Xmas junket

Makes 500ml. You could use cacao powder and make a chocolate one.

Ingredients

500ml full cream milk, you could use some cream in the mix if you want it creamier

1-3 tbsp coconut nectar, honey, maple or rice malt syrup, start with 1 tbsp and taste

½ 1 tsp ground cinnamon- start with ½ tsp and taste

¼ tsp ground clove

¼ tsp ground  nutmeg

1 junket tablet, you find these at the supermarket near the long life custards and jellies

Method

Get a 500ml serving bowl or 4x 125ml smaller ones for individual serves.

Whisk the milk with the spices and sweetener. The spices will tend to float on top when you pour it in your dish. Dissolves your junket tablet in 1 tbsp cold water. Make sure its fully dissolved.

In a medium pot warm the milk to blood temp, or 37 degrees.  I stir the milk with my finger. This is the temperature you would use for a baby bottle or baby bath. If it is too hot it won’t work very well.

Take off and whisk in your junket/water. Pour into your serving dishes and let them sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. Do not move it in this 15 minutes or it will disturb the curds!

Then carefully put in the fridge to set for an hour or so. Serve up with cream and/or fruit. 

Cheesy vege bake

Serves 4
If you want to make vegetarian replace the mince for extra veg, good recipe for hiding some veg, my kids didn’t even know their most unfavorite veg was in there!
If you want dairy free use 6-8 beaten eggs and maybe some coconut milk and no butter, cheese or sour cream. This would be like a frittata

Ingredients
300g mince
1 small brown onion
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 zucchinis
3 large flat mushrooms
1 small bunch kale, washed and chopped
200g sour cream
200g grated tasty cheese
2 eggs
2 tsp smoked paprika

Method
Preheat oven to 180C
In a food processor blitz mushroom, zucchini, onion and garlic until mostly fine. In a large pan put a couple of tbsp. of butter/coconut oil and cook with the kale for 5 minutes, the liquid that comes out should be evaporated. Put in a baking dish, spread out evenly and press down. For the topping mix your eggs, sour cream and paprika, whisk and then stir in your cheese. Pour over your meat/veg mix and bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown on top. You can serve with extra veg /salad if you like.

Instant mango ice cream/custard

You guys who make their own ice cream will know how hard they  set in the freezer, so what I like to do is keep chunks of fruit in the freezer and make instant ice cream.

This doubles as a custard, so if you have non frozen fruit you can do the same thing and keep it in the fridge!

You can use strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, banana or other berries

Make 4 small portions

Ingredients

The flesh of 1 large mango (diced frozen)

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 heaped tbsp. double cream or thick coconut cream-you an add more or less

Opt 1 tsp honey, maple or rice malt syrup

Method

Blitz everything but the cream in a food processor. When smooth and creamy add your cream and pulse once or twice until combined. If it is a little runny just pop back in the freezer. I make this before dinner and its ready to have 30 mins later. You can either freeze the leftovers or keep in the fridge as a mango custard

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Home made tomato sauce

Ingredients

140g tomato paste, this is the very thick one

3-4 tsp white wine vinegar

½ tsp allspice
1/2 tsp each of onion powder and garlic powder approx

Water approx. 2-3 tbsp depending on how thick you like your sauce

Opt ½-1 tsp molasses- or to taste

Method

Mix paste and allspice together. Mix in 2tsp vinegar, taste and add more if you like more tang.

Then add your water till you get the thickness you like

Add your molasses if you want to add it. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary

Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber crackers

A  whole lebanese cucumber, ends trimmed, then lay it down and slice the edge of the cucumber so the edge is straight, repeat so you end up with a rectangle with no round edges. Then slice to form “crackers”

Lay down and lay on a slice of cream cheese, smoked salmon. You can garnish with some diced tomato or sprouts, If you are dairy free use avocado in place of cheese. You can use brie or camembert as well.

You can use dill, capers, sliced hardboiled egg slices, chicken, tuna/mayo, prawns, beef, grated carrot, diced capsicum. You can do cucumber rounds as a nibble or 2 slices as a sandwich. Great for kids lunch boxes.

Satay style mince with tamari and tahini

Serves 4 but if you add more veg you can get 6 serves

This has similar flavours to a satay curry- this is a nut free version. You can also add chilli to this.  Add the chilli same time as when you blitz the turmeric. 

Lots of anti inflammatory ingredients in here! Great dish to get more coconut in your diet.

You can make this vegetarian by changing the mince for 2 x 400g cans rinsed and drained chickpeas.

Ingredients

500g beef mince, you can use any mince

½ brown onion

1 man sized thumb piece of ginger and turmeric

5 cloves garlic

2 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos

2 tbsp tahini

400ml ayam can of coconut cream

1 bunch bok choy, washed and chopped

1 large red capsicum, diced

3 carrots, small dice

You can use whatever veg you like here- this is an example. 

Method

In a food processor blitz your turmeric, garlic and ginger until minced. You can do this my hand if you want.

In a large pan or wok brown your mince, carrot and turmeric mix, stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Then add your tahini, tamari, coconut cream, and capsicum. You will probably need to add ½ can water approx. Simmer covered if you can for 20 minutes or so until the carrot is tender, stir a couple of times, it should be nice and thick. If you don’t have a lid you will need to add more water due to evaporation. Add in your bokchoy and cook a further 1-2 minutes until wilted. Season with salt.