors will never guess that their eating fermented fruit mince.  I have tried several different pie shells to use with the fruit mince and really like this one as it gives a real traditional taste and texture , however, you could use a sourdough shortcrust pastry for a super gut friendly pie or  nut based ones, raw ones, coconut shells or whatever suits your dietary requirements and preferences.

Fermented Fruit Mince
1 Pear (medium to large size)
1 Apple (medium to large. Any variety)
1 cup medjool dates (seeds removed)
1/2 cup chopped dried dates
1/2 cup raisins or sultana's
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/8 teaspoon ground  ginger
1/8 teaspoon groun nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Powder out of 2 probiotic capsules or 3 tablespoons of whey
1/2 teaspoon salt
*Glass jar
*Muslin cloth

Start by sterilizing a 500ml glass jar, the muslin cloth and a spoon. I like to use the boiling method for this. Core and quarter the apple and pear and place in the food processor to chop finely but still leave little texture. Add the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and blend on low speed until combined. Spoon mixture into a glass jar, cover with a muslin cloth and leave in a warm spot to ferment for 2 days ( this can vary slightly. My last batch only took 1 1/2 days but I wouldn't recommend more than 2-3 days) Remove cloth, place lid on jar and refrigerate until you are ready to make your pies.

GF Shortcrust Pastry
225 grams  Plain Gluten Free Flour
1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
25 grams fine Rapadura Sugar
110 grams chilled butter 
1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of cold water

Sift the flour, gum and sugar together and stir until combined. Rub the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles fine bread crumbs. ( You can also use a food processor to achieve this in a little less time) Lightly whisk the eggs and water before adding to the flour and butter mixture. Gently mix and fold together until it starts to form a soft dough. Roll dough into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove from fridge and roll between two sheets of baking paper until thin.  Cut pastry into desired shape and press into tin, being careful as it is a soft and delicate dough. Bake in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before filling with the fruit mince mixture.

After several months away, I am finally returning to the Marinya Cottage Kitchen Blog. It has been a busy few months with the arrival of our baby girl and lots of sleepless nights but our lives are starting to get back on track. This recipe is quick and easy and is perfect for hot Summer days where you don't want to have to get the oven going. The end product is somewhere between a mudcake and a fudgy brownie but it can also be rolled into little balls to make super yummy truffles. Enjoy x

Raw Chocolate, Beetroot and Chia cake
1 Medium sized Beetroot peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup of baby spinach or lettuce leaves
2 cups of macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons Chia Seeds
1 cup of Desiccated coconut
1/4 + 2 tablespoons of Raw Cocao (adjust to taste)
6 Medjool dates (seed removed and cut in half)
1/4 cup of sultana's or currents (preferably organic without any vegetable oils)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons coconut flour if required (optional)
50 grams dark 85% chocolate for garnish (optional)

Place nuts and beetroot in a high speed blender, food processor or thermomix and blend until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the coconut flour and dark chocolate, and blend on high speed until it becomes thick and starts to come together. You may need to stop and scrape the sides a few times.  If it is too sticky, add some coconut flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Line a small, round cake tin with some baking paper and press mixture in. Grate some dark chocolate on top and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Notes- 
*If you have a particularly sweet tooth add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup. 
**This raw cake also makes great truffles. Just roll into balls and roll in some dark chocolate

I was so excited to put this banana bread in the oven this morning. Last week I tore my esophagus due to severe pregnancy reflux and knew the time had come to completely ditch the grains and give my  stomach a break. After 12 hours of no grains, my reflux completely stopped and things started healing very quickly. I had also cut out all sugars and syrups so this is the first sweet food I've had in 4 days. I have used medjool dates in this recipe but if you only have dried dates, just pop them in some warm water and let them soften a little before blending.  Has anyone tried a grain free or paleo diet during pregnancy? I don't usually advocate following strict diets during pregnancy but studies have shown that paleo is safe during pregnancy and I have personally been blown away by the affect it's had on my stomach and improving my energy levels. This recipe has been adapted from this recipe.

3 ripe bananas
5 Medjool dates
6 eggs
1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius

Place banana and dates in a food processor or thermomix and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and ingredients are well mixed. Pour into  lined or greased loaf tin and bake in the oven for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Last weekend we spent some time with family in Brisbane. On Sunday morning, my husband popped into the West End Bakery to get some danishes, croissants and some gluten free treats for breakfast. He brought back the most delicious GF oat slice with carrot and apple for my mum and me and I was determined to create my own version. I am one of the lucky 3 in 5 gluten intolerant people who can handle certified wheat free oats but if you are newly diagnosed celiac, it might be best to replace the oats with a good quality gf flour. I hope you enjoy this moist, light cake that is healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

Carrot Oat and Apple Slice
100ml macadamia or olive oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons of honey
150g rolled oats ground into flour (this can be done in a food processor or thermomix)
50g desiccated or shredded coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
150g carrots, peeled and grated
100g apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup natural yoghurt (we use Baramaba full fat)
1/4 cup of sultana's

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius and line a square cake tin with baking paper.  Whisk the eggs, oil and honey together before folding in the ground oats, coconut,  cinnamon and bi-carb soda. Add the carrot, apple, sultana's and yoghurt and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are well combined. Pour mixture into baking tin and cook for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Leave to cool on a rack before slicing up and serving.

* This is lovely served with a little butter or an icing made with cream cheese and honey.

This is our first gluten free Christmas and was very nervous about attempting the Christmas cake but I am so so so happy with it. This tastes just like the real thing and and is lovely, rich and moist. Merry Christmas!!

2 cups certified gluten-free oat flour (we grind up Freedom brand oats in a food processor or blender)
2 1/2 cups of Christmas Cake fruit mix (we use the Honest to Goodness one as it has no added sugar or nasties) 
1 cup dried cranberries (use ones that are sweetened with apple juice not sugar)
1 cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup roughly chopped skinless hazelnuts
1 cup milk (dairy or dairy-free)
3/4 cup basic prune jam (recipe below)
1/2 cup coconut butter (or shredded coconut blended at a high speed for 2 minutes)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoons of gluten free baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Ingredients for Easy Prune Jam
250grams of dried pitted prunes
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
Start by preparing a batch of easy prune jam.  To do this, place the prunes, water and lemon juice in a saucepan, cover with a lid and bring to the boil for about 5-10minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes before blending in a food processor. (This can also be done in a thermomix for 5min, speed 2 on Varoma) You will only need 3/4 of a cup for this recipe and the rest can be kept in the fridge for jam or another cake.

To make cake, preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line a square cake tin with paper. Place the coconut butter, vanilla and milk together in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a large mixing bowl along with dried fruit, nuts, prune jam and orange juice. Sift in oat flour, baking powder and spices.  Stir mixture until well combined before pouring into pan and baking for 2 hours. Leave cake to cool in tin for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack.

We are quickly approaching the Christmas season and over the weekend I made my very first batch of truffles. We become a little obsessed with truffle making at this time of year, as they are perfect to give as gifts and take to Christmas drinks and parties.

One of our favourite truffles are homemade healthy Ferrero Rocher’s. These are free of refined ingredients and processed sugar and taste just like the bought Fererro Rocher’s. They are also dairy, gluten and grain free and won’t leave you feeling sick or buzzing from all of the sugar.

In this recipe, I use raw cocao instead of cocoa powder. Raw cocao is very similar to cocoa but hasn’t been highly processed or had sugar and fillers added to it. It also has higher nutritional value than regular cocoa and can be found in the health food section of the supermarket or in health food stores.

Homemade Healthy Ferrero Rocher's
Truffle
1 Cup dried dates
1 Cup of skinless hazelnuts
2 Teaspoons raw cocao or to taste
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate layer
1/4 Cup coconut oil
1/4 Cup raw cocao
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Hazelnut coating
1/2 Cup skinless hazelnuts

Place dates in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak for 5 minutes before straining. In the meantime, toast the hazelnuts for both the truffles and coating in a moderate oven for 10 minutes. Remove hazelnuts from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Place hazelnuts in the food processor and chop finely. Put half a cup of the hazelnuts aside in a bowl to use later before adding the rest of the truffle ingredients to the food processor. Blend at a high speed until chopped and well combined. Roll into balls and place in the fridge to chill while you make the chocolate layer.

To make the chocolate layer, mix the coconut oil, raw cocao and maple syrup together in a bowl. It is best to use solid coconut oil so if it is a warm day, you may need to place your coconut oil in the fridge for a few minutes to harden it up.

Remove truffles from the fridge, roll in chocolate and then roll in the extra chopped hazelnuts that you prepared earlier. Place the truffles in the fridge to set.

I am completely obsessed with cooking banana's at the moment and recently made my first batch of homemade banana flour. Since than, I have made another two batches and can't seem to get enough of it. Although I don't mind coconut flour, I find the taste very strong and it is quite dry. I have also recently introduced nut flours back into my diet but still have to avoid almond meal and be careful not to over do them. So when it comes to grain free cooking, banana flour is a dream come true. To make banana flour you will need to source some green cooking banana's or plantains as these are a starchier variety taste more like potato than banana when cooked. The flavour is very mild and much like spelt flour and you can use it as regular flour but just use 3/4 of a cup to every 1 cup of wheat flour.

Quite a few Asian and Vietnamese stores stock them or you can pick them up at farmers markets in most cities. Some stores have a huge mark up on them so be careful and if you have a few stockists in your area, shop around for the best price. I picked mine up at the PCYC markets in Toowoomba for $2.50/kg and I've heard they're a little cheaper at the Brisbane Markets. 

Homemade Banana Flour 
Green cooking banana's or plantains (3 kg of banana's makes about 1 kg of flour)

Peel banana's.  (to assist in the peeling, you can boil or steam your unpeeled banana's on the stove to loosen the skin or you can use a knife to cut off the skin). Cut banana's into thin slices and place on baking trays and dry in a low oven for 2-3 hours. You can also dry them in a dehydrator or sun dry them in the sun. The banana's will be quite light in colour when they're ready. Place banana in a high speed blender or thermomix and grind into a fine flour. If you find your banana's are still sticky and aren't grinding,  remove from blender, spread on tray and leave to dry for longer. Mill again, sift and store in a dry, airtight container.

Homemade Banana Flour Apple Tea Cake
1 1/3 cup of homemade banana flour
3/4 cup Rapadura Sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup of macadamia, light olive or any other neutral flavoured oil
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 Large pink lady apples cut into thin slices

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celcius and grease a round cake tin with oil or butter. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk oil,eggs and milk together and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix well until combined. Pour half of the mixture into the cake tin, top with apple slices and pour the other half of the mixture over the top. Spread mixture evenly over the apple until smooth and all apples are covered. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes, turn of heat and leave in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes before turning onto a rack.