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Tag Archives: spice

Banana Pecan Spice Bread (grain free), Quirky Cooking

Banana Pecan Spice Bread (Grain Free)

It’s Easter, and that means a lovely long weekend. I’m in holiday mode, and just want to [...]

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Recipe Index

Recipe Index

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I know the temptation to stay up until all hours a

I know the temptation to stay up until all hours after the kids finally go to sleep because you feel starved of “me time”, but it’s not doing you any favours. 😵🥱😭 An early night and a good nights sleep will set you up to easily wake with the birds, without the desperate need to pull the covers over your head and go back to sleep! Add to that some time outside to enjoy the early-morning sunlight and you’ll find a big improvement in your energy levels and motivation for the day ahead. 🌿☀️ Mornings are so much easier if you get to bed early.

Try gradually changing your “me time” from late nights to early mornings and see how it changes your health! ✨

Need some help resetting your schedule so you can get more sleep, have more energy during the day, and feel more motivated to make health changes? We work on all these areas in my “Quirky Cooking Health Reset” program! Learn how to make space for healing in your everyday life with simple tips, life hacks and delicious recipes - plus live coaching and community support. 🌿 Comment “reset” to learn more. 🌿

#metime #timeout #sleep #earlynight #mornings #routine #schedule #healing #quirkycooking #healthreset #guthealth #lifehacks

{Mother’s Day recipe idea!} Lemon Butter Tarts w

{Mother’s Day recipe idea!} Lemon Butter Tarts with Almond Meal Pastry 🍋🌷

I making these for my mama for tomorrow (ok and for meeeee 😜 they’re so delish!!)

Here’s how to make them:

(Makes about 40)

Almond Meal Pastry

450g blanched almond meal
3 large eggs
90g butter or 45g coconut oil
1/8th tsp salt if butter is unsalted (or using coconut oil)

✨ Mix all pastry ingredients in Thermomix at speed 6 or in food processor until well combined. (I use cold almond meal from the freezer so I don’t have to chill the dough, but if yours is from the pantry you may need to chill it until firm.)

✨ Make small balls of dough, press flat, then press into mini muffin tins (can line with paper muffin cups).

✨ Bake in 180C oven for about 10-15 mins or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Lemon Butter Filling

Juice of 2 lemons
160g butter or coconut oil
4 large eggs
120g honey
1/8th tsp salt (if using unsalted butter or coconut oil))

✨ Thermomix method: Place all filling ingredients in Thermomix, insert butterfly whisk and cook 12 mins/80C/speed 3.

OR

✨ Conventional method: Whisk eggs and honey in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter or coconut oil, lemon juice and salt and whisk continuously until thickened.

✨ To assemble: Spoon filling into tart shells and place into freezer to set. (Keep trays level!)

✨ Top with whipped cream and garnish with freeze-dried butterfly pea flowers (I have these in my shop) or a sprinkle of freeze-dried raspberry powder, or a fresh raspberry.

Storage: Keep for up to 1 week in the fridge, or freeze for 1 month in an airtight container. (Freeze without the cream! They thaw beautifully.)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas ❤️❤️

#mothersday #baking #lemontarts #lemonbutter #lemoncurd #dessert #quirkycooking #recipe #glutenfree #grainfree #dairyfree #variations

If you are in the UK, this is your chance to join

If you are in the UK, this is your chance to join me for a delicious adventure in London… A Quirky Cooking workshop at the fabulous @divertimenti cookery school! Learn to make a wide range of nourishing, gut-healthy recipes, then sit down to a cosy dinner together and enjoy what we’ve made.

✨ Come cook with me on Saturday 24th May, 3-7pm at @divertimenti Cookery School in Knightsbridge, London. ✨ Just a few seats still available!

Comment “london” and I’ll send you the details! 🎉🎉

[Photos taken by @sabinebannard at my Quirky workshop in Brisbane; last photo by @blueclickphotography]

#london #workshop #cookingworkshop #guthealth #healingfood #foodismedicine #quirkycooking

The weather is cooling down and I think it’s tim

The weather is cooling down and I think it’s time this old favourite had another mention... my classic, delicious, Creamy Chicken & Brown Rice Soup! 🎉🎉 The perfect midweek meal! Who’s ready for soup? 😃😍🤤

You can find this recipe on my Quirky Cooking website - it’s like a hug in a bowl 🤗

#soup #chickensoup #chickenricesoup #soupweather #quirkycooking #classicrecipe

Editing cooking videos for my Quirky Cooking Healt

Editing cooking videos for my Quirky Cooking Health Reset program and getting the giggles at my sister Joye’s “life hacks” 😂😂 (I was out of the room at this moment so didn’t hear it until I was editing 🤣) Join us for plenty of fun and of course plenty of gut-healthy cooking tips 😁 …

PS For those of you wondering when our next “Cooking by the Seat of Your Pants” class will be, we’re planning a “Travel Food” class for May 12th! These classes are included in the program, or you can get them separately. I’ll have this one up on the Online Cooking Workshops page by Monday. 🎉🎉

#sisters #cookingclass #program #guthealth #cooking

Thoughts about food, cooking, love and home

Thoughts about food, cooking, love and home

Thinking ahead about Mother’s Day baking ideas?

Thinking ahead about Mother’s Day baking ideas? 🍓🧁… How about these delicious, grain-free, lemon yoghurt cupcakes with lemon buttercream, berries and edible flowers! 😍 I made these for my daughter’s wedding and they’re simple to make and super cute! Here’s how:

🍋 Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare the batter for my Lemon Yoghurt Cake (recipe on my blog - Quirky Cooking - or in my Simple, Healing Food cookbook)

🧁 Pour batter into paper muffin cups in muffin trays (it will make about 15)

🍓 Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown on top, and a skewer inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool.

🧈 Whip together 250g salted butter (slightly softened), 250g honey or pure maple syrup, 1/4 tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp extract and zest and juice of 2 lemons until light and creamy.

🫐 Ice the cooled cupcakes with the lemon buttercream and decorate with fresh berries, fresh edible flowers (make sure they are both edible and pesticide free!), and freeze-dried butterfly pea flowers (available in my shop).

(Note: The fresh, edible flowers are generally removed before eating the cake. 😁)

The cupcakes will stay beautiful and fresh if stored in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a couple of days, so you could make them a day ahead.

🍋🍓🫐🧁❤️

#cupcakes #lemoncupcakes #grainfree #glutenfree #baking #mothersday #quirkycooking

🌿 My story, and why I created the Quirky Cookin

🌿 My story, and why I created the Quirky Cooking Health Reset 🌿

For years, I struggled with chronic health issues—so did my kids. We tried everything… but it wasn’t until we began focusing on gut healing with nutrient-dense foods and a slower, more intentional lifestyle that everything changed.

Bit by bit, I learned to cook differently, live more simply, and tune in to what our bodies needed to heal.

Our journey inspired me to create this program—to help you take those first steps toward gut-healthy living, or to help you get back on track if you’ve lost your mojo.

The Quirky Cooking Health Reset is a practical, gentle approach to living and eating well, with plenty of support, recipes, and lifestyle tips to help you create space for healing—mind, body, and home.

In this program, you’ll find:  ✅ Nourishing, family-friendly recipes ✅ Guidance for adding gut-healing foods into your current diet
✅ Live cooking classes and Q&As to inspire and motivate you
✅ Kitchen organisation + meal planning support ✅ Practical tips to help you reduce the chaos in your home, declutter your life and bring calm to mealtimes
✅ Simple ways to make healthy eating doable and enjoyable for you and your family

This isn’t about doing everything perfectly — it’s about making small, sustainable changes that add up to a healthier, happier life.

💛 Comment RESET to find out more!

#quirkycooking #quirkycookinghealthreset #healthyeating #guthealth #foodismedicine #guthealthmatters #reset

How to make your own tallow (water-rendered method

How to make your own tallow (water-rendered method) 💦

Tallow is not only a stable fat for cooking and frying at high heats (it has a smoke point of 250C), it also adds richness and nutrition to meals, can be used to season cast iron pans, can be made into nourishing lotions and soaps, and is healthy for the gut! It’s an easy-to-digest, natural fat that helps to protect the gut lining, aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and K (important for tissue repair and immune function), is anti-inflammatory if sourced from healthy, grass-fed animals and supports bile production (aiding fat digestion and absorption of nutrients).

Here’s how to make beef tallow at home:

✨ Start with any amount of beef fat*, preferably pasture-raised. Trim meat and sinew off the fat and cut it into small pieces.

✨ Place into slow cooker bowl (or a heavy-based saucepan on the stove) and cover with water to prevent scorching.

✨ Cook in the slow cooker on high for 6 hours (or in saucepan, covered, over low heat for 4 hours). Keep an eye on water levels if using the stovetop method.

✨ Once fat melted (rendered), strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.

✨ Chill until solid — tallow will rise to the top.

✨ Lift off the tallow, scrape off any residue underneath, and chop into pieces.

✨ Melt in a pan, cool slightly, then strain through a nut milk bag or muslin/cheesecloth and pour into jars.

✨ Store in the pantry for up to 1 month, or in the fridge for 3 months, or freeze for up to 1 year.

* Types of fat used to make tallow: You can use beef or lamb fat to make tallow, or pork fat to make lard. When using beef fat, the ‘suet’ (a firm, white fat from around the kidneys) is ideal if you can get it - it gives a cleaner, purer result and is perfect for making lotions and soaps. If you just have general beef fat that’s ok too, it’s great for cooking but you may need to do a second simmer with water to get it really clean.

#tallow #homecooking #goodfats #guthealth #guthealthy #healingfood #foodismedicine #quirkycooking

{Recipe} Mince & macaroni soup - an easy, hearty,

{Recipe} Mince & macaroni soup - an easy, hearty, weeknight meal with enough leftover for lunch tomorrow!

I shared this video on my stories the other night and had lots of requests for it to be reposted on my page, so here it is. Recipe below, but full disclosure, measurements are approximate! 😄😘

Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup red lentils, soaked in filtered water for an hour or so
• 2 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
• 1 large, brown onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1kg (approx) of beef mince (or pork or chicken mince)
• 2-3 tsp salt (to taste)
• pinch of coarsely ground pepper
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs or Italian herbs
• 3-4 cups of grated / finely chopped veggies (carrot, celery, zucchini)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2-3 cups chicken or beef stock
• 1-2 cups water (more or less depending how soupy you want it)
• 1 cup of gluten-free macaroni
• shredded Parmesan to serve (opt)

Method:

Sauté onion and garlic in ghee until softened.

Add mince and brown, stirring to break up lumps.

Add salt, pepper and herbs, continue to cook until mince is browned.

Add finely chopped / grated veggies, tin of tomatoes, stock, rinsed and strained lentils, and a little water to a soup consistency.

Simmer until veggies and lentils are tender, about 20 mins.

Add macaroni (and a bit more water if needed) and simmer until macaroni is just cooked, then turn off heat. (Macaroni will continue to cook and since it’s GF can break apart if overcooked.)

Serve in shallow bowls with plenty of grated Parmesan. 😍

* GAPS version: leave out the macaroni, could add some sliced mushrooms with the onions to bulk out further.

#dinner #familymeal #heartysoup #macaronisoup #beefmince #groundbeef #quirkycooking #simplefood

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Gingerbread Biscuits & Shortbread (Gluten Free & Grain Free)
Pork Meatball Soup with Dill, Sour Cream & Lemon
Beef Massaman Curry

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

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Recent posts

Gingerbread Biscuits & Shortbread (Gluten Free & Grain Free) 11/12/2024
Pork Meatball Soup with Dill, Sour Cream & Lemon 29/11/2024
Beef Massaman Curry 03/10/2024

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