Lou is the aborable, spunky, and *beautiful* personality behind the blog  Fridge Scrapings.  She has some seriously creative recipes that are gluten, dairy, nut AND refined sugar free. The things that she is able to do with beans and lentils {like this incredible recipe she made over here} in her baked goods floors me–I am inspired to try new ways to bake when Lou is around. {Plus she says fun things like “wicked knickers” and “whizz” when describing blending foods that just makes me want to get on a plane and fly to her home and eat lentil chocolate flat bread and giggle like little girls}…

Wow, little old me on Forks and Beans?  Wicked knickers, thank you so much for the honour, Cara.  I instantly fell in love with Forks and Beans when I stumbled upon it late one net-trawling night when Cara was in the midst of her turkey madness last Thanksgiving.  Aided by a good few glasses of red, I was literally crying at some of her turkey creations – even the hard to impress, Viper was impressed by her turkey sheenanigans.  ‘Hey, this chick is good,’ he proclaimed.  She sure is, Viper, she sure is.

I hate my oven.  Seriously.  It’s called the “SuperNova,” which is actually fairly accurate… it cooks similarly to throwing your dinner square at the sun.  Burnt to a crisp in under 5 minutes… this beast has no mercy when it comes to regulating a temperature.  What is the point of the temperature dial may I ask?  The Supernova answers by blasting my face with heat as I open the door when I had set it to 100 degrees.  Who needs eyebrows?
The fan forced oven is truly a miraculous invention.  I have been very spoilt up to now, always having had access to one of these gems… a baker’s best friend for sure.  Not that I am in any way, shape or form a baker.  You’d think I would be shying away from ANY baked good, considering the equipment I have on hand at the moment.  I am a sucker for punishment.  I have also gotten very creative with obscenities mid-scorching around the very impressionable Misty Man.


A girlfriend of mine says, ‘Muffin-Ears!’ to her two year old when she wants to let rip with a barrage of not so politically correct banter (cover your ears).  Not sure that this trick works as he has quite colourful language for an under 5-er.  Bless.
Anyway, speaking of those little-ones (or those that act like little-ones aka my beloved, Viper)I am quite partial to being deceitful when it comes to sneaking in nutrition.   Please bear with me as you read the following ingredients list… this actually tastes good. And no, I’m not high.

You know those cafes that sell “Banana Bread,” under the guise that bread is healthy?  Really, they should just be honest and call it cake; cake baked in the shape of bread.  Genius.  Anyway, I called this recipe a “flat bread” as that’s kinda what it is… not a cake or anything super decadent, but a mildly sweet protein+ fibre packed bread that is just begging for toppings.  I’m all about the toppings.  The bread is just a vehicle.  A tasty vehicle, nonetheless.

Maple Choc Flat Bread Recipe
Vegan, gluten, nut, seed and cane sugar free

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1C cooked red lentils
  • 1C brown rice flour (or any gluten free flour that you like)
  • 1/2t ground cinnamon
  • 1/4C cacao (or cocoa) powder
  • 1/2C pitted prunes
  • 1/4C maple syrup (or any liquid sweetener ie honey, agave, rice syrup)
  • 2T coconut oil
  • 1t vanilla extract
  • 1/4t sea salt
  • 1t baking powder
  • 1/4t baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees C on bake.
  2. Throw everything except the baking powder and soda into a food processor. Whizz until smooth.
  3. Transfer into a mixing bowl and add baking powder and soda, folding through evenly.
  4. Scoop into a silicone pie dish (I use a 20cm round thing…. cost me $2 and is awesome… highly recommend them, no baking paper required).  Alternatively use a lined pie dish or baking tray… you need to spread out the mix so it is no higher than 2cm otherwise it will not bake properly.
  5. Smooth over top and bake for 12-16minutes… the top will crack and it will look like a huge cookie.  Hooray.  Check that it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle – if it comes out clean, you’re done.
  6. Let it cool completely in the pan before attempting to transfer.
  7. Cut into wedges like a pizza, or have some fun with cookie cutters.

Mega Super Awesome Sauce/Mousse Recipe
(I seriously love this stuff… it can be chilled so it firms up like a mousse, served warm and dribbly, or cool.  Whatever.  By the spoon, on a bread such as above, smeared on a ripe banana… the options are endless).
Vegan, gluten and cane sugar free

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 Tb nut butter {I used home made almond, but peanut, hazelnut, sunflower, any type works, great creative. (I use unsweetened, SALTED nut butter… if you use a non salty version, add a pinch of salt)}
  • 4 tsp maple syrup (or any liquid sweetener such as honey, agave etc)
  • 3 Tb cacao (or cocoa) powder
  • 1/2C milk (I used almond)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Combine all ingredients together in a microwave proof bowl.
  2. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each zap…. this will take anywhere for 6-10 minutes, depending on what nut butter/milk you use.
  3. Gradually the mix will thicken…. stop zapping when you have reached your desired consistency.
  4. If you want a mousse, simply pour into a dish/serving glass and place in the fridge… it will firm up a treat.  Kiss shot glass optional.  I actually hate Kiss, they suck.


Yip, it’s a crap photo, but it’s a creamy chocolate fix for when there is no actual chocolate in the house, so I’m sure you’ll all forgive me.