Hello there,

Well, it has been a wild old time in Sydney this week – rain, rain, and more rain! With no opportunity for time outdoors at times, our house has looked like we’ve had a break-in but it’s just been the kids, who have managed to leave a trail of destruction of their own in every room! One good thing that comes out being stuck inside is lots of baking! I’ve been making these Gluten-Free carrots and Brazil Nut muffins and eating way too many of them.

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

Growing up in New Zealand many of us took our cooking inspiration from the iconic chef Alison Holst, who was a household name, much like Jamie Oliver is today. I remember cooking almost every type of muffin from her muffin recipe book (one of more than 100 books she published). I can’t believe this was at least 20 years ago now – I really am showing my age.

While I was in New Zealand last week I was saddened to hear that Alison had been diagnosed with dementia and was officially hanging up her apron. In honour of Alison, I decided to dig out the old muffin recipe book and see if I could adapt one of her famous recipes, for old times sake. I was surprised to see that many of the muffins I used to make had 1 cup of sugar in them – oh how times have changed! So I settled on these carrots muffins and swapped many of the ingredients to turn them into a much healthier option for the whole family. I have added brazil nuts, which are an excellent source of selenium.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, these are the perfect addition to an afternoon tea with Mum. I have added some coconut cream on top (which is so easy to make) but they are also lovely on their own.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! I am off to Gwinganna Retreat thanks to my lovely hubby (my birthday pressie). No kids and no computer….I think I might need to blog about that one 🙂

Simone X