So this is less ‘spicy without chillies’ and more ‘food without any hint of heat’ Kate can eat capsicums but she’ll complain a lot. When I’m cooking I have to adjust for her likes and dislikes. It’s not hard. Here’s what I do when I’m cooking one of our regular meals: Channa Massala.

Take this recipe by Vegan Richa. Obviously I’d take out the chilli flakes and chillies but I also make a lot of my spice mixes. In this recipe it’s a channa massala mix but I also do my own garam massala. Just so Kate never has to go near a chilli.

I know sugar free means different things to different people. In my life (in the coffee shop) when people ask me if something is sugar free what they usually mean is something refined sugar free.

So once again I welcome you into my home kitchen to see a treat that’s still in the test stages. Here I’m not just going for refined sugar free. We want something that’s raw. It also has to be stable at room temperature. I’ve been playing around with cookies, taking cues from those raw brownies I made last week I’m now making raw chocolate and coconut cookies, sweetened with agave nectar and dehydrated for stability. Once I have a working recipe, you’ll be the first to know but for now I’m having fun experimenting.

I’m lucky not to have a gluten intolerance, wheat allergy or anything that would keep me away from the stuff. But in my other life as a woman who works in a coffee shop I meet a lot of people who are. Including one of my favourite babies.

I’m working at tweaking my favourite brownie recipe into a GF version. I admit I’m not trying very hard. Or rather it’s not that hard. My go-to recipe is from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I tend to double the recipe. To free it from gluten I’ve used Doves Farm GF flour. They suggest using more liquid but so far I’ve had success with a straight switch. It turns out a little sweeter so I’m going to have to do a few little tweaks but I’m hopeful that I’ll have a working GF brownie recipe soon.

And a slice of brownie for my favourite baby.