Vegetable, tomato and barley soup

Ingredients

2 carrots

2 zucchini

2 stems of celery

1 brown onion

5 cloves of garlic

4 bay leaves

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes or 400g tomato passata

¼ of a small green cabbage

½ cup of pearl barley

800-1000ml water/vegetable stock/chicken broth-800ml will be quite thick, add more liquid as needed

Optional ½ cup alphabet pasta shapes or similar

Chopped parsley and parmesan cheese for garnish

Method

I used a food processor and pulsed the vegetables to finely chop, not puree! Do the cabbage separate, this gets added later in the cooking. Or you can chop finely by hand.

In a large pot put in some olive oil and fry off your carrot, celery, zucchini, onion and garlic for 1 minute, then add your tomato, broth/water, bay leaves and barley. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the barley is tender, should be a little chewy in texture. Then add in your cabbage and pasta if using. Simmer a further 5 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Add plenty of salt and pepper. Serve with chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

Salted honey and cinnamon roasted nuts

Ingredients

2 cups of nuts, I have used one cup each of raw almonds and macadamias

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp coconut oil, or a similar oil

1 tbsp water

Method

Roast your nuts on a lined oven proof dish/tray at 180c for 10-15 minutes stirring once, should look golden brown and nice and toasty.

While than is cooking put your other ingredients into a medium pot, melt gently together. When the nuts are done put them in the pot and simmer stirring until all the liquid is used up. Then put back onto your tray, spread out and sprinkle over sme salt and leave to cool. Break up and store in an airtight container.

Chicken with lemon and thyme

To serve 4-6 depending on how hungus you are :)

Ingredients

6 big chicken thighs

1 red onion, rough chop

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

A few sprigs of thyme or lemon thyme

5 fresh bay leaves, you can this is the herb section from the supermarket or you can use dried

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup of verjuice

300ml chicken broth

Method

In a large pan heat some butter and olive oil. Cook your chicken until brown on each side. Put in your garlic and onion and cook another minute. Season really well with salt and pepper.

In an ovenproof dish put in your browned chicken, onion and garlic, put in your bay leaves, lemon zest, verjuice, thyme and broth. Cover and slow cook at 160c for 60-75 minutes. Or you can do it faster at 200 c for about 30-35 minutes. Or you can chuck it all in the slow cooker for the day.

When the chicken is cooked take out the chicken and put on a plate. Put all the liquid put into a pot, no need to strain yet.  Put the chicken back into your empty ovenproof dish, cover and keep warm in the oven. Turn the oven down to 100c.

Let the liquid in your pot reduce down until it is thick like gravy. This should take about 10 minutes. Then you can strain it before you serve over your chicken and veg.

I served with grilled zucchini, steamed broccoli and carrots.

Bon appetite!

Slow cooker chicken stroganoff

 –serves 6

Ingredients

700g chicken thighs

2 leeks, white part only, washed 2 cm slice

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped-if you are in a hurry you can leave this out

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp sweet paprika

300g button mushrooms, some sliced, some cut in half, you can even leave whole as well.

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups chicken broth

Sour cream to stir in at the end-as much as you like!

Method

Put everything (except the sour cream) into your slow cooker and put on low for the day. No need to cut up the chicken

When cooked strain all the liquid into a pot, put all the chicken etc back into the slow cooker to keep warm. Bring all the liquid to the boil, then turn down a little and cook until it has reduce by at least half, should be nice and thick like a gravy. By reducing it concentrates all the flavours, and we like flavour right? Then add your gravy back to the slow cooker and stir in your sour cream.

 Serve with your favourite steamed veges and rice, pasta , mash etc if you want.

Slow cooked lamb with rosemary and garlic, classic lamb flavors with jus

Here I have used a 10g pack of rosemary, leave whole, plus a tonne of chopped garlic and 1 cup of broth from the freezer and some salt and pepper. You can use a leg or shoulder.

Put on low for the day with the fatty skin side facing up.

When done carefully lift out-watch out it doesn't fall apart! Then you can put under a medium heated grill to brown the top and render the fat down some more. Gently scrap off the rosemary and garlic first (garlic will burn otherwise)

To make the jus

With all the juices in the slow cooker strain into a pot (you can add some spare red wine here too if you wanted (what is this spare wine you speak of?)

SImmer these juices until reduced right down and is thickened and tastes amazing. I reduced by about 3/4, this means if you start with 500ml, reduce down to 125ml. I threw in some chopped mint at the end too, for some freshness.

Gravy is really just broth and pan juices which is thickened with a flour, good but not as good as jus!

A jus, is broth that has been reduced, or simmered continuously until it is thick, the flavors will concentrate and you get that smooth gelatinous feel in your mouth.

Stir fried oats with apple, sultanas and cinnamon

Ingredients

1 cup of rolled oats

1 egg

2 tbsp coconut flakes or shredded coconut

2 tbsp slivered or flaked almonds

2 tbsp sultanas

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup of water or milk

1 apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges

2 tbsp coconut cream (opt) for the topping

Honey or maple to taste for the topping

Method
Mix oats together with the egg, set aside.

In a pan with some butter fry your apple wedges until golden brown and set aside. In the same pan, add more butter if needed and add your coconut, almonds, cinnamon and oat mix. Stir fry until golden brown and nice and toasted, then add your milk and sultanas. Keep stirring until there is no more liquid, about 1 minute. Serve up in 2 bowls and top with your apple, coconut cream and honey.

Double decker brownie cheesecake

If you are dairy free you can still make the bottom brownie bit and swap the butter for coconut oil, dairy free chocolate and leave the top layer out.


Brownie Base
200g dark chocolate
125g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 tbsp coconut flour
Pinch of salt

Salted caramel cheesecake top layer
250g full fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
6-7 medjool dates, pitted
½ tsp vanilla extract
Salt to taste- you can leave out if you prefer

Method

Preheat oven to 160c fan forced oven. 180c normal oven

Line a 20 x 20cm square cake tin.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a pot

When the chocolate mix is cooled a little add, eggs, vanilla, salt and coconut flour. You may have noticed there is no add sugar in the brownie mix. You can add some honey if you like just taste you mix and see how you like the taste. Spoon into your lined cake tin, spread evenly.

For the top layer blitz up the ingredients for this until smooth and then spoon this on top of the brownie base. Bake for 25-30 minutes, will be a little golden brown on top. When cool cut into squares/rectangle or whatever tickles your fancy. Store in the fridge.