Watalappan- A classic Srilankan dessert ! This delicious and creamy coconut custard is made with only a handful of ingredients and resembles a creme caramel flan. Spiced with cardamom and pure, unrefined palm sugar it’s gluten free and dairy free.
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dairy free
Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Parsley
We were thrilled when the sun started shining and the temperatures peaked to 25 degree Celsius. Oh! What glorious days they were. I even lamented to my husband that it’s too hot in the house and we should get a fan and wondered out loud about the benefits of an air conditioner like we had back in Dubai (gasp). As you imagined, the good weather didn’t last long and it’s back to the unpredictable weather. The other day we were walking to the town and then the library where we got soaked about 4 times. Bit of rain, then the sun, they played hide and seek and Ammar was sure the rain was targeting us. LOL! Every time we stepped out of a shop to the street, it would start pouring.
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Avocado Green Smoothie
I wasn’t a fussy kid when it comes to food. I pretty much ate and drank everything. If it tasted sweet, it became my favorite. Those days there was no skimping of sugar, nor exotic ingredients. Just the stuff you get from the grocer’s round the corner. The avocadoes are bought from the weekly trip to the Sunday market. Me and mom would leave home in the morning and take the half an hour bus ride to the market. I had a love/hate relationship with it. I love going to the market for fresh fruits. I’d get a mangosteen, peel it and devour it’s sweet flesh. Or a get a thambili (It’s called king coconut, a variety of coconut only used for it’s sweet water) to quench my thirst under a burning sun. Mom would haggle and buy mangoes,bananas and avocadoes by the dozen.
I hated the chaos in the market, To get to the main market complex where everything was well kept and neat, you have to pass a long route of dirty and muddy roads, vendors with their wares everywhere, the noise and jostling crowd. Not to mention the sun burning down on you.
Cinnamon Hazelnut Bread – Gluten, Dairy and Sugar Free
Breakfast is an important part of my day. I can never skip it. But I can’t sit down to a hearty breakfast still groggy-eyed and in my pj’s either. I start the day with a cup of tea and a digestive. Yes,that’s fuel for the heavy work to follow.
A half hour to one hour studies later, I’m off to make breakfast and lunch for boys and hubby. Waking them up, getting them fed and ready for school and work with packed meals in their bags requires copius amounts of energy. That’s where my tea and biscuit comes in handy. Ha.
Before I set to tackle the house which by this time looks like a whirlwind has passed through, I sit down for my proper breakfast. That is, I start cooking my morning meal. When you’re on a Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free diet that’s the most sensible thing to do.
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Healthy Anzac Biscuits
It’s hard to satisfy kid’s sweet tooth with wholesome ingredients. Like all kids, mine tend to gravitate towards the large chocolate chip cookies displayed openly in the supermarkets. Their lovely smell is enough to entice even someone who hates cookies.
When you hear “Just one cookie,mama” repeatedly, you give in. “Ok, Just one cookie each”. And the father joins in with two extra.
I like to have biscuits around in the house for tea time, or for that little hunger pangs which could come at any moment unannounced.
Turmeric Milk
The things I do to keep myself warm. It wasn’t snowing this time here yet. But it’s unbelievably cold. I think I haven’t still got used to the cold. I don about 3 to 4 layers of cloth,the last being a soft and cozy robe. Last winter,I didn’t know a fleece robe is a quintessential winter clothing to be worn inside the house. Man,I suffered. A dear friend pulled me out of that misery. We talked about robes while she cooked me lunch wearing a soft blue one. This time around I never made that mistake. I bought not one but two robes. And bought them for hubby and kids too. I’m glad I converted my husband and he can never be seen around the house without his dark blue manly robe.
And then comes warm liquids. I haven’t craved for warm teas since my vacation days in Nuwara Eliya. Hill Country. The coldest part in Sri Lanka. We were once staying at Ambewela,near the famous milk factory. Every morning fresh milk was brought to the cottage,heated until steam comes forth,Mom would generously add heaps of tea leaves and sugar ,stirring until the color is just right.a sort of beige,and pour the steaming milk tea into our mugs. I would hold the mug as a precious jewel as dropping even a drop of that liquid gold was unthinkable. An utter waste. I would savor each gulp and never wanted that stream of hot tea down my throat to end.
Dairy Free Broccoli Soup
This is my first Autumn here in Ireland. I am in love with the scenery around me. The shades of trees from,green to the different hues of orange adorning the streets are a thing of beauty. And the falling leaves scattered around made me want to bring some home and photograph it. Which I did.The photo is in my Instagram feed.
The days are short and weather is getting colder. And I crave more warmth and often find myself in front of the heater or making something hot to drink or eat.
Growing up we had bone broth with lots of vegetables every week and that was called soup. A big bowl of rice with copious amounts of bone broth and spicy condiments was the norm for a Sunday lunch. Beads of perspiration would appear on my nose while I scrape down the last bit of the meal with the spicy sambal. That’s how it was supposed to be in the humid climate in Sri Lanka. It’s not that you crave soup in that weather rather it’s a norm, probably passed down from the Colonialists.
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Prawns in Mild Coconut Curry
This month has been hectic so far. My elder son Ammar,one of the twins,came down with the fever. I should have expected this,with the weather change. We were sand blasted for a couple of days. The winds scattered copious amount of sand in to the roads and to our balcony too. A sign that chilly mornings and nights will be changing into warm ones. When that and it’s opposite happens-that is,warm days turn in to chilly ones-kids fall sick. It always catches me off guard.
Red Rice Porridge
The delicious red rice is a staple in my country.This long grain beauty clothed in a red husk is minimally processed and has a high nutritional value.When cooked it imparts a deep rich color which is an absolute beauty.I have tried cooking brown rice and every time it fails to satisfy me.Even if I soak it for hours and hours and add bucketfuls of water or stock it never gets done properly but the red rice cooks fast and has a nutty flavor(yeah,when I mean cooked,it’s fully cooked and not make you feel you’re tasting soaked rice after simmering for half an hour as in the case of brown rice.) .
This dish is enjoyed on lazy weekend mornings and a staple in my household.Kids love it as it is and grown ups with a touch of spice and heat,like the hot mango pickle that I’ve used here or a spicy sambol.
