Sugar-free Sweet Chilli Sauce

It's the New Year, and no doubt we're all looking for healthy recipes to counteract the indulgence of the festive season. I'm cutting back on sugar, but one of the hardest things for me to go without is sweet chilli sauce! I love adding it to all sorts of things.
So I've developed a recipe for sugar-free sweet chilli sauce. Natvia sweetens it, and chia seeds give it the viscous consistency needed to distribute the chilli [and optional garlic]. The result is a similar texture to a store-bought variety. It's so tasty I even spread it on toast and top with chicken and salad.

Sugar-free Sweet Chilli Sauce (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, no added sugar, extremely low fructose.)
Make at least two days in advance to allow the chia seeds to form a gel.

1 cup of water
4 tsp granulated Natvia (like table sugar)
small hot chillis: 2 = mild, 3 = medium, 4 = hot
2 Tbsp chia seeds
4 cloves
1/4 clove of garlic (optional)
3 tsp white vinegar

In a small saucepan, boil the water to a simmer and turn to low.
Add the Natvia and stir until dissolved. Let cool.
Chop the chillis and add, seeds and all, to cooled mixture.
Add chia seeds, cloves, and garlic [if desired].
Refrigerate in a jar for two days or until a sufficient gel consistency has formed.
Pour mixture into a small food processor and blend.
Stir in vinegar and return mixture to fridge.

Ready to eat! If you want a hint more red colour, consider adding 1/4 teaspoon tomato paste, but this will add fructose. I've made mine without, and it appears deep orange, as you can see in the photo.
Another method is to make a large batch of chia gel in advance and take what you need to make various sauces. Just blend 1 cup with the above ingredients and it's ready to serve. I've added the core ingredients at the beginning just to get the flavour through it while the gel sets, but it's still nice slapped together after you've made the gel.

Marga's Sago Christmas Plum Pudding

Do you quietly detest traditional Christmas pudding? Is your festive dinner doomed by something akin to a blob of melted tyre, sweetened? Can you bring yourself to say...no? If you grunted to all these questions, then have you ever tried a sago Christmas pudding? It looks like the real deal, but it's light and spongy, it has less fruit, and it's spicy but not bitter. This scrumptious family recipe comes from Marga, and it's been a great success for years. Whenever we serve it, we often receive clandestine nods of approval. And the occasional slow clap.

Marga's Sago Christmas Plum Pudding (gluten-free, egg-free, lactose-free, soy-free, bitterness-free :D )

Best prepared a week or two in advance.
Ingredients:
(Fits a 2 litre pudding basin. For the above photo, I used individual mini ramekins)
750g fruit: prunes, craisins, sultanas or raisins
90g mixed peel
50g blanched, slivered or chopped almonds
3 cups of crumbed gluten-free bread (choose egg-free or yeast-free according to requirements)
2/3 cup of brown sugar, or 1/3 cup of natvia to lower sugar content.
1 cup of sago (tapioca pearls)
2 cups of almond milk or rice milk or lactose-free milk ('no added sugar' varieties)
125g Nuttelex or lactose-free butter, melted
3/4 cup of gluten-free stout or fruit juice. I used apple & rhubarb juice.
1/2-1 tsp nutmeg, depending on taste
1-2 tsp mixed spice, depending on taste [I say go the hack]
1 tsp bicarbonate soda

Method:
1. Wash sago, soak in almond/rice/lactose-free milk overnight in fridge.
2. Chop fruit and soak with mixed peel in stout or fruit juice overnight.
~~~
3. Combine sago mixture, melted Nuttelex, bi-carb soda (dissolved in a little milk), bread crumbs, sugar, fruit mixture, almonds and spices.
4. Transfer to a greased pudding bowl or non-stick pudding tin. If using a bowl, cover with 2 layers of foil, extending at least 6cm down sides of bowl. Secure tightly with kitchen string, leaving a large loop in order to lift pudding out of boiling water. Cover with basin lid.
5. Place an upside-down saucer in a large saucepan (big enough to fit the pudding). Place pudding bowl on saucer. Pour boiling water into saucepan until half-way up the pudding basin.
6. Boil gently for 3 hours.
7. On day of serving, boil for a further 2-3 hours. Remove by carefully lifting basin out of saucepan.
8. Serve with white sauce or custard, using gluten-free cornflour and lactose-free milk/rice milk/almond milk
Enjoy!

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This blog is under construction. Gluten-free recipes, tips and resources coming soon!