Call me old school, but I love cookbooks. I know there are a gazillion recipes available online, but there’s something gratifying about cooking with a book by my side. I love flipping through the pages, writing little notes beside the recipes and creasing the corners to mark my favourite finds. So I was obviously super thrilled when Shirley Plant – author of “Finally…Food I can Eat!” – sent me a copy of her cookbook to test out.
Having no dietary restrictions myself, I thought twice before embarking on this review. But I’m really happy I did! Why? Because even though I’m lucky enough not to have allergies or intolerances, many of my loved ones do. And now, thanks to “Finally…Food I Can Eat”, I have some recipes I can rely on when I’m entertaining them!
The book is pack-filled with all kinds of easy, delicious recipes (over 140 – from mains and salads to spreads and soups), dietary advice and easy-to-understand cooking tips. It was hard to decide which recipe to make first, but as soon as my eyes spotted the desserts section I was sold. The Banana Date Cookies just sounded way too good to pass up!
First thing to note (and this is a biggie for me): I didn’t need to go out and buy 20 different ingredients. You just need to combine three bananas, 2 cups of rolled oats, 1 cup of chopped dates, 1/2 cup of walnuts, 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1 tsp of pure vanilla and 1 tbsp of honey into a bowl and mix.
The other bonus: these cookies take 5 minutes to make and 20 min to bake! In fact, they’re so easy that I’ve made them three times in the past two weeks. Just get yourself some good parchment paper (I like to use PaperChef) and scoop small spoonfuls of the mix onto the sheet.
Put them into the oven at 400F for 18-20 min…(I like to watch them through the glass):
And voila! You have yourself some healthy, tasty cookies (yes, they do exist).
These are great treats for those who like to snack throughout the day. One or two cookies hit the spot as an afternoon snack. And for those who like to indulge: you can add some vanilla ice cream on the side to make a wicked dessert.
That’s it for now. I can’t wait to try more recipes out of this book and impress the socks off my friends!
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