Category Archives: wheat free

Apple & date muffins

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These are very moist and the dates give them plenty of sweetness. If you prefer your cakes super-sweet, you may need to add some sugar or sweetener, but I think they’re fine as they are. As a bonus, these are wheat and gluten-free – as long as you use a gluten-free baking powder.

Makes 12

8 large fresh dates, pitted and chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
½ cup quark
2 eggs
¼ cup macadamia oil
200g unsweetened apple puree (I use baby food)
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup buckwheat flour
¾ cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
30g vanilla whey powder
Walnut pieces

Combine quark, eggs, oil, apple puree and vanilla in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until very smooth. Sift flours, baking powder, whey and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir grated apple and chopped dates through, making sure they’re well mixed. Add quark mixture and blend through with a wooden spoon.

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cups, top each with a few walnut pieces and bake at 160C fan forced for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through.

If you can’t find quark, creamed cottage cheese will do the job.

Wheat free pizza base #1

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I’m experimenting with a few options for pizza bases that don’t contain any wheat. It’s something I prefer not to eat a lot of, and I know I’m not the only one. The verdict? This was pretty good! I’d make it thinner next time, so I could have a “bigger” slice for the same calories, with more topping on it.


Makes one medium to large base, depending on how thin you make it.

1 cup cornflour*
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs Xantham gum**
1 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup of water

Place the cornflour, baking powder and xantham gum in a bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre of the mix and pour in the oil and about half the water. Stir to combine, then add the remaining water and mix thoroughly – you will need to use your hands to really mix it properly.

Spread a little extra cornflour on the bench and knead the dough for 3 or 4 minutes until it has a smooth texture. Roll it out to fit your pizza tray. Spray the surface with some cooking spray or brush more olive oil over it (gives it a crispier texture and stops the toppings soaking in).

Bake in a fairly hot oven, about 200-220C for around 15 minutes. Watch that the edges don’t burn – you’re not trying to cook it thoroughly here. Remove and cool a little before adding toppings, then place it back in the oven for about 15 minutes.

I used a little bottled pasta sauce, some bocconini, capsicum, onion, mushrooms, olives, sundried tomatoes (the dry ones, reconstituted in boiling water for a few minutes). Then I took it out and added some cooked chicken and a spoonful of BBQ sauce for the final 5 minutes of cooking.

*Don’t be fooled by the “cornflour” that’s actually made from wheat. Look for one labelled 100% corn
** Xantham gum is available in the health food section at large supermarkets. It gives the dough the elasticity that it usually gets from gluten.

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