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Quirky Cooking

Grain Free, Egg Free Chocolate Banana Cake

QuirkyJo by QuirkyJo
July 31, 2015
in Cakes, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Desserts, Easter, Egg Free, GAPS, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Naturally Sweetened, Nut Free, Paleo, Thermomix, Vegan
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grain free egg free chocolate banana cake, Quirky Cooking
 
I had a funny thing happen the other day. I was asked to speak at the local CWA’s annual general meeting, and cook something for them. I decided to take a cake along and show them how to make my dairy free ‘ganache from scratch’, and decorate the cake with it. As usual I was thinking about a zillion other things while I baked (like my talk for The Wellness Summit – eek, two weeks to go!!), so I wasn’t really focusing on the recipe. To cut a long story short, I forgot to put the eggs in the cake. Yeah, not a good idea when it’s going to be eaten by the master bakers of the CWA. Ha ha! So I set the cake aside and started again, and made it with eggs!
 
Well, when I got home from the meeting I had some ganache left over in the bowl, so I poured it over my ‘failed’ cake and popped it into the fridge to set. Because, as I’m sure you know, if you ever have a baking fail you just pour chocolate over it and everyone will happily eat it. Right?
 
Then guess what?? Later (like just before dinner when I really should have known better), I really wanted some chocolate cake, so I got it out of the fridge, cut a bit off, and put a big blob of cashew butter on top for a quick snack. Uh oh, that turned into three pieces with cashew butter on top because it was AMAZING!! Like a dense, moist, chocolate mud cake with ganache and nut butter on top – so so good.
 
grain free dairy free egg free chocolate cake, quirky cooking
 
My lovely assistant, Apphia, came over the next day, and we ate cake and nut butter while we worked, because we needed to keep our energy up to get all our work done! (That’s our excuse anyway, and we’re sticking to it.) So now we’re just about ready for The Wellness Summit, my special exciting surprises are being finished up to give away to attendees, my blog and facebook comments and questions are being answered, and we are feeling much more organised! (Thanks to Apphia and chocolate cake. <3)
 
This cake is grain free, dairy free, and nut free (if you don’t put cashew butter on top!). It can also be vegan if you swap the honey for maple syrup or coconut nectar. The recipe is based on my old faithful Chocolate Banana Cake, which can be made so many different ways I’m losing track of them all. If you want a lighter cake and you can have eggs, add 2 eggs and blend it all up together. I find it works best as cupcakes, or as a small cake in a 20 cm round tin, or even baked like brownies in a square dish.
 
 If you’d like to make nut butter to have on top, here’s the recipe – just use all roasted cashews for cashew butter, or macadamias, or almonds, or a mixture. 
Grain Free, Egg Free Chocolate Cake
2015-07-31 09:47:13
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Cake
  1. 400g very ripe bananas, peeled and broken into quarters
  2. 80g coconut flour
  3. 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  4. 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
  5. 60g cacao powder
  6. 100g honey (or maple syrup)
  7. 140g coconut oil (or unsalted butter)
  8. 280g coconut milk (or milk of choice)
  9. 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  10. 1 tsp vanilla powder or extract (optional)
Ganache
  1. 100g raw cacao butter, chopped into pieces
  2. 50g raw cacao powder
  3. 50g honey (or maple syrup)
  4. 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or extract
  5. 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  6. 100g coconut cream
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 180C. For cakes, line two 20 cm round cake tins with baking paper and set aside. For cupcakes, line two 12 hole muffin trays with 24 cupcake cases and set aside. (I use If You Care cupcake cases as they are non toxic, and don't stick!)
  2. Place all ingredients into the Thermomix bowl and mix 15 sec/speed 6, or until blended. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula and blend again if needed.
  3. Divide mixture between cake tins or cupcake cases.
  4. For cakes, bake approx 1 hour at 180C, or for cupcakes bake approx 30 mins, or until a skewer inserted into centre of cakes comes out clean. The cakes will be very moist and will fall apart easily at this stage. Set aside to cool, then place in fridge to become firm.
  5. Once chilled, cakes may be layered with ganache between them and on top, or served as two separate cakes.
Ganache
  1. Chop cacao butter in Thermomix bowl, 15 sec/speed 8, or until finely chopped.
  2. Melt 15 mins/37C/speed 3, or until cacao butter is completely melted.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and cook 3 mins/37C/speed 3. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix again 10 sec/speed 3.
  4. Drizzle over chilled cakes and place in fridge or freezer (or just in a cool place) to set.
Notes
  1. This cake is very rich and dense, like a mud cake.
  2. Recipe can be halved for one small, round cake, or baked in a square dish and served as brownies.
  3. Freezes well.
Quirky Cooking https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/

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Tags: bananaCacaochocolatecoconut flourdairy freeEasterEgg FreeGluten FreeGrain FreeNaturally Sweetenedpaleopaleo dessertPaleo Treatsquirky cooking
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Comments 69

  1. Elly says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo,

    I was wondering have you tweaked not using coconut flour? I’m struggling as I can’t have any grains and no coconut :/ Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      So you can have nut meal? Just swap the coconut flour for 320g almond meal; it may take a little longer to cook, and once it’s done you’ll need to cool it then pop it in the fridge to ‘set’, but hopefully that should work! 🙂

      Reply
      • Delcie says:
        6 years ago

        80g coconut flour swapped for 320g almond meal doesn’t seem like an even swap

        Reply
        • QuirkyJo says:
          6 years ago

          Coconut flour is a fibre, so it soaks up liquid and you need LOTS more almond meal/flour compared to coconut flour. The original recipe is 320g flour, and you can swap that for almond meal. 🙂

          Reply
  2. Kristine Barker says:
    6 years ago

    Any substitute for bananas as both my daughter and I are allergic. Thanks

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      Someone suggested cooked sweet potato – sounds like a good idea – I haven’t tried it yet so let me know if you do!

      Reply
  3. Cassy says:
    6 years ago

    Can you taste the banana in it at all? i hate Banana with a passion but if you can’t taste it over the other ingredients i will give it a try 🙂

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      Not overly – just add a bit more cacao powder if you’re worried!

      Reply
  4. Yo says:
    6 years ago

    Just made a batch mini muffins for my kids. Trying to bake treats without refined sugar.
    Anyway, I wasn’t really sure I wanted to bake them as I liked the batter sooo much. Haha!
    Glad we did though. Everyone LOVES them. The idea was to freeze some but not sure that will happen. Thanks!

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      Oh great!!! Glad you all loved them!! xx

      Reply
  5. Laura says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo, if you like to use eggs, how many would you add to this recipe & at what step? Thanks Laura.

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      You can add 4 eggs just with everything else – it’s all blended at once. I haven’t tried it as a cake this way, only as cupcakes.

      Reply
      • Rody says:
        5 years ago

        Hi Jo, I just wanted to get clarification on how many eggs to add because further up before the recipe you mentioned 2 eggs but in this reply you mentioned 4. I’m going to try these for my daughter’s 3rd birthday party on Saturday. Thanks in advance!

        Reply
        • QuirkyJo says:
          5 years ago

          Sorry, just add 2 if you want the eggs in it 🙂

          Reply
  6. Christine says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo, I have a very restrictive diet…essential whole foods, plant based…also GF, dairy free and sugar free and yeast free. Can’t have bananas or pineapple either.. Can it get any harder? Your recipes and my thermomix are a huge help. Any suggestions for banana or pineapple substitutes? Many thanks, Christine

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      Hi Christine, I’m glad my recipes have been helpful! Someone suggested trying cooked sweet potato! If you do try it, let me know how you go!

      Reply
  7. Erin says:
    6 years ago

    How was your talk received at the CWA? Tough gig.
    btw just realised I’m only ‘up the road’ from you, at Grafton

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      It went well! Thank you 🙂 I’m actually up on the Atherton Tablelands west of Cairns, FNQ 🙂

      Reply
  8. Mel @ The cook's notebook says:
    6 years ago

    In the oven – thanks! needed to use up 5 frozen bananas – came to an even 400g 🙂

    Reply
  9. Karen says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo

    Will this cake taste like banana? Anything that tastes remotely like banana makes me gag. This cake sounds perfect if it doesn’t have a banana taste. Is it possible to replace the banana with something else? 🙂

    Reply
  10. Bek says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo,
    I have this recipe in the oven cooking right now- I can wait to try it! I didn’t have coconut flour so used the substitution of almond meal you suggested. Hopefully it sets ok! I used a 20cm round tin and 8 cupcakes.

    Reply
  11. Jenny says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo – I’m living in Cairns – just wondering best and cheap place to buy raw coconut oil, raw cacao powder, cacao butter, coconut sugar and goji berries – thanks

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      6 years ago

      From the new Source Bulk Foods shop – 10/85 Lake Street! 😀

      Reply
      • Ania says:
        6 years ago

        Jo, are you planning a new cookbook?

        Reply
  12. moira says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo. 2 questions… how do I make cacao butter? And is there a recipe to make/mill my own plain and SR flour that is gluten free? I have so many different flours in my cupbpard – brown rice, coconut, buckwheat etc but dong know when to use which one when trying to substitute in a non-GF recipe. If there is a successful ratio to use to just make GF flour like you can buy at Woolies without the expensive price tag that would be great! ????

    Reply
  13. Carmen says:
    6 years ago

    Any chance I can substitute cacao butter for normal butter in the ganache?

    Reply
  14. Sonya says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo, I don’t have any raw cacao butter for the ganache, could I swap with ordinary butter? Thanks

    Reply
  15. Deanna says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo. I’m a newbie & have no idea where I would find cacao butter. What would you substitute with? Any ideas where I would find (Caboolture)? Thanks

    Reply
  16. Tracey says:
    6 years ago

    Can u use rice malt syrup instead of honey?

    Reply
  17. Amber says:
    6 years ago

    Do you think you could substitute sweet potato or pumpkin purée for the non-banana fans?

    Reply
  18. Cassie says:
    6 years ago

    Hi – can you please tell me if you can use coconut butter instead of raw cacao butter in the ganache. Thanks

    Reply
  19. Sonya says:
    6 years ago

    Hi Jo – what can I sub for the cacao butter in the ganache please?
    Keen to make this for my work this week! They are loving your baking recipes.

    Reply
  20. Georgia says:
    6 years ago

    Could you use frozen bananas and then freeze the cake?

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      5 years ago

      yes that would be fine 🙂

      Reply
  21. Melissa says:
    6 years ago

    I have just made this cake Jo and like all your recipes it’s delicious! I can’t eat dairy or gluten and choose not to eat refined sugar, thank you for a great recipe that my whole family can eat 🙂

    Reply
  22. Maren says:
    5 years ago

    I baked this cake (added 1 egg) this morning and served it for dessert – topped with a spoonful of banana ice cream (recipe from your cookbook). This combination was incredible! Everyone loved it! Thank you so much, Jo, for all your inspiration.

    Reply
  23. Michelle says:
    5 years ago

    I don’t have a thermomix so do I just use a mixer?

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      5 years ago

      Just put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well 🙂

      Reply
  24. Krista says:
    5 years ago

    made this today in brownie form – it’s amazing – for topping I used 10g cacao 40g nibs as my cacao ran out and sprinkled with coconut ☺️ – also used half coconut oil half organic butter and my bananas weren’t over ripe which worried me but it all turned out perfect!! Thankyou x

    Reply
  25. Kate says:
    5 years ago

    Made this today and it totally sunk in the middle. Still tastes delicious but wondering what I did wrong? Would over-mixing cause this to happen?
    It happened to both my cake and cupcakes

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      5 years ago

      It’s because it’s a heavy, flourless cake – they always sink a bit! Don’t worry, it’s normal. 🙂

      Reply
  26. vix says:
    5 years ago

    How healthy or unhealthy is this recipe? From a fat and sugar consideration for a 5 yo?
    Thx

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      5 years ago

      Very healthy – kids need good fats!! And it’s very low in sugar. 🙂

      Reply
      • Laura says:
        4 years ago

        This cake recipe looks like a much healthier option than other cakes which is awesome but it’s still super high in sugars – almost 200g sugar and that’s just calculating the honey, banana, coconut milk and coconut flour so this recipe is definitely a treat!

        Reply
  27. JessM says:
    5 years ago

    Made these tonight for the first time, we are starting a wheat free lifestyle as hubby has a lot of gut problems. I was excitedly telling him all the “free” things they were, got to dairy free and realised I had forgotten to put the milk in! They still turned out! A bit more like a really moist biscuit rather than cake, but yummo! I will definitely try again and remember all the ingredients.

    Reply
  28. CJ says:
    5 years ago

    Hi
    I tried to make these as cupcakes and they basically erupted… the sides overflowed and burnt and the middle sunk to the bottom and was super oily. I didn’t overfill the cases, they were only half full. Any tips? Do I need to lower the oven temperature? Help please!

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      5 years ago

      Hmmm that’s odd!! Maybe the oven temp was too high?

      Reply
    • Kelly SEITZ says:
      5 years ago

      This happened to me to with a cake 🙁

      Reply
  29. Neha says:
    5 years ago

    Hi, can the bicarb be substituted with anything or left out?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      5 years ago

      You could use baking powder, just double the amount. 🙂

      Reply
  30. Paleo Recipes says:
    5 years ago

    I baked this cake (added 1 egg) this morning and served it for dessert – topped with a spoonful of banana ice cream (recipe from your cookbook). This combination was incredible! Everyone loved it! Thank you so much, Jo, for all your inspiration.

    Easy To Make Paleo Nut Bars (with Recipe Video)…

    Reply
  31. Sharrie says:
    5 years ago

    Hi! I was just wondering how you could make a dairy free ganache if you didn’t have cacao butter. Your recipes have been such a help for my little man who is dairy, gluten & egg intolerant!

    Reply
  32. Anne-Marie Keightley says:
    5 years ago

    Thank you for making the banana ingredient a weight! I get so frustrated with recipes that say 3 bananas or a bunch of rhubarb! Very difficult to judge if you have the correct amount for a recipe without a weight!

    Reply
  33. Christine says:
    5 years ago

    Hi Jo, Pretty new to all this and keen to make this recipe. Where would I buy cacao butter and powder, as well as the vanilla powder? Thanks, Christine

    Reply
  34. Teena says:
    5 years ago

    Just made these and Yum! Thanks for a great recipe jo x

    Reply
  35. Nancy says:
    4 years ago

    What a fantastic grain free, nut free, dairy free and egg free cake! Caters for so many dietary requirements. Will definetly be making this for my daughters birthday at childcare.
    I may reduce the honey a little next time as I did find it a tad bit too sweet.

    Thanks Jo for another wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  36. Amanda says:
    4 years ago

    I halved the recipe and made muffins. The taste and flavour was spot on, I coulcn’t taste the banana at all. The muffins were a little oily…but delicious still the same. I have made them for a child who is egg/ gluten/dairy free- I hope he likes them, and if not more for me!

    Reply
  37. Louise says:
    4 years ago

    Could you please tell me is this cake gluten free too?

    Thankyou 😊

    Reply
  38. Michelle Soares Mendes says:
    4 years ago

    Same as above, I think I had the oven too hot, the cake burnt on the edges, sunk in the middle and was still a bit undercooked in the middle. Nice flavours though for someone who has been starved of treats for a while!

    Reply
  39. Gillian says:
    3 years ago

    Hi my body doesn’t seem to like sugar or sugar substitutes. Can I reduce the amount of honey in this recipe without destroying the whole thing?

    Reply
  40. Sara says:
    3 years ago

    I made this today but left out the cocao powder and added unflavored protein powder and cinnamon so it would be banana cake. I also used a cream cheese passion fruit icing. So yummy and a cake I can send to school.

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      3 years ago

      Wow Sara, so creative!! 🙂 Sounds delicious! xx

      Reply
  41. Rebecca says:
    3 years ago

    Can i bake this as one cake? For examples, in a long square tin. ive made this 100 times both cupcakes and two 20cm cake tins but i want to make ‘one’ for daycare (My boy turning 3). I figure, if the tin in long it should* turn out the same and require the same cooking time, @1hr??
    Thanks so much

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      3 years ago

      Hi Rebecca! 🙂 It should work out fine as long as the cake batter in the tin is around the same depth as in the two round tins. Otherwise, you might just need to check and add some more cooking time. xx

      Reply
  42. Carmel Alifano says:
    2 years ago

    Hi Jo, I made the ganache as per the directions but it isn’t very sweet. In fact, it’s rather bitter. I like the consistency of it and that it softens when out of the fridge but i’m wondering if I should reduce the cacao and up the honey?

    Reply
  43. Sally says:
    1 year ago

    Hi Jo! You made these last night at the seminar in Cairns! All I can say is YUM – they are divine. Thank you for such an informative night. Xx

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      1 year ago

      You’re so welcome!! Thanks for coming along!

      Reply
  44. Nancy Belz says:
    6 months ago

    Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! I made it today for the very first time to celebrate the birth of my fourth grandchild Josiah. The batter tasted amazing! It is just cooling now. I was just wondering would it be possible to replace the banana with black sapote? thank you!

    Reply
    • Quirky Cooking Team says:
      6 months ago

      Hi Nancy. Yum, so glad it turned out beautiful. I have never tried black sapote in his recipe but I think you should give it a go and let us all know how it turns out:-).

      Reply

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Last but not least: Emma, Quirky executive assistant and official “shoulder-to-lean-on”! ☺️ For the past 6 years (yes, she’s put up with me for that long!! 😂) Emma has been working tirelessly from her home in Melbourne 👩🏼‍💻 keeping me organised(ish), keeping the website and store ticking along, stocking shelves all around Australia with Quirky cookbooks 📚, answering emails 💌, organising events and retreats and promotions and prizes 🎁, all while being mama to about a million house plants, a crazy dingo x kelpie dog and two noisy boys 🐕 🏃🏻🏃🏻‍♂️... And best of all, Emma has been a ROCK for me when I’m feeling overwhelmed and need to be reminded that the work we do is worthwhile and the ups and downs are normal. ❤️

Love you guys, thank you for all you do 🤗🤗🤗
Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️ I nearly didn’t Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️ I nearly didn’t bother making any chocolate, then at 4.30pm I was like, “What was I thinking???” and I grabbed my @lifechangingfoodbook and had a batch of Nutty Chocolate made within 10 minutes. 😁 Peanut butter swirls on one half and @yungaburra_raspberries freeze-dried raspberries on the other. Bliss! (I may have eaten 4 pieces already.) 🙈😁😂 YUMMMM!! 

#chocolate #valentinesday #treat #refinedsugarfree #wholefood #gaps #dairyfree #quirkycooking #lifechangingfood #freezedriedraspberries #peanutbutter #peanutbutterchocolate #delicious
Just in case you missed it, I sent out some health Just in case you missed it, I sent out some healthy Valentine’s Day treat ideas yesterday! Did you see? 😃

I know emails have a tendency to get lost on the email jungle, so just search for “Quirky Cooking” (including in those folders where the annoying emails go), because it’s worth reading, I promise! 😁😘 #totallynotannoying

PS You can subscribe by tapping on this photo via the link in my profile. ❤️

#valentinesday #treat #treatideas #healthytreats #naturallysweetened #glutenfree #grainfree #dairyfree #wholefood #gaps #paleo #recipes #quirkycooking #treatyourself 

https://quirkycooking.mykajabi.com/newsletter-sign-up
Valentine’s Day recipe idea, by @marianna.saran Valentine’s Day recipe idea, by @marianna.saran ❤️ Plum pie with almond pastry!! 😍😍

This gorgeous pie was made by @marianna.saran and she has generously allowed me to share it! The pastry is made with my Almond Meal Pastry recipe (see @lifechangingfoodbook). Prebake the base for 10-15 mins at 180C, then fill, top and bake til the pastry hearts are lightly browned. 

Marianna says, "For the filling, I blended 3 plums with 1 Tbs cornflour then spread that on the bottom (the plums were sweet, you could add sugar but I didn't), then I just put plum halves on top then sprinkled each plum with a tiny bit of cornflour and rubbed it in." Place the pastry hearts on top and bake at 180C until lightly browned. That's it! 

Another option would be to make roasted plums (halve, deseed, place on baking tray and drizzle with honey and vanilla and sprinkle with a little water, then roast at 180C for about 30 mins). Place the roasted plums into the cooked base with their juices, then top with pastry hearts and bake as above. You could sprinkle the pastry hearts with a little coconut sugar if you wanted to. YUM!

(If you don’t have @lifechangingfoodbook, search ‘quirky cooking chicken pot pies’ and you’ll find the pastry recipe there.)

#valentines #baking #plums #plumpie #pie #simplebaking #baking #glutenfree #grainfree #gaps #paleo #wholefood #treat #grainfreepastry #grainfreebaking
“When the butter chicken is THAT good!!” 🤣🤣🤣 

(Anyone else love Quirky butter chicken this much? 🤤)

Tap on this video via the link in my bio for the recipe!

Thanks for sharing, @_sheridanharris_ 😍🤗❤️

https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/2015/11/my-best-butter-chicken-ever/
#butterchicken #quirkybutterchicken #kidfriendly #familyfavourite #familyfavorite #glutenfree #dairyfree #eggfree #nutfree #grainfree #gaps #paleo #wholefood #healingfood #guthealth #guthealthmatters #dinner #familymeal #quirkycooking #kids #funny #funnyvideos
Guys, my “Gut-Healthy Chocolate Caramel Slice” Guys, my “Gut-Healthy Chocolate Caramel Slice” recipe is now up on the blog! (Finally!! 😂🙈😘) Check it out by tapping on this photo via the link in my bio. 

Have a lovely weekend! ❤️❤️❤️

#quirkycooking #chocolate #caramel #slice #choccaramel #caramelchocolate #dessert #treat #wholefood #healthyfood #snacks #weekendtreat #glutenfree #grainfree #dairyfree #eggfree #nutfree #vegan #variations #recipe 
https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/2021/02/gut-healthy-chocolate-caramel-slice/
{Recipe} I have sooooo much Thai basil in my garde {Recipe} I have sooooo much Thai basil in my garden at the moment - it’s kind of taken over. Pesto time!! Did you know pesto freezes really well? I love having it on hand to use as a dip or to spread on crackers, or on lamb roast for a pesto crust. I make it into a salad dressing, mix it through pumpkin soup, or add to mince and make baked pesto meatballs... there’s so many delicious ways to use it!

What’s your favourite ways to use pesto? 🌿

Here’s my simple pesto recipe - it’s delicious with or without the Parmesan and can be made nut free as well.

(Pictured here with some yummy Kex seed crackers from @sproutnutrition, and the silver “spread love” knife is one I bought years ago on Etsy. 😊)

Macadamia Pesto

1-2 garlic cloves
160g raw macadamia nuts or cashews
60g fresh basil leaves
½ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
60g extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for storage
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
60g Parmesan cheese or 2 tsp savoury yeast flakes (opt)

Thermomix Method
Place all ingredients into TM bowl and pulse 4 times 1 sec/closed lid/Turbo.
Transfer pesto into a glass jar, drizzle some extra olive oil on top to seal from the air, and keep in the fridge.

Conventional Method
Chop garlic and nuts in a food processor until roughly chopped. 
Add remaining ingredients and process until desired texture is achieved.

Storage
Store in a glass jar in the fridge for approximately 1 week, or freeze for 3-4 months.

Variations
Nut free: Swap macadamias for a mixture of pepitas and sunflower seeds.
Salad dressing: To make this into a salad dressing, add 50g more olive oil, and the juice of 1 whole lemon instead of the 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Blend until desired texture is achieved.

#pesto #macadamia #cashew #nutfree #dairyfree #variations #recipe #quirkycooking #homemade #dip #snack
We had a family adventure this weekend - sailing o We had a family adventure this weekend - sailing out to a local island on a 65 year old wooden pearl lugger @fallareef! We were planning to go to the outer reef,  but it was so rough we only made it to Fitzroy Island. That’s ok though, we had an amazing day (despite a few getting seasick from the crazy ride 😂), sailing, swimming, snorkelling, singing... So special to have some bonding time with grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins and friends. ❤️ Covid lockdowns really make you appreciate these times sooooo much more!!

I highly recommend taking time out of your busy life to go on adventures with your family whenever you can. Making memories together is so worth the time and effort. The kids say that was the best Christmas present EVER!! 🎉🎉 (It was a little late because we had to fit it in between wet season storms and cyclones. 😂)

Lots of videos in my stories. 💙 Last photo of @just_acountrygal_  by @_thissmallcorner. 

#makememoriesnotexcuses #adventure #family #mykids #friends #familyadventure #quirkyadventure #farnorthqueensland #australia #discoverqueensland #seeaustralia #seequeensland #visitqueensland #tropicalnorthqueensland #fnqlife #discoveraustralia
How are you going so far this year with reaching y How are you going so far this year with reaching your health goals? If you’re feeling stuck and need some help working out how to improve your health, or how to cook for a healing diet, or what to do when you don’t even know where to BEGIN — we’d love to help! 

The Gut Health Formula is an 8 week coaching program run by myself and @elysenutritionist. We are big believers in taking a gentle, holistic, long-term approach towards healing the gut, beginning with reducing food and lifestyle stress, organising your time, working out your health priorities, and taking steps towards optimising the nutrition of your meals... all in a way that won’t overwhelm you or stress your family out! 

For 8 weeks we work with you, answering all your questions and guiding you towards the most important first steps. Then for the next 12 months you have access to the program so you can soak it all in without rushing, and we stay in contact via our private program community group.

Tomorrow we begin our 4th intake for The Gut Health Formula! We invite you to join us if you need support, encouragement, and practical help on your healing journey. 🤗

Find out more by tapping on this photo via the link in my profile.

PS It’s not about fad diets or hardcore detoxes!!
When trying to optimise the health of yourself and your family, the focus can become very narrow, and you can find yourself spiralling in an approach that is creating unhealthy patterns in other areas of your life (social, emotional etc) and also creating an unhealthy relationship with food. Health was never intended to be this way. We will guide you in an approach that considers EVERY aspect of your health (with nutrition being just one piece of the puzzle), keeping in mind the ultimate goal- which isn’t to do things ‘perfectly’, but rather to optimise health and longevity for yourself and your family. To be the healthiest, happiest most vital humans that you can be. That is the ultimate goal right? ❤️

Visit https://www.wellbellyhealth.com.au/the-gut-health-formula
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Copyright Notice

I love it when my readers are as excited about my recipes as I am, and want to share them! I only ask that if you do share my recipes on your own blog or on social media, you only share an excerpt or link, not the entire recipe. Full and clear credit must be given to Quirky Cooking with a link back to the original content. If you’d like to share one of my photos, please contact me for permission. Thank you! Jo x

Recent posts

  • Stress-Free Catering for Special Diets February 10, 2021
  • Gut-Healthy Chocolate Caramel Slice February 5, 2021
  • Gluten Free Sourdough Bread (and Starter) June 19, 2020

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