Recipe: Croque Monsieur Strata (Gluten Free!)

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Have you ever eaten a Croque Monsieur? 

Gooey, melted cheesy. A creamy bechamel sauce. The zing of dijon mustard. 

It is seriously delicious.... but if you're making it at home, it's also a bit of a mess. You've got one pot for the bechamel, grated cheese flying everywhere, another pan heating up to toast the sandwiches - way too many dishes to wash when you have a kitchen with no dishwasher (as we currently do!).

So I decided I needed to come up with an easier version... and this Croque Monsieur Strata was born. 

It has all of the flavour of a Croque Monsieur, with so much less mess - what's not to love? 

Let me share it with you! >> 

Recipe: Grain Free Pizza Puffs (Gluten Free!)

Grain Free Pizza Puffs Recipe - Grain free, gluten free and packed full of flavour. What’s not to love about this easy Pizza Puffs Recipe?! Keto friendly and low carb, pizza just got a whole lot more irresistible. From pepperoni pizza to your favourite toppings, the possibilities are endless with this versatile recipe. Goodbye regular bread, hello flavour!

This recipe was never supposed to be pizza related.

You see, weeks ago I decided to make my own homemade Brazilian cheese bread after seeing them on Instagram. Unfortunately, whilst they looked amazing, they were SO bland and boring.

So I gave up on them... for a little while.

But then I had an idea!

Why not use the Brazilian cheese bread recipe as a loose base, and then add loads of flavour.

And what flavour goes better with cheese than pepperoni?! (Also the only pizza ingredient I had in the fridge 😜)

So I got to work, adding garlic and herbs and pepperoni. The first batch was a bit too dry, but then I tweaked the recipe adding an extra egg, baking in a different shape and BAM - pizza puffs!

These pizza puffs are seriously delicious and full of pizza flavour. They’re a delicious snack or lunch addition and they take just minutes to make.

They’re grain free, yeast free and SO easy. 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Paleo Garlic and Herb Bread (Healthy & Yeast Free!)

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I might not be paleo, but I really love paleo recipes! When it comes to sweet bread recipe, I've made quiteeee a few (Hello The BEST Healthy Paleo Banana Bread Recipe, Paleo Pumpkin Bread Recipe, Paleo Zucchini Bread Recipe, Paleo Carrot Cake Recipe, Paleo Chai Spiced Nut Bread Recipe, Paleo Carrot and Zucchini Bread Recipe, Healthy Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe and this Paleo Lemon Bread Recipe) - but whilst I love sweet recipes, I was in the mood for something savoury - and thus this Paleo Garlic and Herb Bread was created!

Perfect as a side dish or enjoyed as a snack or part of lunch on it's own or toasted and spread with butter, it's a loaf that's so easy to make and so full of flavour. Everyone will love it - even those skeptical about paleo recipes!

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It's also a recipe that's easy to tweak and make your own. Use your favourite herbs instead of my recommended ones, add in some olives for a mediterranean loaf - or if you're not paleo, mix through some grated parmesan cheese for a cheesy loaf. 

It's another recipe that will fill your home with delicious foodie smells and will have everyone thinking you're a domestic godess because "YOU MADE YOUR OWN BREAD?!". But it's secretly so much easier than they'd imagine because there's no yeast, no rising or resting - just mix, scoop and bake!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Gluten Free Garlic and Herb Loaf

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Not finding out I was a coeliac until I was 19 means that I have a heap of food memories tied to foods I can no longer eat. This recipe was inspired by one of those food memories. 

When I was younger, summertime weekends meant barbeques with friends and neighbours and hours spent swimming in the pool - and those casual evening barbeques often involved bread baskets filled with pieces of garlic and herb pull apart bread from the local bakery. 

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Warm and slightly crumbly and filled with flavour, it was one food picky Kristy was always guaranteed to eat - and I can still remember exactly what it tasted and smelt like. 

This version is probably healthier and made without any gluten. It's a one bowl recipe that's quick to whip together and all sorts of delicious. 

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Eaten on it's own or warmed and spread with butter, this has now become a favourite of Jesse's too - and a recipe we make regularly... and I think it's a recipe that needs to make regular appearances at our dinner parties and barbeques too. 

So let me share the recipe with you! >>

Recipe: Savoury Ham and Cheese Cornbread Muffins

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Cornbread was the first "Southern" recipe I ever tried making. 

Jesse was in Sydney on his second trip to Australia and this time he was here for Christmas. Since it was his first time celebrating Christmas in Australia and our first Christmas together in the same place, I desperately wanted to make some of his family's traditional Christmas foods to really blend our traditions together. 

One of those recipes? Southern style dressing. 

Made with cornbread and herbs and veggies, it was a dish completely foreign to me and I had no idea what I was doing. 

Luckily the recipe had room for error because the first batch of cornbread I made was flat and dry - but since it was going to be cut into cubes and used in the dressing, it did the job.

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From then on, I was determined to perfect cornbread and got to work on making batch after batch after batch. 

Once I perfected my basic recipe, however, the obsession didn't end there. In fact, I became totally hooked on cornbread and began trying to incorporate it into everything possible. 

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These ham and cheese cornbread muffins were one of those recipes. The perfect snack or lunch option, they're quick and easy to make and a great way to use up leftover ham. 

Eat them hot or cold, on their own as a snack or tucked away in a lunch box for morning tea. You can even mix through some corn or chopped veggies for something different! 

So let me share the recipe with you! >>

Recipe: Easy Homemade Gluten Free and Vegan Bread (Crusty Artisan Style)

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I hate kneading dough. 

I also hate rolling dough. 

It's sticky, it's frustrating and it takes some serious work - and in the past all that work has lead to less than stellar results. 

All that hatred is why it's 110% safe to say that this may be the easiest bread recipe ever. 

You see, the kneading is minimal and the end results are seriously ridiculously good. 

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This Homemade Bread Recipe was one of my stupid sounding ideas that just happened to turn out wonderfully. 

You see, when you've had some SERIOUS bread fails in the past, you probably shouldn't try to turn the bread game on it's head - but I did just that. 

Instead of playing by the rules, I decided I was going to come up with a bread recipe that was; 

• Gluten Free
• Vegan 
• Made without any xantham gum or weird additives 
• Super ridiculously easy to make. 

And somehow I managed to nail it on the first try. 

It's actually SO good that Jesse doesn't think you're going to believe a word I say as he's never tried gluten free bread that tastes so good. 

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Sure, it takes some time (well, a fair bit of time - but that time is where you leave the bread to do it's thang and you get on with whatever it is you feel like doing) but it's worth every second when you have crusty delicious gluten free AND vegan bread that's made with ingredients you can pronounce and doesn't taste disgusting.

In fact, it's so good that Jesse asked me if he could eat an ENTIRE LOAF for dessert. Unfortunately for him, I said no - but that was only because it meant less bread for me. 

The recipe I'm sharing with you today makes two small loaves, however, we've found ourselves doubling the recipe and making four small loaves so we can slice and freeze the bread to use later. 

It's more of a sourdough style bread in that it's not super soft and fluffy (like a Wonder White kinda bread) - but that means it's perfect for toasting or bruschetta style creations!

But enough yapping!

Let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Vegan Soft Pretzel Bites with Creamy Peanut Butter Dip (GF!)

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These pretzel bites aren't perfect, they aren't pretty and I almost wasn't going to share them..... until I realised they actually embody exactly why I have this blog! 

You see, a few weeks ago I received an email from Sofi, a Southern In Law reader who, very much like me, recently found out she had coeliac disease and a number of food allergies and intolerances. 

Sofi had discovered my recipes on Pinterest and emailed me asking if I might be able to make a recipe for her or possibly recommend one that would suit. 

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Sofi told me how she had been a great baker who loved nothing more than sharing food with others - but now found herself depressed, struggling to find recipes that not only tasted good but suited her food needs and food had become something that frustrated her rather than brought her joy. 

I've been there.  I've been in Sofi's shoes. 

I was a baker who went from creating ridiculously overcomplicated desserts to crying over muffins that felt like rocks and bread that didn't rise. I discovered my favourite foods were the ones causing all of my pain and problems and I was pretty much stuck in a woe is me bubble... 

But I'm also stubborn as a mule so I kept on going.... and going.... and going.... 

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I created Southern In Law to, first and foremost, update our family on what was happening in our world as Jesse moved to Australia - but I also wanted to share my recipes. Somehow people just like you reading this, discovered those recipes too - and that became the focus of the blog. 

Why? Not because I think I'm some recipe creating queen. Not because I take award winning photographs. Not because I want to make millions of dollars.

I share and create recipes because I know how it feels to miss out and I don't want you to have to miss out. 

I create recipes because I love nothing more than getting emails from you letting me know that you created them and loved them - or that you made them for a friend with special food needs so they didn't have to miss out. 

Like I said, these pretzel bites aren't perfect.... but they're perfect for Sofi. Just like Sofi asked, these pretzel bites are made without any weird flour combinations, they're egg free, they're gluten free, they're made without any butter or oil and they make a small batch. They're even dairy free and vegan if that's what you need too!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Healthy Ham and Cheese Cornbread Bakes

I almost wasn't going to share this recipe because the photos are seriously ugly. 

Almost, but you see, these Ham and Cheese Cornbread Bakes are too good not to share. We've been making them for the last three years and somehow I haven't shared them with you until just now.

But you know what that means? That just means you need to make them ASAP to make up for lost time. 

You see, these may be seriously ugly but they're all sorts of delicious. 

Outside is soft and fluffy cornbread which is deliciously crunchy on top, however, inside is melty gooey cheese, ham and just a little mayonnaise or aioli for a flavour sensation. 

It's a recipe we randomly came up with one day after talking about stuffed cornbread and it's one we've been making as a quick but delicious light dinner ever since. Served up with salad or veggies, it's a delicious lunch or dinner option that I'm sure you'll be making over and over again too!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Starch, Yeast & Grain Free Paleo Bread

Whilst we were away in New Zealand, my brain was filled with recipe ideas. 

Why? Well, first of all because my brain is pretty much constantly thinking about new recipe ideas or flavour combinations (especially when I'm away from my kitchen and eating pretty boring meals!) - but secondly because I had an email pop up in my inbox from Amy. 

Amy is a Southern In Law reader who, much like myself, feels like her stomach pretty much hates her. Like me, she was diagnosed with coeliac disease as a young adult and found that whilst a gluten free diet made her feel a bit better - it didn't fix all her problems. 

After months of struggling, Amy finally found a doctor who got to the bottom of her issues. He found that gluten wasn't the only problem... Amy also couldn't have yeast, rice, soy, corn or starches - common ingredients in many gluten free products.

When you eliminate those ingredients, you eliminate a lot of foods - and that's why Amy emailed me. After three years of drooling over everyone else's sandwiches and toast - she wanted to join in on the action. 

Amy sent me an email asking if there was any way I could come up with a recipe for a loaf of bread that was grain free, gluten free, starch free and yeast free. As someone who loves a good challenge, I jumped at the chance to help Amy out - and here you have the recipe that resulted! 

Whilst I'm definitely going to work on creating other paleo bread recipes, I wanted to share this one. You, like Amy, might need a recipe that's free from yeast or starches or whatever it may be - so this recipe may be perfect for you as well. 

Once I perfected this recipe, I emailed it to Amy who (I kid you not!) rushed out to the shops to make her own. She replied to me a few hours later to let me know that she LOVED the recipe and had already eaten toast and a sandwich with the bread and was thinking about only eating toast for the next week. 

It's a recipe that's super simple and makes a loaf that's easy to slice, easy to toast and easy to enjoy. I find it's best suited to savoury toppings, however, you can play around with it! It's best as toast as it is quite dense - but don't worry! I'm still working on other bread versions ;) 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Grain Free Sandwich Thins

Whilst I don't follow a paleo or grain free diet (or any diet really - other than not eating what kills my stomach :P), I love experimenting with recipes and coming up with new ideas that suit a variety of dietary needs and choices. 

I've been getting lots and lots of emails from you guys asking for more paleo or grain free recipes (especially because our Healthy Paleo Banana Bread Recipe is so popular!) and after thinking about the types of recipes I could come up with, I decided there was one thing the paleo/grain free world was lacking; a bread recipe that's perfect for sandwiches!

You see, I've tried quite a lot of paleo bread recipes and whilst I've tried some delicious versions, I often find that these breads are really heavy - and I don't know about you, but that's not something I want for a sandwich. 

I'm someone who likes to focus on the fillings in sandwiches more than the bread on the outside and that's why I loveeeeee sandwich thins and wraps. I've been making our Homemade Gluten Free Sandwich Thins Recipe for quite some time and I decided it was time I came up with a grain free version. 

After quite a bit of testing, tweaking and playing around with ingredients, I came up with the perfect healthy grain free bread recipe. Now, I don't know if it's officially paleo because I always find that people have different things they "allow", but it certainly is free from any sort of grain and it really is all sorts of delicious.

These Grain Free Sandwich Thins are super simple to make and taste amazing. I've been loving them with everything from ham or chicken and salad to simply filling them with cream cheese or nut butter - the possibilities are endless because they work with both sweet or savoury fillings. 

They're a little bit nutty in flavour, soft in the middle with a crispier crust when they're first baked (they do soften up after a day or so but if you like them crunchier, just pop them in the oven for a few minutes!) and can be frozen and kept on hand for whenever you're in need of a sandwich-filling vessel!

So let me share the recipe with you! >>