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LACTOSE-FREE – these are usually still made from dairy products, but with the lactose removed.
DAIRY-FREE – are made from plant-based origins and are suitable for vegans.
Lactose intolerance affects a huge amount of people in varying degrees. Up to 70% of the worldwide population suffers lactose intolerance in some form. It’s caused when the body doesn’t produce enough LACTASE (an enzyme) to digest the LACTOSE (sugar found in milk) properly. This means the sugars travel down to your intestine, feed the gut bacteria and can cause bloating, gas and diarrhea. Sounds crap (boom, tish).
If you have an intolerance to whey or casein (the proteins in milk), which can cause sufferers joint pain and brain fog, then opting for dairy-free is the smart option. Or you could try sheep or goats milk, as the casein in their milk is different and causes little or no issue in consumers.
Paleo eating removes dairy from the mix due to all of the above. The paleo way is to remove foods that can cause digestive or inflammatory issues.
If you can tolerate some dairy and want to add a little to your paleo diet, the best options are:
– full fat grass fed butter (very low levels of lactose), ghee and fermented products Like kefir.

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One of my favourite sweetener swaps is honey. It’s delicious, easy to get your hands on and relatively cheap compared to some other healthier options (I’m talking to you maple syrup). So here’s some things to note when using honey in your baking…

•  honey often tastes sweeter than sugar, so you’ll want to use less. If using a standard recipe, use 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of honey than the regular sugar measurement.
•  honey contains water, so you may need to reduce the other liquids in the recipe. A good rule of thumb is for every 1 cup of honey, remove 1/4 cup of other liquid.
• if the recipe doesn’t already contain it, you may need to add a little baking soda to balance the acidity in the honey and help the bake rise. For every 1 cup of honey add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
• honey caramelises quicker than regular sugar, so you often need to bake at a lower temperature to stop it browning too quickly. I usually reduce it by 10 degrees Celsius. It may also mean you need to extend the baking time to ensure its cooked all the way through.

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What you need: 

• 1 1/2 cups cashews soaked overnight
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 3 medjool dates
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Eachnutmeg & allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• Pinch each of ground cloves & sea salt

What to do:
Rinse soaked cashews. Whizz in high speed blender with all other ingredients. Alter flavours to your taste. This mix will keep in fridge for a few days. Heat it in saucepan with as much rum as you need to cope. Or mix with rum and pour over ice for Dubai weather. Enjoy!

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Here’s a basic recipe:

• 8 cups water
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

Thumb of ginger sliced thinly
Mix all ingredients together in a large jug. Let it steep overnight. Pour over ice to enjoy.
Use this as a base, but add in what you fancy, like lemon, lime, grapefruit juice, fresh herbs, sliced fruit. Or make the mixture with half the water to steep, then when ready to drink top it up with sparkling water for fizz.
If you add in gin or vodka I am not here to judge.

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ALMOND MEAL – this ones my go to. I’ve always got loads of this in my cupboard. It tastes delicious, but being courser than conventional flour it does create a denser bake in cakes, but I quite like that. Mixing it with other flours like arrowroot can help lighten up  the texture of the cake. If you are trying to swap it in 1:1 for normal flour, be aware that it has a higher fat content, so you may need to reduce the fat elsewhere in the recipe. Depending on the depth of your bake, it may need a longer, lower baking time.

COCONUT FLOUR – this guy is super absorbent, so you definitely can’t swap 1:1 for normal flour, he’s too damn thirsty. Usually about 1/4:1 is the right swap, but you also need to double the eggs plus add a lot of extra liquid or your bake will be like a hockey puck. It’s a good one to use for the kids though, being nut-free and all, so Susan the helicopter mum at the school won’t freak out.

ARROWROOT – this guy combined with almond meal is a great mix. It helps make your cakes lighter and fluffier. Recommended ratio to normal flour is about 1/2:1. Its also a brilliant thickener for sauces and casseroles.

TAPIOCA – like arrowroot, it can help make bakes lighter, but can be a little gummier. Because of this its good for acting like a binder, so its particularly good for breads. You should always mix this one with other flours.

CHIA FLOUR – this ones a bit gritty and gummy like tapioca. Because it gets a little gelatinous when mixed with liquid, its a good binder, giving baked goods structure. This one needs to be mixed with other flours to make a nicer texture so a good replacement ratio for normal flour would 1/3:1

CASSAVA FLOUR – this guy is the most similar to regular wheat flour and can often be used 1:1 in a lot of recipes. Depending on the brand you use, it can tend to be a little thirstier than regular flour, so using fractionally less of it, or adding slightly more liquid can help balance that out. Besides cakes and muffins, I’ve used it to make pastry and a roux for sauces and its worked a treat.

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•  layer your chicken breasts/thighs in one layer in a saucepan. You don’t want them overlapping, but you also want them to fit snugly.
• season well with sea salt and black pepper.I like to throw in a roughly chopped onion, maybe some fresh or dried thyme or oregano.
• cover with cold water to about 5cm above the top of the chicken.
• heat to a simmer, then reduce heat right down until just occasional bubble rises to the surface. Cook for 8 minutes at this heat.
• turn heat off, cover pot with lid and let stand for a further 12 minutes.
• remove meat to cool, then shred with 2 forks.
  Use the shredded meat to bulk out soups and make tasty salads. Dump it on some Smith St Paleo bread with some greens and my paleo Mayo and you’ve got yourself a kick arse sanga. Mix through one of my Paleo pestos or a sriracha sauce and stuff sweet potatoes for an easy dinner. And don’t be thinking about throwing away the cooking liquid! You can strain that and keep it in the fridge for a few days and use as you would stock in sauces, soups, casseroles. I also use it to deglaze pans and braise veggies. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays or sandwich bags for future use.

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Easy peasy solutions can be:

•  unsweetened apple sauce. I usually have a jar of this in the fridge for impromptu pancake-amakin’. You could use any unsweetened fruit puree really, check out the baby food section (I’m not joking, promise!).
• tinned pumpkin puree. You’ll find this in the baking section of the supermarket (for pumpkin pie purposes). It’s unsweetened and just straight up pumpkin. You could make sweet or savoury with this.
• any puréed veg really. I’ve tried sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnip, cauliflower, you name it. For the waffles, its good just the way it is, but homemade puree might be a little thick for pancakes. If it is just loosen the batter a little with some non-dairy milk of choice. Easy. You could add cinnamon and nutmeg to the sweet potato or pumpkin for sweet pancakes or waffles, or add onion powder, garlic and fresh chopped herbs to go savoury.

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When picking a WATERMELON:

• pick it up, it should feel heavy for its size.
•  look for a buttery yellow spot on one side. This is where it sat to ripen in the sun. A white spot means it hasn’t ripened enough, a dark yellow might mean its overripe.

When picking a ROCKMELON:

•  check the stem. If theres still one there it means it was picked before it had ripened. It should have a small indent which means it came away from the vine easily, meaning it had been given time to mature before picking.
•  smell it. If you can smell its sweetness, you should be quids in.

When picking a HONEYDEW:

• the skin should be pale yellow. Any green means its underripe.
•  like watermelon, it should also feel heavy for its size.
• also give it a whiff near the stem end. Smell’s sweet? You’re good to go.

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DAIRY MILK – you can pretty much do a 1:1 switcharoo with almond, cashew or coconut milk.
CREAM – canned coconut cream will work in baking 1:1.
EVAPORATED MILK – canned coconut milk will work 1:1.
BUTTER – firm coconut oil 1:1 (I keep a jar in the fridge all the time).
BUTTERMILK – create your own by mixing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with every 1 cup of non-dairy milk.
YOGHURT – this can be a 1:1 switch with coconut yoghurt or apple sauce, or a mixture of the two.

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