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Gluten-free cooking and baking 
Eggplant moussaka

Eggplant moussaka

Slice eggplant and salt it. Wait 5-10 minutes and then rinse and pat dry Prepare tomatoes, oregano, chopped garlic, basil, cumin, chilli powder, salt, pepper, sweet paprika and tomato paste in a separate bowl. Mix well. Next, add feta and mozzarella cheese and stir.Add olive oil; best to use cast iron casserole. Place a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom, sprinkle with the tomatoes and cheese sauce and repeat. Cover with the lid and bake for about 30-40 minutes. When ready, add chopped spinach sprinkled with chunks of blue cheese and parmesan. Return to bake for another 5 minutes. Chill. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot. You can serve your eggplant moussaka with GF bread or as a side dish with grilled chicken, gluten-free pasta, or wild rice.
Gluten-Free, dairy free Focaccia

Gluten-Free, dairy free Focaccia

Stir to combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Warm the water to 110°-115°F, add one teaspoon of brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Pour a spoon of olive oil and apple cider vinegar into the dough mixture and work the dough with your hands until the dough starts to be thick and sticky. Place the dough in a warm place, cover it with a towel and let it rise. Pour one tablespoon of olive onto the middle of a baking sheet. Turn the bowl over on top of the greased baking sheet. Gently pat the dough into an 8 x 10 rectangle about 1 inch thick and use your fingertips to form the dimples in the dough. Another tablespoon of olive oil over the dimpled dough and sprinkle the top of the dough with chunky salt and rosemary. Bake on the top rack of the oven at 350F  for 20 minutes. For a golden-brown crust, set your range to broil, and broil the bread for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Chicken tikka masala with dill rice and coconut yogurt served with cucumber salad

Chicken tikka masala with dill rice and coconut yogurt served with cucumber salad

1.  For the chicken marinade: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together coconut yoghurt, ginger, salt, chilli powder, garam masala, pepper, turmeric and garlic in a large bowl until combined. Toss the chicken in the spiced yoghurt marinade until evenly coated. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 2.  For the sauce: Melt the ghee in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with one teaspoon salt and cook, occasionally stirring, until the onions are golden and beginning to caramelise. Add fresh ginger and cook [you can also use the powder], stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add garam masala, chilli powder, chunks of tomatoes and paprika and cook, occasionally stirring, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Simmer uncovered, occasionally stirring, until the sauce has reduced by half and the tomatoes are tender back 30 minutes. 3.  Let the hot sauce cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer it to a blender and pulse until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of heavy coconut cream. Pour into a clean pot and bring to a simmer—season with salt. 4.  Grill the chicken [I use the electric grill] for about 6 minutes per side (it will not be cooked through). Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, cover and cook at low temperature until the chicken is cooked for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the to cool and cut into smaller pieces. 5.  Top the chicken and sauce with parsley. Serve with dill rice and cucumber salad.
Moroccan Fish

Moroccan Fish

In a large pot or pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over medium, add the onions, chilli powder, paprika, cumin and cinnamon, and cook onions until caramelised, stirring often lowering the heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute being mindful not to let the garlic burn. Add the squash, chickpeas, broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, and two teaspoons salt, and boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets, trimming and discarding any long stems and add spinach and water to cook. [I previously cooked quinoa and added it to this too]. Simmer uncovered, occasionally stirring, until the desired thickness is achieved and the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and serve The next day I used a large pan to select enough for the lunch portion and warmed it up. I placed a fish on top and added a teaspoon of olive oil to the fish. It takes 10 minutes to make fish in the pan and absorb all the juices as cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Gluten Free, Sugar-free apple muffins

Gluten Free, Sugar-free apple muffins



1. Line the 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside. 2. Preheat the oven to 350F. 3. Mix an egg with two full spoons of coconut butter in a large ball. Add one teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda and slowly add ½ cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of almond flour, and ½ cup of coconut flour (you can omit coconut flour if necessary and only use almond flour). Next, add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Shred four apples and added them together to the batter. Add lemon juice and stir the batter until well blended. 4. Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each to the top. Place ½ of walnut in each muffin. Next, sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. 5. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes clean. Reduce the temperature to 200 F and leave the muffins for another 5 minutes.  6. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you wish.
Roasted Duck in Orange juice

Roasted Duck in Orange juice



Step 1 Preheat the oven to 450°. Step 2 Prick the duck around the thighs, back and breasts. Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper and squeezed orange juice. Set a rack in a huge roasting pan. Alternatively, you can use the roasting pan, but keep removing the fluids as they accumulate in the pan during the roasting process. Turn the duck on its side and roast it for 30 minutes. Next, turn the duck to the other side and roast it for 30 minutes longer. After  20 minutes of roasting, turn the oven temperature down to 350°. I turned the temperature down to 200F for another 30 minutes to ensure it was cooked. (You can anticipate cooking time to be about 2 hours) Step 3 Meanwhile, collect and remove all the juices from the duck in a large saucepan. In a separate pan, add one spoon of butter and fry garlic until richly browned. Add a spoonful of GF flower and the rest of the sauce ( you can add chicken stock and a cup of red wine). Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing on the solids. I boiled some white potatoes and made creamy spinach as the side dish. Step 4 Garnish the duck platter with the reserved orange juice and a bit of the blanched sauce over the ducks. Pass the additional sauce separately.
Gluten Free Poppyseed Strudel (Makovnjaca)

Gluten Free Poppyseed Strudel (Makovnjaca)

Preparation: I.  For the filling, mix all the ingredients the ground poppy seeds, rice cream, walnuts, shredded almonds, lemon zest, orange and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Heat the sugar and milk in a pan, boil, then add to the poppy seed mixture and other ingredients. Mix very well. Leave to cool completely. II.  For the dough, add milk and lukewarm water, whisk in the yeast and sugar, and leave to stand for 10 minutes until frothy. Add the chia seeds, psyllium, oil and vinegar. Whisk well and set aside to thicken a little. Next, whisk together all the remaining ingredients and mix with your hands to make a dough. Roll out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper into a large rectangle about 3/4" thick. Spread the filling on the dough, and leave a 1" border clear. Roll up and place on a large baking tray that you pre-oiled. Leave. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Bake for 50 minutes until the dough is golden and cooked. Cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
No bake Alma's tiramisu

No bake Alma's tiramisu

Steps: Bottom layer Place coffee ½ of expresso into a bowl Smash cookies into tiny pieces while in the bag and slowly add to the coffee, Whisk until creamy and thick Spread a layer at the bottom of a round cake pan with a removable base and sides. Freeze. Top layer Use an electric mixer to mix ricotta with mascarpone and add sugar, cream, vanilla and bourbon extract. Next, add whip cream (I used it in the bag, but you can make your own-heavy cream, vanilla and sugar). Assembly Remove the bottom layer from the freezer (do not remove it from the cake pan) Dust it with cacao. Add a creamy, cheesy layer over it, and when you make sure the surface is even, dust it again with cacao. Refrigerate. Serve the next day. Update:  Please use the Rectangular Cake Pan instead of the round cake pan. I will do that next time. 
Les Crêpes

Les Crêpes

Steps: Beat one egg slowly, adding ½ cup of water and some salt and ½ cup of gluten-free flour. Whisk, adding water until the consistency is neither too thick nor too runny. Prepare a frying pan with a little bit of sunflower oil and make a pancake Flip the side, and when both sides are ready, put aside Fill 1 egg, ½  cup of feta cheese, ½ cup of cottage cheese, ½ cup of sour cream Two handfuls of washed and diced spinach. When the crepes are all fired, place them one at a time in the pre-oiled round baking pan and use the two tablespoons or more of the creamy spinach spread on the first pancake. Repeat until you have used all the stuffing. The plain pancake is on the top. Bake in the oven at 375F for about 15-20 minutes. Serve as you wish, either with a tomato salad or yoghurt. These turned out great. Voilà!
Hurmasice

Hurmasice



Biscuit: Mix the ingredients slowly with a wooden spoon, or use a slow-speed electric mixer. When you achieve thicker consistency, knead the dough by hand. Pick a little peace, 2 cm, mould it into a ball and roll, pressing the ball using your finger on the coarse side of the grater. Add one walnut half in the middle of each biscuit. You will have an oval shape of the biscuit and an indention where your finger is pressed lengthwise of the biscuits. Remove from the grater carefully, removing one side of the biscuit first and then rolling the other side, lifting the middle while keeping the shape intact. Place into the long squared pan. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes until golden. Repeat until you have used all the dough. Syrup: Combine the sugar, water, lemon slices, and vanilla for the syrup. Boil and reduce on low temperature for about 20 minutes to thicken slightly. When biscuits are baked, pour the hot syrup on them and let them sit until they have absorbed most of the syrup, and then after they are completely chilled, you can refrigerate them.  Serve with thick coffee, either an expresso or, ideally, Turkish coffee.
GF Oats cookies

GF Oats cookies



1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  2. Line baking sheets or lightly grease them with cooking spray. Set aside. 3. Mix the butter, eggs and vanilla for 1-2 minutes in a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer. 4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined  5. With a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the granola, walnuts, dates, coconut and chocolate chips and berries (I have added some strawberries, too. I imagine chia seeds or flex seeds would go well, too) until combined. 6. Scoop balls of dough, about two tablespoons in size, onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing a couple of inches apart. Press down lightly on the top of the cookies to flatten  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 8. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. 9. When cooled, refrigerate. I made two batches here. One was round cookies, and the other one was granola bars.  Yummy. 
Strawberry cake

Strawberry cake



1. Mix  using low-speed electric mixer ¼ cup of unsalted butter  ¼ cup of coconut butter ¼ cup of sunflower oil with 1 cup of brown sugar 1 spoon of cinnamon  2. Add 2 spoons of vanilla extract and slowly add 2 eggs.  3. Next add flour with 1 t-spoon of baking powder and ½ t-spoon of baking soda.   4. Use a wooden spoon to whisk all that together and add ½ cup of coconut milk  5. When this is all mixed add a handful of roughly chopped walnuts and fresh organic strawberries (that you washed and cleaned prior to that).   6. Butter the Non-stick Springform Cake pan and you can also use a baking sheet if you’d like.  7. Bake at 350F for about 45 min. When you stick your knife in the cake and the knife contains no cake residue on it, it is ready.   Let it chill.   8. Mix whip cream with 1/2 of coconut cream or milk. Top the case decorating when the cake has sufficiently cooled off.  Refrigerate. Use chocolate chip and shredded coconut for decoration.    The cake is very light and moist and it is a perfect coffee cake.  Enjoy!
Peanut butter and Chocolate no bake Gluten Free Cheesecake

Peanut butter and Chocolate no bake Gluten Free Cheesecake



1. Make the Crust: Finely grind gluten-free graham crackers (I got those from Aldi) and mix them with butter.   2. Get one of those Non-stick Spring form cake Pans so that the bottom and the sides can open easily.  3. Compact the crust in there, so it holds its shape.  4. For the filling, use high-quality full-fat bricks of cream cheese, ricotta and whipped cream cheese so it can be blended with a mixer.  Mix them all together.  Next, slowly add ½ cup of sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.     5.  Next layer is the Peanut Butter: Use a creamy “commercial” peanut butter like Skippy or Jif where the oil isn’t separated. Add ½ cup of sugar to peanut butter 6. For the topping, melt on low heat ½ cup of cacao, ½ cup of butter, and ¼ cup of coconut milk. Mix it continuously on low heat until it is all nice and chocolaty. You can add dark chocolate to it too.  This cheesecake is layered: You first place the layer of biscuits, next cheese, thirdly, peanut butter and top with melted chocolate.  I decorated the cake with fresh raspberries, and I froze it. It is very “heavy” on calories, so after trying one slice, I cut it into bite-size deserts and wrapped them in a chocolate-candy wrapper, which worked much better for me.   I recommend you use a big sharp knife washed in hot water each time before cutting, and wipe it off between cutting the slices.
Moroccan Gluten Free Ghriba

Moroccan Gluten Free Ghriba

Preheat your oven to 350F. Combine almond flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add preserved lemon juice (or lemon zest), vanilla extract, and egg yolks to the dry ingredients. Break the butter with a pastry cutter and work into the dough. Alternatively, you can use coconut butter.  Mix all ingredients with your hands or pastry cutter until everything has been combined, and the dough will feel slightly sticky. From small balls with your hands, about 1" in diameter. Coat the balls with powdered sugar and place them onto a cookie sheet or plate. Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes, or place them in the freezer for 10 minutes. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet and gently press a hazelnut or walnut into each top. Do not flatten the cookies; they will naturally shape. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. The cookies should still be a pale colour. Leave on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to allow the cookies to finish setting, then transfer to a cooling rack. When the cookies are completely cool, transfer them to an air-tight container. Sparkle with powdered sugar.  Cookies can be stored on the counter for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, remove from the freezer and allow to warm up before serving.
Cake with Dates

Cake with Dates



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch round springform pan 2. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in chopped walnuts until combined and set aside. 3. Mix coconut oil and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add two beaten eggs, allowing them to blend into the butter mixture thoroughly. Next, add four egg whites and continue mixing. Stir in chopped date paste and add lemon juice and cinnamon mix until combined.  3.1. Pour in the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all is well incorporated.  4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes.  5. Bake the cake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes clean. It may take up to 50 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. 6. Prepare whipped cream. I mixed two packs of Slag with 1/2 cup of coconut sugarless milk cream. 7. Once the cake has completely cooled, you can decorate it with whipped cream and sprinkle it with ground walnuts and cinnamon.  8. Refrigerate. You can serve after an hour or two. 
Tufahija

Tufahija

 This is the most challenging part. 1. Peel the apples scooping the core out. You can later stuff the insides with ground walnuts.    2. Prepare a pot of water with added water, vanilla, sugar, lemon syrup and apple peels to boil in a cooking pot half-filled with water.  2.1. Lemon juice will prevent apples from turning dark by oxidising. When the water boils, you will next add to cook apples to this syrup for only a few minutes, depending on the size and variety of the apples.  Remove apples from the pot before they are too soft and set aside to cool. Stuffing  3. While the apples are cooling, chop the walnuts  (you can grind them finely or roughly chop them if you like to taste chunks), pour hot coconut milk on them, add sugar, and mix, so the mixture is nice and thick.   4. Once apples have cooled,  place them into a glass, add some sugary sauce over them, and set aside. You can refrigerate. 5.  I serve the apples individually in Bonne Maman jam jars.  Before serving,  cover the poached apples with whipped cream and decorate with a tart cherry on top.  Tufahijas are usually made for holidays in Bosnia, so I would probably have this desert once or twice a year. This is my favourite dessert of all time (and note there is naturally no gluten in it).
The Poppy seed roll: Strudel

The Poppy seed roll: Strudel

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